Happy Halloween!

This sweet little pumpkin wishes you a Happy Halloween!

(I had a friend in college whose only reason for wanting a baby was to dress him or her up in a pumpkin outfit. She planned to dress this baby like a pumpkin year round as babies dresses as pumpkins are the best. They really, really are the best, but I think we're going to keep this look Halloween-specific for Thomas!)

Stay-at-home mom maxi

That's me with wet hair in a thrifted maxi-dress. This is my go-to stay-at-home mom wear (Only three weeks left! I feel feelings about this!). Maxi-dresses are just so darn easy, but you still feel really fabulous when wearing them. 

Thomas likes looking at the pattern of this dress. He also likes clutching/pulling my hair these days. I've been thinking very seriously about getting a very serious haircut.... Pretty soon maxis/ wet hair aren't going to be my go-to look as I'll be going back to work. I guess I'll enjoy this while it lasts!

Stony, stripey, awake-y

I am typing with one hand because my other arm has a baby in it. Typing is so much slower this way... but the end result is the same -- a blog entry about my new boots! They are still very tall and very comfortable.

The laces on the back are my favorite part. They are the main reason I bought the boots.

Also a favorite: that giant stone ring from a recent arts festival. So big, So stony! And my dress! So stripey! And now my baby's so awake-y! Entry concluded.

Not dealing

This baby!

He is so cute!

I can't even deal.

I mean, just look at that face!

(Baby's jammies: thrifted. Awesome chair: gifted by Robert's mom, upholstery is definitely circa 1980-something.)

Go boots

New boots have been bought. They are different from my old boots, but are awesome in their own way. They go up to my knee. They go with the season of fall. They make me think "You go, girl" when I look at myself wearing them in the mirror. And go I do.

Style Icon: James Dean

Saying James Dean is a style icon is kind of like saying Marilyn Monroe is a style icon. As in "No duh."

I mean, the dude is more iconic than any other icon. He's James Dean. Just like Marilyn, you don't have to see his movies to know who he is and admire his cool-guy look. (But see his movies. Especially "Rebel Without a Cause." It's a classic for a reason and James Dean is never James Dean-ier than he is in that movie.)

So James Dean is totally the insanely gorgeous boy smoking a cigarette in a leather jacket, but he also has a more laid-back kind of bookish style too. James Dean was a thinker! He was sensitive! He hung out with Elizabeth Taylor and she took naps and he read celebrity magazines.

He looked amazing in sneakers and glasses. He probably would look amazing in anything being that he was James Dean and all.

But, yes, the cigarette/jacket look is probably his best. You're a dreamy one, James Dean. You're definitely a dreamy one.

Pumpkin patch

 I recently learned that one of the teachers at my school has a family farm with hayrides, horses and a big ol' pumpkin patch, and when I learned this, of course, I knew I had to go visit! I am all about farms, hayrides and pumpkins, and horses are pretty okay too! There were children galore, and they all seemed to be having a stellar, farm-tastic time. Thomas was way on the young end of the spectrum (at three months, there's really no other end of the spectrum for him to be on), and he wasn't that into it. I mean, he's usually pretty happy when he's outside, but the hayride, horses and pumpkins did nothing for him, which is just fine. He's a tiny baby! He'd much rather watch a ceiling fan than a horse at this point in his life. Sometimes, I get a little sad about how fast my baby is growing (seriously, this kid is huge), but then I remind myself of all the fun times we have ahead of us. On the hayride, there was a woman with her 22-year-old son, and they were going to go to a fabulous, trendy restaurant afterwards, and I thought -- yep, Thomas and I (and his daddy) have a very fun future ahead of us (and the present is pretty awesome too).

Misty mountains

We made a visit to the mountains to see the fall colors. It was very misty/cloudy/occasionally full-on rainy, and it was totally beautiful.

Thomas wore some really amazing overalls. Babies in overalls are the best.

The leaves were beautiful both on the trees and fallen on the ground. Those are some new-to-me shoes. They are my walking shoes. A girl needs a pair of walking shoes if she does a lot of walking, which I do.

Look! A picture from a walk! That's my niece, nephew and dog having a grand old time.

And here's a really picturesque horse. He eventually wandered down to see if we had any treats for him. Sadly, we did not, but next time we will plan ahead!

The little town my parents' house is in is so cute. It even has one of those "take-one-leave-one" libraries outside the local coffee shop. I love it!

Something I love even more? Hanging with family (that's my husband and kid and brother and niece and nephew). Also those cows behind us. Man how I love those giant cows.(Also love those horizontal bar/stripe J Crew shirts courtesy of eBay. Super comfy. Perfect for fall-tastic fun.)

Remix - Pink cardigan

Happy Wednesday! Let's Remix!

Like the black and white maxi-skirt before it, I wasn't 100 percent sure about this pink cardigan when I first thrifted it. Then, I wore it all the time. I wasn't sure about it because it has some seams that look like the cardigan is inside out even though it's not, and I was like "What is that about?" Turns out, I don't really care, and I find this little pink number to be an excellent addition to my wardrobe.

When we had "Dress like your favorite teacher day" at school, the little girls who dressed like me wore cardigans and dresses. Totally my look! So, yes, this cardigan gets paired with dresses all the time.

It also works well with jeans and a polka-dotted pregnant belly. Really, it's so sweet and neutral, I probably haven't explored its full potential yet. (On life goal list: Explore the full potential of the $4 thrifted, pink cardigan. The full potential.)

Pictured above is my favorite pink-cardigan look. Do I love the look because of the pink cardigan? Nope. I love the boots and the dress, but the pink cardigan ties it all together! It's a great unifier of things, that pink cardigan. It makes the outfit work without being all braggy about it.

Style Icon: James Iha

Back in the '90s, I had a crush on James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins. Why? Well, I liked the band, I liked his hair, he was cute, and he seemed quiet and nice -- kind of like the George Harrison of the Smashing Pumpkins.

He had great grunge style. Flannel! Funny hair! Jeans! Cranky music!

But he also looked so great when he went swanky. I think my favorite James Iha is wearing-a-suit James Iha. Very hip! Billy Corgan did all the talking/singing, but James Iha was the one who got my attention!

Audrey's pet deer

Did you know Audrey Hepburn had a deer as a pet?

Well she did.

And it was awesome...

And ridiculous...

All at the same time.

Monkey and maxi

You can't tell that well from this picture, but there's a monkey on Thomas's butt, and that's a pretty big deal. Putting cute things on the butt is my favorite aspect of baby fashion.

Here, I'm wearing my maxi-dress like a maxi-skirt and one of my moccasins came untied.

Thomas is so big. He turned three months this weekend, but has been wearing six-month-sized clothing for quite a while now. Pictured above is his very first time wearing pants. His first time wearing pants! He's going to wear pants so much in his life, and look: this is his very first time doing it! How terribly exciting.

Once

This is what I wore for our second date night since Thomas was born. My co-teacher came over to babysit the little nugget, and Robert and I hit the town to see the musical "Once." It was super good. The best part about it (and there were plenty of good parts) happened before the show even started. The set is a bar, and a half hour before the musical starts, the bar is open and you can walk up on stage and get a drink. It was so, so awesome to stand on that big stage and look out at the audience. As a sometimes actress (community theater for sure), it was really exciting. It was also exciting to sip red wine from a straw (covered cups only to protect the set) and hang out in the Irish world of "Once." 

This outfit was a last-minute decision. Robert helped me pick it out. I love this striped dress. On my wrist: bangles and my Fitbit. I wear my Fitbit all the time because I'm trying to get lots of steps (a Fitbit is like a fancy pedometer), but it isn't the most fashion-forward accessory. I've decided I like it more when there are bangles hanging out next to it. 

We went to see the show at the Belk Theater in uptown Charlotte, and parked in the city's best parking garage: The Hearst Tower. I am all about its multiple pretty levels. We were on the Dr. Suess level this weekend. So fun!

You've got to love those random beanie hats! Also: You've got to love my shoes. I mean, I guess you don't have to, but I sure do. They are very, very high. Platform + heels = Me falling twice. That's just math. Fun, fashion-y math. 

Charlotte

I always get excited when I see the skyscrapers coming into the city. It means it's time for an adventure!

Style Icon: Rosario Dawson as Mimi

Seeing a movie after seeing a show live is like seeing a movie after reading the book. The movie is never as good! It just isn't! It can't be. That's all there is to it. 

That said, I still love Rosario Dawson as Mimi in "Rent." There she is hanging out with her cool squatter friends being cool and singing about cool things. 

She has great hair She wears fabulous layers. Her look is very "La Vie Boheme."

It's no wonder the fellows fall for her. The audience falls for her too! How can you not when she's crooning about lighting candles and going out tonight?