Change...

Happy Monday guys!

Normally I don't like Mondays. Well, really it's Sunday nights that I have a problem with. It symbolizes the start of another five days that I have to wait until the weekend comes :) I'm such a weekend girl.

Well today, might have changed my gripe about Mondays. For a little while at least. Today Monday represented change. A sense of newness. The realization that I could see where I want to be, as well as the path that could take me there. I'm excited for new things to come!

It was also a beautiful day as far as the weather is concerned. Fall is in full swing here in Minnesota, and my yard has the fallen leaves to prove it!

Those leaves sure are pretty, but we will be some raking fools this weekend! lol!

This picture is one of my favorites! ;)

Do you get a case of "The Mondays" when weekends end too? What helps you get through?

Scarf - Target

Denim Shirt - Target

Skirt - JC Pennys

Boots - Target

Bag - Coach

I Choose...

Hey peeps! I hope y'all enjoyed the weekend, and you're looking forward to an awesome week ahead.

My last post was kind of heavy. At least it was for me. It helped me to get some of my thoughts and feelings out. It also caused me to find answers within myself and make changes where appropriate. We all have choices in this life.

I choose to love. Love is not just a feeling. It's an action. I make the choice to love others, and open myself up to being loved.

I choose to live. It's my journey, and I plan to find out what the future holds. But in the mean time, living out loud is the only option. I will.

I choose to learn. The only way to grow is to learn. I don't know everything, nor do I pretend to. Being both the teacher and student brings about a wealth of knowledge.

I choose to laugh. We all know that laughter is good for the soul. Go on! Laugh!! I mean one of those deep down, I can't breathe/my cheeks hurt kind of laughs. Feels good don't it? :)

I choose to be me. No one can do it better.

What do you choose to do, think, or feel?

Sweater - Old Navy 

Leggings - Deb Shops

Boots - JC Penny

Bag- Coach 

The Skin I'm In...

I hope you guys enjoyed your weekend. For those of us who work a 9 to 5 from Mon-Fri, tomorrow it's back to the rat race for another fun week of work. Yay *insert sarcasm*!!

Winter has come for us in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". And even though it didn't stick, we've actually gotten some snow! That may be a surprise to you (depending on where you're from), but it doesn't surprise me at all. Pretty much, any time after September, we expect it. lol!

It was such a nice Fall afternoon, that I decided to step out and take a few pics! I'm giving myself and my daughter a huge pat on the back for this, because it's been a struggle. My bathroom "selfies" have been off the chain on IG because of how my schedule has been. Are you following me on Instagram (@TickaNascha)?? If not, you're really missing out. Well, you're not really missing anything, but you should follow me anyway. Capeesh? Now on to the OOTD.

The dress that I'm wearing was given to me by Sis-Inlaw. She's a rockstar with her weight-loss and gave me a bag of items that she could no longer fit. One of the items I chose was this dress, knowing full well that I could not fit it. It was just too cute to pass up! I tried it on later on that evening, which confirmed what I knew to be true. There's a little bit of stretch in the material, but I couldn't get it past my hips/butt!! At that time, I hadn't really started my health journey, but I knew it was coming. This dress became somewhat of a goal for me.

Fast forward to now… I forgot all about it. I was looking for something to wear to work, complaining as usual about having nothing to wear, and this dress jumped out at me. Literally. It fell off of the hanger. I stared at it, and went back and forth on if I should try it on or not. Even though I know I'd been consistent in the gym (still got some work to do on my eating habits), I didn't see myself as being able to fit into the dress. I didn't want to be disappointed. Long story short, I tried it on, and... WAH-LAH!! It fit!! I haven't stepped on a scale in months, but once I was able to pull this dress down over my hips and it didn't cut off my circulation, I knew a few changes had taken place.

This served as a reminder for me. A reminder to continue to work towards my goals. Just because I don't see change everyday, doesn't mean that it isn't present. I'm going to keep going, and keep loving me along the way. This is why I rock =)

Blazer - Target

Dress - The Limited

Shoes - Urbanog.com

I Got a Secret...

Hey peeps!! As the weekend ends, I'm lounging in sweats, a t-shirt and socks. Minnesota weather is quickly turning to Fall, and we're at a cool 50 degrees and rainy, with no signs over summer left. I haven't left my house all day, and I make no apologies for it. I see most of my Instagram & blogger buddies wishing for Fall weather around their way. You ladies should come to Minnesota, we have all the chill in the air that you need :)

This was a work outfit from about a week ago. It was around 70 degrees and sunny. That's the perfect Fall day for me. I got to pull out my favorite knee boots and a cute scarf for a pop of color.

Wanna know a little something about this dress? It's from Target. Wanna know something else? It's from the maternity section. Yea. I said it. The Maternity Section. 

So there I am. Perusing the Target clearance isles, per usual. I came across this cute little striped number for $8.97. It was two of my favorite things. Striped and cheap. I took it in the dressing room and tried it on. It fit!! I looked at the tag again before going to the register, just to make sure that I counted all of my items correctly… and that's when I saw it. MATERNITY. o_O

Say what now? Maternity?! I was ready to put it back. I was so mad. I couldn't imagine that I would wear a maternity dress without actually being pregnant. I'm not sure why, but I just couldn't. It made me feel some type of way :/ Then I remembered a post from one of the first plus sized bloggers that I "followed". Ever so stylish GabiFresh blogged about a super cute dress that she wore from the maternity section of ASOS. Then, I thought… Why not? Because it sounded bad for me to be able to fit a maternity dress.

My next thoughts were, it's cute, and I look good in it, so I bought it and wore it. POW!!

Until next time…

Jacket - Rue 21

Dress - Target (Maternity Section)

Scarf - Target

Boots - Target

Perception...

Happy Sunday peeps!! I know you've already done this, but for those of you who've been under a rock all day… Turn your clocks back. Ha! That "extra" hour this morning felt so good. I hope you all had a great weekend. I can't believe that it's November! Thanksgiving is coming, and I'm ready for all of the good food, folks and fun that comes along with it. #greedy

The title of this post comes from how I've been seeing myself lately. Thanks to a few better choices in my eating habits, and cardio 4-5 times a week, I am at the lowest weight that I've been in YEARS. Thanks to my personal training sessions every Saturday, I'm the strongest that I've ever been. My blood pressure is great, and my clothes fit awesome. Sooooo, why on earth have I been feeling bigger than ever lately?? My perception of how I look differs from day to day no matter what the scale says. My eyes somehow disconnect from what my brain knows to be true. It so weird when that happens.

Anyhoo, today was not one of those days. Before Fall began, I made a personal goal for myself to wear my cutoff shorts and "Faller-ize" them with a sweater and tights. Personal goal complete. The houndstooth tights that I'm wearing, I originally vowed not to wear again (see old post here). Well, I had a change of heart. I broke those babies out and wore them with no reservations.

Still no camera, but I'm trying to make the pics as clear as possible. Thanks for hanging in there with a sista =D

Until next time…

Cropped Sweater - Old Navy

White Tee - Target

Shorts - ???

Tights - Target

Booties - ??? (old)

Officially Missing You...

It's been a long time peeps!! I hope everyones week is off to a great start! Mondays are always hard for me, but I'm over that hump now.

My absence from blogging has been a three part issue:

#1. I haven't felt inspired. My outfits haven't been anything that I've wanted to take pics of lately. I feel like I've been wearing the same old things. I really need to clean my closet (again).

#2. I wanted to take a break. I did. Now I'm back. Truth is, I missed blogging & commenting on all of your blogs.

#3. Our camera is broken. Out of service. Down for the count. The pics in this post were taken with our iPad. I was debating on whether I would post them or not because of the horrible quality, but figured… Ah, what the hell.

BONUS reason: It's getting darker earlier these days, and that is putting a damper on my mood, as well as my blog life.

Thanks for hanging around with me! Y'all are the best!

Until next time...

 How funny is it that this cop was riding by as my daughter was snapping my pics, and asked me if I wanted to take a picture by his squad car! LOL! He wanted to be in the pic too!! HA!

I also wanted to add a pic of my new found hairstyle. Introducing the Faux Hawk!! I love it! =D

Sweater - NY & Co

Dress - ASOS Curve

Tights - Target

Wedges - Urbanog.com

Opinions are like...

Hey peeps!! It's Friday Eve!! I know I shouldn't wish time away, but Friday 4pm can't come fast enough! It's been a long week, and I'm ready for some relaxation. Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

On to the OOTD.

So, I walk into work last week with my white pants and leopard shoes, just KNOWING I'm killin it! lol! I didn't even get in the door good before a lady that I didn't know, and never seen before tried to bring me down from my stylish high. I'm struttin' and she says (with a weird smile on her face), "It's too late for white pants, isn't it?" Without skipping a beat, I turn to her and said, "Maybe for you!", and kept on walking.

I shook my head and giggled to myself. Once I got to my desk I tweeted a pic of my shoes and pants with the caption, #whogonecheckmeboo. All my Real Housewives of Atlanta fans will get that reference. lol

That moment reminded me of something that I've known for a long time. Everyone has opinions, and they're entitled to have them. Imma wear what I wanna wear regardless.

Until next time…

Top - Gifted from a friend

Pants - NY & Co

Shoes - Target