Rainy Days

These random, rainy days here in Houston had me thinking if I were stuck in the rain this is what I would like to be caught wearing. J. Crew rubber ballet flats, a good trench coat, a nice oversized bag that can fit almost anything and an umbrella that doesn't bend inside out on me :-)

Ms. Jas

Rainy Days by msjas featuring a shopping bag

Junya Watanabe cotton jacket
£989 - farfetch.com

Yigal azrouël
£264 - farfetch.com

J.Crew bow shoes
$58 - jcrew.com

Chloé shopping bag
£1,519 - farfetch.com

J Crew gauze scarve
$125 - jcrew.com

Topshop umbrella
$30 - topshop.com

Work it Girl!

Okay, so for most people getting dressed for work can be a complete nightmare. However, I have some great news...it doesn't have to be! One thing I like to do that also makes my work day go by more smoothly is wearing color...bright colors. I would like to say that there is research available to prove that wearing bright colors improves your mood and attitude, but I haven't found that research just yet. Here is one of my favorite colors, turquoise. I like to call it my "power" color because when I wear it I feel like all eyes are on me. Which may be all in my head, but feeling that way helps me put a little more pep in my step. A way to include color in your wardrobe is to combine your colorful pieces with neutral colors. For example, wearing this turquoise dress with neutral accessories would definitely be the way to go for me. You can actually reverse this look with a beige or black dress and colorful accessories.  Work can be stressful enough, but what you wear on the outside can definitely affect how you feel on the inside. So punching up your wardrobe with a powerful color like this can come in handy if you have a major meeting or presentation. Hope this helps you get your week off to a wonderful start!

Wear to Work by msjas featuring a pink necklace

Cotton dress
£95 - coast-stores.com

Yves Saint Laurent leather tote handbag
€1.400 - montaignemarket.com

Banana Republic pink necklace
$70 - bananarepublic.gap.com

Mango cuff jewelry
£20 - mango.com

Janis By Janis Savitt clear stud earrings
$75 - ylang23.com

Polka Dots are Girl’s Best Friend, Too!

I consider getting dressed to be a fun and creative challenge. I would even go so far as to call it one of my hobbies, one that actually stuck. This week I decided to experiment with polka dots. Wearing any type of pattern can be tricky, but it certainly shouldn’t give you a panic attack. This is one look I wore to work, polka dots with plaid pumps. If you’re scared to go all the way with wearing patterns, try wearing the pattern on something small like a scarf or in this case, tights. Also, wearing small bursts of pattern will kick your outfit up a notch. It’s very inexpensive trick, I got these tights from Wal-Mart for five bucks and these pumps only cost me $12 at a Macy’s clearance sale.

Polka dots and plaid, oh my!

If you’re feeling bold, try wearing a patterned top or bottom. Beware the key word is “or.” Do NOT wear patterns from head to toe unless it’s a maxi dress or jumpsuit. I found this fabulous top on a weekend trip to San Antonio at T.J. Maxx, it was about $15. The neutral colors make it less intimidating and actually my first instinct was to rock it with a black pencil skirt which is fine. But I like to have a little fun with my style. So I rocked it with this pink mini-skirt I found at Forever 21 instead…it did everything, but break the bank at $9. I ended up wearing this ensemble to a party at the House of Blues and I really stood out amongst all of the “freakum” dresses and “club” shirts…in a good way.

Anyway, I hope you like what I put together and it inspires you to experiment with different patterns in your closet. Have fun!

Ms. Jas

So the Bet is Over

So the bet is over…three days in and my competition dropped out due to personal reasons. However, I decided to continue on with the challenge because I like the results that I’ve been getting. Since my goal isn’t weight loss, I haven’t been counting calories. My major concern has been making sure that my body gets the appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals. So I have increased my daily veggie and fruit servings. I’ve been trying to get my servings as close as possible to the food pyramid…which has actually been changed to a big plate. I have also cut back on the processed sugar. Since I have been out of my parents’ house I haven’t had anyone to tell me “No,” so I have been eating some sweet ridiculousness daily as well as eating out. I haven’t stopped eating out, but I have changed what I eat when I dine out. I don’t go to my usual fast food joints and order greasy burgers and fries. I stick with veggies, seafood, and chicken---usually baked or grilled.  I’m pretty sure that my calorie intake has inadvertently taken a nosedive.

Dinnertime!! Salmon and Spinach

Snackin'!! Strawberries, Blueberries and Granola over Vanilla Yogurt

In addition to changing my diet, I’ve also started to add physical activity to my weekly routine. This wasn’t part of the original bet, I just felt like it. One free weekend (these are a rarity for me) I decided to try yoga. I went to a yoga studio in Galveston---it had an unexpected effect. I freaking loved it! I tried yoga a couple of times when I was younger, but wasn’t really feeling it. Recently I needed to de-stress and as God would have it yoga is the only exercise class that I could fit into my schedule. After that one Saturday, I enjoyed it so much that I found a yoga studio ten minutes away and bought a yoga mat. I’m digging the peaceful and at times challenging workout.

Yoga time!

Since I can only take my yoga class once a week, I’ve been searching for other ways to become more physically active. I happen to catch a clip of Kelly Rowland on Chelsea Lately and she was talking about her new workout video. Kelly Rowland has an awesome body and I liked to think we have a similar body type aside from her enviable abs, new boobies, etc. So I did something I don’t normally do….I purchased a workout tape.  I just got my Sexy Abs workout DVD in the mail and it was on and popping literally. I am sooooo out of shape. I don’t even think I made it half-way through the damn video. And I was reminded why I haven’t worked out in eons. My natural inclination is to give up and resume my exercise-less life, but I won’t! I will forge on and hopefully get better.

It's on and popping!

All in all, I have had more energy, before I would feel fatigue off and on throughout the day. I haven’t had that feeling since I’ve changed my diet. Since I stop eating when I am satisfied and not “full,” I also don’t have that “overstuffed” feeling that usually brings on a case of the “-itis” with it. Lastly, my mood has improved. This may also have been brought on by my weekly yoga, but it feels as though I have found inner peace among all of the chaos of life…I like this!


Ms. Jas

The Bet

When I tell people I want to eat healthy the most common reaction I get is why. I have never had issues with weight gain as an adolescent or as an adult. I have actually had quite the opposite; I have spent most of my life being slim. As a kid I was teased for being skinny. I would eat and eat trying to make myself gain weight to no avail.  Eventually I embraced my small frame and now I have a healthy body image despite all of the bootylicious divas scattered across mainstream media. Because of my size, a lot of people scoff at my desire to eat a healthier and more balanced diet as if weight is the only issue one should be concerned about. However, last time I checked slender people still have much of the same health concerns as larger sized people. Yes, obesity is connected to heart disease and diabetes just to name a few conditions; but those can also be found in smaller people. For instance, family members of mine have had high blood pressure and diabetes. That is something that I have to be cognizant of.

Another reason why I was interested in eating healthier was the concept that food is medicine. I’ve been interested in veganism for a few months now. I will not be trying a vegan diet simply because I don’t feel like my body can forgo eating meat. I’m not saying that I’m a crazy carnivore and I eat the whole pig from the roota to the toota. I honestly think I need meat even if it has to be a lean meat or maybe it’s the protein my body requires...whatever, I just can’t give up meat. However, I found it intriguing that illnesses can be cured or prevented simply by changing our diet. So when my home girl bet me to eat a healthy diet for the entire month of February I was all in.

I have tried this before and I would go maybe two weeks at a time before falling off of the wagon. My arch nemesis is fast food and/or dining out. I am child of convenience. I crave instant gratification. So when it’s 8 o’ clock at night and the mood’s just right, you might find me at your nearest drive-thru or Chinese restaurant. I do not like working all day, coming home, only to stand on my feet for 30 minutes or more preparing a meal that I will probably be too tired to eat when it’s finished. Also, I love my sleep and most of the time I wake up too late to fix my lunch which means I eat out sometimes at least twice a day. I guess I sound pretty lazy, huh? Don’t judge me. With all of this being said, I will need some assistance with finding simple and quick recipes. Help please!

Another challenge that I have to eating healthy is that I have the palate of a 3-year-old. I have gotten a lot better, but I am still hesitant to try new and weird foods. I will go to a restaurant and order the same thing over and over again. There is nothing worse than deciding to try something new when you’re starving and having it turn out completely disgusting. Which is why I generally stick with the tried and true, however, for the sake of the bet I am willing to try new foods; it may actually be imperative to me winning this bet.

I will be updating my blog with stories from my journey to a healthier lifestyle. And I would definitely love feedback, tips, and recipes. The bet officially starts February 1^st. Let’s get it!!

Motherhood and Marriage vs. Career...what to do, what to do...?

So it’s a few days after my 27^th birthday and shit just got real. I have always been very ambitious, but admittedly, I have been on auto-pilot for the last couple of years. Like most people, I got caught up in the everyday strife of working just to get by. It felt as though my 20s would never be over and then 27 cold-cocked me in the forehead.  My 30s are around the corner and I still have a lot of stuff to accomplish. Now, I do know that I am still very young and I have a lot of living to do, but it’s something about coming upon the end of a decade that makes you put everything into perspective.

With this in mind, I was talking with a co-worker about careers, college, etc. and she asked me, “What about a husband and kids?” And I stopped myself from saying with a hint of stankness, “What about a husband and kids?” Despite my ambitiousness, I never thought I couldn’t have it all, but whenever someone meets me and observes my drive or singleness, I always get the same responses. “Don’t you want to settle down?” “You’re one of those career girls, aren’t you?”

My frustration with these questions is that it’s pretty much assumed and accepted that as a woman you have to choose one or the other….you can’t have both. That annoys the shitake out of me. Yes, I can be very ambitious and lost in my dreams probably more so than the next person, but WHY can’t I have BOTH.


Perhaps I watch too many damn romantic comedies or maybe I shouldn’t have taken the Huxtables at face value, but I want it all: the career, the man, and the kids. And I think it’s possible. The ironic thing is that these questions are always asked by other women. I very rarely get this response from men. I actually get the complete opposite. They usually tell me to run far, far away from the idea of marriage until I’ve gotten all of the shenanigans of my youth out.

Basically, what I’m saying, is it’s nothing wrong with wanting marriage and motherhood, but there also isn’t anything wrong with wanting a great career either. So don’t try to make me choose!

Something to Talk About: New Ebony Tumblr

May 1972

Lately, I’ve been in love with everything vintage, especially random fashion finds. So when I crept up on the new Ebony tumblr via one of my favorite websites, Clutch, I just had to mention it. The tumblr is complete with images from past Ebony magazines such as covers and advertisements…I love it! Check it out: http://ebonymag.tumblr.com/page/2