ALL IS SAFELY GATHERED IN

During Thanksgiving I thought about this alot:

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving - plenty of food with family around the table. We were safe, we were happy, we were blessed.

What will next year's Thanksgiving be like?

The future is so unstable.

The only way to have a repeat of this year is to plan for next year.

Harvests don't happen without planting.

This is still my planting season. I mean this figuratively (although planting a garden is always a good idea).

 

Planting, and Planning, and Gathering.

If I don't do this, then there will be nothing to keep us alive when we need it.

There will be time to use what I've gathered, but for now I realized I am just too busy to try to use my solar oven and rocket stove. The time for that will be later.  (I know it's better to experiment before the disaster so that you know how to use what you have - but, frankly I am just too swamped with work, family, and life!)

 

At this time of year, we think about family and want our families close to us.

 

When a disaster strikes we will want our families safe.

 

Preparing for emergencies helps us feel safe, and be safe. It gives us a secure feeling that

 

All Is Safely Gathered In

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 6, 2012 Elections
Half the people in this country want Socialism. They want the government to take care of them.  

 

You and I are not one of them. We will not give up and
we will not give in. We will do what it takes to take care of ourselves and our families.

It's time to get serious. Time to get our priorities in line. What is the most important thing about self-sufficiency ? 

Survival/Staying alive.

 What do we need to stay alive? 

Food.
Water
Shelter

How and what you get is up to you. Just do it! Now!
Putting it off will make it too late!

Here is what I am doing:

I am taking action.
Yesterday I bought a Sun solar oven. And a rocket stove.
I am not putting things off until a more convenient time anymore. I will be using my solar oven and my rocket stove now so that I know how to use it.

I am doing everything I can now.

Food: Wheat. Rice. Beans. 

Why wheat? It gives you protein, carbs, fiber, fat (our body needs some fat), and iron. It is the most complete single food there is.It can be soaked in water and eaten as a kernel. It can be ground into flour and made into bread. (white flour has all the nutrients taken out.) It can be cooked into a cereal. It can be sprouted to give you some "greens".

Stored properly it has a long, long, long term shelf life.

Why rice and beans? Together they make a  complete protein. Like wheat they can be stored for years, years, years.

How many people went on vacation last year (when there were special prices and deals) and didn't have their food storage?

How long can we ignore the seriousness of being prepared?

Are we busy? Yes! (my weekend consisted of working, traveling to another state to attend a seminar, going to my daughter & son-in-law's for a baby blessing, and going straight home to set up and attend my youngest son's Eagle Court of Honor. Whew!   I fit buying a solar oven and rocket stove in the middle of all that.)

Are we broke?  That goes without saying. Sacrifice buying something. Sell something. Find a way to get the money.

Are we tired? (way beyond!)

All those things don't matter. No excuses.

What matters in the end (and we don't know just when that "end" will be for us) is that we are ready for it.

Do something now!  Don't say in the future "I wish I'd. . .  to get prepared!"
 

GUNS 'N AMMO

I was going to title this Guns 'N Roses because I believe in making peace, not war, but it is a fact of life that the only way to peace in this world is war. 

(I found this picture after I started this post - it fits perfectly. I hesitated to use it because it may be seen as contriversial, but I like the image)

We have to protect ourselves and our families, so weapons are a necessity for survivial. If you don't think some type of weapon is a part of emergency preparedness, I (or someone like me) will be the one protecting you.

The reason this is a subject today is because my husband recently acquired some high powered pellet guns. (we already have real guns) The minute I saw them I thought Survival. My boys thought Cool!  Target shooting!

We weren't in the market for pellet guns, but when they came our way, we seized the opportunity.

Jim (my DH) went out the next day and bought enough pellets for an army.

We may be hunting rabbits or other game for meat. This may keep us alive someday.

I am grateful for things like this that come to us, even if we are not seeking them. I want to continue my emergency survival preparations, but life is so extremely busy right now. I think God knows my heart, and is willing to help me out.

I am looking forward to a date with my dear husband where he teaches me how to shoot a pellet gun. (and go for ice cream after!)

FORWARD THINKING

I can't sleep. So I plug in my headphones. I happened to catch an episode called Provident Living about food storage.

(I borrowed this button from a Relief Society Blog. Cute, isn't it?)

 

 It lasted maybe 15 minutes, but it was packed with information; some I had not thought about. I didn't catch the person's name who was sharing information, or I would give him credit. (he has worked extensively with people in disaster areas)

 

 

His advice:

 

Do something each week to become better prepared: add information, equipment, or food to your storage.

 

"It's no excuse to do nothing because you can't do everything!"

 

Be forward thinking. Think about and plan for the future. Try to imagine "what would I do if.....?"

 

 

i.e.: What would I do if the power went out?

 

He suggested having water bottles in the fridge to keep the food cold longer. I am going to put some 2-3 liter bottles in the freezer to have in case I need to use them in the fridge or freezer to keep food cold.  frozen water bottles

 

 

He also suggested having supplies on hand to cure meat by salt brining it. I have no idea how to do that, so I would need to find out that information and have supplies on hand.

 

(I have already a good supply of salt. I have been buying salt each time I go to Walmart because I do not want to be eating my beans without salt.) I know you can buy salt in bigger quantities cheaper, but it is just convienent for me to pick up a package of salt every time I shop. Salt is good for so many things. I don't think you can have too much of it.

 

vacuum packing extends the shelf life. a smart thing to do if you don't want to have to rotate your food as often. (or you are like me, and you forget to grab the oldest first)

 

 

have menu based food storage. Have recipes that you have tried that use your food storage. Plan meals for 3 weeks, then 3 months. 

He has recipes to make pasta out of flour and water, and can create sourdough breads, and soups.

It's one thing to have the food storage, it's another to know what to do with it!

 

Right now in my life I have limited time to work on food storage. I really thought I would be able to have free time now that school has started, but I was offered a job yesterday and I took it. I am forward thinking that one of the things that will be in limited supply is money.

Jobs are already scarce and they are going to become more scarce. (my 2 older teen-age boys have not been able to find work) 

 Even though things are not as tight financially for us as they were in the past (because I worked a temporary job in May and June),  I don't know what they will be like in the future.

I love being a stay-at-home mom, but I have to take the opportunities that come my way to keep us as self-reliant as possible. If that means working outside the home, that is what I will do (my youngest is almost 16)

I want to turn the money I earn into food storage (and equipment such as a solar oven, etc.)

The radio program I heard got me thinking about self reliance again.  It's good to be reminded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I CAN VS I CAN'T

here's a first: 2 blog postings in 1 day!

after posting my blog on the power of positive thinking, I put in a movie - I felt like some fun before I started work for the day.

"Enchanted."

 

out of all the things I got out of this movie (besides the Happily Ever After feelings - ahhhhh - sigh) was my admiration of Pip.

Pip was the little chipmonk that kept running around thru the whole movie, trying to save Giselle.

At one point Nathaniel (the wicked queen's henchman) hung Pip up in a closet by his arms - he was clipped to a hanger like a rat in a trap. He could have given up and said "What can I do? I'm trapped in a closet 5 ft off the ground hanging by my thumbs!"

He never said I "can't". He just did what he could. He swung the hanger around until it flipped off the rod. Once on the ground (still attached to the hanger with his arms above his head) he escaped by climbing out the window and using his torture device as a get- away tool, slid down a wire to the ground. On the way the hanger flipped off him, and he was free.

All because he said "I can." And he did.

 

How many of us are still in the closet hanging by whatever is holding us back, saying "What can I do?  I'm stuck like a rat in a trap!"

 

What does this have to do with emergency preparedness?

You know.

 



The Power of I can!

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING!

Positive thinking has positive power. 

 

The opposite is also true; negative thinking has negative power.

Positive thinkers attract other positive people. No one likes to be around a negative person.

 

Positive thinkers are happier (duh!)

 

 

Positive thinkers have the power to handle difficult situations, to solve problems, and to work thru things without giving up.

Those are all traits we need to have if the DHTF*.

*dirt hits the fan

 

The time to be a positive thinker is before the DHTF.

If it is normal and natural to think positive when life is good, it will be easier to think positive when life gets not so good.

 

I used to be a negative thinker. Then I got smart and changed my negative ways. It wasn't easy - especially when I thought my life was crud. It took lots of mental hard work on my part ,but my life is so much happier now. (and nothing changed in my life but me)

 

Every morning before I get out of bed I set the tone for the day. "LG. Life is good." is my motto. And I give thanks for as many things as I can think of. Just to be alive is a blessing!

 

 

I do wonder how I would do if the DHTF. I get cranky if I am tired or hungry.

 

I am hoping by giving myself positive thoughts every day and being that positive person, that when times get hard (and they will get hard) my positiveness will get me thru anything.

 

 

 

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT GET YA!

Well, here it is almost September!  I don't know where the time has gone!  I have been very neglectful of my little blog.

Every summer I want to just lay around eating popcycles and reading books.

I don't know why that never happens!

Instead I am so busy!  Too busy to even worry about emergency preparedness?!

It's all the little things in a day that add up to a busy schedule.

First I had some big things.

I went to work (only 1 month, but it was an intense month!)

Then I decided my house needed a good overhaul. That took 2 months.  It felt so good to get my house organized. (for me, an organized home is an organized mind)

I finally got all my emergency preparedness books in one spot (in the front closet right above my 72 hour kits; that seemed like a logical place to store them)

here is a list of my books:  (in random order)

Essentials of Home Production & Storage LDS Church
Passport to Survival by Esther Dickey
Project Readiness by Louise E. Nelson
Citizen's Guide to Terrorism Preparedness by Richard Stilp & Armando Bevelacqua
Prophetic Statements on Food Storage for Latter-Day Saints by Neil H. Leash (this one scared me! Those who are not prepared are going to be in big trouble!)
Harris' Farmers Almanac; everyday emergencies a survival guide
Emergency Essentials by Larry Barkdull
Disaster Survival Handbook by Alton Thygerson
Roughing it Easy by Dian Thomas I've always liked Dian Thomas' ideas
How Do We Eat It? by Deborah Pedersen Vanderniet
Great Myths of the Great Depression by Lawrence W. Reed
Just in Case, How to be Self Sufficient by Kathy Harrison
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook (this one tells you how to: escape from quicksand, wrestle an alligator, land a plane, and more!)
It wasn't raining when Noah Built the Ark by Tami Girsberger
(which is the also the name of my notebook)
Keeping Your Family Safe During Disaster  Southern Nevada Health District
In Time of Emergency Federal Emergency Management Agency (dated 1983)

WOW! I didn't know I had so many books on emergency preparedness, until I gathered them all up!

(now that I got them out just now to put the titles here in my blog, I am going to read some of them!)  I picked out 2 to start with. This will help me see which ones are to keep, and which really are not helpful.- I was having them in my emergency prepareness library as reference on a need-to-know basis.)

now that that was done, (the organizing) I could do some little things. The summer wasn't over yet.

I wanted to do more research on solar ovens, and alternative cooking, but that got bumped by other projects.

What other projects, and how did I get so busy?

I had been praying for service opportunities.
(last year I was praying for a job, and God blessed me with a great job that required me to work for 1 month intensely (at the power plant during an outage) and then home the rest of the year.)

Since money wasn't such a critical priority, I turned my heart to service. Be careful what you pray for! 

I wondered how I would be able to give service, since I was basically a homebody. (I love being home!) 

Oh, God finds a way!

Before I knew it I was sewing for others, decorating for weddings -I have another wedding this Saturday where my wedding stuff, and my decorating skills are needed. I'm not that great a decorator, but I am manpower.

I still donate a lot of time to scouting - between being a merit badge counselor and advancement chairman on the scout committee.   ( BTW, their motto is Be Prepared!)

I also still teach those adorable 3 year olds on Sunday. 

I still have 3 teen-age boys and a hard working husband at home.

All this adds up to a full day, and a full life.

Which brings me to my point - how to add the essentials of emergency preparedness into an already busy life.

Little things done on emergency prepareness add up to being prepared.  Putting it off until we have more time somehow means we never do it.

Here's an example of putting things off:
At the beginning of the summer I decided I wanted to do an indepth study of the 4 gospels in the Bible. All it would have taken is 1/2 hour of my time a day. I never seemed to find 1/2 hour.

I just found out that my son is going to be studying the New Testament in a church class every day during school.  They move pretty quickly thru the text.

I missed a good opportunity to be prepared to discuss and share with him what he is reading. There is no time now to fill my brain with all the information/insights I would have gotten if I had been studying all along. 

It would have been a little thing (1/2 hour a day)

The point is, I didn't know that would be his point of study, and I missed an opportunity that would have been a blessing.

we don't always know when we will need information/stuff for emergency preparedness.

We always think there will be more time.

I do have a back-to-school-time plan to get myself back on track to researching and planning and preparing for the future. I'm going to add some little things things to my day that I know will add up to being prepared big time!

DO THE CAN CAN

I've been very very very lazy (hey, it's summer!)

But one thing we did today was drive to our closest LDS food cannery (now called home storage centers) and canned some food in #10 cans to add to our food supply.

I took my 3 handsome teen-age boys and they learned how to can sugar. Not only did it give them a break from their 24/7 computer games, but it let them see how and where the food they will most likely be eating in the future comes from.

I feel really good about our outing. It was a win/win for us all. I can check this off my list as something done towards emergency preparedness.

We also have a follow-up plan for my husband to pick up some cases of wheat, rice, and beans from the same cannery. (they said we didn't need to can those items - they were already canned and in cases.) How easy is that?

For information on home storage centers, go  to: www.providentliving.org

BTW - read in the paper this morning about how the USA is in a drought and as a result, food prices will go up.  Better to get the food before it becomes too expensive to afford.

(that couldn't really happen, could it???)

Whaddayaknow?

I was thinking the other day about things I know how to do.

I know how to cut hair.

I know how to make bread and cook beans.

I know how to sew.

I know how to coordinate an outfit. (ok - so maybe that won't be so useful in a crisis)

 It's important to know how to do useful things.

If the DHTF, what would I know how to do to survive? (there's so much I don't know!)

2 more useful things I do know how to do:
I know how to cooperate and pool resources with other people.

I know how to get on my knees and pray.

yeah - we will be all right.

And, in the meantime - I want to learn how to do more useful things. (backpacking skills, wilderness survival skills, alternative fuel cooking skills. . .)

It's important to know how to do useful things.

TECHIE POWER!

I admit it. I am a techie.

I love my technology!

 If I had to go without my laptop and ipod I would have withdrawal pains!

Everyone in the family is hooked up in some way.

Last night Isaiah (son) was playing his game on his computer. Justin (grandson) was sitting right next to him playing the same game against him on the family computer.

Isaiah was also watching Netflix on his little notebook.

Suzanne (sister) was visiting from out of town. She was watching Netflix on her computer while she scrapbooked.

Nephi (son), Hayden (nephew), and Jacob (grandson) were watching Netflix on the main t.v.

Tanner (nephew) was playing the Xbox 360 or the Wii (not sure which one, since they were both in Isaiah's room)

In the basement apartment, Tereasa (daughter-in-law) was on facebook on her laptop.

Autumn (granddaughter) was on another laptop.



How true to real life!  LOL!

I was using my laptop and printer to print scrapbook pages.

I decided to go to bed, taking my laptop with me to watch Netflix. Netflix wouldn't let me, saying we had too many users on at once. (ya think?)

(now, lest you all think we don't do anything else, we do. it's just that we also use technology.)

Technology is awesome!!!!!

How would you read my blog without technology?

 How could we all connect, and learn and share emergency preparedness ideas, information, etc?

Technology is a very important part of emergency preparedness!  We need it to  learn - to share!

I am in awe of Google! Google knows all !

I was sad when Andy Griffith died a while back. I will miss sherriff Taylor and what he stood for. (the world is losing moral compasses like him.) 

But I was more sad when Steve Jobs died.

Technology is good! Someday we may not have it!

Use it before it's too late!!!!!!

ABOUT INDEPENDENCE

OK I'm going to get political, and it's not going to be

politically correct.

I see what is happening in government here in America.

 Policies, laws, and moral decay have changed the America our Founding Fathers created.

Today we are celebrating our Independence from England

and tyranical rule.

Why are we returning to the very thing

we liberated ourselves from?

The American spirit is a spirit of Independence.  

Yet, how many of us are dependent on the government?

Could we live without the government?

I see part of emergency preparation as learning, and teaching ourselves how to live independent of others (including the government). If we are expecting the government to save us in an emergency, we will be sorely, tragically disappointed. 

To be American used to mean being self-sufficient.

I say we rise up, pull ourselves up by our own pointy-toed shoe straps, and prepare our independence from our government!!!!!

GOD BLESS THE U.S.A. !