Monday Message

"Included in the year’s supply of basic foods should be life-sustaining foods that store well for a long time: grains (wheat, rice, corn, or other of the cereal grains); dried milk, dried fish or protein vegetables such as beans and peas and other fresh, canned, dried, or pickled fruit or vegetables; sugar or a sugar substitute such as honey; some form of fats; salt; and water. Fresh taro or sweet potato, and live pigs, chickens, or fish might be considered as a supply in some areas of the world where it is difficult to store food. Remember that regular use of whole grains is important in building a digestive tolerance for roughage." (Barbara B. Smith)

The herbs in the jars at the top are the herbs from my herb garden that was gifted to us by the activity day girls and I can't thank them enough!

I think hard times for me has taught me to put in a few extra items when I can.

It has taught me to learn skills like cooking from scratch, canning and dehydration, sewing, knitting, crocheting, baking bread and making do with what you have, stretching things...this list could keep on going.

You may not be in a place where you can have animals, or in some places you cannot have a garden, in other places you cannot even hang out laundry, but wherever you live you can learn.

You can learn how to cook from scratch or...

How to use powdered milk. I use a lot of powdered milk. My favorite way to use it is to make hot cocoa mix...

Liza's Hot Cocoa
3 c. powdered milk
1 ½ c. cocoa powder
1 c. powdered sugar
2 c. Walmart cheap brand of coffee creamer powdered

-Mix & adjust to your taste with less or more cocoa powdered or powdered sugar

I use powdered milk in cooking all the time in anything that calls for milk. I keep a jar of it on the counter, it is automatic to grab it and use it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL13ijHpZoc - here is wonderful info on powdered milk, I love this gal.

You could learn ways to use oats....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezqi-2fnmJM this explains the different oats.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/50-things-to-make-with-oats - great ideas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx7sxWI9FNI - how to fix the perfect rice.

https://food.unl.edu/cooking-dry-beans-scratch-can-be-quick - how to cook dry beans.

So these are a few basic things to have in storage. Having food in your storage means knowing how to fix it.

https://www.sunoven.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/EverythingUnderTheSun.pdf - I love this gal's site, much to learn here.

https://www.mormonchannel.org/blog/post/how-to-begin-a-3-12-month-food-supply - this will be helpful to start.

Remember to beautify your home along the way. The red rocker and rag doll in the picture above, I both got at different yard sales, both were ten cents each. Keeping things frugal is good too.

Skills are huge too...

https://www.traditionalhomemaker.com/homemaking-skills/ -  interesting

http://homeftw.com/61-essential-skills-for-homemakers-how-many-of-these-can-you-do/ - much info here

There is a right and wrong way to hang a shirt, both will dry but if upside down it won't be as wrinkled.

Find ways to use what you have, here is a yarn storage idea.  

Some of the stitcheries on the wall are from pictures our daughters drew when they were little. I embroidered using floss the colors they used then I tea stained them by...

Covering a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Laying my finished work on top of the tinfoil. I would heat a cup of water and then put two cheap tea bags in and steep till dark water. I actually use the tea bags to dab the water on the project till it is wet all over then I put the cookie sheet and project in the oven on the lowest setting until it's dry. Check in ten minutes or so till it's dry. Take it out, let it cool and then frame it. I would pick up frames at yard sales.

This is how I am progressing on the weird yarn I got on clearance for $1.99 that I wanted to see if I could take apart and spin it. It is coming along nicely.