Sweet Satisfaction

I'm so happy to say that this will probably be one of the last times I'll be taking photos in my desert themed backyard.  At this very moment it's being completely overhauled and turned into something more green.  I love our home, but the backyard was pretty horrible.  This was one of the bigger projects we had on our list but I'm happy to cross this one off.  I really want to focus on the baby room, I'm dying to finish it!

Remix: Red Zara shoes

I love a good remix post!  Unfortunately, I live in a closet of dresses and rarely remix them (on the blog at least).  So today I'm going to show you the different ways I wear my favorite red Zara wedges.  These were definitely an impulse buy, but they've been great for pretty much any outfit.  It's a great way to dress up a less "fancy" outfit or dress down an outfit that would normally would call for fancy platform heels.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy my first true remix post!

Pregnancy: Week 16

16 weeks!  I'm more than excited to be this far along in my pregnancy.  Not only do I have more energy, but I feel so much better in general.  Although my body is changing everyday, my mind is much more at peace now that I'm in my second trimester.

Let me just say, this dress is getting tight.  This thing will not last through forty weeks and I'm pretty sure I'll have to size up by twenty weeks.  My belly seems to be getting bigger every single day!  A woman actually asked me yesterday when I was due and I couldn't have been happier.  If I'm wearing a fit and flare dress and you can see my belly that means I finally look pregnant!  I'm also starting to get people who like to rub my belly.  I know some people think that's invading personal space but I absolutely love it.  As long as I know the person, they're more than welcome to rub it :)

While I haven't had any weird cravings yet, I'm absolutely obsessed with shrimp.  I could eat it all day every day... I'm actually cooking some right now!  I will admit that I haven't been eating healthy at all.  Pre pregnant me could eat whatever I wanted and maintain my size.  While I have gained about nine pounds so far, I feel immense guilt that I haven't been feeding my baby with with the healthiest things.  I obviously have a discipline issue and I'm hoping to curb that ASAP.





Baby so far is doing wonderful.  It has a nice strong heartbeat and growing at a nice pace.  Apparently it's as big as an avocado right now?  We found out the sex (finally!) and once our family and friends are in the know I'll be sharing with you too.  I can't wait to make the announcement!

xoxo

Ashley

Rock Steady

Let the changes begin!  I had mentioned last week that my purple hair was going away (R.I.P.) and here is the end result.  It still kind of freaks me out when I look in the mirror, I'm totally not used to it!  Since bleaching my hair was no longer in my future I decided to go more natural.  My real color is actually lighter than this but I wanted something with more depth.  My friend did a such wonderful job and I'm really happy with the result.

If you haven't noticed, my blog has also gone through some changes.  Joyce of Joyful Outfits did such a fantastic job with the new design, I'm totally in love!   While I was happy with the old design, I thought it was about time to freshen things up.  I hope you like it too :)

What's on my radar: Current Loves

This edition of current loves is just a little sad... Only because I can't afford any of my picks.  Not only am I living on a ridiculously fixed budget (houses are expensive!), but any disposable income is going towards our baby.  That doesn't mean I can't dream!  Here are my picks this month:

Penny Pardy dress

I own one of these amazing handmade dresses and I want nothing more than a closet full of them!  Not only are they fully lined and beautifully constructed, the prints are fun and great for summer.  Oh, and there's also a huge sale going on in her shop too.  Check it out HERE!

Love Culture striped skirt

I own about 3 black and white striped skirts and I swear to you they're all different!  Although I've never shopped in an actual Love Culture store, I find so many gems online.  This skirt would be perfect to wear in any season and would look wonderful paired with a bright colored top.

Ruche t-strap flats

While I love a great pair of heels, my feet have been loving my flat shoe obsession lately.  T-strap shoes are so visually appealing and the addition of the chains makes these even more desirable.  I would love to wear these with that striped skirt above!

Urban Outfitters scalloped peplum dress

This dress is just beautiful.  I love the cut and it actually comes in a bunch of different colors.  I have a very special wedding coming up and if I didn't have a baby belly, I'd put this in my cart right now!

Pony Chops Shop kawaii brogues

I have a not so secret obsession with Chantal and her artwork.  I've always wanted to splurge and get a custom painted pair of shoes from her (chihuahuas, anyone?).  Maybe one day, or maybe for my baby to be :).  Anyway, these shoes are on sale and you can get a pair of your own HERE!

Modcloth striped/floral dress

I love mixing prints!  So when you find a dress that does the print mixing for you how can you resist?  I also think the nautical feel to this dress pulled my heart strings just a little more than usual.  This would be a great dress to pull into your winter wardrobe as well.  I can totally see pairing this dreamy print with my favorite blue peacoat.

What's on your wishlist this month?  Is there anything sitting in your virtual shopping cart?  I'd love to hear about your great finds!

xoxo

Ashley

Goodbyes

I'm not really excited about it, but I'll be getting rid of my colored hair on Friday.  As you can see in these pictures, I have been waiting until the second trimester to dye my hair again.  Since pink/purple hair requires me to bleach it first, I have to pick an alternative color.  The safety of my baby does come first, but that's not to say I'm not bummed about it!

Flock Together: The Cat's Meow

Happy Monday!  I'm blogging over at Flock Together today and I'm wearing Erica's adorable cat printed dress.  Make sure to hop on over there to check out the full post (with outfit details) HERE and a few of the other girls' looks :)

xoxo

Ashley

Ball and Chain

My motto is: If you love something, buy it in several colors.  The lovely Jessica of Midwest Muse alerted me that this gorgeous dress was on the Ruche site a couple of weeks ago.  Not only do I have this dress in black, but Jessica has it in blue.  We both really love the cut and the fabric so I knew I had to have it in pink.  I actually snagged the very last one!  Thankfully one of us has it so it can be sent between California and Ohio :)

The Sweetest Escape

Well, it's back to real life today.  While most people enjoyed a four day weekend, I had to work on both the 4th and the 5th.  I was initially pretty bitter about it, but I actually had a really good weekend... even if it was the standard Saturday and Sunday.

On Friday night Erica and I had the chance to meet up with Katrina and her road trip buddy, Ines.  They had been trekking down the California coast and we were lucky enough to have dinner with them at Umami Burger.  I love meeting up with other bloggers, especially ones who I follow and I'm constantly inspired by.  Katrina was super sweet and even bought my baby a cute little gift.  How sweet is that?

Ruchette of the Month

This has been a hard secret to keep, but I'm excited to announce that I have been chosen as July's Ruchette of the Month!  I've been a long time shopper at Ruche so you can imagine how honored and ecstatic I was when I found out.  From gorgeous dresses, to great bags, to my very own wedding ensemble, Ruche has always had exactly what I needed :)

Make sure to check out my feature and interview by clicking HERE.  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

Ashley

Flock Together: Lovely Leopard

Hey there, hope you're having a fabulous Friday!  Just letting you know that I'm blogging over at Flock Together today.  This leopard dress is beyond gorgeous and if you check out the full post HERE, you can see how the other girls styled it for all seasons.  Check it out!

xoxo

Ashley

We burn before we shine

I've been dying to post these pictures!  Not only because I really really love this dress, but because I happened to take these outside my front door.  I particularly love my red door and my porch swing.  Unfortunately, it's been so miserable outside that I haven't had the chance to enjoy it for very long.  I guess that's what fall is for!