Frugality, and the importance of being a good steward

I was rather dismayed to find that I could not locate the teething biscuits during a recent grocery shopping expedition. I looked in the baby section. I looked in the snack cracker section. I looked in the organic section. And nothing! My Darling aided me in my quest, expanding the search zone to three--yes, THREE--different locations, and still no biscuits came home with us.

So, I did what any twenty-first century Mama would do. I googled "Zwieback recipes" and came up with some lovely things to bake for my little Bug, who popped her first razor blade tooth a week ago. She is, after all, FIVE ENTIRE MONTHS old, so it's no small wonder that all the drool and fussiness and swollen little gums have finally produced something, for Pete's sake.

I supposed this is all good though. Too often, I find myself perusing the packages of various mixes, thinking, This will surely save me time, but rarely would it do much for our budget. My Darling is the one who keeps track of the budget and knows our limits financially, but that's no reason for me to expand our grocery bill to the maximum allowable amount! Of late I'm more inclined to bring home whole wheat flour from the bulk section, or various ingredients I'm sure I can put to use if I employ my creativity--and my cookbooks. The family dinner table is no place to leave hungry, but it doesn't need to be prohibitively expensive to satisfy my children's appetites.

Therapeutically speaking, this is going to be a good week. Why? Because I said so. Don't ask the weather, and please don't speak of the terrific headache it's left me with. It's rainy and grey today, with promises of more of the same tomorrow. But Wednesday is supposed to be lovely, and Thursday and Friday are looking positively summeresque. Today I napped, laundered, and bathed babies. So tomorrow, I shall bake. Tomorrow, all manner of teething biscuits and my own zwieback toast will come from my oven, thankyouverymuch, while chicken soup simmers atop. If time permits, I may even knock out a loaf of bread for those who already have a full set of teeth. Knowing how wonderful my time in the kitchen is for my heart and soul, I look forward to it greatly.

And Wednesday, Thursday and Friday? I've a garden or two or three to consider. I have a dozen bags of mulch waiting to be torn into, and lovely little seeds to start in trays. Considering I had no vegetable garden last year, this year is sure to be cathartic for me. The promise of seeds is inspirational, and the feel of my hands in the cool dirt is something I've always enjoyed. I don't plan on a large veggie garden this year, as my plot isn't too greatly proportioned, and I'd rather have a finished house than a bigger garden. Next year, though, I intend to implore My Darling to better than double the size. Canning hasn't been a real endeavor around here, because I've nowhere to store the proceeds. Next year, though, I'll have a nice, big pantry........God willing!

This year, though, it's corn, beans, peas, lettuce, sunflowers, sweet peppers, and lots and lots of herbs (because I've lots and lots of containers to put them into!). Next year, I'll do cucumbers again, and tomatoes and carrots and turnips and onions. And at some point we'd like to put in two or three each apple and pear trees, and raspberries and strawberries. And in the end, I'd love to have a grape arbor, but that's so far-fetched at this point, I don't dare dwell on the thought. But there it is.

Thanks for checking in. The Lord has continued to show His Hand here and there, quite often unexpectedly, but always plainly. God is good.