A Few Things I Learned Last Night

In my childhood memories, watching or helping my mom can food holds a prominent spot.

As a mother myself, I've found great satisfaction in it as well. However, the last couple of years haven't been my most productive. Almost all my jars are empty and it makes me so sad! :) Not really sad that I haven't had a bunch of food to cart around from place to place to place, but still sad.

This year I determined that I was definitely going to can some applesauce. My family loves it and we finally finished off my last bottle a couple months ago.

A list of some things I learned last night while cleaning up.

~ 40 lbs. of apples makes surprisingly less sauce than I thought it would. -- About 9+ quarts.

~ I love the smell of fresh apples. If I could bottle that up and keep it in my kitchen always, I would.

~ I don't think I'll can applesauce again unless it's with FREE apples. Not real economical.

~ Tart-er apples make better applesauce. Eating apples are for eating. The ones people let fall on the ground in their yards, those are for saucing.

~ I like tart kids.

~ Regardless of whether or not my time, money, or spent energy were economical yesterday, it was super fun to spend my time, money, AND energy with the most enthusiastic "bestest Applesauce Turner Squisher in the whole world!"

Thoughts

Hey all! My sister sent me some information about food storage earlier today and it's just been on my mind since. There were a few quotes from President Packer; one in particular stood out to me. It said that in an adult session of a Stake Conference in Holladay, UT Pres. Packer had been asked a question about why we haven't heard any talks lately in General Conference about preparedness. Pres. Packer basically said that they had been counseled to not give talks about it anymore. They've counseled about it for more than 100 years. "Now the Lord will preach His own sermons."

Now, who knows how accurate any of the statements made in some random e-mail are? But these words really stood out to me because this is something I've been thinking about. I don't know how many of you agree, but for me personally, I've felt this strong urge lately to work on our food storage and emergency preparedness --- And I've noticed a lot of friends and family doing the same. I have definitely felt the Lord teaching me, urging me, about the importance of being prepared.

Granted, I have no idea as to what is in store for our country and our world, but I'd like to also urge all of my friends and family to take some serious thought about being prepared for any kind of emergency.

These words from President Hinckley have also been on my mind.

"I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order. So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings. . . . There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed."

"I recognize that it may be necessary to borrow to get a home, of course. But let us buy a home that we can afford and thus ease the payments which will constantly hang over our heads without mercy or respite for as long as 30 years. . . . I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can. . . . That's all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable."

This morning I was reading scriptures with the girls, Mosiah 8, in particular. In this chapter it talks about what a prophet, seer, and revelator is. "But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings."

As I talked to my little girls today about prophets, it was reiterated to me, how wonderful it is to have a living prophet on the earth today. I cannot think of stronger words a prophet could give us than to say, "I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable." I hope the I am able to meet all of the counsel that the Lord has given us through these appointed men.