Monday Message

"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 may affect any of us. We have a great welfare program with facilities for such things as grain storage in various areas. It is important that we do this. But the best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. The best welfare program is our own welfare program. Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

We need to build our skills so we can do things for ourselves and save money.

Staying home during the pandemic helped us learn so many things.

We learned we can learn skills we never thought about before.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+cut+your+family%27s+hair&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS960US960&oq=how+to+cut+your+families&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0i22i30l8.17564j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_mhTpYOuFAtj0tAbchaCYAg23 - Cutting your hair.

https://redtri.com/how-to-cut-hair-at-home/ - how to cut your family's hair

For those who homeschooled, you learned how to be their teacher and your child learned one on one.

We learned to work from home.

We learned Zoom and we learned how to go to church virtually.

We learned grocery pick-up was way better than wandering the store.

Sourdough (lots of people learned that)

https://www.youtube.com/c/AldermanfarmsNet/search?query=Sour%20dough%20starter - this is my favorite, she goes right through it all. She sells it at a farmer's market, so this is a great skill to have.

I got another mask made out of what I already had on hand. I am trying to be even more frugal because our house taxes go up two hundred dollars a month next year. That was very unexpected.

I am very frugal but will be even more so by studying how others do. I know it will have to come out of grocery funds, a good part of it anyway. These are the things we cannot anticipate and there is always something so preparing is all I can do and learn.

We have always given each other a haircut so we have that down.

I want to make more of my clothes from what fabric I have.

I have been learning a lot while making clothes for the sheep girls. I am almost done with the sheep dress.

So I am trying to build more knitting skills.

I have been fixing frugal meals.

Tending the garden - we are enjoying salad with lettuce that I grew in a pot by the front door.

Also, we have been eating zucchini.

My favorite way to fix it = I snatch them while they are young, wash them then I melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. I cut the zucchini into coins like you do for fried potatoes then put them in the butter and sprinkle garlic salt over all. Then I toss in the dehydrated onions and stir about every so often, like making the fried potatoes. When they start to brown, I sprinkle cheddar cheese that is shredded over all of it, I let it melt and then serve.

I have been organizing. I had one of those boxes that people get floss in. I took it and wound the floss I had and filled the box. I did it by hand since it was faster.

It seems that I have just been doing small jobs. I have a hairdresser cart I got at a yard sale a very long time ago. I moved the stuff which was holding my knitting machine things into it along with the plastic drawer that was housing my hand-knitting tools. I scrunched things around so they weren’t  wasting space which gave me two empty drawers so I put the machine knitting stuff in those two bottom drawers. Then I moved the cart into the stamp area by the old table I use as a desk. It is very handy since it rolls.

I pulled the drawers out to show them. I usually slide them in till I need them. On the side are a score board, an envelope board, and two fisker cutters. The jar holds the styluses that I use that go with the books behind the envelope board. On top are my watercolors and water color pencils. I have others in a drawer close at hand.

So that was a glimpse of my week. What did you folks do? Share below in the comment section.

Gus says he is quality control and takes his job seriously. He says stay safe, wear a mask and prepare like you wish you would have for the first part of the pandemic.

Missy says she is Gus's supervisor and makes sure we all wear our masks and wash our hands.  Her tip is if someone comes to the door, run and hide. That is how to social distance.