Saturday, June 25, 2011

Weekly Challenge and Assignment (Week of June 26th)

Dear Carson Ward, Family and Friends,

Congratulations to Donna Skelton! We won our June FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing. She won a 5-in-one tool to put in her 72 Family Emergency Bag. It contains a shovel, hammer, hatchet, saw and crowbar.

Quote:

"Yea, blessed are they whose feet stand upon the land of Zion, who have obeyed my gospel; for they shall receive for the reward the good things of the earth, and it shall bring forth in its strength." (Doctrine & Covenants 59:3)

I love this scripture! What a wonderful promise we are given if we will just obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, keep the commandments, follow our Church leaders and strive to do the best we can, we will be richly blessed of the things we need.

I love Aesop's Fable, "The Ant and the Grasshopper".

"In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the next.
'Why not come and chat with me,' said the Grasshopper, 'instead of toiling and moiling in that way?'
'I am helping to lay up food for the winter,' said the Ant, 'and recommend you to do the same thing.'
'Why bother about winter?' said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present.' But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.
When the winter came the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer."

The Grasshopper quickly learned...it is best to prepare for the days of necessity!

The "Golden Rule" of Food Storage is Rotation!

Weekly Assignments

Temporal Assignment:

Add the following to your Family Emergency Preparedness Medical supplies:

1) Latex gloves (several pairs)
2) bandage scissors (EMT scissors)--I bought mine at CVS for about $5.

Spiritual Assignment:

1) Go to the Temple on a regular basis. When you go, take your teenage children with you to do Baptisms for the Dead.

2) Go as a family to visit the Temple Visitors Center and take a non-member family or friend with you. Take a blanket and have FHE on the grass by the Temple. Talk about eternal families and setting a goal to go to the Temple someday.

3) If your Temple Recommend has expired, see the Bishop to renew it. And then go to the Temple often.

4) If you do not have a Temple Recommend and have not gone to the Temple yet, talk to the Bishop about preparing yourself to go.

Weekly Hint--What to do with Powdered Milk:

I know when many of us think about drinking or using powdered milk, we think huk! And storing it can be diffifult since it has a short shelf life if stored in the containers from a regular grocery store, only 6 months. But if stored properly in the #10 cans from the Dry Pack Cannery or other emergency supply companies, it has a shelf life of 15-20 years. It is an important part of our food storage.

Did you know you can make sweetended condensed milk and evaportated milk from powdered milk? And you can make it drinkable?

Powdered milk is non-fat. If you have young children, who need the fat from milk to help them grow propertly, you should consider storing cans of evaporated milk. It does not store as long as powdered milk but important to have if you have children, watch the expiration date and rotate. Evaporated milk was ceated as a cheaper, more storabgle version of cream, and it is made from whole milk. Another option is to store other high-fat food items like peanut butter to supplement their fat intake during an emergency.

Making Sweetened Condensed Milk from Powdered Milk

1/2 cup hot water
1 cup non-instant dry powdered milk
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly in blender. Use immediately or store in refrigerator or freezer. Use as you would use in any receipe calling for sweetened condensed milk.

Go to www.everydayfoodstorage.net/videos to watch a video that demonstrates how to make sweetened condensed milk using powdered milk.

Making Evaporated Milk

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon dry non-instant powdered milk

Combine ingredients and mix well before using in your receipe. Yields: 1 1/2 cups--the quivalent of a 12 oz. can.

Making Butter Milk

Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup mixed powdered milk and let stand for 5 minutes before adding to your receipe. My mother use to do this all the time with regular milk when she needed butter milk for a receipe.

Tips for ways to make powdered milk drinkable

1. Slowing introduce it to your family if they will not drink powdered milk. Mix equal parts of whole or 2% fresh milk with powdered milk. Mixing with whole milk will make it 2% milk, mixing it with 2% milk will make it 1% milk. Chill the mixtures before serving to your family. After awhile of drinking the mixture, change to just chilled powdered milk. Before you know it you will have them drinking powdered milk.

2. For better flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar to 1 gallon of powdered milk and chill before serving.

Drinkable Powdered Milk (makes 1 gallon)

3 cups powdered milk
1 gallon of water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Put half of the water into a gallon container. Add the dry powdered milk and mix with a whisk. Add the vanilla and sugar and mix. Slowly add the rest of the dry powdered milk and mix well. If becomes frothy and you cannot get the rest of the water in the container, wait awhile and then add the rest of the water.

3. Use it in something where there are other flavors, like chocolate milk, hot chocolate, milk shakes, or on cereal. Use in receipes like mashed potates.

Cooking with powdered milk

If you are using dry ingredients like cake mix, biscuit mix, ect., calling for milk, add the dry powdered milk and mix with the other dry package ingredients. Then add the amount of water necessary to the dry ingredients for the powdered milk being used.

Conversion Chart

Milk needed Water Powdered Milk

1 cup 1 cup 3 tablespoons
3/4 cup 3/4 cup 2 1/4 tablespoons
2/3 cup 2/3 cup 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1 1/2 tablespoons
1/3 cup 1/3 cup 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup 1/4 cup 3/4 tablespoon

Check out the website mentioned above for more ideas on using powdered milk.

Remember: This Sunday, June 26th is our June FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing. Put your name and comment in by 9am Sunday morning for the drawing.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Weekly Challenge and Assignment (Week of June 19th)

Hi Carson Ward, Family and Friends,



A few years ago Bishop Hansen and Sister Carol Hansen were in the Carson Ward. I have always admired Sister Hansen knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. I recently emailed her about the Carson Ward website and she emailed me back the following:

Quote:

"When I was teaching the Gospel Doctrine class with the Book of Mormon, the manual stated that the things that happened before the coming of the Savior to the Nephites is a type of what will happen when he comes again. The secret combinations are getting bad. We could have to leave our homes for reasons of safety, just as the Nephites had to. I sure hope not. But I want to be prepared. Most of all I am so grateful for our valiant Church leaders who are not out for power or greed, who are guided by the Lord. They are watching over us." (Sister Carol Hansen, May 28, 2011)

I have been thinking a lot about her comment ever since she emailed it to me. A few days ago I received another email from Brother Jim Case in our Stake about being prepared and the last days. I will forward his email to you if I have your email address. For years our Church leaders have warned us and warned us about being prepared with having a year's supply of food and storing water, things to sustain life. The warnings have pretty much stopped. Most of my quotes about Preparedness are from years ago, only a few are recent ones. Now at our General Conferences they focus on Faith, Hope and Charity. Read Ether in the Book of Mormon. It talks about the secret combinations and warnings before the destruction. Then in Chapter 12 it talks about Faith, Hope and Charity. Read President Uchtdorf's April General Conference talk, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus", he talks about Faith, Hope and Charity, as did many of the talks given.

We need to be more than just temporally prepared, but also spiritually prepared for what may come our way. As an individual and as a family we need to be reading the scriptures daily and praying. We need to help our children learn the scriptures so they can help themselves when things are tuff. They need to understand, as well as us, the importance of Faith, Hope and Charity in our lives. We need to understand why things are happening around us, how to cope with them and also how being temporally and spiritually prepared will help us in these last days. As we speak with our daughter in Missouri, we hear how the people are coping with the devastation in Joplin. The members of the church seem to be handing it a little better than the non-members because of their understanding of Faith, Hope and Charity. These three little words are so important to us. Let us not only be prepared as an individual, as a family, as a Ward, as a Stake, as member of community temporally, but also spiritually.

Weekly Assignments:

Temporal Assignment:

Add the following to your Family Emergency Preparedness Medical supplies:

1) eye wash solution--you can get this at CVS, Rite-aid or any pharmacy. different than eye drops.
2) a couple of old magazines & 4-6 sticks (like the ones you stir paint with, you can get them free from a paint supply hardware store)--These items make great splints in an emergency situation if someone has a broken leg or arm. You place the magazine or 3-4 sticks around their leg or arm and secure it with your triangle bandages or medical tape until you can get medical help.
3) stool softeners--can also be purchased at CVS, Rite-aid or any pharmacy. I think I have seen them at the 99 cent stores too, but be careful. Usually when someones diet is changed or their schedule they can become constipated. These will help greatly. Check with our doctor for the dosage to give your children and write in on the cap or bottle.

Weekly Challenge:

Spiritual Assignment:

If you are not already, pray daily and read the scriptures daily as a family. Family Home Evening will help tremendously too! Make a schedule to read them the same time each day, before school, after dinner, or before bedtime.

Hint regarding storing wheat:

We have had our hard red winter wheat stored in treated metal cans in our garage on platforms for 30-35 years. We recently decided to open one of the cans to make sure it was ok. As you know, wheat stores for years if stored properly. When we opened the can we notice a white powder on the wheat. This of course, brought some concerns. It turns out the wheat is ok. The white powder is from weevils. All wheat has weevils. Weevils eggs are inside the wheat. When not stored right, to much humidity, they hatch and they eat their way out of the wheat. As they eat their way out they bore wholes in the wheat, causing the wheat powder, just like sawdust when you drill a piece a wood. Weevils are very small, it takes a microscope to see them. They will not hurt you if you consumed them, extra protein they say. Sounds gross, I know!

The way to get rid of weevils before using the wheat, first rinse off the wheat and let dry. Then put a layer of the wheat on a baking sheet, bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Then grind the wheat and use. Once the wheat is ground you need to keep the wheat flour in a tightly sealed container and use within a month. Once you open a can of treated wheat you have to use it within a year. The best assurance is to rotate your wheat like any stored food item. I would say at least every 20 years.

One way to tell if your wheat is ok is to sprout it. Put a few wheat grains in a wet paper towel and place it in a zip lock bag. Wait about 10 days and wee if the wheat has sprouted. If is has it is ok. Another way to is to put the wheat in your month for a few seconds. If it taste bitter, you can use it, but the bread may taste bitter too, or whatever you use it in.

If you store wheat, use it. You need to introduce it to your family slowly. If you are not use to eating wheat it will cause a very upset stomack!

Remember: Post your name and comment at the end of this blog posting to have your name entered into the Carson Ward FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held Sunday, June 26th. It will be something for your 72 Hour Family Emergency Preparedness Bag.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Weekly Challenge and Assignment (Week of June 12th)

Hi Carson Ward, Family and Friends,

Quote:

"We suggest that members concentrate on essential foods that sustain life." (First Presidency letter, June 24, 1988)

What does the above quote mean to you?

We should not purchase items like snacks and junk foods. First, we should purchase items that will keep us and our family healthy, like wheat, grains, sugar, beans, oil, vegetables and fruits, both packaged/canned and dehydrated/freeze-dried. Then, once we have those items, at least enough for 3 months, then we can add the fun things, like cake mix, items to make cookies, candy, etc.

Weekly Assignment:

Family Emergency First-aid supplies (this week add the following):

1) triangular bandages (3) (You can make these from an old dress or shirt, cut a 24" square and hem. These can be used as a sling, a wrap for a spring, etc.)
2) bandage scissors (EMT scissors) (You can purchase these at CVS, Rite-aid or any store that carries medical supplies for about $5.)
3) Visine eye drops (or another company brand)

Weekly Challenge:

Add some more canned or packaged items to your food storage. Or, go to the church dry pack cannery and can some #10 cans of wheat, rice, beans or dehydrated vegetables. Or, purchase them from an emergency preparedness supply company like EmergencyEssentials.com. This month they have #10 cans of Carrot Dices for $8.99. If you buy 6 cans they are $8.69 each. Shipping is from $6-$12 depending on how much you order.

Hint-- How to use dehydrated apple chips:

Combine equal parts of apples and boiling water (for example 1 cup of dried apples and 1 cup of boiling water). Let stand for at least 5 minutes.

Tips for Using Dried Apples Slices in Your Favortie Recipes:
1. Eat them dry as a healthy snack.
2. Make your own applesauce. After hydrating the apple slices, put them in a blender and pulse until applesause reaches the desired consistency. Season with sugar and cinnamon. Use can also use applesauce as a subsitute for oil in recipes.
3. Use rehydrated apple slices in your favorite apple pie, cobbler, apple cake, cookies, etc..

Remember: Post your name and comment at the end of this blog posting to have your name entered into our FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held Sunday, June 26th.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Weekly Challenge and Assistment (Week of June 5th)

Hi Carson Ward, Family and Friends,

Quotes:

"And there shall be great hailstorms sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth." (D&C 29:16)

"...be prepared in all things against the day when tribulations and desolations are sent forth...." (D&C 29:8)

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." (D&C 38:30)

Tornadoes, hail the size of golf balls and tennis balls, colder weather and snow in the late Spring, flooding, fires and drought are affecting our food crops this year. One orchard lost 25,000 fruit trees due to hail. Japan has lost many of their crops due to the earthquake and Tsunami. The Midwest has had tornadoes, flooding and drought causing damage to their crops. The barges that haul crops from the south and Midwest cannot get up the Mississippi River due to so much flooding. Many countries in Europe and Russia have had great grain losses this past year. Their supplies are low and they are not exporting as much. What does this mean to us? Higher vegetable and fruit prices, and other food items!

Many Emergency Food suppliers have raised their prices quite significantly, as well as our local grocery stores, and some cannot get enough produce to produce the number 10 cans of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods. Mountain House, supplier of number 10 cans of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods, is currently not taking any orders or shipping to other Emergency Supply companies. I think prices will continue to rise.




Why do we need food storage? It is not just for a disaster, but who knows how much more the vegetable and fruit prices will go up with the continual change in the weather and crops being destroyed. Who knows when a disaster will hit us. Who knows when our financial situation may change. Why not protect ourselves and our families for what may come our way? Why not be prepared as the scriptures, our prophets and our Church leaders have been warning us about for years? Why not? If you have not started to prepare, now is the time to get started, no more procrastinating!

Weekly Assignment:

As I watch the natural disasters unfold on the news stations, I realize more and more we will need to be prepared to take care of our wounded family members and neighbors. We will need medical supplies to take care of the injured until emergency help can arrive, which may take days, depending on the situation. This is why we are working on setting up family emergency first-aid supplies. The smaller first-aid kits we have are great to have on hand, but they will not last long, they are more for our 72 Hour Emergency Family Bag and our car. Put all the items in a large plastic container with a snap on lid and keep it in a place easily accessible, like a closet.

Family Emergency First-aid supplies (this week add the following):

1) topical antibiotic ointment
2) hydrogen peroxide
3) antifungal ointment/cream
4) alcohol
5) sanitary pads (for major wounds)
(The first 4 items I found at the 99 Cent Store for 99 cents each, and the pads I found at Big Lots for $4, also at CVS for $4 on sale. Total cost this week, $9 plus tax. Take the creams out of the box and put them in a zip lock plastic bag, and the pads in another one, to protect them from water. Mark the expiration dates on the plastic bag if they are not on the cream tubes.)

Weekly Challenge:

1) Add some canned or packaged items to your food storage. Hint: When you purchase packaged beans, rice or pasta's put them in the freezer as soon as you get them home for 24 hours to eliminated any moths and their eggs. If in a box, put the item in a zip lock plastic bag and do the same thing. Same thing goes for bird seed. You can also keep bay leaves in your cupboards, they do not like the smell.

Remember: Post your name and comment at the end of this posting to have your name entered into our FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held Sunday, June 26th. This month's price is something that goes in your family emergency bag.