A Bouquet And A Verse

 I have some beautiful zinnias growing so I cut myself a bouquet today. I had some hostas to put in this bouquet, too. The hosta flowers have such a heavenly fragrance! 

So, I have bouquet and a verse to share this week. 

Nehemiah 9:6 

Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; 

thou hast made heaven, 

the heaven of heavens, with all their host,

the earth, and all things that are therein, 

the seas, and all that is therein, 

and thou preservest them all; 

and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

I hope you are having a happy day wherever you are and I hope that you can see God's greatness from your vantage point.

Annual Cicada And More Insects

Yesterday, my son found a cicada, freshly emerged, late in the afternoon. I was hoping that we could see it molting. My son rigged up a habitat for the cicada.

But, we didn't check it frequently enough. A few hours later it was fully molted and drying it's wings. I find these creatures to be fascinating!

I am glad that he found it. I didn't know that annual cicadas emerge this late into the summer.

A month ago we were doing some excavating in our yard and found a young cicada larva.

We recently moved and the variety of insects that I have seen on this new property are very wide. I have even learned some new types of bugs.

I was surprised to find a velvet ant!

I captured some shots of the comma butterfly.

See the comma? It is a tiny white mark on the underside of the wing.

I had to look this one up. I was thinking it was like a cricket and it turns out that I was right. It is a Carolina leaf roller cricket.

Have a nice weekend! And remember to be fascinated by the variety God made in nature!

Sewing Projects In July

 

I finished the pouch that I started in May. I had to stitch the back and front to the middle. And then apply the binding over all the seams.

I used some recycled hardware that I salvaged from some old bib overalls. This pouch will be for my daughter's birthday.

This is a dress that I made 12 years ago that need a repair this month.

I snagged it on a nail. It made me real mad when it happened. Why do dresses and skirts have to trail away from your body and catch on things that you pass by?

The repair is kind of unsightly, but at least I can still wear it.

Only one more sewing project to tell you about. This dress is a size 10 but my 4 year old daughter wouldn't wait to wear it. I made the shoulders shorter, took in the sides a little and put two darts in the neck on the back to keep the straps from sliding off her shoulders. I can always take my work out so this dress can grow with her. I wonder how many years she can keep wearing it?

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

I Finally Did It! | Summer Solstice

For years I have wanted to watch sunrise and sunset on the longest day of the year. I finally got to do it this year, June 20, 2024.

I slept outside in a tent to make it easier to get up that early. It is always easier to arise when you can hear the birds and see the dawning light and, of course I can't forget the most obvious reason, when you're sleeping on the hard ground. :)

My two oldest boys (9yrs. and 6yrs.)wanted to watch the sunrise, too. So, I woke them up. My youngest (2yrs.) woke up when we were unzipping the tent door. We brought him with us, too. We walked down the street to a dead end that has a clear view to the eastern horizon. What a beautiful morning! It was serene being outside, feeling the fresh air, and watching the sky change.

Sunrise 5:29am CDT

For sunset, again we walked. This time over to the western side of town where there was a dead end street with a clear view to the western horizon. It was a still evening and the sky was pretty!

Sunset 9:31pm CDT

I finally did it! I experienced the longest day from the beginning to the ending. Just over 15 hours of daylight. 

Now the days begin to shorten. And thus, the cyclical nature of life.

Ecclesiastes 1:4-5 

One generation passeth away, 

and another generation cometh: 

but the earth abideth for ever.

The sun also ariseth, 

and the sun goeth down, 

and hasteth to his place where he arose.

Woolly Aphids

 

Have you ever seen these tiny tufts of fluff floating on the wind? I have, but I never knew that they were alive until a couple weeks ago. My son snatched one out of the air. He looked at what he collected and then said, "Hey, this is a bug!"

Yes, indeed, it was a bug. It looked like a tiny flyfishing lure.

This bug is called a Woolly Aphid. They suck tree sap. As a group they can look like mold or lichen on a tree. When they are adults they grow wings and fly/float to other trees.

They are know by the cutest common names:

‘flying mice,’ ‘cotton fairies,’ ‘fluff bugs,’ ‘poodle flies,’ and ‘fluffy gnats.’

And they are a really cute!

For further reading and more pictures of Woolly Aphids check this page out:

Leafy Place

September By Henry Beer (Poem)

 

September

September days are here at last,

And soon the summer will be past;

September days are mild and fair,

A touch of fall is in the air.

And nature smiles at every hand

With fruit and corn throughout the land.

Beneath the silken husks we see

The golden corn protruding free.

Wild asters blossom by the way

And goldenrod in rich display.

The cockscomb and the marigold

Through mild September days unfold.

The children back to school will turn

And there life's needed lessons learn.

Out in the orchard there one sees

The ripening fruit in apple trees;

The purple grapes, all clustered sweet,

Are a delicious fruit to eat.

It is on mild September days

Our hearts are filled with thanks and praise

To Him, who gives each month and day,

Whose honor we would seek always.

By Henry Beer

Page 139 in My Garden of Verse 

Books That I Have Read Over The Summer|2023

Books discussed: The Whipping Boy, Old Yeller, Savage Sam, The Count Of Monte Cristo, Ben Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, and Treasure Island.
WARNING: There will be spoilers in this post. 

The Whipping Boy 

Author: Sid Fleischman 

Form: real book from the library 

This is a chapter book for children. I have good memories of hearing this book when I was a child. We read several Sid Fleischman books while I was growing up. He writes rather lighthearted novels for children. 

The Whipping Boy is about two boys, Jemmy from the streets and The Prince Humphrey, and how they go from being enemies to becoming friends because they face hardships together and make sacrifices for one another. 

Jemmy is The Prince's whipping boy, meaning; he gets a whipping when the Prince deserves a whipping. This is a terribly unjust arrangement. While the rest of this story is a fabrication, whipping boys were really a thing in the past.

Jemmy and The Prince end up in the forest and get captured by notorious highway men, Cutwater and Hold Your Nose Billy. Billy has such a long name because he eats garlic bulbs as if they are apples, therefore, he stinks. :-)

The outlaws hold the boys hostage. There is a mix up, an escape, a few close calls, some allies, and a chase scene.

Through it all the boys learn some lessons about what it is like to walk in someone else's shoes, what friendship is about, and forgiving those who have done you wrong.

Old Yeller

Author: Fred Gibson

Form: real book form the library 

This is one of my favorite books from my childhood. The movie was even good, which can't be said for most of the movie versions of my favorite books. 

Growing up, I related a lot with the main character, Travis Coats. He is the oldest in his family (so am I) and he takes on a lot of responsibility when his father is gone on a cattle drive over the summer. He thinks he knows how his mother should be parenting his little brother, and boy, did I ever think I knew how to parent my siblings better than my mom. My perspective has changed a little. This time when I read Old Yeller I was able to see traces of Travis' immaturity. When I read it as a child I really looked up to Travis and thought he had very rational opinions about everything.

Old Yeller is a tear jerker. I couldn't make it through the last chapter without crying. That is not a spoiler, though, Travis spoils the book on the first page. He says, (I am going to paraphrase from memory) "The first day that yeller hound showed up I wanted to shoot him, but when the day came that I had to it was about the hardest thing I'd ever done." When I came to that line while reading with my boys I was surprised. How could he just come out and say that at the beginning of the book!?

This story is set in Texas just as cattle drives were becoming a thing. Indians, wild hogs, fighting bulls, bears, and hydrophobia were threats at this time to settlers like the Coats. 

Old Yeller is told from the perspective of 14 year old Travis. The story reels you in and gets you attached to all the characters; Travis, little Arliss, Old Yeller, Mama, Lisabeth, Burn Sanders, Papa, and Bud Sercey.

Gibson does a good job at giving the reader just enough of the right information to make you feel like you are there with them and you can smell the corn bread and feel the sun on your back. You understand their lives and feel the hope, despair, fear, grief, and joy that they feel. The Texas accent throughout is very consistent and doesn't feel contrived at all.

The story looks into what it is like to grow up. What it is like to take on an adult's share of responsibility. What it is like to make hard, grown up decisions. And what it is like to face real emotional and physical pain. The kind of pain that you are protected from as a child. The weight of this story hits right at the end. The last chapter contains the whole point. Travis has to go through a very hard experience. This experience leaves him numb and empty. He can't care about anything anymore. 

His father has a talk with him that helps Travis get to the other side of his grief. And in this conversation he states the take away. He says life is hard and, while you don't exactly want to forget the trauma, you, also don't want to forget that there is still good in life. The bad is not all there is and there is still good in living. You have to remember that. 

When I was reading this part out loud I had to keep apologizing for all the blubbering I was doing. That part gets me right in the feels!

I don't think my children got the point. I know I didn't when I was a child. To children this is a fun story about a boy and his dog with some funny parts, and some-edge-of-your-seat parts, a little sad part at the end but it doesn't last long, then Travis can enjoy his new horse and live happily ever after.

Savage Sam

Author: Fred Gibson

Form: real book from the library

Savage Sam is the sequel to Old Yeller. Many people don't know that there is a sequel, but there is. It is not the same kind of story as Old Yeller. Old Yeller is a coming of age novel. Savage Sam is an adventure novel. I think that Old Yeller is the better story, but after that ending I was just glad us readers didn't have to leave Travis and the whole gang there. 

In this story Travis, little Arliss, and Lisabeth get captured by raiding Indians. The whole book is about that experience and about how they get rescued. There is more violence in this book; torture, killing, and blood. It was right at the border of what I am comfortable reading out loud. I get it, it's the wild west. In real life Indians killed indiscriminately and settlers had no qualms about taking revenge. This story does touch on the question of the morality of the situation. Are the Indians justified for hating white settlers? Are the settlers justified for wanting every Indian dead? The solution for the group of men that set out to save the children is that saving the children is a worthy cause and killing Indians will be necessary, but not the goal. In the end Travis lets one of the Indians live that he has dead to rights. Travis doesn't even understand his own reasoning. Why did he let the Indian go? I think the author is trying to create a moment where you see that people don't always make sense and once you see the humanity in your enemy it is hard to hate them anymore.

This story has lots of descriptions of the scenery; the plants, the wildlife, the topography. If you took out the descriptions of their surroundings I think half of the book would be gone. There is not much else to talk about while they are captured. They are on the run, on the run, on the run. So Gibson takes the opportunity to educate the reader on what the Texas hill and plain country was like in the old days, by describing the scenery. I felt like I learned somethings about a place that I have never visited. They have to face threats from the harshness of their environment like javelina hogs, rattlesnakes, hailstorms, and flash floods.

The last half of the book has more dialogue and you get to read about the characters a lot more. Once you get to that part it feels a little more like the writing in Old Yeller. There is more humour and that great Texas accent comes out.

I think my next read a loud needs to be something on the sweet side. These two books have given us  enough adventure for a while.

The Count Of Monte Cristo

Author: Alexander Dumas

Form: audiobook on Librivox.com

It took me over two years to finish this audiobook. It is a really long book (117 chapters/54hours) and some parts really drag on. That is why it has taken me so long to finish it. I listened to a few chapters here and there, off and on. This summer I finally got to the last third of the book. The last third of the book gets really exciting and chapters just fly by.

The main character, Edmond Dantes, is a youth on the cusp of success and happiness in the beginning of the book. He is about to be promoted to a leadership role on the ship on which he has been employed and he is about to get married to the love of his life, Mercedes. All of this changes on the day of his wedding. He never gets to marry Mercedes. Unbeknownst to Edmond, he has enemies. 

Listening to this story I learned about the French revolution. It was very interesting and played a major role into the reasons that Edmond gets sent to a prison and forgotten there.

Long story short, Edmond escapes and comes to possess an unfathomable wealth of treasure. He hatches a plan to carry out the most epic and exacting revenge on those who did him wrong. He leaves his old identity and now calls himself The Count Of Monte Cristo. The Count is sure that he is the hand of God's judgement on Earth. He is totally justified and sees himself as being used to carry out justice. 

As the reader, you are left in the dark about what his plans of revenge are exactly. Each new development is intriguing and sometimes confusing. But the plot comes together almost perfectly. I say almost perfectly.

My favorite part of the book happens during the phase of the story where The Count is realizing that he is doing harm to some innocent individuals. In Chapter 89, Mercedes, now Madame de Morcerf, goes to The Count to plea for her son's life and calls The Count, Edmond. I didn't know that she knew that The Count was Edmond. The Count didn't know that she knew he was Edmond. It was a shock. I was so happy that she had figured it out. I was also glad that The Count, who had been proud of himself for his disguise, had been bested by the woman who was his first love. It's like her soul knew his no matter how he tried to hide it from her.

The Count's revenge touches more people's lives than only the one's who are guilty. He sees that he is not as wise as God and he can't carry out perfect justice. He patches the cracks as best as he can.

He revisits his past. He reflects. He makes peace. What is done is done. What is passed is passed. He is no longer referred to in the text as The Count but, instead, Dantes. His identity shifts again.

The last words of Edmond Dantes in the book are:

"Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, ‘Wait and Hope.” 

I still think about that, wait and hope. Wait for what? Wait for justice? Wait for love? Wait for healing? Wait for a happy ending? Is the point, don't take things into your own hands; wait? And hope. Is that important so that you won't become bitter while you wait?

Another line at the end that sums up the the goal of the story is:

"There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness."

Is that so? Must you go through hard things to realize the height of happiness?

Ben Hur: A Tale Of The Christ

Author: Lew Wallace

Form: audiobook on Librivox.com

This is the second time that I have listened to Ben Hur. Ben Hur is divided into 8 books. The main theme is describing who Jesus is and what it must have been like for those who were waiting for a conquering Messiah. Thankfully, he makes the main character, Judah Ben Hur, realize that Jesus is the Messiah even though he was baffled at first by what seemed like Jesus' demise.

The first book is a little hard to get through. You have to get through lots, and lots, of descriptions. The way that Lew Wallace describes things doesn't really help me to feel like I have been transported to a different time and place, though, and it is certainly not for lack of details. His descriptions are very detailed. They give the feeling of a textbook, though. You can tell he did a lot of research and wanted to fit everything he had learned into the book, but it doesn't come off in a natural way.

One thing that drives me nuts is that he makes Jesus out to have feminine European features: the blue eyes, the delicate hands....... He even uses a phrase in the Bible to prop up this Europeanisation of Jesus when he describes Mary, saying something to the effect, "like the boy David who had, "ruddy cheeks," so was Mary fair skinned." I have heard this David's-ruddy-cheeks argument before by those who want to "prove" that Jews were white.

I, also, find Lew Wallace's characters a little unbelievable, in that the good guys are so good. They have no shortcomings. They are so morally consistent and loyal to their convictions that they are a little unrealistic.

Anyway, I could look past those short comings and enjoy the story. This is another story about someone, Judah Ben Hur, who has been unjustly accused and punished, then assumed dead, who manages to escape and plan a revenge plot.

I would say Judah's story line is very interesting. It keeps you engaged and rooting for his wellbeing and success. 

My favorite part of the book is when Jesus heals Judah's Mother and Sister of leprosy. That is a really bad spoiler. Sorry, if you haven't read Ben Hur. That scene makes me so happy and it gives me goosebumps. It is written in a way that did make me feel like I was there and got to see Jesus perform a miracle for someone that I really cared about who had no hope left in the word beside Jesus.

The whole crucifixion sequence is true to the Bible. Everything that Jesus says is from the Bible. Lew Wallace kept Jesus' words in King James English. I think that is a nice touch and serves to set what Jesus says apart from all the others. It keeps his words sounding sacred and not of this world.

There are a few characters that show the different perspectives that religious people may have had about Jesus at the time. Balthasar, a non-jew, sees all along that Jesus is King of a spiritual, transcendent kingdom. Balthasar is not looking for Jesus to conquer Rome. Judah Ben Hur and Simonides are looking for the Messiah to set up an earthly kingdom and rule the whole world. They have lived under Rome's domineering power for too long, and they can't wait to see Rome destroyed. They believe that The Nazarene is the Messiah. They gather weapons and train a militia to be ready for the time when Jesus of Nazareth will make his move and lay Rome waste. They will be ready to lend him their service. When Jesus is arrested they still hold out hope. Maybe He will call legions of angels. But as the crucifixion goes on they lose hope. Judah realizes before Simonides does, that Balthasar is right. Jesus is God and the son of God. He realizes that the political and religious leaders are not taking Jesus' life, but rather that Jesus is laying it down for him and for the world. And true to Lew Wallace's perfect characters, Simonides also comes to this faith in the true mission of the Messiah. 

The book ends shortly after the crucifixion with an epilogue of sorts showing a scene 5 years in the future. You see that Judah is involved in the early church and used his fortune to help the brethren survive persecution.

Treasure Island 

Author: Robert Lewis Stevenson

Form: audiobook on Librivox.com

I listened to this book because I was bored and didn't have a good idea of what I really wanted to listen to. It was a trash book. Not that the contents were trash but that I listened to it to burn time. I didn't pay very much attention to this book.

It is the original pirate tale. There is a peg leg, a parrot, riotous living (rum and more rum), a treasure map, a marooned sailor....... 

I felt like the point of this story was that many times in this life individuals don't get what they deserve. You can betray your mates, be a thief and a back stabber, and you may end up retired on a tropical island happily ever after in the case of Long John Silver. You may make foolhardy decisions that should lead to catastrophe but some how lead to saving all your friends' lives, in the case of young Jim Hawkins. 

It's like, justice is never served here on Earth. And that has been a frustration of mine ever since I was a little child. Psalm 73 was one I was very familiar with as a young person because it addressed the questions I had about why even bother trying to live right? Good people suffer often and bad people enjoy success often.

Psalms 73:16+17 "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end."

You have to live for the hereafter. And you'll choose to do what is right not because you hope to live an easy life, but because God loves you and you love God.

July By Henry Beer (Poem)

July

The days are hot, the weather dry-

It is the month we call July.

We hope to have a bounteous yield

From grain that's ripening in the field.

The grain is threshed and gathered in,

What a thrill to see it fill the bin!

The wheat and barley, oats and rye

All ripen in the month of July;

And nature with a bounteous hand

Pours out her blessing in the land.

A fairer sight is rarely seen

Than the waving corn in fields of green.

It is a festive sight to see

The cherries ripening on the tree,

Which robins view with envying eye

And often take a fair supply.

The ripening raspberries we may view,

Which sparkle in the morning dew;

And blackberries upon the vine

Are seen to ripen at this time.

July displays ins beauties, too,

With bergamot in shades of blue.

The bouncing Bet along the way

And Queen Anne's lace their blooms display.

And often in the month of July

The storm clouds gather in the sky.

There's lightening, thunder, - and the rain

Refreshes garden, field, and plain.

And on a hot and sultry day,

The youth will often wend their way

Into the lake or swimming pool

To be refreshed in waters cool.

July the fourth we celebrate -

It is our Independence date.

For underneath each day and scene,

There rules a wondrous Power Supreme

Which, if you know, you will acclaim,

He's worthy of the highest name!

Page 85 My Garden Of Verse 

Lambsquarters | Wild Edibles

 

Lambsquarters is a common weed that is usually very easy to grow. For some reason there was no established presence of lambsquarters in our yard when we moved here a few years ago. Disturbed soil is all the invitation that Lambsquarters needs to come take up residence. True to form Lambsquarters seeds have found their way to my garden beds, finally. I am sure to never have a shortage of lambsquarters from now on. Lambsquarters self sow prolifically, and you know that I going to be letting my lambsquarters go to seed. :-)

Lambsquarters is a very easy to identify wild edible. The leaves are triangular in shape with rough toothed edges. The underside of the leaves have a powdery white coating this coating is on the topside of young leaf clusters. The stems can have purple streaks. Sometimes this purple color is a feature of the young baby leaves at the tips of branches.

I found this highly accurate while also humorous quote on Sam Sycamore's web page about Wild Spinach:

"Lambsquarters is yet another example of an extraordinarily common and nutritious edible wild plant that most farmers and gardeners exterminate in order to make room for their inferior lettuces and wimpy salad greens." 

I couldn't agree more. Lambsquarters is easy to grow, easy to harvest, and easy to prepare. And it has a mild flavor. You can use lambsquarters in any application that you would use spinach. And that is simply because Lambsquarters is wild spinach! 

I like to eat lambsquarters raw in salads, and in sandwiches. I use lambsquarters in cooked dishes like pasta, egg casserole, potato hash, and soup.

The tender stems can be eaten raw like broccoli stalks dipped in ranch dressing. 

Lambsquarters leaves can be harvested by picking them individually or (what I prefer) by snapping off the young few inches of leafy stems at the ends of branches. By continuously clipping back new growth you cause the plant to branch out and turn into a shrub like shape. This gives you much more area to harvest from.

When I harvest lambsquarters I like to pop it into a bowlful of water. The leaves with retain their crispness if they are in water which is nice if you are eating them raw. Even if the lambsquarters has been picked for a while and gone limp it will perk right up if you pop it into a bowl of water.

Have you tried Lambsquarters? Do you have a favorite way to eat it? Please let us know in the comment section!

Gardening 2023 The Beginning

 

This is sometimes called, "Winter Sowing." The ideal is to make miniature greenhouses out of milk jugs. 

I used 1 gallon water bottles.

I cut the tops off of the water bottles, poked drainage holes in the bottom, and put 3 inches of steriled soil in the bottles. I then planted seeds and put the tops back onto the bottles.

I left the bottles outside. This was back on March 25th. It was still too cold to plant most seeds in the garden, but the water bottle greenhouses gave these seeds a headstart. 

This method worked out very well for me this year. I was able to keep more seedlings alive and to the point of being transplanted than some years that I start seeds indoors. Having little ones inside that want to play in my potting soil makes it difficult to keep seedlings alive.

My tomatoes are doing very well now that they are transplanted into the garden. The tomato seeds are the ones that I saved from last year's tomato fruits.

How are your gardens growing? Have you heard of, "Winter Sowing," before. Have you tried, "Winter Sowing?" I look forward to reading about it in the comments section.

A Bunch of Drying

 I've been drying some of summer's bounty the last couple months.

The children and I picked pineapple weed all throughout June. We were able to collect almost a full quart jar of dried pineapple weed flowers. I blended them with mint and lemon balm for tea.

The rest of the herbs and flowers from my yard, that can be used for herbal infusions, I have been collecting and blending together. 

There is a little borage, calendula, mint, lemon balm, lavender, and rose petals. I added some anise seed and ginger. I'm calling this Yard Blend Tea. :)

From our neighborhood community garden I have all this basil to dry.

These hot banana peppers are from my garden. I did not feel like pickling them. I decided to hang them and once they're dry maybe I can grind them into some kind of chili powder. ? I have never done anything like that before. Have any of you ever dried banana peppers? I could use some advice!

Psalms 104:14
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle,

and herb for the service of man: 

that he may bring forth food 

out of the earth;

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

 I saw a hummingbird this week! That means it is time to clean up the hummingbird feeders and make some nectar.

Every year I forget the recipe and have to look it up online.

Here is the recipe, in case I am not the only one who forgets.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

1 part sugar

4 parts water

Heat all the water or part of the water (enough for the sugar to be dissolved in).

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Let the sugar water cool down to room temperature before filling hummingbird feeders. If you have only heated part of the water now is when you add the rest of the water to the concentrated sugar water.

It is important to use pure white sugar for the hummingbird nectar. Hummingbirds can't have the molasses that is in less refined sugars, like Sugar In The Raw or Zulka.

For more information about feeding hummingbirds you can visit this article on Birds and Blooms website.

Happy bird watching!

Menu Inspiration!

Here are five budget meals that we have been enjoying at our house this week.

Everyone knows that Ramen noodles are a budget meal. When you fix them like this, though, they feel gourmet!

I cook the noodles. I pull them out of the cooking liquid while they are still bouncy and put them in a lidded pot to keep warm while I fix the veggies and eggs.

If I have vegetable or meat toppings that need to be heated I toss them into the cooking liquid. They pick up some flavor and get hot. Then I remove them to the holding pot with the noodles.

For the eggs: I bring the cooking broth to a nice boil, and crack the eggs into the boiling liquid (about 6 eggs). I put the lid on and cook them for 3 minutes. When the timer goes off I add a bag of frozen spinach. The spinach cools the water off enough to stop the eggs from cooking hard. And the spinach gets thawed and warm. Kill two birds with one stone! 

To make the Ramen Bowls even fancier, I will sometimes use a vegetable peeler to make carrot ribbons. Scallions are always a visually appealing topping, too.

For a real authentic Japanese topping and a boost of bone-building vitamin K2; add a spoonful of natto! :) 

Ham was on sale this week for 87¢ per pound. Ham can make a lot of great breakfast-for-dinner meals. 

We really like this Egg Casserole. I swapped the sausage out for ham this week. It was originally a Crock-Pot recipe, but this time I baked it in the oven at 350° F. for 1 hour.

We also had Ham and Egg sandwiches this week.

I make biscuits for breakfast sandwiches and sometimes I make English Muffins.

English Muffins get dipped in cornmeal before setting aside to rise.

If you didn't know already, English Muffins are cooked on the stovetop. It is handy to know some recipes like this that don't require an oven. If you are ever in a situation where you don't have an oven, remember you can still make English Muffins! Here is my RECIPE.

A menu in my house wouldn't be complete without a chicken leg or thigh meal. :) I have mentioned before that I buy the 10 pound bags of chicken quarters for 59¢ a pound and cut them up myself. Even if you don't cut the meat up yourself chicken thighs or legs are pretty affordable.

Our chicken meal this week was Chicken Armenian. Chicken Armenian is a gratifying meal with a small price tag.

The chicken pieces get browned on the stovetop before going on the sheet pan to bake. The onions add some interest to the dish because they are sliced as opposed to diced. A tomato based sauce gets poured over the chicken pieces along with the sauted onions and garlic. As the chicken cooks in the oven the sauce accumulates flavor and depth. The onions sweeten, the paprika permeates, and the chicken drippings mingle. Chicken Armenian is always a satisfying supper!

Another easy dinner with ham is Ham and Cheese Melt-y Sandwiches. We had ours on homemade croissants. Recipe coming soon! :) Croissants are not the cheapest bread that you can make, seeing as how the recipe calls for 3 sticks of butter. This could be a cheaper meal if you use a less expensive bread choice.

I laid the split rolls on a sheet pan and put a layer of sliced ham on the rolls and then covered the ham with sliced Colby Jack cheese. I put the sheet pan under the broiler for 3 minutes, until the cheese was Melt-y. 

Speaking of cheese, Kroger had a sale on 2 pound blocks of cheese for $4.97 with a digital coupon this past week. Gotta keep an eye out for sales and know what a good price is in your area. I don't keep an actual Price Book, but if you are just starting out on your journey to Thrift, keeping a price log for 6 months for your grocery staples can be a very useful tool. For instance I stock up on butter any time I find it for $2.50 a pound or less. That way I rarely ever spend more than $2.50 a pound for butter. $2.50 is a good price for butter in my area. Butter keeps great in the freezer, and is one of those things that you can stock up on.

And let me tell you God provides for His own! I want to acknowledge His hand in us being able to eat affordably. I'll share a story about a grocery blessing. Back in February Mr. In the Mid-west was in the grocery store and saw half gallons of milk marked down to 49¢ a piece. The Best By date was the following day, so the manager had marked them down significantly. Mr. In The Mid-west bought all he could. We froze the milk and have pulled it out of the freezer as we need it. Our family can polish off a half gallon of milk quickly enough, once it is thawed, that none has spoiled. Now isn't that a blessing, milk prices being what they are?

And the last meal for this post is Pizza!

The pizza in the picture is a little fancier than the one we had for dinner tonight. Our toppings this time were just cheese and pepperoni. The crust we like is this RECIPE. It comes out with a chewy texture and great yeast-y flavor every time.

Share your meals in the comments! Help us all with menu planning inspiration! :)

Psalms 37:25 

I have been young, and now am old; 

yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, 

nor his seed begging bread.