January 2017

Click here for a complete copy of January 2017 Back to Basics Newsletter.

Old man “2016” has gone and the new “2017” baby  is here!  New Year’s bring a time for new starts in all aspects of our lives. New Year’s resolutions are abundant. Organizing and decluttering is popular. Stores play upon the desire to start fresh and provide ‘sales” to accommodate that desire. So – let’s hop on that bandwagon with our preparedness! Some of those New Year Goals can be for preparedness! Make a plan to add to your food storage, emergency preparations, medical, and family communications. Start by taking inventory of what you  “need” and what you “have” in all aspects of preparedness. Review with your family and make a plan to  get started, add to, or update your preparedness. This is one of the most important goals to accomplish.  Ezra Taft Benson once said “The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” May we each secure for ourselves a “ticket” to the “preparedness ark” – and along the way acquire great peace of mind in knowing we are prepared, and we are able to care for ourselves and our family members as well!

In this issue:

The Buck Stops Here: Tips to save money on food.

In the Southern Utah Garden - there are garden chores to do in winter! Remember the five "P's" - Prune, Prevent, Plan, Plant, Prepare.

Cooking with Food Storage: Using Oatmeal: Recipes for basic hot cereal, sliced fried oatmeal, Maralee's Granola, Overnight Oats with variations, Oatmeal 4 in 1 cookies with variations.

Provident Living - tips to Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

Spiritual Preparedness - quote by George Q Cannon.

Parting Thought: Quote by Bruce R McKonkie

Click here for a complete copy of January 2017 Back to Basics Newsletter.

December 2016

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It seems very fitting that we top off the end of each year – by celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It truly is “the most wonderful time of the year.” It is a time that we see people “bringing good cheer” to others worldwide. And it all starts in our own home and neighborhoods. This month the LDS Church has asked us to “share the light” – as we offer service to those who are around us. We can serve folks we do not know, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or fellow students, as we give of our time and love. We can also serve our families! One of the greatest services we can give our family is to be sure we have taken care of their spiritual and temporal preparedness. Preparedness comes through slow and steady efforts. Keeping the Sabbath, reading the scriptures, and saying prayers fill our spiritual lamps. Storing for emergencies, extra items bought when shopping, and becoming self-reliant fills our temporal lamps. It will be a difficult day if we are not prepared, and must watch our family suffer. Let us then be sure that a part of the service we give – is to be sure we are prepared. “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”

Included in this newsletter:

Provident Living: Making Preparedness a Way of Life - a list of ideas to help you be more self sufficient and make preparedness a way of life.

Everbridge - Reverse 911 - info and instructions on signing up for emergency notifications. You must sign up to receive the notices.

Spiritual Preparedness - a quote by L Tom Perry about being self-reliant.

A Preparedness Christmas - ideas for gifts to help others "Be Prepared."

Preparedness Items Review - 14 areas to review your preparedness status.

Cooking with Food Storage - recipes for Old Bottled Fruit Cake, Pinto Cream Pie, and Russian Wassail.

Christmas Hot Tip: #LIGHTtheWORLD - info on the LDS Church Christmas initiative - get the advent calendar and help spread the light!

Click here for a complete copy of December 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter.

November 2016

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The Harvest Season provides a great opportunity to take stock of all we have to be grateful for. We can also focus on how we are showing the Lord our gratitude.  We are blessed with an abundance of food and commodities in this day and age.  Do we follow the prophet and store some up against the storms that lie ahead?  As stewards over all the lord has blessed us with, the way we keep our stewardship shows the Lord our gratitude. President Spencer W. Kimball said :“We encourage families to have on hand this year’s supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where He says, ’Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?’  How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so called, into action and call him by his important names, but fail to do the things which he says”. The way we use what we have also shows our gratitude. The First Presidency in 1942 counseled: “The utmost care should be taken to see that foodstuffs so produced and preserved by the householder, do not spoil, for that would be waste, and the Lord looks with disfavor upon waste.  He has blessed His people with abundant crops...The Lord is doing His part; He expects us to do ours.”  Let us follow the adage “Waste Not, Want Not” and “Store what you eat, and eat what you store”. At this “thankful season” – let us show an “Attitude of Gratitude” with our preparedness.

In this months newsletter:

Disaster Prep - EARTHQUAKE! - What to do before, during and after an earthquake.

In the Southern Utah Garden - the garden has slowed down but there is a list of things to still take care of.

Fall Fruit: The Perfect Pomegranate - how to remove the fruit, store them and use them (2 recipes included).

Thanksgiving Recipes - No fail Pie Crust; leftover Turkey Roll-ups, and Dixie Salad.

Provident Living - A Penny saved is a penny earned - tips to save your pennies!

Thanksgiving Dinner Preparedness Style - a list of things to take from/ stock up with on your storage shelves and garden.

Spiritual Preparedness: President Thomas S Monson gives great words of wisdom about our our preparedness to help us withstand the winds of adversity.

Click here for a complete copy of the November Back to Basics Newsletter.

October 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter

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“It’s autumn time! It’s autumn time! The leaves are falling down.” That well-loved children’s song keeps echoing as the beautiful season of fall has finally arrived! It is a season loved by so many as the harvest is over, the days are cooler, and the colors begin to glow. Even the air seems to have a golden glow – so different from the other seasons. It is sweatshirt weather, and time for Friday night lights (the football game!) and weekend wood gathering trips. It is also the time to check our storage and be sure we are ready for the winter! Grandmother used to set aside the summer harvest for the upcoming winter. Jars were filled, squashes lined the shelves, and the freezer was full. Today we must be ready for those “winter” storms no matter when they arrive. The winter was always a time when food was not so readily available and if you had not stored for those storms, you went hungry. So it is with the storms that may rage today. We do not want to be caught without the preparation necessary to weather whatever storms may come our way! Let us be sure to set aside for that rainy winter day that will certainly appear. Let us Be Prepared!

In this month's newsletter: 
Get to the Meat! Ideas for storing protein - canned meats, peanut butter, beans, home bottled, jerky, live storage, and having a plan if the freezer goes out.
Fall Preparedness: be prepared for the changing seasons - yard care, gutter care, outdoor plumbing, roof repair, furnace, energy leaks, ceiling fans, house exterior, drainage, fireplace/woodstove.
Spiritual Preparedness: Quotes from Dallin H Oaks and Bruce R McKonkie about being prepared for what lies ahead.
In the Southern Utah Garden: Finish harvest, mulching with leaves on garden, warning about pecan leaves, getting rid of weeds.
Cooking with Food Storage:  Recipes for beef or venison jerky, ground beef jerky, and two hot chocolate from scratch recipes.
Protecting Food Storage Investment: Take steps to protect food and emergency storage - if in doubt throw it out, rotate, mice and moths, temperature, natural disasters, floods, moisture content.
Nine Preparedness Myths: Do you use these excuses for not having a food storage? Nine myths laid to rest!

Click here for a complete copy of October 2016 Back to Basics newsletter.

September 2016

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September is here and fall is in the air. The mellow apples, a fresh lit fireplace, and the crisp morning air, all bring nostalgic aromas that add to the wonderful fall season.  The days are shorter and the nights are cool. It is a welcome change at the end of another summer season. September is also our national preparedness month! It is the perfect month, as the season changes and the summer harvest ends, to take stock of our preparedness! There are many preparedness fairs going on this month to give us ideas, and a wealth of knowledge in our church groups or even online. There are no good excuses to find ourselves unprepared! The lord has warned us over and over. The summer has been filled with fires and flooding – and many emergency evacuations.  It is not a matter of “if” we may need to be prepared – it is a matter of “when!” In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” Let us use this time we now have to prepare for whatever lies ahead.

Included in this month's newsletter:

Emergency Preparedness - the Bug out Bag: tips on what to store in yur 72 hour kits

Four Levels of Preparedness:  lists of what kinds of things you need for basic preparation, 30 plus days, three or more months and over a year.

In the Southern Utah Garden:  what to plant, how to make a protection for plants on cold nights, winter garden harvest, fall clean-out, poison tips, root cellar, and beetle traps.

Summer Canning:  a delicious and easy recipe to salsa!

Emergency: 12 basics to be prepared with to care for your family in case of an emergency.

Spiritual Preparedness: a quote from Elder L.Whitney Clayton on being deeply rooted in Christ to be able to endure any storm that comes our way.

Click here for a complete copy of the September 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter.

August 2016

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“Summertime and the livin’ is easy – fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high…”  The first line of that old song conjures up visions of pleasant summer days filled with relaxation and fun! Is that how your summer is going? Summer is a perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors on hikes and in the garden. Our grandparents knew that summer work meant food on the table in the lean of winter.  You may not rely so heavily on that summer harvest anymore – but summer is a great time to take stock of what you have and what you need. Being prepared takes perseverance and re-evaluation on a regular basis. “Today while the sun shines” you can put away for tomorrow.  President Monson said “When the time for performance arrives, the time for preparation is past.”  Let us use these “lazy days of summer” to be ready. We can “save for a rainy day” those things necessary to make it through the storms that lie ahead.

In this months issue:

Summertime Preparedness - a list of things to do in the summer to help you get better prepared!

The Spice of Life - information on spices and condiments to help with your extended storage. 

In the Southern Utah Garden - what to plant, spray apples, and ideas to control squash bugs and scarab beetle, tearing out diseased plants.

Summer Canning - Its like free jam when you make Prickly Pear and Peach Pit Jelly! Great recipes.

Spiritual Preparedness - Elder Kim Clark speaks on the need to be better than we are now for a greater work to do.

Disaster Prep - first aid tips that debunk old methods.

Click here for a complete copy of the August 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter.

July 2016

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July is the month we celebrate our freedom!! We are blessed to live in this choice land. We know that “freedom isn’t Free” – many men and women died to ensure us of the freedoms we enjoy! Being in a free land gives us the opportunity to have gardens, fruit trees, and a food storage. In some places in the world it is a crime to “hoard” and people are limited by government regulations. Let us use the freedom we have to be prepared! “Today while the sun shines” is the time to “be prepared.” Things may not always be as conducive to preparing for the future. If we will make preparedness and provident living a way of life, when the storms bear down – we will weather them with greater ease. “Where preparations are being made there will be little difficulty, but where no preparation has being made, suffering and difficulty will come” (Welf Conf 1970).

Included in this month's issue:

Food Storage By the Meal - Personalize your family food storage by planning what to store by what you will eat. "Eat what you store - and store what you eat!" Suggestions for those meals are included.

Provident Living - Make Your Own. Recipes for Pre-wash, Windex, Stain Remover, Outdoor Windows, Basic Sports Drink and Powdered Sports drink.

A warning Voice from the Past - for our TODAY! - Neal A Maxwell Quote on last days skirmishes, and a reminder that summer is upon us- let us not then complain of the heat!

In the Southern Utah Garden - Ideas to plant, spraying fruit, grapes, garden and fruit tree watering,

Summer Canning - Recipe for Zucchini Pickle Relish, and Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles

Year Food Storage list - with age appropriate quantities.

Incentives for Food Storage - from USU Extension Service.

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June 2016

Click here for a complete copy of the June 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter.

June is a favorite month of many. The days are long with pleasant summer evenings. The cherries and apricot trees drip with their goodness, and gardens flourish and begin to produce their bounty. The grasses are lush and the flowers are fragrant. June is the most popular month for weddings – so love is in the air! Al Bernstein described it when he said “Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” With all the wonder of this month comes a great opportunity to add to our temporal and spiritual preparedness. Bottle up some of the delicious fruits God has given us. We were blessed with a bounteous harvest – so be sure to show gratitude for what the lord has sent. It is a great time for family outings and growing and strengthening bonds with summer time activities such as camping, swimming, hiking, and enjoying the great outdoors. Or even to sit under the shade and read, or write in a journal, or ponder the wonders that surround us! Truly – the fig tree “branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves”. The summer is nigh – and the signs that it stands for are all around – “even at the doors” (Matt. 24: 31-32) May we use this balmy month of June to increase our preparedness and be ready for whatever the encroaching heat may bring. “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”

Included in this issue:

Simplify: A Daily Dose Approach to Preparedness - choosing one task to accomplish daily will help you be prepared!

Words To Live By - verses to encourage us in our preparedness.

Visual of basic recommendation for 1 year supply for 1 person, lists with it, and thoughts of expanding that list.

In the Southern Utah Garden: what to plant, keeping weeds down, staking tomatoes, curly top prevention, tomato worms, spraying fruit trees, thinning fruit picking veggies, mowing lawns.

June Canning: Recipes for Dandelion Jelly, Apricot Jam, Apricot Fruit Leather, and other Apricot ideas.

Provident Living: Depression Era Lessons. Ideas to include in our daily lives that will help us in our preparedness. All things our grandparents did during the depression.

Supplemental Foods: A list with amounts per person to store to supplemment our basic and expanded storage.

Click here for a complete copy of the June 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter.

May 2016

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The “Merry Month of May” is upon us - with all its color and freshness, - full of tastes of spring and promise of a warm upcoming summer. We love the smell of a fresh cut lawn or hay field, the wafting odor of newly blossomed flowers, and the night air on a clear starry night. As we enjoy the present wonders of life, let us always set aside for a future so that our way of living is not disrupted more than needs be in times of disaster or lean times. If we make preparedness a way of life, bumps in the road will not be so bad and often our family will never know there was a bump! If a widespread disaster occurs, we will be able to care for our own and not reliant on waiting in a line for help that may never come. The scriptures ask “Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things which I say?” Let us follow the commandment to Be Prepared, and in turn enjoy life to its fullest. 

In this month's newsletter:

H2O - Cool Clear Water: guidelines to store and purify water.

Pandemic Panic Preventer: Preparedness : what to store in case of widespread illness.

Disaster Prep: things you can use everyday to kepp on hand for a disaster.

In the Southern Utah Garden: Plant everything, tips for fall squashes, compost vs fertilizer, weeds, spraying poison, lilac pruning tips.

Cooking with Food Storage: homemade puddings, noodles, and fruit rollups.

Provident Living - Fun and New hobbies - a list of hobbies that will help you be prepared.

Spiritual Preparedness - Follow the Prophet: A quote by Elder Neal A Maxewell.

Click Here for a complete copy of May 2016 Back to Basics newsletter.

April 2016

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The childhood chant of” April Showers bring May Flowers” rings out each spring.  It seems to hold true as those spring rains come and the greens and colors grow and brighten. But this old adage holds true for us in about every aspect of life. As we put forth any effort, there is a rewarding result. So it is with our preparedness, both temporal and spiritual.  We truly do reap what we sow. Just as April rains give the sleeping seed or root what is needed to grow and flourish, so as we put forth even a small effort and press forward do we see our shelves fill with food, the gardens flourish with produce, and our testimonies shine bright. The greater the effort, the greater the result! One rain will not keep a flower alive, but only begin its growth. We must also continue with daily efforts and good old fashioned work to truly see our preparedness flowers spring up, grow and flourish. This month let us all roll up our sleeves, get to work, and let those “April Rains” pour! And then may all of our gardens be blooming full of preparedness!

Included in this issue:

Thirteen Steps to Self-Reliance: Steps to help you and your family be self-reliant.

In the Southern Utah Garden: April planting, warning for tomatoes, seed harvest, poisons for lawns and trees.

Cooking with Food Storage: Bread - "the staff of life". Recipe for basic bread and tortillas, and ideas of ways to use bread - old fashioned "fast food"!

Spiritual Preparedness: Three quotes on preparing for second coming and the coming day of desolation.

Disaster Prep - Cool Clear Water: tips for water storage.

Click here for a complete copy of April 2016 Back to Basics newsletter

March 2016

Click here for a complete copy of the March 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter.

If March comes in like a lamb – will it go out like a lion? It seems like that old adage is often true. We do know from past years – that somewhere in March we are bound to have a bit of stormy weather at some point. It has happened before and will happen again. So it is with life. We know that life is not just smooth sailing. There are storms that come unexpectedly. President Gordon B Hinckley warned us in 1998 “There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed.” We saw that happen with the fall of the economy, the attack of 9-11, and the wars across the world. Just like March weather is unpredictable but sure to change – so will the world around us be. The question is – will we be ready? Have we “battened down the hatches”? Have we stocked up and set aside? If not, we must do so soon. Today may be a lamb – but a lion is coming! Be Prepared!

Included in this issue:

Preparedness Equipment: We know we need to store food, water, fuel, and money! But remember to keep on hand items for a longer term emergency. A list to give you ideas is included.

Words to the Wise: Ezra Taft Benson quote on not ignoring the need to be prepared, and that those who do "will rue the day they harbored such a delusion."

Spiritual Preparedness: Richard G Scott talks of true enduring happiness as we center our life in Christ.

Provident Living: Save money on Easter Egg Color Kits - easy recipe for your own coloring.

In the Southern Utah Garden: what to plant now, planting tips and applying preemergent in the garden.

Disaster Prep - Making the Light: two homemade candle recipes and a recipe to make your own wicks.

Heeding Modern Day Warnings. Excerpt from an article comparing Hauns Mill to us today - will we listen to the prophet?

Click here for a complete copy of the March 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter.

February 2016

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February is often noted as the month of Love. We make and give and receive valentines. It is a chance to express our affections for our “valentine”. We “heart attack” our friends and family, make special dinners, and give roses to someone special. As we are sending expressions of affection to our loved ones – let us send a message of love by making sure we are prepared to care for our families – come what may. If we truly love our family we will be sure we have a storage of food, water, clothing, fuel, and some money set aside. There would be nothing worse than having an emergency to deal with, and watch our family suffer because we were not prepared! But it will give us a great sense of satisfaction if we can care for our family and know that all is well because we followed the prophet – and are prepared. Let us show our love this month – and “prepare every needful thing.”

Included in this month's newlsetter:
A Three Month Supply:  You should be able stay home for 3 months without going to the store! Ideas to store include baking supplies, breakfast, lunch, supper, spices, desserts, dairy, and other supplies.
An Encouraging Word: The first presidency reminds us to "prepare every needful thing" so we can care for ourselves, but to not go to extremes. With careful planniung you can establish a home storage and financial reserve.
Do I Really Have a Year's Supply? Read a list of amounts and give your family storage a check up. This includes an online link for a food calculator to figure amounts needed for your size family.
In the Southern Utah Garden:  An important month to fertilize, prune, spray, and plant. Helpful tips on pruning, starting seeds indoors, rotating crops, and companion planting.
Cooking with Food Storage: Recipes for using the beans you learned to cook last month! Bean Dip, Bean Salad Sandwich and Chili Beans
Disaster Prep - Winter Warnings - Disasters do not just happen in the summer when you can camp out. Winter brings extra challenges. Have a plan to stay warm, stop heat loss, store needed items, have a woodstove, plan for shelter, stock your car, and keep hand warmers and hot chocolate ready!
Companion Planting: A chart of what vegetables to plant together. A list of companions, allies and enemies!

Click here for a complete copy of February 2016 Back to Basics Newsletter.