Apologies for the title; that’s a lot of acronyms! Lace Little Black Dress for New Year’s Eve. I wore this cute little lace dress for my New Year’s Eve/Birthday party this year. I actually bought it last year to wear to a party we were attending while visiting friends in Washington, D.C. but I was so tired by the time we got there and had dinner that I didn’t feel like changing. Plus, it was really cold and I just wanted to be comfortable. The original plan this year was to wear it with thick black tights and a cute pair of ankle boots, but since I was warm in my house, I just threw on some flats. They’re must easier for this mama-to-be to walk around in anyway!

This isn’t a maternity dress as you probably gathered from the fact that I bought it last year, but with me not working and therefore not having a clothing budget anymore, I have to make do with what I have. I think it worked okay. I was a little concerned about the length, as I don’t normally like wearing dresses this short (unless it’s summer, then I might make an exception) but Nick repeatedly assured me it was okay. I probably should have worn some tights anyway.

On my birthday, I was 28 weeks+1 day pregnant, and I just couldn’t resist showing off the bump!

Happy birthday to me!

Dress: Target | Necklace: Francesca’s | Shoes: Old Navy | Tiara: Party City

I hope you’re all staying warm in these winter storms we’ve been having. Until next time…

Hello Monday Linkup | Start the Week Stylish | Confident Twosday

Sometimes you like an outfit better in your head than you do on your body. This is one of those outfits for me. I wore it several months ago to my part-time job and I wasn’t going to post it but it’s a real-life outfit so here you go! I can’t quite articulate what I don’t like about it, but I think it has something to do with the leggings. Also, that bun could use some work. The reality is that there are days like this where you make it work until you get home and change into your pajamas!

Blouse: Banana Republic | Leggings: Old Navy | Shoes: Mix No. 6 via DSW | Necklace: via Stitch Fix

Have you ever had a piece of clothing that you love so much that you want to wear it all the time and you almost do but you’re afraid of wearing it too often or  doing something much worse, like staining/ripping/ultimately destroying it so you talk yourself out of it almost every single time? This shirt is that piece of clothing for me. I love it. Like, LOVE IT, and I would wear it every single day if I could (in fact, I often do wear it several days in a row) but I’m *terrified* of messing it up and then I wouldn’t get to wear it ever again. But I got over that fear and wore it to the third day of my part-time office job and nothing terrible happened to the shirt, except that now I have to wash it, which is a whole other cause of anxiety that I’ll save for some other time.

The office environment where I just started working is very casual/relaxed because it’s just a few of us ladies doing some really important women’s rights work. We don’t have to meet with clients or anything like that – and I’m usually only there for about 3 hours a day – so this outfit is very appropriate.

Blouse: Joie via Nordstrom Rack | Cropped Trousers: Banana Republic | Shoes: Brash via Payless | Jewelry: Old Navy & Wal-Mart

Linking up Flashback Fashion Fridays Linkup | What I Wore to Work Linkup

Real talk: I probably wouldn’t have purchased these shoes if the saleswoman hadn’t told me they were made by a designer in Mallorca, Spain in small batches. Of course I thought they were gorgeous but even on sale, they were a bit pricey. But when I heard “Spain” I turned to Nick and said, “Mira. Estos son muy bonitas y de España. I have to have them!” I actually said a little more than that in Spanish, but he doesn’t really speak it. Anyway, these are my sweet Spanish shoes and I love them! They’re velvety, adorable, and fit perfectly.

This was the first and only time I’ve worn them, though, because I’m afraid I’ll mess them up!  I was so excited because I had a phone interview that morning and a girl-date night with my BFF that evening for dinner and a movie. It started to rain while we were at the restaurant and all I could think of was my shoes! We decided to ditch the movie and stay at the restaurant to drink wine and eat sushi (two of my favorite things) so I had a great time in my Spanish shoes.

More real talk: I had a hard time choosing flattering photos of me in this outfit because I didn’t realize that the top made me look very top heavy. Have you ever experienced this phenomenon where the way an outfit looks on you in the mirror is different (maybe better) than the way it looks on you in photos? If the pics are the truer version of what I looked like in real life, I might not wear this one out anymore.

Blouse: C.Luce via Stitch Fix | Cardigan & Pixie Pants: Old Navy | Shoes: Vert & Vogue | Necklace: Hawthorne Collection

What do you think of my sweet Spanish shoes?

Linking up with  Tucker Up |The Pleated Poppy | Walking in Memphis in High Heels | Why I Do DeClaire

I think it’s really important for my blog that I show outfits that I actually wear. I also want my outfits to look good, but I feel like I struggle with being “trendy” and heels with everything feels very trendy right now. I love how the heels look with these skinny jeans and the necklace of the same color, and this is definitely something I’d wear on a night out or for a special occasion, but to be completely honest, I wouldn’t wear heels to the grocery store. I’d definitely choose flats to run errands or to grab lunch with Nick. So, the truth is I did wear this outfit to lunch with Nick one day last week BUT with the flats I wore with this outfit.

But this outfit is so cute that I’ll come up with a reason to wear it. Or I’ll wear the heels to the grocery store because it’s so darn good. Maybe sometimes you just have to make those sacrifices 😉

Here’s the fun blooper: This is me giving instruction. I’m not bossy, I’m a leader! 😉

Tank: C. Luce via Stitch Fix | Jeans: Banana Republic | Heels: Christian Siriano via Payless | Necklace: Accessorize It | Sunnies & Handbag: Target

Linking up with A Pocket Full of Polka Dots | Penniless Socialite | More Pieces of Me | I Do DeClaire | Mix & Match Fashion