‘So God Made a Farmer’

And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say,'Maybe next year,' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from an ash tree, shoe a horse with hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out hay wire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. Who, during planting time and harvest season will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, put in another 72 hours." So God made the farmer.

God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to yean lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-comb pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the leg of a meadowlark."

It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, and brake, and disk, and plow, and plant, and tie the fleece and strain the milk, . Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Dad does. "So God made a farmer."

Practically Perfect in Every Way

We spent a wonderful evening at BYU watching the performance of Mary Poppins, it was a combined cast from The BYU Departments of Theatre, Media Arts and the Music Dance Theatre Program. It had live music by The Symphony Orchestra, there is nothing better than real music. 

Loved the costumes, the choreography was fabulous, the backdrops and scenery were amazing. Such Joy!! 

"Anything can happen if you let it"

Date Night + 1

Kristen was able to join us 

Oh, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, if you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Project Life - Document Your Life

Are your photos stuck on your phone or in a box? Project Life is your simple solution for getting your photos off your phone and computer, out of the boxes, and into albums. 

Gone are the days of cutting, pasting, buying tons of supplies, and spending hours on an album. Or even hours on just one page. 

Get all of these memories into albums that anyone + everyone can enjoy? It doesn’t have to be complicated to get it done. Simply print your favorite photos and slip them into pockets alongside journaling cards where you can jot down your thoughts, stories, details, and more.

Simply choose a Project Life Album, select a Core Kit full of artfully-designed cards, and slip them into Photo Pocket Pages along with your treasured photos and you’re done! I Love That!!

Simply pair your photos with pre-designed Project Life cards and you will end up with a stylish masterpiece that represents your life or whatever occasion you choose to record. 

We Need to Talk About Suicide!

Today as my memories came on Facebook, I was flooded with pictures of my brother Jason. 1 year ago today he ended his own life. We need to talk about this. #stopsuicide #bethevoice #youmatter#lifeisbeautiful #thereishelp

Suicide is a serious problem in our homes, schools, churches, and communities. It does not spare people of any race, religion, age group, gender, sexual orientation, or marital status. It is a complicated issue that we don’t fully comprehend. There is seldom a single cause or a simple solution. #morehelpformentalillness #breakthestigma#outofthedarkness

Suicide is now the most common cause of death for Utah children between the ages of 10 and 17. Your child is more likely to commit suicide than to drown or die in a car accident or any other way one might lose a child.
Some suggestions:

1. Know the warning signs of depression and suicide. They can be different for males and females. They can be different in adults than in children. They can be small and easy to chalk up to other factors. Talk to your children. Get them help. Get yourself help. #bipolar #depression#suicideawareness #mentalhealthmatters

2. Put the SafeUT app (or a similar app) on your phone and your kids' phones. Kids are unlikely to call a hotline. An app is more approachable to them.

3. Don't have firearms in your home. Yes, I know this is an offensive thought to many. 45% of youth suicides are by firearm and over 54% for adults. Keeping them locked up is a good first step. If you think a determined teenager can't figure out how to access your locked firearms you might want to think again. Could your kid commit suicide by another means? Yes. Youth are naturally impulsive. Impulsiveness + depression/a triggering event + access to firearms = deadly

4. Don't be afraid to say something. Don't be afraid to ask someone if they are thinking of hurting themselves. You won't be giving them the idea. #preventsuicide #mentalhealth #suicide

5. Be kind. To yourself and others.

As for Jason, I know he is at peace and is no longer in pain. I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life, I know I will see him again. #loveoneanother #familiesareforever#tillwemeetagain #LDS #missionarymomma #mybrother #suicideawarnessmonth

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 1-800-273-8255
Available 24 hours everyday

He'll Carry You

He'll Carry You - Hilary Weeks ( LDS ) with Lyrics

He knows your heart
He knows your pain
He knows the strength it took just too simply breathe today
He sees the tears that you cry
He knows your soul is aching to know why
He hears your prayers each humble word
When you said you couldn't face another day he understood
He knows the path that you will find
Though you felt alone he's never left your side
Chorus:
He knew there'd be moments when no earthly words
Could take away your sorrow
And no human eyes could see what you're going through
When you've taken your last step and done all that you can do
He will lift your heavy load and carry you
He'll bring you peace and leave you hope
And in the darkest night he'll comfort you
Until you know the sun will rise and each new day
You will have the strength to live again
Chorus:
And when there are moments when no earthly words
can take away your sorrow
And no human eyes could see what you're going through
When you've taken your last step and done all that you can do
He will lift your heavy load and carry you
He hears you when you're crying in the night
He hears you when your soul longs to find
Till the morning will come
And the light of the dawn reassures
Chorus:
That in the moments when no earthly words
can take away your sorrow
And no human eyes could see what you're going through
When you've taken your last step and done all that you can do
He will lift your heavy load and carry you

Prioritizing Our Lives

Navigate This Life Confidently

Essentials

The things that must be taken care of to ensure the blessings of eternal life for me and my family.

• Inviting revelation (praying always)
• Studying scriptures daily
• Taking time to ponder and fast
• Making and keeping covenants (sacrament meeting, temple)
• Loving one another

Necessary

Things we have to do as a part of mortal life in order to be self-reliant and be of service to our families and the Lord.

• Strengthening marriage and family relationships
• Homemaking (cooking, cleaning, working)
• Living providently
• Giving compassionate service
• Doing temple and family history work
• Sharing the gospel
• Serving in the Church

Nice-to-Do's

These add variety to our lives, but they won't save us.

• Crafts
• Hobbies
• Recreational reading
• Lunches with friends
• Movies
• Travel
• Blogging and recreational computer time

What is on your list?

“And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out MySpirit”

Julie B. Beck

Relief Society General President

Missionary Momma

Sister Williams and Sister Olsen

Sister Shelby Williams has been called to be a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She will be serving in Independence, Missouri Mission for 18 months. 

My to-do list for today:

Brunch with Mom and Eggland's Best Eggs

There is nothing better than spending time with my Mom and having great food.

I was so excited when I was connected by Egglands eggs with this opportunity to host a brunch and offered a fun giveaway, I LOVE Egglands Best Eggs. There are so many great recipes on the Eggland's Best website. As I looked through the recipes I found a Breakfast Burrito: http://bit.ly/T10yRS and a Sunny Side Breakfast Pizza Recipe: http://bit.ly/Qmem9r . But I decided on a yummy Broccoli & Cheddar Frittata. 

We had a wonderful time!

Did you know that all eggs are not created equal? When compared to ordinary eggs, Eggland’s Best eggs contain:

· 10 times more vitamin E

· Double the amount of omega-3’s

· Twice the amount of vitamin D

· 3 times more vitamin B12

· 25% less saturated fat

· 38% more lutein

Broccoli & Cheddar Frittata

with

Biscuits with fresh raspberry jam

Banana Nut Muffins with real butter

Strawberries and mandarin oranges with orange juice 

 A few of Mom and Dad's friends

I cherish my time with Mom 

Broccoli & Cheddar Frittata

Ingredients

• 5 Eggland's Best eggs (large)
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, low-fat
• 1/4 cup yellow onions, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli florets

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Spray a 9" tart pan or pie pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
3. Dice onion and set aside; if using fresh broccoli, wash well and cut florets from stems.
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until fluffy.
5. Stir in cheddar cheese, onion, and broccoli.
6. Pour egg mixture into pan and sprinkle parsley on top.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until eggs are set; allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Food Storage 101

Emergency Preparedness can be broken down into the following categories:

Water

Shelter

Food

First Aid

Defense

Sanitation

Air

Our friend Mark Smith, a Preparedness Consultant, teaches that in order to have a well-rounded emergency preparedness plan, you should always be storing food.  If you are working on your first aid kit, buy bandages and some food.  Pick up some bottled water and food.  Order a camping stove and some food.  This is why we focus primarily on food storage.

Eat what you store and store what you eat!

If you did a quick search for "how much food storage do I need" you will find many websites that have a food storage calculator or a list of foods that you need to store.  This list will usually include several pounds of lard, pearled barley, gelatin and molasses.  When you are in the middle of an ice storm heating water over a candle, do you know what to do with barley, gelatin and lard? 

You need to be familiar with your food storage.  If you choose to store food that you don't normally eat, make sure you slowly incorporate these foods into your diet now.  If your body does not have the enzymes to digest the new foods, there is a high possibility you will get either an upset stomach or other numerous digestive problems.  An emergency situation is not the time to introduce new foods to your diet.

Getting Started

Make a list of your favorite simple meals and begin storing the ingredients.  All of the ingredients need to be shelf-stable.  For example, my family loves Terriyaki Chicken Bowls, so I store rice, freeze-dried chicken, freeze-dried broccoli and bottled terriyaki sauce.  If there is a power outage, the chicken in the freezer won't last long, so the freeze-dried chicken is ideal.

I found it easier to plan my food storage by planning an entire month of meals.  Then I figured out what ingredients I would need to make each meal.  The longer the shelf life, the better.  If you like spaghetti, but the shelf life of the sauce is only a year, either plan to rotate the sauces so you eat them within the year, or store the ingredients with a higher shelf life.  (Shelf Reliance) Thrive Life has a great tomato powder with a shelf life of 8 years.  With the powder, you can quickly throw together an amazing spaghetti dinner right from your food storage.

The 3 Enemies of Food Storage:

1. Heat

2. Moisture

3. Light

Store your food in a cool, dry place.  If you are storing shelf-stable food such as cans or buckets of legumes and grains, inside your home works just fine.  If the temperature is above 80, it may shorten the shelf life a bit.  The cooler, the better.  This is why our Grandparents had cool, dark root cellars.  If you use glass mason jars, storing the jars on the counter is not recommended because the light will compromise the food.  As for moisture, this pertains to your freeze-dried, dehydrated, grains and legumes.  With cans, there is always the possibility of rust due to water or moisture.  Make sure your dried food is not exposed to any moisture.  You can take extra precautions by adding oxygen absorbers and storing in mylar bags.  If the mylar bags are sealed, they keep out light and moisture.  You can pick up food-grade buckets with lids at any hardware store, or try asking for used buckets at restaurants and bakeries.  A good rinsing and you have free storage.  I usually purchase my mylar bags from Amazon online for the best price.

Quantity

It is better to have and not need, than need and not have.  We recommend starting with a 2 week supply, then save 3 months, 6 months and so on.  If you decide you want a year supply of food and you start by storing rice, then have a situation such as a job loss, you will be eating rice for every meal.  I recently learned of the term,appetite fatigue.  This means you simply cannot stand to eat that food any longer. and you will take less and less and end up in metabolic decline.  You could literally starve to death sitting next to a bag of food.  So start by buying ingredients for a few full meals each time.  By starting small, you will build a well-rounded food storage.  Don't forget to store condiments and seasonings as well.  Chicken is chicken.  It's the sauces and seasonings that make it a wonderful meal.

Freeze-Dried vs. Dehydrated

Freeze-dried flash freezes food at the peak of ripeness, then uses a vacuum to pull only the moisture out, leaving the nutrition and enzymes.  The dehydrating process uses heat to cook out all of the moisture.  Dehydration has a shorter shelf life and sometimes requires adding preservatives.  Due to shelf life, nutrition and taste, I prefer freeze-dried, but there are some foods such as carrots that are better dehydrated.  Freeze-drying a carrot turns it completely white.

Preparation

I use my food storage for everyday meals, so preparation is no different than any other food, except it is usually quicker because i don't have to slice and dice.  I do have to heat and eat though.  Since this is food for a possible emergency, you need to think about what tools you will need to have on hand to prepare and cook your meals.  If the power is out, you aren't using the stove, blender or microwave.  You will need to invest in a few tools that do not require electricity.  Also, if you plan to rehydrate anything, you will need to plan for a water source if the water is not available.  .   

My Personal Recommendation:

After months of comparing food storage companies and different methods, I personally chose THRIVE food from (Shelf Reliance) Thrive Life.  Thrive is by far the best tasting food and usually the best price out of all of the brands I have tried.  They offer mainly ingredients rather than pre-packaged meals, so I can use my own personal recipes.  Most of the product line is freeze-dried with an average shelf life of about 25 years.  The cans are coated inside as well as outside to prevent rust.  Being on a budget, I LOVE the Q FoodPlanner.  I quickly filled up an online shopping cart of everything I wanted and set a monthly budget by reallocating my grocery budget.  I have found this actually saves me money because I am not making as many trips to the grocery store and not wasting any food.  THRIVE food is by far the best brand I have tasted.  I had to laugh when my neighbor's daughter was surprised when she tried it and said, "mom, this tastes like real food." 

What Is Fresh?

I think we can all agree that Fresh food is best. My question is, what is fresh really?  Fresh produce is picked straight from the vine when ripe. When picked too early and allowed to ripen on a truck, that produce delivers almost no nutrition by the time you bring it home.  The fruits and vegetables that are too ripe to make the trip to the store are sent to be frozen.  This is why frozen food generally has more nutrition than "fresh" from the shelves.  Even better than frozen is the freeze-dried method.  This is when food is flash frozen at 60 below zero, then put in a vacuum where all the moisture is turned to vapor and removed completely.  This method instantly preserves the shape, color, texture and flavor and has more nutrition than any other method of preservation.

I love that (Shelf Reliance) Thrive Life flash-freezes their produce within 48 hours of harvesting to ensure the most nutritious and best-tasting food on the market.  By using the freeze-drying method, then sealing it in a double-coated can, protected from light, moisture and air, the food has no way to decompose, giving it a shelf life of 25 years or more.

I can get the best vegetables straight from my garden in the summer, but what about during the winter?  Here in Oklahoma there is absolutely no way I can acquire a fresh pineapple or mango because it has to be imported.  With Thrive food I can open a can of pineapple in the winter 15 years from now I am confident I am getting the best nutrition.

Is THRIVE the only food on my shelves?  No, I buy all of my wheat locally because it is cheaper.  I still get bulk items such as beans and rice at local stores (the rice at the Asian food store is fantastic!)  I still jump on sales at the grocery store and visit the local LDS cannery.  I have food stored that I have personally canned in the past, but don't have the time or space this year to have a garden, so I store food the best way for me.

Whether you choose to grow your own garden and can and dehydrate your food, use coupons to stock up on canned goods, or purchase freeze-dried, I urge you to insure your family's most basic needs.  Emergencies happen at the most inopportune times, make sure you are always ready!

from Pantry Prepper