I am grateful to all the "Brittney's" who humbly teach me to be better...

I have the opportunity each week to provide services to the pediatric population in both medical and educational settings.  Each setting provides me with different opportunities to learn from these young individuals.  In the medical setting, I am often touched by the resilient spirit of children and their parents. This is particularly true of the little ones with incredible odds stacked against them. There have been times that they have brought me to tears.  It is my feeling that because of their righteousness in the pre-mortal life, that they have come to teach many lessons to us all.

The video you are about to watch, shows how this beautiful young girl has figured out one of life's great lessons at her young age.  Her acts of service astound me.  I hope to be more like Brittney....and I hope you do as well.  

Before you roll you eyes.....

Now, before some of you roll your eyes to the back of your head....take a moment to think. Are you feeling great satisfaction when you talk back to the TV and Radio....especially when your leaders take action you agree or disagree with?

No matter what State you live in, you can be a part of the process to nominate good and wise people to represent you.  You can do as much as you feel comfortable with....and you really should.  Our children and grandchildren are counting on us to protect and lead them. We all should work toward making their future as unencumbered as we can....we owe it to them. 

In Utah, we have an inspired Caucus system.  I am planning to run as a State Delegate.  If you want to know more about what Delegates do, please see this link to our local Precinct Blog.  Consider running yourself.  Who is in a better position to determine and vote for the needs of your area....than a neighbor you know?

The First Presidency recently had the following read over the pulpit in Utah:

On Tuesday, March 13, and Thursday, March 15, 2012, political parties in Utah will hold precinct caucus meetings. Precinct caucuses are the most fundamental grassroots level of political involvement. They are best served by a broad representation of Utah citizens. Those who attend play a critical role in selecting candidates for public office.

We are concerned with the decreasing attendance at these caucus meetings in Utah in recent years. We therefore ask that local leaders not schedule meetings on these Tuesday and Thursday evenings so that members may attend a caucus meeting of their choice. The locations of these meetings can be found on the websites of the respective political parties.

Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in the platforms of the various political parties. We encourage members to attend their precinct caucus meetings

In Highland, and particularly in my area, the following information applies to HI02. However, if you wish to find your precinct, please see the Lieutenant Governor's website.  

HI02 (Republican) Precinct:

• March 15, 2012
• 7:00 to 8:30. Registration begins at 6:30
• Meet in Conference Room Adjacent to the Highland City Library, 5400 W. Civic Center Dr., Room A-1, Highland, Utah 84003

Democratic Caucus:

• March 13, 2012
• 6:30 p.m.
• American Fork High School
  510 North 600 East, American Fork
  
  
  Make a plan to attend your local Caucus.....you may be surprised at how much more satisfying the Caucus is than to talking back to your TV and radio!
  
  
  The future of your children and grandchildren depends upon what you do today. 

Something fun for little ones getting ready for General Conference

This is a really fun video that helps little one's not only learn the names of the Quorum of the 12, but also the First Presidency and a few facts about them.  It's clever...and many of you should recognize the melody.

"Break-the-fast-dinner".....

Yes, that is my Kindle among these food storage staples.  I am in love, it is a great little item and it is easy to search and find wonderful things using it.  What am I making you may ask?  Stay tuned.....

Some of you know that my husband and I are serving in a Young Single Adult ward.  The opportunities and experiences we are having are not only amazing, but are very memorable.  Well, our ward had a "Break-the-fast-dinner".  What this means is that essentially is some folks brought main dishes, others desserts, etc.  It's a big, big potluck dinner to break the fast following church on Fast Sunday.  I wasn't assigned to bring anything, but I just couldn't show up empty handed. 

I then thought about all the food storage staples I have in my home...and now that one or more children come and go, we don't necessarily need it all.  So, I decided to make something from my Food Storage.  I decided upon pies.  I put the first 3 ingredients in my food processor.

After putting in the cold water, I had a wonderful dough to use.

I rolled it out and trimmed off the rough edges.

Then, I rolled it on to my rolling pin and place the dough into the pie plate.

I put in the Cherry Pie filling that I canned using Ultra Gel.

Roll out the top crust and place it on.

Choose the fluted edges you wish.

Cut vents.

This suggestion come courtesy of my sister, Teri. Cut leaves and the shape of the fruit inside.

Using eggwash or water, attach them to the top crust.

Cover the edges with foil while baking. Remove the foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking. The foil protects the edges from burning. 

The pies turned out well, but I don't have a photo of the finished product....because I was running out the door with my pies in order to make it to church.

I made this totally with food storage supplies....and there was not any left after the meal.  I made cherry and apple, and it was actually simple. I have decided that I will be making dishes from my food storage for future dinners.  It's great practice for me, it helps rotate my supplies, and it feeds the masses.  

If you are wondering what this amazing recipe is....see it below. It comes from KSL TV.

Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup cold lard
• 6-8 tablespoons cold water

Method:

1 double crust 9-inch pie or 2 single crust 9-inch pie shells.

Stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives cut cold lard into flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over flour mixture tossing gently with a fork; continue to add water until pastry is moist enough to press into a ball. Do not over mix pastry. Divide dough in half and roll each half out on a lightly floured surface, or between two sheets wax paper until it is the size of pie plate. Follow directions for favorite pie.

Something Cool That I Ordered....

I ordered 2 sets of these recently after being introduced to them via an email I received from a gentleman who focuses on emergency preparedness and self sufficiency.   These are Jar Boxes  designed to hold canning jars.  I took this photo by my banister to give you a frame of reference.  You may ask what they are or what they are for.....read on.

I placed Quart Jars in the tray, but you could use pints as well.

Looking at the tray from the bottom, you can see these 'rings'. These rings allow you to either stack more trays on tip of jars, or enclose the jars with 2 trays and stack more trays on top of each other. I did try this, and it did work.

Here you can see how the trays can be stacked.  Please note the holes. If you choose to enclose your jars between two trays, you can secure them together by tethering them.

Why would you need these?

• First and foremost, they can protect your home canned foods.  I live in an earthquake zone.  I either put my jars in a box (which does not allow me to see how many jars I have in it), or I put them on a shelf with bungee cords strung across it in an attempt to keep the jars from falling and becoming a hazard.
• After a while, my boxes become weak and need to be discarded.  If a cardboard box were to get wet, it would disintegrate.  Picture several wet boxes full of heavy canned goods.....it would be a mess.  In contrast, these trays are made from sturdy plastic and in my estimation they will last for a long time. 
• If you do not enclose the bottles, you could see what you had and how many jars you had in each tray (see photo above).  This is definitely a big positive over the boxes.

What do they cost and where do you get them?

These were obtained in a group order.  They can be purchased from the following:

LDS AVOW

The cost is $15.95 for one tray or $24.99 for two.

Are they worth the cost?

For me, they will be for certain canned items.  I do not plan to replace all of my boxes with these at one time, but may purchase more of them over time.

So, another interesting item to consider in your quest to prepare.....check it out!