Cooking 101

Last Tuesday evening Joanne Poulson and Esther Davis taught a very informative (and yummy) interest group on how to use your 3-month food storage supply in various recipes. We ate two different chicken dinners, apple crisp, and chocolate cookies. Below are the recipes demonstrated as well as a few helpful handouts. (Click on the image to enlarge it. You can also zoom in on the image if you open the image in a "new tab.") Thanks Joanne and Esther for a such a delicious night!

Are you temporally fit?

Dear Sisters,

Summer is fast approaching, and we have some fun preparedness activities planned!  We hope you will join us for these upcoming events through the summer and fall.  With schedule changes in many of our lives, and weather changes as well, summer can be a wonderful time to focus on some of our temporal goals. 

1.  Physical Fitness--You can work on cross-training and exercising some of those muscles that don't get used much during other seasons of the year.  Or, start a regular exercise program if you are not currently keeping one.

2.  Mental Fitness--Take time to read great books.  Get some recommendations from a spiritually faithful and well-read friend and read "out of the best books." (D&C 88:118)

3.  Financial Fitness--If you don't have one already, build a savings of $1000 that can be used as an emergency fund.  Pay off all credit card debt so that you never pay interest on your credit card spending.  If you have all that under control, work on getting three to six months' worth of your expenses into savings. 

4.  Food Storage Fitness--(You're making awesome progress in this department!)  If you haven't already, start with three days' worth of emergency food and water supplies.  Next, procure two weeks' worth of water and food (that you normally eat, say, from the grocery store).  If you have accomplished that, then expand your resources to one month, then three months...six months...and on as best you can. 

You know all of this requires a sacrifice of time, effort and money, but it will be worthwhile, and that is a promise!

Water Finale!

Well Sisters, we are coming to the end of our big push to "get our acts together" with water storage. You have done a wonderful job, and I have enjoyed working with you.

THIS TUESDAY, APRIL 24th at 7:00 p.m., we will meet at my home for the "final act." We will cut wood 2x4's for you to take home and set your 55 gallon water drums on. We can cut smaller wood for the 5 gallon containers, also. We'll have the wood available that night, just bring a little money ($1-$5) to cover the cost of wood that you may need. Feel free to come and go as you please. If you can't make it, but would like to have wood cut for you, just me know what you need.

You'll be able to pick up the rest of your water-related items that have arrived at my home. I will also be answering any other questions related to water, and how to get your containers all set up/filled up. Feel free to bring husbands if you like. We'll have a fantastic time as usual!

SEE YOU THERE!

Water Barrels Everywhere!

We are so pleased to let you know that our ward is now 40 water barrels richer than we were just a few days ago. That's 2200 gallons of potential stored water! We are so happy about your enthusiasm for being prepared, and we daresay, you feel better, too. We want everyone to feel a greater measure of peace, and so we say, "CARRY ON!"

We will soon be offering five-gallon blue plastic water containers for those whose circumstances do not allow for large barrels. Even if you do have barrels, the five-gallon container option is a great one for being easy to pick up and take with you, and for ease of rotation. More information to follow on that.

Also, as a follow up "finale" for the water barrels, we will have an activity on Tuesday, April 24th, to help you to cut wooden 2x4 boards to put underneath your water barrels. We will have the wood and saw available, just bring a few coins to cover the small cost of what you need. We should have all other supplies that have been ordered in by then, too, and you can ask all the questions you may still have about storing/rotating water in barrels. Then you can go home and fill them right up! Mark your calendars--We hope to see you there!

CHECK OUT THE R.S. BULLETIN BOARD

You will find our Storage Water Goals for the next three months on the right hand side of our Relief Society Bulletin Board. It starts at the bottom with 72 hours of water, then 2 weeks of water, and finally 1 months supply of water for your family. The goal asks for 1 gallon of water, per person, per day. for each family member, living in the home. When you reach that goal, stick on a little round (family) sticker on the chart. The stickers are found in a small plastic bag, next to the charts.

Sisters, these are simple and measurable goals, and "by small and simple things, are GREAT things brought to pass. " We are hoping that by giving you the information through interest group classes, sources for various items needed, opportunities to place group orders, at better prices, and a measurable timeframe to accomplish the goal, that we may all be successful. START TODAY, AND WHEN YOU REACH THE FIRST GOAL, MARK YOUR FAMILY ON THE CHART.

The Church and Stake suggested goals for "starting" Food and Water storage is a 3 months supply. How many times have you ask yourselves "How am I doing in living the gospel, and applying the principles I have been taught?" "How is my family doing in being prepared both temporally and spiritually for the days ahead?" Now we can absolutely begin to answer some of these temporal goals, by starting small and measuring our progress.