Fergie Gets Married + Pre Wedding Weight Loss

Miss Fergilicious has tied the knot with fiance Josh Duhamel who played Leo Du Pres in All My Children & Danny Mc Coy in Sin City. After dating for three years, the pair got engaged in Dec. 2007 and finally tied the knot today January 10th 2009 in L.A. Fergie who recently had to put on 13lbs(28.6kg) for her role in the movie Nine has been sweating it out and working hard to shed those extra pounds before her D day.

Hmn...getting in shape wether you've got the big bucks like Fergie or not is no easy task especially if you have a deadline like YOUR WEDDING DAY!
All brides want to fit perfectly into their wedding dress and have the seams taken in instead of let out.
Here are a few tips on what worked for me (post baby) I lost about 28lbs in all(61kg)....
*These weight loss tips are based on my experience and are not intended to be a substitute for medical or psychological advice or counselling. Therefore, you should consult a physician and/or mental health professional regarding your individual physical and mental health needs before undertaking this or any diet, exercise, or fitness program. Individual results may vary....

1. Use smaller size plates to eat as it helps with portion control. Dinner plate should not be more than 71/2 " wide and cereal bowl no more than 5" wide and 21/2" deep. It's really only psychological that you think you're sooo hungry, when u start to reduce your portions, your body will naturally adjust and you really would not have the desire to eat large portions anymore.

2. Drink liquids in between bites, this tends to make you feel fuller.

3. Portion your meals as follows:
- Half your plate filled with fruits & vegetables( try to stick to eating fruits in the mornings only), the other half filled with carbohydrate/whole grains and protein. You can have more servings of vegetables if you're still hungry.

4. Eat more frequently, like every 4hrs so you're speeding up your metabolism, constantly burning fat and your body doesn't get the chance to start storing fat cells.

5.Do not skip your breakfast, I ALWAYS made sure i ate within an hr of waking up to jump start my day.

6. Something else that was VERY effective for me ( and i personally still enjoy) is green tea with lemon and a little bit of honey. It's an antioxidant and helps to burn fat naturally in your body.

7. Stay away from foods with hydrogenated oil, enriched wheat, high fructose corn syrup like ketchup, pancake syrup, salad dressing (especially the THICK ones that we like in nigeria!)et.c there are the healthier versions of these foods available without the fattening components.

8. Eat your last meal for the day at least 3hrs before you go to bed, if you can stick to eating your dinner by 6/7p.m

9. Make soups, they are very filling and have much less calories.

10. Try to stay away from white foods stick to whole wheat, whole grains e.g for pancakes use buckwheat pancake mix, whole wheat pasta, et.c, stay away from fried foods, use only healthy oils to cook like canola oil or olive oil and NO palm oil is not a healthy oil.

Best Wishes and please let me know how you're making out.

Love This! Love That!

Hi!
Trust everyone is having a good week so far? Mine has been thus far. I need to take sometime off to get my hair done. I just changed my hairdresser, she's great n all but everrrrytime I go there she wants my hair all neat and tidy in tight curls & I ALWAYS find myself giving her a hug and saying thank you with a big smile on my face ( because i truly appreciate her efforts) but as soon as I get in the car, out comes my hair brush!
Is it just me or do a lot of ladies do this? Pray tell me.
Sorry, i'm talking my own hair here no weave or anything (don't have time to sit for that, takes way too long). I wear my own hair short and like "spunk" but Miss R (my ex-hairdresser) likes hair styles with not one strand left out of place. So, I'm supposed to be going to this new guy who I've heard a lot about, also seen what he's done for my friend A's hair and I love, love love!
Thought I should share some things I love with you guys, here goes...

1. I love Diva Derme Lash Extenders!
Ok so who doesn't want long luxurious lashes? Up your batting average with this fantastic product.
Here's the low down - It's called divaderme lash extenders and its great for us girls who want longer and fuller lashes without the hassle of fixing false lashes. Use it immediately after you apply a coat of mascara, the tiny fibers stick to your wet lashes. The result? dramatically obvious longer & fuller lashes.
I tell you it works wonders! (I use it so I know ).


Available @ www.eccosmetics.com

2. I Love Shoes!
I see shoes as a work of art, I love wearing shoes that are different and would make people say "look at her shoes".


Have I said I love shoes? Check out Avril Lavigne in Ruthie Davis


3. I love a Good Salad.
My friend O, she's so funny. Well, she came visiting and I thought I had made something really nice for her. I brought out my signature lemon & dill Salmon served with Shrimp & Avocado salad with feta cheese(yum o!, according to Rachel Ray). The next thing, O picks up her phone and without saying a word to me calls our friend F and proceeds to tell her I gave her fish & grass to eat!

Chewy & Delightful Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Obama's Inauguration + Miss Beyonce

So we all know that come January 20th 2009 It's on! Barack Obama will be sworn in is as the 44th President of the United States. The official inaugural theme will be: "A New Birth of Freedom" to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The theme came from the speech Lincoln gave at Gettysburg Pennsylvania. Here's an excerpt from one version of the speech: "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth". Word! You can read the entire speech HERE.
I am personally excited as I know a lot of us are about this moment in history as it represents the dawn of a new era, limitless possibilities, optimism and it gives you that "I can fly & touch the sky feeling" enjoy Kanye West's "Touch The Sky" or R Kelly's "I believe I can Fly" (depending on your mood).
So, in the spirit of positivity, shine like the rare gem that you are in these customized Obama rhinestone tees. Be like my girl Beyonce here & put a "bling" on it.

Beyonce in support of Obama and her man Jay Z.



Put A "Bling" On It! - Custom Tees

Check out these Obama souvenirs fit for any Obama celebration.


Ciao!

Totally Random

So I just watched Hancock, yes JUST…I personally do not believe in flying to the movies immediately a movie comes out….I’d rather wait to see if it was worth all the hype, then stroll in leisurely when its not so crowded with my massive bucket of popcorn, gummies and “small” cup of soda…lol. In this case though I watched it on the small screen, lounging on my bed and did not fall asleep at all, which is extremely rare for me.
Personally, I thought Hancock was very good, I liked it because not only was Will Smith’s acting as cool as ever, it also starred another of my favorite actors: Charlize Theron, beautiful woman don’t you agree? I love her acting, and I love her “P” (persona) lol, am I using that in the right context? Mind you I only just found out the literal meaning from my dear friend J. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock and obviously not listening to the lyrics of the song properly. I tell you I just thought it meant maybe “profile”? but I guess persona, profile, personality, prototype, personal image, paradigm, etc, all na “P” thanks to synonyms and Naeto C!
Seeing Charlize Theron made me think of celebrity hook ups in ’09. So for your viewing pleasure and entertainment, here are some celebrity couples who in your opinion should:

A. Gosh! just go ahead & tie the Knot in 2009
B. What has this got to do with me?

Enjoy!...


Charlize Theron & Staurt Townsend who have been together for seven years.


Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt who are parents to SIX beautiful children.


Jennifer Aniston & John Mayer

Also speaking of couples reminds me of this incident, so this young lady had been wearing an engagement ring for 4years. Her dad called her one day and said, let me see that "ya" finger and proceeded to advise her in a not so subtle way to take it off!..."what kind of engagement is that?" he said. I AGREE or what do you guys think? How long should you be engaged for before you officially tie the knot?

Good night people.

Happy New Year!

May This Year Be Colorful & Bright.


May It Be Filled With Lots Of Sparkle...


And Seasoned With Love & Happiness...

May Your Tears Be Tears Of Joy...

May You "Ace It!" In All Your Endeavours...

May You Always Be Protected & Guided...


May You Always Have Peace & Love!

Happy '09 People
Ciao!

Event Managers + 2009 Event Trends

Planning a special event with a myriad of details is no easy task. It is such a relief to use the services of a professional event planner so that they can save you a lot of time and help realize the details of your event. An experienced event planner can make your event a most memorable one.
So, here are some things to expect when choosing an event planner:

Expert Consultation: An event planner should understand the clients overall vision and goal for the event. Details such as type of event, budget, guest count, theme, ensemble(for weddings; outfits for: bride & groom, accessories & bridal party), souvenirs/gifts, decor, equipment, food & drink preferences, etc should all be discussed at length.

Customization: A professional event planner should be able to effortlessly work with you through the entire process right from the proposal stage to the day of the event.

Familiarity with your venue: Established planners are familiar with popular venues and should provide great advice on what works best as well as provide cost saving alternatives.

Trusted Vendors: Your event planner should be familiar with top vendors and be able to recommend trusted and reputable vendors.

Experienced event planners will remain committed to a philosophy of value and quality by giving you the event you have envisioned at a cost that fits your budget.

Event Layout: Professional event planners will often create your event venue to scale to ensure that you are aware of what the space would look like and that everything will fit into the space before the event.

Complete Proposal: To avoid any form of confusion, your event planner makes sure you understand their fee structure with all costs predetermined and clearly defined. The best event planners pride themselves on giving you a complete quote ensuring you'll not be suprised when the final bill comes!

Details: Lastly, your event planner would go over the details of your event, gather pictures or catalogs to help you envision your event, walk you through the venue and address any final concerns you might have.


Planners often offer a wide range of services so you'll need to decide if you want your planner to provide just consulting services or play a more active role one that will include overseeing every minute detail of your event.
You should talk to several planners to determine which one you're most comfortable with and work with one who has experience with the type of event you're having.
All in all, the job of your event planner is to take the stress off you, giving you the value of receiving the undivided attention of a single collaborator.

Now on to the Event trends for 2009....
2009 will bring with it new trends and fresh ideas for memorable events, here's a sneak peak into hot trends for events in 2009....enjoy!

Colors, colors and more colors! We'll be seeing more of colors and bright, strong ones at that especially for weddings. Think orange, purples, reds, greens, shades of grey(yes thats not bright but we can't be all rainbow right?) Grey is the new brown in 2009 and it comes in different variations and hues, add a touch of purple or blue and you get lavender or pewter. The key is to coordinate it with bright colors for a toned down effect. Think outside the box and match colors you never thought would go. Here are some trendy color palettes you can cordinate for your next special event:



These personalizable flasks are great as souvenirs for your event and are in keeping with the trends, go ahead and grab some!




Combine these mini birds nests with "eggs"( wedding almonds available in a wide variety of colors in keeping with your theme), with personalized ribbons for a creative edible favor your guests will love!

See ya later "aragata" (according to my little one, lol)...Cheers!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels;
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles;
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

I was watching the sound of music this evening..this lovely classic was a staple in my house growing up. I am sure I've watched it 501 times in my life time. I couldn't help but sing along of course but had to stop half way because it reminded me of my dad so much. He really had a special relationship with me and my siblings. I remember we would sit around him and take turns singing yet another lovely song from this classic:

Edelweiss-(daddy)
Edelweiss- (kids)
Every morning you greet me
Small and white-(daddy), Small and white-(kids)
Clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever

...and we would go on and on, just like in the movie.
Needless to say, I got emotional and wanted to put my thoughts down. I miss my dad a lot, but I've had quite a number of beautiful dreams about him, I KNOW he's in a better place. Now my dad was present at my wedding, I wish he could be here for the others after me but it's all good...God dey.

This song is dedicated to all the brides who danced and will dance with their dads on their wedding day, may your hearts be filled with gladness always.


When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad......

LOVE YOU DAD!xx