'Tis the season

1. Midi Skirt // 2. fingerless mittens // 3. Long trench jacket // 4. shrunken button down // 5.Sherling lined vest // 6. 'tis the season mug // 7. socks // 8. tartan poncho // 9. Blanket Scarf // 10. Tartan loafers // 11. Rugby jacket // 12. Plaid jogger pants // 13. Buffalo check peacoat // 14. Midi Skirt // 15. Plaid checked pants // 16. Minimergency kit // 17. Plaid shorts // 18. Slippers // 19. Vest

Can someone please explain to me how it's already Thanksgiving? I'm pretty sure I was holding a sparkler and wearing something that resembled an American flag just last week. Thanksgiving is a holiday I could do without but Black Friday and Cyber Monday make up my trio of favorite holidays. So, I guess I have to deal with hyped up turkey and sides in order to enjoy my favorite holidays.

If you are a diehard Chiefs fan like myself, you never need an excuse to buy anything that's red and fashionable. It's as if it's become a part of my vocabulary, just like me make an excuse as to why I buy anything black and gold (Go, Tigers). "I mean, it's perfect for a Chiefs game!" "This would be perfect for one of those chilly tailgating Mizzou games, duh." Yes, this is how I talk to myself in my head, just agree to get over it. (Disclaimer: I have been to 3 Mizzou games this year but am fully prepared for another 15 this season.) Imagine my joy when I started to see the trend for this season shifting towards my beloved buffalo plaid, red & black. Hallelujah, Praise Jesus...Let the "Chiefs" shopping commence! 

You don't have to even know who the Chiefs are in order to love this look right now. I rarely wear red but there is something about November & December where I truly believe red looks good on everyone. Not to mention...drum roll please...EVERY SINGLE ITEM I covet above, is on sale from now until Monday night. And, I'm not talking "Save 5% but pay $15 in shipping" Sale, I'm talking 50% off with free 2-day shipping. Get in gear, kids. It's game time.

{Amy}

In the Trenches

2 Tone Trench // Yellow Floral Trench // Beige & Black heart Trench // Pink handwritten Trench // Polka Dotted Bow Trench // Watercolor collar Trench // Lace detailing Trench // High Low Black Trench // Denim Trench // The New Basic Trench

Like I said in my very first post, almost a year ago; I’m not a writer. I’ve never thought of myself as a writer, nor do I believe I am supposed to be a writer. However, I am a thinker, a big one. I’m one big emotional basket case that will say idioms “just cause” and 65% of the time have no idea if I am using it in the correct way or not. Guess it’s my way of thinking that if I use an idiom here and there, I’m a grown up.  (And since I’m expecting my first baby, clearly I’m a grown up.)

However, one idiom I use all too often, and even more so today, is ‘to be in the trenches’.  Not to be confused with “into trenches” which I am also fully on board with as well. And have dedicated this post to my most favorite (and most reasonably priced) trench coats. There’s a whole big world out there that doesn’t involve just Navy and Beige, people!

I am “in the trenches” with the hardest part of my pregnancy, the trenches of a huge layoff throughout my company, the happiest trenches (yeah, it's a thing) of the most exciting sporting event to happen in KC since I moved here 18 years ago. And finally, the trenches of a rather life altering family event. But, like I told one of my closest friends this past weekend as I was catching her up to speed on my life; “I’m uncomfortable if there isn’t chaos.” Chaos has been my life for as long as I can remember. I actually get anxiety if things are going too well, running too smoothly; it’s that feeling of “things are too good to be true, something has to come down.” 

I am on the front line of these events (well, not the Royals going to the World Series but if anyone wants to put me in the front line, feel free.) and I don’t see them letting up any time soon. And that’s ok. I know that through life events, I can handle all of these. There will be good days and bad days, ups and downs, and highs and lows. But, the more I talk to people about being in the front line of all of these life events, the more I realize I’m not the only one. We have all been in the trenches of our own lives and amazingly enough, we’ve all powered through them. 

We all know rain is inevitable; it’s just a matter of when it decides to fall. 

{Amy}

 

An Ode to Old Navy

On the Left: Beige zip booties: Old Navy // On the right: Beige zip booties: Rag & Bone // On the left: Black zip booties: Old Navy // On the right: Black zip booties: Rag & Bone // On the left: Beige ankle strap booties: Old Navy // On the right: Beige ankle strap booties: Rag & Bone // On the Left: Black ankle strap booties: Old Navy // On the right: Black ankle strap booties: Rag & Bone

I can safely say that up until a few months ago I couldn't honestly tell you the last time I had stepped foot into Old Navy. Maybe it's the mass produced "4th of July [insert year here]" tee for $4 that turned me off but I just couldn't do it. It wasn't until I got pregnant that people started suggesting I go in there for cheap maternity clothes. Naturally, I thought all their tops would look like they came straight from the '80's handbook with a tie-back "waist" because doesn't every pregnant woman want to showcase their stomach like it's a big present? (The answer is no. Yes, it's a beautiful thing. But no, I don't want to walk around like I am giving the entire metro the gift of life.)

Hesitant to what I'd see there, on a boring weekend I decided to venture into the unknown and see what all the hype was about. Once again, I was proved wrong. Dead. Wrong. Yes, they still have their $4 Tees that look like they may or may not fall apart in the washing machine. And yes, their jeans are still $32 but you run the risk of some serious mom-butt. But, for the most part, their fashionable clothing are very much so on-trend and still extremely cheap. The biggest find for me were their shoes...

Any time I can buy a pair of boots or booties that are $32 instead of $525, I'm in. Even if they only last me 1 month...money well spent in my books. The quality felt great (although not real leather), they look like they will be able to last me, at the very least, 1 season, and I'm saving money while wearing them. Now, if I could just talk to them about their maternity section, I'd be their #1 fan. 

{Amy} 

Always down for a good find

 

 Jacket: Target // L/S Tee: GAP // Jeans: GAP // Necklace: Jennifer Zeuner // Shoes: Kate Spade

 

Let's face it; we've all bought clothing at Target at some point in our lives. NO one is "above" target, I don't care what you say. Some of us buy clothing there weekly and hell; even daily (guilty). However, once in a blue moon we stumble upon something that does not look like it should be hanging on the stainless steel, cold racks of Target. Case in point; this faux leather Xhilaration jacket. it has the Faux sweatshirt attached so you don't have to worry about the bulky look when you put it on. I went up a size just for length and it fits like a glove. The best $40 I've spent at target in a long time. (Well, I did just buy a killer pair of elastic waistband pants but, that's a totally different post.)

 

Also, to all my DIY friends out there, these shoes are Kate Spade and my daily obsession but something tells me this would be easy to replicate. I know Target has some similar cheetah print slip-on's right now and Lord knows (no pun intended) Hobby Lobby makes a mean faux leather bow. Would be curious if anyone out there has thought about replicating these on a budget.

 

{Amy} 



Too Soon?

Shearling cardigan: BB Dakota

Side Zip Sweater: She Inside

Fringe Hem Sweater: She Inside

Open Back Sweater: Asos

Chiffon Hem Sweater: J. Crew

Embellished Sweater: Necessary Clothing

Wrap Sweater: Just Female

Rival Team Cardigans: Gold // Blue

Is it too soon to already be wanting to be in big, oversized, chunky sweaters? Maybe it's the fact that all I have had to choose from this summer has been tanks or tees with ruching down the side (*side note can someone please find a better way to design maternity clothes? We are pregnant, not PTO mom's in training.) and pants with elastic waist bands. If elastic waist pants don't scream "take fashion advice from me"; then I'm clearly in the wrong business.

Or, maybe it's the fact that 'sweater weather' means fall, which I think we can all agree is by far the most superior of seasons. (I'll spare everyone from sounding like a broken record going on and on about the 'crisp air' and football saturdays. We know, that also happens in the fall.)  It also means that Christmas (and Baby Morris) are right around the corner and with Christmas means a new year, a time for everything to start anew. 

Since I just can't wait to bust out my Fall sweaters (and say sayonara to ruching galore), I've decided to give everyone a little head start on their fall wardrobe. Above are some of my most favorite pieces for Fall...and did I mention none of them are over $110 (Most of them being under $50!!!!!!!!)????????

{Amy}

deal of the day

 

Dress top/skirt combo: SheInside // Dress: SheInside // Shift Dress: Dolce & Gabbana

I had a rush of nostalgia come back to me this past week. Knowing it was recruitment at The University of Missouri, knowing that in 18 years my little girl will (hopefully) be going through rush, I found myself thinking a lot about how terrible it was as a freshman to go through it but how sad it was as a senior to know it was the beginning of the end. 

Now, more than ever before, I am realizing just how fast life breezes by.  Maybe it's the fact that I'm staring motherhood square in the eyes, or maybe it's because I ran into my 6th grade softball coach last weekend, and it was as if not a single day had gone by. Whatever it is, life's moving fast and although a lot of excitment and joy are right around the corner for me, I'm allowed to be a little nervous for what's in store. 

However, I don't need to be nervous to finally "pull the trigger" on a dress I've been drooling over for 3 months now. (And no, I will not be purchasing the $5,000 D&G number. Something tells me if wouldn't have the same effect with baby throw up all down the front side.)

[Amy}

keep it simple

****

Dress: Kate Spade // Shoes: Kate Spade, similar here // earrings: Lily Dawson // Bracelets: Hermes, J. Crew, Coordinate Collection, David Yurman // Watch: Michele // Sunnies: Free People

Photo Cred: Ryland Devero

Sometimes, all you need to do is look no further than your idol and remember that today is just another day and to keep life simple. 

Sure, I could make this post a series of quotes by Audrey Hepburn but we've all been on pinterest and we know those by heart. Over the past 4 months I have really had to listen to myself and my body and have had to learn how to just stay still, stay quiet, and stay simple. It's not easy but I just know the outcome will be something that only dreams are made of. 

{Amy}

Dreaming of Fall...

Tank: A Fine Line // Cape: Necessary Clothing // Earrings: bohemian drop // Lipstick: NARS // Shoes: Nine West // Shorts: Rag & Bone // Bracelets: Hipanema

I know I sound like a broken record and every single sorority girl you've ever met but; I am SO ready for fall. Although the Summer here in KC has been nothing short of amazing; I'm ready for chunky sweater (to hide a little something), shorts, and booties. So sue me, I'm still a sorority girl at heart that dreams of the crispy Saturday morning air and the hopes of a Mizzou win. 

Here is my idea of the perfect fall outfit...

{Amy}

Casual Saturday

Top: Rag & Bone // Shorts: SOLD denim, similar here // Shoes: Chanel, similar here // Bag: Rebecca Minkoff // Sunnies: Ray-Ban // Watch: Michele // Bracelets: David Yurman, Vintage, DIY // Hat: J. Crew

Photo Cred: The one and only, Ryland Devero.

2 weeks ago I traveled to a city that will forever have a piece of my heart; My beloved Chicago. This trip was different then the last 15 I've taken over the past 4 years. When Alcohol and partying isn't allowed on the agenda I was forced to, once again, keep it simple.

Thankfully for me, I stayed with one of the strongest friends I know, a girl I'm lucky enough to call "one of my people". Ryland is the type of genuine friend that when she says she wants you to succeed, she means it. Even if it isn't want I want to hear, she will give me advice and I am forced to step back and realize that what she is saying is right (most of the time...). She reminded me this weekend that girlfriends are what will always stay constant in your life. Sure, some might come and go. But without them, it is a lonely, dark road, that I never want to be on alone.

And by the way, for those of you that go to Chicago strictly to booze it up and shop...there's a lot more out there then just that! The lake is beautiful at any time of the day, my personal favorite is at sunset (obviously). Second City comedy club is the birthplace of Tina Fey and the talent there is just incredible. Finally, don't even get me started on the Oreo & Praline Flapjacks from The Bongo Room. Holy. Shit.

{Amy}

what might have been

Even in the midst of such a happy, joyous, time, I stopped where I was to let myself cry. Surprising to some, it isn't always easy for me to find exactly what to say at the right time. So with that, on a day like today - my original due date; the day that will never be, I turn to an author that wrote it in the most beautiful of ways. Shauna Niequist, author of Bittersweet. Below is an excerpt from her fabulous book about "change, grace, and learning the hard way".

"Today is the day that would have been my due date, had my first pregnancy been a healthy one.  Nine months ago, the world was so different. I was so different. The concept of pregnancy was so different to me, so innocent. Of course I knew women who had miscarried: my mother, my aunt, my friends. But like anything, when it happens to you it's like waking up to a conversation you've heard before and only now grasp, and you realize entirely anew what they were taking about, what they were trying to find the words to describe."

So that's today, the day of what might have been. Soon, we will have another child. But we'll never have a child born on July 22, 2014.

"If you've been marked by what might have been, you don't forget. You know the days, the years. You know when the baby would have been born. You know exactly what anniversary you'd be celebrating, if the wedding had happened. You know exactly how old she'd be right now, if she were still alive. You'll never forget the last time you saw your child, or the last time cancer was a word about someone else's life, or the day that changed absolutely everything. It makes the calendar feel like a minefield, like you're constantly tiptoeing over explosions of grief until one day you hit one, shattered by what might have been." 

"On most days, for me, it's all right. But for today, for a minute, it's not all right. I understand that God is sovereign, that bodies are fragile and fallible. I understand that grief mellows over time, and that guarantees aren't part of human life, as much as we'd like them to be. But on this day, I'm crying just a little for what might have been." 

"I'll get up from here. Life will keep moving, exactly as it should. No one might ever notice today and what it means for me. But I'll always know."

"I don't know what date it is for you - what broke apart on that day, what was lost, what memories are pinned forever to that day on that calendar. But I hope that on that day you hold yourself open and tender to the memories for just a moment.  As one who grieves today, I grieve with you, for whatever you've lost, too, for what might have been." 
 
{Amy}

Yet, another find

Bargain Maxi Dress // Alice McCall Maxi Dress

I've gotten a lot of request to continue doing "bargain finds" when I see them. So, here you are my dear friends. Yet another find!

{Amy}

What is familiar

Jacket: Kate Spade // Tank: Patterson j. Kincaid // Jeans: Rag & Bone // Bracelets: Coordinate collection, J. Crew, David Yurman // Watch: Michele // Sunnies: Ray-Ban // Necklace: Jennifer Zeuner // Shoes: Christian Louboutin, similar here // Earrings: Lily Dawson // Moccasins: Minnetonka

Photo creds: Ryland Devero

Can we really act surprised? Scott and I come from a family of just girls. No, I am not kidding. I only have 1 older sister, my mom has 1 younger sister, my dad has 1 younger sister, my 1 grandmother only has 2 girls, and my other grandmother as 1 girl and 1 boy (my dad).  Scott is the youngest of 3 with 2 older sisters, with his oldest sister having1 baby girl,  his mother is a twin to a sister (and has a younger sister), and his father has 1 younger sister.

I mean, come on. As much as we would have loved to have a baby Scott first, I can't act like I didn't see this coming. 

The idea of carrying on the "firstborn girl tradition" was something I honestly feared. As much of a girlie girl as I am, I was terrified at the idea of bring a girl into this cruel, mean, caddy world. I wanted to change the tradition. Before you judge my parenting skills (before I even give birth) let me explain myself...

Having female relationships was never my strong suit. I have always felt most comfortable around men and hanging with the guys. I have just a select few girlfriends that I talk to on the regular and even though I was in a sorority, I wasn't the one that had all the friends. the backstabbing, bad-mouthing, cattiness was something I physically could not handle. My sister and I are deathly close but we weren't always that way. We actually hated each other until I was abut 18. My parents would have to get babysitters for us into our teens for the fear of us killing each other was too real from them to ignore. We fought like hell, and we were cruel to each other. It went past name calling and hair pulling, it was deeper than that. We truly, hated each other with all of our beings. Times have changed and my sister is my closest confidant. It wasn't until my sister confided in me the deep dark 'secret' she was keeping that made her who she was. It's amazing what happens when you set YOUR truth free. My Mother and I are extremely close. At times, I question if we are too close. However, we have our issues like any mother/daughter duo. We have both been through enormous amounts of changes over the past few years and it's hard changing your ways after being in the same routine for 21 years.

Yes, boy or girl, I am scared. But, isn't that what motherhood is all about? If I wasn't scared I don't think I would be able to say "I'm going to be a great mother". Scott and I are thrilled to be having a girl. I can only imagine how she will have Scott wrapped around her fingers and how I will now have a new forever best friend. But, the truth is, it's scary. It's scary to be a woman in this world, to have gone through all the challenges and triumphs that I've been through and not be scared to bring a baby girl into this world. But we are. And in my eyes, she will be perfect, every single inch of her. No matter what any pre-teen, caddy girl says. 

{Amy}

Another day, another find.

 

 $39 Dress // For Love and Lemons Dress

These deals are KILLING me!!! Although I wouldn't trade being pregnant for the world, I do miss being able to wear some of these AMAZING dresses! 

Always remember, shop SMARTER not harder online.

{Amy}