Monday Message

   “We all need to build a personal ark . . . And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining, but prepare in advance. This has been the message of all the prophets in this dispensation . . . as well as the prophets of old.
    “Unfortunately we don’t always heed the clear warnings of our prophets. We coast complacently along until calamity strikes, and then we panic.
    “When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark. However, we do need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future.” (W. Don Ladd, October 1994 General Conference)

I took a wrong turn in Ankeny earlier this week when our youngest daughter and her husband were visiting. It was the older part of town and was hit pretty bad with the flooding. Blocks and blocks of stuff from homes was piled higher than the car on both sides of the street. It was awful, rolled up carpet, sheetrock and things from their everyday lives, solid debris piles stretched out blocks on both sides of the streets...it was very sobering. Having done clean-up at my house, my heart was full of empathy.

We need to pay attention to what warnings and watches for our areas mean as part of preparation. I remember hearing several times this year flash flood watches or warnings in my area on the weather radio and I thought, what? We are not by water no river nothing I thought how silly nooooo I have a much better understanding it is coming from the sky!

Gives a whole new meaning to the sky is falling.

If you think about it, so many things can go wrong. We cannot prepare for everything but we can do as much as we can.

As if on cue, as I'm writing this a week before you'll see it, our weather radio just went off saying, we are in tornado watch till ten tonight. The first thing I did when it went off was look outside, the sun is shining and blue sky…which could make you complacent and lull you into a false sense of security. That would be most dangerous.

Putting off preparing would also be dangerous.

When our children were babies, we lived in student housing, which were like chicken coops on a cement slab. When tornado warnings sounded we had to grab the kids and run to our vehicle through rain hail and usually when the kids were sleeping. We had to drive to a building on campus that had a storm shelter in it.

While typing this, a tornado warning east of us in our county just sounded. And yet another tornado warning, this one a bit north and east of us. Just pointing out blue sky sun shining here…complacency not good.

It is easy when things are going well we always think it will be that way and preparing is the furthest from our mind. But if we stay on task, no matter what we can do, even a little will add up.

The first time we had to flee to the shelter, we arrived wet, our babies were wet and we only had a concrete floor to sit on...it was not a good experience. So I packed a five gallon bucket with diapers, snacks, towels, coloring books, colors, toys, dry clothes for the kids, water. Things we would need and... I wish you could hear another tornado to our north as I'm typing this, wow, enhances my story.

The next time we had to flee I grabbed this bucket (yet again another warning on my radio), I grabbed the bucket, as it was kept now by the door, and we went to the shelter (yet another warning on the weather radio right now, just letting you know my real time happenings).

When we got to the shelter we dried off and dug out snacks, toys, coloring books, etc. another family was….another alarm…sitting next to us wet and miserable. We shared towels, coloring pages, crayons, and snacks. We could not speak to each other as they spoke another language but sharing is its own language and we…. yet another alarm….went another time that year and this same family was next to us again. This time they had a suitcase packed just like we had our bucket, they smiled at us and pointed to their suitcase as if to say we learned from your bucket.

It is good to set the example and it's easy to share.

Through all these alarms on the weather radio so far we have sun and blue skies for NOW. Three more make that four, it is pretty active and it is only 4 p.m. as I'm writing this and we are in tornado watch till ten tonight.

I guess I wanted to share in real time, yet another tornado, it is going to be an active night.

I just wanted to stress how bad complacency is. We need to not be complacent with the ease of life and thinking we will never have troubles so we will just do our thing - no don’t, you do it! Bad things can happen fast. Some of these tornadoes have hit houses and more storms yet tonight.

We seem to be in the crosshairs this year.

We don’t always have tornadoes so we need to be prepared for when we do. This is a tornado outbreak.

I plan not to edit so you can see just how fast things happen.

Towns are being hit, not good at all.

You need to be actively getting your family prepared. Get your storage in, get your skills learned.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=emergency+kit+how+to&docid=608037122385183696&mid=A3FB4638AD690842A121A3FB4638AD690842A121&view=detail&FORM=VIREHT - This shows putting a 72 hour kit together from dollar store.

An update on the weather - three communities got hit Bondurant, Pella, Marshalltown had the most catastrophic damage.

Just read through this post, I wrote as it happened and you can see how fast that was.

When we got flooded on the fourth they called a flash flood emergency, when Marshalltown (27,000 people) was about to get hit, they called a tornado emergency. They rarely use those terms so it is bad when they use them and both were used in the same month, weather patterns are weird.

So you now see how quickly your life can change. 

We might think it will always be the other guy but that isn’t always so. If we get ourselves prepared we can be more able to help others. Keep learning your skills.

I am working to learn more sewing skills. I am taking the free sew along on the Crafty Gemini site. She explains so wonderfully and I am learning a lot. On that note, the supplies I need for those skills are also stored…

As I ran across sewing supplies at yard sales, if I could get them I did, often bypassing something I may have WANTED more but needed less. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves hard questions about wants and needs.

The same with knitting and crocheting supplies.

This week I made dill pickles which reminds me to mention you should add canning equipment and supplies to your storage list so that you can just be ready to can and you will always have the supplies to can on hand no matter what is going on around you.

I have a deal with Heavenly Father, if He sends me food to put up, I will can it. I was given the cucumbers and I had the jars, rings, lids, canner and the vinegar. So I was ready as I had these things on hand already…. This is the kind of thing I am talking about in your supplies.

Did it take a while? Yes. Did I get things used? Yes. The steamer canner I got to make the pickles, shown above, was still in a box for three dollars at a yard sale. They are normally thirty dollars. My pressure canner, in the picture below, was used ten dollars, new it would be $150. The jars and rings were free as I put out the word that I was looking for them.

You may not find the same prices I did but don’t rule out yard sales and thrift stores. Both food savers I have I got for ten dollars, one in its box still and the other only used one time. So look at yard sales and thrift stores. Put out the word you are looking for items it does help.

Also, look for things that are manual as well for back-ups.

I started collecting buttons from when I was a little girl. I would see a button on the ground and pick them up and save them in a jar.

So even then I was collecting supplies.

Food storage is very important but so are supplies.

Do whatever you can. Just do it! Have the "wants vs the needs" talk with yourself if you have to. It is all a part of living a more frugal life. 

Get your family prepared for hard times.

Monday Message

"Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year's supply of food . . . and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year's supply of debt and are food-free." - President Thomas S. Monson

As many of you know president Monson just recently passed away so I thought it would be a good thing to use his quote.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTCodG3OOdw - this video shows how to use several food storage items. I love this gal. Tip: use one tsp vital wheat gluten to one cup all purpose flour to make one cup of bread flour, I do this all the time.

I have these apples in storage and also have my own apples that I dried I use them just the same with same results so if you dry apples and haven’t tried them this way you are in for a treat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FijOO3DchSQ&t=9s - this is good info on your storage as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUZpNGuvUQQ - this is a wonderful way to show how to use your canned meat. It is very easy to can meat I love having my canned meat. When I can it I do it exactly as directed for my area and the up to date canning instruction. Isn’t this a wonderful way to fix a meal when you are tired?

http://storethisnotthat.com/recipe/one-pot-spaghetti-skillet/ - here is the recipe she has for the video above. She says under thirty minutes to make. I think after church this would be a good thing to make if you don’t make it on Saturday. I often love leftovers on Sundays.

If you are in Iowa or Minnesota you can call 1-800-262-3804 they will give you any up to date info on canning and actually answer any homemaking questions you might have.

I cannot tell you how nice it is to have canned meat on hand with my chicken. I can just open and make chicken salad sandwiches and also a lot more recipes I have using cooked chicken. Roast? Yes, I have canned cubed roast. My favorite is to use it for making beef gravy for noodles or mashed potatoes or rice. I have hamburger and some pork from uncooked type ham.

Meat is easy to can easier than any other canned item I can. One more thing, my canned meats cost me less than I can get on any sale currently because prices went up since their canning.

http://storethisnotthat.com/everydayfoodstorage/ - here is the recipe page they have. Now looking at these recipes, do you still think food storage is icky food? I should think not.

http://storethisnotthat.com/build-basic-food-storage-10-week/ okay, I know I have a lot of their site on here but really I love these no-nonsense gals. Tap on this chart, this is a helpful chart on how to get in storage every month. Totally doable, don’t you think? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNGgIVh-dik - here is a great recipe and using food storage. She also shows you the link for the LDS home storage centers which is what she shows in the monthly chart in the site before this one.

Now I don’t often buy food storage books but their books are fantastic. If you were wondering if they were good - yes, they are.  I have been following these gals since I started this blog. I suggest you look around their site and go way back.

It is helpful to try the recipes that they share and apply your recipes to a way like they do to use your storage.

If you plan to can your meat (and I highly recommend it), you will need a pressure canner that has a good gauge and have it checked.  

You will need jars. I particularly like pint jars for us and I use wide and regular mouth jars together. I can get twenty in my all American pressure canner. If I just use wide mouth I cannot get that many jars in, just a tip there.  

You will need new lids. Never use the used lids to can but I save the used lids to vacuum seal my dry foods. Since I write on the lids the date and contents I know which are used lids. Plus, I keep the new ones in their packages even if I only have a few lids left - a safety measure for me.  

You will also need rings. Now, if you need both you can buy new lids with rings, so there is that. But if you ask for rings from people getting out of canning they will gladly help you out. I keep my rings on wire hangers that I took apart and use like a giant safety pin. They slide on and off and are kept together.

Of course, you will need meat so look for sales.

I also will keep my freezers rotated by canning the meat to make room for new meat. This is why I can all year round.

So look up information on how to can and gather things together you will need.

On a separate note, Rachel Martinez reached out to offer us this great information on saving money on disaster preparation, so a big thank you for sharing! https://www.couponchief.com/guides/guide_to_saving_money_on_disaster_preparation

Keep working on your storage. Watch your sales and set money aside to take advantage of them.

If you know you will have extra money coming in, set some aside to stock up.

Do the best you can!

Monday Message

"Home storage should consist of a year’s supply of basic food, clothing, and, where possible, fuel. After this goal is reached, emergency and expanded storage is desirable.” (Barbara B. Smith)

"Can or bottle fruit and vegetables from your gardens and orchards. Learn how to preserve food through drying and possibly freezing. Make your storage a part of your budget. Store seeds and have sufficient tools on hand to do the job.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)

Do you know how to can? Do you have canning supplies? Did you know in Iowa and Minnesota there is a homemaking number you can get information on it? Actually on any homemaking question but they are so helpful with pounds of pressure and times, here is the number: 1-800-262-3804 put this number on your fridge if you live in these two states.

Tools needed for canning:

Elbow grease and a willingness to put some hard work into this skill.

Water bath or steamer canner

Jar lifter

Pressure canner - be sure gauge is accurate and if it has a rubber gasket make sure it is fresh not hard.

A lid lifter is a very cheap but much loved tool it i.e. a plastic stick with magnet on the end of it, it isn’t necessary but it helps you not burn your fingers.

Canning jars, rings, new lids -- yes NEW lids -- you cannot use used lids when canning but don’t throw them away as you can use them for vacuum sealing. You can ask around for free jars to help you keep costs down.

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2013/09/canning-beef.html - nothing tastes better than canned beef. It must be done in pressure cooker. Here you see the one I have I can get 20 to 21 pints in it at once.

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/search?q=canning+chicken - canning chicken to me is the easiest to can. Having canned meat on hand is so wonderful. It tastes so much more yummier than the tin can kind. The hardest part of canning your meat is not using it for every meal because it is so convenient. You have it ready to make chicken salad, a casserole is ready in minutes, it's fantastic in gravy, or just open and dump it in a pan and heat. The meats I have canned are cheaper than now as they were on sale ingredients, chicken or beef or pork, no other ingredients. When you can meats you must use a pressure canner.

Can your own veggies. You have no chemicals and on these I will take off ring and lid and microwave the jar. Pretty easy. Of course, you can always dump it in a pan and heat if you wanted to. Veggies most call for pressure canning

I use a steamer canner for pizza sauce and jams

I would say having the canning skill is right up there with baking bread and sewing and cooking from scratch.

Did you know that you can can dried beans to have them on hand for fast fix meals? You can also can soups.

The Ball blue book is what I use. They put them out every year I think. You can find them next to canning supplies or in bookstores or online. Count it as part of your supplies. It has a freezing section in it too.

Canning saves money.

Home production has saved us much money over the years.  I cannot stress enough that you need to follow current directions and if you have questions call that number above or your own state’s extension number be sure to ask what the times and pressure for your area my times and pressure is different then a town seventeen miles away due to our elevation and they say Iowa is flat ha!

Don’t rule out vac sealing dry items to keep longer….

Remember, it is very easy to dehydrate your veggies and fruits too.

This is the time as your garden is putting out produce or you can find it at a cheaper price.

This is the time of year we keep our gadgets and tools busy in home production.

Our grandmothers canned. My own grandmother had six kids and after working all day at the family saw mill she would glean corn in a field and then can it for her family. These dear ones set an example for us.

President Spencer W. Kimball - "The little gardens and a few trees are very valuable. I remember when the sisters used to say, `well, but we could buy it at the store a lot cheaper than we could put it up.' But that isn't quite the answer, is it, Sister Spafford?
Because there will become a time when there isn't a store." General Conference April 1974.

This quote speaks volumes. See why learning these skills is so very important? We have the ability to learn anything we want by turning on our computers. Are we going to not build the skills because of the ease of learning or procrastination? Some day it won’t be as easy to learn. It is better to learn now when your need might not be so urgent.

"Brethren, 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... I do not predict any impending disaster ... yet prudence should govern our lives ... We can begin with a one week food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. ... I fear that so many feel that a long-term supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.  Begin in a small way... gradually build toward a reasonable objective." Gordon B. Hinckley, Priesthood Session, October 2002.

Do the best you can, even a little adds up in time. Continue to learn. We are never too old, too busy, too rich to learn. Life is one of our dear teachers.

Be kind to others. Always do the best you can.

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)

"Those families will be fortunate who, in the last days, have an adequate supply of food because of their foresight and ability to produce their own” (Ezra Taft Benson)

"Let us be in a position so we are able to not only feed ourselves through the home production and storage, but others as well.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)

"In Argentina, Relief Society leaders are trying to teach the importance of food storage. They wrote: “Unfortunately, most of the sisters [here] cannot afford to buy an extra kilo of sugar, or flour, or an extra liter of oil. However, they have been encouraged to save, even just a spoonful at a time.” (Elaine L. Jack)

If they can do that surely we can too.

I was in a Walmart the other day walking through. I always note prices since I don’t go very often but the prices were so high it makes me think of struggling people having to come up with these higher prices and how hard it is.  

I have not seen the prices ever come down but they continue to get higher. We have so many things going on all around us. Everything competing for your time and money. It is easy to listen to the voices on tv say you have dirty dishes so go out to eat. I find myself thinking, but you will still have dirty dishes after that. They make everyone look happy when they eat out or get these boxed items at the grocery store.  

Just this morning about five I smelled one of my neighbors making pancakes. I love pancakes. I found my thoughts going to what kind then I wondered was it a mix? Hmmmm, that made me think there are pancake mixes that are complete and you just add water. I think if you store mixes those would be a good item to store then. I thought they don’t last as long as storing flour and all the ingredients to make pancakes from scratch. Just my thoughts this morning early. I wonder if many know how to make pancakes from scratch? Then my thoughts drifted to how many harmful chemicals could be in the boxed things, yikes that’s a thought.

http://pocketchangegourmet.com/old-fashioned-homemade-pancakes/ - I know people are busy but this idea of mixing ahead is great with that.

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2015/10/homemade-shake-and-pour-pancake-mix.html - this second idea I use with my canning jars, it is fantastic however as busy as you are you have to make the jars up but having them on hand is such a helpful thing.

Did you know you could add a little water to your almost empty jam jar, heat it and you can have a syrup for your pancakes - yum!

I know it is easy to get in ruts or just have cold cereal but we have pancakes a lot for supper too.

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/05/make-your-own-ridiculously-easy-and-inexpensive-homemade-maple-syrup.html - this is good to make and very frugal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLs5nDiGa1M&feature=em-lbcastemail - some ideas on how to live on one income.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsrQo-Cg0sE - part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ude4DLSJ5qs&feature=em-uploademail build your skills

I love this next quote...

"I have on occasion cited the need for many reservoirs in our lives to provide for our needs. I have said, “Some reservoirs are to store water. Some are to store food, as we do in our family welfare program and as Joseph did in the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty. There should also be reservoirs of knowledge to meet the future needs; reservoirs of courage to overcome the floods of fear that put uncertainty in our lives; reservoirs of physical strength to help us meet the frequent burdens of work and illness; reservoirs of goodness; reservoirs of stamina; reservoirs of faith."

 “Yes, especially reservoirs of faith, so that when the world presses in upon us, we stand firm and strong; when the temptations of a decaying world about us draw on our energies, sap our spiritual vitality, and seek to pull us down, we need a storage of faith that can carry youth, and later adults, over the dull, the difficult, the terrifying moments; disappointments; disillusionments; and years of adversity, want, confusion, and frustration.
. . .Parents. .are expected to lay foundations for their children and to build the barns and tanks and bins and reservoirs.” (President Spencer W. Kimball)

Monday Message

Scroll down for a recipe on how I make my own English Muffins!

“I bear my humble witness to you that the great God of heaven will open doors and means in a way we never would have supposed, to help all those who truly want a years supply…All we have to do is to decide, commit to it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place…” Vaughn J. Featherstone, Ensign, May 1976, pg. 116.

“We should ask ourselves; What are the Brethren saying? The living prophets can open the visions of eternity; they give counsel on how to overcome the world. We cannot know that counsel if we do not listen. We cannot receive the blessings we are promised if we do not follow the counsel given” James E. Faust, Reach Up For the Light, pg. 17

Did you plant some veggies? I just love how green Iowa is. My favorite place to be.

My veggies are doing great so far. I look forward to eating them. This is the first time I have planted totally in containers, so far so good.

The peaches on the trees are cute tiny little things. Include your kids and/or grandkids in gardening, they love it. I remember our oldest grandson loved helping me in the garden. Then later at the end of raspberry season there were some left out on the plants. The grandkids went to pick them and really had a ball. They ate all they picked and this is a memory we all share with warmness. In the winter they were sad there were no berries to pick but we painted snow and they loved that too.

I love that we can order from the storehouse. I truly think it a blessing in our time. I know that  a few of you who follow the blog are not members of the Church and are probably wondering if you can order food too - yes, you can. I love this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lAFTdJdF0 - powdered milk. I love these gals. I use two quart jars for my milk just to show you, use whatever you have.

How are you doing putting in storage? Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below. 

How are you coming on your skills?

I can report after years of wanting to know how to learn how to Norwegian purl I have now mastered it! What a good feeling to finally accomplish it. When the Olympics were in Oslo, Norway, we watched when they did a little section on knitting. They were continental knitting. I wanted to learn that method and we had taped it (yes, the archaic VCR tapes). I watched and rewatched until I had learned that it is much faster than how I learned to knit. I would use it when I would knit in the round but having to switch back to how I learned to purl slowed everything down.

So here is how I now knit…

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=norwegian+purl+arne+and+carlos&view=detail&mid=A48025FB9409CEECB6A5A48025FB9409CEECB6A5&FORM=VIRE

So now here is how I purl…

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=norwegian+purl+arne+and+carlos&&view=detail&mid=49C81F795CA3E830F2B249C81F795CA3E830F2B2&FORM=VRDGAR- this video helped me to learn this and I am very glad they showed how to do it.

As you know, I am knitting on a sweater. This was the perfect project to develop this skill. Now I am on the ribbing and you can't imagine how nice it is doing ribbing this way. I knit two then purl two faster then it took to write this sentence. All without throwing the yarn and switching my hands. Throwing yarn tends to hurt me a lot after a short while that is one of the reasons I wanted to learn continental.

So there you go, I shared my success in skill building. Share with us what you are working on.

Remember now as yard sales start be looking for canning supplies and vacuum sealers and dehydrators and all the things I have mentioned before, this saves soooooo much money.

A reminder too to plug in the dehydrators and turn on to test before you purchase used. If the motor is nice and smooth, it is good. If it clanks and etc. then don’t get it, even if it is only a few dollars you don’t want to waste your money.

It is harder on food savers as there are different ways to make it run. If it is theirs, have them show you. If not, you can play around but two times I tested in front of a cashier at goodwill and at a yard sale I plugged them in and pushed the start button, nothing happened and they were ready to toss it. But one I had you needed to push down on the corners to start it. They are loud. The last one and newest one I got was at yard sale. It is more tricky. Its handle has to be in the up position then you hit the button but it has several buttons. I use the no-hands canister button, so just play around if they cannot help you. Also, be sure it has a port which looks like a hole on the top.

This is a good thing to do in buying anything with a plug, just ask to plug it in.

http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2016/03/11/the-breezy-tee-tunic-free-sewing-pattern.html - this is on my list to tackle.

It is not too soon to be thinking about Christmas...just throwing it out there.

Be looking for fabric and sewing supplies at your yard sale trips as well. If knitting is on your list of skills to learn, be looking for yarn needles and supplies at the sales too.

It is far cheaper to get them at yard sales especially if it ends up being something you don't want to pursue you can give away without expense and try crochet. Put funds aside in your budget for yard sales. Make lists of what you are looking for like school clothes and sizes and what you need. Then, before you go into the sale, review your list as a reminder while you look around.

Over the years I have collected sewing supplies, knitting supplies, school clothes, winter gear, things I could not have afforded new. I got casserole dishes that I gave with the casseroles to the person who needed the casserole. I would gather them for 25 cents, some were in free boxes, same with pie tins. They were a dime many times along with plates to give goodies. 

When we would deliver the goodies we would say don’t return the plate, fill it with a goodie and pass it on. Bread pans - many were ten cents. Jelly jars and regular jars for canning. Don’t limit yourselves. I love bread pans and have saved tons over the years,

blenders, food processors, pasta makers, cast iron pans, even a new aebleskiver cast iron pan, griddle pans, mixing bowls, measuring cups - yes don’t just get one set. I keep a one cup measure in my using flour can and a cup measure in my sugar jar. I keep the measure I most use in the jar, like a half cup in my baking cocoa jar. I use a third cup in the powdered sugar jar... you get the idea.  

Muffin tins jumbo, regular in twelve pan and two six muffin style and three of mini muffins, twenty four in each. Angel food cake pans, I have a big collection of many pans... cake pans, cheesecake pans - all from yard sales. 

Cookie sheets - I always made cookies fresh from the oven when the kids came home from school. Others have to work but this was something I could do for my kids. Laura's friend would come with her. She once told me, how is it you know how to make so many different kinds? So I was big on collecting kitchen things to be able to make our food.

In the picture below you can see I have a round bread pan (it was a dollar) and I use it to make English muffin bread.

Here is the recipe:

Also, be open to different things or ways of doing things. I have always knitted socks with double pointed needles but I am open to other methods. I am not bent on only doing one way. On my skill list I am trying socks on a nine inch circular needle. I'm also learning two other methods - magic loop and two at a time using two circulars. Also, combinations of things like I want to do an afterthought heel. See? The sky is the limit. Do not limit your learning.

There are many ways to do things so don’t limit your self.

Just like making bread. There are so many ways to make it. If you limit how you do things it will be a chore. Be open and explore, there are so many things to learn.

So be working on your storage and haunt yard sales to gather supplies. You will be surprised at how fast you will find things looking at yard sales. Keep putting in storage.

Monday Message

"Brethren, 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... I do not predict any impending disaster ... yet prudence should govern our lives ... We can begin with a one week food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. ... I fear that so many feel that a long-term supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.  Begin in a small way... gradually build toward a reasonable objective." Gorden B. Hinckley, Priesthood Session, October 2002.

Now you ask where do I get the money for these things? I agree, I need them, but I'm having a hard time making ends meet. Here is how you do it: Use one or more of the following suggestions... Food Storage Christmas - Use 25-50% of money for food storage, New Clothes - Don't buy, instead make it last a few more months, use that money for food storage, Vacation/Holiday - no vacation or holiday until food storage is complete, Recreation - Cut by 50% use money for food storage, find fun, free things to make lasting memories, Snowmobiles/campers/boats - sell or trade to get a year's supply, Change Diet - eat cheaper foods and use extra money for food storage.  

"The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every LDS family to have a year's supply of food reserves ... All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment.  Miracles will take place: the way will be opened and we will have our storage areas filled.
"I believe it is time, and perhaps with some urgency, to review the counsel we have received dealing with our personal and family preparedness. ... With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness. We are not in a situation that requires panic buying but the instability in the world today makes it imperative that we heed this  counsel and prepare for the future." L. Tom Perry, Nov. 1995.

In our lives things happen, storms come…While we got this bad storm our plants were still okay, it was quite a storm. It makes me think, how prepared are we? It could have been a lot worse.

How prepared are we??

Are you prepared to care for your family when hard times come?

As you follow us in our hard times, I hope to share with you information that can prepare or help you when you too have hard times.

As you can see my plants were spared, which is good. I cannot feel well enough yet to have a full garden but I was able to plant in these planters that I got at no cost as people had set them out for free. I also have two bags of dirt (not pictured) that I am trying to see if I can get squash to grow in. I slashed the bags open and planted in the bags as they already have drain holes in them.

We should be able to have many fresh veggies from what I have planted.

This week we had a turkey breast it was a small one but I made turkey tetrazzini with part of it.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Cook one pkg of spaghetti noodles and drain, to it add…

2 cans cream of mushroom soup, or your own soup mix
1 c. leftover turkey cut up, you can use chicken or ham if wanted
1 tbsp dried onion or 1/4 c. fresh chopped onion
1 small jar of pimentos, yes those are in my storage just for this recipe
½ c. water
I cut cubes of cheese and stir this all together in a 9 x 13 sprayed pan

Bake 350 degrees for 45 min.

I froze some of the leftovers enough for a meal for us in a vacuum sealed bag. I made turkey salad for sandwiches and froze the rest of the turkey in a vacuumed seal bag which I put bbq sauce in with the turkey.

The meals froze in these bags, which I had old seal a meal bags to use, can now be pulled out of the freezer when we need a meal fast or for when I don’t feel well. I can just take out the bag and put it in boiling water till it is done (about a half hour or so) take meal out and open the bag.

So look at your leftovers and make planned-overs.

I have fibromyalgia so there are days I feel worse than others. I have pain all the time but some days are worse pain. Weather pressure seems to make bad pain days. So I need to plan around the pain, life has to be adjusted so I can rest but while I rest I am still doing what I can and learning what I can while I rest.

I work with my energy, which seams to be better in the mornings, and try to get all prep work done then for supper.

I try to always be a week ahead on the Monday Messages just in case, often I work it up on Fridays and on Fridays our supper is pizza.

My favorite pizza dough

5 c. flour
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp yeast, yes one tsp - this is key
2 cups water 
2 tbsp. olive oil or veg oil
Stir together. I divide into three equal parts, two I put in sprayed freezer bags or containers and keep the one third in the bowl covered till supper.

On other Fridays I just grab a frozen bag or container of dough from the freezer and set it out on the counter. It will be ready for supper at supper time. I divide the dough into two parts, spread them on your pans while oven preheats to 500 degrees. 

I have two pizza pans the size of dinner plates that I got at a yard sale but have used pie tins when I need more for company. Yes, you can do one large pan if you wish. Just multiply the recipe to meet your family’s need. I precook the pizza for three minutes or so then, for ours, I spread it with my home-canned pizza sauce and top with cheese then with drained canned mushrooms.  

Bake till golden (five to eight minutes) and - important - slide onto a wooden cutting board and cut, this keeps your crust crispy if you use other then wooden it steams the crust making it soggy.

I made a batch of yogurt with powdered milk, which is the only way I make it.

Skill building items: I am still working on the sweater but I learned how to continental knit watching a segment on knitting when the Olympics were in Oslo Norway. So I used this week to learn how to purl the Norwegian way and so now I have that skill checked off my list.

I have several dresses given me that are too long, it was a style awhile back. My plan is to shorten the hems and maybe put a kicker pleat in rather than slits. So those are my next sewing skill building. How are you doing with your skill building??

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2017/05/5-old-fashioned-pancake-recipes-you-will-love/ I think pancakes in any form is a good thing with homemade jam or with homemade syrup.

http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/05/make-your-own-ridiculously-easy-and-inexpensive-homemade-maple-syrup.html - homemade syrup

Making your own things saves money. Think how much difference in price one item is when you make it yourself, now think about how much that is when you do many of them - it truly adds up. And storing the basics helps you have it on hand. Saves money and the time of running to the store and buying something else costing more money.

Sometimes convenience isn’t so convenient and there comes a time when you notice the price is too high. We just need to pay attention.

For instance, take bread... I think you all mostly would agree homemade bread is fantastic but you might say, well it takes so long to make that I don’t have time. Yes, I agree. Some days it wouldn’t work out but if you plan ahead you can get it going and you wouldn’t just stand there waiting on it to bake, you would do laundry or meal prep or even read. I know I read when I babysit my canner while canning and you could make many loaves for the same time it takes to do one. I slice my bread with an electric knife (gotten at a yard sale). I keep one loaf out and freeze the rest.

This was a free find for me of late. It is a portable clothes washer, isn’t it cute? I have one I made from a five gallon bucket with a lid. You buy a new toilet plunger, drill a hole in your lid for the handle and you drill holes around in the rubber part of plunger.  Like the one here…  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riqYz2WEfRQ

I know you are saying, I would just go to laundromat, but it is always inconvenient when your washer breaks down. This is great to have on hand and in our town we do not have a laundromat. And what if it would take a while to gather the funds to fix your washer? Just a thought.

Keep in mind, we cannot prepare for everything but we can prepare for lots of things. Prepare is the key word. If we all waited till things happened it would be even more of an inconvenience. 

Just like in a simple snow storm. How many people run to the store as the storm is hitting even though the weatherman said a week ago it was coming? They waited, why? If you have storage, that simple storm means a snow day with kids and chocolate chip cookies. You got this. Many times I thank my past me for getting storage so I don’t have to go out on bad roads. The only going out is to build a snowman with the kids.

Storage doesn’t look silly, now does it? It doesn’t need to be for epic things. This was just a snow storm. Whether it is two inches or twelve, the story is the same. They stick a reporter out filming people buying eight gallons of milk and loaves of bread. How many times do you see that along with pics of fender benders? And you say, I am glad it is not me and to know it rests on you to be prepared or be the person they are filming…

We need to take care of our families. Learning skills and gathering storage is what we can do.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/sep/26/venezuela-food-shortages-rich-country-cia - this article will show how hard it could be… I hear you thinking it could never happen here, I bet they said that too.

If you read that article you will see why this next quote is so important, they produce next to nothing. It takes only a generation to lose skills. For example, how many people here do not know how to can??? Yes, things are readily available but I have never forgot this quote from President Kimball, it isn’t quite the answer, is it? Same goes for other skills like sewing for example.

President Spencer W. Kimball - "The little gardens and a few trees are very valuable. I remember when the sisters used to say, `well, but we could buy it at the store a lot cheaper than we could put it up.' But that isn't quite the answer, is it, Sister Spafford?
Because there will become a time when there isn't a store." General Conference April 1974.

"Brethren, 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... I do not predict any impending disaster ... yet prudence should govern our lives ... We can begin with a one week food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. ... I fear that so many feel that a long-term supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.  Begin in a small way... gradually build toward a reasonable objective." Gorden B. Hinckley, Priesthood Session, October 2002.

Do the best you can, even a little adds up in time.

Monday Message

President J. Reuben Clark (Church News, 1953) –
“When we really get into hard times, where food is scarce or there is none at all, and so with clothing and shelter, money may be no good for there may be nothing to buy, and you cannot eat money, you cannot get enough of it together to burn to keep warm, and you cannot wear it.  You can’t eat money, but you can eat your three-month supply of food – IF YOU HAVE IT AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT."

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0dF5lU5boc1Y1U3Zld1UWViems/view - food storage info

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Crafty+Gemini+Pillowcase&&view=detail&mid=8BD0F65B86D12CA5F9328BD0F65B86D12CA5F932&FORM=VRDGAR - this is my favorite way to do pillowcases, easy to make. Wouldn’t it be fun to make on b-days for a birthday child with their favorite character? Also, think Christmas gifts.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0dF5lU5boc1WF8wVlJTanNQeVE/view - inventory sheets that will help you keep track.

http://prepared-housewives.com/create-a-food-storage-binder/ - keeping track. I have a working food storage cookbook with our favorite recipes.

http://prepared-housewives.com/food-storage-inventory-sheets-lists/ - inventory sheets

http://prepared-housewives.com/november-get-your-basics/ - food storage

http://prepared-housewives.com/canning-beef/ - this shows you how to can beef. Check the extenstion office in your area for your times and pressure. If you live in Iowa or Minnesota, you can call 1-800-262-3804 during a week day.

I have canned hamburger raw. To use, I take it out and, in a pan, I heat and brown it.

I can roast and chicken, even some pork for bbq. Chicken and roast is also very yummy and easy to use.

http://prepared-housewives.com/creative-storage-solutions/ - great ideas and solutions.

http://prepared-housewives.com/favorite-food-storage-distributors/ - not advertising, just letting you know please don’t rule out the home storage units. We use the one in Omaha the most. Also, Kansas City. Just depends where you are. You can look it up which one is closest to you.

http://prepared-housewives.com/cooked-jam/ - this is always a good way to get your feet wet with canning.

Did you know you can buy fruit juice and make jelly with it? Yep, done that. If you have no excess produce to use, you can have juice to make jelly.

http://prepared-housewives.com/how-to-build-a-rocket-stove-and-impress-the-boys/ - making a rocket stove

http://prepared-housewives.com/easy-country-biscuits-from-scratch/ - country biscuits

http://prepared-housewives.com/food-storage-restaurant-style-tortillas/ - making your own is lots cheaper and kids could help.

http://craftygemini.com/2014/04/how-to-build-raised-garden-bed-for.html - here is how to build raised bed garden for fifteen dollars.

It is time to be thinking garden. In central Iowa you are not to plant till after May 15. But start thinking what you will do. If you cannot have a garden, do container gardening.

http://craftygemini.com/2012/05/diy-sewing-pattern-weights-tutorial.html - how to make pattern weights.

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2012/01/sewing-pattern-weights_11.html - hear is another option.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Food+Storage+Pantry&&view=detail&mid=CEEF23CC0DFB1308314BCEEF23CC0DFB1308314B&FORM=VRDGAR - this shows one lady cleaning her storage. What I wanted to point out are the bungee cords. It would not hurt us to come up with a similar set up for earthquakes. One couple took it a step further and put rubber bands around jars to keep them from hitting each other. I know you are thinking... but we don’t get them here. But we have felt them and it would be better safe than sorry. Those who have funds can get those plastic containers that keep jars separate.

Just keep plugging away!