A Look Back: Heckman Halloweens of the Past

A blog that I follow recently posted all of her family's past Halloween costumes; and I thought it was such a cute idea that I'm totally copying it. 

I love looking back at old photos. Like, an hour can go by and I don't even notice! So this was a really fun post for me. And I know the grandparents will love it as well.

As for the rest of you... sorry if it's just a big ol post filled with pictures of my kids. :)

Halloween 2005

Sweet baby Payton dressed up like a little gator (insert "Awe!!!!" noise.)

2006

Gator football player... of course! :)

 2007

Sadly, I do not have these photos saved on my computer. They are all saved on an external drive. But I assure you he was cute as a button!

2008

Totally & completely obsessed with Thomas the Train.

2009

Tim Tebow... possibly the best costume ever.

2010

Moving into the stage of video games. This year he was Mario (and Parker is a little bun in the oven in this pic!)

2011

Recognize Parker's gator costume? We've seen that one before!
Payton is now into Pokemon and dressed as "Ash" with Pikachu on his back.

This picture was just too funny not to post. Look at Parker staring in disgust at Brian's fake mustache!!!

2012

Payton is now into scary ninja's and swords, etc. We still had control over Parker's choice, so of course he is a Gator football player. :) At least we're consistent!

2013

At this point, we've lost all control of the kids' costume choices. No themes. Nothing cute. Parker is Spiderman and Payton is some sort of dark creature/zombie thing.

I tried to make it sort of themed by dressing up as Robin. Even though Parker wasn't Batman... I tried.

2014

Finally got  everyone to agree on a theme again. Last year it was Star Wars. We had a variety of characters going on, but it was fun to be a collective group again.

I even got Brian to dress up... sort of. Not sure why i have such a tight grip on his hand, but I'm sure it was warranted. :)

Here's hoping everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! 

Recipe: Breaded Oven Baked Salmon

I tried out a new salmon recipe this week and promised to post it if it were a success.

Well, it was a HUGE success, so here it is...

Typically I bake salmon about once a week. I use the same recipe almost all the time because I know the kids love it. But the main ingredient in that recipe is soy sauce, and when I went to make it this week... we were all out of soy sauce! Oops!

Off to Google I went.

I found a few "oven baked salmon recipes" that sounded delicious, but I was missing at least one ingredient in almost every one. So I improvised and created this delectable creation:

Breaded Oven Baked Salmon

Ingredients:

• 4 Salmon filets
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs (or Panko bread crumbs with some seasoning would also be great)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 Tablespoons melted Butter
• EVOO for drizzling

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together honey, Dijon mustard and melted butter until combined.

2. Place breadcrumbs in another shallow dish

3. Dredge salmon fillets in mustard/butter mixture making sure to cover all sides, then place in breadcrumbs and cover all sides with breadcrumbs. Place in a greased shallow baking dish.

4. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumbs over salmon fillets, then drizzle with EVOO.

5. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until salmon is easily flaked with a fork.

Serve with a green veggie and some brown rice and you have a delicious, simple, healthy dinner.

(Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the cooked salmon, but this is exactly what it looked like)

YUM!

Fall Feelings

It's officially fall, but it's still in the 90's here, so it's hard to really get in the "fall mood" just yet. But we did have one beautiful kinda chilly morning last week and you better believe I had the front door and the french doors wide open with a crisp breeze flowing through the house.

But that afternoon, I was back to wearing a tank top and flip flops...

That's Florida for ya!

I even tried my hand at roasting an acorn squash for the first time to stir up some fall smells. It was SO good, and super easy.

All you do is cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, rub the entire inside (generously) with salted butter, and add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Roast at 400 degrees until fork tender. It screams "fall!"

And since I was roasting veggies, I threw in a couple diced up sweet potatoes and a bag of carrots. The kids loved it all.

I guess one of the perks of this not-so-fall weather is that we still get to go swimming and boating without freezing our tushies off.

We went sailing with some friends last weekend and took the kids with us this time. They had the BEST time and keep asking, "When are we going sailing again?!?" Super big "thank you" to our dear friends Tom and Bahama for the amazing boat ride and delicious dinner on board.

On a totally unrelated note, I just ordered a rug for our bedroom, and I'm so excited for it to arrive!

My e-designer that I've been working with has been fabulous! Since she lives here in Tampa, she sends me texts when she's out shopping and she sees something that would work in our bedroom. So far, I've purchased these lamps and shades (both from Target). The shades are a light grey color and the inside in gold - it's so beautiful.

And I can't wait to show you what she bought for me this week. I'll give you a hint...it's white and gold and it goes over our bed... and it has something to do with an animal. Any guesses???

I am so happy with how the room is turning out. My biggest project is yet to come though. She wants me to paint our two dressers. Yikes! I have to do a lot of research before I do it, but I'm excited to see the pieces transform.

One last set of pictures to share, just because they're too funny not to!

Parker found a toothbrush under his sink the other day and decided to brush Harry's teeth with it. That poor dog just laid there and let him brush his teeth! It was SO funny!

Can you see Parker smiling? He loved it.

I hope you all are enjoying all the splendors of fall wherever you may live. And if you need some inspiration... just read this post. You'll be full of super fun ideas for fall by the time you finish it!

Happy Fall Y'all!

This and That

Hey y'all!

I've got a little bit of this and that for you today. My apologies if I'm all over the board, but sometimes there's just not one topic that fits all the random thoughts going on in my brain. :)
Here we go...

I've been totally slacking on taking pictures of family meals lately, but I promise it's on my "to do" list. I've thrown together a few fun recipes lately that are - as always - simple and yummy. I am planning to post a new recipe later this week, so hang tight!

In the meantime, if you're enjoying some cooler fall temperatures (I'm jealous) this comfort food casserole is very tasty. I made it last week and served it with a huge helping of roasted veggies on the side and the boys loved it. It would also make an excellent casserole to bring to a new mom.

Click here for the recipe for Chicken Noodle Casserole.

Keeping with the food topic, we're headed into my favorite few months of the year and with those months comes lots of parties. I love hosting kids parties because they're a lot more casual and the kids generally love whatever you serve as long as there are some desserts involved. :)

I saw this cute idea the other day:

It's simply powered doughnut holes skewered on to sticks. Then they used white icing to attach candy eyeballs (I saw these candy eyeballs at Target this week). If you want to up the "gross factor" you could serve it with red raspberry sauce like they did here. Ewww! I know my kids would love everything about this.

My neighbor, Kathie, recently set up an ice cream bar at her house for both adults and kiddos. Instead of dirtying up a bunch of bowls, she used a cupcake pan to divvy out all the toppings. Brilliant! I will definitely be stealing this idea.

Moving on to my next favorite topic... shopping!

If you know me, you know I love shopping. 

And not just clothes shopping. I love to shop for pretty much anything... stuff for the house, stuff for my kids, stuff for my friends, stuff for my mom... pretty much anything.

I recently got a coupon in the mail from Victoria's Secret for $10 off any purchase, so I went in thinking maybe I'd pick up a new bra. But when I saw this sleep shirt, I knew it had to be mine! My kids know that it's risky to talk to mom in the morning before I've had my coffee. ;)

This is now my absolute favorite piece of clothing. I wish I could wear it to Publix and the gym and to the park with my kids. Ha! Ha!

After reading several of my favorite bloggers rave about this Nest Pumpkin Chai candle, I decided to mail one of them to my dear friend in Texas who is going through a lot right now. She could not say enough good things about this candle when she received it. Maybe I need to buy one for myself too...

In an attempt to spur on some cooler weather (and because it was on major sale) I bought one of these Bobeau Long Cardigans from Nordstrom. 

I bought the black and white striped one, which I no longer see on their web site (maybe because it sold out?), but let me tell you... I will be living in this cardigan! It's so lightweight and soft. I love how flowy it is. Definitely one to keep your eye on for when it goes on sale again.

And last but not least, I want to show a couple quick pics of our "finished" master bath. I am SO excited to have this project completed. The only thing left to do is pick out fun things like bath mats and soap dispensers (I've already taken back two sets of each!). 

So without further adieu...

My talented Aunt Cheryl painted that gorgeous painting above the tub. I LOVE how it adds a pop of color.

We went with a frameless shower - despite the ridiculous cost of it (what is it made of pure gold!?!?) and I'm so happy we did. It opens up the room so much.

Promise I'll post more pictures of the room once it's totally completed. Maybe I'll even have one of my talented photographer friends take them so you can actually see the true colors of everything (I desperately need to work on my camera skills). 

I'm also excited to be working with a super talented interior designer for an e-design consult to finish off our master bedroom.

While I'm thrilled with the paint colors we chose and our new headboard and curtains, I need some expert advice on lighting, rug, side tables, and so much more. I will let you know how things go after we meet up this week. So much fun stuff going on!

I hope you enjoyed my scattered brain today. Have a great rest of the week!

Phew! Busy, busy, busy!

In my last post, I shared the big news that we adopted a foster doggie named Harry Carey (Brian's idea to name him after the famous Chicago baseball announcer).

Since Harry arrived at our house things have been busy, busy, busy! And he seems to be adapting to our lifestyle very well... except for sleeping through the night. That one we're still working on (insert snoring sound)...

But I wanted to take a few moments to document a big weekend we had a couple weeks ago.

Both Brian and Payton finished their first triathlons!

I cannot tell you how proud I was of my two guys!

Brian's race was a sprint triathlon so he swam a 1/4 mile in open water, then biked 12 miles and finished it off with a 5K. I was so impressed with his time and his stamina. He did so well!

The kids and I had so much fun cheering him on at each of the transition sites. 

The race started with the swim portion - which would probably be most challenging for me - but Brian actually did his best time in the swim.

Then the bike section felt like it flew by (although I'm sure it didn't to Brian!). I didn't get any pictures of him on his bike because he came and went so fast it was hard to keep track of where he was!

But we did get him crossing the finish line and as you can tell, I was a tad bit excited. :)


The boys were so happy to see their daddy at the finish line, and we were all so proud of him!

Payton's race was the next morning, so once again we were out of the house before the sun and on the road to the race site.

His race was a YMCA kid's race and it was a 100 yard swim in the pool, a 2 mile bike ride and then a  1/2 mile run. Parker was so excited to cheer on his big brother.

So we get there and we waited. And waited. And waited some more.
Then the race finally starts and the storms roll in.
They were just about to start Payton's age group when... they delayed the race due to weather.

So we waited and waited and waited some more.
Then they said they would be resuming the race in about 30 minutes.

Thirty minutes passes and then we hear thunder.

Race cancelled.

Poor Payton was so upset.

He was so mentally and physically prepared to complete the race that it was so upsetting to him that it was over before he even got to start.

But the ever positive husband of mine had a great idea.

He suggested that we drive back to our community and see how the weather was there. Maybe our community pool would be open?

So, that's just what we did. And ya know what? That sweet boy completed his triathlon all by himself!

He swam 100 yards in the pool...

Then rode 2 miles on his bike (in the rain with his sweet daddy by his side!)

And then ran a full mile around the neighborhood...

Needless to say, we were all extremely proud of him for not giving up and finding a way to finish his race!

I'm wondering if these boys have now caught the "triathlon bug?" Brian says he would like to do another one again now that he knows how the races are run, but Payton is content to run our community's 5K with me on Halloween morning. Time to start training!

So between the races, having a new dog, trying to sleep train him (which is TOUGH), Brian's birthday, finishing up the bathroom renovation, and starting a couple of after-school programs, we've been BUSY! 

Brian's birthday dinner and comedy show with our good friends.

But no complaints here. They are all wonderful things keeping us busy. 

So now you'll have to excuse me as I go make a third cup of coffee so I can attempt to stay awake during Payton's Cub Scout meeting tonight. :)

Hope you all are enjoying the first few days of fall and actually enjoying some fall-like weather for me!

A Big Family Announcement...

** Head's up - there are a few videos embedded in this post. You will need to click on them in order to watch them on YouTube. Trust me... it's worth it! ***

I can finally reveal our big news!

No, I'm not pregnant. But we did add to our family this weekend.

Meet Harry Carey Heckman!

He's the most adorable 14-month old Havanese you ever did meet.

Here's the backstory...

It's been almost two years since we lost our beloved 14-year old Lhasa Apso, Rohy. And we've talked about getting another dog for about a year now, but we were all on different pages as far as what breed, what size, etc.

After lots of research we all agreed on three different breeds that we liked: Havanese, King Charles Spaniel and Wheaten Terrier. They are all medium sized dogs that do not shed, are hypoallergenic and we all agreed that we didn't want a newborn puppy, but we also didn't want an older dog. Oh, the most important item on the list was that we wanted to adopt a rescue dog, not buy one from a breeder.

The problem was, those three breeds are very highly sought after and are not typically what you would find in a shelter. But we were in no rush, so I was happy to wait until we found just the right pup.

So the hunt began!

I started searching local rescue sites and after a few months, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this adorable Havanese up for adoption!

He fit all the criteria! I thought it was too good to be true. Then, after a few weeks of emails and phone calls, I got the email saying that they wanted to set up a time to meet us. I was so excited, but we didn't want to tell the boys because if the rescue organization didn't end up choosing us as the adoptive family, I didn't want the kids to be disappointed.

So, Friday morning, Brian and I drove out to meet little Harry and we immediately fell in love. He was so gentle and sweet - much like the first time we met Rohy. Thankfully, right then and there they decided that we could take him home!

Car ride home

I felt like it was Christmas morning and we had the biggest best kept secret present for the boys. I could hardly wait for them to get home from school that afternoon!

Parker got home first...

And then Payton...

As you can see, the boys were thoroughly surprised and absolutely ecstatic!

The weekend has basically been spent playing with Harry...

Watching Harry sleep (which he does quite well)...

And laughing at all of his cuteness. 

He lays at the boys' bedroom door and waits for them to wake up in the morning. Melt my heart!

So there's our big news! We are officially doggie owners again.

I will continue to post here all about Harry's adaptation to our family as well as his funny Havanese antics that we're already learning about. In the meantime, thanks for sharing in our exciting news. :)

Bathroom Update & other news...

I'm so excited! Today we are finally getting our frameless glass shower installed!

The bathroom renovation took merely a week, but my inability to choose paint colors and a shower enclosure has kept the project going for over a month now. It was really hard for me to "bite the bullet" and spend the money on a frameless shower, but in the end, it just made more sense to fully update the shower along with the rest of the room.

Once the glass is in, I promise to post some before & after photos. Sadly I didn't take any real "before" photos, but I think my contractor did so I'll have to get copies from him. The best before shot that I have is this...

...which is clearly after they had demoed the shower. Oh well, at least you'll be able to see a difference.

On a totally different topic, last weekend we took the kids to Congo River Golf and had the best time. The weather was perfect - kind of overcast and breezy - so it wasn't miserably hot.

Brian, Payton and I kept score during the game (Brian slayed us), but Parker just enjoyed the mechanics of each hole trying to figure out where the ball should go and where it would come out on the other end if it had a drop section on the hole. He was a sweaty mess by the end of it from running all over the place chasing golf balls.

After mini golf, the boys did gemstone mining. And even though it's just a bag of sand and colored rocks, they absolutely love it!

On our way out, we always visit the gator and turtle pond. I don't know why, but it amazes me that the gators don't eat the turtles. They are like one big happy family.

Turtle yoga

And last but not least, today we celebrate our 14 year wedding anniversary. 

If I really sit and think about the fact that we started dating when we were such immature, wild college students, it amazes me that we knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. Totally a "God thing."

I could not have ever imagined how much Brian would impact my life and influence me to become a better person. He's the most encouraging, genuine, loving person I know. And to know in the depths of my heart that he is a God-fearing, spiritually encouraging, family-devoted, loving husband on top of that... it makes me want to cry.

But don't get me wrong, his crazy quirks drive me nut-so too! ;)

Seriously though, I feel incredibly blessed to be excited about the next 14 years together, and the next, and the next. Happy anniversary Brian. I love you.