my avacado bebe

hi! is anyone still there? (tapping mic.. "this thing on?")

my blogging hiatus has really stretched into overtime. but trust me guys, it was much much needed. that was one hell of a first trimester, that didn't get much easier the first few weeks into the second trimester. but thank GOD things seem to be getting better finally and i have a little of my old zest for life returning (along with some energy! and an appetite! woohoo!)

this is me at 16 weeks - my avocado sized baby is really starting to show on the outside. i've managed to not have to wear any maternity clothes yet, and am going to try to keep that up for as long as possible. the shirt i'm wearing is one of target's cute floral thermals they have for sale right now and the scarf i made last winter.

M.I.A.

hi guys!

i've been m.i.a. lately, and things have been dead on this old blog.

but it's been for a good reason!

i'm about 9 weeks pregnant with baby number two. we had our first

ultrasound yesterday and are so relieved that baby looks healthy and strong!

this mama has been pretty sick, though, and getting dressed up and taking photos of outfits

have not been top priorities.

(pajamas have sadly become my outfit of choice. hoping this stage passes quickly!)

pregnancy is exciting, but the toll it takes on your body is pretty overwhelming.

i'm not sure if i'll continue "modest muse" through the pregnancy. i don't feel great about how i look.

but i'm open to your thoughts and honest opinions!

what do you think? any of you guys interested in seeing me dress a swollen belly

over the next 7 months?

annabelle dances

hello dearies :)

i just got back from a week in oh-high-oh - time to get unpacked and back into a schedule.

(a schedule that hopefully includes time to blog!)

until that time finds me somewhere between piles of laundry, i leave you with a lovely

little video that i found via my sister today.

i can't stop watching it.

xo

unseasonable

today was unseasonably cool..

so i felt inspired to wear unseasonable colors..

and an unseasonable sweater.

(even though it was still over 80F outside. i am so done with summer.)

hurry up fall!

dress, belt: forever 21 // sweater: old navy // shoes: target

swappin'

last week, the wonderful marisa of "shades of monet" agreed to do a clothing swap!

(this was my first time! so fun!)

today my box came in and i couldn't be more excited! 

marisa and i swapped a couple of dresses that we recognized from each other's blogs,

but we also sent each other "mystery" items from our"purge piles."

neither of us knew what our mystery clothes would be,

which made the whole swap so much fun. i love the pieces marisa sent for me,

and i can't wait to share them on here!

if any other readers out there would be interested in swapping

with me in the future 

(i'm a size M/L for reference)

 just let me know! 

be back soon.. XO

a choice

today i made the choice to be happy.

so when the temptation rolled around for me to criticize my body, i made the decision to find something about my body that i liked.

when my baby tried my patience to the max today with a tantrum (followed by maybe 5 more tantrums before naptime,) i made the decision to remember the 5million things i love about her, and how lucky i am to have her.

when the thermometer outside read 101F before noon, i made the decision to thank God for modern conveniences like air conditioning. and ice cream.

and you know what?

it wasn't long until i was in a remarkably good mood, despite the ups and downs of the day, and this hottest day of the summer turned out to be a loverly day.

what are you thankful for today?

tuesday

dress: www.shopsockmonkeygee.blogspot.com // cardigan: buffalo exchange, austin // shoes: target

happy tuesday!

it's quite an ordinary tuesday over here (hence the super-imaginative title post!)

it's way too hot to be wearing a cardigan in my neck of the woods,

but i loved the pairing of gray with the super bright green dress. 

a good excuse to stay indoors, watching law & order: svu while olive naps this afternoon!

:)

i have been wearing my little wristband every day. a friend of mine brought it back as a gift for me from ireland. (it's from topshop.) i like it so much, i might try to make some of my own out of left over fabric from previous projects.

enjoy the rest of your week (stay cool!)

fatigued

tee: target // skirt: old navy // belt: thrifted // shoes: target

i know i look like i'm ready to do combat, in my army fatigue colored ensemble, 

but in reality all i did this pretty saturday was go on a mommy-daughter date with olive. 

(the mall, mcdonalds and dairy queen were involved. eeks.)

i found this skirt at old navy a while ago for just $9! skirts are hard for me, as i can't (read: won't) 

wear minis (and minis are in great abundance at the stores these days.) and finding a modest

length skirt that isn't too clingy, or too boxy or too flared is pretty hard work.

i can't wait to pair this skirt with all my tops. the possibilities are endless.

little details..

wrist band: gift, from top shop // ring: anika burke // nail polish: essie's "meet me at sunset"

never too old to play dress up

i just got home from visiting my family in NC, where i got the chance to play dress up in a lot of dressing rooms (raleigh has such great shopping options! such a temptation!) i didn't end up purchasing many things, but the dressing up was lots of fun..

@ Ross (i sooo regret not buying the yellow dress.)

left: @ Ross. (i regret not buying this one too. boo.) // right: in my mom's bathroom, haha. just everyday wear..

@ Francesca's Collection

 i did buy this dress at Ross, and made/sewed the yellow flower corsage for the blouse part. i think it'll transition over to fall really well.

be back soon!

xo

madame librarian

dress: vintage, etsy // shoes: target // belt: goodwill

i really love my vintage dresses, guys. i love them so much more than my newer dresses. it's true that there are many days where i don't feel in the right mood to wear them, but when i DO wear them, i usually feel really good about myself, and confident. we just click, my vintage dresses and i. i think this calls for more thrift shop hunting and less forever 21 browsing online...

also i got new shoes! you may not know this, but i am not really a shoe person. i was perfectly content to let my lovely steve maddens be my only shoe purchase this summer... but they BROKE! i couldn't believe it. and they're so broke, that not even my very handy husband thinks he can salvage them. so i got new shoes, from target of course, (because supporting my local target has become like my full time job,) and i LOVE them. :)

i'm driving down south for tomorrow to spend the 4th and the rest of the week with my family. i'm looking forward to swimming and shopping and hanging out with my people.

what are you doing for the 4th of July?

pocohontas

slub knit dress, belt: forever 21 // leggings, scarf: target

just a short little simple post today.. i was feeling somewhat put together for the first time in days, haha, so i decided to record the moment on camera. :)

i think this outfit kind of channels a little native american vibe - i love the earthy colors, and comfy fit. perfect for a day when i didn't feel like being out in public running errands, but had to anyway.

sick day inspiration

hi guys..

unfortunately i have been struggling with some health issues lately (no big deal, just distracting) so i haven't had much time/attention for "the modest muse." it's always in my mind though, and when i ran across this cute, inspiring video (which i found at this pretty lady's blog) i just had to share!

be back soon!

quarter of a century

today i turned the big 2-5. it was a quiet, fun day. matt took olive and i out for coffee this morning (well, coffee for us, oatmeal cookie for little miss) which is a rare treat on a work day. the ups man brought me a package when we got home - husband surprised me with TWO boxes of french macarons, overnighted from my favorite bakery in the world "pistacia vera" in columbus, ohio. he also took us girls out for gluten free pizza at uno's chicago grill this evening. such a treat! i got a few cards and phone calls from loved ones, and lots of well wishes on facebook. all in all a nice day.

four-eyes

hi!

my new glasses came in today!

we so excited!!

channeling peter pan

dress: forever 21 // tights, shoes: target // "star" hair clip: handmade


i am so glad i ordered this dress. i'm in love...with the color, the print, and (best of all) the peter pan collar. as soon as i got it, i knew it would pair well with any crazy colored pair of tights, so i pulled out my craziest (they're teal, but it's hard to see how colorful they are in the photos.)

i felt sooo confident in these pretty duds, that i started getting a little too silly in front of the camera, and totally didn't notice i had a major faux pas going on...

i'm off to cut those pesky things off now! :)

summer song

dress: target // cardigan: target (buttons changed by me) // collar: crocheted/vintage // shoes: target

(i've had this silly song stuck in my head ever since it popped up through pandora one day..the one lone person really getting into the song in the video kinda cracks me up..)

i have been soaking up some wonderful weather, and have just felt really blessed to be alive lately...able to enjoy my family, my friends and how awesome God's creation is. i love sitting in the hammock swings in our backyard, with olive, just enjoying the breeze and the sun. (i guess some sun-created vitamin D is a crazy good drug!) :) love these perfect summer days...

on a non-fashion related note (but a still a cute one!) olive and i got to check out some wee little chickens today at a friend's house. yes, they're in their "ugly" in between stage, but we still thought they were adorable!

we're going camping this weekend, and i have to confess - embarrassingly, this is my first time. ever. so i'm compiling lists this afternoon of things to remember to take, and praying that we don't get rained out. do you guys have any camping tips for me? and how does one go camping and stay cute amidst the bugs, sweat and lack of hair dryers? (my fringe is so stressed out about this trip, ha.)

xo