Spotted...

No need to adjust your eyes, or refresh your browser :) After almost two months of allowing dust to cover my blog, I'm finally posting. I haven't been completely incognito though. I've been around… Reading blogs, tweeting/retweeting, commenting and "liking" on IG and Facebook. I promise, I have! Even though I haven't put hand to keyboard here, I've seen and interacted with most of you on other social media outlets, so trust me when I say, I haven't forgotten about you.

To the peeps who don't currently "follow" me elsewhere, please take a moment to do so if you can. I'm on Instagram & Twitter for the most part. I also have a FB Blog Page. Now, admittedly I'm not very active on the FB blog page, but I promise to pop up every now and then :)

After my outfit post for date-night, there's a few pics that I've also posted on Instagram. Stick with me though! I mean, you've come this far, so why not?!

Now, about this outfit… For some reason, blogger buddy Kim of The Natural Fashionista has me thinking that I can sport crop tops!! Yea, I said it!! Crop tops!! And ya girl drank the Kool-Aide. I saw this cute crop at H&M and couldn't pass it up. The polka dots caught my eye, and it's right on trend with the now fading comic art craze. Not that I'm super trendy or anything, but I do like to try new stuff sometimes.

Let's talk for a second about this high-waisted pencil skirt!! I picked this bad boy up at Stella Blue, a little boutique in my area.They normally don't carry plus sizes, but I always stop by just to see what they have, and to try a few things on. Plus they sell some really nice smelling body oils. I was drawn to this skirt. The $10 price tag may have had something to do with it, but I digress. But when I saw that it was a size M/L, I got a little said. Something told me to try it on. Again, it could have been the $10 tag, but I can't say for sure. I tried it. The end result?!? It fit, and I loved it! Throw it in the bag! 

It started raining outside, hence the final pic in my basement ;) Ha!

Top - H&M

Skirt - Stella Blu

Shoes -DSW (Steve Madden)

I received this shirt from a fellow IG buddy. Check out her on-line store for more styles of tees for ladies with natural hair! 

Bella Donna Kinks Tees

Tee - See link above

Shorts - Calvin Klein (DIY Distressed)

I just kind of loved the color of this wrap dress that I picked up from Old Navy. I paired it with my leopard print babies from Target to add a little flair :)

Dress - Old Navy

Shoes - Target

Until next time (which I promise will be sooner than later)…

Mixing it up...

I hope everyones week is off to a great start. I just wanted to quickly post one of my favorite outfits to date. If you've been rocking with me for a while, you'll remember the bottom half of this dress from a post last year (May, 2012) titled, Curves Ahead. This dress was my very first purchase from ASOS and I love it! I refuse to let this dress go, so I had to "take it in" a bit because I'm in the process of changing said curves. I'm thinking that's a good problem to have. At least in my case it is.

Aside from my striped dress worn here, here, and here this top is my only other peplum item. I love the trend, but have found that not all peplum is created equal. You have the find the right cut for you, and I do adore my two lonely little purchases.

 As some of you already know (and saw if you clicked the above links) I'm all about repurposing a wardrobe item. This is no exception. I wore the dress as a skirt this time, and added my new peplum top from Target (which I got on clearance for $8.97).

Last but not least, lets just take a sec to talk about these lace covered Steve Madden heels!! They've been in my closet for over a year, and this was my first time sporting them. Super cute, with a capitol C! I wanted to wear them with this dress/skirt because it gave me the feel of print mixing. Subtle, but still there.

Until next time…

Houndstooth and Me...

Hey peeps!! I hope you guys are enjoying your summer so far. We're coming up on the end of July and  I'm trying to soak up every bit of sun that I can. Minnesota can be tricky when it comes to weather, so I'm here for all of this wonderful heat.

I miss you guys! Is that weird to say? Maybe it is, but it's true. I'm just going with the flow and I post when I'm able to snap a few pics with my daughter. Our schedules are a bit hectic because she got a JOB!! You heard me right!! A paying job!! My baby-girl is a teachers aide for a Summer program. I'm so proud of her! =D With that being said, I don't really want to bother her too much with the blog stuff because I want to allow her to rest. I'm a nice mommy, huh? lol

I wanted to snap a few pics this morning, because it isn't often that I love my outfit AND my hair at the same time. Ha!

I copped this dress on clearance at eShakti. It is everything!! I was browsing through the "Overstock" section of the website, and that's when I spotted this cute houndstooth sheath dress. I had been wanting a dress or skirt in houndstooth print for a while now, but never found anything that I felt suited me. After a few clicks on some dresses that were possibles, there it was! My eyes lit up when I clicked on this dress!

Then, it happened. The dress only went up to a size 14. Even though the material indicated that it had some stretch, I entered complete let down mode. I was really bummed out. Then something told me to take a look at my progress/workout pics. And that brought me to this…

I posted this pic on Instagram about a month ago. I used it to motivate me when I went into a workout slump. I was feeling really down about the scale not moving, and I needed a boost. Once I looked at the before and after, I went through with my order. And I'm glad I did. That 14 fit me like a glove! I felt super cute and, so I had to snap a few pics before the kids and I left the house this morning.

**The moral of this story is... TRY IT!! You never know what works and what doesn't unless you try it out. Also, give yourself more credit. We sometimes get hung up on where we think we should be, and forget to be proud of where we are.**

Until next time...

I through on a light weight blazer for work. Reason #1, Sometimes a sista needs to down-play some of these curves. And #2, it gets chilly in the office & I don't like it :)

Dress - eShakti

Shoes - Steve Madden

Blazer - Target

Candied Leather...

Hey peeps!! I hope you guys had a fantastic weekend! I sure did! Even though the weather has yet to break into Spring, I've had a bit of a pep in my step lately.

The home buying process is still weighing heavily on my mind (and wallet), but it's coming along. If all  continues to go well, we will be in our new home come this time next month. Wooooo-hooooo!! Thank you guys for your well wishes.

I haven't been out to party lately, but my girls and I decided to hang last night. It was the perfect time for me to get my mind off of things. I love it when we get together because we completely turn up. #pourupdrank ;) It also gave me the opportunity to get dressed up and take some pics.

I've shown this super cute candy striped dress from ASOS in a previous post here. I just love this dress!! The leather jacket took it to another level for me (shout out to my sis-inlaw for the loaner).

***NOTE: Being that Google Reader is going away, please don't hesitate to follow me via BlogLovin, Twitter & Instagram***

Until next time...

The sun was really shining in my eyes :)

Jacket - Unknown (borrowed)

Dress - ASOS

Shoes - Steve Madden

Hanging In There...

Hey peeps!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!! I know I did. Sharing time with family and friends is always a wonderful thing! Add in presents, and you've got yourself a party!! lol! 

Being that it's been almost a month since the last time I've blogged, I'm ashamed to call myself a blogger. With no camera, no no natural light, and the freezing temps, I been strugglin y'all! 

I've still been going strong with my workouts (with the exception of the past week or so). Now that the holidays are over, I'm back on my grind though. I'm still smitten with my hair. The growth over the past few months has been nothing short of awesome. And lastly, I have recently taken a liking to scarves... As you'll see below.

I'm including a few basic snapshots of my goings on via Instagram (again). I'm hooked! I truly love it over there =D. Won't you join me?!?!?

Now I'm off to visit all of your blogs. Until next time...

I love me some bathroom photo-shoots!

You can always catch me at the gym. That sweat is real folks!!

OOTD= Old Navy Blazer, Old NavyStriped skirt, Steve Madden heels

This was a Curves and Confidence inspired look. I'm so upset that I couldn't get pics of the entire outfit =(

I'm sure people think I'm crazy taking pics in the gym all the time, Ha! (never mind the crazy hair)

OOTD = Rue 21 Top, Target Scarf, Old Navy Skinnies & Target boots. That's been my "go to" lately

Again?? Yup!

I just wanted to toss in a throwback pic for kicks and giggles (that's me in the yellow, ha!)

Todays OOTD = Gifted Jean jacket, Forever 21 Skinnies, Sears Scarf & Target Boots

Me and my babygirl on Christmas Eve. I'm trying to get to her hair level!

OOTD = Herbergers Dress, Target Leggings, Old Navy Scarf and Target Boots (BTW, I love my puff in this pic)

It's true what they say… Black is slimming! =D

OOTD = Old Navy Striped Skirt, Rue 21 Jean Jacket, Market Scarf & Target boots

I'm back behind the wheel of my car!! I was using public transportation for a while there. It's good to be rolling again!

Hubby copped me another pair of J's for Christmas!! I was sooooo excited!

Imma Rockstar...

Happy Friday peeps!! I know I don't even have to ask if everyone is glad it's Friday. It's a given around these parts.

I wanted to show you guys another pair of my favorite jeans. Enter Old Navy "Rockstar" jeans. These skinnys are fab-u-lous!! They have just the right amount of stretch, and don't lose their shape after being worn all day.

Seriously, I never saw myself in colored jeans until months & months ago, the ever stylish Rocquelle over at Consider Me Lovely posed the question, "Are you into colored denim?". Soon after that, I saw these babies on clearance at Old Navy and thought, "Why not try'em?"... Especially if I only pay a fraction of the price. The worst that could happen is I hate them, and either take them back, or throw them in the donation pile. As you can see, neither happened.

Until next time…

PS, I am tripping off of how 'perfect' my afro looked! All I needed was a pick stuck in the top. LOL!

Top - Lane Bryant

Jeans - Rockstar  (I don't see this color anymore) - Old Navy

Shoes - Steve Madden - DSW

Blazin...

Hey peeps! The week is moving by slowly, but surely. Tuesday was a beast for me at work, as expected. But that's over and I am officially on vaca! Woot-woot!! I hope you guys are having a great week so far.

Now on to Day 2 of my "birthday week" posts.

This OOTD is something that I have been wanting to put together for a while. I wasn't quite sure if I could "pull off" the blazer with shorts look, so I was hesitant. But you know what?! DONE!

Also, I haven't worn cut-offs since I used to cut my jeans to make my own "Daisy Dukes" in high-school. It wasn't called DIY then. LOL! Just thinking about that makes me want to sing the song by The 69 Boys. "Look at dem gurls with the Daisy Dukes on!!!!" Don't try to act like I'm the only one who knows that song either!

Anyhoo, while these are not as short as Dukes, seeing cut-offs all over the blog world has made me rekindle my love for them. Don't worry. I won't be going "Duke" crazy any time soon, but they served their purpose with this look.

Until next time…

The tan lines at my ankles are serious!

Blazer - Old Navy

White Tee - Dots

Cut-offs/Shorts - ???

Shoes - Madden Girl - DSW

Necklace - Thierry Accessories

It Ain't Easy...

I guess that's why it's called a challenge, right?

This post is #9 of the Big Fat Summer Challenge "Wear Short Shorts". I must say that this is the furthest that I have stepped out of my comfort zone in a loooonng time. My bottom half has always been my biggest half. My legs are just big for no doggone reason. Well, there's a few reasons (pasta, bread, rice, kool-aid, genetics, etc), but I won't get into all that right now. I really want to thank Jaisfer for pushing me, herself, and the other ladies involved with this challenge. I was all kinds of scared, but I must say that these shorts ended up being very liberating for me.

I'm not sure if I can finish the challenge completely by wearing a two piece bikini. I wanted to get to the beach before the challenge was over, but I doubt that will happen in the next day or so :( I will get to the beach by August though. I plan to go with my gurls for my birthday the weekend before the 30th. I will post pics for sure to unofficially finish the challenge.

**ATTENTION any anonymous folks who want to ensure that I am aware of my robustness… I KNOW my legs are big. They have cellulite. Yes, I've heard of a gym, … yadda, yadda, yadda.**

Until next time…

Tee - Target

Shorts - Target

Belt - Removed from a dress

Shoes - Steve Madden - Marshals 

To the Max...

How fantastic is it that today is already Tuesday?! I love short work weeks!

To make up for my lack of posts last week, I have a few lined up. This is a super cute maxi dress that I picked up from Marshalls. I really love that place for dresses this spring/summer. They have so many that I want! The coral on the bottom of this dress is what attracted me to it (along with the stripes), but the coral accent on the racer-back is what sealed the deal. I kept the accessories to a minimum because it was just too hot outside for all that, lol.

On another note, I just wanted to put out there that I've been working out lately, and I forgot how good it can make you feel. I feel good y'all!! =D

P.S. stay tuned this week for a post featuring my first ASOS Curve purchase.

Until next time...

Dress - Marshalls

Shoes - Steve Madden - Marshalls