Black, white, gold and gray

 In mama-to-be news, we've started our baby classes and are learning all about lots of interesting things. Sleep deprivation is definitely in my future! Right now, I'm getting tons of sleep and still feel tired. I think this definitely has to do with pregnancy (duh), but it's also the end of standardized testing (which is such an epic ball of stress for all involved) and the coming end of the school year. Two weeks!

In outfit news, I am going back to my newspaper roots and rocking some black, white and gray (and a pretty gold necklace too -- unrelated to newspapers). The skirt is not maternity I just hiked it over my big belly and now it's a knee-length skirt instead of a calf-length shirt. Versatility!

Lauren Bacall

Lauren Bacall looks like a cat. She has that side-way glance and independent spirit.

She's strong and sassy and elegant. She's a woman, a lady, she is not a silly, little girl.

And she has some best one-liners in movie history. Remember when she told that fellow how to whistle?

Hello, goodbye

So I have good news and bad news. The good news: I got these super awesome sunglasses on eBay and they are super awesome. The bad news: Between taking these pictures and writing this post, I have lost them. Oops. I think they are at my parents' house. A reunion is possible, but by no means guaranteed. 

The shirt is also from eBay. It is exactly the same as this shirt except it's black and white instead of gray and black. It's not a maternity shirt -- it looked cute when I wasn't super pregnant, AND it still fits me now! It is a miracle shirt. A blessed shirt of joy. So that's why I have two. Plus, you know, it has polka-dots on it. So there's that going for it as well. 

Rocking out the nesting necklace again. I love it so much. My parents have a mother goose sitting on a nest of goslings in their yard, and it is the sweetest thing ever. My brother had a trio of robin's eggs in the wreath on his family's door, and they have hatched and the birds have spread their wings and flown away. Also the sweetest thing ever. 

I'm almost 32 weeks, just hanging out, teaching the children, eating a lot of watermelon and being pregnant. That's pretty much life right now. Also: wearing polka-dots, losing sunglasses. It's always an adventure, this life. Always an adventure.

The Mountains

 The Appalachian Mountains: They're pretty good mountains.

You know, if you're into things like mountains, which I am.

I'm also a fan of s'mores, which really pair well with mountains.

Cute kids? They're .002 percent cuter when in a mountain setting. That's just science. 

Trees -- slightly more majestic in the mountains. I'm not sure about the statistics on that one, but there's lots of anecdotal evidence.

Yep. The mountains are basically the best.

Style Icon: Sophia Loren

I have three words that describe Sophia Loren's style -- va-va-voom! (Is that one word? That's probably one word. Okay. I have one word that describes Sophia Loren's style!)

Cinched waists. Earthy style. Italian bombshell, you know?

Little off-the-shoulder-action. Everything you see here, she owes to spaghetti. Allegedly.

Thoughts on the above photo: Movie stars used to look really different.

Sophia Loren was completely glamorous. Such a movie star. And yet, she also looked like she belonged in a field, barefoot, laughing, you know?

And she still has it today!

Wish on everything

“Wish on everything. Pink cars are good, especially old ones. And stars of course, first stars and shooting stars. Planes will do if they are the first light in the sky and look like stars. Wish in tunnels, holding your breath and lifting your feet off the ground. Birthday candles. Baby teeth." -- Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat

(Love Francesca Lia Block. Love Weetzie bat.)

Style Icon: Lydia in Beetlejuice

She is the ultimate Tim-Burton-goth-girl style icon (Sorry Corpse Bride).

She dressed the way she felt -- really, really dark.

Her wide-brimmed hat helped shield her pale skin from the sun. Her camera helped her keep her distance.

And this one time she wore a red wedding dress, but that wasn't a sartorial choice she made on her own. She can really thank Beetlejuice for that.

Her school uniform probably wasn't her choice either, and yet it is perfect -- dark-gothic-gorgeous schoolgirl.

But it's her crazy hair and straight-up black ensembles I admire the most. Thank you, Winona Ryder, for inhabiting Lydia so completely and just in general being the best weird-girl teen icon. Thank you, Tim Burton, for creating the strange universe in which she exists.

Loving It

Lately I've been loving...

1. Seeing two friends get hitched outside on his family's farm in the country.

2. Such gorgeous scenery!

3. Her dress was combined from her late grandmother's and late mother's wedding dresses, and it was so so beautiful.

4. She has some tall friends (myself included), and she is not tall. She is cool with this.

5. But she also thought this would be a great way to take a photo with everyone. And it was!

6. How beautiful is that reception tent and its reflection in the pond? Quite beautiful. Very beautiful. So beautiful.

In black and white

I spent the weekend hanging out with one of my best buds, who traveled the 8 hours to NC to go to our friend's wedding. So I also spent the weekend celebrating another wedding. Weddings are great. I love them. They make me cry.

Black and white outfits are great too. When Robert saw Mary's outfit, he said "You're dressed like my wife!" What can I say? I do like polka-dots, skirts and cardigans, but I don't think I can claim them all to be mine.

Mary's always been a stripes girl, and I've always been a polka-dots girl so it's cute that we accidentally switched our "signature" patterns here. Good times with good friends!

Style Icon: Lindsay from Freaks and Geeks

It's really all about the green army jacket.

Linsday Weir went from good girl to one of the freaks with the acquisition of an awesome green army jacket.

And then she wore it every single day. It was definitely a signature look for our '90s-take-on-'80s style icon.

Okay, sometimes she didn't wear the green army jacket, and then you would notice things like her awesome bell bottoms and flannel/striped shirts.

Oh, her hair was rad too. And she had a great eye roll. And this one time I met James Franco in real life and he was shorter than I expected. The end.

Jimmy Stewart

Jimmy Stewart was cute. 

Really, really cute. 

That is all.

Happy feet

I totally assumed this dress wouldn't fit me anymore, but then I tried it on, and it totally does! What am I looking at in my dress that miraculously still fits me? My new shoes. They are Birkenstocks. Did you know Birkenstocks are hip now and all the cool kids are wearing them? It's true.

Well, I'm not wearing them to be a cool kid. I'm wearing them because I'm worried about feet in the third trimester. I want them to be able to grow if they must. I want them to be free. I want them to be supported. I want them to be happy! That's all I want -- happy feet. So I splurged on some hippie sandals, and so far happy feet mean a happy me. (Also: I want to paint my toenails a cute color, but they're so far away from me these days...)

Loving It

Lately I've been loving...

1. All the mirrors. When looking for art at the antique mall, I ended up really loving some mirrors. Sadly, the husband isn't super into mirrors randomly placed in our house, and the mirrors were all pricey, and honestly, I'm not sure where they would belong either, but still -- pretty!
2. Watermelon.
3. Anthony Bourdain's show "Parts Unknown."
4. Pressure washing the house. Unexpectedly fun and satisfying!
5. Courtney Barnett. Especially when she sings this song:

Sundress turned shirt

I wore this mini-sundress turned maternity shirt to eat a burger with red and yellow peppers, onions, basil and avocado-jalapeno sauce, which was yummy. I ate that burger. And I ate some garlic fries. And I had a side salad with ginger dressing to start. It was super tasty. Pictured above: My belly with an actual baby and, I suspect, a metaphorical food baby.

Florals because it's spring! Polka-dots because it's a joy to be alive!

I then took my overwhelmed, over-filled belly to the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall. The goal was to find something cute for our bedroom or for the nursery -- some art to put on the wall, something fabulous, something unique. We scoured the whole place (and that place is huge), and all the stuff we sort of wanted was $200 or more, and I am not in the market for $200 nursery wall art right now. So...

I ended up only purchasing a few necklaces. It was not my plan, but the necklaces were so pretty, and they were also reasonably priced! Look at those two birdies nesting! They were like me and Robert. We were trying to nest! We are still in process of nesting! One of these days, the thrift gods will smile on me, and I'm going to come home with some stellar baby-room art. Until then, I seem to have consistent good luck with clothes and jewelry, and that works for me too!

Style Icon: Kurt from Glee

I mostly love "Glee." I mean, sometimes I hate "Glee," but I mostly love it. Something I always love and never hate? Kurt Hummel. (Note the polka-dots!)

He's always fashionable, always fabulous, and he's not afraid to try new trends. (Note the polka-dots take two!)

I like Kurt the most when he's dressed up and dapper. That hat, oh that hat! It's just everything. It works so well with the three-piece suit he's wearing. 

And while I prefer dapper, formal Kurt, I also enjoy casual Kurt. Hipster sunglasses shirt? Sure. Man bag? Absolutely. (Note the polka-dots take three!)

And the fact that Kurt is an outsider and not accepted by all, just makes his loud fashion even more awesome. You go, boy! Now sing us a showtune in your adorable falsetto!