Sausage Quiche Squares Remix

I shared this back in December but it is still a favorite around here.  It was cool enough in the house this morning to bake this and it provides a hefty breakfast paired with some whole wheat toast & jelly. 

We needed that after our late night & looking at our full day of projects!  Enjoy! 

Sausage Quiche Squares(14 servings; 1x3 pieces)

1 lb sausage—cooked—I use turkey sausage

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup Monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped onion

10 eggs

1 Tbsp chili powder(use it all it isn’t spicy!)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 small can chopped green chilis

Mix eggs & spices in a medium bowl.  Layer sausage, onion, and cheese in a 9x13 casserole dish.  Pour egg mixture over sausage.  Sprinkle chilis evenly over eggs(or leave one side without chilis for kids/adults who don’t like them).  Bake on 375 for 18-22 minutes.

This is what it always looks like when my crew is finished with this recipe!

How does my garden grow in June?

July is just around the corner.

My crowded garden is growing like CRAZY!

There has been rain and hot days with lots of sunshine lately. My tomatoes are LOVING it!

I am trying an experiment and not clipping all the suckers that develop. There are TONS of blooms and some tomatoes!

We’ve been faithfully putting our grass clippings in between the rows so there haven’t been a large amount of weeds. YEAH!

A couple of failures, I’ve had in previous years were peppers & zucchini. I started with pepper plants instead of seeds and they are thriving.

We have one BIG pepper & several little ones.

Also in the past. my zucchini have been a failure because of squash bugs. There haven’t been any bugs on the zucchini so far this year.

However my poor little pumpkin plant was attacked.

It lost a bunch of leaves and I thought it was a goner. I squashed 4-5 bugs & removed the leaves with eggs.

So far it is still alive, has new leaves & a little bloom that is starting to develop!

Next week I will shop you how THE TRASHCAN EXPERIMENT is going. It is looking pretty good so far!

I am so glad to have a garden. It truly is one of the joys of summer that I love!

How is your garden growing?

Posted at Things I love Thursdays,Titus 2sdays,Simple Living

Can teens be . . .

loving?

encouraging?

a joy to be around?

A resounding YES!

My oldest is about to leave his teens—only 2 more months.  #2 is in the middle teen years, #3 will become a teen in December & #4 isn’t quite there yet. 

I posted on Facebook on Wednesday that I spent the evening with 25 AWESOME teens.  We had a lot of fun and there were NO discipline issues.  Usually there are closer to 40 but this is summer and many are unable to attend.  NO this is not a church sponsored YOUTH group.

Sound amazing?  I think it is and that is why we are a part of this group.

Some would tell me that we are crazy to spend time(lots of it) with the teens that are involved in our kids lives.

They are LOUD.

Sometimes they hold opinions that are VERY different than mine.

There are moments when they make BAD decisions.

But I see those situations not as times to avoid but times to get involved.  My kids have made choices on who their friends will be.  For the most part those kids are great but they are KIDS! 

Moldable, teachable and they are loved by God--just as much as me or you.  So anytime that there is a child placed in my path, I see that as an opportunity to invest in their life.

By investing I mean that I try to do 3 things.

1.  Love them in a way that they know it.  A hug, a smile, a word of encouragement and sometimes a word of discipline.

2.  Challenge them.  See where they are at & what things they need to grow in?  Suggest, prod, push and get in their face(at times) are the tactics I use.

3.  Spur them on.  No one is a lost cause.  Everyone deserves a second, third or millionth chance.  Sometimes encouraging someone is hard but it is always worth it.

Steve & I have never given our kids a choice on whether we are involved in the activities they attend.  They just know if they are a part of something that we will be around.  It isn’t a topic for discussion.  I think for the most part it makes them feel safe, loved & encouraged.

What ways are you involved with your kids friends? 

How do you interact with them? 

Summer Morning Routine

I love about our mornings

1.  Thunder & rain to water my crowded garden

2.  Sleeping in on days that follow late nights

3.  Eating breakfast together & planning our day

4.  Picking a couple of projects to work on

5.  Working outside while it is cool

6.  Watching tomatoes grow.

7.  Planning simple meals

8.  Checking my flowers for blooms

9.  Chores getting down so we can go to swimming lessons

10. Big kids coloring with little kids

Summer is a different routine.  Play in the mornings while its cool.  Work on projects inside or read in the afternoon while it is hot.  My mind is thinking ahead to fall & the school work yet to be done.  But I am relishing the summer mornings while they are here.