OOTD + A Few Random Thoughts & Updates

Hello lovelies!

It's Monday...all. over. again. 

Although I am grateful for a great career, the fact that I have to work 5 out of the 7 days of the week just doesn't sit well with me! haha! 4 days a week is plenty. Am I alone ladies?

So I have a few updates for you + an outfit I was miraculously able to pull together...with only the top being "maternity". It was totally an accident because this is not what I was planning to wear that day, but I loved the outcome. Anyway, more outfit details later.

Have a few updates for you:

1. We closed on our house last Thursday! Yay! We got the keys to the house the same day and will be moving this week. We're both sooo excited. So many decisions to make though...paint colors, landscaping, furniture, decor, which room to design first, etc, etc. I have this overwhelming urge to get it all done NOW. I hear they call it "nesting" in pregnancy land. I have to keep reminding myself that I need to pace myself...oh yeah, and that I'm not a millionaire and can't afford to decorate a whole house in one week. 

2. I'm going to Toronto next week for work. It's an overnight trip, too, so it should be interesting. Seriously...who goes all the way to Canada for one night? This girl does. Well, my boss says I have to, so I guess I should obey. I need to remember to drink lots of water. I traveled to California for work last week and didn't feel so well the whole time I was there. Had a little bit of cramping when I got home. I called my doc and she said it was because I'm not drinking enough water. And she's right. Gotta do better.

3. Ummm...this girl whose had an innie all her life...now has an outie...thanks to Baby Webb! I feel somewhat exposed. Like I'm showing too much cleavage or something, you know? Or like I'm wearing a bra with no padding and it's cold in the room...and maybe I'm a little "nipply". My hubby says I should put tape over it...but how uncomfortable would that be?! Guess I better get used to this thing sticking out because I've got 4+ more months to go.

4. I'm 22 weeks today. My next OB appointment is tomorrow and I get to hear my girl's heart beat again. Hearing her moving around in there with a strong heart beat almost brings me to tears every time. Can't wait to meet her! Check back in 2 weeks for my 24 week update.

5. Mother's Day this year was fab! Hubby had some training at his reserve unit during the day on Saturday and Sunday, so we decided to invite our moms out to the Saturday evening service at our church and dinner after church. It was a good time. I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate our moms for another year. To top it all off, I got a couple of sweet "mommy-to-be" cards and text messages from friends and my hubby. It was a fun weekend for sure!

This is one of my fave skirts! Pretty sure it was halfway unzipped all day but thanks to this long and thick maternity tee from Target, I was able to pull it off without exposing myself! yay! This will definitely be the last time I wear it until after the baby comes, though. ;)

.:: Details ::.

mint cardigan: GAP Outlet

grey v-neck tee: Tar-jay {Liz Lange Maternity}

pleated maxi skirt: Bebe

belt: off of a dress {I think?}

necklace: Anthropologie {old}

watch: Michael Kors

wedges: BCBG Girls Outlet

Hope you enjoyed your weekend! xo

Linking up with:

Weekend Shenanigans @ Sami's Shenanigans

WIWW @ The Pleated Poppy

Random Wednesday @ Because Shanna Said So

Whatever Whenever Wednesday @ Rolled Up Pretty

February, March & April Budget Recap

Let me just warn you now that this is a LONG post. Lots of words. But I've been slacking on posting monthly so I figured I should get it all out of the way then start fresh again for May. So don't grow weary & read on. ;)

:: FEBRUARY ::

February was a R-O-U-G-H month for me. I initially had no intention of sticking with my self-imposed shopping ban. I found out I was expecting in mid-January and shortly after that the fatigue and the all-day nausea set in like a MOTHER. I had ZERO motivation to even shop online. I just wanted to sleep and longed for the sickness to go some-flippin-where. So in summary, Baby Webb saved me $75 in February. ;)

:: MARCH ::

I definitely got back into the swing of things in March. I found enough energy to visit my local GAP Outlet and Target and bought my first maternity pieces online at Old Navy.

1. Target Men's Camo Button-Down Shirt :: $16.88 clearance (not available online). I had my eye on this shirt when it first arrived at my local Target but decided I didn't want it bad enough to pay $25 for it. I knew quantities were limited, yet I still couldn't bring myself to buy it. It eventually dropped down to $17, so I decided to go back for it. But of course, a size small was no where to be found so I opted for the medium. I didn't mind that it fit loosely. I wore it for my pregnancy announcement pics. I envision wearing it over a pale pink maxi dress...yep, I think that would be cute.

2. Anthropologie Layered Necklace :: $38 (not available online). I just love a dainty necklace. And I love the versatility of this necklace with the 3 different colored stones.

3. H&M Beige Top w/Lace Neckline Detail :: $5 (not available online). Stretchy + neutral color + $5...need I say more?

4. GAP Outlet Navy Polka Dot Blazer :: $19.99 (not available online). I love a nice-fitting blazer so I was immediately drawn to this polka dot one. Although I've only worn it once, I consider it a staple piece in my closet and will likely wear it throughout the summer.

5. H&M Pink Top w/Sheer Neckline :: $12.95 (not available online). I was looking for a casual but feminine pink top to pair with my striped eShakti skirt and I thought this top was the perfect compliment. I wore it a couple weeks later for our gender reveal party. It has plenty of "give" so I hope to be able to wear it a few more times before my belly gets too big.

6. Old Navy Maternity Gray Striped Tee :: $14.94. Just a casual top to wear under a cardi now or by itself with cropped jeans or shorts this summer. It's really light weight so hopefully it'll keep me cool this summer. Bonus: Pretty sure this top is less than $15 now.

7. Old Navy Maternity Striped Knit Dress :: $10. Stripes, cotton & $10...need I say more?

8. GAP Outlet Striped Dress :: $14.75 (not available online). Loved the feel and fit of this dress. So I bought it. :)

9. Old Navy Maternity Printed Cropped Pants :: $28. I just love a cute pair of printed pants. And they can be dressed up or down.

10. Old Navy Maternity Polka Dot Tank :: $12.94. Another light weight top for summer. I picture myself sipping on lemonade in this tank paired with red shorts and a denim jacket on the 4th of July. Yes. I see it.

11. GAP Outlet Mint Cardigan :: $19.99 (not available online). I love GAP's cardigans. Good quality and they come in every possible color. Believe it or not, this is my first article of clothing in this popular shade. And I've worn it several times since I bought it. Score.

12. Not pictured: Old Navy Olive Green Striped Tank :: $12.94 (no longer available online).

Total:
Old Navy :: $84.50 (including tax) LESS $50 Gift Card LESS $10 Rewards = $24.50
GAP Outlet :: $59.09 (including tax)
Target :: $33.63 (including tax)
Anthropologie :: $41.14 (including tax)
H&M :: $19.43 (including tax)
$177.79 GRAND TOTAL

I had $75 to start with for March + $75 left over from February + the $39.69 of merchandise sold from my store. So I actually ended up coming in UNDER budget (hey-o) in March by $11.90. Yay me! Sadly, it it all went down hill in April. :|

:: APRIL ::

1. Forever 21 Butterfly Print Layered Dress :: $29.80. Did you catch my recent rant about maternity clothes? Well, I stumbled in Forever 21 a couple weekends ago and came across some of the cutest flowy non-maternity dresses. I bought a size bigger and it fit very loosely over my baby bump. Yes!

2. Forever 21 Sheer Maxi Dress :: $32.80. Another pretty flowy dress! Looking forward to wearing this pretty little thing.

3. Forever 21 Floral Peplum Blazer :: $32.80. I was pretty proud of myself for finding this much more affordable version of this fab floral Zara blazer. What's that you ask?...Would I prefer the Zara blazer over this one?...Um, heck yeah. Zara's version has much more of a structured look and fit, which I love, but I'm even more in love with the fact that I saved almost $70 on the Forever 21 version. Holler.

4. GAP Outlet Denim Jacket :: $35.99 :: originally $59.99 (not available online | similar option at regular GAP stores). Pretty sure I've worn this jacket 100 times since I bought it 2 weeks ago. Totally a purchase I can justify. Totally.

5. Francesca's Collections Necklace :: $12.98 (not available online). I just thought it was pretty...so I bought it.

6. Francesca's Collections Green Island Necklace :: $22. I walked in Franceca's and this necklace was screaming at me..."put me on...put me ON!!". So I did. And she went home with me. After I paid for it, of course.

7. Belly Belt :: $19.95. Wasn't quite ready to splurge on maternity slacks for work. I came across this genius invention a couple weeks ago and it has proven to be the best 20 bucks I've spent in awhile.

8. Not pictured: BCBG Girls Outlet Wedges :: $63.60. Soooo...did I need another pair of wedges? Probably not. But they just looked SO cute on my freshly pedicured feet. Don't judge me.

Drum roll....

Total:
Forever 21 :: $103.27 (including tax)
GAP Outlet :: $38.96 (including tax)
Francesca's :: $37.87 (including tax)
Motherhood Maternity :: $21.59 (including tax)
BCBG Girls Outlet :: $68.85 (including tax)
$270.54 GRAND TOTAL

Okkkkkkkk...so as you can see I went OVER my budget this month by $195. Yikes. Does it make a difference that I did most of this damage during my annual girls weekend trip? I guess it probably doesn't. But seriously...what's a girls trip without SHOPPING? Yeah, maybe not a good excuse. I'll do better in May. I promise. Most of these shopping shenanigans will come to end temporarily any way since I have a house to decorate and a baby on the way to buy for.

HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE, ladies. $75/month is the budget I set, so $75 is what I need to stick to. No excuses.

xo,


Linking up with Fran for Budgeting Bloggers.

My Distaste for Maternity Clothes + 20 Week Update

Hey girls!

Hope your week has gotten off to a great start!

So I have a small beef to gripe about...maternity clothes. I hate them. Other than a couple of casual pieces from Old Navy, I haven't bought many maternity clothes. A friend told me to check out Motherhood Maternity, which I have. Still not that impressed. Jessica Simpson has some cute pieces there but I can't justify paying $60 for one flippin top! I just can't. Still trying my darndest to make my pre-pregnancy clothes work...and so far so good. Kind of.

I did find the best little device for making your pre-pregnancy clothes work further into your pregnancy. It's called the Belly Belt. I found it at Motherhood Maternity and I've been using it pretty regularly to stretch my slacks for work. 

I love the maternity selection ASOS offers. BUT ordering online would require me to order several sizes since I have no idea what size to order with my body changing every day.

One of my fave style bloggers, Joanne over at Fabulously Average, has been totally rocking maternity style. She has been sporting maxi dresses and skirts, flowy tops, etc...all non-maternity. Which is smart (duh) since those are all things that can be worn post-pregnancy, as well. So I think that's my solution. Thanks, Joanne. :)

OK...I'm done. Thanks for letting me complain about my current first world problem. :)

Now let's get on to my 20 week update! 

20 WEEK UPDATE

Due date?

September 16th

How far along?

20 weeks + 1 day! Can't believe I'm already 5 months preggers. Time is really flying. 

How big is baby?

Baby may weigh as much as 1 pound and 10 inches long. 

Cravings?

I've been killing Dubble Bubble gum balls. The 5 seconds of flavor is so satisfying. ha! But because the dern flavor only lasts 5 seconds, I have to keep chewing fresh pieces. Then before I know it, I've chewed 10 gumballs. Sheesh. Guess I better start brushing and flossing more. Don't really have any other cravings. Food is definitely my friend right now though. Just gotta pace myself. :)

How I feel?

Great! The exhaustion has passed finally and my energy is back. I feel amazing. Just trying to get my mind right for this hot summer. Nothing like 25 extra pounds in 100 degree heat. Whew.

Showing?

Yep, she's growing every day. And so are my hips. :|

Movement?

I've been feeling the "flutters". Except instead of flutters, it feels more like a tiny, warm, firework type sensation. Once I realized that feeling was the baby, I so look forward to it. Just love my little gum drop.

Gender?

Baby Webb is a girl! Totally warming up to the idea of having a girl. Read all about the gender reveal here.

Looking forward to?

Meeting my girl. I've been thinking about her a lot lately. What she'll look like. How her personality will be. If she'll be easy going or high strung like her mama. Falling more and more in love with her every day.

Sleeping OK?

Yep, still sleeping OK. 

Next Doctor's Appointment?

May 14th

Prayer Requests?

Traveling grace in May - taking 2 trips for work and 1 family trip to Florida for Memorial Day. Also, we'll be moving into our home in a couple of weeks. Sooo excited about that - just really hoping for a smooth transition. I know things will be fine. Lastly, of course, for me and my baby girl - just for a continued healthy pregnancy. Thank you, loves. ;)

.:: Details ::.

denim jacket & striped dress: GAP Outlet

shoes: Old Navy

belt: Target

necklace: Francesca's Collections

watch: MK

xo,

Linking up with:

WIWW @ The Pleated Poppy

Random Wednesday @ Because Shanna Said So

Whatever Whenever Wednesday @ Rolled Up Pretty

Annual Girls' Weekend

Happy Monday, y'all!

How was your weekend?

Mine was fab & TONS of fun!

Last year, me and 3 of my girlfriends (Beth, Vanja & Darragh) decided to meet in Nashville for a girls' weekend getaway. We had so much fun that we decided to make it an annual affair. 

Because I'm expecting and me and hubby just bought our first home, I convinced the ladies to travel to Texas for this year's weekend trip. We eventually settled on Austin. Beth and I are here in Dallas, Darragh had to travel from Atlanta and Vanja from Memphis. Darragh and Vanja arrived in Dallas early on Friday morning then we got on the road for the 3-hour trip to Austin. 

The view of the Austin skyline from our room at the Hilton Austin.

After checking in and getting settled, I mentioned that I had a craving for a cupcake...but not just any cupcake...a lemon cupcake. :) So we set out to find a nearby bakery. The goal was to find a place we could walk to and we came across Hey Cupcake! downtown. According to the GPS, Hey Cupcake! was about a mile walk from our hotel. It was a gorgeous day so we decided to make the walk...except a mile walk turned out to be about 4 miles. Yes, 4 miles. Stupid GPS. It felt like the longest walk ever but we made it. 

As a reward for the long walk, I decided to get 2 cupcakes. haha!

A walk back to the hotel was pretty much out of the question at that point, so we decided to hail a pedicab. Our "driver" had locks and a bare chest...I seriously love how everyone in Austin is so chill and laid back. 

 After our ride back to the hotel, we freshened up and headed out for massages. I had the most relaxing full body 1-hour prenatal massage. I felt AMAZING afterward! 

After massages, we decided to go for burgers and had the best burgers at a spot called Wholly Cow.

Day 2 started with a yummy breakfast at Magnolia Cafe then we got back on the road and headed north to San Marcos for some outlet mall shopping.

A shopping trip just isn't complete without a Starbucks break. Love Starbucks.

Beth couldn't wait to get to the Tory Burch outlet store but was a little disappointed at the selection. She made up for it at the Coach outlet, though. :)

After a little (or maybe a lot) of shopping, we headed back toward Austin for MORE shopping at an outdoor mall called The Domain. 

But before round 2 of shopping, we stopped at Kona Grill for sushi and drinks. Of course, that meant cooked rolls and water for me but I still enjoyed it. :)

After sushi, we hit the pavement for round 2 of shopping.

Came across these adorable floral print oxfords at Forever 21. I didn't buy them but thought they were super cute.

Here's my damage from the day! 

We rested up a bit, then got dressed for dinner & karaoke. Seriously...how hot are these girls?!

We slept in on Sunday before getting on the road to head back to Dallas. What is a road trip without breakfast at Cracker Barrel?? Loveee Cracker Barrel! 

After breakfast, we stopped at yet ANOTHER outlet mall in Round Rock before heading home and made a quick pit stop for gas and a DQ blizzard before finally getting back to Dallas.

 As you can see, girls' weekend consisted of food and more food and shopping, shopping, and more shopping. And TONS of randomness and laughs. 

I consider this my last hoo-rah before Baby Girl Webb comes so I totally tried to make the most of my time away. I already miss my girls and can't wait for next year's trip to Savannah!

xo,

Linking up with:

Weekend Shenanigans @ Sami's Shenanigans

Random Wednesday @ Because Shanna Said So

We're having a...?

I always knew that I wanted to have a gender reveal party if/when I got pregnant with my first baby. Between Pinterest and Etsy, there are SO many great reveal party theme ideas out there....so many. We decided to have the party at my parents' house since we're sort of in transition. Because of that, I knew I didn't want to have a big party with lots of people...just something small and simple with family.

I found the cutest Trucks or Tiaras reveal invitation on Etsy and decided to go with that. Other than a little $3.99 tiara and $5.99 truck from Walmart that I placed near the punch, I didn't go too crazy with the theme.

While picking up some of the food for the party, I found the most amazing white roses at Costco the night before the party for $16.99. Yes, 2 DOZEN roses for under $20. Gotta love Costco!

I decided to go with my all-time favorite dessert, cupcakes, to reveal our baby's gender. So we ordered 2 dozen cupcakes from our "cupcake lady" and friend, Virginia. 1 dozen of the cupcakes had question marks on them and only 1 of the 12 held the secret to the baby's gender...filled with blue or pink filling.

I also found this cute little banner on Etsy. I could've made it myself but just couldn't find the motivation to be crafty. Etsy saved the day...as always. 

I decided on a simple menu (not pictured): bacon wrapped prawns and spinach stuffed ravioli (both frozen from Costco), my mom's yummy seafood pasta salad, wings from Wingstop, fresh strawberries and Nutella fruit dip. And of course, the cupcakes!

I asked our guests to wear pink if they were rooting for Baby Webb to be a girl and blue for a boy. Even though I had a preference, I thought it would be appropriate for the 3 of us to be gender neutral and sport both colors. :)

This is one of many "moments" Kendall had that day. Oh, my special little stepdaughter. ;)

Hubby REALLY enjoying his wings! haha!

My cousin, Sharonda, and friend, Kim.

After everyone's bellies were full, we played an Old Wives' Tales trivia game. 

My mom's friend, Victoria, and Kim's hubby, Willie.

My mom is so serious. :)

And hubby's mom. As you can see, they were both rooting for Team Blue!

Going through the answers to the trivia questions.

Based on their gender preferences and the results of the trivia game, we asked everyone to cast their votes.

8 votes for a boy and 4 votes for a girl!

My cute little nephew, Dominick, and friend.

We handed out the cupcakes and we all dug in. Mine was empty in the middle.Can you tell I was enjoying the cupcake, though? :)

Suddenly there was a yell...and I looked over to find Willie holding THE cupcake...with PINK FILLING! Aahhhhhhhhh!

So folks...we're having a GIRL!

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around having a little girl. It's all still so surreal. And it's still kinda weird to refer to her as "her" or "she" instead of "it" or just "the baby". 

I'm honestly a little nervous. Girls are soooo dramatic...and I know this because I'm a girl and I'm dramatic. And I have a stepdaughter who takes drama to a whole new level. I'm nervous about the responsibility of raising her up in a world that is so dark and broken. Nervous about making sure she knows how valuable and precious she is to me and her dad and, most ultimately, to the Lord who used us to create her. But I know I need to give all of that to the Lord. And remember that He has equipped me up until this point and will continue to equip me with the things I will need to raise her up His way. 

What a blessing and a privilege all of this is. I'm just so excited. And thankful for this season of my life. 

xo,

Lovely party pictures by my talented friend, Kim, who blogs over at Team Howard: Life Behind the Lens. Looking for a photographer for your next event? Check her and her hubby out here.


Linking up with:
Random Wednesday @ Because Shannon Said So
Whatever Whenever Wednesday @ Rolled Up Pretty