October 2015 – PPMeow!

Pumpkin Patch Posse

Making friends … genuine friends … in your adult years, isn’t so easy to do.

I’ve been very fortunate to have found these fun-few who I can proudly call friends, as well as my co-workers 🙂

With husbands, kids, moving into new houses, planning a wedding and general ‘adulting’ activities, scheduling a long-over-due Girls Afternoon seemed impossible.

And then one glorious Sunday afternoon, everyone was free, the weather cooperated and we were off to Knox Pumpkin Farm!!!!

The farm-house was built in 1887 to replace the log cabin which stood just south of it, sometime in the later 1800’s. Built for Jordan and Edith Van Nest, their ten children were the first of many children since to slide down the banister and play in the ‘big room’ with it’s seven doors. Today the Knox descendants from far and wide come ‘home’ to the farm, which has been the heart of the family for four generations.

Now, this was my first time ever visiting a pumpkin patch.

You might not know this about me, but I am a total city girl.

Gotta say, it’s pretty nice to know that gorgeous countryside adventure is just a wee train-ride away 🙂

Knox Farms had a ton of fun things to do with the price of admission (weekends $7/adults, children under 2 are free!)

Wagon Rides to the Pumpkin Patch!

Straw Jump! Pumpkin Picking! Face Painting! Farm Animals!

A Snack Shack! Baked Goods! Kettle Corn!

Hot Apple Cider – with purse rum 😉 Don’t judge! It was a brilliant plan!

And a Corn Maze!!!

Normally I would be terrified of this activity …it would be right up there with my irrational fear of Sunflowers...but this was a mini-maze and I had a crew of my peeps with me who I was sandwiched between, so it was safe 😛

We’re on a hay-ride!!! For a video of the hay-ride adventure, checkout my Instagram channel 😉

This adorable mini-fashionista and I became BFFs … bonding over ponies and pumpkins. How fab is her hat and jacket?! ❤

THIS farm is beautiful! So many great spots for photo ops – and as you can see, we took full advantage of every posing opportunity we could!
Now, even though Halloween is over and you’re likely no longer in need of a pumpkin …

Knox Farm will be open in the winter with Santa and Mrs. Claus weekends: Nov 28/29 and Dec 5/6, 12/13, 19/20.

They’ll have Christmas Trees to choose from too! If you want to reserve your spot –> email them soonest. 😉

Alright…well you’ve read about What I Did, now let me tell you about What I Wore…

What I Wore:

I’m not gonna lie, coming up with Farm-appropriate attire was difficult. All I knew was that I wanted to wear as many light, Fall accessories as I could. Layers. Layers. Layers.

Not knowing how muddy the grounds would be, and what sort of farm animals poop I’d land in with a misstep, I’ve kept a pair of demoted boots in the depths of my closet…clearly they were kept all this time for pumpkin-patching. 😉

Also, a perfect reason to wear jeans. A rare Irene sighting …. I’m totally a skirts and dresses kinda girl … I think the only other time I’ve worn jeans this year was for Rosie-O-Rama this summer.

How I Got The Look: My knit burnt orange hat, H&M; Bird circle scarf; Aldo Accessories (click here for more); Jeans, Forever21+; Mustard yellow plaid shirt, Old Navy (click here for more); Gloves, Danier Leather (click here for more); Sunglasses from Ardene; Boots from Payless; Puffer vest, Old Navy (click here and here for more); Cross-body MichaelKors purse

And of course no group outing is complete without a SELFIE!

Pretty proud of this shot taken by moi … capturing EVERYONE’S smiling faces…babies, husbands and all 🙂

Special Thanks to my girls Candice, Tammy and Nadica for all the fabulous photo sharing from this super fun Sunday afternoon. xo

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Nashville in Toronto

Are you following me on Instagram?

If you are…then you know how I was out and about, innocently walking into downtown for my University Alumini Day (Go Ryerson Rams) when I stumped upon Tatyana Boutique crazy eff’ing sale of up to 90% off their racks!!!

Naturally, I went nuts. And never made it to that Alumni Day. **blush**

This Nashville dress features a lively flower print with colorful, textured cotton string fabric running throughout and a sweetheart neckline. At first glance it didn’t really speak to me…..but then I tried it on. And just look at it!!! ❤

When stores offer super discount pricing … very rarely is my size among them.

But it seemed like it was my luck day … 🙂

Plus after all discounts THIS dress was 80% off the sticker price, Making this frock $24!!! #winning

How I Got The Look: The dress, Tatyana Boutique; The boots, Reitmans; The jean jacket, Old Navy; The belt, earrings and cowboy hat are super old and very much still loved 🙂

Giddy up!!! Guess we know what I’m wearing the next time I round-up the troop for some good ol’ fashioned country line-dancing 😉

Were you able to make it out to Tatyana Boutique during their super duper summer clear-out sales?

What did you score? Tell me all about it in the comments section 😉

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GotyGoty HotWear – Product Review

Product Review time friends. I was sent the GotyGoty Anaconda Pant Hot Capri in size 2XL

Upon first glance, they look like typical athletic yoga pants. But the texture of the material feels more like a scuba suit.

GotyGoty products are made of neoprene – a synthetic rubber that many laptop sleeves and orthopedic braces (wrist, knee, etc.) are made of.

Specifically, these pants are made of 60% neoprene, 15% nylon, 15% polyester, 10% lycra.

The tagline of this brand: “Because You Deserve Happiness” …. Hmmm, anyone else slightly offended here?

Is this box implying that I’m NOT happy now? That happiness is only is achieved from becoming slimmer?

*Smh*

Any-who….I was definitely curious of this product’s claims of losing extra weight up to 5X Faster.

Here’s what came in the box:

The pants
A measuring tape
Postcards and stickers of Ms. Green, GotyGoty’s brand mascot, and
Two reusable bags

This magic fabric helps you sweat more during your workout activities.

It promises to enhance muscle performance and improve circulation and is meant to get you a slimmer physique.

To achieve great results using your GotyGoty product it is advised to wear them every day or at least 5 days a week for few hours even if you are not exercising. You can wear them inside your work cloths. GotyGoty product can really help you stay warm in winter time. To better enjoy your GotyGoty product, stay active, eat fresh & clean, drink less soda and lots of water.

I wore these pants in a variety of different ways as suggested by the website, over the last month. And here’s what happened…

Activity Level: Low

I wore these pants for a few hours during the workday, simply sitting in front of a computer with very little physical activity.

Even with minimal movement that my regular day job provides, the fabric of these pants certainly does makes it easy to sweat …

Activity Level: Medium

I wore these pants to walk to my lindy hop lesson. Approximately a 45min walk at a regular stroll pace, followed by a 60-min dance lesson.

These pants were a very close and super comfortable fit. No worrying about rolling or falling down of the waistband while moving around. And the snug fit keeps all of you held in place. No unnecessary jiggle. Which I definitely appreciate while walking and working out in general 🙂

The hidden inside pocket to stash cash and keys were perfect. And the cellphone side pocket was super convenient for the walk.

At the end of the 1h 45-min of activity …. these pants were a challenge to take off. Because they were super sweaty and sticking to my body.

These pant’s fabric increase your core body temperature which makes it easy to sweat … and I can see why you’d want to maximize your fitness routine by sweating more….

Activity Level: High

I decided to wear my GotyGoty pants for Day 2 of Lindyworks dance workshops. 6-hours of non-stop lindy hop and jazz….(click here to read about it from last year)

Wearing these pants all day was a BIG mistake – I thought I was gonna die. 😮

They were cooking me from the inside out. Regardless of the gallons of water I continued to drink all throughout the day … it seemed like it wasn’t staying in my system.

These pants were dripping with sweat … so much so that I felt trickles from its cuffs roll down into my ankles and socks. And once removed I was totally drained.

Dehydration is no joke!

Product Warning:

You are encouraged to maintain good hydration while wearing your GotyGoty products for a long periods of time.
These products are not to be worn during pregnancy and are not recommended to wear to sleep in – FYI!

Sweat = Burning Calories?

So, all this really leads to the question: IS sweat directly related to the amount of calories burned and weight loss?

Jenny Scott, MM-HR, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, FNS, Education Advisor for the National Academy of Sports Medicine, says:

“No! Sweat is not a gauge of how hard you are working,” Scott says. Our bodies produce sweat as a way to cool down, so if anything, it’s an indicator of how hot your body is. And hotter core temperatures don’t equal more calories burned

Care Instructions and How to Get Yours

Cleaning my GotyGoty pants were easy, as they are machine washable. It’s recommended that they be washed on a gentle cycle, with cold water and with a very soft detergent. Do not machine dry. I’ve been hang drying it to make sure the fabric continues to stay in its best shape.

If you’re looking to get a pair of your own, use code goty50 at check out for 50% off.

Available in 7 sizes( XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL). To find your size, check the size chart by visiting: www.gotygoty.com

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Plaid, Pleats and… Pigeons?

Ok friends, if you’re following me on Instagram (if you’re not, they you should …start already geez) 🙂

I recently did an unexpected shopping haul from good ol’ Old Navy …and picked up these pieces of Fall goodness…

Booties, *Reitmans*; Hat, *Winners;* Plaid shirt and Bird skirt, *Old Navy*

Late September/early October…we were still having gorgeous, warm, sunny temps.

I was lucky enough to wear this ensemble …. stockingless with all my open-toed shoe and peek-a-poo mid-drift exposed glory!

It was kinda of perfect, just warm-enough-wear to get away with for an entire afternoon out and about.

Think I was off to have lunch with a few friends, before catching the Mirvish production of Kinky Boots. (Such a good show – Cindy Laupur is totally present without actually being present) ❤

Plaid shirt and Bird skirt, *Old Navy*; Jellyshoes from Malaysia; Fringe purse, *Aldo*

This bold pattern mixing of plaid on top, with birds on the bottom got me a ton of compliments!!!

But the most reoccurring of comments was: How did you know these patterns would work together?

Here’s my ‘trick’ when it comes to mixing patterns: match colors, not prints.

If the colors look good together, more often than not the patterns or prints will look good together too.

Notice that the birds of the skirt pickup the reds, blacks, and mustard colours of the plaid shirt. 😉

For some, this might be too bold, but it’s really a matter of personal preference. Matching colours seem to be the safest bet. That said, you’ll never go wrong with black and white — they go with everything.

Adding dark hosiery just changed the vibe of this outfit.

Not only did it help warm up the look (literally), it added a hint of night-time sophistication to an otherwise casual look, don’t you think?

Wore this outfit this way for an evening of outdoor gazebo swing dancing in the Beaches…a lovely way to end a busy work week.

Want more Mad for Plaid looks? Click here and here.

Want more Pattern Mixing? Click here, here and here.

Want more Lindy Hop Swing Dancing? Click here, here, here and here. 🙂

Is plaid something you’re doing more off in your Fall outfits?

How have you been mixing patterns in your Fall looks? Tell me about them in the Comments below.

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Hogwarts in Toronto?

Recently, there’s been news of a Harry Potter themed bar and restaurant in TORONTO called The Lockhart.

So a bunch of us tried to pay this spot a visit earlier this month.

Which meant…I needed an outfit to pay homage to the series.

I rounded up all the pieces I had with OWLS on it…complete with tee, socks and earrings.

And here’s what I came up with:

**How I Got The Look:** Striped sweater & skirt, *Reitmans* (click here for other looks); Owl-Night-Long tee, *La Vie En Rose;* Owl socks, *Ardene;* Shoes, *Winners*

Sadly, this was the best I could do from my current closet of offerings for a “Harry Potter Look”. 😦

However, click here to find some fabulous Harry-inspired pieces that you might need in your life.

For some reason my iPhone self-timer was not cooperating …and my iPhone case kept causing the phone to fall over mid-picture taking.

So here’s a series of ‘oops’, while I tried to showcase my outfit for ya 🙂

It was a perfect night to be sans jacket … so instead I just grabbed this foxy scarf I picked up on sale at Suzy Shier many moons ago, instead…to add some warmth if needed.

And now… for THE LOCKHART!

The below picture is as close as I got to experience Hogwarts in Toronto. The line up was crazy! And after an hour of waiting … we gave up for libations elsewhere.

But I was definitely curious about what I missed … so here’s a bit of research I found for your reading pleasure:

7 Things To Know Before You Go to the Lockhart, the Harry Potter Theme Bar Everyone’s Talking About

After AN HOUR standing in this line…this was as close to The Lockhart we could get. We decided to quit waiting as soon as a few of us felt rain drops on our heads.

THIS was the ridiculous lineup for Lockhart…an entire city block. Guess this city houses way more Harry Potter nerdy fans than we thought 🙂

Unfortunately, we never did get a seat at The Lockhart that night. Nor have we made our way back again.

That’s okay because these Harry Potter-themed shooters from Graphic Nerdity can help fill the void in your very own home. 😉

Enjoy friends!

So, are YOU a Harry Potter fan? Are you gonna visit or have you visited this bar in the city yet? Tell me about it in the comments below!!!

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Birthday OOTD

Sooooo I recently celebrated yet another birthday 🙂

This year it fell on a FriYAY! Which meant, this chick wasn’t gonna stay at home…and I definitely wasn’t gonna cook for myself.

AND of course, I needed a new birthday outfit. Here’s what I came up with:

It wasn’t a milestone birthday or anything. Plus its tough trying to round-up the troops after a long work-week to celebrate on a Friday night.

So the plans were simple Triple-D: Dinner – Dessert – Dancing! 🙂

Which meant, I wanted to keep my new bday outfit simple too:

BOTH the Jacket and Floral dress were from *Old Navy!* Booties are last season from *Reitmans.*

This was a fairly cool evening, so the sweatshirt material of this jacket was just enough warmth. And with minimal accessories with hair pulled back – it would be easy to dance in too!

This dress was super discounted. I really liked the key-hole button up in the back. And it had an interesting dropped waist situation too. I belted it to help break up the floral pattern a bit. Plus, it ties in nicely with my brown booties.

Special Thanks to the handsome owners of NighOwl Toronto who treated the entire table to a round of free drinks … and this birthday girl to post-dinner libations too –> SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! 😉

AND to the lovelies of Bean & Baker Malt Shop who stayed open extra late for this rowdy gaggle of hooligans I call friends. And for the extra special cake surprise – it was DELICIOUS!!!

AND to Lindy Hop Revolution for all the ‘birthday girl’ paraphernalia, glow sticks, wine and BIRTHDAY JAM. 😛

And to all of my friends who showed up to dinner – stayed for ice cream – continued on to swing dancing – and karaoke/car-eokee late night. You guys are the greatest! And sure know how to make this girl feel special and loved! xo