Whew!

So, the reason I was not concentrating on my weight loss this past week was, I went for my annual mammogram in the beginning of February. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and I started getting the mammograms 15 years ago due to the family history. In the beginning of last week, the office called and said I needed to come back for additional films on one side. The technician at that time said it wasn't urgent and they needed a clearer view, etc. Of course, I took the earliest appointment I could get, which was on Valentine's Day.

Needless to say, it was worrisome - I had never been called back for more films before. At that point, I figured my weight loss was the least of my worries.

Happily, the radiologist called late today and said although there had been an area they were concerned about, the new films were clear and the area just turned out to be shadows of some sort. So now we can relax.

PS - Apparently the birds in the photo are called Boobies. It came up when I did a Google Image search for boobies. I realize, men, that I could have picked something you might have liked more, but I liked this one.

Workout of the Week

I decided to try a Pilates workout today. I have a book that contains Pilates, Yoga, Meditation and stress relief techniques. Occasionally I've picked up the book, thumbed through a few chapters, but then put it down without actually trying it. So today, I decided to actually go through the Pilates section, and do every exercise I could.

If you aren't familiar with Pilates, " ...the aim of Pilates is to work different muscles to tone and condition the body, while developing correct breathing, good posture, and mental concentration and focus. It improves overall balance and coordination while it streamlines the body and also helps to improve flexibility in all the musles and joints."

I have lower back problems due to bone spurs and spinal arthritis, so I have to be careful what types of exercises I do. I can no longer do Tae Bo, or anything that contains jerky movements. So I hoped the fluid movements of Pilates or Yoga would be a good choice. I had taken a Yoga class a few years ago, but had never done Pilates.

Well, I am happily surprised. The exercises in my book are very basic and not a full Pilates routine. Of course, the book cautions that if you have any medical problems you should consult your doctor before beginning. I did all of the upper body warm-ups, as well as some standing and sitting exercises, and a little leg work. The movements are very slow and controlled, and continuous, so the flow is smooth. Everything I did today really felt like exaggerated stretching. There is a certain breathing pattern that is suggested, which took me a bit to get used to but halfway through I got it down.

At the end of the workout, my muscles were nice and warm and I felt very good. I feel like I am standing straighter and I can actually tell I had a workout, even though it didn't feel like a heavy one at the time. I'm going to do this routine for the next few days until I am used to it, and then move onto a Pilates workout I have on tape/DVD. If the workouts turn out to be more advanced than my back can handle, I'll just go back to the book again. This, plus the treadmill, should have me feeling better in no time.

I found this cute meme over at Saoirse’s and thought I would do it, too.

What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now?
Lever 2000 with Aloe, and minimum of three kinds of Body Wash, compliments of 20-year-old daughter

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator?
No, not this time of year here.

What would you change about your living room?
The size, too small for our clutter and piano and my 'office'.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty?
Clean

What is in your fridge?
Milk, vegetables, chicken, creamers, condiments, eggs & cheese, lots of half empty bottles of salad dressing, and some containers of leftovers that will probably still be there at the end of the week.

What is on top of your refrigerator?
Three boxes of cereal, three or four boxes of cereal bars, basket of snacks, oatmeal

What color or design is on your shower curtain?
Black and white pictures of famous travel landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, etc.

How many plants are in your home?
Three.

Is your bed made right now?
Yes, that is one thing I must do first thing in the morning after getting out of bed. I have to have one room give the appearance of being neat.

Comet or Soft Scrub?
Soft Scrub.

Is your closet organized?
Hahahahahahaha. (Um, that means No.)

Can you describe your flashlight?
We have a lantern-type one.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home?
Glass or coffee mugs mostly.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now?
Yes, but it's from a mix, not homemade.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered?
No garage. But our basement is cluttered.

Curtains or blinds?
Both on most windows.

How many pillows do you sleep with?
3

Do you sleep with any lights on at night?
Dark room for us, but we have a night light in the hallway, and usually keep the upstairs bathroom light on, in case Little Grim gets up at night. Plus that way, we won't trip over either of the cats.

Weigh-In, etc

Sorry for the late weigh-in, my daughter and our grandson were visiting for a few days. I'm at 200.5 this week, which was not unexpected to me. Bad week, I was not concentrating on my weight loss or fitness this week. Better luck next week. I hope everyone else did OK.

Here is a picture of Kara and Benny eating pizza the other night, and our dog Maggie waiting patiently for her chance for a nibble.

Come Away With Me

To Grimjack. My sister sang this Norah Jones song in our wedding. Love you!

Learn to Crochet

----- A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had
shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no
secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe
box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one
day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the
shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box.
When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money
totaling $95,000.


He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be married,' she
said, 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two
precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two
times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with
happiness.

'Honey,' he said,'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money?
Where did it come from?'

'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

In keeping with the Valentine's Day holiday...

I took this quiz over at RT’s Place....and got Erotic Thriller. Which is weird because the description doesn't match me.

Erotic Thriller

You've made your own rules in life - and sometimes that catches up with you. Winding a web of deceit comes naturally, and no one really knows the true you. Your best movie matches: Swimming Pool, Unfaithful, The Crush

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?