Maternity Photos

Alex and I recently took maternity photos with the super talented sweetheart Hannah Drews and I wanted to share a few of our favorites. After a little deliberation over the location, we settled on the spot of our summer walkabouts and I'm so happy with how they turned out. The scenery options are endless, the fall evening sunlight was just gorgeous, and we got lucky with Chicago weather (well, after one rainy day reschedule) so it was warm enough to wear the dress I'd planned on since July. (I wish I could say I'm as well prepared in other areas!)

As the saying goes, a picture says a thousand words, and I can only hope that one day baby girl will look back and see how excited we were about her arrival, the anticipation of great things to come, and how much we already loved her before we'd even met.

Browning Around

28 weeks

With the cooler temps that seemed to come out of nowhere, I was neither mentally nor maternity prepared. For the last few weeks I've been stretching out the dwindling pieces of my wardrobe that still fit and dreading the days of shopping for items to cover this bump. From what little I've searched, affordable maternity wear stinks. Empire waists, bows, and a sea of solid colors have to be one of the most depressing things I've ever encountered fashion-wise. My last shopping trip ended in sheer frustration at the lack of options and the feeling that everything made me look more ginormous than reality. Other than a few shorts and one pair of jeans, I was able to make it through most of summer with roomy dresses and sizing up in normal clothes. But at seven and a half months, it's high time to bite the bullet.  Luckily, preggo leggings got me off to a great start and was kind enough to send me a stylish pair of their pants in chocolate brown, otherwise I'd have been freezing my patootie off after a 40 degree drop from last week! These leggings are comfy, cute and most of all, versatile, a major requirement for my maternity purchases. Perfect for pregnancy!

I call this the "yep, my toes are still there" pose. 

Hat - Goorin (similar) / Leggings - c/o preggo leggings  / Top - Ruby Moon / Scarf - Urban Outfitters (seen here) / Shoes - American Eagle Outfitters (similar)

Werkin' It

I told you I've been living in stretchy skirts and I wasn't kidding. A few of these inexpensive babies in multiple colors have helped me transition through the awkward 'pre-pregnancy clothes are too small yet maternity clothes are too big' phase.  They're a dream for showing off the bump, if you're into that, (I'm a believer in less frump, more bump!) and give a little more life to the tops that have become a tad too short to cover the belly appropriately, especially for the office. 

It's crazy how big she looks compared to hidden under this tee, believe it or not these pictures were taken around the same time! 

Blazer - Lauren Conrad (similar) / Top - Aerie (similar) / Skirt - Forever 21 (similar) / Shoes - Aldo (similar) /  Earrings - K.Amato (similar) / Sunnies - Sears

Week 24 Recap: The Best Is Yet To Come

I am majorly in love with this shirt.

Since singing this song to Alex at our wedding, anything insinuating that even better is coming down the pipeline is special in my book. Once this top was spotted, my brain took about half a second to deem it a must have. It's not maternity, but luckily roomy enough and tunic length (I actually have it tucked under a little here) because life simply couldn't go on without it.

 24 weeks

Tee - Forever21 /  Jeans - H&M / Shoes - Seychelles / Bracelet - BGBG / 

Sunglasses - Sears / Lips - Clinique

Preggo life was wonderfully uneventful this week, besides our midwife appointment confirming a healthy heartbeat (140 beats per minute) and a spot on fundal measurement (24 centimeters). My upper back is still bothering me but this video in the mornings seems to help. Our little lady is the size of an ear of corn, which sounds so delicious every time I think of it, and she weights approximately one pound. My appetite is still pretty normal, although certain foods taste better than ever, especially savory sweets. We also started our registry and it was hilarious. I hope our girl finds her dad as funny as I do.

Have a lovely week!

Monday Musing

On Saturday I wore this. On Sunday it was forty six. Go figure.

A few years ago in Chicago we had what I dubbed "the summer of no summer" where for nearly three months it was neither warm, nor sunny. Just blah. And it killed me. Growing up in Tennessee summer is always summer, no questions, and no matter where I live the rest of my life, I'll always need it. At the rate it's going my concerns are growing each and every day that we're in for a repeat. Sundresses and street fests and the beach at the end of our street are calling my name, only Mother Nature isn't cooperating...get it together woman!

Alas, we had our first rooftop party and hit up Do Division over the weekend (before it rained) and it felt great to jump into some summer apparel. These scalloped peach suede shorts are a fave so far. (Similar here.) The bun was a "hurry-let's-go" attempt at looking presentable with wet hair, but paired with this, once dry, created some piece-y slight waves that ended up being acceptable. I also spent a few hours with Photoshop on Sunday, something I haven't done in ages, and it felt good to create all my birthday/occasion cards for the month. What else is there to do when it's so ugh outside?

Ok, I'll stop complaining now, Monday's hard enough on it's own. Wishing you all a sunny week!

Cozy Weather Dressing

Jacket - seen here & here, similar

Scarf  - Urban Outfitters, similar

Sunnies - Sears,  seen here 

Cardigan -  Martin  & Osa

 Yellow Tank - J.Crew

Jeans - Forever 21

Boots - Steve Madden

Bag - market find, seen here

Believe it or not, these are pretty much the only cool weather appropriate clothes in my closet right now. In the spring and fall, we swap our summer/winter clothes from storage - a "perk" of city living - and while I don't mind it (kind of like getting a new wardrobe twice a year!) there are usually a couple of weeks at the start of new season where the outfits can get a bit wonky in terms of being seasonally appropriate. But, for our winery tour I needed a fall festive look fast, obviously. Luckily, I had few workable items including these boots I swiped up recently (you will probably want to punch me in the throat when I tell you they're consignment, WHO would get rid of these??), the scarf was an end of season find, the bag was carried all summer (why stop now), and the bun - let's just say this is day 113 of the top knot. So, how'd I do?

The Boots are Made for Serious Walking

Tee & Scarf- Urban Outfitters

Jeans - American Eagle - seen here / similar

Boots - c/o Timberland - similar / similar

Tote & Bracelet - Randolph Street Market

Sunnies - Sears

It's that time of year again when we get to utilize our entire wardrobe. Chilliy a.m.'s and p.m's with sunnier peak times means we can don anything from boots and tee's to skirts and sweaters all in the same day. In an effort to keep summer around as long as possible I've been hesitant to start wearing anything related to fall apparel, but these these peanut butter hued boots from Timberland's Earthkeeper's line are helping soothe the transition  I can tell they're going to be in heavy rotation given the goes-with-everything color and comfortability; so great for the autumn city explorations I enjoy so much. The fact that they just so happen to match perfectly with the oil cloth and leather tote I picked up earlier this summer at the Randolph Street Market is just icing on the cake! The new Timberland store is opening in Chicago today and I can't wait to scope out the rest of the collection, I've got my eye on these. 

Happy almost fall y'all.

Disclosure: I received product in return for this post, however, my opinions are my own, based on my experience and interaction with the brand. As always, if I don’t love it, I don’t tell you about it. Read my official (i.e. “wordy”) disclosure here.

Seeing (Leopard) Spots

Top - AE (seen here)  // Cardigan - Aerie  //   Jeans -  Target  //  Bracelet - Kenneth Cole  // Earrings - JewelMint  //  Clutch - Asos (seen here)  //   Makeup - Too Faced

I picked up these pants at Target on a grocery run last weekend (love it when that happens!) and couldn't decide between the black or brown version, so I just got both. Since then I've been wearing different versions of this outfit like it's going out of style - as above, with a belted cardigan, a cowboy boot vibe and even with just a graphic tee. To summarize, I'm groovin' on these pants and at $23 how could I not?? They cover the printed denim trend, are super versatile and the fit is amazing for the price (can't go wrong with a 98% cotton/ 2% spandex blend). (Plus, you can afford 8 pairs for the price of these.) I'm also having a major moment with these JewelMint earrings which was pointed out when hubby stated that I've worn them over and over lately. He likes the art deco look, I like that they look like zippers. Either way, they're fab. And if it appears that I'm wearing more makeup than usual, I am... because I was on TV this day! We were promoting the Chicago Fashion Foundation event on WGN (which you can check out here) and I'll have some pictures from the big night to share with you tomorrow - good times!

Have you scored any fab finds lately?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Stole - Vintage  //  Top - Ann Taylor  //  Pants - Kimichi Blue  //  Gloves - Armani Exchange  
  Shoes - Kardashian Kollection (similar)

Happy Valentine's Day sweets!

Remember what I said about subdued holiday dressing?  Sometimes you just gotta scratch that. Here, I went for vintage glamour (my grandmother's mink stole), romance (lace high waisted cigarette pants), a touch of leopard and pops of red - the polar opposite of subdued. But, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...

Scratching off one my new year's resolutions, I made my first batch of macarons this weekend. Some of you followed along on Facebook - they turned out pretty swell for a first try! I'm handing some out with my MintedValentine's today. If you were here in real life we'd share a plate as my way as saying thanks for being such fabulous/wonderful/amazing readers and friends!

If you have any extra love to share, hubby and I are *thisclose* to winning free flowers for a year! Can you spare a vote for us (until noon)? Visit here and search for "Ashleigh" - mwah!