Mormon Bloggers

With three of my five children now married I asked them if once a month they would like to get together for a Joint Family Home Evening (JFHE). Everyone agreed so we all met for the first time this month for the purpose of putting together our 72 hour emergency kits. We decided to gradually build up the kits over a period of months. Readers of my blog are welcome to add any words of advice as this is the first time most of us have tried to assemble a kit that one can actually carry any decent distance. Three categories I have ranked in order of importance: Water Food Shelter Water At our first JFHE the focus was on water. For the kits we assembled: Nine 20 fluid ounce bottles of water One 2/3 fluid ounce bottle of bleach One water filtration bottle Details The nine bottles in the photograph are used 20 fluid ounce Gatorade bottles, previously collected, filled with water. This amounts to a total of 1.41 U.S. gallons, or just shy of a half a gallon a day, or three bottles a day, for... Read the rest of this entry »

What would we do if something like Japan’s earthquake hit here? How would our lives change? I’ve been in some sort of a haze ever since the disasters in Japan hit. Because of the extent of it, the size of it, the devastation of it. Watching the videos, reading the status reports. It is all stunning. It could so easily be here as anywhere. And I can’t help thinking our family doesn’t have good water storage. And trying to make sense of it all, what do natural disasters and devastation really mean in our lives? Doctrine & Covenants 88:89-91 89 For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. 90 And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. 91 And all things shall be in commotion; and surely,... Read the rest of this entry »

Temple Square at General Conference Last month from January 17-23, Philadelphia became the first city in nearly 50 years to reestablish National Thrift Week. National Thrift Week was an American social movement that was begun in 1916 and continued until 1966, when it was abandoned. Apparently for many, thrift has been a forgotten virtue for the last few decades but it is now making a comeback. Let’s look at what the original National Thrift Week was trying to accomplish and then follow up with quotes from Mormon Church presidents because for Mormons at least, thrift never went out of style. National Thrift Week In 1922, according to the New York Times, the committee in charge of National Thrift Week emphasized: Enrolling 500,000 individuals to operate their finances on the budget plan. State Thrift Week committees had quotas. Observance of Benjamin Franklin’s birthday in cooperation with schools, patriotic societies and businesses. Franklin was a keen practitioner of... Read the rest of this entry »

The Utah Preppers blog had a post yesterday on making fire starter candles. As I already had melted wax on the stove for making candles, I gave fire starters a try. Here is how it turned out, along with a field test video. Fill the base of an empty cardboard egg carton with dryer lint Melt some old candles Pour the hot wax into the egg carton Let cool Cut into separate fire starters A Field Test Having never used a homemade fire starter before, it was time for a field test. We lit the fire starter and placed twigs on the flames. We had a couple of false starts when the wind blew out the match. After demonstrating that the fire starter does work, we cleared away the burning wood and examined the fire starter. It was still giving out plenty of flame. Testing a fire starter The fire starter successfully gets the fire started After several minutes, we clear the wood and the fire starter is still burning Field Test Video // Finally, Be Careful Ten red starters sitting in the... Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome Mormon Mom (and Dad) bloggers!!! We’re over 500 strong! Thank you for making this a safe place to share, intermingle, and ….learn from one another!!! If you’d like to be added – please link to us FIRST (and FOLLOW US) and then, leave your blog name below. We’ll assimilate you into this growing community of people who are trying to do good! Also, visit our new wonderful site AllAboutPreparedness. Learn what church leaders have said about the Last Days and how we are to prepare! Heidi G. SimplyMormon  Read More →

~by Janelle My gas light was on. Again. This time, the gauge was well past the “E” symbol that signified that my car was on the verge of running out of gas. I had pushed the limit several times before, just to see how far I could go before I really needed gas. That time, I ran out of gas at an intersection, causing traffic problems. My husband had to come rescue me. He didn’t appreciate that very much. This time I had to pick up two kindergarteners in 20 minutes and could not be late. I needed to find a gas station PRONTO! I thought, “I should pray.” I got an answer very quickly. An image popped into my mind and I understood the meaning immediately. This painting is entitled “Five of Them Were Wise” in reference to the parable of the ten virgins as found in Matthew 25:1-13. I was being chastised for not keeping my gas tank full. Fumes got me to the closest gas station and to my kindergarten pick up on time. But my heart continued to ponder the... Read the rest of this entry »

Come, ye thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest home. All is safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin. This preparedness plan is really simple: Three-month supply Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. Drinking water Store water in sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Consider using plastic bottles commonly used for juices and soda. Financial reserve Save a little money each week, gradually increasing it to a reasonable amount. Longer-term supply Where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will recognize that this plan was detailed in the pamphlet All Is Safely Gather In: Family Home Storage. The plan can be simplified even further, at least for those beginning their family home storage, by focusing on the first three items. The First Presidency wrote: We encourage... Read the rest of this entry »

~by Annelise There are many women in my circle of interaction who are in the throes of severe financial duress.  After praying, fasting and begging the Lord for this cup to pass, relief has been slow. Couples have been stretched to the limit, children have been caught unawares, and the faith of good people is being tried. In my conversations I’ve caught glimpses of their suffering: “We prayed to know if this was a good investment. We thought we felt the Lord’s approval.” “I didn’t even know we had an interest-only loan. I guess I didn’t understand what I was signing.” “My house is being auctioned today on the courthouse steps.” “My husband just told me we haven’t been paying our property taxes or mortgage payments for the last six months.” “We took the money out of our retirement to pay for college and weddings. How could we pay for one child’s education and not the others’?” “Sometimes... Read the rest of this entry »

I purchased a can of non-hybrid garden seeds. They are a good item to store for a time when seeds may be hard to obtain or become very expensive. Why Non-Hybrids? If you are trying to be self-sufficient, using hybrid seeds is not a good idea. The seed of hybrid vegetables does not grow true — you may not get taste, productivity, or even appearance. Only open pollinated, or “heirloom”, or “traditional” varieties will produce seed which, when saved and planted next year, will give you the same results as the parent plant. Save your own seeds. This cuts gardening costs by 25% to 50%. Non-hybrids taste better. Many hybrids are now selling for high prices. When you save your own seeds, you only buy once. A Can of Seeds There are enough seeds to plant more than 3/4 acres. The varieties have been recommended by Utah State University for short season climates; with excellent adaptability for most regions. Complete instructions for planting are included. There are 16 varieties: Sweet... Read the rest of this entry »

President Thomas S. Monson President Thomas S. Monson has served as the 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since February 3, 2008. “As has been said so often, the best storehouse system that the Church could devise would be for every family to store a year’s supply of needed food, clothing, and, where possible, the other necessities of life.” (Thomas S. Monson, “Guiding Principles of Personal and Family Welfare,” Ensign, Sep 1986, 3) “Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year’s supply of food and clothing and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year’s supply of debt and are food-free.” (President Thomas S. Monson, “That Noble Gift—Love at Home,” Church News, May 12, 2001, 7) “We do live in turbulent times. Often the future is unknown; therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties.”... Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I reviewed the excellent new book It’s In the Bag by Michelle and Trent Snow. Everything you need for a meal comes from a bag out of your food storage. I figured I ought to try one of the simpler recipes so I went for the Uglier than Heck Soup. However, I didn’t have all the ingredients so I chose the Beefy Bean Casserole. For tonight’s meal I grabbed my imaginary bag and emerged from my food storage with the items in the photograph above. The plants are for decoration, not for eating. The small sandwich bag contains dried onions. Beefy Bean Casserole under construction Throw the ingredients in a pan and serve with the sliced green beans and bread. If you want the exact recipe you will have to buy the book at Michelle Snow — Author. The casserole was excellent — I was surprised at how well it tasted. All the men in the family ate while Jill was with her visiting teachers. We went back for seconds. There was only a morsel left for Jill when she came... Read the rest of this entry »

I purchased a useful little book last week called It’s In the Bag by Michelle and Trent Snow. Michelle is affectionately called “The Bag Lady” because of her Bag Meal System. The book is well laid out with easy to follow instructions. Over a hundred recipes extend its usefulness for as long as you need to store food. The system is simple. I put everything I need for a meal in a bag. As I read through the first chapter it really does turn out to be simple — even a man could do it. Michelle guided me through 12 advantages of Bag Meals from “having organised meals ready” to “an easy way to rotate my food storage.” There are photographs too for the folks that never read the instructions but want to get moving. The bulk of the book is taken up with bags of recipes — or perhaps recipes for bags? Now in my home I hardly ever cook and when I do it is beans on toast (now that wouldn’t need a very big bag). But a lot of these Bag Meal recipes... Read the rest of this entry »