President J. Reuben Clark (Church News, 1953) –
“When we really get into hard times, where food is scarce or there is none at all, and so with clothing and shelter, money may be no good for there may be nothing to buy, and you cannot eat money, you cannot get enough of it together to burn to keep warm, and you cannot wear it. You can’t eat money, but you can eat your three-month supply of food – IF YOU HAVE IT AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT."
Having it and knowing how to use it is a huge thing.
Having basic skills like how to mend, or sew your own clothes, or even refashion old ones, how to darn your socks, how to knit socks, how to make bread , how to cook from scratch, how to be content with what you have, how to make do….this list goes on... household repairs and basic car repair and many many more.
It is all so very much and looks impossible to accomplish but take it a bit at a time.
Today with computers you can learn how to do things.
Learn that there are alternatives… need tires? You can go pay for new ones but if money is tight you can go to the junk yard and buy used.
You can buy new clothes and sometimes one has too but don’t rule out thrift and consignment stores.
You could just buy name brand groceries or you can go to Aldi's who carry some of those same brand names in another package.
You could go out to eat, no cooking, no dishes right? Well price check against a meal at home and doing the cooking and clean up as helping to save. But what if you really love what they offer? Try to learn to make it at home. If you don’t like to cook during arsenic hour use your crockpot or make up your supper to have it ready to pop in the oven, you can’t do that with every meal but you can do it with a lot of meals.
I overheard a mother ask her daughter what she needed. The reply was a coat, now clearly she was wearing a nice coat already so we need to learn our wants from our needs.
I guess in short as this year ends think how can I balance life better, what is most important, how do I run my life or do I let life run me?
When life runs us we are flustered, we are too busy, we have no time for anything.
Right now as you are filled with all the hustle and bustle, picture yourself sitting by the fire. Dinner is in the crockpot and just saying this sentence makes you say aaaaah, sounds relaxing right?
Sometimes we put our kids in all sorts of things to give them opportunities maybe we did not have ourselves.
When Laura was just a baby we knew someone who had a twelve year old girl. She was in about anything one could be in, this girl had something going every minute and homework as well. I remember thinking all those years ago that this girl had no time to be a kid and that soon as kids grow up their schedule will have to be more but for a time it is nice to be a kid. I know.… "well so and so is doing this or that and so my kids need to as well," don’t pack so full with good things that the best things slip by like water through your fingers. Sometimes it is okay to say not this year, lets do things together.
Have fun family nites where you teach some of the basics like sewing on a button. Not long ago I was asked to teach a class of girls how to sew on a button, how to hem and such. I know you are thinking boring but they had a lot of fun.…you can make it boring or fun, just like you help set the mood for the day.
Be yourself, don't be unhappy because you don't have this or that like someone else. Be content with what you have and enjoy life or you will wake up later in life and say oh my goodness I could have been happy. Life is hard don't make it harder.
Do the best you can.
If you cannot afford to take classes try to learn on your own. Believe me there are so many things to learn. We can learn everyday. I have so many things I personally am trying to learn. The things I am choosing to learn at this time may not be of interest to you and that is okay. We don't need to be the same, how boring would that be? Once you master something, move to something else. You can do it.
What I am learning is how to weave on floor looms, how to tat with a shuttle, how to use a toyota knitting machine, different techniques in spinning fiber, to better my sewing skills. Can I learn them all in a day? Nope but I learn when I can. By the way these are just a few things I want to learn.…slow and sure. Do I want to be the best at these things? Nope I just want to further my skills and make do with what I have been blessed with.
I love how diverse we all are. We are like the beautiful threads in the tapestry. All by ourselves we are beautiful but together we are breathtaking.
So as you sit by my fire, remember we are each unique and we can just be ourselves and know that those around us love us for who we are and that it does not matter if we don't have fine clothes or if we do, it doesn't matter so be the best you that you can be.
That is my fireside chat for today. Live a full life, you make a difference to many.
If you want a certain item covered in the Monday Message let me know.
http://www.honeybeepantry.com/topics/view/51cbfc92f702fc2ba812dddf/ this lady is soooo neat, we can all learn from her as we do from each other.
http://www.honeybeepantry.com/topics/view/51cbfc9bf702fc2ba812f3a3/ make your own
http://www.honeybeepantry.com/topics/view/51cbfc92f702fc2ba812dda1/ great to know
http://www.honeybeepantry.com/topics/view/51cbfc9bf702fc2ba812f492/ window pane test
http://www.honeybeepantry.com/topics/view/51cbfc9bf702fc2ba812f4d0/ grinding grain
These are helps and guidelines that will help you to learn to make good bread.
I have a neat friend who puts her bread in the bread machine but takes it out to rise in her loaf pan. That works great too and of course you can do the whole thing in the bread machine too. So many ways to get good healthy breads. For gluten free I see that they even make a special pan to help with rising so no one is left out of fantastic bread.
My caramel corn recipe
2 c. unpopped popcorn (pop it and set aside in a big roaster)
In medium pan put....
2c. brown sugar
1c. butter
1/2c. corn syrup
1 tsp salt
measure and set aside
1/2 tsp b. soda
1 tsp cream or tarter
Bring the ingredients in the pan to a boil stirring then boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the soda and cream of tarter all at once, stirring all the time this will foam up. Once it is well stirred pour it over the popped corn stirring well to coat the popcorn.
Put in a preheated oven of 250 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes stirring every 20 minutes. When done spread out on cookie sheets or wax paper to cool. When cool, store in airtight container.
This is a family favorite!
So make some caramel corn and sit by the fire. :)
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