Act Like A Ladi...Dress Like A Diva: In The Country

Dress, Sunglasses: TJ Maxx / Shirt, Belt: JC Penney / Sandals: Madden Girl (Purchased from DSW)

Just wanted to share a quick pic from a trip to visit the (future) In-Laws.  My fiance and I are both from small, rural towns so I always try to dress comfortably for the long ride to the country.  

The Blueprint: Tracee Ellis Ross

The Blueprint is a series highlighting celebrities who epitomize the word style.  Each look is a lesson in fabulous...watch and learn! 

Tracee Ellis Ross has been on my radar as a fashionista since her days as Joan Clayton on the beloved show "Girlfriends" and most recently has continued to define style and grace as Carla Reed on BET's "Reed Between the Lines".  But she doesn't just play a style icon on TV; being fierce is in her blood as she is the daughter of icon Diana Ross, and in her personal life she has proven time and time again that she has a keen sense of style.

Act Like A Ladi...Dress Like A Diva: Weekend Looks

Good Morning! I have been enjoying this warm Spring weather and these sunny days! I haven't started showing skin yet (lol), but I have been adding more color to my wardrobe.  I bought these yellow skinny jeans on sale from the Dorothy Perkins US website and paired them with my favorite leopard print flats!

Shirt: NY & Company /  Jeans: Dorothy Perkins  / Flats: Red Camel (purchased from Belks) / Bag: Nine West  

Spring has also brought along a number of rainy days.  On one rainy Saturday I threw on a pair of boots, a blazer, and a red tee for a pop of color.  

Shirt: TJ Maxx / Blazer: Target / Jeans : Old Navy / Boots: Madden Girl (purchased from DSW) / Bag: Nine West  (you can't see it, but I'm wearing the same bag as in the first look)

A Ladi's Tresses: A Braidout In Pictures (Tutorial)

2012 Goals: March Update

Develop healthier eating habits 

I still use the  My Fitness Pal app on my iPhone to track calories.   I ate more vegetables this month than in January or February, but I barely ate any fruit at all.  I need to start prepare more meals from scratch, I eat a lot of frozen meals, sandwiches, and protein bars.  I also haven't been drinking as much water as I should, but I'm proud to say that I didn't drink any sodas, and actually I didn't drink anything other than plain water and water flavored with Crystal Light packets. 

Limit restaurant meals to 4x/month or less 
I definitely went over the limit here.  I probably went out to eat about 8-10 times this month, including sit-down restaurant meals and stopping to pick up a quick dinner (Subway, Bojangles, etc.).  I still tried to research healthy menu items beforehand, or adjust my meals for the rest of the day to make sure I didn't go over my calorie count.

Work out 3x/wk

I did a total of 16 workouts (the chart below also includes April 1st).   I tried to add more variety this month, doing Zumba workouts on the Wii, Turbojam DVDs, Biggest Loser DVDs, and and walking/jogging laps at the park with my fiance.  Between my workout and nutrition goals, I have lost 21 lbs since December. I've noticed my clothes fitting a little more loosely, but the biggest change is that I've lost the double chin (that I didn't realize I had until I saw some old pictures).  Here's a comparison:

Develop my health/wellness “glam squad” (family dr, dentist, poss dermatologist and masseuse)
Haven't made any progress with this one.


Retain hair growth (4+ inches).

I rocked a lot of buns this month, and wore a wig for about a week and a half.  I do need to work on protecting my edges (I've been brushing them almost daily to smooth my hair into a bun) and making sure I'm not pulling my hair too tight when wearing buns or ponytails.

Limit use of pain medicine to 4x/mo

I did take an Advil twice this month.