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Heather's Dish

Heather's Dish

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Part1

It’s been over a week since Thanksgiving, and I have decided between then and now that one thing this blog is missing is more life. Our life, to be specific. After blogging for over 4-1/2 years I’m still trying to strike a good balance between living life, writing about life, and being open – but not too open – about it all. There are some things that are just better left to our family, little nuggets of beauty and celebration that we can tuck in our pockets and enjoy, just the three of us.

 

One thing that I’ve become very aware of, though, is that blogging about our life as it happens is a fantastic way to bring even more relational community to this little online space. Every Friday I’m going to be picking out some of my favorite Instagram pictures from the week to share just what we’ve been up to around here. I hope you’ll join me 🙂

 

The day after Thanksgiving Nate and I left Wes with Nate’s mom and sister and took off to the movies to go see Delivery Man. I know Vince Vaughn’s movies can be kind of colorful, and I’ll admit that most of them we’ve seen and quote regularly. But this was definitely a fantastic feel-good movie that we both enjoyed and was relatively family-friendly!

 

That night, after dinner, we were all able to sit back and just enjoy the glow of Christmas lights. I really love Christmas decorations, but simple white lights are always my favorite. If that’s all we ever put up I think I’d be totally fine with that!
Part2

 

My sweet Bunker boy. I love those smooshy lips and his fluffy neck so stinking much! Maybe that sounds crazy to some, but those little characteristics are things that I’ve loved ever since he was a teeny puppy. There have been times as he’s grown up that I’ve marveled at how floppy and drooly those puppy lips could get, the wrinkles under his chin, the touches of grey that are showing up more and more on his muzzle. We are so blessed to have such sweet dogs to love on.

 

I’ve been making daily batches of my simple homemade Christmas potpourri, replenishing the spices and orange peels daily. We each have one Cutie a day, which means 3 new peels each time! Throw it in a mini crockpot with a bunch of spices (you can use the ground ones too!) and you’ve got a wonderful smelling house with almost zero effort. And a snack to boot!

Part3

The other day we were out running errands, some of which involved government offices and paperwork and such. My little guy is so laid-back and easy to be around 99% of the time, but that morning was the 1% where he decided to throw a full-on screaming crying tantrum in the middle of the office building. People were literally getting up from their desks to see what in the world the matter was, looking at me like I was pinching him or something. Afterwards we grabbed lunch to go, and I got my celebratory “made it through another tantrum” coffee, a much needed treat to say the least. Luckily Wes took a nap and was in a great mood the rest of the day!

 

I have never lived in a place that has nearly as many trees as Arkansas. It’s so beautiful here, and the fall foliage is amazing…but then the leaves inevitably fall and we inevitably have to rake them all. Our back yard is massive and has tons of trees, so we decided to wait until the last possible moment to rake until after almost every leaf was gone. Last weekend we spent hours raking, blowing, mulching, bagging and otherwise tending to the back yard, only to see 2 days later that it had been littered shamelessly by the remaining leaves in the trees. Even with all the word we did there are spots that literally have 6 inches of leaves to clean up again!

Part4

Despite the fact that I’m living in constant fear of a power outage caused by this crazy winter storm raging outside, a few days ago we were in shorts and T-shirts, playing at the park and sweating because it was WARM. Wes was crawling through a bunch of tunnels and playing peekaboo and I got to snag one of my favorite pictures of him yet! I think this one may be blown up and framed for all eternity. Seriously.

 

Two nights ago I made homemade roasted garlic for the first time in a long time, and I cannot believe how long it’s taken me to do it. Roasted garlic is one of the best smells in existence, and it’s incredibly easy to make. I pureed mine into a creamy cauliflower sauce (Lindsay’s recipe) and smothered a fabulous chicken and spinach lasagna in it all. Heavenly.

Part5Wes has been on a kick this week of waking up at 5am rather than 6 or 6:30, which is probably not my favorite trend at the moment. Then, around 8:30 or 9 he’s zonked out in the car or laying on the floor sleepily. I keep wanting to say “I told you so” but something tells me that reasoning would be lost on him right now. Besides, I get to take cute sleeping pictures of him like the one above 😉

 

This weekend is supposed to be crazy cold, crazy icy, and there’s more chances than not that the power will go out. I’m praying the last one won’t happen, that we can just huddle up inside with movies and books and a working heater rather than try to figure out another option. We’ll see; I’m working on not living in fear of the impending power outages at the moment. And taking in the pretty white lights on the tree and mantle alongside snuggles from my boys.

 

I hope y’all have a fantastic weekend!

 

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Comments

  1. heidi fulton says

    December 9, 2013 at 1:44 pm

    hello there
    just discovered your lovely blog! I like in the UK and always looking for new and exciting recipes to try. I love to entertain, bake, cook and collect cookery books from all over the world. hope to have my own blog or page one day. thank you
    heidi

    Reply
    • Heather says

      December 9, 2013 at 2:46 pm

      Welcome Heidi! I’m so glad you’re here! Hopefully you’ll leave uplifted and encouraged and hungry 🙂

      Reply
  2. Debby says

    December 6, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    Loved this piece!

    Reply
  3. DessertForTwo says

    December 6, 2013 at 10:17 am

    I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times, but your smile is so bright and warm and contagious! I love it 🙂

    Reply

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For my @fasterwaytofatloss friends, here’s an AM For my @fasterwaytofatloss friends, here’s an AMAZING low-carb day dish: roasted cauliflower with smoked paprika and almonds! It’s so simple to make, incredibly flavorful, and pairs really well with truly any protein. Enjoy!

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA AND ALMONDS
* 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
* 2 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp smoked paprika
* 1/2 tsp garlic powder
* 1/2 tsp pepper
* 1/3 cup slivered raw almonds
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Spread the cauliflower florets onto a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder, then toss to evenly coat it all.
4. Roast at 375 for 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.
5. When there are 3 minutes left, open the oven and sprinkle the almonds on top.
6. Roast for another 3-4 minutes until the almonds are just lightly toasted, then remove and serve immediately.
Captain’s log: Going on day 174 (give or take) o Captain’s log: Going on day 174 (give or take) of being iced in, virtual schooling, working full time, creating snow day memories, working out, eating healthfully, and trying to remember to wash my face (spoiler: today I did not wash my face. Yet). Getting me through: significantly lower expectations, coffee, and drinking smoothies by the fireplace. If there’s a silver lining in the quarantines from last year it’s that I know now that I can handle much more chaos than I thought I could 🤪
A little #howitstartedvshowitsgoing situation with A little #howitstartedvshowitsgoing situation with my avocado plant! Swipe to see this little guy as a teeny sprout 🌱 

I remember when I wasn’t sure it would sprout at all, and then one day the seed split and there it was! We also hit a point November-January where there was zero growth and I wondered again if it was a waste of time.

Now there are new leaves, new height, and (most importantly) stronger roots, all because of a little patience and care (it’s a metaphor y’all 😆). I find myself excited about the next season where it will be planted in dirt, which will offer new challenges - and growth- of its own. What a blessing to learn such deep lessons from a humble seed!

God, thank you for the little things that show us how much the little things matter. Amen.
Why am I looking away? Simple: because it was the Why am I looking away?

Simple: because it was the best photo out of a billion that I took of myself 🤣 Sometimes it all works, today it didn’t. 

Wanna know what DOES work though? This amazing new deodorant! The biggest question I get about cleaner products is always about which is the best natural deodorant. Friends, I’ve found some decent ones in the past, but this one takes the cake!

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🙋🏼‍♀️ Hi, my name is Heather and I str 🙋🏼‍♀️ Hi, my name is Heather and I struggle getting enough protein into my diet. Who else can relate?!

One of my physical health goals this year is to gain lean muscle and get stronger, which means that I need to be getting enough protein in on a daily basis. For me a great source of lean protein is chicken breasts, but if they don’t taste great I’m not having it! So, if this is you, I have a solution for you: BRINE YOUR CHICKEN BREASTS! 

Here’s my fail-proof brine recipe for perfectly flavorful chicken breasts. Cook ‘em however you want - just make sure you brine them first! The difference is enormously worth it!

Recipe is for about 4-6 chicken breasts:
•3 tablespoons kosher salt
•3 tablespoons honey
•2 cups lukewarm water
•2 cups cold water

In a large saucepan bring the first 3 ingredients to a simmer. Remove and stir until the salt is dissolved, then pour in the cold water. IT MUST BE COLD - otherwise the brine will start to cook the chicken breasts! When the mixture is lukewarm, add the chicken breasts, making sure they’re covered in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 1-6 hours (I recommend 6 if you can). When they’re finished, remove from the brine, rinse, pat dry and cook as desired!
🏃🏼‍♀️Who else is struggling with findi 🏃🏼‍♀️Who else is struggling with finding cardio equipment for their home gym on a budget?

I love running, walking and hiking, but weather, childcare, and a certain global pandemic make consistently getting out to do those kinda difficult. I’ve always enjoyed my #homegym, but quality cardio equipment is expensive! 

So what’s a girl to do?

This past fall I randomly decided to look at steppers, and found this @sunnyhealthfitness one on @walmart for $50! I just wanted something that I could use for 20-30 minutes 4-ish days a week, and it’s been an amazing fit. Would I like a Peloton? Duh, of course. But this has worked so well with the budget and space we have!

What’s your biggest struggle in curating a home gym?
A blurry pickup line photo to tell you I can’t r A blurry pickup line photo to tell you I can’t recommend seeing a counselor or therapist enough. I was weird about it first, felt like my problems weren’t big or messy enough to warrant professional help. And when I did start seeing my counselor I was awkward (this shouldn’t be a surprise). But here we are 4 months later and I’m seeing some incredible life-giving movement. God is so good, and I’m so thankful for friends who normalized counseling and therapy for me!
So. It’s been a while since I posted on the feed So. It’s been a while since I posted on the feed (or really in my stories too). Truthfully I’m still heavily processing the last 2 months, which were preceded by 10 other hard months. Life is brutal and beautiful and next-level hard and a joy, all swirled together. I won’t pretend that everything is OK; it’s not. I’m not.
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BUT GOD.
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This past weekend I had a moment of complete clarity and joy and the knowledge that I will be OK. And for that only-God moment I’m so thankful. For all of you who have been praying for our family, who have offered the sweetest words and condolences, who have truly been there, waiting and wading with me through the hard - thank you. God is still good. He is still on his throne. And I am so unwaveringly thankful for that!❤️
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!
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