The World According to Bella

Catching up : Sadie Comes to Visit

So far this summer I have spent a lot of my time resting in my dirt hole which keeps me cool. When Mrs. S isn't looking I dig deeper. I'm still on yard patrol for Mrs. S watching and scaring any intruders off. She says I do a really good job because her flowers and plants have not been eaten lately.  

On a real hot day (we've had very few) I head for the lake. Here I was trying to decide if I really wanted to jump in to catch a decoy toy.

But I was brave jumped and swam to shore clutching the toy decoy in my jaws. Everyone was impressed with my doggie paddle skills.  

The most fun is sitting on the front of the boat. I am always hoping someone will take me for a ride. There are always extra treats on board.

Sadie came to visit a few days ago. I can tell you that I am no match for her high energy level. I guess Sadie's owners leashed her to the deck because they were worried she would run off. 

 

Inside it was hard watching Sadie play with my toys, 

drink from my water bowl and get loads of attention from Mr. C and Mrs S. I felt good when Mrs. S gave me an extra belly rub and told me I was being nice to share.

But I 'drew the line' when Sadie moved in on my special blanket. I growled several times and pushed her out of the way. I was not sharing it!

On our walks I had a hard time keeping up with her. Sadie darted and zipped here, there and everywhere. Sometimes I just stood on the road watching her zoom past me. By the time we got home we were both exhausted and had to take naps. Maybe I'm not in as good shape as I thought.  

I did like the rawhide bone treats her owners brought. 

Sadie really liked being at the lake. She got lots of exercise running around and around and around.  As for me, I got tired watching Sadie run all around. I needed another nap and an aspirin because my legs hurt trying to keep up.

  By the end of her visit Sadie and I were rested and nicely posed for a picture.

Love, Bella

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Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese

Cook's notes:This recipe comes from Cooking Light. The recipe works because it is versatile. The frittatas can be served as a brunch item or an appetizer. Bacon or roasted red peppers can be substituted for ham and cheddar cheese for white cheddar cheese. For this recipe I used white cheddar cheese and bacon bits. 

The recipe makes 14 mini frittatas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2/3 cup chopped reduced-fat ham or diced cooked bacon
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 2 TB. fresh chives
• 1/8 tsp. thyme
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 large egg

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a small skillet saute onion about 2 minutes.
• Add ham and saute 2 minutes more.  
• In a bowl add egg whites and 1 egg, whisk to blend well.
• Add in chives, thyme, cheese and pepper and blend.
• Use cooking spray and grease a miniature muffin pan .
• Fill muffin well 3/4 full.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until set. 

Studies have shown that eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism and helps you stay more focused and alert throughout the day than people who skip it. They also eat fewer calories overall each day.