Taking Advantage of Fashion . . .

Look at me - I'm serious and all artsy in this photo. Ha!! Really though, I'm actually sick of deleting pictures of myself grinning like an idiot straight into the camera. When you're taking a picture with the self timer, all by your lonesome, smiling like that always looks fake and super cheesy. Then again, look what you got instead.

Anyhoo . . . today I am happily posting about something new to me this baby-go-round: the joyous fact that there are A LOT of clothes out in the market right now that are NOT maternity wear but are ample enough in fabric, forgiving enough in cut, and frankly cost less than maternity clothes - because hey, the woman's having a baby, so let's charge her $20 more a shirt for the extra fabric it will take to cover that gut!

The shirt in yesterday's post is actually one I had in my regular old wardrobe and was bought at Target two years ago. It actually looks better on me pregnant because I have a chest to fill it - but that's another post entirely.

The shirt in today's post is from Kohl's "Elle" line and you can go buy it there right now (if you aren't embarrassed to because now you've seen a pregnant lady wearing it.) I'm sure it will be on sale, because everything at Kohl's is ALWAYS on sale. I really wanted it in this super cool black & white leopard print, but it had sold out.

Why does this shirt work for a prego mama? First, it is made of a good amount of really soft, lightweight jersey - totally comfy. Second, it's got this great band at the bottom, which is really chic right now and just happens to sit below "the belly". And last, if you click on the picture and look at the neckline, it has a really intricate woven detail. You may be wondering why this is helpful to a pregnant woman. It's called a diversion tactic people! Anything that gets people to look up and toward the face (aka away from "the belly") is a real, real good thing! I can already tell that this shirt is going to be a favorite post-baby because it will do a great job of hiding that ever troublesome midsection. Lovely.

So, I've been scouring my favorite cheap-o stores (Target, Kohls, Gap Outlet, H&M) for a non-maternity maternity wardrobe and I'll stick a picture up every now and again of a winner.

You all had great guesses for what today's post would be about. There were actually three possible posts in the picture. You'll see them all sooner or later!

Ruffles and Bows . . .

These shoes (above) are what my friend Ronalin would call "Stripper Shoes". They're sky high, black satin, and have a little extra somethin' somethin' on the back to catch the attention of, well, customers. She makes me laugh! They also happen to be made by French designer Christian Louboutin, hence the cherry red soles, and cost a mere $1,085 at stores such as Barney's and Bergdorf Goodmans - stores I've never so much as set a foot in.

I'm more of a Target girl. A bargain finding girl. A cheap clothes, cheap shoes wearing girl. So imagine how tickled I was yesterday, while strolling the aisles of that blessed (pronounce it "bless-ed") red and white mecca, when I came across another pair of shoes with ruffles and bows that isn't stripper shoe worthy. This shoe, instead earns the "Cheap as dirt but looks like it could come from Anthropologie" award. Love the color - mustard yellow! Love the floral patterned insoles! Love the rounded toes! Love the ruffles and bows!

I know that not everyone can wear cheap shoes from Target. The Queen can't. But I can! And I will strut my stuff while wearing these funky little cheap-0 made Exhileration flats around town today and pride myself on their price tag - a mere $4.98. Awesome!

Sweet Tee . . .

Hey look it's me! And I am wearing one of the cutest tees I've owned in recent years. This handmade cutie showed up in my mailbox yesterday courtesy of a very talented friend of mine - Jennie Doezie. Jennie is a screen printing teacher at a high school in California and I am often on the receiving end of the creations she's used as demos for her classes. I am proud to say I now own FOUR Jennie Doezie originals.

I had to give you a close up of this guy - not just because he's a very retro owl with his olive color and orange slice eyes, (if I know Jennie, she drew him herself) but also because this owl is saying something punny and I love a good pun. Who wouldn't laugh at an owl declaring "I'm a HOOT"? I would! An owl saying "I work at Hooters" - not funny. An owl saying "I'm a hoot" - funny. You know what else is funny? The double chin I gave myself by taking this picture from a wonky angle. Oh well.

Thanks Jennie, for making my day. This shirt rocks and will be much loved in my little house. You are a creative genius and hero in my book.

Sixteen Years Ago . . .

Sixteen years ago this month, I was in the best shape of my life. I was a Senior at Heidelberg High School and a starting player on the Varsity Volleyball team. I could crank out sit ups, push ups, jump rope for extended periods time, and roll and dive around the floor like it was nobody's business. I was young, I had a love for the sport and my body did whatever I told it to. (In hindsight, what a miracle.)

Fast forward to 2007 - last night, to be exact - when that dear friend we call reality struck in me on the backside as I left a volleyball match. As a little birthday treat, I met my dad at the local highschool where the home team was being coached by none other than MY HIGHSCHOOL VOLLEYBALL COACH Rich Bennett.

We enjoyed watching and cheering his team on, even though we had to get some clarification about all the new rules of volleyball. I'm from the old school - remember back when it was three games to 15 points? The games were exciting, fast paced and really just took me right back to high school!

After the match we spent a few minutes chatting with Coach Bennett. One of his current players approached him to ask a question. He excitedly introduced me as one of his former players. I said hello to the cute young teenager, secretly thinking maybe she was maybe admiring me, until Coach Bennett said, "Samantha graduated from high school the year you were born." OUCH.

We said our goodbyes and I slowly turned and marched my ancient dinosaur bones out of the gym filled with young people who weren't already totally extinct.

New Hair, New Toes . . .

It's an accepted truth that I don't spend a lot of time pampering myself in the sort of "spa way" that many gals my age are used to these days. I rarely paint my toe nails, I never get facials, and I put off getting my hair colored and cut until the last possible moment - which is usually when my dad starts noticing how bad it looks. I consider pampering myself a trip down into my basement after my kids are in bed to watch a Tivoed rerun of Alias or an episode of Divine Design.

Don't get me wrong - I try to look my best . . . at least on Sundays at church when people other than my kids actually see me. I'm just not a super high maintenance kind of girl. I sort of pride myself on the fact that my getting ready routine can be accomplished in a half hour flat, and that includes a shower (add five minutes if shaving the legs is necessary.) I also don't mind going a few days without make up. It lets my skin breathe.

Why am I sharing all this on the blog? Well, yesterday was an exception to the above. I had a gift certificate for a pedicure that was getting close to expiring, so I went and had my piggies done up. It is super dreamy to have all of the dead skin scraped off your heels while sitting in a massage chair. Then when the leg massage started . . . Have mercy! All my troubles just floated away into that little pool of whirly dirt water.

Next I headed over to a Day Spa/Salon to have the fabulous Dana cut and color my hair. A necessary measure indeed, as I found myself in a pony tail almost every day last week, which is a sure sign of bad hair issues. Dana is a miracle worker and I left her feeling like a new woman. She cut a significant amount of hair off, but I am in love with this new cut. I'm going to take a self potrait and attach it to this post tomorrow.

In all, it was a relaxing day, but a costly one too. I felt a little guilty when I got home and Soren and Chris had been taken to "Great Clips" for a $2.99 haircut. Alas, I don't do this kind of thing EVER, so yipee for me!