Day 43 Rodger returns home bearing gifts and giving us all a shock

Rodger before the retreat:

Rodger after the retreat:

He got a reaction out of everybody, that's for sure! I've never seen Rodger without a mustache ever before in my life, and we have been married more than half my life...

We'll adjust. When I'm not looking at him it seems more like I am talking to him. When I look at him it seems like I'm talking to one of his siblings.

Look at the picture below.  Refried beans are not a pretty thing.  I will say, however, that refried pinto beans look, to us, more like food than the black beans did.

There is a lot of food value in that bowl of beans for 44 cents.

cilantro for flavor and decor

Emily has taken many of the cilantro tips away already.  The whole bundle cost a quarter.

2 ounces of cheese is not very much.  Each taco had only a hint of cheese today.

Emily got this in her stocking for Christmas, so I don't charge the family for its use.  Only a few drops per taco needed.  She and her daddy use it, the rest of us go for more mild salsa.

Christiana's first taco

Emily's first taco

Annie was one of the cooks for the Men's camp.  She was given some leftovers as a gift, and sent them along to us, since she lives in a dorm.  Whoopie!  Hoagie rolls and hamburger buns are not in our usual budget, so we'll mix it up a bit this week.

Nice...

We'll find many good uses for oil, no problem.

Rodger will have sliced tomatoes on his sandwiches, and I'll put the lemonade in the freezer for whenever we have company.

Emily caught me in some deep thought as I was on the laptop.  Obviously I was not typing, so I wasn't working on the blog.  I must have been reading the news.  There was an upsetting article about a family who couldn't get insurance for their newborn baby because it had a pre-existing condition.  How can a newborn have a pre-existing condition?  You can probably find the article.  It was at abc news online.

breakfast menu:  cold cereal and milk

Cost:  $.80

4 servings mini wheats:  .40

4 servings milk:  .40

lunch menu:  tacos

Cost:  $3.00

fresh tortillas:  .40

beans:  .44

1 lb lean hamburger:  .99

lettuce:  .35

6 oz salsa:  .48

cilantro:  .15

2 oz cheese:  .19

snack:  dark chocolate M & Ms

Cost:  $1.49

one package, wiht dollar off coupon

supper:  barbequed pork sandwiches, cold cereal

Cost:  $1.80

 18 halves of barbeque pork sandwiches, no charge, from retreat leftovers

cold cereal, 9 servings:  .80

milk:  .80

Today's total:  $7.10, we did it, even with the m & m's