3 Month Food Supply

I have seen a few ways that families are gathering in their 3 month food supply. I saw a really great handout that the ladies at Safely Gathered In have put together to show how you would plan and shop for 3 months of dinners. This spreadsheet was created by them and you can find it and other really great ideas over at their blog. When I received permission to post about their handout, they told me that they are also from the South, so their information would really be helpful to us.

Good food storage blogs

In an earlier post, I had shared a link from lds.org about how the church was encouraging members to use blogs and social networking sites to share positive experiences in regards to food storage. Here are a couple of really good blogs doing just that. You will find ideas about incorporating your long term storage such as dry milk, oats and powdered eggs into your everyday recipes.
www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net
and
www.everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com

I hope, you get some good ideas!

Cannery Information

Here is the phone number and address for our local cannery:

Phone (770)908-5782 Address 4823 N Royal Atlanta Drive Tucker, GA 30084

You can find prices and items HERE.

Printables for home storage & organization

To find printable calendars and organizers for home notebooks, check here. Notice they have printables for pantry inventory, and favorite recipes. This will help you on your way to organizing your 3 month food supply.

First Aid Kits

Jen forwarded me this link, and I wanted to pass this on to everyone. This is a really good deal if you are in need of a first aid kit. If you already have a good one at home consider getting one for each of your vehicles. My mom put first aid kits in our cars, and I have used almost everything in there over the past 10 years.

Some things to think about this week

I am going through my family's flashlights and thought I would share a few things.

• I have come across several places (preparedness articles) that have suggested every member of your family have a flashlight at their bedside.
  
• I just bought a flashlight at Wal-Mart for $12.88 that takes either, C, AA, or AAA batteries and lasts for 40 hours.
• Designate a place for your flashlights so you can go right to them.
  

Also, designate a time of year to go through your 72 hour kits and rotate food items that need to be rotated. i.e.: crackers or snack packs. chewing gum. I let mine sit for about 3 years one time and it was pretty gross. I am trying to go through mine every year at conference time. You could also make this a time to change your batteries in your smoke alarms. Another idea, is to set up reminders in your email calendars. If you use Google, you can set your calendar up to send you an email to remind you.

Honeyville Grains Discount

Honeyville Grains is offering a discount of 10% off your entire order, and remember your whole order ships for $4.49 no matter how much you order. If you have been following this blog you know I order my oats from them and freeze dried fruits and vegetables and have been very happy with their service and quality.

To get your discount enter BIGSAVINGS as your discount code when you check out.

This offer is good from tonight 10/3 until Wednesday 10/8 6:00 pm PST.

Financial Counsel from our church leaders

In light of everything going on in our country right now, I was grateful to see an article reminding us of the counsel our leaders have given us regarding how we can safely "ride out the storms" we may face in the times we live in. This would be a really good article to study together in our Family Home Evenings, it has applications even for little ones. Here is a quick link for the article:

Wise Financial Management During Tough Economic Times

FOOD STORAGE SALE

Shelf Reliance is having a big sale on their food storage products. The sale lasts until Saturday, September 27th. Shipping is free on orders over $399. I have never used their products, but have come across some blogs of people who do and like them. Check them out, their sale prices look really good.

Product Review and Backpacks

I recently bought some steel cut oats and freeze dried blueberries from Honeyville Grains and wanted to review them in case anyone is interested. I was very happy with their shipping policy, $4.49 flat rate -, I ordered them on a Friday morning and received an email that afternoon that my order had shipped. They came UPS the next Friday. I am very happy with the quality. I am trying to eat what I store and have just started integrating this into our family's diet every morning for breakfast. If you are like me and have never been able to stand regular oats, give steel cut oats a try. They are a totally different texture and a much heartier taste. They even store good in the fridge if you make too much and taste good warmed up. The freeze dried blueberries taste great in them too. You could also use the blueberries in muffin and pancake mixes.

On another note, Backpacks are on clearance at Target right now 75% off. I was just there today and they had a good selection. They also have lunch boxes 75% off. I picked up a backpack and lunchbox for my daughter for school next year - each for $2.78. If you are interested in backpacks for your 72 hr. kits now is a great time to get them!

Wheat Buckets on sale

Did you know that you could get 45 # buckets of wheat at the Liahona bookstore by the Atlanta Temple?

Right now they are 10% off. Info is here.

Spiritual Principles of Preparing "Every Needful Thing"

This is from an article forwarded to me by some smart ladies ;)

Here is some spiritual enlightenment that will remind us about the principles of the gospel regarding food storage and our temporal preparation. I am grateful for the words of the prophets that help me feel inspired, refocused and gain a little more insight on the commandments.

Batteries

CVS has their store brand batteries on sale buy 1 get 1 free. Check your flashlights and weather radios and then stock up. Sale is good from 9/7 - 9/13.

Honeyville Grains

I just wanted to highlight a company where you can get wheat and lots of other really great products for your food storage. This company was brought to my attention for two reasons. First, you can get products such as rice and almond flour in bulk, for those with specific needs such as gluten and wheat allergies. Secondly, they offer a $4.49 flat shipping fee for your entire order, no matter how much you order. Take a minute and check out their products here.

Sharpsburg Ward Emergency Prep. Blog

Welcome to our ward Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage Blog! I hope you use this site to get information and ideas for you and your family's preparedness needs. Jen Schaefer has put a lot of information on this site while she served as Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the Peachtree City Ward so go back through the entries and read up and come back often for more.

The Church put out an article a few weeks ago encouraging members using blogs, and social networking sites to share their food storage and emergency prep. efforts. You can read it here.

Email from Lorna Boot

I received this email from Lorna Boot. Her sister attended a meeting where a brother discussed food storage. I thought the information was invaluable.

****************************************************
Tri Stake Fireside in West Lehi, UT

Speaker Tim Woolf

Emergency Preparedness Specialist

4483 W.Carriage

Cedar Hill, UT 84062

Cell 801 636 1749

Email - timberwoolf@hotmail.com

June 8, 2008

These are my notes.

It used to be just the church that was interested in food storage. The Dept of Homeland Security is now encouraging everyone to have a years supply of food. Now it is the Saints who represent 5% of interest and 95%interest comes from outsiders. They are just copying the LDS food storage plan.

A bushel of wheat cost $3.00 two years ago. Now it cost $25. They say they will not take $68 a bushel for winter wheat harvest coming up because the World is catching up with the LDS demand for it.

WATER, the most important thing you can store is CLEAN water. 3 days without it and you die. The church suggests ONLY THE MINIMUM on everything. 1 gallon per person for 14 days. He said storage in plastic bottles is not a good storage method. After a time it leaches the flavor around it into the water. If you store it on the floor it will taste like cement floor. In the garage it will taste like lawn mower. If bottled water in the trunk of the car it will taste like tires. He said, If you don't rotate it every 3 months it will taste bad. He said it is worth the time and expense to invest in NEW containers. 5 gallon jugs, if weight is your thing or 55 gallon drums, but put them where they are going to stay. I figured out you can roll them easily, however. He said each person can last 2 weeks on a blue 55 gallon barrel. (that doesn't sound right, maybe it was his family could last 2 weeks.) Water bottles are nice but take in bad flavors as well and need to be rotated within a year. I also heard that the plastic can become dangerous if left in Hot temperature very long, so be careful about leaving them in your hot car. At the other fireside Bishop Tolman set up, the man from the Katrina cleanup disaster said water was a big issue. People couldn't get clean water for 3 days.

Then he made a good point. The Provo River water was tested and found that it will make you good and sick in about 1 and ½ days...very sick. If you think you can boil your water you will have to have it at a rolling boil for 22 minutes and that presents a FUEL problem.

He talked about filters. They are very slow and will only do for 2 people at 25$ = $2500 for a year. It is costly

He held up a salt zapper stick that works very well but only for 45 days and not good for a long duration.

He said all water has Algae in it and if you store it in light the algae will grow. Not appetizing but algae won't hurt you.

Then he got to the old time favorite BLEACH drops. He said it is 70 years out of date. If you store your water for over a year all the bleach has leached out and the water is no good. The dyes and chemicals left can cause intestinal problems.

HE RECOMMENDED YOU SPEND THE $15 FOR STRAIGHT CLORINE CALLED SPA, POOL AND SPA SANITIZER OR SOME OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCT, WITH 97% SODIUM DLCHOROETRIONE -S-triazin. IT IS STAIGHT CLORINE AND YOU ONLY NEED ¼ TO 1/8 TEASPOON TO SANITIZE A 55 GALLON DRUM OF WATER AND IT DOESN'T LEACH OUT AND IT DOESN'T HURT YOU AND IT LAST INDEFINITELY. IF YOU WANT TO GET RID OF IT BEFOFE YOU DRINK IT LEAVE THE CAP OFF FOR 24 HOURS. NEED TO LET IT SIT FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE YOU DRINK IT ANYWAY.

To fortify his point about clean drinking water he said, our systems will NOT tolerate dirty water.

He talked of a hurricane that was so strong it caused mud slides that wiped our whole villages. 9000 people were killed . But 35,000 died of dirty water shortly after that.

He said the second most important thing to prepare for is HEAT. If disaster strikes in the winter, say an earthquake it probably will shatter your windows. HE RECOMMENDED YOU BUY ROLLS OF LIGHT PLASTIC (6 MIL). DARK PLASTIC LEAVES YOU WITH A LIGHTING PROBLEM. SO BUY THE LIGHT. HERE WHERE IT IS SO WINDY YOU NEED MORE. Light and wind can cause it to be brittle. Don't take it down, just keep putting up layers and eventually it will keep. Put it on the inside and on the outside of windows.

His favorite heating device is KEROSENE. He said, don't buy propane or butane it smells and can explode. HE RECOMMENDED NOTHING SHORT OF 23000 'BTU WITH A CUT OFF VALVE INCASE IT IS BUMPED, WITH NOTHING SHORT OF 99.9 EFFICIENTCY TO AVOID FUMES. If a Mfg says the heater will heat 2000 Sq Ft of Space... double that... they are very conservative under the Law. He was asked to live in his house with kerosene for one year. They capped off his furnace and he was as comfortable with the Kerosene as his old system. He said, don't skimp on the cost. This is essential in UTAH WINTERS.

If you try to use an outdoor BBQ indoors it will take a day or two before the Carbon Monoxide will kill you.

He said if we go to war with IRAN as predicted the cost of kerosene which is already high will go much higher and he RECOMMENDED THAT EVEN IF PRICE IS HIGH, NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY IT. ALL FUELS WILL GO UP. (My daughter in Highland, Utah told me Elder Boyd K. Packer popped into a recent Stake Conference and said NOW is the time to get your years supply. Just here say I know)

LIGHTING is the third thing that is important. He said, candles just don't cut it. He said. he would go crazy in the barges of Jared with no light. He said, the Lord doesn't want us to have to go through this thing uncomfortably and he does provide ways. But we have to take the time and a little expense to seek out the solutions. He said the solutions are not always to go back in time. You can suffer in comfort.

HE RECOMMENDED YOU USE ALL THE SAME FUEL. KEROSENE AGAIN if you go with kerosene lighting, go to Wal-Mart and by this odd looking bottle of CONENTRATED FUEL STABILIZER CALLED STABIL. It is a preservative that will keep kerosene for 15 to 20 years, otherwise it evaporates. You can't store kerosene on the floor or it will leach in the Moisture and ruin the kerosene. Put it on a pallet or even a towel will do.

If you have a way to recharge batteries that would be ideal but they only last 18 hours. Solar battery charger would be the thing to use, he said. You would have to use only one appliance or power tool at a time.

He said Solar generators are a good way to go at between $700 to $4000. But he said he would never buy a generator. He said, in time of need gasoline prices prohibit it's use. And they are gas hogs if you have to use it more than 2 days. He said to email him to get the names of good solar chargers and solar generators so you don't waste your money on junk.

FOOD. He held up a cup-o-soup and a no refrigeration Salisbury Steak package and MRE's. He said, buy for comfort for your 72 hour kits. You'll have enough stress going on. He said, we will always bounce back if we can buy TIME. So do as church recommends and have 90 days of food that you currently USE in your pantry. He said, keep it simple, not a huge garbage can on wheels...just simple.

Then he got me worried. He said the original recommendation of the church way back when was a 7 year supply. People couldn't do it...even the farmers had trouble with it so it went to a 3 year supply. I remember that. Then to a 2 year supply after the 2nd World War. Well we couldn't live it so they reduced it to 1 year supply but we should know that is only the bear necessity to keep alive.

He had the privilege of caring for an old church Patriarch as he was dying of cancer. This guy happen to be a war photographer and was given a lot of films to go in and photograph war concentration camps. After the war they said, do what you want with the film. He sent it home. It took him 25 years to get it all developed. He showed Bro. Woolf these photos. Woolf said it was unbelievable. These men were starving to death. He remembers one picture of a withered man holding a small loaf of bread. Then he said these men were rationed 375# of grain per person and some soup ration. He said, what these men were living on is about what the church is asking us to have for one year. So you can see what we will store will barely keep us alive.

Then he held up a small loaf of bread and then cut maybe ¼ of it off and held it up and said, this is what you would get per day...for the whole day on what you are asked to store. I can vouch for that when I tried living on a 55 gallon drum of wheat (400#). Feeding our family along with everything else we had...and even in hard times we had plenty. Well that drum was empty in little more than a month for our family. He said a years supply looks like endless amounts but it will barely get you through. I am surprised again at how quickly you can use up your food. We have gone through about 9 cans of instant powdered milk and about 6 cans of rolled oats for granola and mixing my milk ½ and ½ in just 6 months...and we have plenty of everything else to subsidize what we eat and drink.

WHEAT

He showed White wheat and red winter wheat and said the white wheat is good because it cooks up like white bread and causes only 10% diarrhea and would be a good transition to get your family on wheat. The church has no white wheat farms any more. White wheat won't last as long as red however.

He showed lentils and said, yea they get hard but if you get a pressure cooker you can soften them up in 15minutes.

He said there is a big difference between dehydrated and freeze dried foods. IF HE HAD THE MONEY HIS WHOLE FOOD STORAGE WOULD BE FREEZE DRIED BECAUSE IT HAS NO CHANGE IN TASTE OR NUTRITION.

The Church came out with an ABC soup mix with no flavor. It has ALL nutrients in it you need and stores in smaller area. No body liked it because the church forgot to tell them it was made with no flavor so you could add a variety of flavors as you cook it. They are going to try again with what they call Soup Starters.

Then he talked about, at what point will you break? Will you stop going to church...after a month with no bath? He suggested you find your breaking point and do something now to remedy it while you have the resources. He then showed us a little barrel clothes washer with a crank. Put smaller amounts of clothes in it a little laundry soap and water and turn it for 5 minutes and out come clean clothes and very dirty water. Works. He said, today our clothes are delicate compared to the pioneers and wouldn't hold up to a plunger in a bucket or wash board. They would fall apart. He also showed us a stand with a HOTMAN tank on it that hooked to a small green propane bottle. It will give you a hot 5 minute shower in 7 minutes. 21 small green propane bottles would give everyone in his family a shower every day.

He then showed us a taller bucket and lid. And said this is necessary for toileting. Buy 500 # 10 bags in a roll for liners. Bury them. Can buy chemicals for the smell etc.

He said read D&C 19:33 and said it tells the difference between Commandments and Council. With council there is no direct or obvious punishments, only natural consequences, but they are very important.

Stories he told to open with:

Pres/Elder Assay (was Tim's mission pres.) He would hold a pen above the table. Then says, "Articulate what will happen to the pen when I drop it. Then he drops it and asks again, articulate what happens when I drop the pen. Over and Over he asks the same question. That is how Heavenly Father knows what will happen way ahead of time.
He's been through it, created worlds.

700 year old building, have to either tear it down or replace oak pillars. Went out side and saw that the builders had planted oak saplings that were now tall and 700 years old ready to be used to replace the beams. Foresight on the part of the builders. Just like Heavenly Father, has foresight into our needs and councils us before hand.

In Thessalonians 5:2 it speaks of second coming as coming as a thief in the night. But if you go on it talks about us not being children of darkness but of light...."But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief....therefore let us not sleep , as do others: but let us watch and be sober."

Email from Sister Hanks in Utah

I received this email from Jacque Hanks, who received it from her mother-in-law. I thought it was very poignant and needed a place here on the blog.

********************************************************************
President Boyd K Packer's Recent Stake Conference Address Submitted by
Kelly Critchfield - Highland Utah South Stake, Orem, Utah

On April 26, 2008, President Packer, of the Quorum of the Twelve, showed up at the Highland Utah South Stake Conference. His remarks were sobering in light of the current events and warned of things that are about to come upon us.
He first called upon his secretary, who is from the stake, to share her testimony.
She quoted from D&C 68:6 and commented briefly on it. "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you (the promise); and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come."

Then Elder Packer spoke about several matters and spoke frankly, but did so in a way so as to not cause alarm.
He spoke to these points:
1. The church is now larger in countries outside of North America
2. North America and Europe are no longer considered Christian regions or nations.
3. South of the equator and other 3rd world countries are more Christian, but very destitute.

He said the time has come when we may expect to see some very hard times. He mentioned how many of the last few generations since WWII have grown up in luxury and a time of plenty, but he had not. He was raised during the Great Depression. He talked about things that occurred during the depression such as; soup kitchens, vagabonds and hobos that traveled the train system seeking work and food, etc. Mostly honorable men without the prospects of jobs.

He encouraged the youth and their parents to learn to be thrifty. Then quoted one of the couplets that was popular during the 1930s and the Great Depression.
Use it up, wear it out.
Make it do, or do without.
He cautioned the youth about obeying their parents - Parents REALLY DO KNOW!
He was kindly but firm about:
- Respecting mothers
- Develop better eating habits using wholesome, healthy foods.
In his remarks about families, he said the Church is not, and will not be responsible for raising your children.

The Church programs will be different - he intimated that changes will occur soon or in the near future.
These changes he said would keep the Church on the right course and emphasized this point several times.
He said the Saints in the Third World countries will need the help of the Church and its members.

Notes from the Stake President/Bishops meeting that followed:
- Ramp up your food storage in a major way (the impression was that assistance would be needed for South American countries).
- Emphasis on 2 Nephi 32:9 (Pray always and not faint) - Consecrate efforts by asking for blessings.
- The status of the church with regards to food storage - 27% have
short term supply - 13% have long term supply
- Stake temple service will help us better weather the fallout of the storms that are ahead.
In March of 2003 he came to a stake conference in Midway, Utah, where he repeated a verse of scripture several times on Saturday night and Sunday morning. This was at the beginning of the Iraq war.
D&C 38:28-29 "I say unto you that the enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives.
Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land." Then quoted from verse 30: "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear."

He is trying to warn us and asking us to stand firm. To put your faith in the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve who are more aware of what's ahead.
Are you listening?

VERY IMPORTANT: A Reason To Be Prepared

Even though this isn't my calling anymore, I decided that this was important enough to make it to the blog. This isn't meant to scare anyone, but to bring an awareness to a potentially dangerous, but plausibly diffusible situation. I'm talking about Avian Influenza, also known as the Bird Flu.

According to Wikipedia, there have been approximately 3 pandemics each century for the the last 300 years. The most virulent pandemic flu was in 1918, killing over 50 million people worldwide. The flu affected all ages and came in three waves between the late Summer of 1918 and the Spring of 1919. It left thousands of children orphaned and millions of families torn apart. My husband's great-grandparents and great-great grandparents lived in New York City at the time and died in the pandemic leaving his grandfather orphaned. The following is an excerpt, taken from Pandemicflu.gov, of what life was like:

As the disease spread, schools and businesses emptied. Telegraph and
telephone services collapsed as operators took to their beds. Garbage went
uncollected as garbage men reported sick. The mail piled up as postal carriers
failed to come to work. State and local departments of health also suffered
from high absentee rates. No one was left to record the pandemic’s spread and
the Public Health Service’s requests for information went unanswered.
As the bodies accumulated, funeral parlors ran out of caskets and bodies went
uncollected in morgues... In many communities, quarantines were imposed to prevent the spread of the disease. Schools, theaters, saloons, pool halls and even churches were all closed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the world is long overdue for another such episode.

On Thursday, March 20th, the Newnan Times-Herald published an article about a presentation done by Coweta County Environmental Health Director Duane Fields to the Coweta Board of Health on the bird flu and preparations that Coweta County is making to get ready for an outbreak. According to the article, "the key to containing the deadly disease will lie in parents' willingness to contain their children in their homes for weeks or even months at a time...[If] parents can manage to keep their children at home, it will reduce the number of flu attacks by 93 percent...That's because children are natural incubators for diseases like the flu, which rely on close personal contact to spread effectively. "

If the key to containing this disease is staying home for weeks and possibly months at a time, it is all the more important that we begin and continue to build our 3-month's supply of food that the First Presidency has encouraged us to have. Granted, this is a dire reason to be prepared. It is more likely that you will need to use your food supply because of a financial hardship than because of something like this. However, this is definitely something to think and ponder about. Having just had the regular flu myself for the last 5 days, I wish we would have been a bit more prepared ourselves by way of food stuffs. We had food in the house, it just wasn't organized in a way that made it easy for my son or husband to make a meal. I also realized that I did not have enough disinfectant wipes or Klennex in the house. It was definitely a lesson in preparedness for our family.

There are definitely reasons why the Lord, through the First Presidency, has asked us to be prepared. The possibility of another pandemic flu is definitely a good one; but we should be prepared because we realize that this is a commandment with a promise..."but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (D&C 38:20). If we follow the counsels of our Heavenly Father, we will have nothing to fear--not illness, job loss, financial recession, food shortage, nothing.

Home Storage Starter Kits & Home Storage Center Order Forms Available Online

Through the Distribution Services Online, the church has made available Family Home Storage Starter Kits. They are a great way to "jump start" your home storage efforts. They also would be appropriate to buy for young married couples and college students just starting out on their own. The kits are available online to ship anywhere in the United States and cost $29.95. They will be available to buy at local Home Storage Centers in the Spring of 2008.

The kit includes:

• All is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage pamphlet



• All is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances pamphlet



• All is Safely Gathered In: Basic Recipes pamphlet



• Financial reserve and drinking water teaching aids



• Two #10 cans of hard red winter wheat



• Two #10 cans of white rice



• One #10 can of pinto beans
  


• One #10 can of rolled oats

Also available now online is the Home Storage Center Order Form. It is to assist you in planning for your next purchase at your Home Storage Center. You can download the order form, fill it out using your computer, print it out, and bring it with you when you come to your local Home Storage Center. This is a great tool to help you plan and build your home storage. Prices are valid from the date printed at the bottom of the form.

Spiritual Preparedness: A Temple Motivated People

As a Family History Consultant, I recently received an email from the folks at Familysearch. It was about being a Temple Motivated people. I have included the entire email here followed by a few things to help those who are ready to do Family History work get started. There are tremendous blessings waiting for us when we do work for our ancestors that they are not able to do for themselves.

We would like to share the following teachings of President Howard W. Hunter. This passage is from “First Presidency Message: A Temple-Motivated People” (Ensign, Feb. 1995, 2–5).


"Surely we on this side of the veil have a great work to do. For in light of all the above-noted facts about temple ordinances, we can see that the building of temples has deep significance for ourselves and mankind, and our responsibilities become clear. We must accomplish the priesthood temple ordinance work necessary for our own exaltation; then we must do the necessary work for those who did not have the opportunity to accept the gospel in life. Doing work for others is accomplished in two steps: first, by family history research to ascertain our progenitors; and second, by performing the temple ordinances to give them the same opportunities afforded to the living.
Yet there are many members of the Church who have only limited access to the temples. They do the best they can. They pursue family history research and have the temple ordinance work done by others. Conversely, there are some members who engage in temple work but fail to do family history research on their own family lines. Although they perform a divine service in assisting others, they lose a blessing by not seeking their own kindred dead as divinely directed by latter-day prophets.
I recall an experience of a few years ago that is analogous to this condition. At the close of a fast and testimony meeting, the bishop remarked, “We have had a spiritual experience today listening to the testimonies borne by each other. This is because we have come fasting according to the law of the Lord. But let us never forget that the law consists of two parts: that we fast by abstaining from food and drink and that we contribute what we have thereby saved to the bishop’s storehouse for the benefit of those who are less fortunate.” Then he added: “I hope no one of us will leave today with only half a blessing.”
I have learned that those who engage in family history research and then perform the temple ordinance work for those whose names they have found will know the additional joy of receiving both halves of the blessing" (pp. 4–5).

Family History Links:

• FamilySearch.org --You can download Personal Ancestral File (PAF) for free. Plus, you can access what work has already been done on your family files.



• Ancestry.com --This is a subscription site. You can pay monthly, or yearly, to access all census, military, and other vital records from around the world.



• Rootsweb.com --This is a free genealogy website that has several Surname bulletin boards so you can communicate with others that are researching the same families.



• USgenweb.com --This website is a database for several state based genealogical societies. It has vital records information, city/county histories, burial records, etc...

Family Home Evening Lessons: Family History

• Family History Booklet



• Compile Family History



• Family History ABC's Game

Articles about Family History:

• LDS Living Articles on Family History



• "Your Family History: Getting Started"
  Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Aug. 2003, 12–17If you don't know where to start, start with yourself. If you don't know what records to get, and how to get them, start with what you have.



• "Bridges and Eternal Keepsakes"
  Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Ensign, May 1999, 83–85Genealogies, family stories, historical accounts, and traditions . . . form a bridge between past and future and bind generations together in ways that no other keepsake can.



• "The Spirit of Elijah"
  Gordon B. Hinckley, Liahona, Nov. 1996, 19–21As the work of family history research goes on and grows, there is a concomitant flowering of temples.



• "We Have a Work to Do"
  Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, Mar. 1995, 64–65The objective of family history work is to make the blessings of the temple available to all people, both living and dead.



• "Family History: 'In Wisdom and Order' "
  Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, June 1989, 6–8We do family history work in order to provide the ordinances of salvation for the living and the dead.

Financial Preparedness: What we've been asked and how we can do it

With Tax Season upon us, I started thinking about money. The subject of money has been talked about for centuries in society. Evidently, "...you can't take it with you, it doesn't really make the world go around, and it can't buy you love" ("On a scale of 1 to 10 how much do you worry about money and why?" Real Simple Mar. 2008: 53). Yet, it is an intergral part of everyday life. With today's housing market, gas prices, and the talk of a recession (Read about economic recession), money is even more on our minds. We're all trying to figure out how to save more and spend a little less money.

For decades, the leadership of the church have counseled us on the use and management of our money. They have asked us "to be modest in [our] expenditures; discipline [our]selves in [our] purchases to avoid debt. . . . " (The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances, Feb. 2007, 1). The late President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts” ("To the Boys and to the Men," Ensign, Nov. 1998, 54). So, we've been asked to live modestly, avoid debt, pay off current debts, and accumulate a reserve to prepare for difficult times. So, how do we do all that?

The church has provided a wonderful pamphlet called One for the Money: Guide to Family Finance. It is a worthwhile resource to aid in becoming more financially sound. There are also several links on finances in the Financial Preparedness section on the right-hand side of this blog. I've also included several valuable articles about finances and new links to help save you money at the end of this article. Let's all try to do a little better at following our leaders' council to become more finacially prepared this year.

• “Happily Living within Our Means,” Ensign, Jan 2008, 58–63


• "Guide to Family Finance" Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign, Apr 2000, 42


• “Preparing Youth Financially” Debbie Woodward, Ensign, July 2002, 72


• “Five Steps to Financial Well-Being” Lane V. Erickson, Ensign, Mar 2004, 66–71


• Real Simple Money section


• GasBuddy.com --Locate the cheapest gas by state or zip code


• Get ClarkSmart courtesy of finanicial guru Clark Howard

FHE Lessons on money, budgeting, and debt

• Debt-Free Family


• Ponder the List


• Freeing Our Children From Bondage

Rotating and Checking Your Food Storage

So, you're working on having a year's supply. The planning doesn't stop there. Is it labeled with the canning date? Have you rotated it? How long is powdered milk good for? Is there a national recall on the case of tomatoes you bought? These and many other questions are things you need to think about when dealing with your food storage--the 3-month supply and the long term storage.

Recently, thanks Millie Meyer of Newnan Ward, I was made aware of a national food recall on canned green beans and garbanzo beans in "large institutional-sized containers, weighing approximately six and a half pounds. UDAF inspectors have found none of the products on store shelves in Utah, but because the product distribution spans the past five years, and the large size of the cans, it is possible some of the canned beans may be in long-term food storage pantries." Now, I checked, Georgia is not affected by this recall, but it made me think...what has been affected and what don't we know about? Check out consumer information from the FDA here.

Botulism and Salmonella are two of the most common reasons for recalls (Read more about Botulism and Salmonella). However, there are several factors that you need to keep in mind when checking and rotating your food storage. Look at the "Best by" or "Expires by" dates on store purchased items and make sure you use them in the alotted time. As far as storage and rotation, there are two types of foods--rotatable and indefinite.

Indefinite/Longer term foods are:

• Wheat
• White Rice
• Dry Beans
• Honey (needs to be stored in plastic, NOT metal)
• Sugars
• Salt
• Distilled Water
• Baking Soda
• Jell-O & Puddings (Although, the Jell-O company does recommend using by the date stamped on the box)
• Dried Fruits and Vegetables
• Dried Eggs
• Soap

Rotatable Foods are:

• Dry Milk
• Canned goods
• Frozen foods
• Home dried foods
• Vitamins
• Peanut butter
• Fats & Oils (they go rancid)
• Brown rice (1-year)--Should be stored in your freezer and can not be canned
• Ground or cracked grain
• Dry yeast (Also store in the freezer)
• Pasta

When storing and rotating your food storage, keep the following rules in mind:

1. Store what you eat--If you store things that you don't eat, it won't get rotated and you'll have wasted time and money.


2. The best storage conditions are cool & dry--Georgia doesn't have the best storage conditions for long term food storage, but a basement or disbursed through your house is probably your best bet.


3. Eat what you store--Incorporate what you've stored into your every day diet. Use it or lose it--at least with the rotatable food stuffs.


4. Send it with your kids--When your kids get married or move out into homes of thier own, send their portion of food storage with them to start their new family. You don't need it--they do.

When it comes down to it, food storage is an art. There are a lot of nuances that are involved in keeping and maintaining your year's supply. I think this intimidates a lot of people. It really shouldn't, though. Use common sense, don't store items you don't eat on a regular basis, and eat what you store and you should be fine.

Here are some "neat reads" on the subject of Food Storage:

• 7 Major Mistakes in Food Storage by Vicki Tate


• Food Storage Guide: How Long is Too Long?


• How Long Will Products Last?


• Using Your Food Storage


• Cooking with Food Storage

Emergency Preparedness: LDS Magazine Article Answers Some Important Preparedness Questions

This article is really good about preparedness. It answers some key questions that you may, or may not, think about. The article also includes links to several other articles the author has written about preparedness for LDS magazine and includes a link to the author's own blog on preparedness. Thanks to Lorna Boot for sending me this link.

• What Your Neighbor Wants to Know about Preparedness

Starting Your Three-Month's Supply

Now that we have our 72-hour kits together, we are going to concentrate on the next step--Your 3-month supply of food. By definition, this should be "a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage (Provident Living website)."

There are several ways to go about doing this, but two of the easiest tools are:

1. Buy two, use one--If you need a jar of spaghetti sauce for dinner this week, buy two and keep one on hand. Always have at least on jar unopened in the pantry.


2. Choose 15 meals and multiply the ingredients needed by 6--For example, Spaghetti, veggies, & croissants is your meal. If, in one meal, you go through 1 box of spaghetti, 1 jar of sauce, 2 cans of veggies, and 2 cans of croissants, this is what your 3-month supply of this meal would look like:

• 6 boxes of spaghetti noodles


• 6 jars of spaghetti sauce


• 6 pounds of hamburger meat (can be stored cooked in the freezer for 3 months)


• 12 cans of veggies or 6 bags of frozen veggies


• 12 cans of refrigerated croissants

You would just repeat this process for 14 other meals. Having 15 meals will ensure that you only have to eat the same meal twice in a month. If you don't mind having the same meals every week, you can use less recipes. Gradually build up your supply of each ingredient with the "Buy two, use one" principle.

Remember to make a few things from scratch to be able to use your staple, or long term, storage items, too. Here are some websites to look at to get some ideas for easy meals:

• Kraft Foods


• Campbell's


• Betty Crocker: Dinner Made Easy


• Pillsbury

Also, here are a couple cookbooks and recipe search websites that have GREAT recipes that don't have a lot of ingredients:

• All Recipes


• Recipe Zaar


• A Man, A Can, A Plan: 50 Great Guy Meals Even You Can Make


• Eating For Life--Recipe book based on the Body For Life diet & exercise plan (Great tasting, healthy recipes even if you don't follow the plan itself)


• New Cookbook (Better Homes & Gardens)

Challenge: For Family Home Evening, discuss with your family what their favorite meals are. Come up with 15 and gather the recipes to determine how much of each ingredient in that recipe you will need to build up to a 3-month's supply.

The Sharpsburg Ward has put together a 3-month supply booklet with recipes, budgets, and ideas for planning for your 3-month supply. I would like to do this for our ward also. Please send your 3-month supply recipes to Sis. Schaefer at justjen@stsweb.com. The deadline for getting recipes in will be March 29.

The Passing of President Gordon Bitner Hinckley

As many of you may know, President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away on Sunday evening around 7:00 p.m. (MST) with his family around him. He was 97 years old and the 15th President of the Church. He was a wonderful example and endeared himself to all. He will be greatly missed. With his passing, I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to talk with your families about the succession of the presidency in the church. Here is a wonderful article from LDS Living magazine about that very process. I have also included several links to articles about President Hinckley and two Family Home Evening Lessons (one on President Hinckely and one on prophets).

• Beloved Church President, Gordon B. Hinckley, dies at 97 (LDS.org Newsroom)

• Succession of the First Presidency (LDS Living)

• LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dies (Salt Lake Tribune)

• Community Speaks of Hinckley's Warmth, Wit, and Genuine Concern for People of All Faiths (Salt Lak Tribune)

• Tribute to President Hinckley (BYU Photographers)

• FHE Lesson by Shauna Gibby--Follow the Prophet

• FHE Lesson by Shauna Gibby--Gordon B. Hickley

Spiritual Preparedness: Strengthening Our Lives Through Prayer

With the start of a new year, people all over have made goals for themselves, either written or pondered. Many people will abandon these goals within the first few months of the year. Let us not fall victim to this defeating cycle, let us strengthen our resolve and become more fully spiritually prepared with prayer.

According to the Encarta Encyclopedia, prayer is "...a person's act of communion with God..., and the words used. It is the natural result of a person's belief in God. Prayer may be individual or group, formal or spontaneous, silent or spoken. In one or more forms, it is at the center of worship (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007.)." Prayer is our way of communicating with our Heavenly Father. He is there for each and every one of us if we only call out to him for assistance. Some may feel that the Lord can't be bothered with trivial things; but as it states in Alma 37:37, we are to "counsel with the Lord in all [our] doings, and he will direct [us] for good..." It says ALL our doings, not just the ones that we feel the Lord will find important.

Prayer can strengthen and prepare us in all aspects of our lives if we only use it. It is a vital tool that Father in Heaven has provided us with to help us through this earthly life. We wouldn't try and hammer a nail into the wall using only our hand. We would, of course, use a hammer. Why, then, would we attempt to go through our daily tasks without consulting and conversing with the Lord? Let us resolve to use this valuable tool we've been given and rely more fully on the Lord through prayer this new year.

Here are some interesting and helpful articles and a complete Family Home Evening Lesson on prayer:

• Faith and Prayer in Relationships


• FHE Lesson from LDS Living Magazine: Prayer


• Gospel Topics: Prayer

Financial Preparedness...Saving With a Happy Heart!

This post comes from Sis. April Craig and the Sharpsburg Ward Family Preparedness Newsletter:

"Sometimes when we are cutting our budgets, curbing our spending and trying to put all extra towards eliminating our debt, we can find we're in an emotional state of 'self pity' and feeling sorry for ourselves. We might be feeling grumpy about not being able to 'spend freely' or 'satisfy our many wants.' When this happens, our depressed spirits become a tool in Satan's hands. Don't give him that power. We should change our way of thinking. Instead of the common statement, 'I can't afford that,' we can tell ourselves, 'I choose to live within my means; and that item is not in my budget.' As we choose words of empowerment instead of enslavement, we gain confidence and discipline...our attitudes will change and Satan will no longer be able to twist these concepts in our minds. Challenge: Read the Jan 2008 Ensign Article on pages 58-63 entitled, 'Happily Living Within Our Means.'"

Smart Grocery Shopping Made Easy: 5 Tips To Save You Money

This post is thanks to Sis. April Craig and the Sharpsburg Ward Family Preparedness Newsletter

If you've been to a grocery store lately, you'll know that shopping for family meals can be a costly endeavor. Here are some tips to lower your grocery bill and save money:

• Have a Plan: Smart shoppers often make a menu of meals they will prepare in a week and create a shopping list based on the menu. Shopping with a list and sticking to it will cut down on those last minute impulse buys that drive up your grocery bill. Keep a note pad in the kitchen where you can add to your weekly grocery list as items run out or get low. (*Read up on this principle in Menu Planning: Save Time In The Kitchen at the Organized Home website*)

• Eat Before You Go: Hungry shoppers are tempted shoppers.

• Avoid Prepared Foods: Prepared foods, while certainly convenient, often contain high amounts of sodium and other preservatives and cost a lot more than if you made the item yourself. These items may save you a little time when feeding your family, but will end up costing you more in the long run.

• Use Coupons Wisely: Coupons can save savvy shoppers lots of money at the grocery store. Ultimately though, you are not saving money if you are not buying and item you need. Buying bottles of aspirin for $1 each is a great deal. But if 10 of those bottles expire before you even get to use them, you've just wasted $10. (*Check out The Coupon Mom to learn more about this principle*)

• Do The Math: Learn to figure out the price per unit for items you are buying to find out what the best deal is. Do the math when using coupons, too. Sometimes a name brand item with a coupon is still more expensive than a comparable store brand item. (*two links to help teach you about price per unit--How do unit prices work and Unit Price*)

The cost of food can be a huge part of a monthly budget, but by following these tips, you may just find you spend less and have a little more money left over at the end of each month.

(* Added by Sis. Schaefer to provide more information)

Emergency Preparedness: Real Life Experience

I just received an email from Sis. Lorna Boot telling me about this wonderful article in Meridian Magazine. It is about a Sister from California and her family's experience with the recent power outages (Read Emergency Preparedness online). The advice is practical and timely.

We have several weather situations here in the Southeast that can cause power outages--ice/snow storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc...--depending on the season. Growing up in Peachtree City, we experienced yearly ice storms between the end of January and mid March. For those new to the area, there is a definite difference between a snow storm and an ice storm. Ice storms are caused by freezing rain (Read about freezing rain). The aftermath is breathtakingly beautiful, but the damage is always tremendous--trees down, holes in roofs, downed power lines, etc...
After thinking about this, I was reminded that the last snow/ice storm we had in this area was about 2001; and the last BIG storm here was 15 years ago (I remember that one because it happened the weekend before my wedding).
Are we prepared for that kind of weather to possibly happen again this year? Even if another BIG storm doesn't come our way, we still need to make sure we are prepared for these situations. After ice storm season, comes hurricane season, torando season, etc... It's really something we should think about and do something about this year. Read the article in Meridian Magazine and see what you can do to prepare.

72-hour kit content list

As many of you know, we have completed the ordering for the 72-hour kits. Anyone that has participated each month has 95% of everything they need for their kits. There are just a few more items that need to be gathered/purchased to complete your emergency kits. Here is a list of the contents of a 72-hour kit. Anything in yellow, we have purchased as a group. Most items are per person. Non-consumable products can be per family (tent, shovel, etc...).
Put map and all documents in waterproof bag.
Place all items in a portable container near an exit of your home or in your garage.

A basic 72-hr kit should include:
*Water (emergency supply + 3 gallons)
*Food (for 3 days)
*First Aid kit (include any prescription meds)
*Complete change of clothing (including shoes)
*Emergency Blanket
*Tube Tent (1 per 2 people)
*Rain Poncho
*Battery Powered or hand crank radio
*Flashlight
*Extra batteries (if needed)
*Multi-purpose Utility Knife w/can opener
*Whistle
*Compass
*Map of local area (state)
*Emergency contact list with phone numbers (cell #’s and 2 out of state contacts)
*Waterproof matches
*Plastic garbage bags (3)
*Sanitation wipes (baby wipes)
*Dust mask
*Cash (smaller bills and at least 2 rolls of quarters--about $300 per family)

Additional items to consider:
*Hygiene kit (tooth brush/paste, deodorant, comb, shampoo, washcloth, feminine supplies, lip balm, insect repellant, sunscreen)
*Signal Flare
*Light sticks OR
*Emergency 100-hr. candle
*Duct tape
*Plastic sheeting/tarp
*Small shovel
*Regular Tent
*Work gloves
*Nylon rope
*Small sewing kit
*Hand/body warmers (Hotties)
*Water purification tablets
*Mess kit
*Portable stove
*Wool Blend Blanket
*Comfort items: books, games, cards, pencil/paper, hard candy
*Personal ID: Copy adults drivers license, Social Security cards, birth certificates and other important financial and medical documents, wills and insurance cards. For Children: put name, birth date, parental contact info (cell #s), 2 out of state contacts, physical description, current photo, and right thumb print on laminated card stock. Copy insurance card on back before laminating.
*Family documents: copy of pictures, hard drive, genealogy, etc… on disc
*Extra keys
Let's finish and assemble these by the end of the month. Post to the comments section when you are finished. Let's see how many people in the ward we can have done by January 31st.

New Blog to share information

I just received permission today from the Bishop to start this blog. On it, I hope to share information that will help you become better prepared both temporally and spiritually. I plan on updating this blog on a bi-monthly basis. Depending on what I find, I may update it more regularly. In order to receive updates, please subscribe to the blog by going to the bottom of the page and selecting "Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)." Then, click on "Subcribe to this feed." You may need to get a google account in order to do so. This is free and from what I've experienced, I do not receive junk mail or spam from doing this. Feel free to make comments, or ask questions. ---Jen Schaefer