Dressy To Casual

 Hi Lovelies! Happy Monday!
I hope you all had a nice weekend. Mine was uneventful and went by pretty fast. My number one priority come Friday's is to get a good rest which involves getting some sleep but that almost seem impossible these days. Before pregnancy I could sleep in till 12 noon on weekends if I had nothing going on. But now, I can barely sleep till 8am. I'm usually up by 7am. This still baffles me because I feel like it should be the other way around but I guess in a way, my body is getting ready for the sleepless nights phase I'm about to go through. Falling asleep anytime before 11pm is a dream and I can't even take naps anymore. I used to be the queen of taking naps and sleep overall. I guess those days are long gone.  

Today I'll be sharing with you how I styled the same shirt two ways, transforming it from a dressy outfit to a casual one. I love versatile  pieces like this top that doesn't look out of place whichever way you choose to wear it. The dressy version I wore to church on Sunday few weeks back and due to time constraint and all the social gatherings we had to get to later that day I barely had time to change when we made a quick run home. To save some time I decided to leave the top and just change the bottom. So I grabbed my black maxi skirt, changed to a pair of flats, switched my necklace for a simpler one and partially pulled my hair back. With those quick changes, I was ready to head out the door again.  

Wish you all a great week ahead.

So which would you rock?

Top: Asos, Necklace: F21, Pants: Zara, Skirt: H&M, Heels: Ralph Lauren, Flats: Unknown brand,  Bag: The Limited

Simply Casual

  Hi all. Happy Tuesday! Hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was truly one of kind weekend. Not only did I get to see  three of my sisters and my niece but we all got to see our cousins and uncle after so many years. The time we got to spend together was way too short for how long its been since we last saw each other but I think we made the most of it. Saying goodbye once again was definitely everyone's least favorite part as you can imagine. But, I'm sure we made memories that will last a lifetime.

Keeping things casual on the blog today with this look from our weekend in Maryland some weeks ago. Don't think I've mentioned on the blog before that elastic skirts are a must have for every pregnant lady but I'm saying it now. Will hopefully share more on this later. Have a great rest of the week.

Top: VS, Necklace: F21, Skirt: F21, Bag: The Limited, Sandals: Prabal Gurung x Target

Belt That Bump

Happy Wednesday! Hope your week is going well so far. 

If you follow me on Instagram (@Sixthlens), you might have seen a snippet of this outfit. This is what I wore to the traditional engagement ceremony of the wedding we attended a couple of weeks ago. I had to try out a new tailor for this dress since I moved away from my old one. The dress itself is good but it isn't the style I had shown her to make. It's close enough, but not quite there. I guess it's going to be hit and miss till I find a tailor that works for me. Adding the belt definitely makes the dress look much better.

The fact the little one's arrival is getting closer is starting to hit me now more than ever and the actual preparation is making it more real. Things like transitioning my responsibilities at work, seeing the furniture's assembled and filled with baby stuff, thoughts of packing a hospital bag in just a few weeks and when you start seeing your doctor more often than before, it's definitely getting close. I'm trying my best to stay relaxed and not get anxious about anything and so far so good. Can't wait to meet this little person performing all sort of tricks in my belly.

Necklace: F21, Belt: The Limited, Clutch: Aldo, Shoes: Ralph Lauren

Oven Baked Veggie Chicken with Toasted Almond Quinoa

So this is what I ended up with for dinner a few nights ago when I opened my refrigerator and realized in a couple of days most of the veggies in there will probably end up in the trash. So I pulled out my celery, yellow pepper, tomatoes and onions and went to work. Let's just say the end result was very satisfying.

I can officially say we've welcomed Quinoa to our family also. I've heard a lot about it especially from a friend of mine. I've been meaning to try it, but her urge and the many conversations we had about it made it happen sooner than later. The first time I made it, I made it plain just to get a taste for it and the texture. My first impression was that it was somewhere in between rice, cous-cous and oatmeal; it had characteristics that reminded me of all three. I actually liked and enjoyed it so I knew it was here to stay for me, but I still had to get hubby to try it. I was a little skeptical about putting this in front of him because he absolutely hates cous-cous. I made that for him once and never again. So this being comparable to cous-cous in a way, I wasn't sure if he'd like it or not. To my surprise, he loved and enjoyed it. I'm not quite sure if he likes the almond or quinoa more, but that combination works perfectly for him. So quinoa has become a new addition to our menu, giving us one more option other than rice or potato in applicable instances. 

The quinoa recipe I made was actually adapted from the packet I bought as I'm still navigating my way through finding/coming up with quinoa recipes that works for us. It does look like the possibilities are endless from what I've seen so far though. Some include quinoa burger, cookies, pancake, salad..etc. Look like people are putting it in everything and making just about anything out of it.

I won't bore you with the amazing health and nutritional facts of quinoa on here, but I'll suggest you go read up on it and if you haven't yet, give it a try.

Have a great weekend!

The juice comes in handy for the Quinoa

Veggie Chicken Ingredients

1 medium yellow pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, diced
3-4 celery sticks diced
3-4 carrot sticks, diced
3 medium chicken breast, cut into thin strip
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

Quinoa Ingredients
1/2 cup sliced almond
1 cup quinoa
1 tsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Wash, slice and dice yellow pepper, onion, tomato, celery and carrot. Combine and set aside. Cut chicken into thin strips and place into a baking dish
3. Add veggies, cayenne pepper, crushed pepper, oregano, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt and olive to chicken. Toss and mix with hands until all ingredients are well blended
4. Place in oven and bake 25-30 minutes or until chicken is well done
5. Heat a dry skillet on low-medium, toast sliced almond till golden brown. Add quinoa and toasted few more minutes till quinoa starts to turn dark about 5 minutes, stirring frequently
6. In a separate pot, bring 2 cups of water, olive oil, bay leaf and salt to boil on medium heat. Add toasted almonds and quinoa.
7. Return to boil then reduce heat to low and allow quinoa to simmer till tender and water is dried up.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Old Becomes New

Hi loves! 

Is it really only Tuesday!? I feel like I've gone through the whole week already at this point. The fact that this third trimester tiredness is really kicking my behind is not helping. I haven't felt this weak and tired since my first trimester. I pray it's gets better and this past few days is just an exception.

Last weekend hubby and I attended a friend's wedding in Maryland. The wedding was nice, fun and beautiful and the bride was just beyond gorgeous. It was also nice to be away for the weekend from our regular routine. While in the area, we took the opportunity to visit our family friend in DC where we ate some correct food :)

This jeans jacket is from Amanda Bynes first collection, Dear, about 6 or 7 years ago. Since then, I can count how many times I've actually worn it in total. Now, I'm just glad I never gave it away all those years it was hanging in the back of my closet because it actually comes in handy and has become my current go to jacket. With this look, I was going for dressy-casual and I think the jacket accomplished that. I'm also loving this Zara purse. The shape and style is different and it's actually fun to carry around. 

Hope you're having a great week so far.

 

 Top: The Limited, Jacket: Amanda Bynes,  Pants: H&M, Necklace: F21, Bag: Zara, Shoes: Target

Mixed Pattern: Stripes & Checkered

 Hi Beautiful people!

Hope you had a great, fun and relaxing weekend. I spent my weekend at the women's conference organized by my church, furniture shopping and trying to finish up some unfinished project. Mostly photo books that I've been working on for ages. Since we don't actually print pictures anymore, I make photo books instead for all the special events and just a general snap shot of our life. I think they are more attractive, presentable and decorative. Now I just need to actually finish one before starting another.

On to the outfit. This skirt is the first and only actual maternity piece I've bought so far. When I saw it, I immediately knew how I would wear it. I got it some months ago and just had to wait for the little bump to set in before I could wear it the right way :) Talking about stripes, I'm currently obsessing over them. I have to restrain myself from buying another clothing with the striped pattern. I just love how the black and white and the mixed pattern work well together in this outfit. I considered wearing a black belt instead but this orange piece won, adding just the right amount of color.

Have a great week ahead everyone and stay blessed.

Top: H&M, Belt: H&M, Skirt: Asos Maternity, Shoes: VS, Purse: Unknown 

 P.S: Thank you all for all the love, support and prayers you've shown and expressed in one way on the other to my family and this blog. I truly appreciate it.