Coming Soon! Thursday September 12th Will and Kate Attend Tusk Conservation Awards

I can't wait to see what Kate wears! Thankfully I don't have to wait too much longer :)

Kate Stops At McDonald's

I just read on the HRHDuchessKate blog, that Kate stopped in at a McDonald's recently. Presumably it was to use the washroom, as the photos show only her going into the establishment - while the baby and the nanny (Prince William's former nanny, Jesse Webb - now 71 - stayed in the car).

Kate basically seemed to be wearing the same outfit she wore when we last saw her in Wales - only the top under the jacket was different and so were her shoes.

Please note that Kate is not wearing her engagement ring. I can't say that I'm surprised. I don't think I would be wearing it either if I was looking after a baby day after day :)

Here are those photos:

Source #1: http://hrhduchesskate.blogspot.ca/

Source #2: http://ca.eonline.com/news/457026/kate-middleton-makes-a-pit-stop-at-mcdonald-s-see-the-pics?cmpid=sn-000000-twitterfeed-365-royals&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=twitterfeed_celebrities_royals&dlvrit=105015

Love it! A Picture of Kate Slalom Skiing!

I came across this picture of Kate slalom skiing on Pinterest today - and I couldn't believe it! I know she's sporty, but I had no idea that she would have access to a slalom ski, let alone that she would have skiied enough in the water to learn how to do this! This means something to me because I can slalom ski and I really enjoy it. Although it takes more out of me now then it used to :)

30 Day Shred: Day 2 Complete!

Believe it or not but I think today was easier than yesterday! I feel way more motivated in the mornings, so mentally it helps a lot.

I'm currently drinking my first two plain cups of water. I will be making the special drink soon.

30 Day Shred (by Jillian Michael's): Day 1 Complete!

A number of months ago I decided to lose some weight that I have gained over the last year and a half or so (about 10 pounds or so). I successfully lost 5 but put it back on after being diagnosed with Hypothyroidism.

So I'm back into trying to lose the weight and the water weight again (my inspirations being Pippa and Kate). My plan of action is to use Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD. It's a grueling 20 minute workout which promises to help you drop the pounds and lose inches. The goal of the DVD says 20 pounds should vanish in 30 Days, but that means you're doing the DVD everyday, and I assume you must have a substantial amount of weight on you. I don't think that I could lose 20 pounds, but it would be nice. I would go from roughly around 150 pounds down to 130. I don't remember the last time I weighed that much.

Anyways, last night I began, and this morning at 11 o'clock I will do it again (I plan to do it as much as possible in the mornings).

I'm also taking a drink mixture throughout the day. I found the recipe on Pinterest. It's also developed by Jillian, and it's supposed to eliminate any water weight you're carrying, up to 5 pounds of it! With Hypothyroidism it's a known fact that a lot of the weight you gain comes from water. Although the metabolism can substantially slow down depending on your condition, so that would naturally lead to an actual gain in body mass.

So I'm taking this drink along with my daily 8 glasses of water - I'm hoping that will maximize the results. The other liquid is about 8 cups. All-in-all I'm drinking 16 glasses of "water" a day. Wow! And I have to say that today I feel a lot better. I just don't feel as bloated and "full". I was also actually hungry this morning for the first time in a while. Which makes me feel good! Work metabolism work!

The last thing I'm doing is trying to stick as much as possible to a 1,200 calorie daily "diet". It sounds like an awfully low number, but it's more than doable. It's amazing how much great food you can eat when it's actually good for you! Although this time around I'm not quite as dedicated and strict as I have been in the past, when trying to adhere to this 1,200 limit. However, I'm optimistic that now, with incorporating exercise, I'm not going to want to eat those extra calories, when I remember how hard it is to get through that DVD workout :) I want to maximize those results :)

Here is the recipe for the "tea":

60 oz of purified water 

2 tablespoon's lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar free cranberry juice

1 dandelion root tea bag

Tips:

- Let your drink refrigerate for a few hours before drinking it (it will taste better)

- I left my tea bag in for quite a while (over 5 hours). I would take it out earlier this time, and the blog I got the recipe from said she took it out after "a few hours". So maybe give it three hours or so.

- Drink this with 8 glasses of water. It will hopefully improve your results - the blogger seemed to think so too.

- I used bottled water the first time, but I think I'll just use regular tap water for my next batch. My husband (who did a Master's Degree in medical science), said he didn't think that in this case bottled water would make a difference.

These are the products that the blogger used - and I used all the same things too:

Link to the blog: http://domesticdana.blogspot.ca/2012/07/losing-5-pounds-of-bloat-jillian.html

In The Spectator: Two Articles by Pippa!

I was reading bits and pieces in a Daily Mail article today, taken from one of Pippa's columns in The Spectator (UK). And low and behold, when I went looking, I found them!

Here are the links to the two columns that I found:

HINT: If you didn't know what "Piano Legs", Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines them as: "fat or disproportionately thick legs <some were bowlegged and some were knock-kneed, some had pipestems and some piano legs". If you look at both Kate and Pippa's legs, I don't think that they have particularly thick calves (Pippa comes closer though), but they both have muscular thighs. But Pippa perhaps is a bit "knock-kneed".

http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/independent-schools-september-2013/9009381/confessions-of-a-sporty-schoolgirl/

I like the picture that has been adapted of Pippa for this last article :)

http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/notebook/8880711/alpine-notebook/

Link to the Daily Mail article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2411798/Pippa-Middleton-I-close-eyes-think-fanciable-hockey-coach-Mr-Markham.html

Pippa Out and About and Other Things

So there is a lot of speculation (from the media) that Pippa Middleton is engaged to her boyfriend Nico Jackson. Personally, I will only believe it when its been officially announced.

But today the DM had an article about Pippa, and rather than speculate about her engagement like they did, I would like to discuss her outfit :)

I didn't mind the dress - I loved her bags and I liked her shoes too. Although I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy something like them anytime soon (I have other fashion fishes to fry first).

I like that her hair (from the back) doesn't look quite so polished. It makes me feel better about when I haven't done my hair perfectly :)

My goals for the fall season are to slim down (I'm still having issues with my thyroid), I'm battling bloating and the subsequent weight gain associated with water retention and general gained pounds) so that I feel better and so I can look more like the Middleton sisters in my outfits. I'm also trying to find pieces to help me put together stylish and effortless outfits for the season (to emulate Pippa).

It's getting cooler here now, but you never know - the temperatures could rise unexpectedly. So it's a good idea to have some options that allow for flexibility.

That being said, I'm on the look out for some tops. I love Pippa's tops we've seen her in this summer, paired with jeans and flats. But I would also like the ability to wear them under a cardigan if need be (again, for flexibility if the weather changes). I'm also looking for a brown bag. I don't have one that I can pair with brown shoes, and I love the look of matched shoes and bags. It's so polished looking.

Recently in the sales I've purchased some darker coloured straight jeans from Gap (they have yet to arrive), and some flats also from Gap which are hunter green with leopard spots (perfect to be paired with any bag I own, no matter the colour). The shoe is on trend, being animal print, without being "in your face" about it. Plus, I love their colour of hunter green, especially for fall. Apparently "Oxblood" is the new big colour for fall, so I might be on the lookout for something in that colour as well. Oh if only I had the budget of a Middleton or a Duchess :)

Pippa and Kate both wear cardigans, as do I, but I would also like some other more "trendy" sweater options. Here are some tops and sweaters that I have my eye on at H&M, Zara and Old Navy:

This sweater comes in "Black Glitter", grey, white (shown above) and a camel colour. It will be hard to choose if I have the selection... What would Pippa choose I wonder?

Polka dots seem to be "in" this season, so I love this and I really like the navy blue colour. However, it appears that this also comes in "Burgundy" (which looks like "Oxblood"), so I may opt for that if I can...




I love this colour, so this is tempting too...

I really admired Pippa's grey jeans, so if Gap comes out with something like that I'll probably jump on it if I can (If I find I have things to wear with them). I'm also thinking that I might eventually buy a pair of darker boot cut jeans! I don't know why, but I've got the urge! I'm seeing them around and it might be a different alternative to mix into my wardrobe. 

I even have the boots that the model is wearing in this picture!

Eventually I would also like to get another late fall/winter coat (maybe camel or a grey - light or medium toned) - like the camel pea coat shown below. I also threw in a picture of a quilted jacket from Zara (although I already have one) and a trench coat from Old Navy, the latter would be cute come spring time:

That's the end of my wish-list rant and items that are along the line of those that Kate or Pippa might be seen wearing this season :)