bybmg: 2014
Ok.  Let's just say there's a bit of repeat this week... Hello Apparel sweatshirts, buffalo plaid scarf, Uggs.  Sorry not sorry.  It's Christmas break.  I'm at least getting dressed most days.  So, that's that.  Hope you had a fabulous Christmas!  Highlights from our celebration will be up on Friday.


 

Tuesday:

Scarf: Jamie
Sweatshirt and Tank: Hello Apparel
Jeans: thrifted Old Navy Maternity
Boots: thrifted Uggs
 

I don't even remember how I stumbled upon the Goody Goody Giftswap last year, but it was so fun to participate in, that I thought I would do it again this year. How it works is basically that you sign up with your name, interests, etc, and they pair you up with another creative soul to swap gifts with.  You can see last year's swap post here. 
It's a...
I hope you have a great holiday filled with family and friends! I'm soaking up time with my boys. I plan to take the rest of the week off blogging, too, so expect a big High Five for Friday update next week! Also, come back Monday to read if our little bundle is a boy or a girl!


Happy Tuesday!  This week's post finished up my outfits from school and brings in a little casual. Enjoy!


 

Tuesday:

Scarf and Bracelet: Our World Boutique
Tunic: LuLaRoe
Skinnies: Old Navy Maternity
Boots: Steve Madden (hand me down)


One of the things I like to give my kids' teachers/care providers is a gift card. As a teacher in the elementary for many years, there's only so much lotion and candles a teacher can take. A gift card isn't the only thing they'll get this year, but it's a small, little added bonus with the gift.  This year, I decided to bypass the paper envelope that Target provides and make a holder of my own.  The whole project took me about 15 minutes, so if you have a sewing machine and can sew/cut in a somewhat straight line, you can do it too!


It's FRIDAY and today there's lots to celebrate because it's the last day of school before Christmas break!  So excited. We have so much to pack into the two weeks off. It's going to be wonderful! Time with family, house projects, and even a date night! Here are some highlights from the last week! I'm taking next Friday off of posting highlights just to focus on time with family and such.  That just means I'll have ton to update you on the following Friday!


{ONE}

 

I mentioned last Friday that Russ and I took the day off. We ran separate errands, went to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, did a little shopping, and attended Henry's preschool Christmas program. It was a great day!

It seems like the months just go by so quickly!  Here we are in December with another great Ipsy Glam Bag! If you're not familiar with Ipsy, it's a monthly subscription in which you receive a cute zipper pouch along with five beauty samples. It costs just $10 a month. 

 

The bag this month was a super cute black satin-like bag with a heart ipsy key chain. It was very spacious and would make a nice pencil case. I feel like having zipper pouches like this is always great for storing the boys' stuff.

Wife Mommy Me

Here we are, more than half way done with with Christmas Photo Challenge! If you missed last week's pictures, head back here and take a peek!



10. Stockings - We have classic Pottery Barn ones and I just love them. Simple. Perfect for us. Can't wait to add one more next year.


Happy Tuesday!  I'm so excited that we're just a week from Christmas Eve!  Crazy, isn't it? I plan to post outfits next Tuesday again, and they'll be mostly more casual (for the next couple weeks) since I get to wear jeans to work Thursday and Friday of this week, then I'll be on break for two weeks. Hooray!!
 

 

Tuesday: 
If you were here Friday, you already saw this outfit. I was more than thrilled that it was featured on LuLaRoe's Instagram account!

Necklace: Our World Boutique
Cardigan: Gap
Cuff Accessories: Poppy Clips
Dress: LuLaRoe
Belt: Target
Tights: Target
Booties: Toms via Zulily
 

I'm excited to share that I'm teaming up with some great bloggers to host a new link up in 2015.  Our link up will be Tuesday Talk, and you can link up any post you'd like every Tuesday!

Yay, Friday!  Russ and I took the day off today to spend the day together, get some errands done, and attend Henry's preschool Christmas program.  A much needed recharge for this time of year.  Hope your week is finishing off strong! This week's been a great one!

 {ONE}

 

I got a fun Influenster box in the mail!  This one was just Hershey's Kisses, so if you see me sharing a little more about them on social media, that's why!
Lessons in Fashion:
a sporadic series where I share little tips with you that help make my wardrobe stretch. 

 

Today's Lesson: 

  My Go-To Outfit Combo

It's been fun reading the comments from my reader survey.  I appreciate all your loving complements and some suggestions to make this place better. A few of you asked for the thinking behind some of my outfits, so today, I thought I would share one. Now, looking through these outfits, they do look somewhat different, but there is a solid foundation that pulls all of them together.  Here it is:


Go To Outfit Combo


Top + cardigan + neck wear + skinnies + boots or flats
Wife Mommy Me

Here we are for the first week's recap of the Christmas 2014 Photo Challenge. It's been fun, and it's been a challenge. Having others to follow on Instagram has been very helpful and motivating.

 

1. Yourself - A boy in one of my first classes of the day was overly complimenting me on my hair.  I guess straightening if every once in a while is a good change! 
Since I'll be linking up with the Christmas Photo Challenge on Wednesdays for a few weeks, What I Wore is moved to Tuesdays.  It's always fun to mix things up a little around here!

 

Thursday 

Necklace: NY & Co.
Top: LuLaRoe Irma
Bracelets: Style This Life and Groop Dealz
Pants: Old Navy Maternity
Booties: Amazon 

Christmas is right around the corner! Today I thought I would share some of the must-haves that get me through this crazy season.



Holiday Survival Kit
I feel like I have so much to tell you since I took last Friday off! Today is the last day for you to take part in my 2014 reader survey.  Even if you have only been here a few times, or just on Fridays, I would love your feedback.  There might even be something in it for you!


{ONE}


 

These two boys.  Wesley is getting very interactive and just loves his big brother. He always wants to be where "Hen-ee" (though it kind of sounds like "honey" when he says it) is.  Henry likes it sometimes, but also does things to purposefully torment his brother. Such is life, right? They can be so sweet to each other, too.  This week they shared a chair and cuddled on the couch together among other things. And, yes, Wesley is wearing a Halloween shirt.  Real life, people. It fits, it's clean, we wear it.
If you're still looking for Christmas cards, Minted has an excellent and beautiful selection!  Here are some that I love!

 

Destination Luggage Tags

The shape of these is just adorable and I love how they  have a letterpress look to them.
Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well! It's hard to come back after the wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend, but just three weeks until Christmas break!  Yahoo!

Also, I'm conducting a reader survey this week.  Even if you just stop by on Wednesdays, I would love your feedback.  There might even be something in it for you! You can find the survey here.


 
 Wednesday:

I am in love with this plaid shirt, so you'll probably be seeing it a lot!

Vest: Old Navy
Top: Old Navy Maternity
Jeans: thrifted Old Navy
Mocs: Target



Small Businesses have been on a many of our minds this past weekend as Small Business Saturday always makes the news. Probably a year or two ago, I discovered a website called Kickstarter. It is a website that hosts public funding projects for small businesses to get their feet off the ground. There are so many awesome and unique projects on there!  From art to music, food to film.  There is something on there I believe everyone might be interested in. I've funded a few Kickstarters, so today I wanted to share a few with you just so you can see what's out there and the benefits you can also receive from funding a project.








Would you do me a favor? Pretty please?  I'm looking for feedback on this space, what you love, what you hate, how I can improve it. 
I'm taking a break from High Five for Friday because of the holiday, but I'm excited for a fun little December Instagram Photo Challenge with Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me!  I've done monthly photo challenges in the past, and it just gives me something to keep an eye out for each day.



 
Happy Thanksgiving!  I've spoken of my love of Our World Boutique before, and today I'm here to share their awesome Black Friday sale (which actually starts today) and a giveaway!!
 
Can you believe it is THANKSGIVING tomorrow?!  Where has this year gone, seriously? This week was a fun week in outfits. I feel like I'm getting into the groove with the maternity clothes I have. Lots of remixing to come from here on out!

 
Wednesday

Top: Motherhood Maternity (it's hard to see, but it has some fun detail around the neckline)
Cardigan: Kohls
Bracelet: my shop
Gray Jeans: Old Navy Maternity
Booties: Amazon

I don't really know how often I'll update you on my pregnancy. Maybe every 4 weeks? I don't want to overwhelm you or bore you, so we'll see how often they happen. I do feel like an update every once in a while is good, since you can't really see the full belly effect in my weekly outfits.



How Far Along? 16 weeks!

This week has been simply uneventful, and I'm totally ok with that. I'm revving up for my last weekend of grad class for the semester. Lots of presentations to listen to! Since this week was so uneventful, I thought I'd dig up five fun Instagram photos from about year ago. Crazy how much can change in a year!


{ONE}

 

Wes and me at my in-law's last Thanksgiving!  Look at that sweet little face! Also, dang I was having a good hair day that day! I still regret chopping my hair.  I'm letting it grow again.


Sweet Elizabeth over at Chasin' Mason nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award.  It's a fun way to get to know bloggers a little more.  She came up with a list of questions for me to answer, so here we go!

So... how's your week been?  I feel like I just can't keep up! Truly though, I can't complain. Life is good. As I was putting together outfits this weekend and our room was a MESS, Russ made the comment that, "This is what our room looks like on Saturdays at nap time." I guess the good thing is it's just a few hours and then the rest of the week, I can just grab an outfit off the hanger. Planning ahead helps make the rest of the week run smoothly.

 

This outfit it more business-y than I usually do, but I wanted to wear the pants since I have a limited amount of them, and this outfit just fell together. 

Necklace: Our World Boutique
Top: thrifted Target
Blazer: Old Navy
Pants: Motherhood Maternity
Booties: Dolce Vita via eBay
I always get a little giddy when I get the shipping notification that my 
Ipsy bag is on its way.  This month's bag was another great one, and felt I totally got my money's worth. If you're not familiar with Ipsy, it's a monthly subscription in which you receive a cute zipper pouch along with five beauty samples. It costs just $10 a month.

 

The bag this month was so cute; glitter with a pink zipper. Every month each bag comes with five items.  The items are chosen from a beauty profile you fill out when you subscribe.  Each month you can give feedback on the items you receive letting them know if you were pleased with the type of item, brand, shade, etc.  Four out of five items in this month's bag were definite keepers.  One will probably be tossed.



My post for today's blog hop is actually over at Liberating Working Moms! I'm sharing how we make our choices for celebrating the holidays and making our family the priority.  Go check it out, then hop around to the other blogs participating in the blog hop!
 


We have another slow weekend ahead, and I'm totally looking forward to it. More time with my boys and time to just chill in sweatpants.  This past week was pretty darn good though!

{ONE}

 

Russ sent me off for a morning to do whatever I wanted on Saturday.  I hit up Tarbucks (Target with a Starbucks), TJ Maxx, and Trader Joes.  It was heavenly.
The temps have really dropped here the past few days!  Highs in the 30s this week. Crazy!  Looks like more excuses to wear scarves, like I needed an excuse. 

 

Scarf: Charming Charlie
Tunic: Old Navy Maternity
Bangles: Lia Sophia
Leggings: LuLaRoe
Flats: Target

(Pssst! If you're not pregnant or planning to ever be pregnant again... there's still something in this post for you, a GIVEAWAY!  Keep Reading!) 

I haven't been feeling the best with this pregnancy. It's not a surprise, because I felt like crud with both the boys' pregnancies, too, but I felt like this time it started earlier. With the boys it was about 7 weeks before I started to feel icky. This time around I remember right when I hit 5 weeks feeling out of sorts and of course wondering if it was twins (it's not). As I write this, I'm 14 weeks, and still feeling not myself. With the boys it was 14 and then 16 weeks before I felt better. So, I possibly have a few more weeks to go.

I wanted to share a few things with you that helped me get through. I know there are a ton of suggestions and remedies out there, but this is what has helped me both feel better and get myself dressed and to work every day.

{Lemon Jolly Ranchers}

 

These babies have been my friend in my desk.  People say sour candy helps with nausea, and these have taken the edge off.  I actually found them at Dollar Tree.




I love Christmas shopping. I really do!  I love buying gifts for people.  I don't, however love crowds, lines, or spending a ton of money.  Here are some of my holiday shopping tips!

Phew! What a long week it's been. We had conferences this week which meant working from 7:30-7:30 on Monday and Thursday.  It's a great time to celebrate the learning of my students, but it sure wears me out and I miss my boys like crazy!  Hooray for the week being over and a calm weekend ahead. Besides being completely exhausted, the week had some great spots.

{ONE}

 

I made my very first pumpkin pie.  I love all things pumpkin, but I realized I'd never made a pumpkin pie.  I just followed the recipe on the canned pumpkin, and it turned out fabulous.  It was a wonderful treat to come home to after long conferences, and I may have had a piece or two for breakfast.

Well, the maternity pants are in full force. Besides a pair of jeans, I pretty much packed all non-maternity pants away. So, get used to seeing the few pairs of maternity pants I do have on repeat for the next 6ish months.  It's all about the comfort, and my belly couldn't take it any more.


 

Scarf: Our World Boutique
Top: Gap
Cardigan: Old Navy
Pants: Old Navy Maternity
Shoes: Sperry 
Today I'm linking up with Caitlin and Sarah for a monthly link up called The Lovely Lookbook.  The goal of the link up is to find looks that work for you. It's for women of all shapes and sizes to share a look and hopefully inspire others. This month's focus is on stripes.

 

For this look, I went with one of my favorite things to do with stripes, and that's pattern mix! Big, bold polka dots and stripes just go, in my opinion. 


I received the items in this post free for review, but the opinions expressed are all my own. See my disclosure page for more information.


I've never been the best at putting together a cute table setting. When company comes over, I'm often like, "Shoot!  Do we even have enough clean plates?!" When I read about Create UR Plate and their Plate-Ables™, I was really excited to try them out. I also don't have much space to store cute decor or holiday wares, so the compactness of the product was also very attractive to me.  All the decals I ordered fit into that pretty little package.

First off, Happy Halloween!  If you want to check out what my boys are this year, yesterday's post gives you a glimpse.  This week's been a good week. 

{ONE}



 

Happy Halloween Eve from my monsters!  Tonight we trick or treat. For some reason Central Iowa celebrates Beggars Night (the night before Halloween) to trick or treat instead of Halloween. This was totally new to me when we moved from Eastern Iowa six years ago. When do your kiddos get candy?


Well, folks, some maternity wear is coming out this week.  Nothing major, just some more comfy pants!

 

So, as I've said before, I take my outfit posts on the weekends.  I try to predict the weather, but sometimes I don't get it quite right. I ended up throwing on a black pair of tights with this outfit on the actual day I wore it.

Scarf: KiKi LaRue via Bloggers Closet
Dress: LuLaRoe Julia
Bracelets: Love Andrea's Closet and LTD Jewels
Booties: Amazon
 

My friend, Keri, over at Living In This Season just opened her Etsy shop under the same name!  I LOVE how adorable her banners are!  





I was actually reluctant to announce this pregnancy to some people in my life because I knew it might cause them some pain. I delivered the news in different ways to different people because I knew it might hit them hard. I'm fully aware that pregnancy news doesn't thrill everyone...

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