Monday Message

Grow things in your yard to eat! Here is a picture of the raspberry patch outside our house.

This talk I think should be in the front of everyone’s binder on storage. L. Tom Perry passed away last week but we all will remember his words, so to that I put this talk in our Monday Message.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/if-ye-are-prepared-ye-shall-not-fear?lang=eng

“We must also be anxiously engaged in a positive program of preparation.”

“Live within your means. Get out of debt. Keep out of debt. Lay by for a rainy day which has always come and will come again. Practice and increase your habits of thrift, industry, economy, and frugality” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1937, p. 107).

These two quotes and others from this talk could be on our refrigerators to remind us daily.

Before I give you this link to look at, I would remind you that you would want to add tithing and there are other things that are not of our belief. Just pull out the good info and make it work for your life - http://www.wikihow.com/Live-Within-Your-Means there is helpful information that you can use.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2008/01/happily-living-within-our-means?lang=eng - lets work hard to live within our means.

What if you cannot afford something, what then?? What would you do?? Would you be content with what you have? Would you find a way to make do with what you have? Is it that simple? Perhaps you would like a cake but have no funds, you could make one. I know this is a very simple way to put it, but it gets my point across.

Working together with your spouse is very important! If one keeps to the budget and the other does not it is very hard indeed to live within your means. Does it take love, sacrifice and lots of work to live within your means? Definitely hard work and sacrifice and love. Working together you can accomplish much more.

I have known people where one spouse is selfish and also another where they all are selfish. We must remember that this is not of God. But Heavenly Father wants us to do for ourself as best we can and He fills in the difference.

In Sunday school last week we learned sometimes I pray our finances will improve but that maybe I should be asking for Heavenly Father to help me be strong enough to work with what I have and have the energy with no backlash from my health. (I have Fibromyalgia)

I won’t lie and say it is easy for it is hard work to make ends meet.   Living frugally is hard. Putting in a garden is hard. To keep ahead of the weeds, then the canning, drying and such. Seems the harder times are the harder I must work. It is well worth it to help your family.

How ungrateful I would be if asking for food then was unwilling to put it up.

http://yourglutenfreekitchen.com/category/gluten-free-flour/ - a great site for our gluten-free friends.

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2013/05/gluten-free-baking-and-substitutions/ gluten-free substitutions

In Relief Society I was reminded of just how busy you all are. When the kids grow up you tell yourself there will be more time but unfortunately somehow that does not happen and you can find yourself busier than when you were the family cab driver. Yep, life does not slow down and remember ladies you will never get to retire. You still cook, clean and do laundry. So sitting in a rocking chair really only happens when rocking your babies.

Now is the time that things gets busier. Kids home all summer, usually six hours into it you hear the, "I'm bored" words.

Remember it is now that those skills can be taught to the future missionaries, college kids and wives and husbands of the future.

What I wish I would have learned..

-How to play piano
-How to sew, even to sew a button on or hem
-How to bake bread (one family had lots of kids they were all taught to bake bread and took turns)
-How to do laundry, not just to fold everything but how to wash and how to use a Laundromat
-How to fix a family meal, have the kids take turns
-How to grocery shop
-How to cook frugally
-How to be content
-How to budget
-How to can food
-How to love to garden
-How to_____, you fill in the blank. There are so many things that we can learn and we can teach.

I think you can think back to just starting out and what you wish you had learned then teach those things to your kids. These will help your kids have a leg up.

http://wsm.wsu.edu/s/index.php?id=265 - this is Washington Univ. but the info is for everywhere. 

I once listened to a speaker about Russia and how some things were not handed down because of cost and what a loss to them for generations to come.

Pick one thing you would like to learn this summer (I have picked weaving). You pick_____ (fill in the blank). Now what do you do? Check online for information, google it, go to library inter library loan, search YouTube…is it difficult? Yes. To weaving I am finding it difficult, how did they ever come up with this?

Break it down, learn one step at a time, make an outline list and check it off as you learn that step. Is there anyone who does this you could ask for help learning? In my case, it is my sister. You have much going on in your life but 1. you're not dead, 2. you don’t have a deadline so take as long as you like,  3. it is good to keep on learning even if you are slow and ache like me.

Remember you won’t be graded, thank goodness. In my case there is a huge learning curve and I am a basket weaver so this should come easy... Nope, it's a whole other animal! But I will push on. Like you, I am busy with the garden and life, but I am pushing on to learn. Now I am working on a sampler of weaves, it's just a step but at least it's step towards my goal.

What do you want to learn?? I would love to hear your answer and hear how you do! No test, no one to please but yourself and you do not have to be perfect.

Whenever I have taught basket making the best basket is the first one someone makes.

Find ways to work smarter not faster. This is my goal, I want to slow down and enjoy my journey, that is my goal too.

Life is fleeting, so push your kids five more minutes in the swings, give more hugs and to quote my sister in law, Lynette Sherer…"hug and don’t be the first to let go,” this is wonderful, thanks Net!

It is okay to have toys on the floor. When I walk into someone's house and toys are on the floor, my thought is... FUN is had here!

So enjoy your family, let fun be had at your house.

Keep working on your storage and if you did not take the time to read Elder Perry’s talk go back to the top and do so.