candy coated rose petals

Today’s workout was pretty simple. I haven’t been feeling well; a cold has been stirring up in my lungs. I wanted something low key so I did a balance ball pilates tape. Unfortunately, Exercise Ball Workout Video: Pilates with Denise Druce is way too simplistic. It is about 16 minutes long between review of each exercise and actually doing the workout. It only covers six total exercises. I had to repeat the circuit from memory to actually make it worth my while.   [ Read more ]

I bought some new shoes this weekend. I needed to go shopping for bridesmaids shoes, however luck also was on my side. These Not Rated Chunk of Change pumps were a pair I couldn’t pass up. I love them so much and they were the very last pair. I thought I was getting a deal when they were on sale for $39, but when the cashier rang them up, they were $14! That’s right, $14. Nordstrom currently sells these for $59.95.   [ Read more ]

I came across a version of Kathy Kaelher Fitness: Total Body Workout and Get Fit Class at Target in the dollar bin. It includes two 60-minute workout DVDs.

Last week, I did the Total Body Workout that uses free weights, a chair and a mat. It has six 10-minute segments covering cardio, arms, legs and ab exercises. The cardio was kind of hard since you have to move and jump around, and my apartment floor makes a variety of lovely creaking noises. I was worried I’d bother my neighbor so I wasn’t as into it as I should’ve been.   [ Read more ]

Today’s workout included Total Body Crosstrain and Simply Yoga. I really wanted to feel the burn, and last time’s run through of the crosstraining DVD, I was hurting for a few days. But I also wanted to run through one of the DVDs I hadn’t tried yet. So I put in the Simply Yoga DVD I got years ago. This is a simpler, more relaxed routine then the MTV Yoga or Power Yoga DVDs. Yolanda Pettinato runs through a variety of stretching and relaxation poses that takes 30 minutes. After a hard workout, this DVD was ideal and could potentially become part of my rotation after rigorous activity. I have the book somewhere but I didn’t refer to it today.   [ Read more ]

Reading Memoirs of a Geisha was a real delight. I had seen the movie before, so I was looking forward to reading the original story. I enjoyed it as much as I had expected to. Some of the abrupt scenes in the movie made a lot more sense with the full story laid out. As always, a story in full detail is better than one missing some key points. Memoirs book versus movie was just that way.   [ Read more ]

You wouldn’t think an aloe plant would cause such disarray in a home, but this little plant has become quite the problem child. It’s long fleshy leaves have spread out so much that the shelf in the kitchen can no longer house it. I have tried a number of other places for it, but nowhere seemed suitable. I finally concluded that it should make it’s home next to the Jenn plant in the living room. But I didn’t like it sitting on the ground because Ethan likes to dig in the dirt of plants and nothing I had in the house seemed to work.   [ Read more ]

My orchid plant finally kicked the bucket enough to give me a good reason to buy a new plant. I’ve had the other one for many years and it hasn’t bloomed in over a year as well. It just doesn’t seem to be doing well. I couldn’t resist picking up this one from Trader Joe’s. It has at least three stems, one of which has blooms. I hope it does well.

Saturday I picked up some tulips from Trader Joe’s, which had a large display of brightly colored flower; tulips in every shade. I picked two colors to mix: a light rosy pink with yellow tips and a deeper purple/red with white tips. I placed them in this bright yellow pitcher I use for flowers. I brought them into the living room to add some color and life.

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I rearranged my chotchke shelf after I put all of the Christmas decorations away. I end up doing this every year since I have to clear this shelf completely to accommodate the holiday decor. This shelf features a number of mementos from my travels, as well as various gifts from friends and family. (You can click on the photo to see a larger version on Flickr, as well as the notes.)

From left to right:   [ Read more ]

On the agenda was going through the Simply Gym Ball workout. This has been the easiest DVD so far and the shortest. At 30 minutes long, it’s less intense of a workout, but focuses on core training and all around toning. I think it’s nice for a quick workout to fit into a busy schedule. I like using the gym ball as it allows you to maneuver into positions that work muscles you wouldn’t necessarily be able to target, such as the triceps. There’s a nice triceps dip move on this DVD that I hope yields results.   [ Read more ]