Storing Plastic Bags

I keep my eye out for new(or old) ways of doing things that improve my home!  So next week my plan is to start a new blog hop on Monday called Make It Work.  This a new thing for me so stay with me here.  Do you have some great ideas that fix a problem? 

This is the place to share it!  Come back next week & share your handy dandy solutions so we can all benefit! 

Plastic bags are so useful but so plentiful!

You come home from shopping with dozens of plastic bags from the store.  (Unless you have invested in enough reusable bags)

We do recycle most of them but some of them are used in our smaller trashcans.  So what do you do with the ones that are hanging around the house waiting to be used?

In the past, we used a homemade cloth tube that hung on a hook in a closet but the tube came apart so I kept looking for an easy solution.

Paper towel tubes!  We’d be recycling these anyway & they are free!  I like that they are slim & somewhat crushable.  An empty Pringles can works well also—love that it has a lid!

 

It makes this little nook in my garage a bit neater! 

Hugs & Bike rides

My little people are growing up too fast.

Megan has grown 2 feet in the last month—okay not really.  She is not a little girl anymore.   She is learning to be a lady & loves doing girly things.  Like take a sewing class & make a new pillowcase!

She’s been a little lost today.  I could see it in her wandering around the house.  I gave everyone another day completely off school so I could do some planning & projects around here.  But she just wasn’t sure what to do with that time. 

Tonight while Dad & the other kids helped a neighbor with his fence she & I loaded our bikes up.  We made a short drive to a park for a 30 minute ride.  I REALLY needed the time outside exercising & it was good to spend time together laughing & racing. 

We kind of felt like a team since we both just got new bikes.  She has a nice light blue & I got this purple!  They were on sale at Target last week & I couldn’t resist.  On her old bike she was hitting her knees on the handle bars!  Mine has had some mechanical issues so it was time for an upgrade!

When we got back to the Suburban, I got a hug & a “Thanks Mommy.  That was fun.”  The twinkle in the eye was back and she was more peaceful.  I think this little girl is going to need individual mom time as she navigates these teen years.

We got home right at bed time. . .I love long summer evenings.  Everyone went to bed easily.  I was in the kitchen thinking about our bike ride when I heard Joshua talking with his dad who had gone to give bedtime kisses.  Steve was in the doorway & Joshua said “Dad can I have another hug?” 

This picture isn’t a huggy picture.  Joshua tends to be more wacky than that but he and his dad built this model and he loved the time & energy that Dad devoted to the project with him. 

We love our kids and try to show them daily.  That “one more hug” sort of stole the breath out of me.  How many one more hugs do I have with these guys? 

I am going to squeeze in as many as I can.  Joshua is such a sweet guy.  He loves to snuggle & hug.  I confess sometimes I get weary of it but I realize that is his way of saying “I love you.”  So I am going to love him back with his own method.

I am so grateful for the four kids that God has given me to parent, love & guide.  I want to go on many more bike rides & I don’t want to miss a single hug that has my name on it.

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?