Storage Solutions Continued.....

(Image courtesy of Photoshoptextures.com)

A few days ago, I posted information on how I organize my food storage staples in square gallon containers.  I had requests for other ideas.  Although I do not believe that I have all the great ideas in the world, I am hoping that I have a few. So, open those cabinet doors and take a look to see what you may need.

These are plastic shoe boxes that retail for just over $1.00.  They are the perfect size to hold your little envelopes of seasonings etc. Another great thing about them is that they stack.  I also like the fact that they are clear so that you can see what is in them.  Use pieces of card stock, cut to size, to make dividers in the box for the different packets that you have.

I have my small spices on Lazy-Susan types of platforms.  I received these as a wedding gift a hundred years ago...and I still use them.  They allow you to see all of your spices and not have some get lost at the back of the cabinet.

So, consider these easy suggestions.  They can help you see what you have and what you might need. They may also free up some additional space for other things. 

Good luck!

And the Runner up is.....

Just an anecdote for us......our little blog was listed tin the "Runners Up" category in the Top 50 Survival Blogs. All this and we weren't even trying to be in the running.  Thanks to those who placed us on the list!

New Wardrobe Opportunities for Sister Missionaries!!!!

(Image courtesy of  LDS Images)

New opportunities for wardrobe updates have been announced for Sister Missionaries. Please see the article below courtesy of LDS Living.com.

For years, the dress standard for sisters missionaries has been a consistent guideline and entirely unchanging. In recent months however, the Church has implemented new changes to the approved apparel.

Encouraging brighter colors, patterns and even accessories, the Church hopes to make sister missionaries’ appearance more inviting to investigators. With completely new photos, the changed apparel guidelines have proliferated as they have been sent out to sisters recently receiving their mission calls, and current missionaries have been notified by their mission presidents.

In addition to the unchanged guidelines of retaining modesty by ensuring clothes are neither too tight or too loose, sheer or sloppy, the new standard is meant to enhance the perpetual tradition of presenting oneself as dignified, well-groomed and clean in appearance.

“The Church provides dress and grooming standards for Elders and Sisters alike, which are current with acceptable styles yet maintain an appearance of dignity, professionalism and modesty,” said Scott Trotter, spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In conforming to current acceptable style, the updated guidelines encourage sisters to wear brighter colors and patterns, simple accessories and dub nylons as optional. Skirt length has also been modernized with the rule that they can rise above mid-calf, but are still required to cover the knees when sitting or standing.

Although there are revisions, sisters are still required to maintain their appearance of modesty, wearing conservative outfits that consist of professional suits, skirts, blouses, jackets, sweaters and dresses.

Dana Blackburn, a sister recently called to the Calif., San-Fernando Spanish-speaking mission, said, “It’s been a long time coming. They changed all the things making sister missionaries feel like they’re dressing drab.”

Blackburn is among the ranks of newly called sisters who are excited to shop for their missionary wardrobe. She believes that if they take the changes to heart and add bright colors, the new standard will cause sisters to dress in a way that’s more approachable and relatable to investigators.

“People who would listen before will still listen, but lots of people who’ve written the [sisters] off thinking, ‘here are two people who want me to join their drab-looking religion,’ will instead think, ‘here are two cute people who want to share some bright message with me,’” Blackburn said.

In addition to the sisters’ more welcoming appearance, the revisions will also dispel the common notion to call sisters “drab,” and perhaps cause a deviation from attention on what the sisters are wearing, to what they are saying.

“When my uncle was a mission president, he’d hear concerned women who were worried they’d have to dress like the sister missionaries if they joined the Church,” Blackburn said.

Over the next years when sisters receive their calls, they may be excited to discover the updated options for apparel during their 18 months of preaching the gospel—though it’s just one small reason to celebrate the joy of serving.

It's a matter of......Space!

Well, I am officially on some sort of "organizing" kick.  I just have to get things in order....for me!  I thought I would share something that you may not have thought of.  Square footage....on your shelf!

I have a shelf that is 42 inches by 11inches. I can fit seven #10 cans on it so that I can actually read the cans. Above, you see a #10 can (which holds ~ 1 gallon of product).  To the right of the can, you see a plastic container with a screw-on lid that also holds a gallon of product (this one just happens to hold Chocolate Chips!). Look at the diameter and height of both of these containers. They are very different.  The round container leaves exposed shelf space that is unusable.  But look at the shape of the plastic container....square!

Remember the dimensions of that shelf I spoke of before?  Well, here is a snapshot of part of that same shelf.  Guess how many of these containers I can fit on that same shelf? What would you guess?  Maybe 10.....perhaps 12? 

Look at the comparison between to two lids. See the difference in size?



Are you still guessing?  Well, I can fit 16 of these containers on the same shelf with a little room to spare. See the tall container on the 3rd shelf?  This, again is a snapshot of my pantry. I actually have a 42 of these containers.  Each contains a different food storage staple ranging from noodles, dry beans, dried fruit, dried/dehydrated vegetables, powders (i.e. cheese) etc. These containers are very convenient and allow you to more efficiently use your valuable space.  Because I do not have to dive into buckets, I actually use my staples.  I can easily pull these containers out to when I am cooking.....particularly from scratch.

I actually purchased these from Allison's Pantry . I love them! 

So, look at your Pantry and see if this suggestion would open up much more space in your pantry!

Free Betty Crocker Cookbook....digital!

Betty Crocker...a name that has been around for a very long time.  People trust this name when it comes to recipes.  How would you like to download a free Betty Crocker digitized Cookbook?  Go to this link if you are interested.  Enjoy!

Another Missionary is lost....

Another Sad incident today.  Here is the story from KSL. Please keep this missionary's family in your prayers.

LDS missionary shot and killed in Jamaica

January 17th, 2011 @ 4:50pm

By ksl.com

SALT LAKE CITY -- A missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was shot and killed in Kingston, Jamaica, Monday.

The LDS Church confirmed Elder Jermaine Luther Walker was shot when he and a group of elders got caught in the crossfire of a police shootout. Elder Walker was a native of Kingston, Jamaica.

"It appears the van they were in was caught in the crossfire as local police were pursuing another vehicle," a statement from the Church read. "Elder Walker was immediately driven to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead."

The seven elders, serving in the Jamaica Kingston Mission, were on their way home from an activity on Preparation Day and not proselyting when the shooting occurred.

"Although shaken, the other missionaries in the van were reported in good condition," reads the statement from Church spokesperson Scott Trotter. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Elder Walker's family and all who knew this fine young man."

MOM! I need you to.......

I have a wonderful son who is very busy with work, his dating life, and planning his future. I heard this little tidbit this morning "MOM!!! I need you to fix my pants!!!   Well, to his credit, he did ask me to do this a few days ago, but I was busy at work and I didn't write it down.  Well, I wanted to show you a technique that a wonderful lady named Marylou taught me years ago.   I'm sure you can see the repair.  That is because I choose a thread that was a little different than what I needed to use......so that you could see it.  Don't worry, after a few washings, you will not be able to see it.  It is also very strong, and the repair will probably last longer than the jeans do. 

I have a close up of my sewing machine.  I have removed my sewing foot so that you can see the "feed-dogs"  These are the long, textured rows that help feed the material through the machine. 

Find the button/switch that lowers the feed-dogs.so that they will not touch your jeans.

Also release the pressure on the pressure foot. I moved my setting to "0".

Change your stitch to a zig-zag stitch that is between and a small and medium in diameter for your machine.  Lower your foot and begin to sew in a SLOW-CIRCULAR manner.   In this photo, the tear is repaired on the right side and is still open on the left side.

I am nearly done in this photo.  Sew all around the tear on both sides.  You are essentially are making a new fabric with your thread.  Overlap the stitching over and over.

Here is the repair. No, I won't be showing you a picture of my son wearing them.....hopefully for obvious reasons.

Here are a couple of tips.  For Jeans that are a bit faded, use a grey thread.  Otherwise choose a thread that is a bit darker than the fabric.  Also, you may need to use the 'skinny arm' part of your sewing machine to slide the leg of the pants over to access the tear.  It's actually very simple to do....just remember to go slow.

Organize every needful thing.....

This week our Ward (congregation) Relief Society had a wonderful lesson about the benefits of being organized.  Sister Patsy W. shared her experience of having to move into a new home (that needed significant updating), with new twins (and her other children), & with one car that her husband used to work and church service (which translates into long hours),  She shared how she found a way to plan and organize not only her home, but all the family's appointments. 

She shared some of her favorite tools.  She also taught that you need to have the correct tools, and quality tools.  They need to be available to you (in an apron, or how ever you need organize them) so that as you complete your tasks, you can stay on task.

Healthy discussion took place on finding solutions to frequent situations in many of our homes.

Plenty of visiting and sharing ensued.

Everyone enjoyed the evening, and lingered long after the class was over.....we all needed a break didn't we? Thank you sister Patsy and all those who made the evening so wonderful!

What lies behind your doors?

Just a reminder for the Highland 24th Ward.  Tonight is our Relief Society Weekday meeting!

"Organize every needful thing" will be taught in the RS room at 7:00 p.m.  Sister Patsy W will be teaching a fun and funny class on getting ourselves organized...see you there!

It's a matter of cooking with Dehydrated foods....

Guess what we had for dinner on Sunday?  It was warm, hearty, and wonderful.  Are you finished guessing?  I made Clam Chowder....and I used foods from my Food Storage.  This was so convenient and easy. Want to see?

Here is the final product.  Below are the steps to get there!

The recipe called for diced potatoes, celery and onion.  I used my dehydrated Potato and Celery, but had an onion that I needed to use....so in the pot they went.

I covered the vegetables with the clam juice and then added enough water to cover the and simmer until tender..about 20 minutes.

The recipe called for a quart of milk......so I made one!

I added the milk to the rue I had made (melted butter ....from my freezer....and flour)

Heat until smooth, stirring as you go.

Add the milk solution to the vegetables.  Bring to a slow simmer.  Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Add your clams at the last moment. 

Here is the final product in about 30 minutes.  Rich, creamy Clam Chowder.  Think of ways to substitute your dehydrated foods in your recipes and use them.  You will be amazed at what you can accomplish!

News from the Lindon Family Cannery....

To take advantage of this, you must act quickly.  This is only for individuals who live in the vicinity of the Lindon Home Storage Center (aka Lindon Cannery) in Lindon Utah.

The Lindon Cannery will have two days, January 13th & 14th, for Family Canning Pork & Beans. We are doing sign-ups through the Mysignup.com website. Sign-ups will open on January 6th @ 6pm to begin scheduling. You may go to the website prior to that time to read all the details (prices, limits, etc.) and instructions, but REMEMBER you will not be able to schedule a shift until the sign-up opens on the 6th.


TO FIND CURRENT LINKS FOR LINDON FAMILY CANNING:

1) Go to: http://www.mysignup.com/


2) Scroll down and look for a grey box that says:

“Searching for a signup? Enter the email address for the person with the sign up below.”

3) Do not enter your email address. In the yellow field inside the grey box, you must enter the Cannery’s email distribution address, (DO NOT COPY & PASTE, YOU MUST CORRECTLY ENTER IT YOURSELF) and hit the submit button:


wel-ca-lindon-wetpack@ldschurch.org


If you get a blank page, you have not entered the email address correctly or have tried to copy & paste it. Enter it again!


4) Click on the signup that you are interested in scheduling for. Note the date and product indicated in the link’s name.


5) Read the instructions at the top of the sign-up page.

Happy New Year.....I have been AWOL just a bit...

Happy New Year everyone.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebration with family and friends.  I not only had family come, but also a cold that decided to come every 4-5 days and then disappear for over the past 3-4 weeks.  So, I am finally trying to get back in to the swing of things.

Over the holidays, we did many things....with many of them involving food.  We certainly had a lot of junkie snacks, but also very healthy foods as well.  Unbeknownst to my family, several of the meals we had were directly from my food storage.  This was mostly because the Doctor told me I should not leave the house, and my energy levels were very low.  So, I used the items I had in my home.  We made Spiral Ham (yes, I had one in the freezer), Scalloped potatoes (with white cheddar cheese powder and non-fat dry milk), White bean Chili (with my electronic Pressure Cooker), Chicken Noodle Soup (I canned the soup without the noodles and then added them for the meal) and Texas Chili (in my crock pot).  There were others as well.  However, I wanted to show you one of the things I made.....using my food storage staples.

I decided to Make Corn Muffins, but did not have any cornmeal on hand.  So here was my process:

This is Yellow Dent Corn.

I put some in my small grain mill as I keep my larger one with Wheat in it to be used at a moments notice.

This is the freshly milled corn.....and it looks just like the cornmeal you would purchase in the store.

I used the recipe in my Betty Crocker Cookbook and mixed up the muffins and poured them into the muffin tins.

The recipe says it makes 12, but I only got 11 out of it.  So, I put water in the open 'hole' to help the pan heat evenly.

Here was the final product.

What is the take away lesson here?  This was easy....really easy.  I don't have to store cornmeal and worry about it going rancid.  I just store the dehydrated corn and mill it when I need it.  Now, you can do that....

Try it today!