Day 44 I remembered at 5:50am to turn off my 6am alarm!

I had left my phone on the dining table overnight, and everybody would have awakened to weezer had I not shut off my alarm at the last moment.  Must have been that biological clock working again...

But, it is spring break, so---guess what---no sack lunches this week.  Rodger is putting in long hours all week, because the college has its first day of classes beginning today.  That means we won't be seeing much of him during all the kids' free time.

We're doing some spring cleaning today and tomorrow.  We always need that around here.   We are trying to release some of our stuff into the wild...and sing Please Release me, Let Me Go...

Noah, Christiana, Emily, and I watched The Sound of Music this morning before 9 am.  The older girls woke up about then, so at least someone got some extra rest.

I am so happy about the leftovers from the men's retreat.  It will make a little ease in the budget, which I fully intend to put to good use for our Easter feast.  Never has a feast day meant so much as this one!  We always celebrate Easter.  It is one of our biggest holidays.  Resurrection Sunday! 

This year will be even more memorable, because of the special-ness of the feast.  Usually, I don't want to cook much of anything on holidays, because for me a holiday is a day set aside from the usual, and feasts make a day only more of the usual---cooking and cleaning up---than ever.  This time, however, the food seems in itself to make the day more special.  The kids are all talking about it.  A special day should have special food.  I must say, I have never really appreciated this aspect of holiday eating ever before, and I don't think my children have either.

Anyway, to get practical about today, I remembered the awesome barbequed tri-tip pieces of beef from the retreat, and sliced them up as thin as possible.  We ate them on the retreat hoagie rolls and savored every bite.  We finished off with some jam on the other half of the hoagies, for dessert.  Simple for me and yummy beef for the palate.

The little girls cut up 5 lbs of spuds this afternoon and put them on to boil before I would let them watch the conclusion of The Sound of Music.  I got the idea of adding the turkey barbeque to the potatoes, and then added some vegetables and boullion and felt pretty smart when it turned out good and tasty.  So simple for me on this busy day.  I am so thankful for the thoughtful people who sent me some leftovers.  Kindness is such a wonderful thing to spread around, and we have received some this week.

Barbequed turkey, as I received it.

To the boiled potatoes I added whatever was easy for me.  First the bbq, then some pinto beans (left over from the taco night), and some frozen veggies.

Everyone had heaping bowls full, plus seconds.  It was really good.   And not complicated.   I would  never in a million years have thought of a barbeque flavored turkey soup, but somehow, it worked well.

We had time to make a pie after supper.  I volunteered to peel the apples.

Granny Smiths and Honey Crisps.

Sliced apples with sugar, cinnamon, and flour to thicken, being poured into a whole wheat crust.  Never done that one before, either.  Whole wheat is the only flour I have right now.

10 apples made lots of filling, even with generous snitching...I had counted that snitching into the measurements.

I put a wheat design on the pie, in honor of my first whole wheat crust.

With the extra dough, I made a little pasty pie (pronounced pass-tee pie)

and Emily made a bite-sized creation.

We are going to eat the pie tomorrow.  Something to look forward to.

It is so late that I will have to enter the details in the morning.  Buenos Noches.

breakfast menu:  the usual cold cereal and milk

Cost:  $1.60

8 bowls mini-wheats:  .80

8 portions milk:  .80

lunch menu:  roast beef sandwiches and milk

Cost:  $1.30

tri-tip from men's retreat:  no charge

leftover hoagie rolls:  no charge

jam:  .20

half gallon milk:  1.10

snack:  chips and salsa, carrots, romaine

Cost:  $2.32

13 oz chips:  .81

5 oz salsa:  .40

16 oz carrots:  .27

2 hearts romaine lettuce:  .84

supper menu:  turkey soup and rolls

Cost:  $1.70

5 lbs boiled potatoes:  .50

rolls leftover from retreat:  no charge

13 oz cooked beans:  .15

1/2 lb frozen peas:  .49

1/2 lb frozen corn:  .49

2 tsp chicken soup flzvor:  .07

barbequed turkey from retreat:  no charge

bedtime snack for late birds:  bananas and cheese

Cost: $.98

quart milk:  .55

1 1/2 bananas:  .29

2 oz cheese:  .14

Today's total, with thanks to the men's retreat cooks:  $7.90