Now we’re off and running.

Bright and early Monday morning, our first step was to FIND THE DRESS. Sam and I decided to stop at a boutique for a little look-see. Didn’t know that we were supposed to make an appointment, but got the hint when both consultants politely suggested that we could just sit down and wait on the couch. (We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.) Then, after carefully checking her schedule book, a lovely young woman joined us, and began our interview. Truly, it all sounded FABULOUS and EXTREAMLY accommodating but as soon as I had the chance, I politely asked what the price would be, “ballpark”(ew) for one of their gowns. As she gently purred $3,500.00 I must have said “okay” with a little too much enthusiasm. Consultant, second in command, sweetly piped in from across the room with her, “Is that amount beyond your budget?”  I immediately responded, “Oh wow. Yoooooou wouldn’t even believe how far it is beyond our budget.” With heartfelt thanks for their time and gracious help, Sam and I stepped outside, into the cool, fresh air, of reality.

I suggested we drive straight to the nearest DI. Then another one. And boy, you can sure tell when people are hoarding their grandmothers’ wedding gowns. Makes me sick. (tee-hee) Next, we tried Anthropology hoping to find, like everyone does, that amazing, vintage, one of kind, art piece, on sale.

After that didn’t work out, we went straight to a discount, but designer, fabric store. Beyond all the bolts of regular stock, there’s a back room full of clearance bins and of course that’s exactly where we found the fabric that seemed perfect for Samantha’s special dress. Lucky for us, the normal price of $2.00 a yard happened to be discounted 20%. We nabbed 15 yds and paid $25.00. Try not to hate us.

Yesterday was Hailey’s time to speak in our sacrament meeting. She gave a beautiful message on the blessings and opportunities of covenants…which I totally want to share here…but that may be over-the-top…still might ask her…don’t know for sure.      ANYWAY, after the meeting the congregation exited the chapel and helped themselves to a variety of cookies and brownies while chatting on the lawn and sipping ice water from paper cups. About at hour later, disposable table cloths were bundled up, a couple of garbage cans were emptied, three folding tables were put away, and we headed for home. When the eight of us sat down to a quiet Sunday dinner I was completely surprised to realize that I still had some emotional dollars! It had been a very big day, but I wasn’t bankrupt!!!

Suddenly, I was thankful for Hailey’s sensibility. Months earlier, when we were making the plans, I had asked this brilliant daughter what she would like to do for her farewell and it was her idea to NOT host an open house. I suggested that we didn’t have to host an open house on Sunday. We could host an open house on a different day and we could even explore different locations but Hailey was the one who said, “I wish we could just have a ward mingle.” She wanted to be able to serve guests a little treat and say goodbye before leaving on her mission, but she didn’t want to make it into a production.

When Mike heard about her idea he immediately phoned our Bishop to see if by chance there might already happened to be a mingle scheduled for the last Sunday in May. The simple answer was, “No, but would you like one?”  Mike, of course, said yes. The Elders Quorum took their turn to host and our family provided all the additional treats needed to accomodate the extra guests. Good family and friends offered to contribute and we had a very casual collection of nice treats that pleased all ages. And for the record, besides the misc. 12 dozen I ordered, I did actually bake the pumpkin chocolate chippers…but we must never speak of it again.

What I learned, once more, was that provident living has advantages that extend beyond finances. What we did, and what we didn’t do, saved some money yesterday. Much more important than that, what we did and didn’t do yesterday, saved some energy, and stress, and commotion. I felt like the minimal party preparations meant that I could fully enjoy the Sunday meeting and the thoughtful messages and lovely music shared during that special hour. My mind wasn’t focused on what still needed to be done or what was going to happen next. As the mother of the missionary I was able to enjoy the spirit of her faithful testimony amid the love and support of good family and the very best of friends. For me, the most memorable part of the whole day was what happened inside the chapel. The spirit of the Holy Ghost was there. Being able to really invest my whole heart and soul into that experience and opportunity…was worth its weight in gold.

You missed a great opportunity in the FAQ when you answered the question; what if I can’t afford to buy food storage. A better answer would be to buy a can or two more of what you do use each time you go to the grocery store. Many, many years ago as newlyweds we couldn’t afford to buy a years supply. We bought a few things extra at each shopping trip and by the time we moved a year or so later the movers exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, you’re Mormon.” Food storage is so easy.

Thank you, Kathy! I totally agree. Our family’s lifestyle of using food storage began with buying a few extra cans of soup. It’s all the little steps, pointed in the right direction, that take us where we want to go.

Last week, as I was going through my freezer, trying to find something to eat, I came across a bunch of bags of cooked wheat berries, frozen and carefully tucked away in a corner. I remembered how, while living with me this past fall in Oregon, my mom had cooked up a huge batch of wheat, portioned them in Ziploc baggies, and stocked my freezer full. Sneaky, sneaky. (Now I know I’m a daughter of the food storage queen so don’t judge me in knowing that it wasn’t until May that I actually busted a bag of that wheat open and decided to try and use it.) 

I made the carrot/wheat delight and the hippie tacos sans meat. Both recipes were ah-mazing. They were a little bit of…awesome. I, of course, immediately called my mom to brag about my wheat usage skills. In telling her all about it, I suddenly found this phrase come, uncontrollably, out of my mouth: “It’s weird because it was like by using the food storage to cook with, I was able to make two delicious meals that are not only healthy but super fast and easy. It made my life easier.” That’s right, folks. There was just no stopping it. This comment was quickly followed up with: “Oh my gosh. Did I really just say that? Where have I heard that before????”

So yeah, that whole book/website/presentation gig you’ve got goin, Mom?…I guess you really do know what you’re talking about. I’m a believer. Better late than never, right?

(Sometimes the hardest sell, is the one you make at home.)

In 1989 my husband, Mike, had just graduated from college and we could not find a ‘good’ job. With three children and the fourth on the way, the best we could do at the time was to cut our losses. We sold our modest condo in Las Vegas and moved across the street. It was a pretty big street.

I’ll never forget when our oldest, at the wise age of 3 1/2, asked, “Mommy, why have we moved to this stinky place?” Nevermind that before we moved in we paid to have the carpets professionally cleaned, twice. Still, I learned to not kneel on the floor when I fixed the girls’ hair. The supposedly clean carpet actually left marks on the knees of my pants.

The police patrolled the street at least twice a day. One horrible night, while Mike was out…driving a taxi cab with his college education, I anxiously wondered when I should call the police to come deal with the couple upstairs as they fought hour after hour. Another night the police did show up but only to remove the body after a drug overdose.

Times were tough. All over. I learned some things. But man! We hated that place. The only good part, and I mean THE ONLY GOOD PART, was that financially, we were not digging a hole for ourselves. We had done our best to prepare for a good job but when we couldn’t find one we made a course correction. We moved into the home we could afford. We stopped digging.

The ‘new’ apartment only had two tiny, TINY bedrooms. We made it work for our three tiny daughters by squeezing a twin bed into the second room, so that it was touching the wall on three sides. Then I made up the bed sideways, instead of the normal way. When we tucked the three little girls in at night they looked like little burritos. It wasn’t great but it worked.

And it didn’t last forever. Some months later, we moved back to Utah, and we were able to rent a small two bedroom home in a much better neighborhood. We still didn’t have enough room, or enough money, but we had a much better job and our financial situation slowly began to improve.

I guess I’ve shared all this because I’m worried about the young families who are struggling with the lack of good jobs in today’s economy. We know how that feels. What worked for us was to continue to serve, be prayerful, work as hard as we could, and be willing to make the difficult decisions. We learned how to focus on life rather than lifestyle.

Samantha is our oldest and she’s really this happy because there are only 5 more weeks remaining before she graduates from Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon with a double Master’s degree in Art Therapy and Counseling. This past year, Sam worked as in intern therapist with incarcerated boys and then senior adults suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Her thesis is about using narrative and art therapies in addressing the underlying effects of complex trauma in the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Dependence within the prison setting. Samantha has been through a very difficult and yet wonderful year. We couldn’t be happier for all her accomplishments.

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Hailey and Sarah, with 8 minutes between them, are next in line. They’ve both just graduated from Brigham Young University. Out of almost 7,000 graduates, these two “scrimps” were the only one’s that didn’t get the memo about wearing dresses. Not that I care, but seriously how does that happen?

Sarah graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in family and community studies and a minor in international development. Since interning with with a local NGO for the last few months, Sarah has planned a trip to El Salvador this summer. While there, she will work on several sustainable development projects which include, micro-credit loans, square foot gardening, family preservation programs, and teaching English. This is just one more adventure Sarah will add to her list of international development work. Her terrific husband, Michael, is going to miss her, and so will we.

Then we have Rosemary, and the dog. Rosie has been attending Dixie State College and will be “graduating” (transitioning) to Brigham Young University in the Fall. Beyond the education gained while modeling in New York, Milan, Singapore, and Japan, we’re so happy that Rosie  began her college career with three semesters of straight A’s. She also received an Ambassador’s Scholarship and worked part-time giving campus tours and helping with P.R. and student events. Not just another pretty face. Right now, her flavor of the month is Broadcast Journalism but Rosie will work hard in whatever goal she chooses.

And finally there’s Elizabeth. She’s the last of the little guys.

And Lizzie is graduating from 6th grade! Next, the adventure called Jr. High. Always a trip. We know she’s up for both the challenge and fun. Lizzie is finishing this school year strong even after attending two different Elementary schools, in two different states. What began as a sacrifice proved to be an adventure. Living in Oregon for four months blessed her life with some great new friends and a broader perspective.

I’m probably not the one to say whether or not they’re normal. I think they’re terrific and yes they’ve eaten food storage, all along the way.  Just sayin.

Congratulations girls. We love you very much! Mom and Dad

What it really looks like is me standing by a small display of five bins that each have a three-month supply of ingredients used in five recipes. Those wacky bins attract tons of attention. All day long I get asked if I’m selling them, if they came from IKEA, or where they can be purchased. But the hope is, that people will be able to see how their year supply can easily be combined with regular items, routinely purchase from the grocery store, to create normal meals that are simple to prepare and save money.

I have a stash of nifty bookmarks, printed with this web address and a shot of the book cover, and I try to gently shove them into as many hands as possible, hopefully without being a total pain to those that are not interested. I feel embarrassed to just sit at the table so I constantly approach people, casually asking if they have any food storage questions or inviting them to check out some easy recipes that could save money in their monthly food budget. I also have one of my large presentation posters with me that serves as a ready visual aid that helps people see how their long-term supply, three-month supply, and fresh ingredients from the grocery store can work together to provide meals that use food storage in ways that their family will actually WANT to eat. Go figure!

So, that’s it. That’s what these book signings are all about, for me. There isn’t any long line of customers excitedly waiting and giddy for my autograph. I move a few books and even sign them if people are interested in that, but the real goal is to share a system that’s worked for me and my family. And the best thing that I take out of the adventure comes while standing in a totally public venue, I get to meet individuals who tell me again and again that they have felt an urgency to get their food storage prepared…or finally figured out…or up-dated…or simply understood after years of feeling nervous, guilty, and overwhelmed. I think I can help with at least some of those issues, so I’m very happy for the chance to be there, at Costco.

I’ve mentioned this before, but my very favorite ‘customers’ are still the handful of single young men I’ve had the opportunity to meet. (noooot that way) What impresses me most is how these random…daddies…in training, look me square in the eyes, really listen to what I’m trying to explain, tell me that they’ve felt some sort of prompting, and that they’re ready to “mobilize”, and start building a food storage even before they have the wife and kids to go with it.

WHATTHEHECK! I’m sorry, but I think that is just about the coolest thing ever! I think these are examples of the few good men that really understand what it means to be a PROVIDER. It’s an OPPORTUNITY! It’s an opportunity to have more to share, to care for others, to be ready to give of yourself and your substance. And it’s open to all of us.

This morning, I’ve been studying the talks that were given in the Priesthood Session of the most recent General Conference. The words below are copied from the message Bishop Richard C. Edgley gave as he’s relating an example from the life of President Brigham Young.

In October 1856, during a general conference, President Young learned that two handcart companies, the Martin company and the Willie company, were traveling late in the season and would face harsh winter weather on the plains of the western United States. He stood at the pulpit as a prophet of God and declared:

“Many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains with hand-carts, . . . and they must be brought here, we must send assistance to them. . . . This community is to send for them and bring them in. . . . 

“That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess, it is to save the people. . . . 

“I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the celestial kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains.”⁴

As a result of President Young’s call to action, wagons with teams of mules, men to drive them, and flour and other supplies were immediately sent to rescue the people stranded on the plains.

Brethren, this is your phone call. This is our phone call. May the Lord bless us all with the same sense of urgency to answer the call today to bring in our people from these economic challenges as He did in the case of the handcart companies is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love that message. I believe that there are steps we can take right now that will help us be prepared to better serve our family, friends, and others who may be in need. It’s the direction I want to follow. Really glad I’m not alone!

I came away thinking about how love is connected to provident living. My husband has always been a good example of this principle and probably not received enough appreciation from the women in his life. (I could do better.) Mike has always been able to say, “I love you” and “we can’t afford it.” Our lives are better today because Mike understood the long-term advantages that come from being a provident provider.

I’m also thinking about how overcoming excessive debt or addictive behaviors, of  any kind, will increase  faith and the power of God in our lives. So, why wouldn’t we want to change? Considering challenges that may be ahead, more faith and the power of God seem like such good deals!

So, bright and early tomorrow morning, I’ll be doing another book signing at the Costco in Bountiful. (I apologize for not posting first thing last week that the SLC, Sandy, and Ogden signings had to be cancelled. I heard from a number of people that they made special trips only to find that I wasn’t where I had said I would be. Bad form, I know, and I’m very sorry about that.)

If you’re in the area and have a minute to spare, please stop by and say hello! I would love to shake your hand (hug) and hear about YOUR food storage goals, challenges, and success stories. Especially now, with only two weeks remaining before April General Conference, it’s great to hear how people are taking practical steps to be more prepared.

One thing I learned for sure from my mother; it’s SMART to listen to the prophet!

Yes, I really  use my food storage and it saves me money EVERY SINGLE WEEK! For example, last week I picked up a Costco roasted chicken ($5.99?) and served it with…something…and something else. I don’t remember. (Dang…where was I headed with this?)

Oh yea! The next day I put the whole leftover chicken, bones and all, in my crock-pot, covered it with water, and set the temperature on high heat. After 3 or 4 hours of gentle boiling, I drained all the broth, returned it to the crock-pot, and separated the juicy chicken pieces from the muck and bones. Then I added about 2 cups of diced carrots and 2 cups of diced celery to the broth and set the heat on low. A couple hours later, when the vegetables were just starting to get tender, I threw in about one and a half cups of dry macaroni from my long-term storage, a few shakes of dried parsley flakes, and a little salt and pepper. As soon as the macaroni was cooked I stirred in 1 cup of dry powdered milk so that the soup would be extra creamy and fresh tasting.

Because the soup took so little effort and time to prepare, aaaaand I happen to have way too much white flour on hand, I experimented with a new bread recipe and was able to serve a simple supper of hot chicken soup and freshly baked bread. http://www.mormonchic.com/recipe/recipebox/pages/bread_yeast.asp

All in all, there was no cost to this meal that easily served my family three times. The chicken was leftover from the night before and the fresh vegetables were leftover from who knows when. The ingredients that came from my food storage were the white flour, oil, honey, salt, you know–for the bread, and the macaroni, powdered milk, and spices for the soup. That seems free because I didn’t have to spend fresh money.

So, eating food storage doesn’t have to be weird! In fact, nothing could be more normal than homemade chicken soup and fresh bread. And I like knowing that I can prepare a satisfying meal from the supplies in my home. Even if I didn’t have the leftover roasted chicken and fresh vegetables I could have made a similar soup using my dehydrated carrots, onions, and canned chicken chunks. No, it wouldn’t be exactly the same, but it would be familiar and something I know my family could enjoy, especially if there wasn’t another option.

Using my food storage right now means I’m also getting a tiny bit better at the whole homemaking gig. I’m still not a fantastic cook but I know how to use the food we’ve got stored and I’m really enjoying the financial advantages that always come from provident living. If you haven’t tried this, just set a goal to cook one dish that uses either wheat, rice, beans, pasta, or potatoes in combination with normal, everyday, ingredients from the grocery store. If you need a little help with finding a recipe you can check out the recipe page on this website for ideas that will get you rolling. I think you’ll discover that using your food storage really isn’t so scary after all! Like I always say, if I can do this, anyone can do it. Just ask my friends.