Actually growing

Today I switched clothes for Emily and Sarah. Unbelievable I know. Who would have thought that they'd actually grow out of the clothes they've worn for the past 2 years? Emmie is five years old and now in a size 4T. Sarah, who is 7, is now in a size 6 (although the waists are a tad big). Amazing!

A nice thought

This is on my Mom's blog and I liked it and decided to post it on mine too.

Christmas Thought
T'is the week before Christmas and the calendar's full
Of programs and parties and other stuff "yule."
I've wrapped all the presents,
I've mailed all the cards,
I've scoured the house and shoveled the yard.
Still, I wonder if I've done all that I should
To prepare for The Day of Giving and Good.
Have I also remembered the lonely and sad?
Have I helped out the homeless and made them feel glad?
Did I offer a smile to the harried and stressed?
Or share someone's burden? Or cheer the depressed?
I hope that my Christmas will also fill
With grateful expressions of kindly good will,
And each song that I sing will be echoed abroad
Because I remembered to celebrate God.
May this glorious week be merry and bright
With a heart and a home filled with Heavenly light!
Posted by Linda G. Paulsen at 6:15 AM 0 comments

Traditions

We watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional and since then I've been thinking about Christmas traditions. Alan and I have traditionally adopted the Wessman tradition of Christmas Eve at his Aunt's house but this year we are branching off and staying home. I remember several traditions from my growing-up years including singing carols on Christmas Eve with only the candles to supply light. There was always the project of helping some other family in the ward anonymously of course, and the huge feast on Christmas Eve. One thing Alan and I adopted from my family is the practice of opening presents Christmas morning. Starting at the youngest, each family member chooses a gift from under the tree to give someone else. No one may choose a gift addressed to themselves. Then we all watch whoever open the present before the next person chooses a present. Alan, being Alan, doesn't remember too many traditions from his childhood. What things do you all remember?

My Dream House

I really really want to move and live here!

Tagged

Okay Coralee I'll play, but you will surely be disappointed by my responses. :)

8 Favorite TV Shows

Cosby Show
The Dog Whisperer
Dirty Jobs
Curious George (Alyssa's breathing treatment show)
House Hunters
Deliver Me
Medical Channel shows
Animal Planet shows

8 Favorite Restaurants

Otovios
Olive Garden
Fazoli's
Bajios
Cheesecake Factory
Chuck-a-rama
Brick Oven
Wendy's (Does this count as a restaurant?)
(I can't think of any others. We don't go out much.)

8 Things that happened yesterday

I cleaned the kitchen (Thursday chore)
I took a nap
I read up to Esther in the O.T.
I did school with Emmie and speech with ALyssa
I read Anne's House of Dreams while I exercised
We went to Cabelas
We went to Brick Oven to celebrate Emmie's birthday (she had a free meal)
I went to a Pampered Chef party

8 Things to Look forward to

When the kids go to bed
Thanksgiving
Christmas shopping if we can get a babysitter
The first big big snow storm
Dinner being done and cleaned up
Reaching my goal weight
Alan being done with CSB (his consulting job)
Alan helping me paint the family room after the above

8 Things on my wish list

A new pot for bottling
Healthy children
Less expensive asthma medication
A live-in physicion if #2 isn't possible
A chance to go to the temple
Another book case to house all these books
Another baby or two
A Disneyland vacation for the girls

Lastly, I'm not tagging 8 people because I don't want to so there. I would like to hear what my siblings and Mom would write though.

she's cute but...

Wanted: One short vacation from being a mom with a stubborn 2 year old.
OR
Wanted: One nanny to potty-train my stubborn 2 year old.

A hiding place

Today I ran away. Seriously. I found the perfect hiding place which I am not revealing.

List II

I admit I'm list-obsessed. I did everything on my last list, even adding to it the making of play dough for Sarah's class and going to Walmart. Walmart wasn't supposed to be on the list but since I was going to my mom's house to get the ladder to change the bulb in the living room it just made sense. Besides the ladder I needed her artistic supplies because Sarah's reflection entry won and frames are not allowed. Hers had a frame. Her piece was done in pastels so it needed to be sprayed with some sort of protection stuff and covered in a clear plastic. Which brings me to the next point.

Walmart. I make a "grocery/household goods needed" list and then take it with me to Walmart. Usually I remember to bring it from the car into the store, but not always. Then I shop and get the things on my list. Unfortunately I usually get more than the things on the list because of good deals and sales. I don't mind that though. Then I come home and sadly before the day is over I have already started a new list for the things I forgot to put on the original list in the first place. This aggravates me. How is it that Alan used up all the Elmers glue at scouts and didn't write it on the list? How did I not notice that we were almost out of Malt-o-Meal and there wasn't any in the food storage room? How is it even possible that we are out of Cheerios!?

List

I can't think of a good post so I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I love lists. I like to check things off and I think that makes me task oriented. Anyway, my list for today is:

Clean bathrooms
Vacuum living and family rooms
Run air-purifier
Polish furniture
Do school, and speech with little girls
Exercise at least 1 hour
Replace burned out lights
Think of something to make for dinner and make it
Call Shelly and Satomi and remind about VT tonight
Try really hard to be disciplined and not eat candy

Alyssa

Today was the second time Lori, Alyssa's speech therapist, has come to work with Alyssa. Alyssa has been diagnosed with apraxia (yea, I'd never heard of it either) and today Lori was amazed by the progress Alyssa had made. She has learned how to put a "d", "p", and "m" on the end of words although this doesn't transfer to regular talking for her yet. I was most pleased that Lori was stunned when she went to work with her on several other letter sounds that Alyssa hadn't been able to say and was able to say today. She is hopeful that at this rate Alyssa will be right on target by kindergarten, talking like a normal 5 year old. This makes me very happy since talking right is essential to reading and spelling. We will keep on working. Alyssa has been great and hasn't shown any signs of frustration or discouragement so we'll just keep on doing what we've been doing. The other side of this is that I am learning a lot about speech and teaching it to little ones. Maybe I should go back and get a degree in speech therapy.

Jordyn's Office Rules

My niece Jordyn was playing "Office" with my Mom when she made up the following rules:

1. Be nice so everybody will want to stay at OUR office.
2. No talking until lunch. Then you can talk as loud as you want.
3. No drinking, 'cause you might spill on your computer.
4. Stay busy.
5. If you talk to someone while you're pushing buttons you'll get the answer wrong.
6. If you write something while you're talking you'll get the answer wrong and get sent to the big office.
7. Remember to stay healthy and strong. If you pick junk food you'll be fat.
8. You better look nice at work.
9. Don't bring any kids at work that will bother you. Put them at a table to color.
10. Don't bring any aliens or pets or toys to work.

Isn't she cute.

You know, stuff

A collection of disjointed thoughts:

Last night for dinner I fixed this stuff with polish sausage. I didn't cook it because it said on the package "Fully cooked" but I should have. (I didn't eat any because it has 130 fat calories per serving.) Around 9 pm we are alerted to the sound of Alyssa crying and discovered that she had thrown up. While caring for her Emmie woke and started to cry and Alan deftly placed the wastebasket under her as she suddenly followed Alyssa's example. The following several hours were spent rinsing bowls and washing linens and pajamas, interrupted only twice with Sarah being sick in her room. By midnight I had settled down with the Old Testament in the hallway so that every 10 minutes I could jump up to help one or more children. Emmie and Alyssa were the most sick, having heaving tummies every 10 minutes for hours; even though they didn't have anything left to vomit. Alan gave them each a blessing and of course that coupled with our prayers finally seemed to slow things down. I went to bed around 2. I had gotten a lot of laundry done and read to page 56 in Genesis. Alan was not super sick but felt yucky all evening.

This year my goal was to read all the Standard Works. I just finished the New Testament and realize that even though the Old Testament is last it is lengthy and I'm going to be hard-pressed to finish by the end of the year. I figured out that if I read 14 pages a day I'll make it. Last night I started and as previously mentioned did 4 days worth. I haven't read that much at one time before and found it much easier to follow who's who and what is happening in context. I may try and read an hour after the girl's go to bed every night instead of 1/2 hour to keep the stories together in my mind better. Also I love the jst's because they really help clear up some disconcerting moments. (Like when Lot offers his virgin daughters to the mob outside, but then to discover he didn't was refreshing.)

Alan and I got a sitter for tonight and I'm excited about the prospect of going out for awhile without the girls.

I found Sarah a new coat at Sears yesterday 50% off and that was cool. I'm aggravated about her old one because the zippers broke on the liner and coat and I had bought it with the intention that it would last for not only 2 years for her but also for Emily and possibly Alyssa. I will not buy a coat from the Arizona Jean company again.

I love the zip in the air every morning when I walk Sarah to school. It's refreshing after the heat of summer. I also love not having to run either my heater or air-conditioner.

This year allergies were terrible. I don't usually suffer from allergics (as Eeyore calls them) but this fall they were not good. Sarah was also worse compared to past years. But the nice thing is that it has past so I can go outside to get the mail without sneezing my head off.

I need to paint the family room and don't really want to.

If you wait to develop pictures until October from February it will be expensive. But then you will have a lot (600) of photos to enjoy all at once.

DC

Washington DC was amazing. I went there not expecting to be impressed by anything. I was just glad for a chance to get away with Alan in the beginning, then the week before our trip there was problem after problem including but not limited to Alan's root canal, a trip to the ER, a minor surgery, and I got sick. That put a huge damper on my enthusiasm for life and I really wasn't looking forward to going. Once there however, my enthusiasm picked up considerably. Our first evening Alan's Aunt and Uncle, with whom we were staying, took us to see many of the monuments. Truthfully I didn't expect to be all that interested. I was amazed and inspired by the Lincoln, Jefferson, and Hiroshima monuments. They were incredible. I was in awe over the Vietnam memorial and the tribute to nurses. The following days were equally inspiring. I came away feeling renewed, with a lot more knowledge on the history of our country. Lynn and Laurel, Alan's aunt and uncle, were a huge part of that. They were so gracious and the best tour guides ever! Here are a few pictures from our trip.

gifts

Whenever Alan and I take a trip, which admittedly isn't often, we buy the girls a present. This is an agonizing process. I want to get them just the right gift, something that they will love and will be used or played with. Last year when we went to Boston we scored with a froggie umbrella for Emmie, but Sarah was disappointed with the Hello Kitty backpack. This year I tried harder to find something Sarah would enjoy. We ended up with two presents for each child. Each girl got a monkey toy with velcro hands and feet to wrap around the neck or whatever. This was my favorite and I thought surely the girls would love it. It got a luke-warm reception from all three. Emmie got a froggie necklace which was a hit. (Whew. One down.) Alyssa got a little wooden zoo train with three removable animals. She loved it! So did Emily. (Two down.) Sarah got a book about illustrating, especially comic style. She regarded it with little interest. We also bought a book, cartoon style, about George Washington for them to share. Sarah noted that one with keen interest and has been reading it in all her spare time. So we sort of did okay. What we thought she'd like she didn't really but at least the shared book she really loved. Why is it so hard to pick out the right thing for her?

I have issues

I have issues. (We know, you all say with a sigh.) I'm not talking about my desire for baby farm animals here. I'm talking about the last BYU football game. See I'm a fan but I just hate to see the other team so completely demolished, demoralized, and depressed. I wish they had gotten just 1 field goal, or even 1 touchdown. Does that make me so unloyal a fan?

baby stuff

I'm selling all the baby stuff I have, and I have a lot of stuff. I'll sell it at yard sell prices and probably do a yard sell but thought that I'd announce it here in case some of the stuff you want. You can have first dibs. So I have tons of clothes both boy and girl sizes 0-3 through 18 Month. Most of the girl stuff is used but still in good condition. Most of the boy stuff is new. There is also an exo-saucer (I call it a flying saucer) and 2 bouncers (one is being borrowed at the moment so you can't have it until later). Plus I have a basket of baby chew toys and a larger Fisher Price Dino toy with balls. I have a baby backpack and shopping cart cover with attached toys and an infant carrier cover for winter. The cover is in bright colors with a frog pattern. Then there are a bunch of blankets. I also have a Johny Jumper (which is also being borrowed so you'll have to wait). There is also a play mat. Oh, and a swing and play-pen/portable crib. Let me know if you are interested.

The bath dance

For some unknown reason every time Emmie and Sarah get ready for their bath they dance around naked chanting, "Gobble Gobble, Wibble Wobble, Do a noodle dance. 10 fat turkeys fooling on a fence."

Potty training

Well it's been over a week potty-training Alyssa and so far we are...okay. She is not as quick as the girls which surprises me because she was always so eager to sit and go potty for the last 5 months. Still she is doing well. Her main hang-up is she isn't very verbal and doesn't alert us when she needs to go. If I remember to sit her on the toilet every couple of hours we do fine. We usually have an accident once every 3 days, so I'm not complaining. I'll be really glad though when the training part is over and we can call her trained.

Alan cooked

Alan made dinner tonight. He made mabo dofu, or something similarly named. (I'm too full and comfortably lazy to go check.) It was a delicious blend of tofu, chicken, spinach and sauce stuff served on a bed of rice. I steamed some yellow and zucchini squash as my contribution. We also had marinated cucumbers. The girls eventually ate it, mostly in order to earn the right to desert. I thought it was great! Yummy. Thanks Love.

I'm cured

I've been pestering Alan for a new puppy. He very emphatically says "no!" Then we puppysat, and are puppysitting again, my friend Windy's dog. She is really cute but I forgot how much work puppies are. They must be watched almost constantly and given appropriate things to chew. But she is really fun. She chases her tail and spooks at everything, bounding into the air and flipping around. She and Potter play well and the girls love her. Today we are going to work on training her to come, sit, and alert when she needs to go outside. This has totally cured me of wanting a puppy. I will gladly tend Shnoake until Windy is well and then happily give her back.

Insights on Men by Brian

This conversation occurred between my nephew Brian, 4 years old, and my mom.

Brian: Sarah and Whitney really like each other. I can tell because they like to play together and talk to each other.

Mom: That's right Brian. You are pretty smart to figure that out.

Brian: Yeah, I'm pretty smart for a man.

Girlies

Here are a few pictures of the girlies (and Alan) from June. The last few are a water fight we had for our fhe activity last Monday.

Growing younger

Sometimes, like now, I think I'm growing younger instead of older. My parents gave me a gift-certificate to Funfinity for watching Downy while they were at conferences and I went and bought a new toy. (If it had been Alan's choice we would have bought a new board game or puzzle.) It's another example of fulfilling a child-hood dream. These Calico Critters are soo cute and I love them, especially the bunnies. They are collectible toys and yesterday I got the townhouse. Now I just have to save my money and look forward to birthdays and Christmas to furnish the house and get some critters to play with.

4th of July

As is tradition with us we are gathering at the field between the hospital and high school in Provo to play games and eventually view the Stadium fireworks. All are invited. We traditionally eat Little Ceaser pizza and share snacks and treats. We play games and have plenty of shade under various canopies. We will arrive around 3 to stake a claim. We like to be on the south end of the field in the parking lot next to the bus barn (also next to the port-a-potties the city brings in). Please bring lawn chairs/camp chairs, a canopy if you have one, snacks or treats or drinks to share and $5 (more or less depending on how much pizza your family eats) to help with pizza. Games are also encouraged as we'll have lots of time to pass before the fire-works. If you have questions on where the field is ask Alan, I really am not good at directions. Or you could ask Coralee if you're a Wessman or Mom or Dad if you're a Paulsen.

circus

We had a circus to celebrate the first day of summer! Sarah was the clown. Emmie and I did the tight-rope and Alan was the Strong Man. Alyssa did it all.

pig-tails

She looks so much older with pig-tails.

balance beams

Jacob's blog made me realize something. Life is like walking on a balance beam. When walking on a beam it's imperative that you look up and forward to where you want to end up. If you look down at where you are putting your feet you will wobble and become unsteady. The only way to really balance is to look up and forward. Similarly, walking in life is easier and more steady when we look heavenward and walk forward with eternity in mind. Decisions and direction are so much easier when as we walk the strait and narrow path and we focus on where we want to end up.

Alyssa needs prayers

I took Alyssa back to the dr.'s yesterday. (we've been there every week this month) She has had a fever since Thursday of last week and was coughing again. Two weeks ago I took her in and they x-rayed her and discovered that she had pneumonia. Yesterday she had another x-ray and it showed that not only was she not well but she was worse than the first time. Dr. Paxton said the antibiotic she was one probably held it off but didn't get rid of the pneumonia. So she's on a stronger antibiotic now and we are hopeful. She could be worse, she doesn't yet have fluid in her lungs or need to be in the hospital. However she has been sick off and on since December. In February she had rsv and now doesn't seem to have much resistance to anything she's exposed to. When she does get sick it always settles in the lungs. So I think the time has come to involve more people in praying for her. Please keep her in your prayers and fast for the July. Thanks! I know that this will help immensly.

retrospection

I don't feel older. I think of myself as the same age as others with young children. It's not until we start talking about music or the price of gas when we both started driving that I realize I'm really not their age. It's not too depressing, but I look back and remember some of my ideas, behaviors, and conversations and realize that I was pretty immature and silly in my early married years. I'm embarrassed at myself and wonder how people more mature, like my parents and in-laws, put up with me. And then I realize that compared to them I'm still pretty immature and wonder how much I'm embarrassing myself now without even realizing it. The alternative though is to hide from everyone older, or more mature at least, than myself and that doesn't sound too appealing.

Speaking of donuts...

Today I had just finished exercising when the doorbell rang. I hurried to put regular clothes back on so I could answer it. When I opened the door nobody was there. Just a plate of donuts, glazed- my favorite, on the doorstep with a note that said, "Dear Shannon, We hope you have a wonderful day!" Any day with donuts is wonderful. I've been smiling ever since.

peg board

We have peg board. We do not need it. There are 2 pieces roughly 3' x 4' and one piece roughly 2'x4'. It is free to a good home. There is a $1 charge to take it to a bad home.

Books worth reading

Here are a few church books I've read recently that I really loved.

A Heart Like His by Virginia Pearce
His Holy Name by Dallin H. Oaks
Moving in His Majesty and Power by Neal A. Maxwell

And I finally finished the special Christ ensign and loved that as well.

Movies

The following movies are up for grabs and by the way they are all vhs.
Spiderman
Independence Day
Mission: Impossible
Star Trek First Contact
The Fugitive
LadyHawke
Apollo 13

I don't want them and if nobody else does they are being donated to DI.

Alyssa "reading" Daddy a story

Emmie and Alyssa playing with the bugs

Here we go again, and again, and again...

Sarah is sick. Alyssa is sick. Again. This would be Alyssa's second time with pneumonia. The first time was in April. She is sadly following Sarah's example in Sarah's early years only takes it to a bit more extreme levels. Sarah never had pneumonia for example. Anyway due to this and the wheezing and breathing problems that seem to accompany all sickness she is on a daily inhaler medication called pre??cort. (I can't remember and even if I did I wouldn't know how to spell it anyway.) Basically I am sort of tired of having sick children. One neighbor in particular likes to rub it in, while telling me how healthy her family are since she has been doing all these vitamin and herbal supplements. It gets on my nerves although I am trying to learn patience. I'm a slow learner. I digress, sorry. Anyway any prayers for or in behalf of said sick children would be mightily appreciated.

A crimp in my style

This whole gas price soaring thing is putting a crimp in my style. All activities are now judged on how far they are and whether it's really necessary. On the other hand I'm more conservative and careful with errand running. I don't go to Walmart every other day and put all errands off until there are enough of them to warrant going out. The down-side is that I'm less likely to go to Salt Lake to visit my grandma or others, or a museum or other attraction. Shoot, I won't even go to Provo if I can avoid it. Stupid that gas is actually a consideration to going to the temple. We have a hard time finding sitters here for that and then we could ask Mom and Dad Wessman but we'd have to drive up there. Aggravating that's what it is. Don't get me wrong, we're not desperate, far from it, but I dislike that gas has suddenly taken on a more prevalent role in my planning and my plans to invite others here. I never used to feel guilty inviting Salt Lake Valley folks down for a get-together. In fact today we worked really hard in the yard and it looks great and I thought we should celebrate all this with a bbq with _______(insert your name here). But then I thought about the cost of gas and kept quiet. ( I also contemplated that Alan would get a lot more consulting done without a party, but that was low on my list.) There, I've finally got that off my chest and can go on to complain about other stuff later.

A new tradition

We've started a new tradition at our house. We have cinnamon rolls for dinner on the last day of school.

Sharing

Disclaimer: Watch out. Below crosses over from light and fluffy to down-right serious and from my surface self to my inner self. This is not a new trend for this blog, but a one-time 'here's the real me' sort of post.

So today I shared my thoughts in relief society. The Spirit prompted that I should and so I did, even though in many ways I would wish to keep this experience private. Here though are some of the reasons I thought were important to share with others. Firstly, when we open up our hearts and the thoughts and feelings that are in them we allow others to feel with us. One of the baptismal covenants is that we bear one anthers burdens and mourn with those that mourn. I have come to see that this means that we must share our burdens or the lessons we've learned from them. It allows us and others to feel God's love and to build stronger relationships with each other. We are able to connect through the Spirit and share meaningful experiences related to our trials. Secondly, sharing allows us to testify of God's love and His work. It allows us to glorify God to others and by so doing strengthen our and their testimony of His life, work, and mission. In addition we feel and can testify of prayer, of an increased awareness that He knows us individually and loves us individually.

Subsequently I feel to share my testimony that through the atonement of our Saviour I have felt peace and that the pain of this experience has changed from pain to being wrapped in a blanket of love. I know Father loves me and understands me. I know that although I don't understand why we lost another baby that all is well. I am so grateful for a God that knows me and loves me. I am so grateful for the Plan of Happiness, for the Atonement and for my Savior who took upon Himself my pain so that I could be happy and find peace in times of pain. I feel to literally glorify my God! He is so kind and wise and great! His Plan is perfect and I am so grateful that He has blessed me to understand more and has seen fit to help me to become better, to reach upward and to see my weaknesses and have the courage to change. I'm so grateful that He cares about me, me personally who am just a normal mom trying to do what's right and yet failing to reach the potential I know I have. I'm grateful that he has faith in me and blesses me and has blessed me. It makes me want to do what I know I should do and to do better what I am already okay at. I'm so grateful for the blessing of my husband and children and for my family. Both my parents and my in-laws are great blessings in my life and I recognize them as such. I'm so grateful for a living prophet and apostles on the earth and for the scriptures. I feel especially grateful for the Holy Ghost and His ability to convey the love of the Lord and the comfort I needed. Also for the still small voice that prompts me what I need to do and helps me to understand what I am reading when I am in-tune. I'm grateful that I live at a time when the Gospel has been restored and that I could live here in this neighborhood with these friends. Lastly I do hope that I'll be able to get pregnant and have more children eventually, but if not I am still so grateful for this opportunity God has given me to learn and to feel closer to Him. I hope most of all that I'll maintain this level of spirituality and increase it. I hope to improve in all the areas I know I am currently weak in and I hope that if I do I'll see other areas of weakness and be able to improve until I can truly be a disciple of Christ and be perfect in Him. That will not happen in this life but I can strive for it anyway.

Alyssa feeds Potter

I love how Alyssa trains Potter to sit in order to eat.

Yummy pie or tart inerds

While looking for ways to make tarts and or a topping for a desert pizza, that included cream cheese (because that's what I wanted) I made up this sort of. That is I changed a recipe I found for cheese cake because 1. I didn't want to have to use eggs and 2. I didn't exactly want a strict cheese cake. This is super easy, tasty and versatile.

Blend up cream cheese with mixer. Add 1 can sweetened condensed milk. Mix and add 1/2 package instant vanilla pudding. The end. Although technically it isn't the end because I like to cover it with whipped cream before serving...and fresh fruit if I have any.

Super Long, But Super Useful Stuff on Food Storage

(This guy does firesides and such, he lived grid free for one year with his family, relying totally on his own storage stuff.)

PREPAREDNESS BY TIM WOOLF

Priesthood Lesson Manual 2001 In the "teaching of the Presidents of the Church Joseph F. Smith" Priesthood Manual Lesson 44, President Smith warned "in regard...to judgments of God that are about to be poured out upon the nations, if the people will...read the prediction of the prophets concerning them, if they have any faith at all, that these coming judgments are no matters of mere speculation or supposition, nor of tradition handed down from remote ages, but that they are matters of fact, or will be ere long, when God shall consummate his designs against the wicked. ... It was declared to Joseph Smith that these scriptures had not been fulfilled, but that the set time had come when they would be fulfilled, every whit, and the ... Execution of the judgments should be consummated in this dispensation.
(page 390)

Common Sense Ideas Learned About Storage & Preparedness There are two types of Crises we must prepare for. One is a "short term" emergency, such as an earthquake, unemployment etc.

The "long term" crisis is the "judgment of God that will be poured out upon the nations". For this long-term crisis, we are commanded to obtain "at least a one year supply". The commandment was originally
7years. In planning a Stake Goal, we wish to be prepared in the event of either crisis. Usually, preparations for the "long term" offer great coverage for the short term as well. Don't believe in Myths - stick with fact and truth Why are they important? People do not buy food because of these myths. True Story... We must first dispel the untruths so that the saints see clearly and can make better decisions.

Examples... "Missouri Myths" "Won't be able to tell seasons apart" "We are a Faith-Promoting Rumor Church."

There are so many myths that float around in the Mormon culture and these myths sometimes get in the way of our getting prepared. We have all heard them so I will only remark on a few...

GOD WON'T LET ME OR THIS PEOPLE SUFFER. Remember the story of the Jaradites. With a little less thought and less preparation, this people would have been crossing the great deep in total darkness. Think of it, a whole year in pitch-black darkness.

SOMEONE WILL WARN ME JUST BEFORE IT HAPPENS- Michael Harden President and CEO of Century Technology Services speaking at a recent meeting pointed out this belief that some people carry "Someone will warn me just before it happens" to escape the responsibility of direct action. Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a talk to BYU Faculty "When will these things be" warning them that they will not be given special warning.

I NEED NOT BE CONCERNED; NEIGHBORS, THE CHURCH THE GOVERNMENT,OR THE BISHOP WILL GATHER IN THE FOOD AND SHARE IT OUT EQUALLY. NO! - forcible confiscation of personal property has never been part of the gospel. And there are some clear examples in Church history that drive the point home. Read about the Famine of 1856. The Lord would not allow it then. However, the brethren did encourage sharing. The problem comes in that most people do not store enough for themselves let alone storage to share. And when they share, it will go to a needy family member before ward members. This is the Lord's program even today. You can see the problem; you would need a lot of food stored before ward members would get some. I have never seen anyone with this size of storage. I have to make it all better with all the suffering around me during a crisis - No you don't. This is between those people and the Lord. Maybe, this is their test. Maybe this is how the Lord is going to get their attention. You do have to make it as "good" as you can for your own family and those whom the Lord has given you stewardship. President Marion Romney explained, "The Lord claims the earth as his, that it is not yours and mine to own and manage independently of him. He further says that this responsibility "it must needs be done in mine own way." (D&C
104:15-16) THE LORD WILL SAVE US AT THE LAST MINUTE - The Ensign reports in an article of lessons we should have learned in past trials in Oct.
2002, when the saints first planted their crops, a huge grasshopper plague threatened to destroy the crops and thus the saints would have starved the first winter. We all know the story of the seagulls. In 1850, Brigham Young began warning about a coming event and ordered the saints to store the extra grain from their harvests and not sell it. Nothing happened in 1853 and the harvest was fine, again came the warning in 1854. Again, nothing happened. Then it happened in late fall of 1855. Heber C. Kimball records in his journal that "only 3 out of every 10 families were following the order of the prophet". In 1855, SaltLakeValley endured a 90% crop failure caused by a grasshopper plaque as told above but this time the seagulls did NOT come. The crops were destroyed. Still, the seagulls still did not come. Perhaps, the seagulls were not planned because the saints had been warned and were capable of managing this crisis on their own because of forewarning of a prophet. Perhaps we were just being taught not to take lightly the council of the Brethren. History bears this concept out.

GOD RAINED MANNA FROM HEAVEN ON ALL ISRAEL. 6 DAYS A WEEK FOR 40 YEARS. "Lest they perish for want of bread" but the manna ceased on the morrow after they ate of the parched corn of cannon. The Israelites were then required to supply their own food.

DURING THE 40 YEARS IN THE HARSH WILDERNESS THE CLOTHES WORN BY ALL ISRAEL "waxed not old and their shoes wear not out" but when they entered their promised land, then the Lord required them to provide their own wearing apparel.

WHEN THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE LAND at Elijah word, a certain barrel of meal did not waste and a certain cruse of oil did not fail. Until the Lord sent again rain upon the earth. And it is worthy on note as Jesus said, "although there were many widows in Israel, unto one only was Elijah sent"

I'M TOO OLD AND IT DOES NOT MATTER TO ME- Story of Brother Hatch. 93 years old and dieing of cancer with less than a month to live. He asked me to see what "holes" he had in his food storage program. I was unwilling because of his condition and I didn't want him to spend money on this. I told him the Lord spells out certain people whom the Lord expects the priesthood to look after if we are to continue to receive the blessings of the priesthood. He shook his bony finger at me and said "Brother Woolf; if I don't buy storage, my children will not buy storage, or their children. Sooner or later, this event will happen and my seed will be wiped from the face of the earth. And it will be my fault." His sons lived in different states so he had them come for a fathers blessing and arranged the wheat to be delivered at the same time. They were then asked to carry it down stairs and the message and lesson was well engrained. Now, learning and applying this principle, I have seen many Elderly Mothers and Fathers give food to their married sons and daughters instead of plastic toys.

"OK, DO IT, GET FOOD STORAGE, BUT DON'T GO OVERBOARD.JUST GET A MONTH OR TWO." The world is on a kick right now of reliant living, if you don't believe it, just look up the fema website listed below or read the article below.. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand the wisdom of this doctrine right now. The Baptists teach up to 2 months, the Catholics teach 1 month, the Methodists teach up to 6 months, in fact, almost every religion in America is teaching people to have an emergency food storage at hand. but all have the same theme. Do not be a radical. Just store enough to last a week, at the most a month or so. A year is way overboard. I have even heard local church leaders on the local level take this stand. We are all worried if we don't fully understand some commandment, living it somehow degrades our intelligence and us. Some people must explain it to our minds before we can get behind it heart and sole. We quickly forget the lessons of the past. The Lord is the one who commanded the year's supply. In the last few months, news anchors such as Dan Rathers told us it would be "OK to have just a couple of weeks of supplies". Whom are you following? Only part of the ward needs to do this commandment and that will carry the rest of the ward. Well.... first do the math.

WHEN I SHOW MY FOOD STORAGE, PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY SOMETHINGLKE THIS "WELL, NOW I KNOW WHERE TO COME IF TROUBLE HITS". Yes, that is my experience as well. And either way you answer that, you get yourself in trouble. If you answer "Sure, come on over", they feel you have just made some type of commitment to them that requires them to do nothing and they are covered in an emergency. If you say no, you have made an instant enemy and they will view you from that day on as an uncharitable person. During the questions and answer session at a ward in Logan not too long ago, I was hit with this question. "What do you say to people who say this to you?" I was fumbling for some inspiration to find something to say because I really did not have a good answer for this and the Bishop raised his hand and asked if he might inject a thought or two. I was very relieved and invited him to speak. He taught me something. This is what he said, "I imagine that the people at the time of Noah said the same things. Perhaps it sounded something like this, "Noah is just a kook, but, if it goes wrong and this kook is right about the flood, that boat is big enough to carry us all." Little did they know what the Lord had in mind in saving the animals. Second, there must have been some that condemned Noah because he put animal life before human life. That must have been a real trial for Noah. He must have been called uncharitable, ungodly, and it's a good bet the people outside the ark did not view themselves as "disobedient" so they really made it hard on Noah. What these type of people fail to understand is that the test may not be to see if we are charitable but rather to see if we are obedient. Third and most important, like Abraham, Noah had to give his all and prove the Lord was more important to him than anyone else. Those were not strangers out side the ark dieing, those where sons and daughters, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Only, unlike Abraham who was spared his sacrifice at the last minute, Noah was required to go through with his."

WHEN THE BAD TIMES COME, THE WARD FAMILY WILL JUST COMBINE THE FOOD THEY HAVE AND SAVE US ALL ANYWAY. - Has the church and the Lord told us to have a "Ward Storage" or have we been commanded to have a "Family Storage"? To assume that we can save the disobedient with our charity has two fallacies. One, it allows mercy to rob justice. The second flag that is thrown is that it gives the disobedient a false sense of security in that they assume they can be lax on the commandments because they feel that others will carry the slack of their disobedience. This has not been the practice of the gospel to this point so it is a big gamble to risk all on the idea things will change. If hard times come upon a family now, how is it handled? First the family, and then the government and last the church. Are members asked to give up all I.E.: their savings, children's mission accounts, mortgage their homes etc, to help the family in hard times? No! They are only asking to fast and the Bishop divides the moneys raised by this once per month event. If he had to divide with 20+ families, each would not likely get they're needs covered.

THE WAR IS OVER- SO WE DON'T NEED THIS COMMANDMENT RIGHT NOW - Hard to believe anyone would believe this, but this very month
(04/06/03-04/25/03) I have had RS presidents call and cancel the talks I was scheduled to give to their wards or stakes. They all had this in common. "The war is ending and nothing has happened so we are going to go back to doing fun things like crafts." On a personal thought, I wonder if the brethren know how much trouble we are really in because we are really talking about values.

There may not be a lifeguard hired at the beach to protect those in the water because God has told his saints to not go to the beach. In other words, there may have no manna from heaven planned because it is not needed. The saints have been told to get a 1-year supply of food.

Finding Safety in Counsel Henry B. Eyring, Because He First Loved Us, Deseret Book, 2002 (from a talk given at general conference, 5 April 1997 "There seems to be no end to the Savior's desire to lead us to safety." "When tensions ran high in northern Missouri in the fall of 1838, the Prophet Joseph Smith called for all the Saints to gather at Far West for protection. Many were on isolated farms or in scattered settlements. He specifically counseled Jacob Haun, founder of a small settlement called Haun's Mill. A record of that time includes this: "Brother Joseph had sent word by Haun, who owned the mill, to inform the brethren who were living there to leave and come to Far West, but Mr. Haun did not deliver the message." Later, the Prophet Joseph recorded in his history: Up to this day God had given me wisdom to save the people who took counsel. None had ever been killed who (had abided) by my counsel." In our own time, we have been warned with counsel of where to find safety from sin and from sorrow. One of the keys to recognizing those warnings is that they are repeated. For instance, more than once in general conference, you have heard our prophet say that he would quote a preceding prophet and would therefore be a second witness and sometimes even a third. When a prophet speaks, those with little faith may think that they hear only a wise man giving good advice. Then if his counsel seems comfortable and reasonable, squaring with what they want to do they take it. If it does not, they consider it either faulty advice or they see their circumstances as justifying their being an exception to the counsel." Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. It becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late. The Savior holds responsible those to whom He delegates priesthood keys. With those keys comes the power to give counsel that will show us the way to safety. Those with keys are responsible to warn even when their counsel might not be followed. That blessing generally requires the faith to follow counsel when it is hard to do or unclear as to why we should follow the counsel. An example from Church history is that of Reddrick Newton Allred. He was one of the rescue party sent out by Brigham Young to bring in the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. When a terrible storm struck Captain Grant, captain of the rescue party, they were forced to leave some of the wagons by the Sweetwater River as he pressed ahead to find the handcart companies. With the blizzards howling and the weather becoming life threatening, two of the men left behind at the Sweetwater decided that it was foolish to stay. They thought that either the handcart companies had wintered over somewhere or had perished. They decided to return to the SaltLakeValley and tried to persuade everyone else to do the same. Reddrick Allred refused to budge. Brigham had sent them out and his priesthood leader had told him to wait there. The others took several wagons, all filled with needed supplies, and started back. Even more tragic, each wagon they met coming out from Salt Lake they turned back as well. They turned back seventy-seven (77) wagons, returning all the way to Little Mountain, where President Young learned what was happening and turned them around again. Every ward and stake I have ever spoken at has a few people who have planted their heals into the ground and will not buy food storage no matter what, but what I find interesting is that they can not do it quietly. They must get as many people to follow them as possible. They must "turn around as many wagons" as they can so they feel like "we are all in the same boat". If we could just ignore them and just follow the brethren... http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/

(The following is from Government NOT the Church. Interesting. Just a couple of days of food. Don't go overboard and become a "kook".)http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030211/4854954s.htm [Unintelligible thought] If you have any doubt in this thought, re-read lesson 44 from the 2001 priesthood manual "Teaching of the Presidents of the Church" Joseph F. Smith. To rely on any of these Myths to take care of our family if crisis strikes, is an ostrich's prescription for disaster. You will be disappointed and maybe offended. Maybe deeply offended. There are so many myths... but the bottom line is don't believe in Myths.

OK -- Lets Get Started This presentation may feel a little like trying to get a sip of water from a fire hydrant but we must start somewhere... Prepare items in the same order that life may be endangered A real one-year supply of food. Just a thought to remember: This first came out as a 7- year storage plan. In the next few decades, when it was plain the saints were not living it because it was "too much for them" it was changed to a 3 year plan. Under Pres. George Albert Smith, J. Ruben Clark changed to a 2-year plan because the saints were not living it again because it was "too much for them". Under President Ezra T. Benson, it was changed to "at least one year supply of food" in general conference priesthood meeting along with a heart-tugging plea for the saints to do as least this much. It has not been changed to a 72-hour kit as some leaders are teaching. I really believe that we need a true one-year supply of food! WATER, HEAT, LIGHT, COOKING

WATER-The supply. A good filter or chlorine to purify water can mean the difference in life or death. Without this you only have a couple of days. Drinking "bad" water can be fatal and usually is fatal if the Medical system is down. Lack of water will kill in three days... but after 36 hours, your judgment is seriously impaired. The church has set guidelines to store one gallon/per person/per day for two weeks. This means you need to store 14 gallons for each member of your family. Folks, this is not enough water to meet the needs of most families in crisis. We use more water than that. The average person uses 72 gallons per day for all their needs including cooking, drinking, and cleaning. Our family has tried to store at least one 55-gallon drum per person for our needs in a crisis. But you must also store the ability to purify water after your initial supply has been exhausted. This can be as simple as chlorine and a simple pool testing kit. This is inexpensive and very effective. Be sure to store you water supply in a cool dark area on pieces of wood (not directly on concrete or dirt). Be sure to use the right storage container. A good water container is airtight, breakage resistant (no glass), and is made of material that won't rust or affect flavor. Bacteria growth will be discourage if the container is both airtight and opaque, as bacteria needs both air and light to grow. Algae is green, but isn't harmful, just unsightly. Green coolaid will disguise it. Remember that water weighs approximately 8 lbs per gallon... Do not store more than 15 gallons of water (about 125 lbs) in any container that is meant to be portable. Rotate water storage every year. The water does not go bad; it just gets flat and tastes bad. It can get green algae and makes the water a "hard sell" to children and even some husbands. This storage is of course a band-aid on the big problem. After your storage is used up, you will need to replenish the supply. A good filter or chlorine to purify water can mean the difference in life or death. Storage methods; 55 gal. Plastic barrels are a great way to store water because they store the most water in the least space and require the least effort for rotation. You need a hose or siphon pump to get the water out and these barrels are great to collect new water such as rainwater from your roof downspout. Use only brand new barrels. Used barrels will continue to leak out the product that was first put into those barrels. Water purification methods; Clorox Bleach - Please do not use; unless you have nothing else! At best - it will cause diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, and on the worst side, bleeding ulcers. Your great, great, grandmother might have had to use this product because it was all they had to make water pure but this is not true today. The part of Clorox Bleach they sought was Chlorine. That is the part we want. But there are so many other ingredients in this product that hurts and does not heal.

Boiling - min of 10 and up to 20 minutes so you must have stored a lot of fuel. 20 minutes or more to kill giardia. Water tastes very flat after this kind of boiling. Very effective if done long enough. Needs a huge storage of fuel.

Iodine - bad side effects such as thyroid storm in some women. Has a peculiar odor and taste some people cannot tolerate. Never use for more than
72 hours at any one time. During a nuclear crisis, iodine may provide the added benefit of preventing the thyroid gland from radioactive disruption.

Purifiers - cost lots of money and very slow. .02 microns or no good for giardia. Porcelain type is used by the Red Cross to the Green Berets. This will take out types of Radiation (Alpha and Beta).

Chlorine - this is the way almost all cities do it - very cheap and works - available at any spa & pool store. In the "Joint Chief of Staff Anti-Terrorism report of October 2002, put out at the start of the war February 2003. This is what they report works and is what they recommend. You must buy a measuring kit as well. It is very slow acting so time is needed to allow it to work. It needs about 24 hours to work and repeated if there is no measurable free-floating chlorine. To remove the chlorine taste, cover loosely and let stand for another 24 hours and the chlorine evaporates. Be sure to measure the chlorine before you allow it to evaporate. If there is no measurable chlorine, there may still be bacteria in the water. Store flavoring for your water: tang, peach drink, milk, kool-aid --- something! Colloidal Silver The Micro Silver Bullet of the past AND the future. History: In the milking industry they often use a silver milk pail on a warm day, the milk will not spoil quickly. Plaques in Europe, wealthy Families gave their children silver spoons to eat with and they did not catch the "Black Death". Pioneers used to put silver dollars in canteens and water containers. Pioneers used to suck on silver dollars when they felt ill. Proven that it works with water purification now as well and against many diseases. The following is a study done by BYU on the Provo River in 1999. This was done in an effort to find ways to clean the water for the saints in Africa and was found to be the most effective way to clean water but problematic in measurement. If they find a way of measurement to determine if the water is clean, this could very well become the new standard. Microbiology Department, Brigham YoungUniversity, 775 WIDB, P.O. Box 25253, Provo, Utah84602-5253May 13, 1999 American Silver's Antibacterial Product (ASAP Solution) Testing Results Summary The following results suggest that American Silver's ASAP solution is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent - it is able to effectively stop the growth of, and in fact kill, a variety of bacteria. American Silver's ASAP Silver Supplement has been tested against many organisms. There is an instrument called a MSR (MIRX - Mirox) used by the military for water purification. It is about $150.00. In Honduras
9,000 people died in the hurricane. In the 5 weeks following, 35,000 people died from bad water. Heat: Cooking, Light & Heating

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Choose your fuel well. It must give off safe CO2 gas. (CO gas kills.) Must not explode so your fuel must not vaporize easily. We take heat and cooking and light for granted. Store the basics in heat. Pack matches or lighters and lots of them. Keep them sealed in plastic bags and protect them from the elements. Wood: 5-6 cords of wood (That's your whole back yard) Coal: gives off CO gas, you need 1 ton per month. Propane: Gives off CO and is very dangerous and explosive. White gas: Gives off CO and is very dangerous and explosive. Charcoal briquettes: gives off CO gas. Candles: little light and little heat. They tip easily and make a fire danger. K1 has worked so well, we recommend it. Only two barrels
(110 gallons) will see you through a Utah winter. You can solve light and cooking with this product too. It gives off CO2 gas if effective burners are used. K1 Cooker only (Not heater) 10,000 BTU's will save fuel and produce less heat in the home for summer cooking. Can be made stable with additive.

FOR HEATING-Use a kerosene heater. They are relatively inexpensive (about
120.) for a 23000 BTU heater and are effective for heating a room or two.
(about 1,000 sq. ft.) Kerosene gives off carbon dioxide which isn't harmful. Two 55 gallon drums will be enough for one kerosene heater for one year (one winter) It must be stored off of concrete floors, or it will not be good. You can extend the life 2 to 5 years in a drum with a diessl fuel additive such as Sta-bil that you can get at hardware stores. All glass windows will be broken in an earthquake
(hurricane, tornado, etc.) If it is winter you will need to keep at least one room warm. For this you will need rolls of clear plastic(6 mil) and a manual staple gun and staples. Plastic will be worth a fortune in a disaster. Greenhouse plastic is heavier and good for 2 1/2 years, but is expensive. Staple the window both on the inside and outside. This causes a dead air space between and that will act like a thermal window. If and when the plastic rips, just put another one over the top of it. The clear plastic will let in light. Kerosene lanterns are good for light as well as solar lights are. COOKING:We have been told by the church to have a 3 months supply of every day food. Food we normally eat such as peanut butter and jam, macaroni and cheese, etc. Be sure to rotate as most every day food will not be long term storage items.

Also have a true years supply of food. This should be grains, beans, rice, etc. You can cool on the top of most Kerosene heaters if it has a flat top. You can also use a Sun Oven.

Originally the Saints were told to have a 7 years supply, then is was reduced to 3 because people said it was too difficult to have so much. Then it was reduced to 3, then 2, and now one year supply and grow a garden. Heavenly Father has not changed his plan. We simply have not been obedient. "Right Now" Foods

The human spirit is a remarkable piece of art; we can adjust to almost any circumstances given time. Disasters have proven it. But it does take a lot of time. In about 90 days we can adapt to any circumstance. The human spirit is famous for adapting, improving, and overcoming. So plan some simple meals that require very little cooking for at least the first 90 days of the crisis. The more you can make meals "normal" or what the family is used to eating, the better. Younger children really need this. "Right Now Foods" will help you minimize the stress of the moment and help every one adjust. Soups, Tuna, Peanut Butter, Stews, Macaroni and Cheese, top Ramen noodle meals (62.00 will buy a year's supply for one person), canned goods, popcorn, banana slices, etc.

Now to the "follow the prophet" part. Long Term Foods- Truly have a 1-year supply of food. Remember, it is a myth to have or teach less than a 1-year supply! President Harold B. Lee has wisely counseled that "Perhaps if we think not in terms of a year's supply of what we ordinarily would use, and think more in terms of what it would take to keep us alive in case we didn't have anything else to eat, that last would be very easy to put in storage for a year. Just enough to keep us alive if we didn't have anything else to eat. We wouldn't get fat on it, but we would live, and if you think in terms of that kind of annual storage rather than whole year's supply of everything that you are accustomed to eat which, in most cases, is utterly impossible for the average family, I think we will come nearer to what President Clark advised us way back in 1937." (Welfare conference address October 1 1966) Start with the Basic Foods Wheat, grains, beans, leaving, honey sugar, powdered milk, cooking oil, shortening and salt. Basic foods are less expensive, last a long time and do not require a lot of space. In a disaster, they are the hardest to come by. Did you read that? It really is true. Lots of vegetables can be grown in any yard space, but grains are so "land intensive" to grow. It is doubtful that they will be obtainable by most people. Consider the wisdom of the Lord in suggesting we should start with these items.
14 Gallons of water per person (2 week supply)

Between 400 lbs of grain per person (wheat/rice/oats/corn can be mixed to reach these levels.) (Was 300 lbs)
60 lbs (was 75 lbs) of honey or sugar (white and brown)
60 lbs of beans always store a pressure cooker for these. They go very hard but 5 minutes in the cooker and they are soft again. Not an electric pressure cooker right!?! One that goes on a heat source.
16 lbs (was 75 lbs) of milk
10 gals (was 20 gals) of Oil (virgin oil stores the longest and the best)
8lbs (was 10 lbs) of salt--Redman mineral

Thoughts of importance: Variety - Most people don't have enough variety in their storage. Almost all of the people I have worked with have stored only the four basic items: wheat, milk, honey, and salt. Many people are allergic to wheat and may not be aware of it until they are eating it meal after meal. Statistics show that about 20% of America's populations have this allergy. More over, wheat is often too harsh for young children. They can tolerate it in small amounts but not as their staple. Another problem is we get tired of eating the same foods over and over and many times prefer to not eat, than to ample that particular food again. This is called appetite fatigue. Variety is the key to a successful storage program. It is essential that you store flavorings such as tomato, bouillon, cheese, spices to cook with and onion. Few people get beyond storing the four basic items but it's extremely important that you do so. Store dehydrated and/or freeze dried foods as well as home canned and store bought canned goods. One of the best suggestions I can give you is buy a good food storage cookbook.

Vitamins- Vitamins are important, especially if you have children, since children do not store body reserves of nutrients as adults do. Vitimins and minerals extracted from herbs and whole foods are best. Many other items of food can, of course, be added to your storage. Again the choice of how rough your "rough times" will be and what you want to endure is all up to you. It is left up to you and your agency. The greater one's desire to "suffer in comfort", the more storage and better storage one might put away. My family likes pasta, and so we stored about
130 lbs per person of pasta, and that will provide a pasta dinner for each person once each day for a year. The cost? About $90.00 per person. A cookbook on using the basics will prove to be a good investment.

Grain Mills (wheat Grinders) - Bags vs. Buckets vs. Cans? Whatever you choose, remember it is waterproof, mouse proof, crushproof and stackable that you seek. Buckets with a thick seal seem to make food last the longest right now. Do not store food on the concrete floor. We like #10 cans because you only open a little food at a time. Cans store in less space than buckets as well. They allow for more of a change in food storage too. Wheat Grinders: Don't buy a cheap one. If this breaks in just a couple of months, you will have lots of time to regret your decision. Back to basics has the best hand grinder on the market that I have found. When the food in stacked in your basement, it will look like you can feed the ward and all your family. Everyone has seen the results of the World War 2 Concentration Camp photos. How much food do you think they ate? One small roll of black bread and one small bowl of watered down soup. The size of the roll is about the size you could make if you had about 250 lbs of grain to feed the person!! This should be quite a revelation to you. Your food might seem and look like a lot, stacked in the corner, and you might be tempted to invite the whole ward over in time of crisis, but it really is just a minimum amount for one and only one person for one year. No other family members, no strangers, no neighbors. Just one person for one year. In this area, planning for "how much do I store?" consider this question: "do I have relatives in the area that would seek relief from me in times of crisis?" If the answer is yes... plan for them.

The "Straw that Breaks the Camel's Back" or the "5th Chamber of the Titanic" Hot showers, soap, treats, clean clothes etc. whatever it may be that you or someone in your family needs to keep from "breaking" emotionally when everything else has changed.

Hot Water and Clean Clothes Washing Machine: the washer uses a "steam pressure process" to wash a 5lb load super clean in just a couple of minutes Hot water showers in just minutes http://www.zodi.com <http://www.zodi.com/> or the Trading Post 435-427-9390

Where do you buy these things??? We encourage you to shop around, remembering that saving pennies is not a great concern to the Lord. Having the product is! If you need a great source that is approved, great prices and honest: Maple Leaf Trading Post:
435-427-9390 -- 362-9748 ask for Becky. We do not care where you buy, Emergency Essentials, Maple Leaf, the cannery or Walton's. Just do it. Each company might offer things you want. We find most of the leaders use at least two or three venders over the course of their callings. You may find you are more comfortable with one over the other, fine. Just do it. A Possible Ward Preparedness Schedule

1.Organize yourselves and Prepare every needful thing
(D&C 88:119) Take inventory of what you have, what you need and how and where you are or will be storing everything. Prepare a financial budget to set aside money each year to purchase a true 1-year supply.

2. Neither shall ye Thirst (Alma 32:42) Purchase the desired new, blue
55-gallon water containers. Purchase chlorine additives and testing kits. Plan water filters and replacement cartridges if desired for the instant manufacture of clean drinking water.

6. Let there be light (Genesis 1:3) Purchase kerosene fuel in either 55 or 5 gallons drums. A year supply is about 100 gallons for a Utah Winter and may be used for alternative sources of light, heat and cooking. You need to plan on purchasing preservation additive for the kerosene. You will need a K2 heater and lanterns, replacement wicks, mantels, flashlight bulbs, light bulbs, batteries, and maybe candles. Have fire sources to light candles and fires. A supply of chemical hand warmers for emergency cases will be useful.

4. Man does not live by bread only (Deut. 8:3) Buy N2 packed garden seeds that are non-hybrid. Watch for sales such as Macey's case lot sale. Become active in sharing information on "good buys" that will help families get fruits and vegetables. Do not become a coupon clipper for your ward. Do not lose focus on your calling

7.Sweet is the Work (hymn 147) Purchase whit e, brown, powdered sugar and honey, molasses, corn syrup and dry milk. Purchase baking needs and supplies
(yeast, salt, baking soda, baking powder, dried eggs, peanut butter, vinegar, shortening, vegetable oil, mayonnaise, cocoa, and gelatin.

8. All wholesome herbs and.. grains God hath ordained for the use of man
(D&C 89:10, 14) Purchase of spices, & herbs. Consider if your budget allows a supply of medicinal herbs that will help your family through physical ailment. Purchase of Grains (White Wheat, oats, flour, rice, beans, corn, corn meal, barley and pasta.

9.The Word of the Lord is... as Pure as Silver (Psalms
12:6) Purchase of colloidal silver makers or liquid. Call Becky. Purchase books on preparedness and ideas to use the products. Look at the testing BYU has done...Hummm....

10. Two Women shall be grinding at the Mill (Matt 24:41) Purchase hand wheat grinders, purchase lots of hand can openers--heavy duty

11. Be ye therefore Clean (Isaiah 52:11) Purchase of port-o-potty's, 10 gal. Garbage bags for the port-o-potty's, toilet paper, shampoo, anti bac. Soaps, Laundry soaps and laundry o mates for small loads, cleaners, and diapers, feminine needs, paper towels, and lots of garbage bags. Clorox wipes for the hands would be useful. You should not plan on burden families with purchases in December (Christmas) or July (Vacations) We have found these times unproductive in this arena.

Garden Seeds-- "What is your plan after the first year?"

Elder Orson Hyde "...Store up all your grain and take care of it. And I tell you it is almost as necessary to have bread to sustain the body as it is to have food for the spirit; for the one is as necessary as the other to enable us to carry on the work of God upon the earth." (JD vol5 p17) Sanitation Problems
10-gallon bags fit just right in bucket type toilets and are sold at places such as Costco and Sam's club for the price of $7.95 for 500 bags. More than a one years supply. Wipes and soap to kill germs in such times are very good investments and become very critical in keeping the family healthy and well. If the medical system is down, this can mean the difference of life or death for family members.

Items you might like to share ABC SOUP FOOD Items that might easy the suffering of others in short term disasters. Think of family members and special needs they might have. Imagine the way your children act when they are hungry. I mean really hungry. They become cranky and unruly. Moods of fighting, crying, anger prevail. Irrational thoughts appear normal and justified. Think of adult behavior when we get really hungry. Husbands bark at wives and children and wife's behave the same. Anger and tempers are the order of the day. Now imagine a whole neighborhood behaving this way. Now imagine one person that is the loudest in the group and he has a gun. When feelings are this raw, a person can actually justify in their mind acts that they would have never entertained just days earlier. Wouldn't it be better to feed them rather than fight with them? For this very reason the church invented a soup called "ABC Soup". It contains all the nutrition needed to keep a body healthy in a crisis and comes in containers of various sizes. For example: a 5-gallon bucket will cost retail about $30 and will contain about 300 meals. That's a lot of food. There is no flavor at all added to the soup so you can store bouillon of different types and have different soups each day. One day beef, the next day Chicken and so on. This goes a long way in defeating appetite fatigue. Wouldn't this be easier than fighting with people you have lived with so long? One stake president spoke to his stake after I was finished my presentation and said some profound thoughts. "Many of you have come to my home and have seen my food storage and right away you say something like this "Wow I know where I am coming if the world gets into trouble." "Well", said the stake president, "I have a lot of food and if you need to you can come on over". Then he paused. About 20 seconds passed in complete silence. Then in a quiet tone, strong and steady he said "you will work for me and you will not enjoy working for me. The message got through loud and clear.

PREPARE AND STORE THE FOOD RIGHT -- NO SHORT CUTS. There is an old saying "if you don't have time to do it right the first time, when are you going to find time to do the job again?" "Don't step over dollars to pick up pennies."

WHEN YOU STORE "TOO MUCH"-- YOU ARE PROBABLY JUST RIGHT Living on 400 lbs of grain for one year, the LDS church guide line, you WILL BE HUNGRY ALMOST ALL THE TIME. Humans use a lot of food. Most folks get unemployed and their family eats their "one year food storage" in about 2-3 months. They stand in shock. I hear this story over and over again. Folks... we eat a lot of food in the course of one year. )

Start using your food supply Use these times of peace and plenty to find out what you do not like about your supply and what you want more of. Try meals around your supply. you will find many "holes" in your program. supplies you need to buy to be able to make meals that your family expects from your storage. This is important to start now. For example you may have sorted the wheat, but have you stored yeast? Without yeast, the bread will be as hard as a brick. Yuk! You only find the "holes" in your food storage ark if you use the products.

Your food storage does not have to be like Everyone Else's. Have courage and faith. My experience has taught me that you will get the confirmation form the Lord's spirit on this matter only after you have finished getting a full year's supply for you and your family. "Working on it" does not seem to count.

Please remember, that 72-hour kits are from the Civil Defense Dept, not the Lord. That's why the Brethren don't talk about them. It is considered good common sense, but not a commandment of the Lord. A one-year supply of food however, IS)

After you have the basic food storage, the spirit is very helpful in custom fitting a food supply to the needs of your family. Only the Lord knows what those needs will be. Because each family will got through different trials, each family may be inspired differently...different needs and of course, different storage needs. Only the Lord know for sure what trials you and your family must endure. Maybe this is why the church has never come out with a concrete storage program of what items to store. The spirit will help you customize a program to fit your needs. I do not get very excited and worried when I see families storing different items than what I have stored. http://www.providentliving.org <http://www.providentliving.org/> (Web page opened 2/12/03 by LDSChurch)

Emergency Preparation We should be prepared for the future. Only preparation, both spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear. Individual members and families should prepare to be as self-reliant as possible in times of personal or widespread emergency.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has suggested "that the time has come to get our houses in order... There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed" (in Conference Rep ort, Oct,
1998, 70; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 53).

The primary responsibility to prepare for and respond to emergencies rests with individual members and families. To help, Church leaders have counseled families to:

Prepare spiritually through fasting, family and personal prayer, family home evening, and honoring their covenants.

Prepare financially by staying out of debt, saving for the future, and obtaining insurance if possible.

Maintain physical health by practicing wise eating habits, observing the Word of Wisdom, and exercising regularly.

Acquire a year's supply of food. Families should start by.....[blanked out] They may then choose to store other foods that they are used to eating.

"How on the face of the earth could a man enjoy his religion" said George A. Smith "when he has been told by the Lord how to prepare for a day of famine, when, instead of doing so, he had fooled away that which would have sustained him and his family" (JD vol.12 p.142)

"The days ahead are sobering and challenging. Oh, may we be prepared spiritually and temporally." Ezra T. Benson "Prepare Ye"

Elder Faust Leadership Meeting 11 Stake Area Conference
1-15-99 "The blessing for obedience to this commandment (food storage and debt) is contained in D&C 21:4-6. I will not read it to you now because I want you to go and read it on your own in a quiet moment, when you can meditate on the subject. Let the Spirit talk to your mind. The promise is in verse 6."

Elder Packer: In Ezekiel 3:17 the Lord calls Ezekiel as a "watchman" according to D&C 88:81 what is our personal responsibility to be a watchman? Elder Packer "when the Teton dam broke, 790 homes were at risk and about
7800 people were in danger of being killed. When it was all over, 6 people were dead. How could there be such a terrible destruction with such little loss of life? Because they were warned! They didn't have very long, but they were warned; and every man who was warned, warned his neighbor. What about the six that drowned? One of them was just below the dam and had no choice. Two of them wouldn't believe the warning until it was too late. They later found them both in their car, but they hadn't heeded the warning. Three of them, died in their car, but they hadn't heeded the warning. Three of them went back to get some material possessions, and they lost their lives. But it was a miracle of tremendous proportion. As Latter-day Saints we learn to heed warnings. Now, I see a great similarity in what is happening in the world, a great tidal wave of evil and wickedness in the world. We have been warned by a prophet. Will we heed the warning, or will we be as those six in Idaho whole thought the warning was not for them?

Stake Presidency Message, Cedar hills Stake July 12, 2001 carried throughout the stake Quoting President Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference, October,
1998 "We are carrying a message of self- reliance throughout the Church...I urge you brethren, to look to the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage. This is part of the temporal gospel in which we believe. May the Lord bless you, my beloved brethren, to set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should the storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts. That's all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable." As your stake presidency, we feel that this is a call to arms from a prophet of God. It must being with the leaders of our stake, wards, and quorums so that they can lead by example and teach with power. This is the season to prepare, so that when the storms sand tempests howl without, we may have peace within our homes and hearts. Cedar Hills Stake Presidency

If you read the D&C 84:54-61, you understand that the Lord really becomes angry when his servants take lightly the light and true and light he has shared with them. He withholds his blessings to individuals, to wards and the to church when we are casual about the thing he has given us. The Lord has said, "The Lord's scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and the report there so shall vex all people yea it shall not be stayed until the Lord comes. Nevertheless Zion shall escape if she observes to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her saith the Lord. but is she observes not to do whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to all her works. With sore affliction, with pestilence, with plague, with sword, with vengeance, and devouring fire." "Paul (speaking to leaders) teaches that if the trumpet has an uncertain sound who shall prepare for battle". Let me sound that trumpet with a very certain sound tonight AND forever... "God said", 'Though shalt not kill', at another time He said, "thou shalt utterly destroy". This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted-by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are places. Whatever God requires is RIGHT, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire". (teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith , Joseph Fielding Smith (1976,256)

May we be found prepared at his coming and the events that shall surely precede that coming. Filled with the spirit of promise, having the angels watching over us, our hearts full of faith and wonderment at seeing the hand of the Lord, fearing nothing, still able to perform service to others and not out of game....

Those exempt from having food storage are: Missionaries and Military personnel.

Freeze Dried vs Dehydrated. FD is more nutritious and tasty. Dehydrated is less expensive. You won't care which you have in a crisis. You will just be glad to have food.

Wheat - Store red or white hard wheat. In 1986 white wheat was invented by LDS. It is the most popular as it looks and feels most like white flour. It also has more protein than red wheat. 400 pounds is the minimal amount. The Germans stored 350 lbs of hard black grain per prisoner in Dachau and they were starving. Lentils - get too hard and will ruin a grinder. A pressure cooker will soften them. ABC soup mix from the dry pack cannery is made without flavor so you have to add flavor. Bouillon cubes are good for that. A 5 gallon bucket of ABC soup mix has 300 servings. Store for starving neighbors. Salt - Use salt with minerals (Real Salt) Showers - Propane bottle type (small bottles). 23 bottles will take care of a family of 5. Toilets - Luggable Lu. Can get at Costco and use #10 garbage bags. If you don't have a septic tank you will need toilet facilities. Anything requiring batteries will also require rechargeable batteries. Use a Solar Charger. Ill charge 14 batteries in 2 hours
(6 hours if cloudy). When you add batteries to the equation there is an increase of things you can do. If you are not going to store food, you take the risk of losing your life and that of your family. The Saints in Nauvoo were told to store a years supply of food, but were not given a reason. When they were forced to leave Nauvoo, how much better off were those who had the food? (Church History in the Fullness of Times pg 310)

List of things to get: Powdered Chlorine Rolls of clear plastic (6 Mil) Manual Staple Gun and Staples Kerosene Heater and Kerosene (Two 55 gallon drums minimum) Sta-bil (enough to treat Kerosene)
3 months supply of everyday now foods
1 year or more supply of basics (wheat, other grains, rice, beans, etc. Don't forget cooking oil) Garden seeds (I threw this in)

Here is a source for things listed in this talk. Neighborhood Necessities, Connie & Jim Cheney. Phone: (801)763-1096 Email: nn@airwired.net <mailto:nn@airwired.net> You can also do an internet search Solar light kit include 12 watt solar panel, super fast battery charger, very bright florescent lantern and 4 D NMH ultra high capacity batteries $299.00 (lantern alone $25.00 - batteries D $8.70 ea, AA $2.15 ea, AA $2240/12 pack, C $5.20 ea. 9V $5.30 ea.

Kerosene Heater : 23.000 BTU heats 1,000 Sq. Ft $129.00 Hand Crank Blender: $74.00 Sid's Chlorine Generator for water purification (Like the MSR): $65.00 Sun Oven: $219.00 Solar Generator: Available soon. Do internet search. HotMan Shower: $139.00