Glamour Bump

 Adding color to my seemingly mostly black wardrobe not only gives me a little more 'sunshine' but it also can be a lot prettier. I couldn't believe how pretty this dress (see full review here) was when I first got it, and paired with the sweater gave it an unusual casual glamour that could be worn for brunch, work, a date or even a shopping excursion.

Dress Everly Grey c/o Stella Maternity, Sweater Old Navy, Bag Old Navy, Shoes Vince Camuto via Swirl

PS - Enter our CHULAMAMA $50 Gift Card Giveaway! 

Delivery Gowns - Fabulous or Faux Pas

I'll be the first to admit that those drab hospital delivery gowns they give you are the worst, they're itchy and not to mention ugly. Ok ugly is an understatement, so much so that I refused to wear one and went au natural (TMI) for my first birth. My midwife kept asking if I wanted to put one on and I was like I'm good, but I also had my son in a 'birthing center' not a hospital so they were a little more easy going about the whole nudity thing. 

However, I've been noticing more and more on maternity boutique sites that they're offering more stylish and comfortable delivery gowns, most for a pretty penny. And who wants to shell out $100+ for something that let's face it gets ruined after one wear, not me. I mean it's great in theory but in practicality not so much, well unless you like wearing things once then, net gain.

Nonetheless, I did happen to stumble upon some fabulous delivery gowns at Stella Maternity that we're extremely reasonable not to mention pretty fierce looking. This might even make me re-think my whole au natural situation ( I wonder if it'd be appropriate to wear heels with them, kidding)...

 Pretty Pushers Delivery Gown - I Dream of Sushi, $24.95

 Pretty Pushers Delivery Gown - I Dream Of Coffee, $24.95

 Pretty Pushers Delivery Gown - I Dream of Mai Tais, $24.95

Pretty Pushers Organic Delivery Gown, $45.95 (for you 'green' ladies)

What do you think?

Maternity Sale at Old Navy

Don't miss out on this sale at OldNavy.com! 

Feeling Red White and Blue

 It seems I'm a little on the patriotic side this morning, which was completely unplanned, of course. 

The weather had been quite fickle lately going from 50 degree weather one day and 75 degree weather the next, I wish I could plan better with the weather man for better posts ;).

 Slip Worn as Dress c/o Due Maternity, Scarf and Accessories Vintage, Jacket Target Go International, Boots Nine West, Sunglasses Old Navy

Enter the DueMaternity Giveaway Here!

Recipe Simple Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Ganache

In honor of my Dad's birthday yesterday  I made him a little treat to celebrate all 56 years!

My dad is the King of sweet tooth's out there making it hard to top each dessert I make him, so this time around I opted for a Simple Vanilla Cake with a delicious Chocolate Ganache I stumbled across on In Her Kitchen (The Looks for Less's other fabulous blog). Adding strawberries to the ganache filling for a little added flavor. Mmm.

Recipe(s):

Simple Vanilla Cake

2 C Sugar

4 Eggs

2-1/2 C All Purpose Flour

1 C Milk

3/4 C Vegetable Oil

1 Tsp Vanilla

*Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees, Line two 9-in round cake pans or one 9x13-in rectangular baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan well. 

*In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla and beat for another minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy. DO NOT over beat. 

*Pour batter in greased/lined pans

*Bake in pre-heated over for 30-40 mins or until tops are golden and toothpick poked into the center comes out clean (remember if you use a 9x13, it may take slightly longer to bake). 

*Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan with thin, then turn out onto rack and remove paper. 

*Let cool completely before covering with frosting.

Chocolate Ganache With Fresh Strawberries

1 1/2 C Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

1/3 C Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 C Sliced Fresh Strawberries

White Chocolate Drizzle

1/4 C White Chocolate Chips

1 tsp vegetable or canola oil

*While cakes are cooling, make two double boilers by having two pots 1/4 full of water barely simmering with a glass bowl on top of each pot. Do Not allow bowls to touch the water or your chocolate will burn!

*To one of the glass bowls, add the semisweet chocolate and heavy cream to make the ganache. Continually stir the chocolate and cream until only a few lumps remain and remove from heat. Continue to stir and the residual heat will keep melting the rest of the chocolate and it will keep getting smoother.

*In the other double boiler add the white chocolate and oil and continue to stir until only about halfway melted. 

*White chocolate is much more fickle and will burn easier, so only melt it halfway before removing it from the heat. Keep stirring until smooth. 

*Put cake on serving dish and add ganache, follow with fresh strawberry slices. Add second layer and add ganache to top layer. 

*Swirl the white chocolate on top of the ganache before cool, then with a toothpick swirl the white chocolate until it looks how you want. 

*Add fanned strawberry as garnish and ENJOY!

We're Not In Kansas Anymore

...That's seriously what my husband said to me when he saw these shoes for the first time. Too bad Dorothy's were red, but he gets credit for the sparkle. I wore these out today and got all kinds of gasps from (nosey) onlookers, because well, I'm pregnant and oh my ghad I'm wearing heels, the horror. And it brought up a very interesting topic with my midwife last week when I wore heels into my appointment, but it turns out it's just like exercising while pregnant you do what you did and was comfortable for you before pregnancy, if you ran you still run, and if you wore heels everyday like me you still wear heels if it's comfortable. For some people it's more comfortable, and I'm not just talking about me. So don't have a heart attack if you see a pregnant woman walking down the street in heels, she more than likely knows what she's doing. 

Jacket BCBG Max Azria, Top To The Max, Jeans Miss Sixty, Shoes SM New York, Belt and Clutch Vintage

Simply Delicious Fudge Squares

Fudge is one of the more popular holiday 'homemade' gifts to give, next to cookies of course. However by the looks of it, fudge seemed all too complicated to even try to make. Turns out I was way wrong, especially after finding this amazing simple recipe that takes close to no time to make (before the letting it "set"). Enjoy. 

Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups mini marshmallows
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions - 

Line a 9x5 loaf pan with wax paper and set aside for later use ( I doubled the recipe and used a 9x13). 

Next combine the sugar, butter, marshmallows and cream in saucepan, setting over medium heat. Stir until marshmallows and butter is almost melted, about 5 mins. 

Next, bring mixture to boil stirring occasionally (about 5 mins). Remove pan from heat then add chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until melted and combined, if you'd like add 1/2 cup of add-ins such as peppermints, walnuts or candies. 

Pour the hot fudge into loaf pan. 

 Top with remaining "Add-Ins" and let set for 3 hours at room temperature.

Grip wax paper and lift out of pan, placing on a cutting board to slice. 

Enjoy! 

DIY Lemon Olive Oil Facial

I stumbled upon this amazing Lemon Olive Oil Mask DIY on TotalBeauty.com the other night, and since my hormonal skin is needing a little pampering I thought I'd give it a try. It's the perfect pick me up for a night out on the town and perhaps another holiday party. Here's the scoop,  the olive oil moisturizes, the lemon brightens and helps out those troublesome blackheads and blemishes, oatmeal treats blotches and the egg whites tighten your skin. And though olive oil is best for dry skin (and has been known to treat acne), the combination of ingredients is great for normal, combination, oily and acne prone skin. All the benefits of a facial straight from your kitchen, yes please! 

Lemon Olive Oil Mask From TotalBeauty.com

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
A few drops fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup cooked instant oatmeal (cooled)
1 egg white

Directions
Mix olive oil, lemon juice, oatmeal and egg white until smooth. Spread on your face and neck. Leave on for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water. Follow with your favorite facial moisturizer.

$1 Performance Fleece Scarves @ Old Navy

Whether you need a scarf for you or to give as a gift, I'd take advantage of this fabulous steal happening this Saturday 12/18 At Old Navy. I mean, at that amazing price I can buy one for everyone in my family! 

Legal stuff:

While supplies last. Select styles only. Store hours may vary by location. Limit 5 per customer. In-store only.

Speaking of Sequins

Since sequins were the focus of the last post I thought it'd be great to incorporate them in today's look. I paired the sequin leggings with a black sweater dress and knit sweater vest. Completing with silver accents, boots and a beret. Simple with a bit of shimmer...

 Sweater Old Navy, Dress H&M, Leggings Forever21, Boots (?), Necklace My Creation, Hat Vintage

Sexy in Sequins

Sequins are hot this season, and being pregnant doesn't mean missing out. Whether you're bold and prefer a sequin mini or feeling a little more conservative with a sequin embellished pocket tee, there's something for everyone. Check out these fab sequin finds under $50! 

Motherhood Sequin Under Belly Mini, Motherhood Maternity $29.98

Short Sleeve Sequin Pocket Tee, Gap $29.50

Long Sleeve Sequin Pocket Tee, Gap $34.50 

Both Also in Black

Maternity Sequined Cardigans, Old Navy $34.50

 Love21 Embellished Chiffon Maternity Dress, Forever21 $29.80

 MAMA-LICIOUS  Toppie Jersey Dress, ASOS $39.65 (On sale for $34.48 until 12/12)

Three Seasons Maternity Embellished Top, Dillard's $36

Simple Apple Cranberry Crisp

Tis the season for cranberries and their amazing pairings. Since I've been in the mood for something cranberry, I opted to go ahead and make a homemade Apple Cranberry Crisp to get in the holiday spirit. It's a fabulous tart yet sweet pairing that hits the spot topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. (Healthy yet delicious, and I'm sure baby to be will love it too!)

Recipe: 

4 Apples Cored and Sliced ( and peeled if preferred)

2 Cups Fresh Cranberries

1 Cup Oats

1/2 Cup Flour

1/3 C Brown Sugar

5 TBSP Softened Butter

Preheat Oven To 350

Grease 9X13 Pan or Casserole Dish, add sliced apples and cranberries to dish. 

 Soften butter and mix with brown sugar until combined, then add cinnimon, oats and flour and mix until 'crumbly'.

 Pour mixture over apple and cranberries, baking for 30-40 mins or until golden brown.

Serve warm with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream....Enjoy! 

Pleasantly Purple

Getting dressed this morning felt a little uninspiring mainly because when I packed to go to my parents I took all my cold weather clothes (from our trip to NC) out of my suitcase and threw random pieces from my closet in. Big mistake, mainly because the weather report lied and said it was going to be in the high 70's all week while I'm here and my husband is in NYC interviewing and looking for apts. Turns out it's been in the 60's here and I didn't pack correctly, yeah I feel awesome. However as I was getting dressed and frustrated my dad knocked on my door with a package that I had shipped from Swirl, perfect timing because I was just itching to put that dress on since I bought it earlier in the week. I paired it with my green military sweater, black tights and platforms. 

Dress American Apparel, Sweater Nordstrom Rack, Tights Old Navy, Shoes Alice and Olivia for Payless, Clutch H&M, Necklace Vintage

Free Sling Just Pay Shipping

Snag a free baby sling from SevenSlings.com using promo code WTE. The slings normally run for $48 on the site so it's a great deal to just pay the $12 shipping (if you opt out of the free size exchange return that runs for $3.50, just be sure to measure yourself using their guidelines).  Plus you get to choose from 7 different patterns for your free sling! Act now, because It doesn't specify when this deal is over....

Dot...Dot

When I saw this Diane Von Furstenburg dress while thrifting in Cashiers, NC I knew I had to have it. Being drawn to the fabulous print, shape and (stretchy) fabric - perfect for a growing belly. Though the price tag had me a little stand offish at first, I mean $50 in a thrift store is a little much for me (though I can say they were over priced on just about everything). So I walked away and kept walking back to it and finally grabbed it and took it up to the register and haggled it down to $24, sold! I paired it with cut out pumps and a chain link quilted bag. 

Dress DVF (thrifted), Shoes Calvin Klein, Bag Piper and Blue, Belt My Creation