well hello there

how was everyone's Christmas?

yeah, me too.

new years is coming up...do you actually go out?

we don't.

it would be really fun to get together and play

games with friends...but we all have kids.

 maybe something earlier in the evening...

anyway, that's not why i'm writing, 

this is:

i was on the phone with my bff today

and she mentioned that 

urban outfitters is having a sale on a lot of 

their jeans, $29!

yowza.

here are some of my fav's that are in the sale.

so cute.

i can't wait till spring.

i'm kidding myself thinking i'll be able to fit into

cute clothes after i have baby #3

but right now...it's what's getting me 

through all the weight gain.

this is

the

most

i've 

ever 

gained.

30lbs so far...(slit wrists).

(p.s. i know i'm pregnant and i'm supposed to gain weight...yes, i'm still complaining)

but until then here are some of my favorite pregnancy

clothes that i'd like to buy

but can't bring myself to to spend more $$ 

well, that's not entirely true...

i can always convince myself to buy more clothes.

the two with actual models are from gap

and the rest is from old navy.

don't you love the idea of that striped shirt

under that maxi dress...so cute.

feliz navidad y happy new year

thank you to all my readers for sticking with me.

i hope you all have a great holiday season

and a super fun new year!

i will be spending as much time with these three

as possible.

i'll also be day dreaming of shoes, clothes that i can fit into

after this baby pops out

and lots of cheap jewelry.

~

i may have a few posts here and there but

i'll definitely be back next year!

feel free to write and keep in touch.

xoxo, christa

your q's answered

i received this email a few days ago from a follower:

I just bought some black, tight, almost knee-high heel boots that are super cute. I usually wear them under jeans but want to wear them with skirts and dresses. My skirts and dresses are knee length, so there is a gap between the boots and my skirts, leaving my white knees showing. What do you suggest....black tights/nylons with this outfit? Opaque, sheer, textured? I have a black dress and a dark gray pencil skirt I'd be wearing the boots with.

    Also, I have some black peep-toe heels that are too cold to wear in the winter because of the open-toe...but what about nylons/tights with them, is that tacky to wear with peep-toes? 

 

i think we all know how much i love tights.

love.

winter is one of my favorite times to get dressed

because of tights.

it's a great way to show off your

personality and personal style without

sinking a lot of money

into an outfit.

tights can make an outfit so much more fun and interesting.

source

i think we can all agree that nylons are outdated and old fashion.

i'm sure there's a time and place for them...

but i can't think of a single one.

i suggest having fun with tights, experiment with colors and patterns

stacey and clinton always say to have texture in an outfit,

tights are a great way to incorporate that in your winter wardrobe.

as for wearing peep-toe shoes with tights...

in the past it's been one of those "rules" you don't break

but these days in fashion rules aren't really rules anymore.

check out elaine's mini campaign on breaking rules

my main tip for wearing

tights and peep-toes would be to make sure

that the seem is not showing.

so pull the seem and tuck it under your little toesies 

so it can't be seen.

 source...along with a little article on wearing tights with peep toes.

 

if you feel confident in your look...you can totally rock it no matter what.

thank for reading.

i love getting emails from you ladies, write anytime.

barney in the hizzy

i kind of miss taking pictures of myself.

i know, i'm totally vain.

but as promised i'm 

going to try and get a few pics up a week.

i was talking to my bff

the other day and she said there's a lot of

pregnant women that revert to there husbands shirts

and sweats for the last month or two.

true.

she thought i should continue to showcase ways

to look cute...even if you're as big

as the house you live in.

challenge accepted.

(i feel like barney...how i met your mother, anyone?)

and oddly enough

i looked like barney

on friday

(the dinosaur not n.p.h)

well not entirely.

but i was so excited to wear some

color after the 30/30

that i went for pinks and purples...

and i didn't do my hair...

don't judge.

 

necklace: maurices

tank: old navy

cardi: old navy

dress: target maternity

tights: payless

boots: target (last year)

 

 i've been working on my posing.

i look super fly, right?

~

when i took all my clothes off and all i had 

on was the tank top and my tights.

i looked like a magenta pregnant popsicle.

it .

was.

awesome.

i almost took a picture.

fantasy friday: kate spade addition

i'm still recovering from the 30/30

and by that i mean it's so nice not to have to take 

my picture everyday

buuuut

i did like getting all your feedback

so i'm going to try and put up pics twice a week,

that's all i can commit to right now ;)

but back to semi normal?

i missed fantasizing on friday's, did you?

i love kate spade.

love.

i told my husband if we're ever rich enough for 

me to buy her clothes, i will.

(on sale only, but i'll still buy them)

here are some of my favorite pieces right now:

source

i saw the jingle head band on fashion meets food

and i almost died. i love it so much...but alas it's $75.

yeah, you read that right, $75.

yikes.

since it is the Christmas season i figure you might be 

attending a holiday party of some sort.

i saw this sweater on kate spade

and thought the look could be a modern take on party attire.

the k.s cardigan has a sweat little bow detail at the neck.

i like the idea of it being buttoned up with

classic old hollywood hair

a modern fit jean or pant

and red lips and nails.

love.

all these cardigans are from target...there's a target by everyone, right?

next step the pant, you could show your personal

style and taste in your pant selection:

each of these pants could give a different feel to the 

whole outfit. i like the levi's choice.

if i was going somewhere that i want to impress people

i would choose the alice + olivia wide leg pants.

divine.

brands and prices

every girl loves a good heel.

you can show your personality in the perfect red shoe to go

with your modern take on a party look.

i love all of these for different reasons.

and lastly the make up:

 i think you're all capable of picking out lipstick

and nail polish at great prices.

especially because we all look good in different shades, right?

would you wear this look to a holiday party?

~~~

on a different note, i as i was perusing through ks.com

i came across a "baby section"

i got so excited my mouse started to shake!

i was hoping for cute irresistible

baby clothes...it was a no go but,

i came across this beauty:

it's perfect for this spring and summer

(when baby #3 is due to arrive)

i love the bright yellow inside

and the classic dungaree fabric.

ahhh, yes.

welcome, welcome back fantasy friday.

the big 3-0

i'd like to thank my closet

for being so sparse that finding 30 things

was a challenge in and of itself.

i'd also like to acknowledge that there

was an entire pair of jeans and a dress i never wore.

and of course, the infamous

neon cardigan will make it's final appearance

in outfit #30:

things to note,

the frame that use to be behind me is

in fact shattered now...you see that brown dot

above my head?

that's a lowly screw that use to hold the frame.

accidents happen when you have two kids running around.

(or in this case running her hand on the wall and knocking it over)

i call this my bellatrix lestrange hair.

i pretty much just twist it with a good hair tie

until is stays...no bobby pins required,

the key is damp hair.

did you notice i'm growing my bangs out?

did i already mention that?

well i am, i need a change.

after all this i thought my brown boots might look good 

with this outfit too, so i slipped them on real quick

(thank goodness for pull on boots)

i liked it a lot more.

what do you think?

i kept the brown boots on for the rest of the day...

even now as. i. type.

i got a lot of compliments on this dress when i wore it before so i thought

i'd wear it again for my 30-o-30.

what doing 30/30 remixing has taught me:

*i don't have a lot of clothes

*accessories can make an outfit

*having layering pieces is essential for remixing

*show your personality in your clothes

*having color is more fun

*i love boots

*make-up is fun to experiment with

*i can't not shop...sorry.

some of these things i already knew

but it became a lot more apparent when i was

faced with trying to make a black shirt and jeans

look interesting and different and show who

i am when i wear it 3 days out of the week.

i would totally do 30 for 30 again.

of course i will ideally be without child

and i now have a better idea of what to pick 

to make my clothes reflect my personal style better.

now i don't claim to be a high fashion mama

you know that,

but i am a mama who cares about what

i'm putting out into the world,

i like fashion,

i love to see people with style.

and i love to shop.

the end.

29...wait, tomorrow is 30?

that's right, outfit 29.

any thoughts on what i should wear tomorrow?

this outfit came to me this morning:

 now that i look at it, i wish i would have put 

a different necklace with it

and this look is just as cute unbuttoned.

do you think the socks pulled up so far is a bit much?

i thought it gave it a different look.

i was going to take pictures outside yesterday and today

but i looked at my back door and a little

tiny recliner is blocking it.

i didn't feel like moving it.

so until someone else moves it...you get beige stairs.

~

my bun isn't as severe as the last time i did it.

mostly because i couldn't remember the tutorial 

very well...and then i lost all interest, so this is 

more of an everyday bun.

26er, 27, 28.

my friday was pretty awesome.

i went to portland with a friend and we had

makeovers at bobbi brown in nordy's...pretty fun.

and we also went to h&m, it opened up less than a month ago

and it's been painful not to go when there's finally an h&m so close.

confession:

i've been shopping throughout the whole 30/30.

sorry, i really am addicted to shopping.

all though it started out innocent.

the payless shoes in out town

lost their lease...so everything

was 40% and 50% off.

soooo, i got a few things.

but i figured, how could i pass up this opportunity?!

so that was the first time i shopped,

that was about a week in.

then last week we (my whole family)

got some clothes for our family photo, 

which i figured didn't really count...right?

then of course i went to h&m...and they have maternity

so i got two tops...sorry.

i never go to portland

and i knew this was my opportunity

because i probably won't go back till after this baby is born.

end of confession

there you have it.

but i haven't cheated on my 30...there are two things

that i haven't even worn...and i probably wont wear, 

so i put in a black undershirt, which is what i wore friday...

i didn't get a full body shot.

after walking around p-town all day

as soon as i got home i took my boots off and they 

were not coming back on.

so here's my beauty shot

(for all you antm fans)

of my bobbi brown makeover:

open

 closed

 by the time these were taken my lipstick was gone.

oh well.

 sunday i wore a dress i haven't worn yet 

i was going for a brown black awesomeness.

but we got ready in about 15 minutes,

which equals:

no makeup

hair not done

and stairs full of sunday clothes

these were of course taken after church before i took

off my awesome tights

that my husband said he'd be embarrassed if i wore to church

but i think he was just over reacting...these tights are cool.

and i wore my make-shift jacket again today.

i wanted to belt this with my 

brown belt without a necklace

buuuuut 

the belt was too uncomfortable yesterday.

and 28...today.

sorry for the wrinkly shirt

but, that's how i roll.

also the tech for my ultrasound a few weeks ago

got ultrasound gunk on this shirt

and it totally stained it...bummer, but this shirt

was on a great sale and i got over it fairly quickly.

i know, i know, i'm the bigger person...literally.

what number is this?

25.

so, what shoes do you wear with bootcut jeans?

usually i wear flats but not when it's raining out

which it does 90% of the time here.

but 90% of my time i wear skinny jeans or jeggings,

and two of the three pairs of my maternity jeans

are bootcut. i have no idea what type of shoes

to wear with them.

anyway, today i wore my warm boots

because there were the only pair of shoes that

works with these jeans...that i own.

it was a casual day of volunteering at

my daughters school

and then running lots of errands.

note to self:

when pregnant and hungry, don't think you can go to trader joe's 

and get one thing...

don't think you can walk past jamba juice and not 

get the oatmeal and a drink either,

even though you just bought a ton of food at trader joe's.

the moral of the story, don't go without food when you're pregnant.

doy.

and now i'm off to my afternoon nap.

am i cheating on my 30?

you tell me.

jackets/coats don't count because it's winter,

riiiiiiiight?

well i wore this cardigan today as a jacket.

seriously, when i was inside i took it off.

so i don't know if it's cheating on my 30 or not, but i say nay.

here's what i wore...i know you're blown away because 

i'm not wearing my yellow cardi

but turns out wearing it three days in a row

calls for laundering at some point.

and yes, that bag-o-crap that was on my stairs yesterday 

is still there today...until i realized 

i could move it out of the picture...

(with my "jacket")

i took these at 4pm, so my hair wasn't as straight

and

i spilled something on myself at lunch.

reality, in your face.

i darkened my eyebrows today, could you tell?

also, i'm growing out my bangs.

i need a change and cutting my hair isn't an option.

i'm thinking about going redish...thoughts??