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Heather's Dish

Heather's Dish

How I’ve Fallen in Love with Gardening + Progress

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How I've Fallen in Love with Gardening + Progress

Let me preface this post with this statement: I know nothing about gardening. Like really, not a thing. I attribute my ability to keep plants alive this year to the fact that I read the little tag thingy that came with each particular plant and told me when to plant and how much water they needed.

 

The rest y’all? Dumb luck.

How I've Fallen in Love with Gardening + Progress

Let’s backtrack a tad though, shall we? When I was a kid I vowed that I would never ever have a garden. This all stems (HA GET IT? – STEMS?! anyway…) from the fact that my mother enjoyed gardening and we were always required to go out and help her with it. And see, it’s not that we (I) didn’t like being out there with her, but I just so wanted to delve into yet another Babysitters Club book or watch TV instead.

 

I also remember a few choice times that gardening became month-long outdoor projects in which I, being the older of two sisters, worked my arms and fingers to the bone while my sweet younger sister would go inside and “make lemonade” for us. Translation: Salah went inside and watched TV while the rest of us labored in the hot sun to dig out cedar bushes of death or hand-build a fence.

 

No, I’m not still bitter…why do you ask?

How I've Fallen in Love with Gardening + Progress

And yet here I am today, dreaming and scheming about a real-life in-ground garden and hoping I can get some help from my garden-savvy friends here in Arkansas. How did I go from die-hard garden-hater to that girl who obsessively measures her tomatoes daily to see how they’ve grown?

 

Really the biggest change has been the realization that 1) we want and need to eat more vegetables, 2) we want and need to eat locally more often, 3) it’s cheaper to grow our own food in order to achieve #1 and #2. PLUS it’s kind of fun, as it turns out, to nurture something from teeny plant to full-grown delicious food provider. Who knew?

 

This year I’ve planted zucchini, Arkansas Traveler heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, thyme, rosemary and fresh mint. We also have two aloe plants that I’ve bravely brought back from the brink of certain death many times. All of these guys are growing in containers on our patio, which I both love because it’s gorgeous but also don’t love because of the bees earlier in the season. I’ve seen My Girl. That’s all.

 

It’s become this really fun little thing to go out on the patio every morning with Wes and point out the veggies we’re growing and see how they change daily. I get excited – like to the point of downright bragging to people who absolutely do NOT care – when the tomatoes start to change colors. When I saw a female zucchini flower start to grow the other day and turn into an actual zucchini my heart goes all aflutter. And the bell peppers are the cutest little guys when the flower falls off and they start bubbling out.

 

I kind of get why my mom had such a beautiful garen all those years now!

How I've Fallen in Love with Gardening + Progress

So that being said I had my very first “harvest” yesterday and I think it just fed this gardening love even more – one tomato (which I will be eating with lunch tomorrow) and a handful of basil. I made some basil-infused simple syrup that will shared soon and I can hardly handle the goodness there. Y’all will love it. And with all the rain we’ve been having lately my Travelers are almost up to 5 feet tall and bearing the craziest amount of baby tomatoes. I love it.

 

Hope y’all like tomatoes. And obsessive, albeit clueless, gardening 🙂

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Comments

  1. Meseidy says

    June 30, 2014 at 4:49 pm

    I’ve tried gardening…but I kill everything. 🙁 You rock!

    Reply
    • Heather says

      July 1, 2014 at 6:40 am

      Girl, every year for the past 6 I’ve done the same thing. This is catching everyone by surprise!

      Reply
  2. Carole West says

    June 12, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Love gardening – it’s a process of personal growth that simply welcomes goodness and well I just love knowing where my food comes from. Great post! -Carole at GardenUp green

    Reply
  3. lauren says

    June 11, 2014 at 9:39 am

    I am a huge gardening convert. Same experience: grew up with one, didn’t care then but BOY do I care now! Gardening for us is such a no brainer and is INCREDIBLY rewarding. I honestly cannot say enough good things about it. My favorite thing is to go out back and pick herbs that I use for dinner. I mean come on! How glorious is that?
    I’m so glad you are enjoying yours!

    Reply
    • Heather says

      June 11, 2014 at 2:14 pm

      I love that too! I feel so proud when I use hand-picked herbs in our dinners 🙂

      Reply
  4. Julie says

    June 10, 2014 at 7:14 pm

    Congrats on your first garden! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Catherine says

    June 10, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    I remember every spring my mother would herd us outside to spend the day tending to the garden. I thought that was bad, but you seemed to be far more involved! But things change as we change, eh? 🙂 Your patio plants are lovely – I wish you a good harvest!

    Reply
  6. Megan (Braise The Roof) says

    June 10, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    First of all, Babysitters Club!!! Excellent reference. I miss those books. 🙂

    I am totally in the same boat as you: I know nothing about gardening, but am daydreaming about being able to plant one IN THE GROUND in the future. For now, I’ll embrace my little pot that I planted with herbs a few weeks ago. Need another easy-to-sustain plant? Parsley. I have parsley coming out my ears!

    Reply
  7. Kim says

    June 10, 2014 at 9:03 am

    Having a garden is one of the things I miss the most from our last apartment! The trick is to water twice a day when it heats up later in the summer.

    Reply

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Just a couple quick reminders: ⭐️ healthy doe Just a couple quick reminders:

⭐️ healthy doesn’t have to be hard
⭐️ you’re allowed to “mess up”
⭐️ you’re allowed to be multidimensional
⭐️ don’t overcomplicate it 
⭐️ YOU ARE CAPABLE 

I have so many thoughts swirling around in my head these days, and half the time I don’t know which way is up. But I do know this: focusing on simplicity is the name of the game this year for me. It starts with the things I can control: my food intake, moving my body, my thoughts, my actions. The rest will stem from there!

Does anyone even do a word of the year anymore after 2020? If you do I’d love to see you share it below!
“I’m angry with God.” With those 4 words my “I’m angry with God.”

With those 4 words my Daddy forever changed the way I saw God. A pillar of fire didn’t come from the sky, the ground didn’t open up and swallow him whole, we didn’t get in a car wreck on the way home from piano lessons. And my Daddy never turned his heart from God; a short 20 minutes later we sat down at the dinner table and he praised him through prayer before we ate dinner. 

He taught me that when we are sad or frustrated or anxious or angry or feel that surely the weight of life will kill us - God is big enough to handle those feelings. Not just handle them, but walk closer than our breath through them. He cares, he’s there, and he even wants us to tell him. The more I think about it the more I see that my dad sharing his anger with God was the most honest display of faith I had seen up to that point.

The other day I uttered those same words in front of my boys, “I’m angry with God.” Just like me, they looked around to see where my smiting would come from, likely shocked (as I was) when it didn’t come. And just like me, they will see their parent praise God even in the midst of a firestorm of emotion. 

Why? Because God is good no matter what. My life feels like it’s crumbling before my eyes and I have no way of stopping it...but He is still on his throne. I will praise him no matter the circumstances because he has been good to me. I will write his word on my windows as a constant reminder that this life of mine is dedicated to his glory.
For someone who loves words so much, I really don' For someone who loves words so much, I really don't have many of them right now. 
.
On December 26, 2020 - after over a decade of fighting Corticobasal Degeneration, a rare progressive neurological disorder - my incredible, near-perfect Daddy left this world and has made his home with Jesus. Ever since then I've been struggling to find the words to pay homage to the most amazing man in the world. How do you sum up the life of someone who has impacted so many for good? How do I ever share how the little day-to-day expressions, smiles, words, wit, strength, grit, grace, humility, hard work and love have been woven into my very being? One of the last things I told him before he left was that there truly are no words yet for the kind of love he shared with me, my sister, and our beautiful mother. He was truly one-of-a-kind in every way, and we are so blessed because of the way he poured himself out for us. 
.
Daddy, I love you so much. The only thing that's softening the pain of your absence is knowing that those very last words I said to you - "I'll see you soon" - will come true because I know you'll be waiting for me in Heaven. My very own Daddy - you are always with me. I love you beyond words.
Just two gals who crushed a 50 minute run today! Just two gals who crushed a 50 minute run today! 

As we move into goal setting for the new year, may I suggest starting with your physical health? Not to fit the bikini body mold that society normalizes, but to actually BE as healthy as possible. When everything hit the fan for me this year I dug into two things that have been integral to creating positive growth and a healthier mindset: 

1️⃣ my relationship with God
2️⃣ my physical health

What that’s looked like for me on the health front: holding fast to my commitment to whole food nutrition, grace for the days when I choose otherwise, pushing myself to lift heavier in workouts, and taking up running again. 

What’s happened as a result? When I push myself physically, when I choose to practice discipline to do what I know is best for my body, it makes it infinitely easier to choose that same healthy discipline in every other area of life. You want to dominate your goals? Start with your health!
Remember when I blogged about food? 😂 Gosh the Remember when I blogged about  food? 😂 Gosh the past few months have been nuts. I’m still over here figuring out how to eat well without sacrificing my life in the kitchen, and this is a bowl I couldn’t NOT share with y’all. The best thing is that everything is almost always on hand in my fridge, it’s packed with nutrition, and tastes AMAZING!

In the bowl:
-rice mixed with Trader Joe’s Zhoug sauce
-broiled shredded Brussels sprouts
-chickpeas
-baby  arugula
-grilled chicken breast
-Romesco sauce (from Trader  Joe’s but I usually make my own)
-a little  tzaziki sauce

This meal has been on repeat all week, only changing the rice for riced cauliflower and omitting the chickpeas on low carb days. YUM! I find that if I have a variety of roasted veggies, grilled chicken, and a few different sauces on hand I can almost always come up with a great bowl for almost any meal!
It’s a beautiful day for Small Business Saturday It’s a beautiful day for Small Business Saturday y’all! Almost 4 years ago I took a leap of faith and said yes to this job in an effort to create another stream of revenue. I had NO CLUE that it would change my life for the better in almost every way, that it would reignite my passion for health and community, that it would provide in so many beautiful ways. But it has, and I am so thankful to all of you who have trusted me and supported me along the way. 

When you shop with a small business you are literally a hero in their eyes, validating and supporting and protecting them. You guys are my heroes, and I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️ 

#smallbusinesssaturday #happydance
Affirmations for YOU today. Even when you don’t Affirmations for YOU today. Even when you don’t feel it, these are truths that I’m holding for you. ❤️
3 things you can do RIGHT NOW to improve your day: 3 things you can do RIGHT NOW to improve your day:

1️⃣ SMILE! Even if you don’t feel like it, smiling (even forcing it to the point of feeling weird) has actually been scientifically proven to improve mood, lower stress, and boost your immune system. I actually recommend doing it awkwardly around other people because it’ll make them smile too 😉

2️⃣ GRATITUDE! Right now, before you talk yourself out of it, say or write 3 things you’re thankful for. Big, small, or in between. In this moment I’m going to say sticky notes, my Le Creuset Dutch Oven, and the Hamilton soundtrack. BOOM!

3️⃣MOVE! Get up off your tush, right now, and move your body. Walk around your house, do some jumping jacks, lock yourself in the bathroom and do a little dance, whatever. This isn’t about looking cool, it’s about giving yourself a better day. 

Things are hard, ambiguity and uncertainty isn’t fun, but we can control ONE THING: ourselves. Praying that you choose to gift yourself a little bit of happiness today! 

Now, tell me below, what’s one thing you’re thankful for RIGHT NOW?
HASHTAG MOOD. Y’all, I’m so jealous of my dog HASHTAG MOOD. Y’all, I’m so jealous of my dog 😂 Who else feels me here? 🙋🏼‍♀️ #dogdays #2020mood
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