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Showing posts from September, 2020

PREPARING FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE

It's that time off year again when we get the opportunity to listen to the prophet and apostles and hear the guidance the Lord has set forth for us.  It is always an exciting time.  What new temples will be announced, what changes might be happening, and best of all what words of comfort and encouragement are we going to receive?   When we prepare for conference we always get more out of it than if we just sit down and listen.  If we come with questions, it is amazing how many speakers will actually speak about the answers we seek. For some ideas and activities visit our General Conference page .    Another way that I have found helps to prepare my family for conference is by learning about the prophet and apostles.  When my oldest was younger we did a little activity to help him get to know more about the apostles and when he found out that he and Boyd K. Packer shared the same birthday he thought that was so cool and always made sure that he was listening when Packer spoke.  It w

MIXES AND MAKE AHEAD MEALS

Not only is September Preparedness month but it is also National Family Meals Month. Who doesn't want to make life easier especially when it comes to dinner on busy days so that you can spend quality time together as a family?! One of the best ways to do that is to plan your week of meals, but let's be honest that doesn't always happen or something happens and throws our best laid plans to the side. For those instances it is always nice to have "pre-packaged" quick meals on hand.  No I don't mean ones in a box from the store. You probably have the better alternatives right there in your pantry, you just need to combine them into a meal bag/bucket.      So how do you make meals in a bucket/bag? Well first off, the point of them is to make them an easy meal that ANYONE and I mean anyone can make (even a 10 year old if they are willing). Make sure it is an easy to follow recipe or instructions so that even the kitchen novices can make it. We have some great ideas

LONG TERM FOOD AND WATER STORAGE

September is National Preparedness Month.  It's the time designated for everyone to take a look at just how prepared they are for any emergency that may arise.  Let's be honest, this whole year has pretty much tested our readiness and resilience.  I sincerely hope it has given all of you an opportunity to seriously evaluate your family's readiness and helped you find the areas you can improve on. With that said let's talk about long term solutions.  Up to this point we have mostly talked about 3 day to 3-6 month supply and a few longer term solutions, i.e. dehydrated and freeze dried foods.      What is the difference? Well, most things we buy at case lot sales or grow in our gardens are short term solutions unless they are dehydrated or freeze dried and then packaged for longer term storage. In order to make the things we buy for our storage last as long as possible they all need to be packaged in a way that will ensure the longest shelf life.  Just having a bag of flo

CASE LOT SALES: HOW TO SHOP THEM AND MAKE THE MOST OF THEM

Shopping case lot sales is a great way to bulk up your food storage, but be careful when doing it.  Not everything is a great deal just because it is included in the case lot sale.  Here are some tips to get the most bang for your buck and appropriately stock your pantry and food storage shelves. 1. PLAN AHEAD AND MAKE A LIST: Look in your food storage and pantry and make a list of what you are low on, how many you need, what you have realized you need and don't have and make sure to not replace anything you haven't actually used.  Sometimes we probably get caught up in the idea of it's a good price and forget to think about whether or not your family is actually going to eat it. If you bought something and it has been sitting on your shelves untouched for a year or more-don't buy it again. If you haven't already, it might be a good idea to get a food storage inventory sheet going. For that click here  or here . It makes this part quick and easy. 2. HAVE A BUDGET: I