Monday Message

"Brethren, I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family. None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike. Sickness, injury, unemployment... I do not predict any impending disaster ... yet prudence should govern our lives ... We can begin with a one week food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. ... I fear that so many feel that a long-term supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.  Begin in a small way... gradually build toward a reasonable objective." Gorden B. Hinckley, Priesthood Session, October 2002.

Now you ask where do I get the money for these things? I agree, I need them, but I'm having a hard time making ends meet. Here is how you do it: Use one or more of the following suggestions... Food Storage Christmas - Use 25-50% of money for food storage, New Clothes - Don't buy, instead make it last a few more months, use that money for food storage, Vacation/Holiday - no vacation or holiday until food storage is complete, Recreation - Cut by 50% use money for food storage, find fun, free things to make lasting memories, Snowmobiles/campers/boats - sell or trade to get a year's supply, Change Diet - eat cheaper foods and use extra money for food storage.  

"The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every LDS family to have a year's supply of food reserves ... All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment.  Miracles will take place: the way will be opened and we will have our storage areas filled.
"I believe it is time, and perhaps with some urgency, to review the counsel we have received dealing with our personal and family preparedness. ... With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness. We are not in a situation that requires panic buying but the instability in the world today makes it imperative that we heed this  counsel and prepare for the future." L. Tom Perry, Nov. 1995.

In our lives things happen, storms come…While we got this bad storm our plants were still okay, it was quite a storm. It makes me think, how prepared are we? It could have been a lot worse.

How prepared are we??

Are you prepared to care for your family when hard times come?

As you follow us in our hard times, I hope to share with you information that can prepare or help you when you too have hard times.

As you can see my plants were spared, which is good. I cannot feel well enough yet to have a full garden but I was able to plant in these planters that I got at no cost as people had set them out for free. I also have two bags of dirt (not pictured) that I am trying to see if I can get squash to grow in. I slashed the bags open and planted in the bags as they already have drain holes in them.

We should be able to have many fresh veggies from what I have planted.

This week we had a turkey breast it was a small one but I made turkey tetrazzini with part of it.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Cook one pkg of spaghetti noodles and drain, to it add…

2 cans cream of mushroom soup, or your own soup mix
1 c. leftover turkey cut up, you can use chicken or ham if wanted
1 tbsp dried onion or 1/4 c. fresh chopped onion
1 small jar of pimentos, yes those are in my storage just for this recipe
½ c. water
I cut cubes of cheese and stir this all together in a 9 x 13 sprayed pan

Bake 350 degrees for 45 min.

I froze some of the leftovers enough for a meal for us in a vacuum sealed bag. I made turkey salad for sandwiches and froze the rest of the turkey in a vacuumed seal bag which I put bbq sauce in with the turkey.

The meals froze in these bags, which I had old seal a meal bags to use, can now be pulled out of the freezer when we need a meal fast or for when I don’t feel well. I can just take out the bag and put it in boiling water till it is done (about a half hour or so) take meal out and open the bag.

So look at your leftovers and make planned-overs.

I have fibromyalgia so there are days I feel worse than others. I have pain all the time but some days are worse pain. Weather pressure seems to make bad pain days. So I need to plan around the pain, life has to be adjusted so I can rest but while I rest I am still doing what I can and learning what I can while I rest.

I work with my energy, which seams to be better in the mornings, and try to get all prep work done then for supper.

I try to always be a week ahead on the Monday Messages just in case, often I work it up on Fridays and on Fridays our supper is pizza.

My favorite pizza dough

5 c. flour
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp yeast, yes one tsp - this is key
2 cups water 
2 tbsp. olive oil or veg oil
Stir together. I divide into three equal parts, two I put in sprayed freezer bags or containers and keep the one third in the bowl covered till supper.

On other Fridays I just grab a frozen bag or container of dough from the freezer and set it out on the counter. It will be ready for supper at supper time. I divide the dough into two parts, spread them on your pans while oven preheats to 500 degrees. 

I have two pizza pans the size of dinner plates that I got at a yard sale but have used pie tins when I need more for company. Yes, you can do one large pan if you wish. Just multiply the recipe to meet your family’s need. I precook the pizza for three minutes or so then, for ours, I spread it with my home-canned pizza sauce and top with cheese then with drained canned mushrooms.  

Bake till golden (five to eight minutes) and - important - slide onto a wooden cutting board and cut, this keeps your crust crispy if you use other then wooden it steams the crust making it soggy.

I made a batch of yogurt with powdered milk, which is the only way I make it.

Skill building items: I am still working on the sweater but I learned how to continental knit watching a segment on knitting when the Olympics were in Oslo Norway. So I used this week to learn how to purl the Norwegian way and so now I have that skill checked off my list.

I have several dresses given me that are too long, it was a style awhile back. My plan is to shorten the hems and maybe put a kicker pleat in rather than slits. So those are my next sewing skill building. How are you doing with your skill building??

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2017/05/5-old-fashioned-pancake-recipes-you-will-love/ I think pancakes in any form is a good thing with homemade jam or with homemade syrup.

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/05/make-your-own-ridiculously-easy-and-inexpensive-homemade-maple-syrup.html - homemade syrup

Making your own things saves money. Think how much difference in price one item is when you make it yourself, now think about how much that is when you do many of them - it truly adds up. And storing the basics helps you have it on hand. Saves money and the time of running to the store and buying something else costing more money.

Sometimes convenience isn’t so convenient and there comes a time when you notice the price is too high. We just need to pay attention.

For instance, take bread... I think you all mostly would agree homemade bread is fantastic but you might say, well it takes so long to make that I don’t have time. Yes, I agree. Some days it wouldn’t work out but if you plan ahead you can get it going and you wouldn’t just stand there waiting on it to bake, you would do laundry or meal prep or even read. I know I read when I babysit my canner while canning and you could make many loaves for the same time it takes to do one. I slice my bread with an electric knife (gotten at a yard sale). I keep one loaf out and freeze the rest.

This was a free find for me of late. It is a portable clothes washer, isn’t it cute? I have one I made from a five gallon bucket with a lid. You buy a new toilet plunger, drill a hole in your lid for the handle and you drill holes around in the rubber part of plunger.  Like the one here…  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riqYz2WEfRQ

I know you are saying, I would just go to laundromat, but it is always inconvenient when your washer breaks down. This is great to have on hand and in our town we do not have a laundromat. And what if it would take a while to gather the funds to fix your washer? Just a thought.

Keep in mind, we cannot prepare for everything but we can prepare for lots of things. Prepare is the key word. If we all waited till things happened it would be even more of an inconvenience. 

Just like in a simple snow storm. How many people run to the store as the storm is hitting even though the weatherman said a week ago it was coming? They waited, why? If you have storage, that simple storm means a snow day with kids and chocolate chip cookies. You got this. Many times I thank my past me for getting storage so I don’t have to go out on bad roads. The only going out is to build a snowman with the kids.

Storage doesn’t look silly, now does it? It doesn’t need to be for epic things. This was just a snow storm. Whether it is two inches or twelve, the story is the same. They stick a reporter out filming people buying eight gallons of milk and loaves of bread. How many times do you see that along with pics of fender benders? And you say, I am glad it is not me and to know it rests on you to be prepared or be the person they are filming…

We need to take care of our families. Learning skills and gathering storage is what we can do.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/sep/26/venezuela-food-shortages-rich-country-cia - this article will show how hard it could be… I hear you thinking it could never happen here, I bet they said that too.

If you read that article you will see why this next quote is so important, they produce next to nothing. It takes only a generation to lose skills. For example, how many people here do not know how to can??? Yes, things are readily available but I have never forgot this quote from President Kimball, it isn’t quite the answer, is it? Same goes for other skills like sewing for example.

President Spencer W. Kimball - "The little gardens and a few trees are very valuable. I remember when the sisters used to say, `well, but we could buy it at the store a lot cheaper than we could put it up.' But that isn't quite the answer, is it, Sister Spafford?
Because there will become a time when there isn't a store." General Conference April 1974.

"Brethren, I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family. None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike. Sickness, injury, unemployment... I do not predict any impending disaster ... yet prudence should govern our lives ... We can begin with a one week food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. ... I fear that so many feel that a long-term supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.  Begin in a small way... gradually build toward a reasonable objective." Gorden B. Hinckley, Priesthood Session, October 2002.

Do the best you can, even a little adds up in time.