September 2009

Sisters I would encourage you to use all resources available to get your food storage in and this was a great cook book I saw on line and thought you all might be interested.

We have been counseled by prophets to keep a long-term supply of food on hand. But once we have accumulated some food storage, what do we do with it? Food storage is not just for emergencies; it's meant to help us sustain life today. In this fun cookbook, Debbie Harman shows how you can cook delicious meals and tasty treats your family will love with the food supplies that have too often been put away only for a rainy day. You'll soon discover how to use storage items and other everyday ingredients to make tasty dishes a few times each week, which will keep your food storage in constant rotations - and save you money. So, should disaster strike, you'll have plenty of usable food on hand - and you'll be an expert on knowing what to do with it.
Along with hundreds of fast and delicious family-tested recipes, you'll find:

What you need to store
How to use dry foods to add nutrition to everyday dishes
How to store meats, beans and legumes, vegetables, fruits, grains, and more
How to sprout your own fresh greens
How to put together 72-hour emergency kits for you and your family

Let Cooking with Food Storage Made Easy be your guide for making your food storage a valuable asset that your family will enjoy.

Hope each of you had a great summer and have school, families and church all under control... Well I guess each of us are working on getting everything done, hope you are all staying healthy and well and following the counsel of the prophets... Have a great
September.... Sister Blackburn, Sister Taylor, Sister Parkinson...

July Presidency Message

Education: The Lord has commanded, "Seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118).
He has counseled us to learn the gospel and to gain an understanding "of things both in Heaven and in the Earth,...that (we)may be prepared in all things" (D&C 88:79-80).
We should always work to educate our minds and our hands so we can succeed in our chosen fields. Our education should be an influence for good and our use of it should distinguish us as people of integrity. A good education will prepare us for opportunites as they come and will help us be an asset to our families, the Church, and our communities. Lifelong learning, can continue by reading, attending wholesome cultural events, visiting museums and historic sites, and observing the world around us.
Sister Blackburn - Sister Parkinson - Sister Taylor

June/July message from Presidency

"It is important to prepare ourselves spiritually, we must also prepare ourselves for our temporal needs. Each of us needs to take the time to ask ourselves, "What preparation should I make to care for my needs and the needs of my family?"

We have been instructed for years to follow at least four requirements in preparing for that which is to come.

First, gain an adequate education. Learn a trade or a profession to enable you to obtain steady employment that will provide remuneration sufficient to care for yourself and your family. Education has, of necessity, become a lifelong pursuit. We must, in our scheduling of time, allot sufficient time to educate ourselves for now and for the future.

Second, live strictly within your income and save something for a rainy day. Incorporate in your lives the discipline of budgeting that which the Lord has blessed you with. As regularly as you pay your tithing, set aside an amount needed for future family requirements.

Third, avoid excessive debt. Necessary debt should be incurred only after careful, thoughtful prayer and after obtaining the best possible advice. We need the discipline to stay well within our ability to pay. "Live within your means."

Fourth, acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life. Obtain clothing and build a savings account on a sensible, well-planned basis that can serve well in times of emergency." L. Tom Perry shared this message with us and we all need to heed his counsel.

Mother Heart

Julie Beck gave a talk on having a "mother heart." As we celebrate Mother's day, a tribute to all women, I wanted to share some of her thoughts with each of you.
"What is a mother heart and how is one acquired?" We learn about some of those qualities in the scriptures. To paraphrase Proverbs: “Who can find a … woman [with a mother heart]? for her price is far above rubies. … She … worketh willingly with her hands. … With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. … She stretcheth out her hand to the poor. … Strength and honour are her clothing. … She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” (Prov. 31:10, 13, 16, 20, 25–27) A woman with a mother heart has a testimony of the restored gospel, and she teaches the principles of the gospel without equivocation. She is keeping sacred covenants made in holy temples. Her talents and skills are shared unselfishly. She gains as much education as her circumstances will allow, improving her mind and spirit with the desire to teach what she learns to the generations who follow her.
If she has children, she is a “goodly parent” (1 Ne. 1:1) who lives and teaches standards of behavior exactly in line with the teachings of living prophets. She teaches her “children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord” (D&C 68:28). Rather than listening to the voices and partial truths of the world, she knows that gospel standards are based on eternal, unchangeable truths. She believes that to be “primarily responsible for the nurture of [her] children” is a vital, dignified, and “sacred responsibilit[y]” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Liahona, Oct. 1998, 24; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). To nurture and feed them physically is as much an honor as to nurture and feed them spiritually. She is “not weary in well-doing” and delights to serve her family, because she knows that “out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).
I know this message will have a special meaning for each sister and that we will all share in our love of the Gospel and acquiring a "Mother Heart."
Love - Sis. Blackburn, Sis. Taylor, Sis. Mockler

Happy Easter!

As we reflect on the Easter Season may each of us be aware of the sacrifice that was made for each of us. Because of the fall of Adam and Eve, we are subject to the physical death, which is the separation of the spirit from the body. Through the
Atonement of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected and saved from physical death (1Cor. 15:22). Resurrection is the reuniting of the spirit with the body in an immortal state, no longer subject to disease or death.

The greatest events of history are those that affect the greatest number of people for the longest periods. By this standard, no event could be more important to individuals or nations than the resurrection of the Master.

The literal resurrection of every soul who has lived and died on earth is a certainty, and surely one should make careful preparation for this event. A glorious resurrection should be the goal of every man and woman, for resurrection will be a reality.
Nothing is more absolutely universal than the resurrection. Every living being will be resurrected. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22.)

Use A Budget

Keep a record of your expenditures. Record and review monthly income and expenses. Determine how to reduce what you spend for non-essentials.

Use this information to establish a family budget. Plan what you will give as Church donations, how much you will save, and what you will spend for food, housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, insurance, and so on.

Discipline yourself to stay within your budget plan. A budget worksheet is a useful tool to help you with your plan.

Sisters we hope that each of you will be conservative in all your financial pursuits and follow the Gospel Plan. Love, Sister Blackburn/Sister Taylor

February 2009

The Lord God told Moses that his work and his glory was "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Moses 1:39. During the month of February when we remember and recognize the ones we love and care for, let us reflect on what we can do in our families to stengthen these bonds.
Some of the most important temple and family history work is done at home. I do not refer just to the important work of keeping family genealogies up-to-date and the much needed verifying that all sealings have been performed. At home we can keep our journals and gather pictures and data for the books of remembrances of our family members. We can gather and record information available through living relatives. We can write family histories and share their great lessons with our children.
We know that some of the greatest work we will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes. President Ezra Taft Benson has taught: “The family is the most effective place to instill lasting values in its members.” (Ensign, Nov. 1982, p. 59.)
Some of the most important efforts toward fulfilling the mission of the Church will be those of parents who teach their children the doctrines and practices of the Church by precept and example. Young parents who are fulfilling that responsibility ought not to feel guilty if they are not submitting as many group sheets or attending the temple as frequently as their parents who are retired. Hopefully this month we can build bridges to strengthen our family ties for eternities.
Love, Your Bear Valley R.S. Presidency