Yesterday I talked about how my go-to formula lately has been sweater (top) + jeans + boots. Here’s another example of how well that works. It was almost 70 degrees so I got to wear a tee under the cardigan and I’m not complaining.

I wore this outfit to my doctor’s appointment the other morning and I told my midwife I was concerned that I’m not gaining enough weight. She said my belly and Baby S are measuring just fine, BUT I should start eating more peanut butter, avocados, loaded baked potatoes, ICE CREAM AND COOK OUT MILKSHAKES. Pretty much all of my favorite things… and it’s doctor’s orders! This pregnancy thing isn’t so bad 😉

It was totally warm enough to not wear the cardigan but it wasn’t too warm that I was uncomfortable in it, so I mostly left it on.

You can see the tip of my sock, which I think is cute. I hate the advice I’ve seen some bloggers give that your socks should never be visible but there really isn’t anyone looking down my shoe so I see no reason to worry about it. Plus, it could give a nice, unexpected pop of color.

Tee: Gap | Sweater Cardigan: Loft Outlet | Jeans: Liz Lange Maternity via Target | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Necklace: via Le Tote

Y’all, with all of this snowy winter weather, I have been in full-on hibernation mode. Where I live, it started sleeting on Friday evening which turned to snow that didn’t let up until Saturday evening, resulting in about 2 inches of beautiful fluffy snow on top of an inch of pure ice. I had every intention of taking fun outfit pictures in the snow, but when it came right down to it, it was just too cold! The low on Sunday was in the single digits. That’s rare for these parts of NC so Nick, the dog, and I stayed bundled up indoors. Luckily, I got some mirror photos/selfies of a few past outfits that I’ll share with you instead. As usual, apologies for the quality but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

Gingham shirt: Target | Vest: Old Navy | Pants: Loft | Shoes: Old Navy 

I wore this gingham/vest combo on Thursday (and then again on Friday) to run errands before the wintery bottom dropped out of the sky. It’s been on my list to wear for a while but I was afraid the pants would be uncomfortable since they’re not maternity, but I was pleasantly surprised how well they held up with just a belly band. The shirt is struggling a bit against the belly, though, so I might have to retire this one until after the baby arrives.

Sweater: Banana Republic | Skirt: Target | Boots: Old Navy | Scarf: Target

I wore this cute little sweater/skirt combo to meet with my career coach to learn how to improve my resume. She gave me some really good tips that I’m hoping will land me a job sooner rather than later. This was taken when I was only about 6 months along (so about 1.5 months ago) and the career coach had no idea I was pregnant until I told her. Looking at this photo now, I can understand why. Tiny little bump!

Sweater and Tank: Banana Republic | Jeans: Target (Liz Lange Maternity) | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Necklace: via Le Tote

I wear this outfit all. the. time. Seriously, it has become my go-to outfit for everything from errands to doctor appointments to hanging out to whatever. I love the layered look and it’s really comfortable and the boots make it feel even more stylish. I don’t really know what else to say about it except that I love it.

Sweater: J. Crew Outlet | Vest and Jeans: Banana Republic | Boots: Old Navy | Necklace: via Francesca’s

So, this was a really cute outfit but an example of one that didn’t quite work so I had to change it up a bit. These are not maternity jeans and they did not hold up well with the belly band. I wore this outfit to do some shopping and after my first stop I came home to change because I was literally pulling my pants up every 3 seconds. Very uncomfortable. The purple sweater/vest/purple boots combo, however, is on point so all I did was change into a pair of light washed, distressed maternity jeans and got the same effect.

 Anyway, I hope you’re all having a happy Friday and not tucked up in bed bed all day to avoid the back luck that is thought to come on Friday the 13th! Did you know that there are TWO Friday the 13ths in 2017?  January 13th (today) and October 13. Everyone beware, mwah-ha-ha! 😀

Blanket scarfs are so cozy, aren’t they? They’re also huge so I almost passed up on this trend because I thought it would weigh me down. Jean from Extra Petite convinced me to give it a try, though, when she posted her video showing a few different ways to style to it. She’s actually about an inch shorter than me (while her style sense is miles above mine) so I figured if she can make it work then so could I. Her video is really helpful so even if you’re not a shorty like me, I would recommend it. I’ve found that the trick is not only in the fold (fold it in half first) but also in rolling it a few times so it isn’t quite as long. All that folding and rolling does leave it feeling a bit bulky so I usually save the blanket scarf for those really cold days when I need the extra warmth.

I love reading random things about the bloggers that I follow so I thought you might enjoy reading some about me. I think it’s a nice way to get to know someone a little better.

1. I’ve never had any surgeries in my life. How I managed that, I have no idea but my dentist has been fussing at me to have my wisdom teeth removed for years and I’m just like, “Nah, I’m good.” That makes me really nervous about the possibility of having to have a c-section at the end of this pregnancy. The plan is to have a medication-free labor and delivery but I understand that you don’t really know what’s going to happen until it’s going down. I’m keeping those fingers crossed, though!
2. My secret favorite dinner is party foods: charcuterie, chips, dips, bite-sized anything really. When I moved into my very first apartment in undergrad, I ate a lot of “party foods” for dinner because I could! Wavy chips and french onion dip, little sausages in thick sauces, bite-sized pizzas, sausage balls, etc. My other/more acceptable favorite dinner is sushi. Who am I kidding, I just love to eat.
3. I love the idea of reading non-fiction but I prefer good fiction. Sometimes reading about real life is just too depressing for me and I often read for an escape. While I think non-fiction is really important and I read it from time to time, I gravitate toward something that is made up and sucks me in. However, I’m currently reading Bossy Pants by Tina Fey. Yes, I’m way behind on the times.

4. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. In elementary school, we had career day and I was upset because I didn’t know how to dress up as an author so I dressed up as a doctor instead. I won a story-telling contest in 5th grade for a story I wrote called Rumpelstiltskin Continued, as well as an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood that was told from the wolf’s perspective.
5. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I love being in the field of public health but I feel like I still haven’t found my calling, so I just do all kind of things and have become somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades. I think that works for me, for now.

On to the outfit: sometimes I take too much time getting ready because I overthink things. Do I have the right completer piece? What is the best necklace to wear? Which shoes look best? But I’m learning it’s easy to keep it simple and still look good. Sweater, jeans, cute shoes, and a necklace. Doesn’t get much more simple than that, except maybe sweatpants or pajamas. I suppose you could wear sweatpants to the grocery store but this simple casual outfit is better and it didn’t even take that much to put together. As the weather gets colder, I’ll add a vest or cardigan as my completer piece but for now, this is just fine.

Sweater: Old Navy | Jeans: Liz Lange maternity @ Target | Shoes: Target | Necklace: Claire’s (old)

Where are you, winter? There was a week or so here in North Carolina where the temperatures dropped to seasonally appropriate levels but then it warmed back up. As much as I’d like to be wearing sweaters and scarves in January, I took advantage of  the warm up to wear this cute blazer. I don’t wear it very often because I’m still figuring out what colors I like pairing it with, but this blouse was definitely made for it, with all those cute colors and patterns. In full disclosure, before I left I for work, I unrolled my jeans and wore them long. I think both ways looks great, but unrolled felt better for the office. Next time, I’ll wear the top and blazer with a cute pair of trousers.

So, I see now that you barely notice the necklace I paired with the shirt, so next time, I’ll skip the necklace altogether. Also, straight hair don’t care. I really need a haircut!

Blazer: Blazer: market & spruce via Stitch Fix | Blouse: Target | Denim: kensie via Stitch Fix | Shoes & Necklace: Target | Bracelets: Old Navy

Linking up with Hello Monday | Thursday Fashion Files | Start the Week Stylish | Garay Treasures | Confident Twosday