Good news, bad news...

Well, the good news is, Cooper didn't get kicked out of puppy class. However, I must point out the fact that she was the only dog in attendance. Hopefully the word didn't get out that a full beagle was registered, scaring away other proud dog owners from enlisting their "children" in our class. Nah. That can't be right.

The truth is, our little bundle of joy surprised us. Our trainer, Betsy, is a take-no-crap kind of person, and she warned us before meeting Cooper that beagles are notorious for being stubborn, hyper, and pretty much the worst-behaving dog breed in existence.

But her first night of structured training went rather well. We practiced getting her to come when called, sitting, shaking (apparently you are supposed to say "paw" instead of "shake" since the latter sounds too much like "sit") and laying down. I almost did a cartwheel when Betsy said she was the most mellow beagle she'd ever worked with. Then, I wanted to say, "Really, lady? You haven't seen nothing yet."

Since she's the only dog in the class, we're getting a pretty good deal. We're going to get three private lessons with Betsy over the next three weeks, then we'll move into a Thursday night puppy class, since Betsy says Cooper really needs to socialize with other dogs.

That should be fun.

All in all though, we were proud. We came home and practiced some more, and she did great. Of course, the treats (which from now on have to be referred to as "cookies") helped.

Now, the bad news.

Since the husband is out of town with his team this weekend, I decided to jumpstart my weekend by baking up a storm yesterday afternoon, so I could bake some goodies for his road trip. In other words, I got to christen my newest prized possession: the bright yellow Kitchenaid stand mixer.

In theory, it should have been a piece of cake (pardon the pun). I tried the red velvet cheesecake brownie recipe, which I figured I could pull off. Problem is, I didn't have the right size pan. Instead, I opted for my bigger cookie sheet. Bad idea.

Had I taken the bigger size into consideration at the beginning, I may have set the timer for like, 10 minutes less. But I didn't. Which turned into brownies that tasted more like bricks.

Lucky for me, I also made some brownies from a box, just as a backup. Good call.

Now, I told my husband (since I've been a cooking fiend all week) that if he ever tastes one of my culinary masterpieces that he doesn't like, HE CAN TELL ME.

Being the sweetheart he is, he just said, "Tastes good to me!" Meanwhile, I was angrily tossing the burned contents of the pan into the trash.

Oh, well. Not bad for a first attempt. And I must admit, I grinned from ear to ear the first time I switched on that glorious stand mixer.

Next time.

School days... or, nights...

So today is our first school "day" as parents! Sort of. At 8 p.m., we'll be in the PetSmart pet training room for our beagle puppy's first class. We're anticipating she'll be the class clown, although we're holding out hope that she'll behave herself.

Cooper, who was a surprise birthday present from my husband back in October, has been a good dog for the most part. She's hyper and she whines and bites and tries to get in the cat's litterbox (gross), but at the end of the day, she's a part of our family and we wouldn't have it any other way.

 

So last night marked another successful evening in the kitchen for yours truly. Who said I couldn't be a good cook? This recipe (another from Pinterest) is one I've dubbed the ChickSpinWheel. Although, the original poster calls it the Chicken and Spinach Crescent Ring. Whatever you call it, it was pretty tasty.  My version wasn't quite as pretty as the original, but I think I did okay:

If a clean pan is any indication, then I think I deserve an A+!

Addicted to Pinterest recipes!

Pinterest is becoming a pretty popular site, and I kinda wish I had discovered it before my wedding! But alas, even though I don't need ideas for flowers or decor or gowns, there's plenty more fun stuff for this nutty newlywed to look at!

For instance... RECIPES! I've made two recipes I've found on Pinterest, two days in a row. Monday night was healthy fish sticks, and yesterday I made the easiest crockpot chicken ever. Based on clean plates and a happy husband, I think they were a success.

Next, my goal is to make something, ANYTHING, that calls for a stand mixer. Because that, my friends, is my favorite wedding gift. It's yellow (favorite color ever) and the fact that it's sitting on my kitchen counter makes me feel like a professional baker. Now, I just need to use it.

So I think I'm going to try out yet another recipe found on Pinterest... these red velvet cheesecake brownies. I have a feeling they aren't Weight Watchers-friendly, but maybe I can call on my inner self-control. Or not. I'll be back to report the results!

51 days and counting...

Only 21 more days until we tie the length of Kim Kardashian's most recent marriage! My husband is psyched for that milestone.

It's still strange to me that we had a wedding, went to Mexico, and are now just... married. The entire wedding week feels like a dream. When I look at pictures I'm happy, but also a little sad. After all, your wedding day is supposedly the most important day of your life, so knowing that it's over is a little hard to accept.

I've actually read about a condition called the post-wedding blues, and I have a feeling a lot of recent brides go through it. You plan and plan and plan some more, putting so much hope and expectation on this special event, and then when it's over and reality sets in, you have to accept that it's over and move forward into your marriage. Yeah, I'm sort of learning how to do that.

I thought a blog about the life of a newlywed would be fun, and I have a feeling a lot of people will be able to relate. I plan to share the adventures of time spent with my new husband and our beagle puppy, Cooper, while also sharing stories about learning how to be a good wife.

Maybe we should plan a special date for day #72... just to celebrate beating KK. :)