"Muffins For Dinner?! YAY!"

I have so much to share about the goings' on of the last three weeks - but until I gather the pictures and the words to share the new stuff, here's a great idea for a yummy Summer dinner I made for The Gang.

Fair warning, I tweaked this from another recipe so it's not entirely original to me. I had four big zucchinis in the fridge that were graciously shared with me and one of them needed to be used immediately. So I washed it down, cut off the mushy ends, and slice it length-wise into four "spears." Then I de-seeded it and ran each spear through the food processor using the grating blade. A 14" long zucchini yielded about 3 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini.

Ham and Cheese Crust-less Zucchini Quiche

1 large, chopped onion
1/4 c. butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4-1/2 c. baking mix (Bisquick)
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
6 eggs
1/2 c. milk
3 c. shredded zucchini
1-2 c. chopped ham, to preference
3/4 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c. parmesan, shredded (optional)

In large skillet, saute the onion and garlic in butter till soft and slightly golden. Add shredded zuke and continue to saute on lowered heat till the zuke has softened and is starting to release its juices. Set aside to cool slightly.

In large bowl, combine parsley, baking mix, parsley, basil, and thyme. Beat together the eggs and the milk and pour over dry ingredients. Lightly mix till just moistened. Add the zuke, ham, and cheese and finish mixing gently till all of it is incorporated. Don't over mix!

Pour into 2 generously sprayed deep dish pie plates, or 2 9x13's, or a deep 11x14. Bake at 400 for about 18-22 minutes until they are golden brown and have raised gently. They will be moist and dense inside but a knife inserted in the center should come out clean to be sure they are done.

This time around, I poured it all into 22 sprayed muffin cups. (Yes, I was just shy of the full 2 dozen but I liked that they were nice and high and full when they were done. It's a trade-off, I guess!) I used my Pampered Chef muffin stones and they turned out moist and lightly golden all around. Li'l Empress thought I was kidding when I told her we were having muffins for dinner and Mei Mei shocked me into tomorrow by downing 1 1/2 of them. She - of the great veggie boycott! We let them dip the bites into their choice of mustard and served it all with a side of salad and broccoli.

It's another healthy way to get some good veggies into your kids and they really are delicious.  I've got two really big ones zucchinis left and I'm getting a hankering for my other Summer Favorite. Anyone else have a good zucchini recipe - other than zucchini bread! - that they want to share? Share some of your favorites in the comments!

Wordless Wednesday {Happy Flowers}

Is there a happier flower

on the planet than the colorful

Gerbera Daisy?

I submit that there is not.

For more happiness and fun,

head over to Wordless Wednesday.

If you are here from there,

drop me a note. 

Visits are nice, comments make me smile.

Simple Beauty

After a pretty hectic week,

kicked off by a stomach virus responsible for

stealing time away from my dearest friends

and then dominated by juggling skills I didn't know I had, 

a morning walk through my gardens re-adjusted

my heart and my mind.

The simple beauty is soothing and restorative.

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

Words by Maltbie D. Babcock

Sunday Snapshot

Good Monday morning, my friends!  I'm joining in Sunday Snapshot a teensy bit late, since we had such a busy weekend of catching up and getting the house "back on track" for summer break. Today begins our first "real" week of summer time, as last week The Boss and I took off for three days to re-connect, refresh, and relax alone together. My brother and his wife and their cutie patooties moved in for those three days to hang with The Gang, which allowed us to enjoy our time together, worry-free! I was especially proud of Li'l Empress: this was the first time since she's joined our family that both The Boss and I were away overnight, immediately on the heels of Momma being away for two nights for a women's retreat. It was a big unknown, how she'd handle that, but thanks to her big security blanket named Shaggy, she really did quite well.

Today's snapshots are some of the beautiful flowers I have growing in my yard. You might remember that last year The Boss, Dr. D, and Shaggy took on the huge project of cleaning up, over-hauling and re-landscaping our gardens.  This year, I'm so grateful for their hard work - the gardens look so inviting and lovely.  I still need to spend some money and time to get some color out in the pool area, but I think I might actually be able to get to that this afternoon. If I do, I'll share those pretties, too!

Tucked in here...

and here...

are several bunches of these lovely ladies.

So pretty and dainty,

yet so hearty - surviving some pretty serious rain

and even hail earlier this month. 

These exuberant gals greet folks

at the end of our driveway.

They are so vibrant and enthusiastic!

They seem to be cheering on these little ones.

"Dahlias, come on out to play!"

It looks like very soon, the dahlias will be

joining their enthusiastic friends across the sidewalk.

I'm especially proud of these beauties

(just slightly past their peak).

I found 6 pots of salvia, withering away and forgotten

on the clearance shelves of my local L*wes.

For $1 each, I grabbed them up last summer,

fed them, nurtured them, and prayed for them to

root strongly and surely. (Yes, I pray over my plants.)

They've grown so much this year, I may need to

trim them back and split them in the fall!

OH! And remember this beautiful urn,

filled by my dearest friend in all the world?

Well, it has really taken off and now greets our guests

at the front door, looking lush and full.

And showing no signs of slowing down.

There's something so refreshing and rejuvenating about a lush garden. I love how it forces me to slow down and notice the intricacy and detail that God has wrought into each bloom. I can't help but wander around the spaces with a heart full of thanks and adoration, for a God who loves me so much that He created all this. For a God who KNOWS how beauty recharges my spirit. For a God who knows ME so well that He made all of this beauty accessible right here in my own space.

Go, wander around a garden today. Yours, or maybe even a community park nearby. Drink it in. And be grateful. In the craziness and chaos that often is our busy world, I'm pretty sure you need it. I know I do.

Sunday Snapshot

Wow. It's been almost three weeks since my last post. A LOT has happened here at The Gang's House. I figured posting a pictorial tour of the last 17 days would be a waaaay more interesting way to catch us all up. I say "us" cuz I feel like I need a good reminder of just what I've been headlong into before my memories fade! So, buckle up and here we go...

Li'l Empress has, for several months now,

told us repeatedly that she wants to be

a piggie when she grows up.

Imagine her delight when these cute

p.j.'s came out of the summer clothes bin.

Oh, and check out the 'tude - hands on the hip

is the new "thing" around here.

I let it slide when she's just being funny or sassy.

We enjoyed our traditional Memorial Day weekend

with my "best friend since kindergarten" and her family.

Well, minus her oldest daughter,

whose presence was sorely missed.

Li'l Empress needed a bit of coaxing for the first

swim of the season. It was a tad chilly at first, but

warmed up nicely by Monday.

The weather was perfect for all the grilling and swimming.

My sweet friend also blessed me by filling

my porch planters. And now, every time I look

out onto my porch, I see all this beauty

and think immediately of her.

Everyone should have a friend as steadfast

and deeply beautiful as Stacey.

Shaggy purchased his first car!

A peppy little '89 Honda Accord LXi.

It's a five-speed, which he will have to learn to drive,

but it's going to be a great first car for him.

I'm so proud of him - every single penny came from

his own savings. He's a hard worker and very frugal, to boot.

Always happy to indulge her little sister's cute

pre-occupation with piggies, LadyBug made this

curly tail for Li'l Empress. She wore it off and on all day.

My two girls got hit this weekend with a nasty summer cold.

But gosh, even all feverish and drippy and hoarse,

they are still so pretty. Don't you wish you looked

this cute when you felt that cruddy?

Oh. Look. There's the 'tude again!

She followed Daddy up and down the stairs

all afternoon, "hepping him" make the closet

door frame. "Hepping him" hang it.

She's gonna sleep good tonite, after all those trips

from the bathroom to the garage and back again.

All that's left in there is for The Boss to trim it

all out, touch up the paint, and finish the closet door.

I can't wait to start organizing!

There you have it. A not-so-brief summary of the missing weeks.  It's my way of easing back into the discipline of blogging. I so miss it when I don't do it, but the pace around here and the STUFF we've been working through to get to this point has been too draining for me to come up with interesting and witty posts. The good news is that the school year is DONE for Shaggy and Dr. D. Hard-fought, long hours, and lots of essay and project proofing, but DONE. DONE. Can I get an AMEN from my peeps?! They are so excited to have two full weeks of downtime before their younger sibs - I've had to tame the gloating and the ribbing to a dull roar. Especially since I still have to get up to a stupid alarm clock WITH the younger ones!

I'll have to sit down this week and share Dr. D's other great news with you all later. It deserves its own post but I'm waitin' on some details to come together. Suffice it to say, as busy and crazy as the last three weeks have been, there have been some very special moments in it all.

Click on the button below and join in the Sunday Snapshot fun.  It's a great way to kick off the week and to capture some great memories for your gang.  And if you come by here to take the tour, drop me a comment. I love visitors :)

Let The Games Begin!

I don't know about you, but right now, after three days of ridiculous humidity and erratic downpours, my lawn looks more like a jungle. A jungle full of drooping dandelions well past their prime. The kids and I chuckle fondly over The Boss's anxiety when he sees the neighbor open the shed and pull out the mower. Never, not once, in all the years that we've owned a home has The Boss been the first neighbor to boast a fully trimmed and newly-edged lawn to start off the Spring Yard Games. That's what we all say, when we see The Boss twitching and itching in his seat while he watches one of our five closest neighbors beat him to the punch.  We say, "Let the Games Begin!" and laugh evilly.

Not even the advent of teaching Shaggy and Dr. D last year to run the mower has eased The Boss's competitive spirit. He now has fully released the job to Dr. D for a weekly salary but he still shivers when he drives in and out of the driveway, cringing at the dandelions and crabgrass interspersed in the clover and grass. (Interspersed is a gentle term. Think more like invasion of the Huns.)  The thing is, it's a game he'll never win. Never. He works full time, an hour and a half or more of commuting time tacked onto the already 8-9 hour day. Our neighbors, for the most part, are retired and/or teachers. They are home earlier. And more often. So while he is totally frustrated at the inability to compete at their level, he is ever so grateful for Dr. D's skills and effort. He'll be more grateful when he doesn't have to wait till Dr. D is done school for the week to enjoy a freshly mowed lawn, but that's beside the point.

You'll notice that I emphasized that we taught Shaggy and Dr. D to run the mower just last year.  That's because we are self-proclaimed safety freaks. Aaaaaand, before last year, we had a riding mower that worked adequately for The Boss to knock out the job in an hour or so on a Saturday morning and he actually kind of liked the relaxing nature of riding round and round and round in big circles around our fenced-in pool and the house.  Then, the time crunch got crazy and we checked in with the boys to see how they felt about hand-mowing.  I will admit, it took some convincing of The Momma that both boys were ready to take the task as seriously as we both felt it should be taken.  You see, both The Boss and I have heard too many horrible stories of accidents with mowers, too many times...  For example, did you know:

Lawn mower-related injuries account for more than

51% of traumatic amputations among children.

Major limb loss is most commonly caused

by lawn mowers for children under the age of 10.

And that's NOT just for the children who are operating those mowers. It's for the ones caught in the blind spots of operators. Or the ones "just running to retrieve that ball" that they threw too far.  It's horrible. It's tragic, and it's completely preventable.

Please, go HERE and read this post. It's not a game. It's life and death. And it's preventable, with just a few safety measures and standards that are easily adapted to your family.

Wordless Wednesday

These little babies seem to be LOVING the crazy triple-digit heat . . .

  Imagine how excited I was

to find that they also attract butterflies!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wordless Wednesday

Lest you think that all we do is sit around

watching and waiting for Li'l Empress to potty.

The gardens here have undergone

a massive transformation.

These lovely ladies are here to greet you

at my front door.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

By the Numbers

Here's my Tuesday,
by the numbers so far...

(in no particular order!)

Times Li'l Empress yelled, "NO!" in her sleep?  4 by 4:47 a.m.

Minutes snuggling Li'l Empress in bed while kids start their day?  12

Arguments mediated for middle siblings?  3 before 8 a.m.

Spankings Li'l Empress received for hitting or pinching the diva kitty?  3 (so far. . .)

Time-in's received by Li'l Empress for talking back to me and/or yelling at her brothers?  3


Loads of laundry washed, dried and waiting to be folded?  3

Emails sent to encourage our favorite teachers?  13

Tests proctored for Dr. D's benchmark programs?  2

Cups of oats in today's double batch of cookies?  6

Cups of butter in today's double batch of cookies? 2!

Gifts ordered on-line? 2

Menus planned for the coming month?  11

Taxi mom runs by the end of the day?  5


Naps The Boss has taken today? 3

Minutes alone in the shower, singing along to Lady Antebellum? 12 blissful minutes. Count 'em. 12.

Tulips bloomed and swaying in the breeze?  6 (That's a two-fold yield over last year's blooms!)

Gerbera daisies blooming just outside my front door?  1

Seeing that happy little flower makes

the whole day brighter, doesn't it?!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!!!!

My beautiful lilacs are bursting forth.

The blooms are petite and lush.

The fragrance is intoxicating.

The memories they evoke are tender and precious.

Playing under the lilac bushes in Grandma's backyard.

Making tea sets out of large leaves and biscuits out of blooms.

Breaking twigs and sticks into forks and spoons for our feast.

The memories pile up and create a little cabin that feels like "home."

No matter where I am.

Wordless Wednesday

There were two of these strange
fungus-y looking things
growing in our garden this week.

Looks like there's a fungus amung us.

I couldn't resist the corny joke.
Thanks, Mom! I get that from you.

For more (really, truly)
Wordless Wednesday fun,
head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Wordless Wednesday

The promise of summer . . .

(special thanks to my friend, C,
who shared her summer bounty with me last year)

For more Wordless Wednesday fun,
head over to 5 Minutes for Mom.

Oh the JOY!

My favorite thing about May is my lilacs. The fragrance, the delicate blooms, the memories they evoke. One of the first things we did when we moved here was to pull out all the overgrown shrubbery and plain green foliage in the front gardens. We replaced it with 6 lovely lilac bushes. I can't think of a more fitting way to say Happy May Day to you all.

This is one of two traditional lilac-colored bushes.
This year is the first year that it's yielded
more than a couple little blooms.
They are the most fragrant of my collection.

This white tree has the most profuse, lush blooms.
It's been a great producer since the very first season.
I love the crisp purity of the blooms.

Ah, my favorite little trees of the whole bunch.
These bloom a bit later, and the flowers are
a deep, dark purple.
I searched for these for a long time.
Ironically, I finally found them at my favorite nursery
back in my old town.
After I'd lived here for a year.
With a store credit and a major coupon,
I was able to buy two!
And now I have mementos from
my lovely times at Ashcombe's, too.

My Miss Kim miniature bush hasn't bloomed yet.
She's ready, just hanging in there for some
bright sunny afternoon to bless me with her beauty.
I'll be sure to share the joy when it happens.

Fresh From My Garden

Baby Blue Eyes wants me to be sure

to tell you all that he wishes
you could smell 'yem'
cuz 'yem' smell 'weeally' good!
He's right.

Favorites Friday

I'm celebrating here today! I have gorgeous color (and the promise of more coming!) in various spots all over my gardens, and I can't help but feel very Tigger-ish over the joy of it. Flowers, trees, bushes - they are all bursting with life and I'm so very excited!

My Favorite Spring Flowers

• I have this incredible soft spot in my heart for lilacs. Their blooms, their scent, the memories they evoke. I love them and I love The Boss for buying me the 6 bushes I have been nursing along in my yard for almost 4 years now. They are on the verge of popping out in colors ranging from white to deep purple, and I check them daily for progress
• I call daffodils the happy flowers. I have never seen a daffodil and not felt a little thrill of happiness at their perky color and their straight stalks reaching for the sun. My new ones are a lovely soft yellow, and are a perfect complement to their neighbors, the hyacinth.
• My hearty little hyacinths have made my whole front yard smell heavenly. Their color is technically listed as blue, but these babies are so deep and royal that they can only be called purple. Poking up from the mulch next to the daffodils, Baby BlueEyes and I go out to sniff their fragrance almost every day!
• Tulips are such stately flowers, and I love to see the neighbors' gardens full of reds, pinks, purples, and yellows. But the little rebel in me absolutely adores the bright flame orange tulips. The contradiction of the elegant flower with the rocker chick color makes me smile every time I see them. Every time.
• There is a border between us and our neighbors made entirely of forsythia. Though they only stay vibrant and full and yellow for a short time, I feel ridiculously enamored with these gorgeous bushes. I wait all winter long to see them come into full bloom, and I peek out the side door to get my fill of their color several times a day. I hope the neighbor doesn't think I'm spying on her!

These flowers speak to me of life and exuberance and joy. They remind me that Spring always comes, no matter how long or hard the Winter has been. They tell me of The Father's Love and His gift of renewal and refreshment and new life. And they give me hope. The expectancy I feel every year as I watch my blooms is a little treasure in my heart that I turn over and over and cherish deeply. It's my gift from My Daddy, reminding me that I can make it and I have great color and life in store for me!

Spring Has Sprung

Last week I mentioned that I got some free flowers from my neighbors. The Boss transplanted them and I prayed over them, hoping that they would survive and not suffer root shock. (Yes, I pray over my plants!) I love fresh flowers and the early pops of color that have appeared bring such excitement and joy to my spirit. I never, ever pictured myself a gardener, and believe me, The Boss does the brunt of the dirty work. But I also never, ever knew what simple pleasure a growing, blooming garden could bring to one's soul. I am completely and totally smitten with my garden. There's some deep stuff brewing in my heart today, as I'm watching these babies take root. I have to work it out in my head before I say more. Until then, I give you my gardens!

On Easter Sunday (on the left)

And Today (on the right)

We didn't transplant these lilacs on Easter Sunday, but I took pictures of them anyway. They were the first plants we bought when we re-landscaped the front gardens, three years ago this month. I've been nurturing and praying over these little guys. And today, I noticed COLOR in the heart of the green leaf buds!

My little lilac bush has baby blooms,
there in the center of the green leaf buds.
Can you see them?!