Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day! You may wonder "why" I am putting a picture of a "Newell post" in celebration of this day. There is a reason....and I'd like to share it with you.

Several years ago, we had moved here from the East Coast. We rented a home while we investigated properties that we might purchase to build a home. We looked and looked, and found the choices to be a bit overwhelming. While we were in that process.....Valentine's Day came around.

I was looking forward to some extravagant gift from my husband.....but I didn't see any wrapped packages or flowers! I wondered if he forgot! As we gathered around as a family to celebrate with a wonderful meal and little presents, my husband brought out a "board" with a big red bow on it.

Now, keep in mind that my husband works with wood and sees it as a thing of beauty. I thought I was getting a "beautiful piece of wood". Well, as it turns out, it was this very Newell Post. He said "Happy Valentine's Day, I wanted to give you the first piece of our new home". I was very moved, and felt sheepish about my previous thoughts.

He built the staircase for our home using this post. Many times, as I slide my hand around this ball when making my way downstairs, I remember that Valentine's Day.

Even though I loved getting that "gift", I still love getting flowers.....and he didn't disappoint me this year either. I loved how they arrived; the delivery boy brought them into the house and set them on the counter when nobody was home. Don't be alarmed, the delivery boy...was my handsome son. It's all good!

Now, have a happy Valentine's Day. Do something special for those you love and express your thanks and appreciation for those who grace you life.

February Week #3.....Dry Beans

(image courtesy of http://whatscookingamerica.net)

This "food" comes with some controversy.  Some love dry beans and others either hate them or don't have a clue what to do with them.  This week, I will try to show you various things you can do with them.  They are a very healthy food and traditionally are very inexpensive. 

The LRH has previously shared several posts about dry beans which include varieties, how to cook them, some unique uses, and even some favorite recipes.  Check them out!

http://tinyurl.com/Dry-beans-1

You can purchase dry beans from various sources.  Many local grocery stores carry small 2 lb bags all the way up to 25 pound bags.  Many sources/sites that sell Food Storage also carry a variety to purchase.  Finally, you can get dry beans from our local Lindon Home Storage Center. 

More news from the Lindon Home Storage Center......

I received this notice from the  Lindon Home Storage Center (aka the Cannery)  Read on.....it's got great information!

Because we have had such a significant number of new subscribers to the Lindon Cannery distribution list, we are re-sending the family canning schedule. This distribution list has become an invaluable tool for us. We hope that you will always find value in the information we send to you. (Remember, you can always call the Lindon Cannery (801) 785-0998, and ask that your name be removed from the list if needed.)



Two things to note about the current Family Canning Schedule:


1) For spaghetti sauce, we have had to switch from a 25 oz. jar to a quart size, 32 oz. jar. This will raise the price per case to $24.00. HOWEVER…this drops the price per ounce from .07 cents to .06 cents. So…you are saving money—but you might have to make a little more spaghetti or have bread sticks to dip with your spaghetti dinner! Leftovers! YUM!!! You could always use the left over sauce in a homemade soup or make pizza another night. We must always look at the positive!! We also found out that you can re-use the jam jars and this new spaghetti sauce jar for canning as long as you use it ONLY for water bath and NOT for pressure canning. The both jars will now come with a ring and lid.


2) If you are planning to schedule family canning, please do it right away. Forms continue to trickle in but we are needing to finalize the schedule as quickly as possible. You are free to forward the form to anyone who is interested, but please let them know how quickly we want to hear from them. If there are those who are still having trouble getting the form printed through Adobe, once you have downloaded the free copy of Adobe Reader from Adobe.com, please call us at 801-785-0998 and we will try and help you or you can come by the Cannery to pick up a copy.


*********** DRY PACK UPDATE*************


In late December, the Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry Pack) requested the information about price changes happening on January 16th be sent to our distribution list. It was amazing to see the effects this had. Brother Anderson, Manager of the Lindon Home Storage Center, has now asked that we share the following with you:


Lindon Home Storage Center (Dry-Pack) update. For Dry Pack questions call: 801-785-0997


· Powdered Milk


On January 16th the price of powdered milk rose $10.60 per 25# bag, from $24.80 to its current price of $35.40. As noted on the Family Home Storage Center price sheet (found on-line at www.providentliving.org), prices are subject to change without notice. The $24.80 price was in effect for almost seven months prior to the increase.


As soon as we were notified of the price increase in early December, I sent out a notice via the great sisters in the Wet-Pack Cannery Office. The results were interesting:


o In November 2009, our patrons canned just under 800 #10 cans of milk.


o In December, they canned just under 700 #10 cans of milk (remember that we were closed for ~the last two weeks in December.)


o In the first two weeks of January — before the price change on the 16th — just under 2,500 #10 cans were processed.


o On Thursday, January 14th, there was so much demand that we literally ran out of product fairly early in the day. It should be noted that if the demand had peaked in the weeks before, we could have replenished the milk to meet the demands since we order each week for the following week. But, by the last week, it was too late to order more.


o Note: the canning stats above do not include the thousands of pounds that were purchased in bulk during this time.


o The parallel to the parable of the 10 virgins came to my mind after all the (milk) dust settled… Those who waited until the last minute lost the benefit of the better price.


o Please note that the price of our powdered milk is still excellent considering that ~two years ago the price was over $70 per bag!


· Potato Flakes


A new opportunity has now presented itself. With the new price changes, potato flakes (NOT potato pearls!) have dropped from $30.20 per 25 lb. box to $22.20, a decrease of $8 per box.


Potato Flakes are only dried potatoes. Their shelf life, when properly canned and stored under ideal conditions (as noted on the order form), will be 30 years. You can make them taste just as good as potato pearls by adding salt, butter and milk.


We recommend that you plan early to increase your own home storage inventory and take advantage of the lower price of this and other items.


Other items to take note of are:


· White Rice: Price dropped $1.90 (11.1%) per 25# box to $$8.45


· Black Beans: Price dropped $1.85 (4.1%) per 25# bag to $14.50


· Spaghetti: Price dropped $1.70 (7.4%) per 25# box to $14.55


· White Beans: Price dropped $1.65 (7.6%) per 25# bag to $14.10



· Pre Packs


As you were informed earlier, the prices of our pre-packed items are no longer the same price as the do-it-yourself cans of equal quantity. They are slightly higher, ranging from 11 cents to 23 cents per can higher depending on the product. This is still a great buy if you want to save time in securing these products for your home storage. You can buy these pre-packs directly off the shelf.


New Pre-Pack Items: Starting sometime after the 1st of April, we will be offering two additional pre-pack items:


· White Wheat


· White Flour


Pricing and availability will be forwarded to you as soon as we are notified. This information, as always, will also be posted when the time comes on the Home Storage Center Order Form at www.providentliving.org.


We strongly suggest that the counsel of the Brethren be followed and that you build up your home storage items by:


· First securing your 3 months supply of those items your family eats every day.


· Then slowly build up your long-term food storage.


o You don’t have to do it all at once! But keep at it!


o We have some very excellent and EASY instructions to help you determine what you will need for a year’s supply of food for your family. Come in and talk to one of our excellent missionary staff! They are all willing and anxious to assist you.


The Lindon Home Storage Center is open on a walk-in, first-come/first-serve basis on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Price and product information is located on www.providentliving.org. (Make sure to use .org extension since there is a .net website with the same name.) You are looking for the Home Storage Center Order Form link on this website. It is an interactive form where you can plan your expenditure by entering order amounts and seeing the total amount you will spend. After you complete the order form, print it off and bring it with you to expedite the check-in process at the Home Storage Center. Do not fill out your check prior to arriving at the Center just in case they are out of any of the products you planned to order.


One last note: Remember that it isn’t enough just to buy food stuffs in bulk and store them, as-purchased, without preparing them to last long-term.


I talked with a patron a few months ago who wanted to buy 2,000 lbs of White Wheat. When I asked how she planned to store it, she said she had no idea what I meant. She felt that all that was needed to be prepared was to buy it in bulk. No thought was given to safe and secure storing procedures. Don’t get caught with a lot of food storage that may be at risk because of improper storage preparations.


We love serving you!


Y’all come in and see us! Hear?


Elder Anderson, Manager
Lindon Home Storage Center

For those who are adventurous.....

(Image courtesy of simpledollar.com)

Since our target item this week is laundry detergent, I wanted to share some information about making your own. There are various reasons to do this such as cost savings. I have these items in my storage because.....if I really were in a challenging situation, I could use the ingredients to make a lot of laundry detergent with either my camp stove for the liquid type or plain ole elbow grease for the powder form.

If you search, you will find a multitude of sites, videos, etc that show you how to do this. Many of them suggest a brand of soap called Fels-Naptha. You can also use a bar of Ivory soap, or a natural soap of your liking. I have read that soap with perfumes etc can interfere with the other ingredients to make soap.  I purchased all of these items in our local grocery store.

I am including videos on how to make both types, liquid and powder. I will also include some recipes that you may want to try. Depending upon who you read, the cost is around $.08 to $.10 a load compared with $.39 cents a load for Tide.

For recipes, see this link which has about 10 different recipes to try:  http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

TRY IT!!!

"On the Lords Errand....."

Elder McKay Burrows was remembered by his family, friends, and the missionaries he served with.  Below are excerpts from the Blog kept by Sister Lundberg, and the coverage by the local news.

In regard to this photo, Sister Sora Lundberg who is the wife to Mission President James Lundbert of the Romania Bucharest Mission states "This was just taken in December. I told Elder Burrows that it looked like he was twins. Then I told him that the photo reminded me of the mirrors in the temple---where life goes on eternally."

I am including several quotes about Elder Burrows from her blog:

• 
  
  Two of our precious missionaries, Elder Jace Edwards Davis and Elder McKay Choy Burrows, received an unexpected transfer on January 30, 2010. They had their final interviews with President Lundberg on Wednesday and attended zone conference on Friday. They completed their mission in the Romania Bucharest Mission on Saturday, and have begun a new mission on the other side of the veil.

• 
  
  This year in Romania, we have celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism and the dedication of the land of Romania for missionary work. Elder Davis and Elder Burrows were tiny babies in 1989 when the revolution took place in Timişoara. The elders were crossing paths as they entered this mortal existence with those people who sacrificed their lives for freedom were leaving. Those martyrs who died for the cause of freedom need the gospel. Our two elders from Timisoara were just called home. These two young men don’t need time to be trained in missionary work. They know it. They know how to contact, to teach, and to testify. They are ready to go. I hope Elder Davis and Elder Burrows will be assigned to those who also played a part in bringing the gospel to Romania.

• 
  
  A comment from the mother of a returned missionary from this mission:  "Mom, there are two young men who were welcomed into the Saviors presence today with shouts of joy and gladness. Don't be sad. Their salvation is secure". As I type this, Elders Thompson and Stromberg are on their way to Las Vegas to attend the viewing for Elder Davis, and then returning to Provo for Elder Burrows' funeral Monday morning. I know how much it will mean to the families of these two fine young men, to see their companions gathered in their honor.

Article from the LDS Church News:  http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58773/Two-apostles-speak-at-funerals-for-Mormon-missionaries-who-died-in-Romania.html

Below is a video from KSL Television.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com