Zombie transformation: One way to lose weight...

When your limbs fall off!

We did our Zombie Makeup 101 program for teens at the library this week. The incredibly talented Gabriel Wimmer came to Zombify us. I was thrilled to be a creature of the night!

Is painting your living room a workout?

Because it feels like one. Up and down the ladder. Bend and stretch to paint. That's how I spent most of my weekend. But, it was so worth it. I've been dying to change the color since I moved in. It's gone from a Velveeta cheese gold to a match to Behr Provence Cream (a Butter Recipe Golden cake mix shade, prebaked).

I was able to devote my entire Saturday to painting, because I knew that I was going to see Great Big Sea in concert that evening. They are my current favorite band and I love to work out listening to them. They make me peddle faster. I went with my friend Mickey,who had never heard them but was game. We had a fine time. GBS did two sets and two en cours. My husband calls GBS my "horrid Celtic music", but I beg to differ.

Update: Trudging along & more Vintage clothing inspiration

It's been awhile since I wrote, but I'm soldiering on. A vacation to my parent's house and a little excess celebration after I returned have brought me back up to 207 lbs, but I'm fighting with myself to stick to my goals! Honestly, the changing season makes me want to eat and sleep. I've had mad cravings for apple treats (as in crisp, cobbler, pie, baked, etc)and for waffles. The early darkening evenings kick my outdoor walking in the shins, so it will be more indoor bike time for me. Maybe it's time to get that hula hoop that I've been promising myself.

In the realm of pretty Etsy clothes, I've found some beauties:

Doesn't this make you want to dance? The Rita Hayworth Vintage 1920s Pink Sequin Dance Costume!

Sadly, It has sold, but here's the window shopping info anyway:

Zwzzy!Get Cute in Vintage

" ♥ THE most beautiful sequined vintage tap dance costume!

♥ Lovely salmon pink in color. Black ruffle trim, and layer underneath!
♥ Industrial hook-eyes in the back!
♥ Comes with matching garters! Due to age, the ribbons are somewhat falling apart on them, mostly in the back."

So sorry, but I can't find the information on this one:

The Ultimate Goddess Gown 1915 Titanic Draped Grecian Silk Lace Dress Edwardian Antique Designer Mint condition from Vintage Glitterati

"A simply stunning and very hard to find Edwardian Pleated and draped Silk Crepe and Lace dress from the Edwardian Era. Beautiful and stunning in multiple floating layers of silk, with a corset interior, dripping lace front and back, and antique lace applique at bodice front. Low cut and svelte. This gown is a collector piece and is in fabulous condition...We added fluttering lace applique streamers."

 

Two satisfying shopping finds

Photo Of Ponte knit pencil skirt from Lane Bryant

I did a bit more clothes shopping this weekend, and I made a great find at Lane Bryant- the basic pencil skirt. I have been looking for this simple style in a basic color for a long, long time. It fit me perfectly in a size 18 (happy dance!) and even though I'm 5' 2", it hits me at the top of my knee.  Hooray! I also bought it in heather grey. I like them so much that I may go back and buy them again on faith in a smaller size. I also got two fitted t-shirts, in navy and berry red and a pair of black tights. I hope that they fit well. I can't stand being strangled by hosiery and usually wear stockings. Do you have a favorite brand for plus size tights?

My other purchase was at the grocery store. I tried Fruit 2 Day in Mango peach, and I really like it. I almost didn't buy it, because my husband said it's better to eat your fruit than drink it, but I grabbed it at the last minute. That is a fine philosophy in the summer, but soon I'll be finding nothing but apples and oranges at the store. I know that I'm exaggerating, but as the season goes on, it will feel that way unless I'm creative. Anyway, I was happy with this juice, because it has big chunks of fruit in it. It was really refreshing and ideal for after a workout. At 120 calories, I'm okay with it! Find nutrition information here . Other flavors are Strawberry orange, Cherry grape, Pomegranate blueberry (next on my grocery list) and Pineapple banana (which will never cross my lips; I hate bananas!), plus two special edition flavors yearly.

Joined Calorie Count

I weighed myself today, and I still weigh 209. I suspect it's because we've been going out to eat a lot and because my exercise bike is temporarily out of order (there's a place on the cord where the wire is showing- not good!). In order to keep myself more aware of what I consume on a weekly basis, I joined Calorie Count because it's free and because it seems to have some of the name brand  and restaurant foods that I eat. You can also record your daily activity.

What are your experiences with these websites? Do they help you?

Addition 8:05 PM: I did not eat homemade apple pie today. I did not eat homemade cinnamon rolls today. We had a potluck at work and my co-workers brought them. I wanted them. I really did. But, I ate red grapes instead. Ordinarily, since I already "officially" weighed myself for the week, I might choose one and indulge. But, I don't think that I would feel good afterwards, I can't bike it off and I'm too lazy to innovate other type of exercise tonight. Also, there's Spooktacular to think about, with Sunday weigh in. Thanks, Spooktacular. Thanks, Karen!

Getting Spooktacular with Muffin Fixation

I've decided to join the lovely & creative Karen at Muffin Fixation and other hard working bloggers in getting Spooktacular by Halloween! Find the details at Muffin Fixation .

In honor of the upcoming holiday, and to remind me of my fashion goals, I've got a special treat for you from Etsy:

Vintage 1920s-1930s Halloween Dress from Vint Condition

"This dress is constructed from a semi-sheer light pumpkin orange fabric. The neckline shows some hand-stitching, but the majority of the dress is machine stitched. The skirt of dress is constructed with some 2" wide ruffles. The waist is belted in black waxed cotton to give it some stiffness. Adorning the bodice is a black cat creeping along. The sleeves each have a bat. The front of the skirt has 3 bats. The back bodice features a pumpkin and a bat while the skirt has 2 bats. These adornments were crudely cut from black fabric and tacked on. The dress slips on over the head."

Isn't it cute? I'd like to have this just as a sweet Halloween decoration.

Bollywood themed workout and movie night

Our plans for Sunday night fell through, so I was pretty much on my own for much of the evening. I decided to do a Bollywood night, starting with a workout and followed by a movie. Are you familiar with Bollywood? It's India's answer to Hollywood and many of the movies feature songs and lots of energetic dancing.

I checked out the Bollywood Burn workout from my library. Here's my summary for you:

What is needed: No special equipment. Room to move around, taking several steps forward, backward and to the sides.

Structure: Three fifteen minute dance routines, progressing in difficulty. 47 minutes total.

Special features: Freestyle dance performance. Audio options of music only or music with instruction.

My impressions: I watched this through once and then did the first two workouts. Workout done by two women and a man. For a Bollywood feel, the instructors are barefooted and rather glamorously dressed, with plenty of sparkle. I was not, wearing my usual sports bra & shorts ensemble with tennis shoes. The first segment is a warm up, and the second is faster, with some dance choreography. It involves a lot of jumping and kicking. I'm not comfortable doing much jumping (which is ridiculous for someone who wants a jump rope, eventually) so I tried to follow along with less impact. It looked fun, and maybe it would have been better if I would have done what they were doing, but slowed down it had the feel of old Jane Fonda aerobics for me. The instructors are very graceful, bouncing around lightly, but I have to say I felt elephantine, clomping around in my sneakers. I was also somewhat disappointed in the music; I thought it would have a little more flavor. These are just my own reactions, of course, but I don't think that I'll be doing this workout again.


I had a better time cycling to the Om Shanti Om CD, lent to me by my considerate coworker Floating Lush , who encouraged me to watch  Om Shanti Om to begin with. The super energetic music gave my workout a push!

Check out "Dard E Disco" below:

Here is an English translation of the song from BollyWhat? The Guide for Clueless Fans of Bollywood Films :

Dard-e-Disco

The Pain of Disco

Woh haseena woh neelam pari

That beauty, white fairy

Kargayee kaisi jadoogari

Did some sort of magic

Neend in aankho se chheenli

Took the sleep from these eyes

Dil mein bechaniyian hai bhari

The heart is full of restlessness

Woh haseena woh neelam pari

Kargayee kaisi jadoogari

Neend in aankho se chheenli

Dil mein bechaniyian hai bhari

Main bechaara hoon aawara woh lo samjhaoon mein ab kis kis ko

Woe is me, I am lost and how many people can I tell

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

In my heart is the pain of disco, the pain of disco, the pain of disco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco

Dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

The pain of disco, the pain of disco



Phasledil ki gulposhiyon ka mausam tha

The season of beauty it is in my heart

Hum par kabhi sargoshiyon ka mausam tha

On me it is the season of colours

Phasledil ki gulposhiyon ka mausam tha

Hum par kabhi sargoshiyon ka mausam tha

Kaisa junoon khaabon ke anjuman mein tha

What a feeling it is in my dreams

Kya main kahoon kya mere paas pun mein tha

What can I say about what I have?

Ranjish ka chala tha untha jo khaab ka

The feeling in my dreams, stung so badly

To phirta hoon main London, Paris, New York, Alai, San Francisco

So I roam in London, Paris, New York, Alai, San Francisco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco

Dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco



Lamha lamha armaanon ki famaayish thi

Every moment I had the wish to see my dreams come true

Lamha lamha jo ladki aasmayee thi

Every moment she took over me

Apne karam gir gir pe mujhpe barsa tha

When she dropped and rained on to me

Apne karam barsa to tab main tarsa tha

When she rained I became desperate

Phir soona huwa manzar mera

Then suddenly I was alone

Woh mera sanam dilbar mera

My lover

Phir tor gaya mujhe chor gaya

Broke me and left me

Pichle mahine ki chhabbis ko

On the twenty-sixth of the previous month

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco

Dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco



Woh haseena woh neelam pari

Kargayee kaisi jadoogari

Neend in aankho se chheenli

Dil mein bechaniyian hai bhari

Main bechaara hoon aawara woh lo samjhaoon mein ab kis kis ko

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

Dil mein mere hai dard-e-disco

Dard-e-disco, dard-e-disco

How fun and silly is that? I recommend the movie if you like melodrama, romance, glitter and lots of dance numbers.

After the workouts, I indulged in a little romantic comedy, Bollywood style with Honeymoon Travels Pvt.ltd. (Indian Cinema / Bollywood Movie / Hindi Film Comedy DVD) .

Six couples in different stages of their relationships are off on their Honeymoon trips on a tour bus. From a reluctant and sobbing bride and her clueless mate, to a freshly married mid-life couple,to a seemingly perfect pair who have been together since childhood, we learn their stories and empathize with them while also enjoying the film's lighter moments and song and dance numbers.

All in all I spent a very pleasant evening. Do you ever do themed workouts?