Monday, May 21, 2018

Monday Message


"Today, I emphasize a most basic principle: home production and storage. Have you ever paused to realize what would happen to your community or nation if transportation were paralyzed or if we had a war or depression? How would you and your neighbors obtain food? How long would the corner grocery store—or supermarket—sustain the needs of the community?" (President Ezra Taft Benson)

I know when things are going smoothly it is very hard to think that they would ever change.  Life is going along well. You have a good income. The biggest thing on your mind is getting everyone where they need to be on time. But I guarantee you that won’t even be on your mind if you were suddenly out of work.

One job that my husband had suddenly cut the pay in half for the same hours of work. I thought, oh no…well, we will just have to do what we could. We had food storage, we could scrape by if it did not get any worse… but not much longer again his income was cut in half for the same work but now it was one fourth our pay. 

We were holding on by a thread as we were told it would soon improve. My husband had bypass surgery the year before so we needed the insurance and we were both up there in age which made getting another job harder to do plus, we were told it would get back to normal... and then we got no pay. So when I tell you things can change, believe me they can change. Are you prepared??

Here are my thoughts: When it happens first tears are shed and there's a desperate feeling of what will we do? Job search begins, resume updated. Yes, I can tell you word for word because I have lived it. You assess what resources you have, what food we have in the freezer, refrigerator, and cupboards. We are patching clothes. I can tell you with kids you don’t want to worry them. If your job paid really good and you were always eating out and going to movies or taking vacations this all comes to a screeching halt. Then yes, you will need to explain to your kids and ask for their help. We never made such an income and I was frugal and stored food, so in those ways nothing changed just no grocery shopping. What would you do? 

I know the answers can be as many as there are people… I just want you to realize nobody’s job is totally secure, nobody nohow it just isn’t no matter what you want to think.

Building skills how are you coming on those????





I am still working on learning my weaving. In the above pic you can see the pink and the plum. I had a friend who was working on a crochet project, afterward she gave me the leftover yarn. The weaving pattern I was working on had three colors so I picked a cream to go with the leftover yarn she gave me, problem was that this was all that I had on hand and the cream color was thinner by half, so this was a learning thing for me. I doubled the cream thread and worked it as one, it is perfect…the other thing you can see here the yoga type mat. I had saved it for another project. I got it at a yard sale from a free box…..you can use paper when rolling fiber on the back beam but I saw in an old weaving magazine that someone did something similar which reminded me of this mat. I only had half of the mat because I gave the other half away but it is working fantastically. So that was a new learn and then I showed you my little invention before but I'll put it up here again.



So these are the things I have been learning on the loom.

I have also been studying bobbin lace, wanting that to be one of my skills….more on that to come.



I have been doing some organizing and cleaning of sewing drawers.




Spring is finally here in central Iowa as you can tell by the top picture. From thinking that spring would never come to weather that has been like summer here… I hope it won’t stay that way through all of spring.

Keep learning your skills and keep stocking up. Be as prepared as you can be!

8 comments:

  1. That is very scary indeed. Thankfully we have a 5 month emergency fund and a full pantry. We could go about 4 months without shopping. I wouldn't want to but we could.

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    1. It was scary this is why i write this blog cause i have been there and want people to be prepared and i am so glad you have four months worth that is a great thing thanks for sharing

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  2. I can't imagine being told I would have to do the same work for 1/2... then 1/4... then NO pay!!! Your loom is fantastic and your weaving is beautiful!

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    1. It was hard never did get back as they said i guess it all prepped me for now.

      Thank you i am trying to learn it seems everything i do has it's own language

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  3. We went through a rough patch where my husband was laid off twice in a year, back when the economy was tanking. Fortunately, we had some savings which kept us afloat until I could get a job to help out. Not fun, but it makes me thankful for where we are now financially.

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    1. Yes those rough times sure teach us things we might not have learned otherwise and yes i am thankful too

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  4. We have had this happen to my husband twice. He was the only wage earner. I may have mentioned this before so forgive me if I have. Scary for sure. I was pregnant and now no health insurance at all but we had none either with our first and just paid cash. No $ coming in but since we were both raised frugal we had skills. My husband and a fellow friend also now without a job, worked hard to earn any money they could . They also stayed up late to made cabinets for his friends Mother's entire kitchen. An act of love. The poor women raised many children with hardly anything... only the kitchen table for any counter like use. Second time he took a huge pay and benefits cut and found out later the company lied to all the workers. They were actually doing good and could pay the wage etc . but got the workers to cut back. There was never any pay raises after that. People talk like cost of living raises are a natural part of working. No friends we have had ever got any such thing. Communication is very important between the couple and family. They should be a team as you said. It can be done. Things happen. We can't go back and change them...go forward with a new plan and before anything happens again get your family ready again for any such occurrence if it should happen again so you can weather it.
    To so many across the world even the humblest home in America is a castle to them. Be thankful. Thank of all the lessons they could give us on frugality !!
    My one Grandmother..had a hand loom she set up in their small front room. It always fascinated me but I was never there long enough to learn about it from her. I have a small rug she made. Also a cut work linen dresser scarf. I feel so blessed to know so many wonderful homemakers. Much was learned just being among them during family picnics, visits and reunions. They are all such strong women who followed God. Full of love. Sarah

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    1. Yes hard to go thru and bad things happen to good people so we must chalk it up life education for all i have learned i am thankful even if really hard at the time

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