Monday Message

“The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” (Ezra Taft Benson, October 1973)

How hard it must have been to do what Heavenly Father asks you to do?? Got news for you it is still hard now so pray for help.

Some don’t understand why you do food storage. It is no different as from back then, it is hard to gather it.

When I lived out East at the grocery store the grocer did not like me to buy two twenty-five pounds of flour. He said if he sells it to me he would not have it to sell to someone else. Hmmmm, to me this made no sense at all. You are in business to sell, order more, sell more... hmmmm. It was hard for me out east. He also said I baked too much. I was not used to grocers being nasty at me for buying food. I would have had to set him by those porcupines.

Anywhere else you could buy all you want unless it is on sale and has limits.

So while life is still that way use wisdom and get your storage up. You never know when that grocer could move to your store.

This last month I wasn’t able to get more storage but my veggies are growing and I was able to make up a triple batch of hot cocoa mix and make up five English muffin bread kits and six regular bread kits.

Just do the best you can work the best you can and get what you can, it will add up. Remember, rotating is all important.

As you learn new skills you can make great home decorations like in these next few pictures. 

The one with the leaf was Laura’s first home evening lesson she gave us. We still have the leaf and her words but what a great memory on our wall. 

The other is a self portrait by Sarah. This was one of her drawings that I traced onto muslin and sewed it in the same colors she chose in her picture. I then put two teabags in a cup of hot water. I covered a cookie sheet with foil. Once you put the stitchery on tinfoil I take the tea bags and dab them all over the stitchery. Once it is covered toss the teabag and water. Put your stitchery that is already saturated on the cookie sheet in the oven at lowest setting. Bake till totally dry checking every ten minutes.

Doing this skill decorates my walls and I did it for free using only things I already had on hand.

I saw on the news they were showing grinding grain. It is the most healthiest way to have the grain. Of course, if you have issues you would grind what you can have.

How are you doing at cooking from scratch?

For me, I store things to make cakes from scratch so I would benefit from not finding the time to go out to the store and get a box mix. Remember, I have fibromyalgia. So, yes, I need a 'feel less pain day' to then go get in the car, drive to store, get out - ouch - go in, find it, go back to the car, getting in, more fatigue and pain, and drive home. By all that I could have the scratch cake made.

I know you are saying, you don’t have fibro but you may have young kids you would have to drag with you. They might be good till they go in the store and want everything and start bawling and fighting with each other. Now a twenty minute round trip is much longer. Staying at home and making it from scratch takes on a soothing sound now, not to mention it saves money on gas and prevents you from making stress purchases at the store. Makes it sound great, right?

Challenge yourself to sit down and make a menu for a month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J56bya1X628&feature=em-lbcastemail - this shows how one family does a no-nonsense way, very interesting.

I like how this article called homemaking skills vintage. http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2017/05/are-vintage-skills-a-thing-of-the-past/ - I guess vintage is the new code word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYicgQBXkCQ&feature=em-uploademail - how to cook without power.

Do those basics with your girls and boys. Summer is the perfect time to do it because in two days they will be bored.

Hint - don’t make it sound awful, find a fun way to do it state of mind.

When you do menus, sit down with cookies, milk, paper, and pencils. Everyone works. Say an older child could help fix their meal, with your guidance, and perhaps learn to make it. You could make a list to choose from. The littles could color the menu. Everyone will have fun. It won’t take as long as trying to get it done with all those interruptions.

Be on the lookout for frugal fun things to do when the kids are home. Frugal is the key word. If you pay a lot they will always expect that. Stay on budget, you can do it. Picnics are fun fun fun! Make your own family carnival with dollar tree prizes. If you do a ring toss and have toddlers, give out prizes for a ring toss attempt. Get creative so everyone gets a prize.

Keep working on storage, look at sale flyers.

Keep learning and teaching basic skills.

Do kind acts for others who might be struggling.

Do the best you can.