July 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a complete copy of the July 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

July brings the summer heat – but also well-loved celebrations for Country and State! Our Independence and Pioneer Day celebrations always bring parades, fireworks, BBQ’s, watermelon, and maybe homemade ice cream. We celebrate today, because of sacrifices from the past! What are we doing with that gift of freedom? We have the freedom in this country to Be Prepared! Some countries call food storage “hoarding,” and it is illegal! But here in America we can set aside for a rainy day. We can worship and be spiritually prepared as well. Our country’s founding fathers, and our religion’s forefathers, would expect us to take advantage of this promised land and the time in which we live! Let us not squander the freedoms that are ours. We can honor those who came before us as we are prepared! Preparedness truly IS a celebration of freedom!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Disaster Prep - Keep Your Cool! - Ideas to keep your home and family cool during summer power outages.

Cool Clear Water! Water! Water! a reminder to store a 2 week supply of water.

Provident Living - Saving Water  - A list of ways to save water usage, and save money on the way!

Spiritual Preparedness - A quote from Elder Dale G Renlund on Christ's teaching of the importance of personal preparation to meet Him.

In the Southern Utah Garden - Tips for planting and caring for your garden, fruit trees, and lawn for the month of July.

Start at the Very Beginning: The Three-Month Supply Made Easy - - A suggested grocery list of supplies to establish a 3-month storage.

Using the Harvest -  recipes for Fresh Peach Cobbler, Zucchini Brownies, Garden Veggie and Beef Fry, and Easy Homemade Ice Cream (and how to make it with a ziplock bag of ice!)

 Click here for a complete copy of the July 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

June 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the June 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

June is here – the beginning of a hopeful summer! It is a wonderful month, when the days are long, the nights are pleasant, and the temperature still mostly tolerable! This month we begin our harvest in gardens and orchards. It is not too late to plant more garden and even start on fall garden plans. This month we can freeze, bottle, or make jam from those juicy apricots, cherries, and plums. All to enjoy on a future winter day. June is the month we start on those family adventures. Be sure to include activities that help learn preparedness skills – like camping, hiking, outdoor cooking, and even some fishing. (Which is also relaxing even if you are baiting poles for all the kids!) Make it a summer of learning and learn a new skill – then teach it to your family. Make this a preparedness summer to remember.

 Included in this months newsletter:

Food Storage: A Budget Tool - tips for how having a food storage cane save you money!

Summertime and the Livin' is Easy - ideas to make this a fun summer, and work on preparedness too.

In the Southern Utah Garden - a list of thing to do for June in the garden.

Using the Harvest: Apricots and Cherries: recipes to bottle or make jam from these June fruits.

Spiritual Preparedness - a quote from President Spencer W Kimball on getting sufficient spiritual oil.

Home Canning - tips to help you in your summer canning.

 Click here for a complete copy of the June 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

 

 

 

 

 

May 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the May 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

May has arrived, with all its beautiful flowers and mild weather! This month we celebrate May Day, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day! May Day (May 1) traditionally marked the beginning of summer - halfway between spring equinox & summer solstice. Some places still have summer parties and braid the May Pole. On Mother’s Day we honor our mothers. We all have a mother! What a wonderful day to remember her and tell her thank you! And on Memorial Day we honor our deceased veterans. Many people also use this day to remember loved ones that have passed on as well. All these May celebrations involve honor and remembrance. We remember the sacrifices so many before us have made to give us the life we live today. One way we can honor and remember is in the way we live our lives. Let us show gratitude for the life we have been given from our mothers, our forefathers, and the lord - and fill this month with the provident living and self-reliance way-of-life that those who came before us led, to provide for us today. Let us Be Prepared as we enjoy the “Merry Month of May!”

Included in this month's newsletter:

H20 - Cool Clear Water! The most important thing you can store is water! Here are tips to help you in your storage.

Spiritual Preparedness:  two quotes from President Russell M Nelson on being ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ!

In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for may with garden and yard. Included how-to tips for pruning flowering shrubs.

Cooking with Food Storage - recipes for Old Bottled Fruit Cake, Strawberry Jam, and tip for freezing strawberries.

Pandemic Panic Preventer: Preparedness!! -  tips and list of items to store that will help in all disasters.

Provident Living - Double Duty - Uses of Baking Soda, Vinegar, WItch Hazel and Hair Spray, beyond the normal uses. "Two for the price of one!"

Click here for a complete copy of the May 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

April 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the April 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

  April showers bring May flowers! (And during this series of drought years – we need to pray for that April rain!) April is a wonderful month with everything greening up, flowers popping, and we finally get the rest of the garden in! This year we celebrate Easter in April and remember the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. It is the perfect way to spend our spring. As we focus this month on the new life of spring and the resurrection, let us also honor Him with obedience to the law of preparedness. We have been told, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.” It is a promise we do not want to miss out on. As the storms of weather, politics, economy, and evils, swirl around us, we can know that by gathering supplies, storing our food, and following the Lord, we have no need to fear!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Protecting your Food Storage Investment - a list of ideas and info to help give protection to your food storage.

Disaster Prep - Holding Drills - this is the month to hold a drill in your family!

Spiritual Preparedness - a quote from Elder Dallin H Oaks on preparing for the Second Coming.

In the Southern Utah Garden - things to plant and chores for April in the yard and garden.

Disaster Prep: When to turn off your gas at the meter? Info to help you keep your home safe from gas leaks.

Cooking with Food Storage - Easter Picnic Salads - recipes using items on the food storage shelf for fruit, potato, or Italian salad.

Provident Living - Easter Egg Tips -  money saving tips to  help dye Easter Eggs, and :Natural" ideas for ingredient colors.

Food Storage Tips - a list of things to help you in your food storage endeavors.

Click here for a complete copy of the April 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

March 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

Click here for a complete copy of the March 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

March may come “marching” in like a gentle lamb and blow out like a fierce lion, or vice-versa! You just never know! The only thing that is sure is – March is not predictable!  And that is exactly how life is. Just unpredictable. This is the reason we have been admonished to be prepared! We cannot sit around and hope for “The Luck o’ the Irish” (the wish that comes with St Patrick’s Day!) We have to be prepared for “every needful thing.”  As we put food storage on the shelves, fill the freezer, pack a 72-hour kit, and sharpen our self-sufficiency skills, we are able to say, as Elder Joseph B Worthlin did, “Come what may and love it!” Preparedness is something we do not want to procrastinate! We never know when a storm may blow in or how long it will stay! Having the “Luck o’ the Irish” really does depend on the effort and work behind the Pot of Gold!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Chicken Time - Live Storage -  tips to get your onw flock of egg layers going!

The Chicken Farmer's Favorites - a list of breeds experience recommends.

Spiritual Preparedness -a quote from President Russell M Nelson on preparing for the 2nd coming of our savior Jesus Christ.

In the Southern Utah Garden -tips for your garden and yard this month.

Cooking with Food Storage - Using Rice:  tips and recipes for rice.

Disaster Prep: Sheltering In - basic tips for sheltering in, and specific for chemical leak or hazardous air quality.

Provident Living Tips:  ideas to save you money or make life easier.

Click here for a complete copy of the March 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

February 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

Click here for a complete copy of the February 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

It’s February – and “love is in the air.” Not just because it is the month of Valentines Day with the cards, candy, and flowers, or pink pancakes and “heart attack” doors – but also because it’s the perfect month to show your family some love! Preparedness style! Taking care of our loved ones IS an expression of love. This month we can get our gardens going (if you are in the right climate) and plant some indoor seeds to save on gardening costs. You can make plans for disasters and find the items you need to be ready for whatever comes our way. This world is filled with commotion, as has been prophesied. But we have also been promised that “If ye are Prepared, ye shall not fear.” If we are prepared, we are ready to say, as Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s mother taught him:” Come what may, and love it!” We have ring-side seats for these last days! Let us show the love, Be Prepared, and sit back to enjoy the ride!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Preparedness - By Small and Simple Things - ideas of items that have low cost - but high value!

Disaster Prep - Keeping Your Fridge and Freezer Cold - what to do when the power is out to keep your fridge and freezer going - and to dry or can if you cannot keep things cold.

In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for the February garden, inside and out!

Cooking with Food Storage - Easy Casseroles - multiple casseroles from one recipe and four boxes.

Spiritual Prep - Begin With the End in Mind - President M Russell Ballard teaches us about setting goals.

Know Your Disasters- Sign up for Alerts - a list of tips for disasters, and a link to sign up for alerts.

Click here for a complete copy of the February 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

January 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

Click here for a complete copy of the January 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

January has arrived! Father Time has passed on his wisdom, and Baby New Year slid right in! It is hard to believe it is 2025! Each new year brings the annual “New Year Resolutions” – which is also a great time to review lists and renew efforts for all of our preparedness endeavors. This month, take inventory of your food storage, and make a plan to update it, or how to better rotate that investment. Try some “new” ideas – like making your home an “ingredient household” – to help you to use your food storage. If you are searching for extra space – check out the ideas in this newsletter to add storage behind doors or even in a hallway. As you set your 2025 goals, be sure to add preparedness to the list!

Included in this month's newsletter:

New Year - Old Lists! A summary of basic one year storage amounts, and a list of items to include in a 3-month supply.

New Year Resolutions - Be and Ingredient Household - what this means and why we should do it!

Words to Live By - A Prophetic Quote - a quote from Elder Christopher Waddell reminding us that sacrifice must be made to establish a food storage.

In the Southern Utah Garden - things to do for January including an idea for a compost bin, and a reference for pruning tips.

Finding Rooms for Food Storage - ideas to find or make space to store your food!

Cooking with Food Storage - ideas and recipes to make your food storage into quick snacks and fast food!

Click here for a complete copy of the January 2025 Back to Basics Newsletter.

December 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the December 2024 Back to Basics.

December is here! “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Christmas time provides opportunity for extra service, love, and goodwill to all men! There is peace and wonder all around. We see it in the lights, decorations, parties and concerts. Sometimes we can get so “wrapped up” in the hustle and bustle, that we forget that “Jesus is the reason for the season.” This year let us find Christ in every activity that we do. We can listen for the message of His birth and life in concerts and music all around. As we shop for presents we can emulate the wise men bringing gifts, or the Savior and the greatest gift of all. The long winter nights are the perfect time to read stories and sing songs as a family that bring our hearts together and turn us to Christ. Christmas giving is also the perfect time to help our families with temporal and spiritual preparedness. May you use this Christmas season to add to the preparedness of family and friend’s shelves and hearts, and spread that to the poor and needy around us. May you use this Christmas to truly bring Christ into the season.

Included in this month's newsletter: 

A Preparedness Christmas - ideas for gift giving that help others get more prepared.

Baking Soda - The Storage Room's Secret Weapon - Ideas to use Baking soda in the kitchen, medicinally and cleaning and household uses.

In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for December.

Spiritual Preparedness - Christmas Joy - a quote by M Russell Ballard on things to do to bring peace and joy.

Cooking with Food Storage - Make-a-mix - basic quick mix and recipes to make Madeline's Christmas Muffins, Christmas Morning Pancakes, and Santa's Sugar Cookies.

First Aid Kit - Disaster and Daily Living Prep - a list of items to put in a first aid kit.

Christmas Treats - a suggestion of  past newsletters with yummy Christmas treat recipes.

  Click here for a complete copy of the December 2024 Back to Basics.

November 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

Click here for a complete copy of the November 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter.

November is the “Thankful” month! Beautiful fall days still abound, with a few hints of winter dispersed throughout. Of course the annual Thanksgiving Dinner – complete with family and fun – is looked forward to. Many families will trek “over the river and through the woods” to grandmother’s house! As we gather, let us remember that we live in a world with so much to be thankful for! Even as the world around us seems to be disintegrating, there are many aspects of these “last days” to fill us with gratitude. One way we can show our gratitude is by keeping the commandments! At this “end of harvest” time of year – we can focus on keeping the commandment to Be Prepared. Hopefully your storage shelves are full of items to make a Thanksgiving dinner. If they are not, let that be a goal. Establish a preparedness life – a life of provident living – where you have prepared “Every Needful Thing.” Let us be thankful by being prepared - so we can all say, “All is safely gathered in!”

Included in this months newsletter: 

Rotation Rotation Rotation! - A list of tips to keep your food storage from spoiling by using a good rotation method.

I Can't Afford It - A testimonial by a sister who started over from nothing to get her food storage. It includes a wonderful Quote from Elder Featherstone.

Preparedness Prophecies - A quote from President Hinckley after the attack on the world trade centers reminding us of years of prophecies concerning our food storage.

In the Southern Utah Garden - Tips for the November yard and garden.

Unexpected Disaster Prep - Tips from regular "life living" that help you Be Prepared.

A Food Storage Thanksgiving - Recipes and tips for a dinner straight from your storage shelves.

Storing Expanded Item "Ingredients" - Items you need to add to your basic long term storage.

Click here for a complete copy of the November 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter.

October 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the October 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter.

October is when we know fall has arrived! The weather changes, first frost arrives, the harvest is in, and a fire in the fireplace starts a cold morning. The weather may send flurries of leaves dancing down the street, or require an open window to cool off a surprise warm afternoon. It’s a favorite season for hunters, hikers, and sport enthusiasts alike. Its roundup and branding for the rancher, and harvest finishing for the farmer. It’s also the perfect season to be sure “all is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin” in our own homes.  Now is a great time to store a sack of potatoes and a box of apples for winter. You could finish up that applesauce, or bottle a few more pears. Perhaps it is one more trip to a case lot sale, or the church’s Home Storage Center. Whatever you do – use this time wisely! We have seen across the county how quickly a disaster creates a need that, if people are prepared can be easily addressed. But if they are not, it is frightening and difficult. Choose to Be Prepared TODAY!

Included in this newsletter:

Real Life Lessons from Hurricane Helene - a list of things a variety of people in the middle of the disaster said they needed to have.

Preparation Smorgasbord - a variety of thoughts and ideas to consider as you prepare.

In the Southern Utah Garden - tasks for October for your garden, trees, and yard.

Cooking with Food Storage and Provident Living - ideas to use your pumpkins at the end of the month including dinner in a pumpkin. Recipe for Homemade Halloween makeup.

Preparedness Warnings -  two quotes to give major incentive for getting ourselves prepared!

Don't Forget - reminder for fall rotations and activities.

The Doctor is In...Dr. Mom that is! -  home remedies to help avoid a visit to the doctor office.

Click here for a complete copy of the October 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter.

September 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the September 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter.

September means kids are back to school, weather turns mild, days are shorter, and the apples and pears are ripe. It is one of the most pleasant months! We can still sit out and enjoy the evening stars, but might need a sweater to start the day. The harvest continues but slows a bit, and there is great reward as we enjoy the “fruits of our labors.” September is also the “National Preparedness Month.” This makes it a great month to focus on preparing your home and family for emergencies and disasters that might affect you. Store sales abound to accompany this focus. No one knows the needs of your family better than YOU do. So let us use our time wisely. Let us, “today while the sun shines, work with a will,” and “today - our duty fulfill.” Let us prepare for the sake of our families, and the peace preparedness will bring.

Included in this month's newsletter: 

Signs of the times - State of the World Incentives - the events we see happening around us can be addressed with preparedness. This list gives ideas.

Provident Living Tip: A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned - a list of tips to save money!

Spiritual Preparation - Quote from President Nelson with lessons from Moroni, and a scripture to go with it.

In the Southern Utah Garden - garden tips for September.

Grains - tips to store and use a variety of grains.

Using the Harvest - Apples and Pears - tips to harvest, how to use, and recipes.

Click here for a complete copy of the September 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter.

August 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

Click here for a complete copy of the August 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter.

As August rolls around, it brings the lazy dog days of summer, with hot days and some humidity if the monsoons are here. It brings “back to school” shopping, and kids heading back for another year of learning. Harvests in the garden are in full swing, and orchards continue to produce juicy fruits. It is the perfect month to add to our preparedness! We can take advantage of the bounteous harvests, either from our own gardens, or local farmers. Home canning has made a comeback as more and more people recognize the benefits of bottling your own. You know what went in the jar and how it was prepared and taken care of. If you follow safety guidelines of canning, your family will eat very safe and healthy food. This has also been a summer of disasters across the country. Wild fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes have reminded us we live in the last days. Let those disasters propel you to greater preparations for the unexpected! This last month of summer offers numerous opportunities to add to our preparedness! Let us take advantage of the time we have to prepare!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Disaster Prep - Earthquake! A list of things to do BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER an earthquake.

In the Southern Utah Garden - a list of what to plant, and chores in the garden and orchard this month.

Using the Harvest: Tomatoes - ideas of ways to bottle, dry and freeze tomatoes.

Basic Storage: Slick Facts about Fats and Oils -  info to help you store fats and oils including amounts and tips to keep long term.

Food for Thought - Preparedness Matters -  four quotes to encourage you in your preparedness endeavors.

Click here for a complete copy of the August 2024 Back to Basics Newsletter.