Day --> Night

Hey Everyone!

I thought I would do something short and sweet today!

I woke up at 5am to workout this morning- first time I have done that in a LONG time- & I actually liked it! But because I had to shower, I ended up wearing my hair in a bun.

I thought I would show you how I changed my look from day to night.

I glammed up my bun with some gold accessories and neutral makeup. 

Earrings: Francesca's

Necklace: Target

Blouse: Kohl's

Makeup: Bare Minerals foundation & bronzer

After I got home, I decided to dress it down with a hair change, some leggings, and a leather jacket to hang out with friends. This outfits reminds me of Grease! Lol but I think the boots looks so good with leggings!

I like to call this my "JLo" Outfit because I could totally see JLo wearing this with hoop earrings! (which I decided to rock) ha! ha!

Comfy.

Jacket: From Italy

Boots: DSW

From day hair to night hair- Sometimes I like just letting my hair be its natural, crazy, poofy self. LOL. 

Hope you had a Happy Hump Day! :)

Enjoy your night! I am ;)

xoxo,

A

Funday Monday Link Up ft. OOTD

Happy Monday! 

With the cold weather, I havent gotten to do an outfit post in awhile. I usually like to take my outfit posts outside because I love the natural lighting- but I havent been able to do that lately with how cold it's been (Today it is -20).

[OOTD]

So I improvised. I bought a new dress this weekend and wanted to show it off. This is how I wore it:

Dress: Nordstrom

Blazer: Windsor

Tights: Nordstrom

Shoes: Dont remember!

Necklace: Target

Belt: New York and Company

I hardly ever wear red lipstick because I tend to be conservative when it comes to my makeup but I decided to give my lips some pop with the red lipstick :)

I love these types of dressed with some black tights and nice shoes. Great for work, church and weddings- so versatile :)

[Grammy's]

Did you watch the Grammy's last night??

What are your top picks?

Here are mine:

Katy Perry in Valentino: Runway to Red Carpet.. she looks amazing! 

& it is not a surprise to me that Beyonce made it on my top yet again. She always wears such classic ensembles. And she rocked her performance! Wearing Michael Costello.

Best Dressed Couple?

John Legen and wife Christine Teigen- they both looked so elegant and his performance was amazing!

I am teaming up with other bloggers for the Funday Monday Link Up!

Click the button to see what its all about :)

Xoxo,

A

One Word New Year

Happy Saturday Everyone!

I felt that this day would never come. Being in a new role at Target, it has been a little overwhelming getting everything situated and learning a new business.

That being said, I am so happy it is Saturday! I am starting off my day with an insanity workout and then meeting with a friend to do hot yoga... I love hot yoga. It's one of my favorite new things :)

I may be a little late on this but I have been thinking about what I want for my new years resolution since the new years started (LOL).

I didn't want a typical, lose 20 lbs., don't eat junk food, be nicer to people kind of resolution. I wanted something that would be easy to apply to my everyday life.

 That is when I thought about a One Word New Year. 

Instead of focusing on different things, I wanted to focus on applying one word to my life everyday.

I decided that my word would be:

I decided about a week and a half ago to make this my word because it is what Jesus calls us to do everyday. In the world we live in, though, filled with negativity and anger, it is sometimes more difficult for some to focus on the good things and focus on love above else- including myself.

I do not just want to focus on what I feel love is, but what Jesus says love is. 

I am thankful everyday for God's love towards us. He loves us just as the above scripture says- because He is One with His Word. So if you ever doubt God's love- you can turn to this scripture and remember God loves you, is patient with you, does not delight in our evil but rejoices with the truth, He keeps no records of wrongs, He is kind.

 I could keep going on how much He loves us- but because He loves us SO much, I want to remember to love as He does each and everyday.

Because with love comes so many other things: understanding, patience, positivity, kindness, etc... the list goes on.

When we choose to love each other and put love in front of our other feelings, it can do wondrous things. The last week, when I have tried to take a loving approach in conversations with loved ones instead of being focused on getting my point across or being right, it has made a world of a difference. Not just for the conversation, but to both people. & its because I just continued to focus on the one word and the the definition behind it. 

Jesus calls us to be like him- so my goal this year is to love like Him. 

So far its been great. I have still set other goals for myself this year but this has been the main one. Anytime I am having trouble, I just think about my one word and it helps me remember what I am trying to accomplish. I have told a couple people about my new years resolution, and how with this one word resolution, I want everyday to be a new day, as if any negativity from the previous day is washed away- from people and from things- because that will ensure that everyday, I wake up with love in my heart.

What is your One Word for this year? Is there anything that comes to mind?

You should try this! & see what it does for your daily life!

Have a good day everyone,
-A

Thankful Thursday!

I am excited for another week of the Thankful Thursday linkup!

I love these types of linkups because there is so much to be thankful for! 

This week has been a brutal one in MN. Today is -17!

That being said...

1. I am thankful for being able to work from home this morning to avoid the cold weather. Being cuddled up on the couch with my blanket and computer is quite nice :)

2. I am thankful for my new breakfast concoction. It is muesli and fat free greek yogurt. I was introduced to by one of my buyer's whose friends created this. Its like granola, but much better for you. I love the vanilla cherry pecan one. I would add fruit but we are out! A healthy yogurt parfait :)

3. I am thankful for my dumbbells I got for Christmas... I like adding some weight to my exercises at home. (Down 1.2 inches!) It is easy to be sitting on the couch and doing different arm exercises instead of being a plain couch potato :)

4. I am thankful for the safe arrival of my god-daughter, Layla Grace! She is such a bundle of joy! She is healthy and as her mom said- she is a lil' diva! Nothin' wrong with that :) I thank God for her and am so happy that I get to be the god-mom of such a precious blessing. Congrats, J! 

 Pic taken of J and baby Layla by Lovelyladyjb.

Happy Thursday! 

Negative Degree Fashion

It is SO cold in MN! It is getting down to -10 today. 

The second you get outside all your mind thinks about is going back inside, lol. This kind of weather makes me extra thankful for a warm home and having our heater working! 

I have said how much I love fall fashion because of the colors and layering- same goes for winter. But when it's this cold, you have to be creative about how to stay warm and remain "in style". 

Because I am one that has to be creative, I have created a collage on some must haves to stay warm and fashionable! 

Take a look:

Negative Degree Fashion by aishalc featuring lace up booties

1) A good hat. I like to wear the stylish beanie hats because they cover my ears and arent heavy on my head.
2) Good earmuffs! I like fur ones because they are fashionable and warm!
3) Good boots. Sorel's are the "it" snow boot here in MN this year and boy do they keep their feet warm.
4) Good leather gloves. Leather blocks out wind so I like them the best. Plus, they keep my hands warm!
5) A good scarf. Not only is a scarf a fashion accessory, but they help if you don't have earmuffs or dont like wearing hats.
6) Warm socks! Believe it or not, sometimes I will wear a pair of fuzzy socks to work and then switch out of the boots and socks into heels when I get into the office. Thats how cold it gets!
7) A good pair of tights. I even wear tights under my work pants because its simply another layer of clothing. It is a must to wear tights in the winter anyway- because bare legs against -10 degrees is unbearable!
8) There are such things as warm, fashionable boots. These are a pair of Sorel's that arent only warm, but more fashionable if you arent interested in the traditional winter boot.
9) Not surprising, you need a good coat. My coat weighs a good few pounds and is wool. Leather coats are also good because like I mentioned, they blog wind. I like my coat because it has an option to cover the neck if it gets really cold. Also, when its a longer coat, it helps to cover your legs better for us ladies that have to wear tights.

These are my top picks... what are yours?

What are your secrets to staying warm??

xoxo,
A

Journey to Restoration

Happy Hump Day, Lovelies!

Woofta, it seems like I haven't blogged in forever. Well, it HAS been almost a week! A lot has been going on! I have spent that last week just kind of taking a break from some things to enjoy time to myself as well as spend some time with loved ones. It was a nice change of pace.

Lately, I have been wanting to start getting back into shape and eating healthy but it is very much easier said than done. 

I have been spending more time learning about all the things I can do to honor God and then I realized from reading scripture and doing my devotional that eating right and not committing gluttony or over indulgence of any kind is a form of honoring God.

So, I simply prayed about it. I asked God to help me get motivated to get back into shape because our bodies are not our own- but His! & I want it to be a happy and HEALTHY place for Him to dwell.

I love this scripture because it not only tells us that the Holy Spirit indeed dwells in us, but it helps us understand why we keeping ourselves healthy and pure is so important- its because we were bought at such a price- Jesus gave His life for us so we could have everlasting life. How beautiful!

With Jesus's help, I started feeling motivated to workout again, and He reminded me of workouts I really loved to do.

So I started doing the workout Insanity again through Team Beach Body. I had done it last year- & I lose 12 pounds! I forgot how much I enjoyed it until I started it again this week.

I also started doing Hot Yoga. I never knew how much I would love it until I tried it out with some of my girlfriends. I started on Saturday and my abs are still SO sore! 

I also started having smaller meals and only eating until satisfied. I also decided to cut out sugars because that is one thing that keeps me bloated!

So far, I have lost 4 lbs in 1.5 weeks! Just from working out and eating right- & only eating what i need.

It feels great and I am happy to know I am honoring God even just a little more- but I also have been learning to honor and please God in other ways as well. Here is a scripture I studied that I love.

This scripture is not only referring to a woman's physical strength, but it is also referring to the Lord as her strength. When you dress yourself with the Holy Spirit each and everyday (and the armor of God) you will be given strength. (Reference how she dresses herself with strength)

Proverbs 31 is talking about a excellent and virtuous woman and wife. If you read all of proverbs 31, it is a woman who is of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and great compassion. She is an excellent and strong woman because she takes what she is given and does good with it. Her strength and dignity do not come from her amazing achievements, however, but they are a result of her reverence for God. 

In our society where physical appearance counts so much, 

it may surprise us to realize that her appearance is not mentioned (except if you count the one above). Her attractiveness comes entirely of character.

Some of her qualities: hard worker, fearing of God, respectful of her spouse, foreseeing, encouraging, caring for others, concerned for the poor, wisdom in handling money, and even more.

All in all, God continues to show us that we should do all things to honor Him, because when you fear Him and live your life to glorify Him- there are many benefits. 

So whether it is to become stronger on the inside or the outside or both- when you do it for God- it is not only so much more rewarding, but there are many benefits- spiritually, physically & mentally! 

I always say "Honor before Increase!" 

So if you are like me and have a hard time getting motivated, think about it as if you are doing it to honor and please God to get a little extra push inside of you :)

Have a good one!

Thankful Thursday

Today for Thankful Thursday, I wanted to share with a testimony that I have regarding something that means a lot to me- & that I am thankful for!

6 months ago, I started at my dream job. I was on track to being what I always wanted to be- which is a buyer. I knew going into my new role that it wasn't going to be easy, but I remained confident anyway.

Well, about a couple months into my job, I started feeling nervous going to work and almost dreading it. That was because I felt my leader was giving me a lot of negative feedback rather than good. I felt that they were looking for me to fail rather than helping with my success. I began asking other people to give me feedback on my job and I always heard great feedback from them- but I found myself being to concerned about what this person thought rather than what other people actually saw and what I saw in myself. 

I was working hard, but I was wearing myself out
 I was only doing it to shine to this one person, which was draining me of any good feelings I had. I was full of worry rather than motivation and determination.

One night, I was praying to God that he place me somewhere else in my job in a different area because I didn't like the strained feeling I was having. I was also asking God to help me be the best I can be in my position no matter what the circumstances and help remind me that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. If that person was really out for me to fail, they were not going to succeed ( Isaiah 54:17) because I am a child of the One True King. 

I started looking at the situation through eyes of faith rather than natural sight.
 I suddenly would be getting all these ideas that I hadn't thought of before on how I could shine to everyone and make a difference on my team. & I got great responses from everyone around me. Not so much that one person, but I knew I was making a difference even they could see.

I started gaining my confidence back because I was trusting Jesus
I knew He put me in my job for a reason. I started working as though I was working for God and doing things that were pleasing to Him, rather than working for my leader who made me feel inadequate.

Just last week, I found out that I was going to be officially placed at my job in a different area with new leadership. It made me realize that sometimes God will make us go through things that help us learn and help us grow our faith. That was definitely a test of faith and I am more thankful now than I would have been if it happened any earlier. My new team is awesome (so was my last) and I am so thankful to God on how He always delivers.

There's a saying I heard at church this Sunday:

"God may not always come when you want Him, but He is ALWAYS on time!"

I am thankful for Jesus and everyone around me who helped keep me strong and helped encourage me.

I live such a beautiful and abundant life because of HIM! 

What are you thankful for??

xoxo,

-A