Artist Madrid, Naturally

IT IS OFFICIALLY SPRING TIME!!! ARE YOU READY FOR SWIMSUIT SEASON?  HERE ARE MY FAVORITE ONLINE* PLACES TO HIT UP... FOREVER 21 Plus + Curve Plus Size Lace-Up One-Piece Swimsuit $34.90 Super cute at a good price is music to my ears. In my opinion their swimwear is of a good quality. So if you are stocking up on different options or only plan to hit the beach a few times this season, this is a good choice! Also they participate with AfterPay (where you can get your payment split up- no credit check required) so go ahead and buy 2 or 3!! Plus Tribal Print Lace-Up Back Swimsuit $14 SHEIN Short on money but have time to wait? Welcome to Shein. Everything I have ordered took 2 weeks to arrive once shipped but I was in no rush. The clothes are mid to good quality and if you have any problems their customer service team are on it. Their swimwear is too cute and too cheap not to give them a try.  Also they have sales often so sign-up for their email

Snapshots of the Active Preference Survey Prices Sports Bra $69.50 Active Tee $50.00 Capris Tights $39.95 Active Hoodie $49.95 Jogger Bottoms $49.95 Strike A Pose Takeaway If you are looking for high quality plus size clothing without the guesswork involved in online shopping, I believe Dia & Co is the way to go. Their customer service is great and I feel that my personal shopper Fariya did a fantastic job finding pieces that I not only can fit but could enjoy wearing during my workout grind. The items were a little more than I usually would pay but for the services offered & quality of the clothing, I feel that at least trying out the Dia & Co Active Box is an investment well made.

So let me start off by saying that I am absolutely love Aldi's. I can always find an unique buy at an exceptional price. So when I decided I wanted a Foodie-Inspired Lunch , I knew exactly where I was headed. 15 minutes later I had a tasty and quite visually stunning salad* with a bottle of Kombucha tea all for under $8 and at 350 calories! *Cranberry Walnut Salad and Salami slices were purchased separately :)

Last Saturday my mother, sister-in-law and I started this Journal Writing Challenge. You have to write or draw about something positive in your life daily until April 30th. You can talk about anything: what you did that day, what you appreciate, working towards accomplishing a goal... as long as it is POSITIVE.  Sounds easy? Well for someone who prides herself on her ability to look at the bright side, it is actually been a challenge. However, I am on Day 12 and am now actively looking for pluses throughout my day (so I can have something to write about that evening lol). I have started back going to the gym after my hiatus (a whole other post that's soon to come) and have declared my goal of publishing my novel before the end of the year.  So Great Things Are Happening! To stay motivated, I will post updates on my progress and add a countdown clock to my blog.  It isn't too late! Would you like to join me in my Positivity Quest? Grab a notebook or open up a Word d

This past weekend my friends and I decided to take on the challenge of making a tasty Anti-Inflammatory meal. We chose one that included the anti-inflammatory heavy-hitters of Salmon, Spinach, Olive oil, Garlic and Cauliflower. Yes, pictured here is cauliflower, not potatoes, whipped to perfection.  It is actually a pretty simple recipe . And even though stuffing the salmon reminded us of the disturbing scene/musical number from The Little Mermaid, it wasn't a difficult task either. We modified a  recipe from Cafe Delites . . Instead of making pockets in the salmon fillets, using a sharp knife, we slit a "tunnel" allowing for more spinach filling. The use of toothpicks kept everything in place during the baking process. We also skipped the garlic butter in order to cut a few more calories from the meal. It turned out amazingly Delish and made me feel quite fancy :) I Couldn't Resist ;) What have you cooked recently that made you feel like a Food Netw

So happy that we have made it to a new year and a fresh start! I feel like it's been such a long time since we've sat down to chat... so let's catch up! In November and December, I had been busy working on my 1st Fiction Novel (SHOCKED FACE). It has been a long time goal of mine to write a book so when National Novel Writing Month came around I decided to commit. I took an online class with CreativeLive and I let all my loved ones know my intent. And set up an accountability team AKA My "A" Team. Goals are a funny thing though... because I did not reach my 50,000 word goal by the end of November :( But I wasn't giving up! And here we are in 2019 and a finished 1st draft! I am telling you this story because I AM Super Proud of Myself lol But More Importantly I think I have found a solid method for accomplishing a goal (even for The Procrastinators like myself): Put It Out to the Universe: Post It, Tell It, Yell It "A" Team Assemble: Establi