Spring is in the Air (In my Dreams)

So maybe I'm pushing things a bit. It was still really chilly today, barely 40 and not at all spring like. But I like searching for the signs of things to come. Kind of like this guy who seems to be looking around for some signs as well.



What got me really excited were the little heads of this tulip foliage poking through.



And this Camellia bud wanting to open


And believe it or not I do have actual flowers blooming. We are lucky enough in the Pacific Northwest to have something available for bloom just about year round. I had about a week where this wasn't true in my yard, but once the snow melted the primroses started flowering again.





And the heather got pretty as well


Now a few weeks later the pulmonaria is starting its show. The pulmonaria rubra is always the first to show its color. The blue ones will follow in a couple of weeks.



And there are a few plants that although they don't have true flowers, they remind me enough of flowers that I am fooled a bit.




If my outdoor flowers don't cheer me enough (because they are very tiny and far between) I do have one blooming inside. I bought this orchid this past summer at a plant sale at work. Much to my delight it's sending out beautiful little yellow flowers! I can't take credit for this at all. Randy waters and cares for all of the inside plants. Doesn't he do a great job! :-)


And I'm not really sure what this has to do with spring but I just had to share this little bit of new color in my life. We had good enough weather this week that Randy was able to finish up painting the front door that we had primered a while back. The first color that we chose, Behr's Cranberry Splash was um...er....welll...PINK! We were looking for a burgandy red. The first coat we put on the door scared us to death!


So we headed to Home Depot and came back with Cherry Cobbler. Much better!



We bought new hardware for the door too. I really like how it turned out.

So that's the extent of my spring dreams. I'm sitting here with my fuzzy socks on and the fire place lit.

I haven't decided what's for dinner tonight, but thought I'd share my little lunch. It's actually kind of spring like. I wanted something filling and tasty but low in calories. I bought these wraps this week and decided they would be a perfect vehicle. I have tried a lot of these types of wraps in search of one that is tasty and tolerable in texture. Most I ended up throwing away. I finally have found one I can live with and even like ~ LaTortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Soft Wraps, Tomato Basil flavor. The taste is nice and they don't have that gritty texture that a lot of others do.


And here are my Smoked Salmon wraps with some carrots on the side. 4 pts for you WW people.

Smoked Salmon Wraps

Makes 2

Ingredients:

	3 1/2 oz smoked salmon, flaked (I used a cajun flavored one). 2 tbsp Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Whipped Cream Cheese (or brand of your preference)
	1 tbsp light sour cream
	1 tsp minced garlic
	1 tbsp onion(s), chopped
	1 tbsp bell pepper(s), chopped
	1/4 cup(s) packaged coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
	1/4 large tomato(es), chopped
	1/4 tsp garlic salt, or to taste
	1/8 tsp ground ginger, fresh ginger would be great if you had it
	1/8 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
	1/8 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
	1/4 tsp dried dill weed
	1/2 cup(s) romaine lettuce, you only need a few leaves
	2 item(s) LaTortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Tomato basil wraps
	1 tbsp cilantro, optional, but I sprinkled a few chopped leaves over the lettuce.

Instructions

Flake salmon and add remaining ingredients except for lettuce & wrap. Mix well. I used a cajun flavored salmon. Use a sprinkle of your favorite cajun seasoning if you can't find it. Lay wraps flat and place a few leaves of lettuce in the center of each. Divide the salmon mixture between the two wraps, laying on the lettuce leaves. Add cilantro if you're using it. Fold in sides and roll up burrito style. Cut in half and serve with fresh carrot chips or a green salad.