Sunday, March 30, 2014

Heavenly Angels Princess Pageant - March 16, 2014

One of my very last appearances as Mrs. Pennsylvania International 2014 was judging the light hearted and fun Heavenly Angels Princess Pageant.  It was held in Milton, PA on March 16, 2014.  Needless to say, after some sleepless nights (thank you baby KJ who likes to kick mommy in utero in the middle of the night), I had energy and was awake for this event (especially after visiting Altoona on Thursday, Washington, D.C. on Friday, and New Jersey International Pageants on Saturday!).  It was a LONG and very worthwhile weekend!

Many of these contestants were first timers, so they were especially adorable in their naturalness!  I loved chatting with Shawna's daughter, Kelsey, and her friend.  Kelsey is a remarkable young lady!

Enjoy the photos!!!


Contestants in Princess Wear
 WHAT I WORE:
Boots: Dillards
Leggings: Pregnancy - not sure of the brand, but any black pregnancy legging; I am at the point in pregnancy that no other pants other than maternity pants will fit.
Sweater: White House Black Market (thanks to my mom who purchased this to show me how to dress while pregnant)
Earrings: very old black Cache earrings (circa 1997)

LINK UPS: see links at the left to the three blogs where I link up!


THANK YOU to Grace James and her family for the beautiful Vera Bradley Diaper Bag!  I LOVE it and cannot wait for Kevin, Jr's (KJ) arrival so that I can use it!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

New Jersey International Pageants

After D.C., Rachel and Ashlee (and Ashlee's mom) stayed at my home so that the three of us could attend the New Jersey International Pageant together on Saturday, March 15, 2014.  We clapped happily for three new queens embarking on an incredible opportunity!

I am especially proud of one teen contestant, Sarah, who competed for the second year in a row.  Sarah wears a lot of my clothing (fun to be the same size!).  She really looked beautiful on the stage and I am so proud of her improvement in performance over last year.

Congrats to our NJ titleholders! Miss Teen NJ International Alexandra Marschall, Miss NJ International Allison Sharkey, and Mrs. NJ International Lea Moelk!


Before the pageant, I showed the girls a bit of Newtown, PA. We took a quick walk at Tyler State Park and enjoyed lunch at the Farmer's Market.

Tyler state park is where I plan to do many many walks with Kevin, Jr after he is born.  My close pageant girlfriends already purchased me an incredible "off-road" stroller so that KJ can enjoy the park with Mommy (and for some walks with future God-Mommy Susan, Mrs. PA International 2008, too!).


Check out Sami Cessna's fabulous green velvet dress - it is a vintage piece from her family member's closet; she paired it with costume jewelry from her grandmother.  I thought she looked incredibly regal!

What I Wore: ASOS maternity dress + Stella and Dot Jewelry + LK Bennett heels

Meet N Greet with Congressman Glenn Thompson - March 14, 2014

Rachel, Miss Pennsylvania International 2014, was diligent in her efforts to garner our little trio a Meet and Greet with the very dedicated and smart Congressman Glenn Thompson.  Yes, there are politicians in Washington, D.C. that truly care about this country and are working diligently to follow their heart and make good decisions.  I am so grateful to Rachel and to the Congressman for this opportunity!

And of course, our little trio had a FABULOUS time in D.C. although we were a bit shy about some of the attention we received when we shot photos with our crowns/banners.
 

Supreme Court behind me
Clearly, I cannot jump as well when five months pregnant, but it is still a fun shot!
Capital Grille - steak for dinner - OH YES!

What I wore:
Well, I think this should be titled, what I should NOT have worn.  I loved this dress in the store (sorry, it is at the dry cleaner and I don't remember the brand), but I think it was ultimately a bad choice.  After pregnancy, I will have it altered down and will remove the band of lace across the bottom and extend the lace to the bottom of the dress - so that the sides will have black lines from top to bottom, but no lace line to cut my body into two pieces at the hemline of the dress.
I wore very old BOC flats.  For the photo with the Congressman, I wore sparkly Sam and Libby flats (but they were uncomfortable - I refused to walk around DC five months pregnant in uncomfortable shoes!).

Sweater - Banana Republic

My coat was a cast off casual mink from my mom that is about a decade old.  The scarf came from my mom too and is likewise about a decade old.

Links Ups - please see the three websites where I link up at the left.