Blast from the Past...Relief Society Magazine!

 Relief Society Magazine...Part of our Heritage.

Back to School Issue 1939

 

Did you know that the Relief Society had it's own magazine?  When I was a young girl I remember seeing copies at home and at my grandmothers' houses.  I didn't find them very interesting...since there weren't any comics...but I would look through them now and then

 



This is how I remember the magazine...this is 1963

 

The Relief Society Magazine, including the Relief Society Bulletin of 1914 was the official publication of the Relief Society organization from 1915 to 1970.  It replaced the privately owned Woman's Exponent which began publication in 1872.  The magazine was important to Utah women as a publishing outlet...in fact it was run by women editors.  The magazine featured stories, articles, poetry and tips and outlines for upcoming lessons.  One lesson topic I got a kick out of was about teaching youth the evils of Hallowe'en pranks...with an emphasis on respect for property and seeking out "seasonable and wholesome pleasures."

 



August 1926...one of two issues I own.

 

Susa Young Gates...editor from 1915 to 1922

 

The two issues I found on eBay a few years ago were August 1922 and August 1929.  I bought them because one of the magazines featured a story about hiking up to Timpanogos Cave...which would have been a lot more tricky back in the 20's. The 1922 issue was full of farewells to Susa Young Gates who retired that year.  I don't know if you are familiar with the writings of women in the early 20th century, but it is full of flowery prose and fairly awful poetry.  Sister Gates was lauded as "Thou gifted daughter of a mighty seer" and "From early youth thy pen so free and bold, hath fed the hearts of numbers manifold."  It's a fascinating glimpse into a time gone by.

 

 

Pages of Advertisements...

 

Photo of Alpine Loop in 1926.

 

The article about Timpanogos Cave was titled "The Ante-Room of Heaven."  The author's prose is extra flowery and she gives her companions cutesy names like "The Charming One," "The Little Maiden," and "The Guest-From-Berkley."  She writes, "...in a high-powered Fierce Sparrow, we glided away over the great, broad highway bordered on either side with sunflowers, goldenrod, poplar trees, green fields, ripening grain and clover blossoms, through the thriving town of American Fork, past Utah Lake, shimmering like a sheet of gunmetal in the sunlight, then a little south and east to American Fork Canyon, a savage gorge cut deep in the mountains by a wild stream; scenic grandeur that offers the tourist thrills worth traveling across the continent to enjoy, and where Mount Timpanogos, scarred by age-old torrents, yet majestic in his rugged grandeur, rears his regal head twelve thousand feet above the sea and looks down upon us smilingly, serene, a symbol of the mighty power of the Eternal; reverential joy and an ever increasing love for Utah filled my heart. "  That was one sentence...lol!  There were photos of a few cave features and somebody's baby.  I absolutely loved it!

 

Good old Deseret Book.

Several ads for garments...made by different companies.

For some reason we had a similar one of these...my sisters stored their dolls in the cabinet once we ran out of needles and the records were lost or broken.

 

The December 1970 issue of The Relief Society Magazine" was the last.  The Church discontinued the magazine as part of the implementation of the "Priesthood Correlation Program."  This magazine and several others were combined and replaced the Ensign.

 

Sisters, I hope you enjoyed this little piece of Relief Society History.

 



Provident Living...Crisco Candle!

Crisis Crisco?

I would love to find this can...lol!

I have a whole network of blogs that I enjoy reading every day.  A few of them are LDS ladies who have many of the same interests that I do.  One of my favorite LDS bloggers is a sweet California lady named Maryjane who blogs at The Beehive Cottage.   Maryjane's darling blog is a shabby lover's dream.  She makes the prettiest pink laundry soap as well as wonderful vintage-inspired crafts for her Etsy shop.  Maryjane graciously allowed me to share a tutorial she taught her Relief Society sisters. 

Emergency Candle...From Crisco!

I gave a class for the women of my church in my home on ideas for 
Emergency Preparedness. 
One of the ideas I shared was this candle made out of vegetable shortening 
I have seen on Pinterest over and over again.

It is awesome and works for hours on end!

I bought the wicks on eBay and
the vegetable shortening at Walmart.
The vegetable shortening can I bought is a medium size and 
should burn for 40+++ hours.

 ~INSTRUCTIONS

1. Open can of vegetable shortening. The bigger the can, the longer it will last.

2. Insert candle wick with a dowel or scissors into the center of the can. 

(I pinched the bottom of wick with scissors and pushed the wick to the bottom of can). 

If the can has a large diameter, multiple wicks can be inserted. 

(I used 2 wicks as shown). Leave quarter of an inch of wick showing above the can 

to make sure the flame is a manageable size.

3. Even out the top of the vegetable shortening so the candle is smooth.

4. Light wick and enjoy the candle!

I had it burning the whole class time.
After the class, I blew out the candle 
and
replaced the lid on it that it came with.

Ready to use now in an emergency!

GREAT Christmas gift idea!

I will be making them!

Have a wonderful day and be prepared!

 

 

 

Thank you so much, Maryjane for letting me share this fun preparedness tip with my Highland 12th Ward sisters.  There's no reason for Provident Living to be boring...not with Pinterest around...lol!   Sisters, I am going to put some links on the side bar of my favorite LDS bloggers...one even lives in Alpine and is an amazingly creative person!

 

Father's Day...Holiday Family History Stories!

Tales For Father's Day

"Year You Were Born"  scrapbook page.

Each tan ticket lists historic events and 1934 trivia.

My father just celebrated his 80th birthday!

From time to time our Church leaders admonish us to keep a journal and write our personal histories. When I was a little girl I liked to sit on the porch with my Grandpa Devey and ask him to tell me stories.  I learned a lot about him. Grandpa owned a small fruit farm up Fort Canyon in Alpine, Utah. One of his hobbies was to do a bit of mining in the mountains of American Fork Canyon.  And he was first to discover the wreckage of a plane that crashed on Lone Peak.  I loved to hear his tales...and because I listened, I know a bit more about his life than some of my family members.  My granddaughter Alena has taken an interest in family stories and I have been able to share a few of her great great grandfather's stories with her.  This had me thinking...what will our grandchildren know about us if we don't share our stories?

The house in Alpine.

Grandpa and I sat on that front porch.

He would whittle while he talked.

I write a lot of stories about my life and family history in my blog, "Zetta's Aprons."  This has been a fun way to write my life story because it's not in chronological order, but memories prompted by holidays, vacations and other special events.  I would be bored to tears if I had to start my story from the "I was born..." and write it all in order.  I think this is what keeps many of us from even getting started.

Since Father's Day is fast approaching, I want to share a story about my dad, Thomas A.(Tad) Devey. I feel so fortunate that my father sat himself down and wrote stories about his life.  He wrote about cars he drove, mischief he made, deer hunts and his school years...all sorts of topics.  He has an amazing memory for detail and I hope when I am 80 years old I will be as sharp as he is!

Tad's Tales..."Nelly"

Tad at 5...just a little boy.

 Grandpa Melvin Devey worked on a WPA project called the Draper Tunnel during the winter of 1938-39.  He worked with another man from Alpine who had to move when the project ended.  The man owned a small mare named Nelly.  She was almost as small as a pony and had been fitted with a child size saddle and bridle.  Grandpa bought the mare and gave her to my father in the summer of 1939 when he was five years old.

Dad wrote, "Now when a child turns five years old, he starts Kindergarten in the fall.  This was true, then as well as now; but it had only been true for a couple of years.  Kindergarten started in Alpine about 1937.   Not only was it a new program, but it only operated during a six week period each spring and fall."



The house in Fort Canyon

Dad and his family lived on a fruit farm at the top of Fort Canyon in Alpine. During the winter, Tad's family would often move into town because bad weather and snow on bad roads made travel down the canyon difficult.  He wrote, "The next winter, Dad was not employed off the farm so we did not plan to move from the canyon.  Nelly would be an ideal mode of transportation when I started school. I was not too excited about going to Kindergarten, let alone riding a cantankerous horse."

"Nelly, because of her size, had always been a kid’s horse and she had learned how to have her way with kids.   To get her to go where you wanted to go required a forceful hand on the reins and a small switch to be applied to her behind when she balked.   My five year old hand on the reins was none too forceful; however, I could wield a switch with the best of them." 

Dad spent the summer learning Nelly's quirks.  She wouldn't let him near her if he was carrying a switch...so he learned to stash a switch on top of the fence where she couldn't see it.  Nelly had also learned that she could get ride of unwanted passengers by simply sideswiping a tree or a pole.  Once free, she would head on home...except her idea of home was not "Fort Canyon," but the horse pasture in Alpine where she used to live.

School Starts...

The old Alpine Elementary School.

The rest of the summer Tad worked with Nelly and with the help of an "older and wiser" cousin (he was 7), was able to train her well enough so he would be able to ride her to school.

Kindergarten

Tad wrote, "A few days before classes started, Dad and Mother took me to the school to meet my teacher and become familiar with the building.  While Mother and I were in the school, Dad was talking to Mrs. Booth, an older widowed lady who lived in the house on the corner across the street from the school.  In her back yard, directly south of the school, was an orchard with high grass.  A ditch of water also flowed by.  Dad arranged with Mrs. Booth to let me stake Nelly in her orchard while I was in school.  Not only was the school year limited to six weeks each, in the Spring and Fall, but it was also limited to about three hours each afternoon.  Nelly would be able to put up with three hours."

"Surprisingly, the six weeks were uneventful as far as my mode of transportation was concerned. Dad would saddle up Nelly and I would leave the house about 11 am.  It took about 45 minutes for Nelly to walk to the school.  I was still a little nervous about letting her go any faster. I would tie her up in the orchard with a rope attached to her halter."

"When I came out after school, I would check the cinch, untie the rope and start for home.  Sometimes she became a little difficult when we started the turn up toward the canyon.  She wanted to go "home” by going straight west.   After we got around the corner, she would usually behave and after a few trips she seemed to look forward to getting back to the barn.  I began to let her go at her own pace which seemed to be faster each time.   Dad finally told me to slow her down.  She was coming home in a lather every night."

The barn...not Nelly's idea of "home."

"The six weeks in the fall went by in a flash.  I decided that school wasn’t so bad.  The kids were fun and Miss King was very nice.   Miss King was a brand new teacher from Escalante in Southern Utah. To her, my riding a horse to school each day did not seem to be all that odd."
 

Family stories can be fun!

Until my dad gave me the disk of stories, I did not know about Dad's horse Nelly or his first days of school.  When I see one of my little granddaughters climb onto the school bus heading off to kindergarten for the first time, it is hard to believe my grandma sent her little boy off to school each day riding a horse.  These days we don't let our children out of our sight! 

I had a lot of fun putting this story together for the blog.  Father's Day is June 15...you still have time to write or share a story about your fathers with your families.  Every child should know their grandparents...I still remember mine and I want my grandchildren to know more about them.  We spend a lot of time with family during the holidays...the perfect time to share stories and family holiday traditions.  How did your family spend the summer...parades, picnics, Fourth of July fireworks? Your kids want to know!

Happy Father's Day, Tad!



Pilgrims and Pioneers...My Family History at Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving in old Alpine, Utah...
Autumn brings with it the desire to put away food, fuel, warm clothing and bedding, along with feed for livestock against the harshness of winter.

The days shorten and feelings of urgency grow stronger.  There are no longer enough hours of daylight to get everything done.  Many hands make for lighter work.  If everyone in the village helps out, there will be plenty for all.  When the work is done, there will be time for fun and celebrations.  A time of Thanksgiving.

The hardy settlers of Alpine and Highland, Utah found ways to mix work and fun during harvest time.  When the fruit trees in Alpine started to produce, those with orchards shared with others.  The ladies came with paring knives and pans and worked for hours preparing fruit to be dried.  It would be placed on clean cloths upon the roofs, slabs on sawhorses, or whatever else was handy.

The men brought their husking pegs and shucked corn while the ladies did fruit.  The children enjoyed these occasions and anxiously waited for the piles of corn shucks to increase, as they had several games they liked to play among them: hide-and-seek, run-my-sheepie-run, and tag.  At the end of the day, a delicious dinner would be served under the apple trees on tables made of boards laid on sawhorses.

Note: Turkeys in Alpine were raised by the Watkins family.  Hertha, left, is admiring that year's fine flock.

Other autumn activities which combined work and recreation were quilting bees and "rug-rag bees."  No materials were wasted.  If the cloth wasn't too worn it was patched into quilt tops.  What wasn't good enough for quilts was torn into rug-rags and the remaining scraps were clipped into small pieces to stuff bed ticks, pillows or cushions.

I remember some old quilts Grandma Zetta had from the time when her family raised fruit in Fort Canyon.  In those days whenever a quilt began to wear out, she simply recovered it in another layer of fabric.  Women like my grandmother definitely followed Brigham Young's counsel to "make it do, or do without."  They were born recyclers!  Those quilts were extremely heavy, though, as well as damp and musty.

When Thanksgiving Day came in Alpine, it was generally celebrated rather quietly.  People spent the day at home with their families.  Later they added an afternoon dance for the children.  An adult dance and ball game was held in the evening.

The Pilgrim...
Going back even further in time, I learned the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, was a traditional English harvest festival to which the colonists invited Massasoit who was the most important sachem (leader) among the Wamapanoag Indians.

The festival was celebrated in response to "God's favorable Providence" in times of plentiful game and bountiful harvest...with no little thanks to the Indians, who had introduced the settlers to native food plants and animals, and deserve much of the credit for keeping the Pilgrims from starving.

Among those gathered at the feast in 1621 was a man named Francis Cooke and his 14-year-old son John.  Francis' wife, Hester, was still in England.  She would follow in 1623 on the Anne with her three other children, Jacob, Jane, and Hester.

There isn't anything particularly remarkable about this family.  If Francis and John had not sailed on the Mayflower in 1620, no one would have remembered them at all, except maybe their descendents.  But this is where it gets interesting.

The Pioneer...
One of Cooke's direct descendents was a Mormon pioneer named John Joshua Tanner who came to Utah in 1851 and settled in South Cottonwood in the Salt Lake Valley.  The family of John Joshua Tanner now numbers in the thousands...hundreds of which live here in northern Utah County.  He is my ancestor as well.

Both men...Tanner and Cooke...were men of conscience and conviction, a remarkable family pattern to hold up over such a long stretch of time.  The Pilgrims were refugees from religious persecution in England, just as the Mormon pioneers traveled west to practice their faith in peace more than two centuries later.

I became a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers in 2003.  Since then I have learned many things about my pioneer ancestors.  Because of what I have learned, Thanksgiving has a special meaning for me.  Family history is kind of like an archealogical dig.  Among the dirt and stones a single golden nugget of information could be hiding.  Discovering my  family genealogy is a blessing for which I am eternally grateful. 


At the top of my list of things for which I am grateful this season, I am placing the names of Francis Cooke and John Joshua Tanner...the Pilgrim and the Pioneer.

Blessings to you and your families this Thanksgiving.

Relief Society News...and Progressive Dinner!

Halloween is nigh...

 

Time to mark our calendars for November!

Daylight Savings Time!

Set your clocks back this weekend...and sleep in!

 

Christmas Progressive Dinner...

 

Wednesday, December 4 - 6 - 8 pm
We are so excited to have Emily Freeman - popular author & speaker join us for this wonderful evening.  Put it on your calendars now so you don't miss this evening.  More information will be given as we get closer to the event. 

Emily Freeman

Emily Freeman took her first creative writing class in high school and has loved writing ever since. She finds great joy in studying the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Her deep love of the scriptures comes from a desire to find their application in everyday life. She is the author of several books, including The Ten Virgins; 21 Days Closer to Christ; and The Promise of Enough.

 

Scripture Study Group

No scripture study this week due to Halloween

 

Play Group

No play group this week due to Halloween

 

Stake News...

 

Stake Conference

Stake Conference will be held this weekend Nov. 2-3.  A new stake in Highland will be formed.  Following are the dates and times of the sessions:

* Nov. 2, 4pm - Priesthood Leadership Session (Highland Stake Center)

* Nov. 2, 7pm - Adult Session (Highland Stake Center)

* Nov. 3, 8 am - youth Session (Highland West Stake Center 11605 N 6000 W)

* Nov. 3, 10 am - General Session (12th ward meets in our building for broadcast)

FHE Packet -

The stake has given us another wonderful FHE packet for us to share with our families.  This one is about missionary work.  It is attached to the email Tracy sent out this week.  

Family History class is held each Monday from 9:30 - 11.  These are held at the stake center by the 4-way stop on your way to Costco.  If you haven't gone to any classes no worries!  You can attend 1 or as many as you would like.

 

Volleyball
women's volleyball is this Thursday (and every Thursday through Nov.7th) from 8:30-10:00 pm at the Stake Center.  We had a lot of fun last week.  Everyone is welcome!

Returned Missionary Course...

Sometimes it us harder to return home from a mission than it is to depart.  For this purpose, the Alpine Utah YSA Stake is providing a six-week course that helps returned missionaries...both Elders and Sisters...successfully transistion after their mission.

 

Parents are also invited to a fireside to help their missionaries transition from full-time missionary service to everyday life, while retaining their spirituality and desire to serve.

Details on both classes are attached to the Relief Society email sent this week.

 

On the subject of Missionaries...

 

One of the best movies I've seen all year!

I don't remember hearing about this...it was about the time we were getting our son Geoff ready to leave for Brazil.  I would have been pretty nervous.  This film is so well done...I got pretty teary at times.  This was well worth seeing on our Friday Night Date.

 



 

Provident Living...Meals in a Jar/Bag Class!

Meals in a Jar...Using Your Food Storage

 

Pinterest has many Meals in a Jar recipes

For the last while I have seen a lot of meals in jars on Pinterest.  It really piqued my interest, because I am having a hard time visualizing how to use all those cans of dehydrated and freeze dried foods in my store room.  If you are anything like me you would rather give your first born to the Gypsies than open one of those cans!  Last Thursday night, the Highland Stake sponsored a class on Meals in the Bag and Meals in the Jar.  It was held at the home of Leslie Heath.  Lisa Barker from Honeyville Farms taught the class.  While we were waiting to begin, she quickly put together a wonderful Pasta E Fagioli Soup in a countertop pressure cooker that takes only about 10 minutes to cook.  I will include the recipe later.  The following information is from Sister Barker's handout.  The handout will be sent to you in an email...it will include some recipes that I won't publish here.





I've stored it...now how do I use it?

Meals in a jar have been around for quite awhile.  We put together soup and cookie mixes for gifts for our neighbors and friends.  This takes it to a new level.  Many of the ingredient will come from those special cans we just can't bring ourselves to open...because...once they are opened they aren't good for 25 years any more!  Relax...once the cans are opened, the remainder can be resealed in canning jars using your Food Saver.  The Food Saver can also be used to seal the meal...or you can use oxygen absorbers.  Mylar bags are also used for this...but I like the pretty layers.  If you are worried about impending earthquakes...use the mylar.

 

Two books available...

"Dinner is in the Jar" and "It's in the Bag."

Both are available from Amazon.

Sample...Meal in a Jar

 

What to store...the basics

This is helpful...I've wondered about this.

 

Meals in a Bag...

Sample Meal in a Bag.

Everything...including water...is included in the bag.

 

A "Meal in a Bag" is everything needed to make a meal packed inside a color-coded shopping bag.  Breakfasts, dinners and desserts will each be a different color.  I like this idea because it uses the shelf-stable pantry foods that our families will eat.  It can be mixed with some long-term items such as freeze dried fruits and vegetables, as well as meats.  Fresh meats, vegetables and condiments can be added as desired. Colors can also be used to determine if a meal is a chicken dish or a beef dish.  Sister Barker said that her children are allowed to go down and  pick a meal from the shelf...that way they feel involved and that they have a choice.  The meal bags can be put together one at a time until you have the number that you want.  Once the meals have been put together they should be rotated.  Use them everyweek.

Recipes and instructions are included on the front of each meal bag.

 

Using a counter top electric pressure cooker...makes meals super fast!

 

 

Pasta e Fagioli Soup

1 c. FD sausage or ground beef
1 c. dehydrated onions
1 c. dehydrated shoestring carrots
1 c. FD celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2  14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2  15 oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed
1  15 oz. can great northern beans, rinsed
1  15 oz. can tomato sauce
28 oz. V-8 juice

4 c. water
2 T. rice vinegar (it's what makes all the difference)

3 t. Wayzata Tuscan Spice Blend
OR
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. thyme

1 1/2 c. ditali pasta

Put everything in electric pressure cooker and cook on HIGH for 9 minutes
with a natural release.  Delicious!

 

This recipe is a perfect Meal in a Bag...it just won't fit in a jar.  You could do it half and half with the FD veggies, spices and pasta in a jar.  Add the jar to the bag...easy peasy!  More recipes and information is on the way...check your email.

 

Note:  Remember that Conference Weekend is the time to rotate and update your 72 hour kits.