weekend dressing...

this weekend I spent saturday up to my eyes in bathroom cleaner and washing. not v. glam. 

so sunday I needed to put more than scruffs on to feel a little bit Lucy again. sunday shopping in my hometown of hull and a very well worn and well loved French Connection blouse was the order of the day. with maternity leggings (well we still need comfort), tan shoes and a bit of bling.

blouse from French Connection. leggings from current maternity range at Next, tan leather slip one also Next and necklace from Primark. many moons ago.

happy rest of the week everyone.

dressing the bump...

this bank holiday weekend has been great. i am properly getting into the swing of not going around and about every weekend, just enjoying time at home, busying like a bee. in my jogging bottoms. 

these are the first non sport related joggers I have owned since my mum allowed me some Ellese navy nylon jogging bottoms back in 1997/ 98 kind of time when sportswear really took off, before it became the uniform of those seen on Jeremy Kyle. to be honest those Ellese bottoms were really for P.E. but I occasionally wore them outside of the sporting events. what I didn't do however was wear them with heels like some girls did. i'll never forget the time i first saw a girl, a few years older than me, wear Adidas trackies and heels. I was in awe and yet disgusted all at the same time. you have to remember, this is rural Yorkshire I grew up in. the way East 17 dressed didn't make sense to a lot of us like it would those cool kids from London.

anyway. i happily spend my weekends lounging in skinny joggers now but my natural instincts take over every couple of days and i have get out of them and dress like me again.

now podge is becoming something more than just bloating I am embracing clothes again. and not just clingy stuff to show off, also my staple over size blouses which are great for skimming, but also make me feel like me. seen as I don't look a great deal different in them.

so this weekend i ventured out shopping and lunching which meant two excuses to get out of the grey marl.

sunday day called for my new topshop maternity blouse (but could actually be from the normal range) I found on eBay and my old black skinnies just extended at the waist slightly with a band. and of course flat shoes. in this case red slippers from Primarni. and my leather jacket. but it was actually too warm to wear it. finished off with easy hair, gold studs and pink lip gloss. 

i had seen the white version of this blouse last Christmas and really fancied it so I was very happy when I spotted it on eBay and won it for a princely £3.50. I love the gold details to just add something.

sunday evening we were heading out for a friend's birthday at a local Chinese and I fancied giving a new vintage blouse an outing.

i just changed my jeans (into less faded, more evening appropriate), chucked on some orange court shoes and swapped the gloss for orange lippy. I love love love this blouse and it is going to last me ages and still look good post- baby. I also love pops of colour for jazzing an outfit up. and even if you're feeling rubbish, bright accessories or lipstick can't help but put a smile on your face.

sunny sunny weekend dressing...

saturday's shopping trip on a relatively sunny day was a good opportunity to bring out this stripe maxi skirt from www.primark.com. I bought it with my up coming holiday in mind a few weeks ago but have worn it a couple of times already. kept it simple with a navy shirt from H&M mama, my old faithful Whistles navy blazer and tan leather slip one from Next. finished off with an old Adidas handbag, gold and orange studs from Accessorize, Marc Jacobs watch and my everyday silver a leather charm bracelets.

saturday night saw us dining and chatting away with night with friends so quick change and a spritz of perfume and I was ready. swapped skirt for acid wash skinnies from Topshop maternity, oversized vintage Planet blouse with an acid yellow necklace from Primark and orange stilettos from Next to finish.

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shopping saturday with mum...

tomorrow I'm going to partake in one of my favourite activities; shopping. but this won't be just any old shopping outing, this is shopping with my mum. this is planning the week before hand, spending, pondering and discussing in depth over lunch, coffee breaks and then digesting the whole way home and the next day too.

this shopping trip is pre- holiday, a chance to coo at baby clothes and opportunity to snap up an unexpected bargain or treat. we're heading to Leeds to check out the new Trinity Shopping Centre and so I can introduce my mum to the delights of bibis, this is a gorgeous Art Deco, great gatsby glamorous restaurant and cocktail bar that has been well loved for years but I'm such a novice to the dining and drinking scene in Leeds I have only just discovered, thanks to my lovely bestie.

so in two weeks i jet to marrakech with my gorgeous husband so the shopping list (route planned from the car park and back again of course) is holiday inspired. and by holiday inspried i mean that road we all go down when we feel that a week in sunnier climes calls for floaty things, more swim wear than you can shake a colourful stick at and traveller inspired jewelry. top of the list is another bikini; I'm down to only one that fits me and my slightly bigger pregnant boobs. black I think, let's go classic. I'm also on the hunt for a 'go with anything' t shirt for Dave, a simple black vest from H&M Mama and some flat, black, leather peep toes to see me through my last 11 weeks at work. spotted in topshop.

we're looking forward to a good primark rummage though. now primark falls in and out of favour with me. sometimes it's crap central and the next time it is full of pieces you just have to have to jazz up a lacking wardrobe. I bought a stripy cotton maxi skirt from there last month, one that can grow with me and then shrink down again. I spotted one in there a couple of weeks ago in leopard print and that might just have my name on. same goes for a cream kaftan covered in black, gold and acid beading; again will work equally well with the aforementioned black bikini as it will with skinny jeans or leggings when I get more plump. ive got a beady eye out for a sleeveless blouse too.

and once the shopping list has been made and discussed all that's left to do is plan the outfit and get my nails painted if I've not already been shallaced. so whatever you plan to do with your Saturday, enjoy. I will thoroughly enjoy my girl's day and keep you posted on the splurges...

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super sundays...

today has been one of those great days where you manage to do a little bit of everything a sunday should give you and you finish the day feeling like you've achieved.

a good sunday should always start with breakfast in bed. this morning I was woken up by the Jack R and so it was up to me to make porridge and hot cross buns. a good sunday breakfast in bed should always be accompanied by a read. be it the papers, electronically or traditionally, or a good book. this morning I started to work my way through Shopping in Marrakech by Susan Simon. it's a pocket sized, delightful insight into the medinas and souks and shops of the red city and started the excitement bubbling for our baby- moon in 5 weeks time. 

following your escape from the duvet, a super sunday always requires a decent outfit. not necessarily dressy as there are always one form of housework or job to be done. but certainly some effort should be made when going out into public. always. especially on a sunday. to starve away the rain I decided on my new raspberry asos maternity jeans that I am slowly growing into (and to be quite honest they are still to big.) I teamed these with a topshop boyfriend fit navy and oatmeal t shirt, navy whistles blazer and pink pumps with sparkles on. sparkles and sunday go hand in hand. 

i accessorised with my weekend watch; gold Marc Jacobs, a variety of bracelets and charms and some multi coloured starling ear rings.

once dressed we walked the dog (good sundays should always have some form of exercise) and frequented our local spring festival. working for a local company and living in a rural area you get to enjoy dipping your toe into community life. the sun managed to stay out just long enough for the festivities and we enjoyed a bacon sandwich (a staple of a sunday diet)within the beautiful church yard.

on our return home I relaxed with some recorded tv and a cup of chamomile tea(the rain was starting in its way) and then fitted in a couple of jobs; cleaning the bathrooms and cleaning up a second hand unit we have just purchased. dispite housework not being too fun a successful Sunday must include some jobs to make you feel like Wonder Woman/ domestic goddess. 

mid afternoon it was time to start on my real job for the day; prepping the flags for the centre pieces for a christening I am decorating in a few weeks. 

whilst I am on the subject of decor, I cannot highly  recommend this book enough. it was purchased to help me with ideas for my home grown wedding and it is full of fantastic ideas for paper crafts that really don't look naff and homemade in that 'not very handy' way. it's called paper & craft by Minhee and Truman Cho of Paper & Cup. 

and as all good Sundays should finish, we have seen out the final hours of today with a roast and good company. before early to bed of course, being a school night. 

so a super sunday requires, in my opinion:

breakfast in bed

a good read (or other suitable activity)

a snazzy outfit

a walk

a bacon buttie/ hot cross bun/ pancakes etc etc

relaxation

domestic brilliance

something creative/ a hobby

a roast

family and friends

i hope you've had a good Sunday, whatever you may have done. it's worth stopping at the end of the weekend and thinking about the good stuff, before we get bogged down into the next week... and take pictures. it's nice to reflect back on...