Don’t You Love When You Accomplish So Much In One Day?

I had a very busy day yesterday and I was exhausted at the end of it. I felt wonderful getting so much done, however. I started in the morning by taking down all my Christmas decorations. It’s a task I don’t enjoy. I wrote about that here. It really wasn’t so bad. Then I took my Shih Tsu, Boo to the groomers. That left me several hours to grocery shop and pick up items I bought online. Onto the clothing store I went, where I tried on many pairs of pants and finally bought 2 new pairs of jeans and another pair of pants. This part was both agonizing and fun. Trying on pants is never pleasant for this pear shaped body. If they fit my hips they gape at the waist. I did like the checkout counter though, because my daughter, Candice had given me a gift card and it didn’t cost me a cent! 

I picked up Boo and made pasta sauce for dinner. As it simmered I attended my TOPS meeting. TOPS Stands for Take Off Pounds Sensibly. You can read more about that here. When I got home we had pasta for dinner then I made lasagna. Whew! 

Boo’s “Before” picture
Boo’s “After” picture

11 thoughts on “Don’t You Love When You Accomplish So Much In One Day?”

  2. New connection: Boo’s photo caught my immediate attention in the Reader, so I had to pop over to read about him, since I’ve been a Shih Tzu mom for well over 30 years now – usually 2 at a time, once 3, but I think my blogging baby TinkerToy will be an only, for a while yet anyway.

    When I look at the photo at the top of the page, Boo and Tinker look like cousins: lightish coat, darkish mask – but Tink is my first liver (lips/nose – etc. liver vs. black – with a few other differences like size of nose, etc.). He was 2 in late October, I love him like crazy, and already can’t imagine life without him.

    I groom him myself – partly because he loves our bonding time, partly because I’ve seldom liked what the groomers do (so resent spending the cash), and partly because my budget is already strained to the max. I keep him in a longish puppy cut, with topknot and full tail – but not a show-coat by ANY means, and I have no problem using a mat-rake when needed. I’ve watched YouTubers talk about how “easy” it is to maintain a floor-coat as I fast forward through an hour of video they say they repeat morning and nite – lol. Not in MY reality is that kind of time-commitment what I’d consider “easy,” even if I had spare time to devote to the task. Plus, I really like it better when he looks more like a puppy than a dust mop. 🙂

    Your day sounded full but fun – but making a time-consuming dish like lasagne at the end of it would have undone me totally. Come to think of it, taking down ALL my Christmas decorations in a single day would have done me in long before I could even think about shopping, even online, and even when I was in my 30s. Even READING about your Energizer Bunny day had me shaking my head in wonder. 🙂

    Great start to a Happy New Year (and Tink extends Happy New Year’s good wishes to Boo).
    xx,
    mgh
    (Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
    – ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
    “It takes a village to transform a world!”

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    1. I’m pretty frugal too but I splurge on her mainly because she and I both hate brushing her and her hair grows right into her eyes, causing tearing and a constantly wet (stinky) face. I have to get her face done regularly so I just get all of her done. I do think she’s cuter with a shaggier coat. Do your dogs allow you to clip around their faces? There’s no way I can get anything sharp there.

      As for my lasagna, I never cook the noodles ahead. I put them in hard but my sauce is a bit juicier so the noodles absorb it and it turns out perfectly.

      Boo will be 3 in a few weeks.

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      1. I avoid as much clipping around the eyes as possible because TInk hates face grooming too and I am afraid his wriggling to avoid it will end badly. But he is excellent about holding still to let me “fix the topknot” – I chose to keep one to avoid most clipping around the eyes, btw. He loves to have most of his body combed and brushed, since I started when he was just a tiny guy, and treated liberally for good grooming behavior! (Now he has to wait ’til the end, but he knows it’s coming.)

        I don’t know how much time you have to dedicate to grooming, but the best way to start with an older dog is right after he is short-groomed and mats are far less likely to form to begin with. Start small and work up, praising and treating as you go.

        I wasn’t the best at grooming with prior Shih Tzus (understatement 🙂 ), but if I could have do-overs I would do with them ALL what I do with Tink, grooming-wise, for what that’s worth.

        As long as I keep at it most days (and he doesn’t get into a tussle with sticker-burrs!), it’s under a 30 minute daily process for us, including topknot. But I break up tough mats with a special tool rather than subject either of us to more grooming time. He’s not a show dog, even tho’ he might have been, so I aim for cute, not coat perfection!

        ALL of Tink’s scissors have rounded tips, btw — special grooming ones recommended by a couple of those YouTubers with personal channels and no agenda beyond love and care for their own Shih Tzu. (Dog Groomers recommend what works in their business with multiple long-haired breeds – and also can spend more on tools than the average home groomer.)

        Winnie’s “Mom” seems to have no shortage of funds, but it is clear she takes *excellent* care of her floor-coated Shih Tzu, so I bought quite a few products she uses and recommends as the best with her dog (but doesn’t sell herself, btw). That was my splurge.

        Search for “Winnie the Tzu” on YouTube and you can follow the entire saga, from the time she was first brought home. She shows you exactly what she does – from bath to treats – and links to products she prefers below the videos.

        There are also several “Shih Tzu face grooming” videos – look for dogs with white faces, since the cause of stinks and stains are the same.

        TInk says, “Happy Birthday Boo!” and I say, thanks for the tips about the lasagna.

        xx,
        mgh

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      3. As soon as I started watching the video I remembered why I can’t do home grooming. I’m allergic to conditioners and I would break out if I used any detangling products. Best for me to leave it to the professionals.

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      4. Well THAT makes just too much sense! btw – you CAN brush and comb dry, despite what they tell you. Unless you plan to show Boo, does it really matter if you split a few ends while you detangle? 🙂

        Tink’s not crazy about the smell of most of those products — the minute we’re done, he rolls around rubbing himself on anything that hasn’t been recently washed ONLY when I use them, so we almost always brush dry unless their use is *absolutely* necessary (sticker burrs, for example).

        If there is any kind of fabric softener sheet you are not allergic to, you can get rid of Phillis Diller hair by rubbing a sheet over the fur to tame the static in the winter – only once you’re done (doesn’t help detangle). Tink doesn’t seem to hate the smell of the fragrance “free” ones.

        BUT – in your case, I think Boo’s appts. with the groomer are probably one of those things that need to stay in your budget.
        xx,
        mgh

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