May 2022 Back to Basics

Click here for a complete copy of the May 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

May is a month with many references to the joy it brings. It has been called “The Merry Month of May,” the arrival of which historically brought “May Day” celebrations, that often included the weaving of the May Pole! We always hear that “April showers bring May flowers!” The blooming roses, lilacs, and iris are proof! It’s pretty hard to NOT like the month of May. This is also a great month for us to focus on our preparedness! We can finish planting a garden, bottle some strawberry jam, and cut a bouquet of flowers from the garden to brighten someone’s day. It is a great time to plan how to use the summer to add to our preparedness. What can you bottle or dry to store for winter? Can you turn a closet or room into a storage area? What tools or equipment can you purchase to be ready for any disaster? What are you lacking in YOUR preparedness plan?  Whatever it is - this Merry Month of May is the perfect time to get it done!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Self-Sufficiency and Food Shortages - a list of ways to get going on your food storage, places to find food, and ideas to afford it!

Disaster Prep: Family Preparedness Survey - a list of 21 questions to ask you and your family to help focus on ways to be prepared for an emergency.

In The Southern Utah Garden - gardening tasks to do in the month of May.

Cooking with Food Storage - Recipes for Homemade Egg Noodles, and Pizza Crust (with topping suggestions) that can be used for a breakfast cinnamon roll!

A "New" Planting Guide - Mother Nature's time line for planting gardens.

Using Food Storage: Powdered Eggs - Amounts to use to reconstitute, and a recipe for egg substitutes.

Provident Living: How to Live on a Shoe String - a list of money saving ideas and cleaning recipes.

Spiritual Preparedness - a quote from Dallin H Oaks on a 24 hour spiritual prep kit.

Click here for a complete copy of the May 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

April 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a link to the April 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

We have long heard that “April showers bring May flowers.” A few stormy days bring about great beauty! We roll up our sleeves and plant seeds, water and weed, and add sunshine from on high, and before we know it our homes are surrounded by colorful blooms. So it is with preparedness. It takes some effort and planning; some “rolling up of sleeves,” to establish and maintain a solid family preparedness program. But that extra food on the shelf, water in a jug, and garden in the yard, all help bring about great satisfaction and personal peace. It is not too late to plant flowers to enjoy this summer! And it is never too late to start, add to, and strengthen your family preparedness. Just like you have your own favorite flowers - only you know the needs of your family. Storms will continue to roll around. It is our job to be sure our family is ready to weather the storms with the preparedness we have established. Our family’s peace and satisfaction will come from the “flowers” we plant today.

Included in this month's newsletter:

H2O - Cool Clear Water: Tips for storing water for your family.

"Heart Attack" your family: Get a First Aid Kit - Learn First Aid! Tips and a list for your kit.

In the Southern Utah Garden: Tips and a list to plant for April.

Cooking with Food Storage- Recipes for Basic Bread, Homemade Pudding and Basic Pancakes.

Provident Living: A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned - A list of money saving ideas.

Disaster Prep for April - Specific tasks to do this month to help prepared for disasters.

Spiritual Preparedness - Quote from President Ezra Taft Benson on listening to prophets to be prepared.

 Click here for a link to the April 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

March 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of the March 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

This month we will “March” right in to spring! It may come and go like a lion or lamb, but in between, the days seem to have a hard time deciding if it is winter, spring, or summer.  True to spring it is a time of renewal. New gardens can be planted, new blossoms pop, and yards look new again. It is a great time to renew our preparedness efforts. We can plan and plant for this year’s canning and eating fresh from the garden. We can inventory our food storage and renew our monthly plan to restock. YOU are the one who can best take care of your family, so plan accordingly. We see unrest across the face of this tired old earth, and we have been warned to Be Prepared. The “forecast” for last day’s storms has been made. It is up to us to heed the warning and set aside for the rainy days upon us. Let us “March” right into the Peace of Preparedness.

Included in this month's newsletter:

Now that I bought it - Where do I store it? General guidelines for storing food, storage place suggestions, and container and storage tips.

Magical Food Storage Shelf Space! Ways to store food without giving up space behind doors, along a hall, or between the studs. Pictures included.

In the Southern Utah Garden - planting lists, transplanting tips, and garden chores for March.

Start at the Very Beginning - The Three Month Supply Made Easy- A grocery list suggestion for one adult 3 month supply.

Cooking With Food Storage - recipes for Sour Dough Starter, Sour Dough Biscuits, and Flour Tortillas.

 Click here for a complete copy of the March 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

February 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

Click here for a complete copy of the February 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

February is the “Month of Love.” We ask our favorite someone to “Be My Valentine,” and shower loved ones with flowers, chocolates, or a special dinner. It is also a wonderful time to show our families “love” by adding to our preparedness. “Love is” … storage shelves filled, 72-hour kits in a closet, first aid kits, and barrels of extra water. No one knows our family’s needs, or can care for them, - quite like we do. What a disaster it would be to watch loved ones go hungry or thirsty. We do not know when our “preparedness” will be needed, but we can know that we have done all we could to follow the commandment to “Be Prepared, and that the Lord will “Make all things work together for our good.” If we do our best, He makes up the difference. He has said – “If ye love me, Keep my commandments.” Preparedness is one of those commandments. Let’s show our love!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Food Storage: Use it or Lose it: a list of ideas to help protect your investment.

Disaster Prep - Be a Survivor - a list of "survivor skills" to teach your family.

In the Southern Utah Garden - things to plant and chores to do in February. Includes planting tips.

Pruning Tips - tips to help you prune fruit trees, and a reference for further instructions.

Cooking with Food Storage - What's for Breakfast? Recipes for Breakfast Peach Crisp, Baking Powder Biscuits, Hot Cereals (Oats, Cornmeal, Wheat).

Provident Living - (Clothes) - Got you Covered! Tips on storing clothing to save money and Be Prepared.

Spiritual and Temporal Preparedness - thoughts on how the two go together.

Click here for a complete copy of the February 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

January 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete January 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

Another baby New Year has rolled around, and Father Time has moved on, passing on both his timekeeping duties, and his aged wisdom. What did YOU learn in 2021 that will help you in 2022?  What goals will you make that will move you forward in your life progression? As we make our “New Year’s Resolutions” let us be sure to include preparedness goals, both spiritual and temporal. The new year holds the opportunity of growth and goodness for each of us. Our individual choices will determine the outcome of each year. We may not know what the future will hold in our society, economy, politics, weather, disasters, or personal adversities, but we CAN choose to Be Prepared for whatever sun shining days or storm filled nights that will come our way. Our peace and happiness does not depend on WHAT happens, but instead, how PREPARED we are for anything that does. May our 2022 be a Prepared one!

Included in this Newsletter:

New Beginnings - PREP GOAL SETTING - ideas to set preparedness goals.

Disaster Prep - Winter Warnings - ideas to be prepared in cold winter disasters.

Spiritual Preparedness Friends! Quotes about friends and how they help us.

In the Southern Utah Garden - the five P's (Prune, Prevent, Plan, Plant, Prepare) to do for your garden.

Cooking with Food Storage: Use Your Bean! "How to" cook beans and recipes to use them.

Provident Living: Winter Wonderland Activities - a list of winter ideas to help you save money, recreate for cheap and build family unity. 

Provident Living: A Penny Saved - recipes for play dough and emergency cardboard candles.

  Click here for a complete January 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

December 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the December 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Trees are decorated, lights are hung, and nativities set up. In some places snow flurries are swirling, and in others they are only “dreaming” of a White Christmas! It truly is “the most wonderful time of the year!” This is a season of extra love, care and kindness as we search for the perfect gift and find ways to serve. It is the perfect time to give “preparedness!” We can give gifts to help family and friends “Be Prepared. We can give service to a neighbor to help them Be Prepared for winter. (Cut a load of wood, rake their leaves, or clean the rain gutters.) The lists of gifts we can give are as endless as people’s needs vary. We can also gift ourselves and families with the Spirit of Christmas – which is the Spirit of Christ. As we draw near to Him, whose birth we celebrate, we fill our spiritual preparedness lamps. May we help each other be a little more prepared with the gifts we bring. And may YOUR days “be merry and bright” as we bring The Light of Christ into this world, and prepare for His 2^nd coming.

Included in this month's newsletter:

A Preparedness Christmas - Gifts to Give: A list of ideas to give as gifts to family and friends that will help them be more prepared.

Disaster Prep: Helping Children Cope: Things to watch for and ways to help children before and after disasters.

In the Southern Utah Garden: Garden tasks for December.

Cooking with Food Storage - Old Fashioned Christmas Treats: recipes with ingredients that can be stored on your shelves!

Provident Living - Winter Ready: a list of things to do to be prepared for winter.

Spiritual Preparedness: a Quote from Pres. Russell M Nelson about our spiritual storehouses.

Wood Burning - "Hot" Tips: tips for what kind of wood you'll need for your winter wood burning to keep warm.

 Click here for a complete copy of the December 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

November 2021 Back to Basics Newsletters

 

Click here for a complete copy of the November 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

The season of gratitude is a welcomed time of year. Harvest is over, the world glows with fall colors, and crisp mornings smell of woodstoves and colder weather. Hopefully at each of our homes we can sing the Harvest Songs with confidence and peace: “All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin,” and “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.” This is the perfect season for enjoying the fruits of our labors as we see our temporal and spiritual storage shelves ready for whatever storms arise. However, we should not assume that “All is well in Zion,” and forget to continue, or even start, the Provident Living program that will bring peace to our homes. It is never too late to start, and we should always continue in making our “preparedness” a way of life – one that gives power to face the storm, and peace while it rages around us.

Included in this month's newsletter:

Grain - What to store - a list of items and tips.

Provident Living: Thanksgiving from a shelf! Stored items for a TG dinner.

Disaster Prep - Be a Survivor! - A list of items we can learn and teach our families to be ready for hard times.

In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for November's Garden

Using the Harvest: Pumpkins - recipes for Dinner in a Pumpkin, Pumpkin Cake, and what to do with old Jack-o-lanterns.

Modern Root Cellar - how to turn your window well into a mini root cellar for potatoes, apples and more.

The Doctor is in ...Dr. Mom that is! - Home Remedies to try for cold and flu season.

Taking Note - a quote from Elder David A Bednar on the importance of preparedness.

Click here for a complete copy of the November 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

October 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the October 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

Fall is in the air! October brings us blustery days filled with dancing leaves, days of “Indian Summer” with leftover heat, shorter days and cooler nights, and soon the smell of wood stoves fired up. There is a glow that comes with autumn days and changing leaves. Pictures are prettier this time of year! Hot cider or chocolate take the chill off a brisk morning. There is so much to love about the fall! It is especially the time that harvests are ending, which hopefully means storage shelves are full. This is the month we put the finishing touches on being sure “All is safely gathered in” - so that we can say, “Let the winter storms begin.” Our future winter storms may be literal or figurative. Either way, if we have set aside for those “rainy days,” we will feel the peace that such preparedness brings. Preparedness is the way we can dispel fear and fill our life with faith.

Included in this month's newsletter: 

Self Reliance: Spiritual and Temporal things for us to focus on to help our families rely on our own powers and resources rather than those of others

In the Southern Utah Garden: a list of tasks for October to help us put the garden to sleep, or continue with winter over veggies.

Provident Living - Double Duty - Items you can store that have multiple uses.

Home Canning - "Free" Fruit:  How to use Rose Hips for extra vitamin C and jelly.

Fall Fruit - The Awesome Pomegranate: how to extract the fruit, and recipes to use them.

Disaster Prep Tips: a list of ideas to help us plan for whatever may come!

Hot Tips: references for other newsletters for Halloween Makeup and using leftover Jack o Lanterns.

 Click here for a complete copy of the October 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

September 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the September 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

September is that month when kids are back to school, apples are getting ripe, and the harvest is slowing and almost over. The days get shorter, and the weather is usually pleasant. It is also our National Preparedness Month! What a perfect time for us to take a look at our family’s preparedness. How is your food storage? Did you fill the shelves this summer with home canning? What can you add? We can pay special attention to our emergency and disaster preparedness. Natural disasters have become a common occurrence! We never know when something might happen at home, or afar – that will affect our family. BUT – we can get our 72 hour kits updated, prep our homes, and have equipment on hand so we are ready for whatever comes. Let us enjoy our September with all the wonder that it brings, and use this time to be a little more prepared!

Included in this month's newsletter:

The 72 Hour (or more) kit: It is often 3 to 7 days before outside help arrives after a disaster! This list can help you get a kid ready. 

Spiritual and Temporal Preparedness: Thomas S Monson quote! Very timely for our day.

Disaster Prep - Before the Earthquake: a list of things you can do to be prepared for an earthquake!

In the Southern Utah Garden: a list of tasks for the month of September. Don't miss planting onions!

Using the Harvest- Apples: about apples and recipes to use them

Money Saving - Healthy Eating: what we store long term is less expensive, and provides good nutrition. Here is what you need!

 Click here for a complete copy of the September 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

August 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the August 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy! In August, orchards and gardens are our personal “Garden of Eatin’ – fishing or camping offer relaxing days – and star gazing is enjoyed as we listen to the crickets chirping song. We welcome the shade of a Mulberry tree, and appreciate the modern convenience of the AC! This summer in Utah, we have felt the blessings of monsoon rains again (it has been a few years.) Monsoons bring humidity - but it’s worth it for the much needed blessing of moisture. In all our feasting on the good of the land and enjoying the times in which we live, let us always remember to continue to be ready to care for our families. The garden gives us produce to save for a winter day. The camping lets us practice emergency skills. And the rains let us be thankful for blessings, and encourage righteous living so God will send us more. Each day of summer is a good day to add to our preparedness. The best person to care for your family is you! Make the best of this summertime easy livin’!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Chicken Time - Live Storage: tips on setting up yourself a chicken coop for eggs and meat!

Cleanliness is next to Godliness - Personal and Family Hygiene - a list to help store cleaning items for home and family.

In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for August garden, yard, and drought.

Not Your Mother's First Aid Kit - a list of items not usually in a first aid kit.

Using the August Harvest - recipes for Zucchini Pickle Relish, Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles, and Prickly Pear Jelly.

Disaster Prep - the difference of one day. Decide today what you need!

Spiritual Preparedness - a quote from President Nelson.

Click here for a complete copy of the August 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

July 2021 Back to Basics

 Click here for a complete copy of the July 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

This month we celebrate both the birth of our nation (Independence Day -July 4^th) and the arrival of our pioneer forefathers in Utah (Pioneer Day July 24). Those men and women who migrated to America and settled the wilderness were a stalwart example of determination, and provident living. We can do well to learn from their lives and sacrifice. There were other ancestors who followed and lived through the Great Depression or World Wars, and left a legacy of self-sufficiency we can also follow. They lived by the adage of “Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”  We live in a day where necessities of life are so much easier to come by. What a tribute to the memory of those who came before us if we take a leaf out of their book to “Be Prepared.” As we go to the celebrations, watch or walk in the parades, or sit under the shade for a BBQ and homemade ice-cream – let us recognize the talents, grit, and example of the pilgrims and pioneers – and set in motion a legacy of our own. Provident Living was what got them through hard times, and it will do the same for us today.

Included in this months newsletter:

Refueling- Tips for storing fuel.

Salt of the earth-  Tips for storing salt.

Words for the wise-  quote from Ezra Taft Bensen on storing food.

In the Southern Utah Garden - Tips for July and extra tips for tomatoes.

Summertime Goodness - Using the Produce - Recipes for Peach Cobbler, Refrigerator Pickles and Salsa.

Provident Living - Pioneer Preparedness - things pioneers did that we can do today.

Home Canning - canning tips and rules.

 Click here for a complete copy of the July 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

June 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the June 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

Summertime has arrived! June is a wonderful month full of sunshine, long pleasant evenings, and opportunities for family fun and togetherness.  The garden and orchard begin to give us fruits and vegetables. Lush pastures are full of grazing animals, and farmers begin to harvest hay or grain. Summertime begins to reap the efforts of all that springtime work! So it is with our preparedness. As we put in the work to establish a life of provident living, the harvest of our efforts can be felt in our daily lives all year long. This summer, let us renew our provident living efforts! We can fill our shelves with summer produce to be enjoyed all year, or add to our emergency supplies/knowledge while we enjoy outdoor activities. Provident living is a life full self-reliance and preparedness, and where we reap happiness and peace. No one can care for your family quite like you! Let’s make this June the kick off to a Preparedness Summer!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Summertime - Preparedness Style - Use the fun of summer to add to and practice preparedness as a family.

What is Provident Living - a definition from leaders, and an assessment for your family.

In the Southern Utah Garden - A Busy June - a list of tasks for the month.

Lilac Pruning Tips - now is the time to prune lilacs!

Food Storage- Using the June Produce - recipes for apricots and cherries, and reference for beets and zucchinis.

Acquiring Preparedness Skills- a list of skills to learn or polish, and make into a useful hobby that will help you in times of need.

Ezra Taft Benson quote- compares preparedness to boarding Noah's ark.

Click here for a complete copy of the June 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.