Pig-Pen

Today’s workday ended on a good note when I got a call from Ryan saying he wasn’t working late tonight. That meant we would have ample time to head to the dog park with Sadie!

It’s been a while since we’ve paid a visit to the ol’ park, and Sadie was ready and rearin’ to go!

Is that the face of a happy dawg or what?

Sadie’s face wasn’t the only happy one at the park tonight…

After I snapped this picture of Ryan he said, “I feel like Pig-Pen!”

 

He wasn’t lying. The noseeums were out in full force tonight!

I can’t wait until the weather cools off a bit and the pesky bugs are gone. They attack me every time I go outside to take pictures of my food in our backyard. Not fun. The only thing I like about them is watching baby ducklings jump into the air to try to eat them with their little beaks. Adorable!

We played with Sadie at the park for just under an hour before heading home for dinner.

Dinner

Tonight was quite the unusual night: I wanted something cold for dinner.

A “throw a little bit of everything in a bowl” salad sounded good to me!

My salad included:

• Cabbage
• 1 large red pepper
• 1/2 medium zucchini
• 1/2 plum tomato
• Large handful shoestring carrots
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 oz. shrimp, chopped
• Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame dressing

It hit the spot!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin Everywhere!

Good news!

Not only are pumpkin spice beverages available at Starbucks now (I have a serious obsession with light pumpkin spice Frappuccinos), but other places are stocking up on fall decorations, treats and more.

Check out the lovely autumn display I saw at Bath and Body Works this evening when I stopped by to nab some soap for our kitchen:

I spent a good 20 minutes smelling all of the fall-scented candles. A new favorite: Creamy pumpkin.

I absolutely adore the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Any candle that combines those scents is a winner in my book.

Here’s hoping grocery stores begin stocking canned pumpkin soon…

Tonight

I’m off to update our wedding registry and add some new dish towels to the list because Ryan someone burnt a hole in one of our nice ones tonight. 😉

See ya on FRIDAY morning! 😀

Under the Sea

“Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it’s better
Down where it’s wetter
Take it from me”

I looked to the sea for my lunch this afternoon.

Well hello there, shrimpies!

Cold Shrimp

After enjoying salmon burgers for dinner last night, I was really feelin’ the sea food vibe and decided to make myself a healthified shrimp salad for lunch.

To begin, I boiled several large, frozen shrimp until they were pink and ready for peeling. (I definitely just wrote “peeing.” Good catch.)

"Great! All peeled! Now gimme one."

After peeling the shrimp, I put them in the fridge to chill for a bit.

(Side note: I cannot say “chill for a bit” without thinking of “Shoop” by Salt N Peppa! Anyone else remember Ellen’s rendition of the song? Hilarious. Love her.)

Once the shrimp were sufficiently cold, I chopped them up and transformed them into a delicious shrimp salad which I prepared by combining the following:

• 3 ounces peeled, chopped shrimp
• 1 tbsp. light Miracle Whip (mayonnaise will also work)
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• Old Bay seasoning, to taste

Pre-Stirred Shrimp Salad

I topped a whole wheat tortilla with baby greens and the shrimp salad and served the wrap along with a sliced orange bell pepper.

Shrimp Salad

Get in Close for the Good Stuff

Orange Bell Pepper

Tasty!

Tuesday Lunch

Enough with the Shrimp Salad Pics. Wrap it Up Already! 😉

Of Possible Interest

• Three Moves that Target the Heck Out of Your Abs (FitBottomedGirls.com)
• Banish That Belly in Three Easy Steps (FitSugar.com)
• 7 Easy Ways to Lighten Up Your Snacks (Health.com)

Question of the Afternoon

• What is your all-time favorite Disney movie?

Without a doubt, mine is The Little Mermaid. When I was growing up I used to pretend to be Ariel in our pool. A green bucket served as my “Flounder.” 😉

The Little Mermaid

All morning I’ve been listening to songs from the movie through Grooveshark (hence the “Under the Sea” reference at the beginning of this post) and am making a serious effort to keep my singing inside my head rather than belting it out for my coworkers to hear.

“I wanna be where the people are, I wanna see, wanna see ’em dancin’…”