Highlights from our Holiday Weekend Sale

Pin It Thanksgiving came and went like a blink of an eye and it is time to get back to our normal lives again.  We hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful one filled with family time and lots of delicious food.  Some of you were brave enough to go out shopping on Black Friday and we hope it was a safe shopping experience for you.


We, too,  had a very exciting Black Friday/Saturday Sale here at Basic Living.  Many waited in line before store opening to get the best deals on Black Friday.  The Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machines were one of the most popular items and they were literally gone within minutes after the doors opened. Seychelle water bottles and Emergency Zone's food storage kits were also among our best selling products.  It was a great weekend.  Here are some highlights for those of you who missed out as well as for those who want to re-live the excitement of our holiday weekend sale.

Getting Ready!!!
Products began to fill up at Basic Living in preparation
for Black Friday/Saturday Sale.  

Attitude of Gratitude at Thanksgiving Time

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Avard Woolaver / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time for us to stop and ponder on all the blessings in life.  Whether you believe in God or not, whether you are a Christian or a Jew, or Buddhist or Muslim, we all have something we can be grateful for.  Here are a few quotes to help us get in the Thanksgiving mindset.  

"God gave you a gift of 86400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say thank you?"       -William Arthur Ward

J. Star / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

"And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."     -D&C 78:19

"Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead."       -C.S. Lewis

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it  is like wrapping a present and not giving it."       -William Arthur Ward

"For each new morning with its light,  For rest and shelter of the night,  For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends."      -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

"We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count."       -Neal A. Maxwell 

"When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,  When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,  Count your many blessings name them one by one,  And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. 

  Are you ever burdened with a load of care?  Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?  Count your many blessings; every doubt will fly,  And you will be singing as the days go by.

  When you look at others with their lands and gold,   Think that Christ promised you his wealth untold.   Count your many blessings; money cannot buy  Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

  So amid the conflict, whether great or small,   Do not be discouraged; God is over all.  Count your many blessings; angels will attend,   Help and comfort give you to your journey's end."     -Johnson Oatman, Jr.

muffintinmom / Foter / CC BY

At Thanksgiving time, along with turkey, stuffing, baked goods, and holiday sales; we hope that we would all take the time to express our gratitude for all the wonderful blessings we enjoy in our lives.  What are you grateful for ?  What are your Thanksgiving traditions in your family to count your blessings?

Wholewheat Cinnamon Bread Recipe: The Bosch Way

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It's Thanksgiving time!  That means it's time for turkey, stuffing, and some yummy baked goods.  Whether you are spending the holiday season at home or abroad, we hope it will be a wonderful one for all of you.

Just like many other Saturdays, we had another great day at Basic Living.  One of the many things that made today great at Basic Living was Mechele's delicious Wholewheat Cinnamon Bread.  Drizzled with a little frosting, this bread filled the store with warm fall scent of cinnamon.  For those of you who missed out, here is the recipe so you can enjoy it too.


Cinnamon Bread Recipe
This recipe is from one of the books we sell at the store, "Healthy Recipes from the Heart of Our Homes."


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put the following ingredients in the Bosch Mixer Bowl with the dough hook attached.

• 5 cups of warm water
• 1/3 cup of oil
• 3 Table spoons of dough enhancer
• 1 Table spoon of salt
• 1 cup of honey
• 3 Table spoons of SAF Yeast
• 1/2 Vital Wheat Gluten
• 2  Eggs

Add enough flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl  (12 to 14 cups).  

Knead for 3 minutes.

Add 2 cups of raisons.  

Add 3 Table spoons of cinnamon.

Knead for 2 more minutes.  

Divide the dough into 5 loaves and place them in 5 well-oiled pans.

Let rise until doubled.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and hope to see you at our store for our Black Friday sale!  

Also, be sure to check out our other Bosch Recipes.
Making Pie Crust Using a Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine
Putting the Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine to the test

How to Make Bread with the Bosch Universal Plus Mixer

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     Here at Basic Living, we carry a wide variety of products to help our customers in your kitchen along with other self reliance needs.  As we interact with our customers, we pay close attention to what people are looking for.  As a result, we add to our line of products each year anything that might be of value to our customers.  It has been a joy for us to try to meet our customers' needs by introducing them to new and amazing products that will empower them in their homes.
     It's probably not right for us to have favorites when it comes to products we sell at the store.  Perhaps it's almost as bad as having a favorite among your own kids.  However, if we were to point something out as an all-time favorite, it would be the Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine (you didn't hear this from me, don't tell my boss).  Boasting a 6 1/2 quart bowl, which can hold up to 15 lbs of bowl, the Bosch has no problem kneading all that dough thanks to its powerful 800 watt motor under the hood.  As the years went on, Bosch has made small improvements here and there which drastically improved the user experience.  One of the newer features is the bowl scraper, which scrapes the dough off of the sides of the bowl to provide a more complete kneading action.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  See for your self.


The Bosch also enjoys the patented dough-hooks that kneads bread dough very effectively.  The new models also have small rubber suction cup-like pieces on the bottom to keep the machine from walking off the kitchen counter.  The list goes on.  There are hundreds of reasons why the Bosch has been one of the most popular items sold in our store.  The biggest reason is that the Bosch was designed and built for you and me.  They have done such a great job in making improvements to tailer fit the Bosch to meet our needs.

A Note from Sandy - "I dare you to be better"

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As relief efforts continue on the east coast, many find themselves still in shelters with so many kept from returning to their homes.  Though in such uncomfortable settings, many victims are showing signs of strength as they express their desire to rebuild.  One of the victims responded in the video, "in life, I learned to be thankful."  Life seems to have a unique way of teaching us important lessons, and hurricane/super-storm Sandy was certainly no exception.
(Photo credit: J_O_I_D / Foter / CC BY)





Thankful to be alive...

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Stars combine to bring relief to Sandy victims

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Lessons Learned
Disasters and emergencies are not new to mankind.  The human race has faced countless types and variations of adversities throughout its history over thousands of years.  Whether it is natural or manmade, whether the effects are nationwide or individual, each seems to teach us or remind us about things that matter most.  As hard as these adversities are, we find in the eyes of those who overcome them, the strength and resiliency of mankind.  We are inspired to learn (or remember) through examples of others that humans are tough, creative, loving, caring and kind.  Perhaps disasters come to remind us of how good we can be.  It gives us a chance to stop and be a little more thankful, a little more concerned for others, and a little more loving.  When viewed in this light, hurricane/super-storm Sandy goes from being a natural disaster to a challenge to mankind.  She is daring us to be better.  The ball is in our court now.  Do we take it or leave it?

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless.  The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.  We must start in our homes to remedy this kind of poverty."    Mother Teresa http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mother_teresa.html#FfEbKeX4dRt5YquX.99 

"Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."  Mother Teresa     http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mother_teresa.html#FfEbKeX4dRt5YquX.99 

Update

Since this post, I found a video that goes with the spirit of this post.  The spirit of love is clearly evident in those who are there to help, and the spirit of gratitude is also clearly visible in those who received help.  It is a very touching footage.

Hurricane Sandy Helping Hands from Joshua Brown on Vimeo.

May we all be a little bit better in showing our love for others as well as expressing our gratitude for those who do during the holiday season.  

by Kento Fukuyasu