August 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of August 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

The dog days of summer are here – those hot, sultry days that make it hard to spend a full day outdoors. Yards and gardens are tackled in early mornings so the work is done in the cool summer air, or one can wait for the sun to set and hope the temperature drops then. The garden is hopefully producing a bounty of juicy tomatoes, and squash to share. The lawns are lush, or maybe struggling a bit under the summer sun. The preparations and extra work from the spring are paying off! So it is with our efforts to establish a food and supply storage. The work you do today will be realized in a future day. Being prepared can become a way of life – provident living. For those who have been at it for a while, it is second nature. For those in the beginning stages – take heart! Before long your harvest of food lined shelves, packed 72-hour kits, and barrels with water, will become a part of your life. As we prepare – and continue to add to the program we establish for our individual families – we will reap the rewards of the promise – “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” And that peace is the best dog day blessing that there is!

Included in this month's newsletter:

* The Principle of Preparation - We have been counseled for many years to be prepared. Here is a list that helps us strive for this goal.

* Food Storage in a Shortage - ideas to obtain and resupply when shelves are often empty.

* Spiritual and Temporal Preparedness - Quotes from Spencer W Kimball and L Tom Perry to inspir us.

* In the Southern Utah Garden - A list of things to do and plant in August.

* Using the Harvest - ideas to use your pears, peppers and tomatoes.

* Disaster Prep: What level are you? Five levels of preparedness described to help us identify where we stand with our preparedness.

* Provident Living: "A penny saved is a penny earned!" - ideas to help you save some hard earned cash!

Click here for a complete copy of August 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

July 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of the July 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

July brings with it sweltering summer days, usually monsoon storms, and especially celebrations for both our county and state. We live in the “land of the free and home of the brave,” all made possible by the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers. This is a promised land, that is choice above all others (1 Nephi 2:20). One of the freedoms we have in this choice land, is the freedom to be prepared!  In some countries it is illegal to store food (called “hoarding”).  Part of our responsibility to our fellow citizens is to “Be Prepared” so that we can care for ourselves, allowing church resources to go to those who are unable to do so. Certainly part of being prepared is also holding fast to the blessings we are given by following the prophet and keeping the commandments. That spiritual preparedness will help us to know the things we need to add to our temporal preparedness to be ready for what lies ahead. Let us honor and celebrate our liberty by continuing in our efforts to follow the prophet and be prepared both temporally and spiritually.

Included in this month's newsletter:

Preparedness - How Important is it? Quotes from General Authorities over the years to encourage us to get our food storage.

Family Summer Fun - Gaining Disaster Skills - Adventures with your kids to help you be more prepared.

How Long until you Starve? A thought about the need to Be Prepared.

In the Southern Utah Garden - Tips for planting, fruit tree spraying, watering, and tomatoes. 

Summer Harvest - Using Summer Squash - Recipes for Zucchini and Yellow Squash.

Disaster Prep: How to Keep your Cool... in a Summer Power Outage! Things you can do to stay cool in the summer heat.

Provident Living - Make your Own - Recipes for cleaners and sport drinks.

Click here for a complete copy of the July 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

June 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of the June 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

Included in this month's newsletter:
Summertime and the Livin' is Easy!  Things to make this a summer of fun, learning and togetherness. And some of the activities will help you get a little more prepared in the process!
The Food Chain -  Disruptions in the food chain have effected many people. These ideas can help you stay ahead of the panic.
Quote -  from President Thomas S Monson about being prepared in these turbulent times with an unknown future.
How Much Should I Store -  a l ink to a food calculator that will provide a customized list of food to store!
In the Southern Utah Garden  - garden tips and activities for June.
Using the Harvest -  Recipes to use apricots (Apricot Jam), beets, (Grandma Ballard's Pickled Beets) and zucchinis (Zucchini Pickle Relish.)
The Blue Book - a must have book for home canners - beginners to pro!
Five Principles of Preparedness -  Five things you need to incorporate in your life to help you Be Prepared.

Click here for a complete copy of the June 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

May 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of the May 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

This might be the most interesting May we have enjoyed for a long time! Just like our beautiful flowers have opened up and bloomed – this country of ours is beginning to “open” for a hopeful economy boost and reduction in sickness. We find ourselves in a unique position to learn from the past few months and make needed changes – instead of trying to just “go back to normal.” If you found yourself in need of items – food or supplies – will you make the effort to establish a better storage program? Or will you just use up what you bought and go on with life? We must nurture a storage program all year round, not only when we see a need. It is like our gardens. We plant, water, and weed, and soon see the seeds grow and begin to flourish. But we cannot stop there. We must continue to care for the garden to reap a harvest. As the coming days grow warmer through May and into summer, let us be sure our food and supply storage also grow and flourish. Let us “Be Prepared” for the next time a surprise comes along!  Let us make our way of life one of “Provident Living” and find the peace and satisfaction self-sufficiency brings.

Included in this month's newsletter:

The Parable of the 10 Virgins - COVID Style - remembering the parable message, and what we can do now!

Home Production - things we can do to add "live storage" to our preparedness.

Spiritual Preparedness - Quote from Pres. Russell M Nelson on hearing the spirit.

In the Southern Utah Garden - a list for May gardening activities.

Drying Food Storage - planning as we plant for harvest drying, and produce you can dry.

Disaster Prep - Earthquakes and Other Surprises - a list to help us be ready!

Provident Living - Money Saving Tips - recipes for items you can make at home.

Where do I start? A Bite at a time! Ten "bites" you can take to establish a storage program in your home!

Click here for a complete copy of the May 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

April 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter

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The old saying- “April Showers bring May flowers” has many life applications. Those “rainy days” of April usually give way to a bounty of color come May! As our world has recently been affected by COVID-19, it is a great time to look forward to the “flowers” this stormy time will bring! What “flowers” will you grow? What did you learn from this experience – what were you prepared with, and what do you wish you had been more ready for? Was this storm a time of gentle rain, or did it feel like a downpour? Was this a wakeup call, or did you feel peace from the preparedness your family had in place? If you found yourself in the panic or worry lines, it is a good time to make better plans, and improve your preparedness. “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it” (Ralph Waldo Emerson.) This storm will pass. The clouds will lift, the sun will shine; but what will you do then? More than ever, people can see the great importance of a preparedness program: temporally, and spiritually! Let us use this storm to water the seeds of desire. May your desire grow into a flowering food and supply storage, complete with a rotation plan, and knowledge of how to use what you have set aside. And may our bouquet include the ability to hear and listen to the whisperings of the spirit, so we can be guided in steps to take as we prepare, and are ready to weather the next storm. Let us grow beautiful May flowers that will always be ready for the rains when they arrive.

Included in this months newsletter: 

Spiritual Preparedness - "I Prepared You So..." - excerpts from a church news article.

CDC Suggestions for COVID-19 -  a list of things for us to stay safe and healthy.

Shopping for Food Storage - A Basics Grocery List - a list of basic items to include in your monthly grocery shopping to help build a food storage.

In the Southern Utah Garden -  Victory Gardens helped people in WW I and II. Today your garden can supply you with fresh produce. Ideas are included for April planting and tasks.

Cooking with Food Storage- recipes for basic items: bread, tortillas, everlasting yeast, and using wheat.

Its Chicken Time -  getting you started on raising chickens for your own eggs. Suggestions for breeds to purchase.

Homemade Helps -  recipes for hand sanitizer and disinfectant spray (wipes).

Click here for a complete copy of April 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

March 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter

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It is said if March comes in like a lamb it will go out like a lion. Some years that works – but most years we just see that March is unpredictable. Today can be a cold-wintery-bundle-up kind of day, and tomorrow a balmy-shirt-sleeve-weather day. Life is often just like March: unpredictable. It can remind us of the importance of being prepared for the calm or storm. When we go out in March we take a light jacket and a warmer coat – just in case. The same goes with our preparedness – just in case, we can be ready for any “storm” that comes along. The month of March boasts tales of shamrocks, leprechauns and pots of gold. Stories tell of the happiness in finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Rainbows come with storms. For us – our Preparedness can be our pot of gold!  As we are prepared for life’s storms, we will find the happiness that comes with that preparedness. When the storm comes, the rainbow will follow, and our preparedness “pot of gold” will help us survive all the “lion” or “lamb” days of life!

Included in this month's newsletter:

The 72 hour to 120 hour kit (3-5 days) - a list of items to include in your portable kit.

Provident Living - Using Food Storage Daily - a list of ways that will help you incorporate food storage into your daily diet.

In the Southern Utah Garden - things to plant and activities for the month of March.

Cooking with Food Storage - from scratch! - Recipes for Mac and Cheese and Baking Powder Biscuits.

The Coronavirus! Being prepared for any disaster is being prepared for this! A list of things to remember to prepare.

Click here for a complete copy of March 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

February 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of the February 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

February is known as the month of LOVE. We send valentines, bake cookies for neighbors, or “heart attack” the door of a loved friend. It is fun for the giver, and touching for the receiver when these acts of kindness and love are engaged in. Isn’t this then a wonderful month for us to show love to our families by the way we are prepared to care for them, no matter what happens in our lives? One of the final things the Savior said to his disciples before his crucifixion, was “As I have loved you, love one another.” Surely we are following the Savior as we show love to our families with good deeds and kind acts. But we also show our love when their temporal and spiritual needs are addressed. Let us love our family a little more this month. Let us be sure our cupboards are full, a 72 hour pack is ready, the scriptures are read, and prayers have been said. Let us love by Being Prepared!

Included in this month's newsletter:
Preparation Evaluation- A list of questions to check your preparedness, with ideas to help you answer the questions.
Preparing for the Future - A Quote by Elder L Tom Perry on the urgency of personal and family preparedness.
Earthquake Disaster Prep - A list of ideas to be ready for an earthquake.
In the Southern Utah Garden -  Things to do for February in your garden.
Provident Living & Preparedness Skills - Skills you can learn to help your self-sufficiency.
Cooking with Food Storage: Using Cornmeal - recipes for basic cornbread and variations, and Cornmeal Mush.
Fire it Up - Tips for fires and items to store.
Seeing the Light - Homemade Candles and Wicks - Recipes for 2 kinds of emergency candles, and homemade wicks.

Click here for a complete copy of the February 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

January 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter

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Happy New Year! As the song says: “Ring out the old, ring in the new! Ring happy bells across the snow. The year is going; let him go. Ring out the false, ring in the true.” A new year brings so many opportunities for us. It starts in “the bleak midwinter” – and looks to the blossom of the spring we know will come. It seems the perfect analogy of life. No matter what “winter day” we face, the warmth and growth of spring, and eventually summer, will follow. So it can be with our preparedness. If you have only begun your preparedness program – with the right efforts and planning – your storage and emergency system will blossom and grow too! As we make “New Year’s Resolutions,” let our preparedness status be at the top of the list! If we are prepared – we will not need to worry about the winter that we know will come again.  We will “sleep when the wind blows” and the storms arrive, and will be able to say, as Elder Joseph B Worthlin once said – “Come what may and love it.” Let this “new year” be the year we set in place a life of provident living that will bring us peace, confidence, and blessings. We will be prepared, and not fear!

Included in this issue:
Ring in the New - Preparedness Review: A list of items to review that you can include in a family preparedness program.
Time: using time wisely thought/poem.
Spiritual Preparedness: a quote from President Spencer W Kimball.
In the Southern UTah Garden: the 5 P's for your garden - Plan, Prune, Plant, Prevent, and Prepare.
Cooking with Food Storage: recipes to use food storage items for breakfast.
Thought for the day: on setting goals.
Companion Planting: a list of vegetables and the companions, allies and enemies.

Click here for a complete copy of the January 2020 Back to Basics Newsletter.

December 2019 Back to Basics Newsletter

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December brings with it long winter nights perfect for caroling, service projects, gift making, secret Santas, and lots of good cheer! No wonder Christmas - the celebration of the birth of our Savior – has been dubbed “The most wonderful time of the year!” Amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, be sure to fit in some preparedness. We can give preparedness gifts, and provide service that helps someone else be prepared. Preparedness giving will include a second gift – peace of mind. Knowing our families are prepared, both temporally and spiritually, will provide our own peace as well as give peace to those who we help. And isn’t that just what the angels sang of – “Peace on earth, good will to men.” This year – give preparedness. This year – give Peace!

Included in this month's newsletter:
"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" - excerpts from a talk by Elder L Tom Perry which include four requirements in preparing for that which is to come.
Disaster Prep - Learning from other's experience: poll results on how prepared people were for a disaster and what we can add to our own supplies so we are better prepared than they were.
Spiritual and Temporal Preparedness - A quote by James E Talmage about the warnings the Lord gives us.
In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for December garden activities.
Christmas Cooking - with Food Storage: recipes (that include food storage ingredients) for Molasses Candy, Easy Caramel Corn, Pecan Brittle, and Bran Refrigerator Muffins.
Christmas Gifts: A Preparedness Christmas - A list of gift ideas to help others with their preparedness.
Winter Ready Chickens: ideas to help your chickens be productive through the winter.

Click here for a complete copy of the December 2019 Back to Basics Newsletter.

November 2019 Back To Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of the November 2019 Back to Basics Newsletter.

“Come, ye thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest home. All is safely gathered in - Ere the winter storms begin.” This well-loved Thanksgiving hymn draws our thoughts to gratitude and preparedness. If we are thankful – we have a harvest – we have gathered in every needful thing, and we are ready for whatever storms of trials and adversity may come our way. Does your home reflect an attitude of gratitude? As we embark on a month devoted to gratitude, will the lord see our thankfulness with our food storage shelves and 72 hour kits filled? Are we ready for the storms, be they temporal or spiritual? Paul taught “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” (1 Timothy 5:8) Let us show our gratitude, let us be thankful, let us provide for our families with some to spare for the needy. Let us truly Raise the Song of Harvest Home and have All Safely Gathered In. Let us Be Prepared!

Included in this month's newsletter:
Ere the Winter Storms Begin - a list of items to include in a car kit so you are ready for winter driving challenges.
Preparation with Purpose - a list of possible events where you will need to "Be Prepared," and what kinds of preparedness items to address it with.
Spiritual Preparedness - small and simple - a quote from Elder M Russel Ballard on the small and simple things we can do to fill our lives with peace and joy.
In the Southern Utah Garden - November things we can do to finish up the fall garden and prepare for the spring garden.
Thanksgiving Recipes - recipes for No Fail Pie Crust, Leftover Turkey Roll-ups, and Basic Dixie Salad.
Disaster Prep: Consequences! - what will happen if I don't prepare? A few thoughts on consequences pertaining to disasters.
A Food Storage Thanksgiving - a list of items you can store for Thanksgiving dinner, and a challenge to be ready for next year off the shelves.
Disaster/Emergency Prep - a list of tools and equipment that can help in your quest to be prepared.

Click here for a complete copy of the November 2019 Back to Basics Newsletter.

October 2019 Back to Basics Newsletter

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Hello October…and goodbye summer. This is the month of no more hot days, when frosty nights appear, and leaves put on their best show. Fall is a season loved by many. The harvest is over or wrapping up, and the fruits of our labors are on show with pantry shelves full and gardens being put to bed for winter. It is a great time to take stock of where your family stands with provident living. If all is safely gathered in, we can truly let the winter storms begin. Are your shelves full? Is there a 72 hour kit close at hand? Can you care for your family and keep them happy and healthy “come what may?”  As the shadows of daylight slip into longer nights with cozy fires, let us be sure that we can sit at the fireside with a warm meal and a peaceful heart, knowing we are prepared. That peace and satisfaction is one of the greatest gifts of the harvest.

Included in this month's newsletter:
A House of Order: Prepare every needful thing- making preparedness a house or order with the D&C 88:119 reference.
Provident Living: Winter and Disaster Prep - ideas to prepare us for winter that also prepare us for disasters.
A Quote by Elder Victor L Brown about preparedness.
In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for October gardens.
Cooking With Food Storage: Fall Favorites - recipes for Pear Sauce, Hot Chocolate from scratch, and Applet Candy.
Why Have Food Storage - a list of reasons having a food storage is beneficial, beyond just having food!
Holiday Provident Living: Make your own - recipes for Halloween makeup, fake blood and a tip for costumes.
Slick Facts about Fats and Oils - info about oil, why to store it, how much to store, a what to store.

Click here for a complete copy of October 2019 Back to Basics.

September 2019 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of the September 2019 Back to Basics Newsletter.

September has long been the traditional month when all the schools were finally in session. Learning has officially begun! Although there is a specified age for attending public schools, we know that the acquisition of knowledge is a lifelong pursuit. D&C 130:18-19 tells us “Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” Have you ever considered that gaining knowledge can be a preparedness activity? We can gain skills and knowledge that will help us in our quest for provident living. The more we know, the more we can better care for our families. The world around us is full of daily disasters. Preparedness gives us peace of mind in the face of unknown storms. Let us use the time we have to improve our knowledge in areas that will assist us in following the commandment to Be Prepared.

Included in this month's newsletter:

Making Preparedness a Way of Life:  It is easy to be prepared if it is a way of life. Included here is a list of ideas to help you be prepared by making certain things a part of your regular living.

Life and Disaster Insurance:  We buy all kinds of insurance policies. Preparedness is a tangible life and disaster insurance. A list of"insurances" that we need to include.

Spiritual Preparedness:  a quote from President David O McKay on how our temporal preparedness obedience brings blessings, and temporal obedience becomes an element of spirituality.

In the Southern Utah Garden:  A list of things we can do in September. Everything from what to plant, weeding and fertilizing.

The Fall Harvest: Apples, Pears and Peppers: recipes to can and use apples (Apple Crisp and Cobbler) and ways to store pears and peppers.

Becoming a Provident Provider:  A great quote from Elder Robert D Hales to provide suggestions on principles of provident living.

Food Storage Made Simple:  A list of things to do to help simplify your food storage program.

Click here for a complete copy of the September 2019 Back to Basics Newsletter.