I haven’t been able to get many good photos the past few weeks with my camera because of being busy and not feeling well, but I have shared some good stuff on Instagram. Here’s a round up of what’s been going on this week in the life of NCsquared as seen through Instagram filters.

Last week started out cold and snowy. This picture is exactly what I was talking about in this Thankful Thursday post. As I mentioned there, I often enjoy venturing out in the crisp air or snow on a sunny winter day and getting to bundle up in cute hats and scarves and coats. These are the days when the bright, winter sun glitters in the snow and everything is quiet and calm. Can’t you just feel the calm in this photo?

It started to warm up a bit and all I needed was a sweater, button-up, and puffer vest to stay warm. I wore this to one of our Centering Pregnancy classes where we talked to a labor and delivery nurse from the hospital where I’ll be delivering Baby S. I left feeling very lucky that our hospital is so accommodating to women in childbirth. The nurse kept saying that everything is a conversation, from what kind of pain management you want to how you make your room more comfortable to where you actually give birth (lying in the bed, squatting in the floor, etc.) which I think is SUPER important to creating a positive birthing experience!

Sweater & Button-up: Banana Republic | Puffer Vest: Gap | Jeans: Liz Lange Maternity via Target | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom

As it started to warm up even more and the snow slowly melted, the hazy fog rolled in. Look at this beautiful morning. It was so stunning that it almost took my breath away. It gave me renewed energy for the week and made me feel like everything was going to be all right.

By Friday, it was in the 70s! Only in North Carolina does the week begin with Winter and end with Spring. I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to take advantage of the weather, so I threw on a floral top and canvas shoes to run errands. I won’t really be pregnant in the spring, as Baby S’s due date is a few days after the official first day of spring this year so it was nice to not have to bundle up the bump when I ventured outside.

This photo was taken just a few nights ago. It may not look like it, but the bump continues to grow and that means making myself comfortable is getting increasingly difficult. I have a pair of maternity pajamas and I wear them almost every night but on laundry nights or nights that it’s a bit colder in the house, I’ll wear Nick’s clothes. And I’ve discovered that there’s no piece of maternity clothing that is as comfortable as his t-shirts!

That’s it, lovelies. I hope you all had a great week. I will try my best to be back next week with better photos, I promise! Until then, stay warm or cool and be happy.

*This post was originally published on 12/21/2013 but is being reposted below with a few updates*

No matter what our spiritual beliefs, or what part of the world we live, we all share the turning of the sun on the solstices. Today is the 2016 Winter Solstice, or better known as The First Day of Winter.

The Winter Solstice/First Day of Winter is the longest night of the year, marking the beginning of winter and the return of the sun. After this night, the days will begin to get longer and we’ll see that we have the opportunity for a new beginning.

This is a natural time for letting go and saying farewell. Release your resentments and regrets into the darkness, knowing they will be transformed with the return of the light. Renew your visions for the new year and remember that it is important not to judge yourself by “success” or “failure” in this past year but by the true quality of how you lived your life and whether you were a good influence on your world.

In the coming year, try to create enriching experiences for yourself and continue to look forward. You can shape your life more positively, with awareness and intention. Dedicate all of your happy, joyful experiences to every living being that is able to share that good energy, and dedicate all of your painful, difficult experiences to uplifting  yourself and others.

Death and rebirth, the passing of the old, and the slow emergence of the new. Helping one another through the dark. Sharing with the less fortunate. Being thankful for our past blessings and for prosperity in the future. The natural cycles of our world. All of this is the spirit of the season I celebrate.

photo source

Celebration Ideas

This year for the winter solstice, I plan on lighting some candles and reflecting on all of the things I’m grateful for from the past year and letting go of all the resentments I might hold. For anyone that has lived through 2016, you can probably agree that this could be a really helpful step for preventing so much negativity in the coming year. I want 2017 to be better, not just for me, but for the world. This is what I will reflect on tonight with my candles. If you’re interested in doing the same, it’s really easy. Here’s what I’m going to do:

• Write down my resentments and regrets from this past year on a post-it note
• Write down my visions/resolutions for the new year on another post-it note
• Quietly reflect on the negative note, and then let all of those feelings go. Burn the note with a candle.
• As I burn the note, I’ll begin to focus on the positive for a new year and make a promise to myself that I will try to create enriching experiences and do all that I can to positively shape my life in the coming year.

Celebrating the solstice/winter is very easy, even if you’ve never done it before or are just starting out. Here are a few other ideas:

• Greet the sun at dawn on solstice morning by ringing bells.
• Create rituals, having feasts (pot-luck), and a gift exchange
• Create your own family tradition by gathering in a circle around candles. Each person can light a candle and talk about something they’re grateful for or something they wish for another person in the coming year.
• Gather around a bond fire and have each person state what they would like to give up about the past and what the envision for the future.
• Light candles: a different candle for each of the twelve months on the 12 days before the solstice. Light the center candle on solstice day (represents the return of the light)
• Contribute to wellness on the planet: donate food or clothing, meditate for world peace, make a pledge to do some form of good in the coming year.

Creating a meaningful celebration of winter solstice can help us cultivate a deeper connection to nature and family and all the things that matter most to us.

Happy Winter Solstice, everyone!

photo source

Here lately I don’t really have anywhere to go so getting dressed means throwing on something comfortable to wear around the house. My bump is finally getting big enough that full-panel maternity pants are more comfortable than my belly band, so I finally threw in the towel and purchased a few new pairs, this pair being one of them. I now have 4 pairs of maternity pants that should last through the next 3 months. Also, it’s been cold and/or rainy for the last few days so apologies for the not-so-great photos from my phone, but it was honestly the only way I was going to get to document this outfit.

I love the mustard and black combination. I think it’s my favorite way to wear the dark yellow color. And I chose this pattern in these pants because it’s somewhat different and because they were on sale for 40% off! I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable they are so they’re going to get plenty of wear.

The baby bump isn’t looking as big as it feels these days but my doctor says I’m right where I’m supposed to be, growth-wise, so I’m not too worried about it.

Sweater: ModCloth | Pants: Old Navy (these are available in maternity & regular) | Shoes: Old Navy

This is a redo of an outfit I wore on one of the coldest days in NC two years ago that I called “winter pink.” I’m wearing the same sweater and jeans, but I switched up the details just a little. My vest is more ivory than white and it isn’t as puffy, I’m wearing ankle boots instead of tall boots, and my necklace is shorter. I’m still wearing a floral scarf but it’s a different one. It definitely wasn’t as cold this time around as it was a few years ago!

So, I was going to wear this to work yesterday but I had a bad case of the Mondays. My car wouldn’t start so Nick was nice enough to drive me to work, but when I got there, I realized that I grabbed his computer on  my way out of the house so he had to turn around and bring me home to get my computer. I decided to cancel my one afternoon meeting and work from home. I’m extremely grateful that I have a job that will allow me to work from home in a pinch like that. Btw, we had to get a new battery for my car. Blah!

Sweater: Banana Republic | Denim: Gap | Vest: Old Navy | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstorm | Scarf: Planet, a boutique in Wilmington, NC | Necklace: via Le Tote

Linking up with Hello Monday | Let it Shine | Confident Twosday | Garay Treasures | Trend Spin Linkup

In the title of this post, cold refers to temperature in NC this week, and gray refers to my denim. On Monday I asked where’s winter because it was warm enough to wear a light blazer and, this week, winter came calling! I took these photos on a very cold day. So cold, in fact, that I wanted to get more/better photos but I just couldn’t handle it and ran back inside. Now, as I type this on Thursday night, we’re awaiting the snow. I’ll probably wake up tomorrow to snow before this post is even published.

Anyway, I wore this outfit mostly chilling – literally – around the house on MLK Day, watching Angie Tribeca. I did run out to get lunch so the only folks that saw me were the guys as Jimmy Johns. As for the jeans, they’re gray. Not really much to say about them except that the knee patch hits right below my knee instead of on it. #shortgirlproblems

Sweater: Old Navy | Scarf & Denim: Banana Republic | Shoes: Gap Outlet