Can You Sleep When the Wind Blows?

  

        

       A young man applied for a job as a farmhand.  When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."  This puzzled the farmer, but he liked the young man and hired him.

      A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm.  They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure.

      They found that the shutters on the farmhouse had been securely fastened.  A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.  The young man slept soundly.  The farmer and his wife then inspected their property.  They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements.  The tractor had been moved into the garage.  The barn was properly locked.  Even the animals were calm.  All was well.  The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words.  "I can sleep when the wind blows."

                                                                 ...Author Unknown

    

      Our prophets have been advising us on being prepared for the storms to come for years.  Have we done what we can to follow that advice?  Can we sleep when the wind blows?

                                                                    May

                               "The revelation to produce and store food may be as 

                               essential to or temporal welfare today as boarding 

                               the ark was to the people of Noah."

                                                          -Ezra Taft Bensonn

Spiritual Goal: Share a Book of Mormon

                            with a non-member.

Provident Living Goal: Make a goal and plan to

                                          exercise regularly.

                                                  Storage Goal:

                                                 May Week #4

                             Garden Seeds: Radishes are great in an emergency, 

                             they grow fast, are full of vitamins and minerals, and 

                             full of water.

                                      ***************************************************

                                                           May Week #3

                             Jell-O gelatin (24 per person) and pudding mixes

                                      ***************************************************

                                                           May Week #2

                             Dry soups and a box or two of crackers.

                                      *************************************************

                                                           May Week #1

                             It's dress your burger week! Mustard, catsup, mayo,

                             relish, Worcestershire, salsa, etc.

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

       Happy Spring!  After a long, cold winter we are so happy to welcome Spring.  This year however, I think Mother Nature may be confused.  We go from a beautiful, sunny 65 degree day, to rain, to 6" of wet heavy snow.  Oh well, that truly is Spring in Idaho.

      The month of April brings with it so many new and wonderful things.  We begin to see and hear the beautiful sights and sounds of Spring.  This weekend we will gather as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to listen to counsel given to us by our inspired Prophet and Apostles.  April also brings with it the celebration of Easter.  We are truly blessed as we take time to reflect on the Ressurection of our Savior, Jesus Christ and the great blessings that this brings to our lives.  What an amazing time of the year!  

                                  

       I pray that as we listen to the words that are shared by the Lord's servants, we take this counsel and begin to apply it to our daily lives. We are told in D&C 1:38 "...whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."  Prophets and Apostles have counseled us for years to be prepared and to begin a food storage program. In the October 1980 conference, President Ezra Taft Benson gave this great counsel: "Members of the Church are feeling the economic pinch of higher taxes and inflation coupled with conditions of continuing recession. Some have come to their bishops seeking assistance to pay for house payments, car loans, and utilities.  

     "Unfortunately, there has been fostered in the minds of some an expectation that when we experience hard times, when we have been unwise and extravagant with our resources and have lived beyond our means, we should look to either the Church or government to bail us out. Forgotten by some of our members is an underlying principle of the Church welfare plan that “no true Latter-day Saint will, while physically able, voluntarily shift from himself the burden of his own support” (Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, p. 106). We are taught that we are responsible for our own support.  It is not the Lord's way that we depend on others to care for our needs.  

      In wise counsel given to us today, we are taught: "Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

 “We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.

 “We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.”

    I pray that we may each be doing our part to prepare our families for those difficult times that we are promised will come.  I know that this wise counsel we receive comes through Prophets and Apostles that are called by The Lord.  I pray that we are using our time wisely and are  actively working to "prepare every needful thing."

~Miranda~

                         April

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

                   D&C 38:30

Spiritual Goal:  attend the temple one or more

sessions than you normally do this month.

Provident Living Goal:  If you do not grow a

garden, plan do learn how.  If you do, try

something new this year.

                    April Week # 4

Ready Dinners:  ravioli, pasta, oriental, boxed

or frozen.  Get what your family will eat.

                    April Week #3

Assemble an emergency sewing kitK thread,

needles, buttons, snaps, zippers, tape measure,

scissors, pins, safety pins, etc.

                    April Week#2

Dry milk: 40 oz. will make 5 gallons of milk.  Make

sure to get real non fat milk & not dairy substitutes.

Work towards 10-10 lb. cans perperson.

                    April Week #1

Pasta: 5 lbs. at least.  Buy a variety.  (Your goal is

100 lbs. of flour and pasta per person."

March Food Storage Ideas

  

        It's hard to believe that March is already here!  It brings a smile to my face as I love the sights and sounds of Spring.  We begin to see the first buds on the trees.  A few of the brave little flowers begin to pop their little heads out of the cold ground.  We are greeted by the musical sounds of the birds as they chirp, "We're back! Welcome Spring!"  Spring for me is a fresh start.  A time to begin again.  A time when changes are welcomed.  So, to start our month off right we would like to share with you some ideas that will help you add to your food storage this month.  There is a goal for each week of the month.  As you are buying these items, try to watch for sales.  Every penny saved is worth it! Remember, you can do this!  Week by week, a little at a time!

                                                                    MARCH

                                 "The Lord has warned us of famines, the righteous 

                                will have listened to the prophet and stored at least a 

                                year's supply of survival food."   ~Ezra Taft Benson~

Spiritual Goal: Try to kneel in family prayer at least once a day.  Twice is better. :)

Provident Living Goal:  Learn a new skill or read a book pertaining to your career.

                                                       

                                                                Storage Goal:

            

                                                              March Week #5

                                                      Eating rice makes us nice!! 

                                                        Try to secure 10-20 lbs.

                                               (We are working towards 100 lbs of

                                            cereal grains per person recommended-

                                                    rice, oatmeal, cornmeal, etc.)                             

                       *****************************************************************************                                                         

   

                                                            March Week #4

                                              Spices and herbs you use most often:

                                              salt, pepper, cinnamon, garlic powder,

                                                     chili powder, oregano, etc.

                     ******************************************************************************

                                                          March Week #3

                              

                                       Mixes!! Cake, pancake, muffin, Bisquick, etc.

                                        You can purchase these or make your own.

                     ******************************************************************************

                                                         March Week #2

                                 

                                    More Personal Products: Shaving supplies, floss,

                             toothbrushes and paste, mirror, comb, moist towelettes, etc.

                               Infant needs: formula, food, diapers, wipes, infant Tylenol

                    *******************************************************************************

                                                          March Week #1    

                       

                                     Juices: Try to avoid watered down products, get

                                 100% lemon, orange, grape, pineapple, etc.  1- 10 lb.

                                can of powdered drink mix with vitamin C.  Get what

                                 your family likes.  (Work towards 50 qts. per person)

Food Storage...Friend or Foe???

   When you hear the words  food storage or emergency preparedness does it bring a smile to your face or does it make you want to run and hide? Beginning a food storage program can be a very overwhelming task.  For those of you who may rate food storage right up there with a trip to the dentist, we are here to help!  Through our experiences we would love to help you to see that food storage can become a fun a very rewarding experience for you and your family.

 

    When I first thought about beginning my family food storage plan,  I went online and found a food storage calculator to give me an idea of how much I needed to store.  What?!  I need to store how much!!  As I read, I could see that for my family of 5 I will need to store 1196 lbs. of grains, 101 lbs. of fats, 228 lbs. of legumes, 238 lbs. of sugar, 299 lbs. of milk, all my cooking essentials (baking powder, baking soda, yeast, salt, and vinegar), and water!  This was enough to send me running.  How in the world would I possibly be able to store this much food?  Not to mention the cost that would be involved!

  It was too much for me.  I had to put it all away for a few of days and really think about how I was going to make this happen.  After a lot of thought, I came to realize that food storage is just like everything else in life.  We have to take it one step at a time.  The journey may be long, but every step you take will bring you closer to your goal.  I now know that having a good storage of food is something that anyone can do!

  So, now that I have this information how do I get started?  Like I said, a little at a time.  When you make food storage a priority in your life, you will be amazed at the blessings you will begin to see.  Food storage can become a very simple thing by just taking a few simple steps.  When you go to the store and you buy a can of beans, buy 3.  Check your local weekly ads for items that are on sale. Make it a family goal to try not to eat out as often.  That $30 you spend on fast food can buy a lot of food storage!  Make food storage an important part of the monthly family budget.  The most important thing is to DO SOMETHING!

  If you are anything like me,you like to have a plan.  It seems so much easier to me to have it broken down week by week.  When I look at it like this, it seems a lot less overwhelming. We can help with that!  Each month we would like to share with you some ideas of the things that you can buy that will help you build your food storage.  It's that simple.  Do a little each week, and by the end of the year you will be amazed at how far you have come!  

   We are taught in D&C 38:30, "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear."  This is a powerful reminder to me that if I doing my best to prepare myself and my family, the Lord will in return greatly bless us.  It brings peace to my heart to know that if events should arise, I have began to prepare for the needs of my family.  I know that you can have that peace as well.    

Now let's get started!  

February Week #4

Solid vegetable shortening, oil, butter or margarine.  Butter or margarine will store well in the freezer.  These are items that you will need to use and rotate regularly as they will become rancid. Remeber that we are working toward our goal of 20 lbs. of fat per person.  It is important that we also keep a bottle of olive oil on hand for consecrating.  

Scout Fundraiser Sweet Pork Recipes

Thanks to everybody who supported the scouts Troop 607 this weekend.  They held a dinner and auction fundraiser in effort to earn money for scout camps and equipment. 

Being the Scoutmaster's wife I got to cook a bunch of the food and wanted to share the recipes I used here on the Preparedness Blog.  :)

Sweet Pork Sauce (this is the recipe for about 2 lbs.)
14 oz can of green enchilada sauce
1/4 T cumin
1 cup brown sugar
Mix it all together and pour it over the meat.

The meat cooks about 10 hours on 250 so it shreds pretty easily.  I like to use pork loin or pork roast but this time we used pork butt.

Cilantro Dressing - makes approx. 2 cups
1 1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayo
4 T green salsa
juice of 1 lime (approx. 2 T if you just have lime juice)
bunch of cilantro
dry ranch dressing mix
2 cloves garlic (I usually do 2 T minced)
1/8 tsp tobacco - optional

We bought the fresh produce from Grasmick Produce.  They are a local company that sells bulk produce for a discounted price to grocery stores and restaurants.  Anybody can buy from them and go pick up. 

The scouts and their families cooked all the rice and beans.  To make the rice sweet they added 1 T of sugar to the water per 1 cup of rice. 

72 Hour Kit Assembly & Fire Drill Practice

Monday night was the big night!  We unloaded our box of supplies and organized them in backpacks again for a new start to our 72 hour kits.  This time we are excited that we won't have to rotate them for at least 5 years.  However, we will be changing out the kids clothes next year.

Once again everybody felt a little concerned but mostly excited to have

 such a fun backpack full of goodies.  Hooray for being prepared!

 

After we finished our kits (because it didn't take much more than half hour) we decided to do a quick fire drill without telling the kids.  We have done this in the past, but it has been at least a year.  Dustin snuck in the basement and set the alarm off and it made me happy to see the 2 old girls ask no questions, just take off running out the door to the mailbox.  We have designated that as our meeting place in case of a fire.

 

 

We even practiced removing the screen and jumping out the window in case the fire was in the living room.   We explained that we didn't care if the screen got broke, just that they get out!  So Ella decided to give it a try and without hesitation kicked that screen right through. :)

 

They did a great job helping each other out of the window.

 

 

If you haven't practiced fire drills at your house this year I encourage you to do so this summer while it is nice and warm outside.  It is a great family home evening activity!

 

Here is a good guide.

 

At-Home Fire Drill

• come up with two different escape routes
• stress that we need to get out and then stay out!
• Learning why we need to crawl low under smoke, and then practicing our crawling
• Checking doors for heat before opening them
• Assigning a meeting place once outside
• Calling 9-1-1 after we are out of the house
• Checking the batteries in your smoke detectors
• Practicing the fire drill – not just talking about it, but actually doing it

 

 

FIRE!

Thanks to all of you who came out to our fire starting night.  We had a great time and sure did learn some good things from Bro. Braithwaite's expertise.

 

Wanted to share a few things we learned.  

 

We practiced using flint & steel to catch a flame on kindling, toilet paper, char cloth and some jute (similar to hemp).  Out of all of these the jute by far was the easiest to catch flame and start the fire.

 

When you use flint and steel make sure you are holding the steel correctly with the UP side facing up.  You need to do firm quick motion downward to spark a flame.  Pretty easy but takes some practice.

 

 

We made our own char cloth by putting some square pieces of cloth fabric in a aluminum container and puncturing a hole in the top of the lid.  We put it on the fire and let it smoke until it stopped smoking.  It was super stinky!

 

I personally think it was one of the most difficult ways because you have to really blow on that little tiny ember you get on the cloth to get a flame.  Probably a simple solution for an experienced fire started though.

 

We also did the steel wool and 9 V battery trick.  You need a small piece of steel wool and touch a 9 volt battery to it and you have fire.  You quickly add your kindling and start to blow on it until you get a flame.

 

Sister Lasenby did a great job starting her fire this way.

 

We learned a fire needs:  oxygen, heat and fuel in order to burn.

 

You need tiny pieces of dry things such as pine needles, sage brush twigs, small sticks to use as kindling.  This goes at the very bottom of the fire.  See in the picture above.

 

Then you need some tinder which are a little bit bigger than the twigs.  You can see them sitting up against the log in the picture below. 

 

Last you need some bigger wood for burning.  Once your fire is started it needs to have logs or bigger chunks of wood to keep it going.

 

Nice work ladies!!  We had a fire started and then we had a triangle made out of long sticks and lashed together with some twine.  We dangled a steel pot from our mess kit from some twin in order to boil 2 cups of water for our Mountain House meals.

 

We tasted Chili Mac with Beef - yummy and a bit spicy for kids.

 

And Turkey Tetrazzini which was tasty!  We were impressed they tasted so good for packaged meals like this.  A terrific option for 72 hour kits!

 

To make one of these meals you just add 2 cups boiling water to the package and seal it up.  It sits for about 9 minutes and then you can just eat it right out of the package or pour into bowls.  They have 2.5 and 5 serving packages.