Gather Savor Dwell

We went to bed super late on Saturday to a dusting of snow and woke up Sunday to about three or four inches of snow (which is saying something in this area). Keiko was unsure about going out in it this year, but once she trotted a little ways, she was soon zooming and frolicking around and didn’t seem keen on coming in.

We also woke up to no power, so Mr. Heid and I ventured out into the world where most things were closed (because the South is never ready for winter weather), ate brunch at Cracker Barrel (thank you for being open for those of us without power), went to Academy for rain boots and socks (I was loooong overdue for new rain boots and this was the perfect excuse), ran into Publix (for cookies, not water and canned goods), and then picked up Keiko to head to my sister’s house where she had power.

So in true Southern fashion, schools and many businesses are closed today, which means I have a snow day (and power again)! So I’m checking some things off my personal to-do list and decided I’d pop onto GSD to share with you guys! Let the sharing commence!

The other week, I invited some of the girls over to assemble and decorate gingerbread houses. I don’t know about you guys, but one bite of gingerbread can tide me over for the whole year, so I thought this would be less detrimental to my health than decorating sugar cookies. Not that my health was truly considered because I also created a big small bites spread…

My mom had given me a few cheeses that she wanted to try, but ended up not liking. I loved them, and decided to incorporate them into this spread. So I looked around to see what else I had that could go in the spread, made a list of what I wanted to include but needed from the store, and assembled this mock of where everything would go.

Let’s be real here, we didn’t need this much food, but I’d never put together a large spread before and really wanted to do it! So what wasn’t eaten, I sent home with the girls or saved for the following week’s meals.

It’s super easy and you can do it too! This spread includes (left to right): Ritz Vegetable Crackers, From the Ground Up Cauliflower Crackers, Boars Head Pepperoni, Boars Head Salami, Girl Scouts Honey Roasted Peanuts, Lance Wheat Crackers, Townhouse Sea Salt Pita Crackers, smoked gouda, Super Seedz Spicy Pepitas, Fudge Dipped Oreo Thins Bites, chocolate covered and plain peanut butter pretzels, yogurt covered pretzels, pepper jack cheese, Beemster aged gouda, aged cheddar, cranberry cheddar, Townhouse Italian Flatbread Crackers, pork rinds, bell peppers, ranch dip, more peanuts, Smuckers Cherry Preserves, goat cheese, cucumbers, leftover squares of Mr. Heid’s pies, carrots, broccoli, more pepitas, and Pawley’s Island Palmetto Cheese.

It was so good! I shared what I used above, but you can use any small bites items you want. Just remember to have a good balance of sweet and salty!

Did you know there are like a bajillion gingerbread house kits? After perusing my options, I grabbed two kits with the most candy selections, bought some Christmas M&Ms, and we teamed up to make these beauties (if I do say so myself).

Turns out there’s a fair amount of waiting in the gingerbread building game. You have to assemble the sides and let them set for 15 minutes before assembling the roof. And then you’re supposed to let that set for another 15 minutes before you decorate it, buuuut we were impatient and started decorating anyway. One of the houses collapsed (oops!), but we rebuilt and continued on.

None of us liked the idea of eating them, but I also couldn’t just toss them. So they now adorn our dining room table for the holidays. I only wish I had a cake stand so I could cover them and place them somewhere else in the house (and it’d look fancier haha).

Alright, off to finish the rest of my tasks! Hope you’re having a great Monday!

xoxo,