Brain dump

OOOPS this has been sitting in my draft folder for two weeks. I am the Queen of Procrastination!

As disussed at that meeting, these are my two goals for summer by August 31:

Weight: Hit 10% goal 

Exercise: dog park when sunny, pool twice a week

Copy and print so visible every day -- Putting this down so I do it!!!

(*cough* Results so far: hit my 5% goal last week, have taken dog to park every day for at least a month. Twice a day on the weekends. It hasn't rained so I haven't been to the pool. My hand might be forced on that one tonight...)

Other stuff:

I never liked hummus, but these days I have been pretty much making a batch a week. I got the recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen and did a little modification. I have a mini-chopper so I cut the recipe in half so it all fits in the bowl.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (Blackeyed Peas or Chickpea)

1 can (15 oz. can) black eyed peas or chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. garlic puree or minced garlic

3 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (or slightly less if you're not that into lemon)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T olive oil

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3 T tahini (sesame seed paste), to taste

1 roasted red pepper, water-packed, chopped and drained from jar

Dump the canned black-eyed peas into a colander placed in the sink, then rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.  Let black-eyed peas drain for a minute or two, then put them into the food processor with everything else. Chop it up!

If the hummus seems too thick, add a few tablespoons of water and process. If you do not use a roasted red pepper, you will probably need more liquid so add water as needed.)

It lasts a week. (Or it would, if my husband did not inhale it one sitting.)

I actually prefer the black-eyed pea version because it tastes smoother and lighter. 

Also, I made the easiest and tastiest macaroni salad ever.

Whole wheat pasta, chopped shredded carrots, chopped onions, chopped celery, liberal dosage of dijon mustard, a little fat-free mayo, salt, pepper, seasonings, and a handful of shredded cheese. 

Mix and let sit overnight so flavors can meld. Serve with grilled items when husband only knows how to cook meat when he "makes dinner". 

Got a new haircut for summer, which I am enjoying. This is the straight version, but the miracle is, I have finally learned to master a curling iron. I love my hair everyday now. 

Also, my pets are awesome. Follow me on Instagram if you would like to see a million pictures of Abby. 

She made a friend at the park yesterday. They were adorable.

Anchors (away)

(Abigail in her kennel picture at 8 weeks, playing with her red bear (long since destroyed) when she was still growing into her ears, and the pretty dog she is at a year old.)

(Last week when she came back from the groomers. Her coat is as soft as it looks!)

I'm pretty sure I told you guys we got a puppy last July, right?** Abigail (Abby for short) has grown into a sweet, cuddly, lively doggie, and my life is so much richer for her presence. I've always thought I was more of a cat person than a dog one, but my baby girl is making me re-think that stance.

**(Oh yes, I did. In great photographic detail. Puppy pictures!)

Now that it is warmer out and the days are longer, we've been taking Abby to the dog park more often. She's definitely my husband's dog (especially since he was her primary caretaker last summer while he was off work and she was becoming housebroken and trained and just learning how to be a dog), but in the last few weeks, it's become more of a thing that Abby and I do together. We go a couple of times a day on the weekends, but even after work during the week it's become a common event. I get home and I'm tired and upset after work -- there's a lot of meanness and anxiety there these days -- and when this bundle of love comes flying at me for hugs and kisses, it makes the harshness of the day melt away. I get changed into casual clothes and walking sneakers, put the park pass around my neck, and off we go.

It's a good form of exercise for both of us; my torn tendon/fallen arches don't allow me to walk very fast, but of course all she wants to do is run out her puppy energy. On a leash, it's a constant battle between tempos; at the park, we each go at our own pace and get the workout we each need. We run, walk, and play fetch (I am often the one fetching the ball, sad to say); we get fresh air and sunshine and lots of water; we socialize with other dogs and their owners. It's pretty great for both of us. 

On the downside, taking her to the park means I skip a trip to the pool, and I am not in the mood to prepare anything elaborate (ie raw and in need of basic cooking) for dinner.  So it's PB&J, or a salad from the grocery store, or we order something delivered. It's barely on plan, I'm definitely not getting as much exercise as I would at the gym, and overall I've been beating myself up pretty badly over that. 

Yesterday at my WW meeting, we covered a topic that made me realize I've been doing it all wrong.

Our leader, Mark, asked us, "When you are feeling overwhelmed, what makes you feel better?" I shot my hand up in the air -- because of course, my answer was Abby.

Then he asked us to think about the following questions (cribbed from the WW weekly pamphlet, hope there's not any copyright issues!):
1. What's your trouble spot? (A situation where you struggle to avoid overeating.)
2. How do you want to feel in that situation?
3. Now conjure up a past time when you had those positive feelings and you totally nailed it.
4. Now pick your anchor (anything that reminds you of that time).
5. Make the positive connection.
6. Practice using it as a defense.


My answers started off easy:
1. My trouble spot is making dinner when I am tired.
2. When I am in my trouble spot, I want to feel comforted and taken care of.
3. The time I felt comforted/taken care of was...hunh, when I take Abby to the dog park after work.
4. My anchor is...Abby.

At that point, it dawned on me that maybe I already WAS using Abby as my anchor, but it was time to reframe the way I thought about it. Instead of feeling like not going to the gym and making healthy dinner was a FAILURE, maybe I should re-frame it so I feel good about getting outside and spending time with my dog (and husband, he comes with us too sometimes, LOL) after a rotten day. I should enjoy the sun on my face and throwing the ball and watching Abby race after it, ears flapping and her legs pumping. Afterward, just get a nice salad from the new grocery store around the corner and enjoy it. I don't have to cook all of our meals in order to eat healthy, and the pool will be there on a rainy day or the weekend.

I know it seems like a simple idea, but to me it was a game-changer. I'm still going to do the same things I was last week, but going forward I'm not going to make myself feel badly about it. Doing so will help me make better choices at the salad bar, too -- if I'm not feeling guilty and down on myself, I'm less likely to add in a hunk of bread or extra croutons or that full-fat mayo pasta salad. 

Me and my doggy, we got plans for the summer. Oh yes, we do.

She's as excited about it as I am. Yay!

Where I've Been, Part I: Abigail

Everyone, meet Abby.



Abby, meet everyone.



When my husband got laid off in May, after working 70-hour weeks for 14 years at the same company, we agreed that while he was home and looking for a job, it was also time to get the dog he had always wanted but that we didn't have time to train and incorporate into our cat-centric household. He looked at many different shelters for a couple of months, trying to find just the right dog that would grab our hearts.

Then in the beginning of July he saw this photo on the Wright-Way Rescue website.



Wright-Way finds abandoned and sheltered dogs and cats in downstate Illinois, and posts them on their site to be adopted in the more populated area around Chicago. Twice a week volunteers drive up to Chicago and have adoption days in the city at their building there. It's a great service, and the people there are really helpful and nice.

Anyway, at the time her name was Banana Cake, part of a 7-litter set all named after cakes: Pound Cake, Chocolate Cake, Spice Cake, Coffee Cake, Angel Cake, and Carrot Cake were her siblings, all with the colorings that inspired their names. We actually wanted Angel Cake, a white and orange colored pup, but she was already taken. They (allegedly) are spaniel-beagle mixes, and are expected to become medium-sized dogs about 25-30 pounds.

On July 5, we adopted her. She was eight weeks old and 4.5 pounds. She was frickin' adorable.


Cute but kind of grody. She needed a bath after life in the shelter!





She was so small we could bathe her in the kitchen sink. Look how tiny she is in my husband's hands!



Ah, much better. Her coat is glossy and soft, not matted.




She's still adorable, but she has grown like crazy, especially in the first month we had her. Our neighbors openly wonder what the heck we are feeding her. There are days when I come home and I can visibly see that she grew since I left that morning!







She's so pretty.













OMG she's only 4 months old!

Here's a great visual of her rapid growth. This is her first day home.



Literally 3 weeks later. Look at those legs!



She's 20 pounds as of yesterday, and at 4 months one she's not done yet. I think she is going to be much bigger than their estimate of 25-30 pounds.

We had a hard time coming up with her name; since we tend to give our pets slightly old-fashioned people names, we had to continue with that. Millicent and Maude were front-runners for a while, then I realized we were adopting her on Babyfriend's third birthday, and she had a lovely old-fashioned middle name: Abigail. So Abby/Abigail she became!

Emily and George have had very different reactions to her, and completely opposite of what I expected. Emily, the one who is scared of everything, hissed and got angry when she first saw Abby, but completely took control of their introduction and put the fear of God into Abby. Abby keeps her distance, and the two are slowly learning how to be in each other's presence.



George on the other hand, lost his alpha status the moment Abby saw him. She just jumped on him and tried to ride him like a pony, and despite his hissing and fighting back against her, George lost his dominant position in their relationship. We can't have them together in a room very much yet because Abby is all over him. We have a number of techniques we continue to try with them both, though. Mostly involving Abby being crated or on a leash around our poor old George.




My husband's caption when he texted this to me: "We're trying." Hee.

She is definitely my husband's dog, as he loves dogs unconditionally and he is home with her all day, training and spending time with her. But she loves cuddling on my lap too, and greets me with such joyous excitement when I come home, I can't help but love her too. I'm more of a cat person, but Miss Abby has stolen my heart.

But she is his dog, and has been since her first night when she fell asleep on his chest. She loves sleeping on him.









That said, getting a puppy at 8 weeks is a lot of work. There's housebreaking her, crate-training her, getting the cats used to her, giving her plenty of toys to chew on instead of our furniture and rugs, teaching her commands, and how to walk on the leash without going crazy, etc. When she is awake, one of us has to be watching her the whole time -- we don't have kids and have only had cats so far, so it took some getting used to that much responsibility for something other than ourselves.



But she's worth it. Look at her!!!





Anyway, that's one of the many reasons I've slacked off on posting. More on that to come. Right now I have to go play with my cute puppy.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who left notes and emails seeing where I was. I've been meaning to post for a while, but you guys definitely guilted me into finally doing it! :)