Friday, August 5, 2011
PREP FAIR THIS WEEKEND-SLC
Honeyville Grain in Salt Lake... up by the airport 5600 West.. is having an Emergency Preparedness Fair this Friday and Saturday from 9 till 7 on Fri and 8-3 on Saturday. Lots of classes being offered and lots of give aways. Thought you might be interested. They are serving breakfast on Sat morning.
Monday, August 1, 2011
AUGUST PREPAREDNESS CHALLENGE
Wow, can't believe it's August. Think about this...the year is 2/3 over. WHAT? So it's going to be Christmas in, like, 2 weeks? That's about how quick it goes folks.
And sometimes my preparedness plans fall through the cracks. But the great thing about this here blog is that each month I can re-focus and try, try again. So that's what we're doing. In keeping with my last post and focusing my efforts on specific categories, here are my goals this month:
- BABY NEEDS: I am going to add an extra case of (large...for any size baby) disposable diapers and wipes to my brand new "baby" tote, as well as some pins and plastic pants to go over cloth diapers. I'll also throw in some extra blankets that I have on hand, some formula/bottled water with a bottle and baby cereal, and a couple little outfits. This goes with the 72 hr. kit items that I have for baby that include heavy winter clothes. This is not necessarily intended to be a long term fix, but hopefully it would provide some immediate help for me or someone else in an emergency situation. I can't imagine not having diapers on hand in a crisis!
Friday, July 15, 2011
USING YOUR FOOD STORAGE FROM USU EXTENSION
If you've ever been to the USU Extension food storage classes, you know they are wonderful! Lots of fun recipes, good information on storing your staples, and taste testing! If not, I have the next best thing. We have been trying to find an easy way to get their handouts to you, and we found the link online, yay! Because these were developed using public funds, they are free to the public, so download, print, and enjoy! (Includes wheat, rice, milk, beans, oatmeal, and homemade bread)
http://extension.usu.edu/cache/files/uploads/Cooking%20with%20Food%20Storage%20Ingredients%206-07.pdf
http://extension.usu.edu/cache/files/uploads/Cooking%20with%20Food%20Storage%20Ingredients%206-07.pdf
Monday, July 4, 2011
JULY PREPAREDNESS CHALLENGE
Happy summer! It's here and I'm really enjoying it. The living is easy...or at least, it's supposed to be, but we've found ourselves running around too crazy for easy living. So this month we are hoping to slow down a little and maybe enjoy some (lazy!) summer days.
Having said that, I still feel very compelled to keep a steady effort with my preparedness. I have been doing a lot of pondering and praying about it lately. I feel I have some new direction in the form of several categories that I need to focus on. I will list them at the end of this post if you are interested. Here are my goals for this month:
1) Stash of cash. I'll be getting my monthly preparedness budget out in cash, in smaller bills, to put aside somewhere very accessible. I have heard from several people in emergency situations that cash on hand is super important; doesn't help to have all your money tied up in the bank if you can't use your debit card, if the power is down, if banks are closed, etc.
2) Plug away at the garden. Confession: my garden is an absolute mess. Always. Every year the weeds get away from me and I finally just throw in the towel. This year I have found a way to co-exist with them. They get to live in between the rows but the actual rows of plants are MINE. It's the only way I'm going to keep my sanity. And, you know what? Vegetables can still grow and produce well in a weedy garden! I'm resigning myself to this situation until I have the money to build garden boxes...maybe next year.
Here are the categories I am working on. You can see I am working on a different one each month, I am planned through January. I have gotten some good ideas (inspiration) about what to have for each category. I am confident they will continue to come as I try to be consistent.
Having said that, I still feel very compelled to keep a steady effort with my preparedness. I have been doing a lot of pondering and praying about it lately. I feel I have some new direction in the form of several categories that I need to focus on. I will list them at the end of this post if you are interested. Here are my goals for this month:
1) Stash of cash. I'll be getting my monthly preparedness budget out in cash, in smaller bills, to put aside somewhere very accessible. I have heard from several people in emergency situations that cash on hand is super important; doesn't help to have all your money tied up in the bank if you can't use your debit card, if the power is down, if banks are closed, etc.
2) Plug away at the garden. Confession: my garden is an absolute mess. Always. Every year the weeds get away from me and I finally just throw in the towel. This year I have found a way to co-exist with them. They get to live in between the rows but the actual rows of plants are MINE. It's the only way I'm going to keep my sanity. And, you know what? Vegetables can still grow and produce well in a weedy garden! I'm resigning myself to this situation until I have the money to build garden boxes...maybe next year.
Here are the categories I am working on. You can see I am working on a different one each month, I am planned through January. I have gotten some good ideas (inspiration) about what to have for each category. I am confident they will continue to come as I try to be consistent.
- HEAT
- LIGHT
- COMMUNICATION
- CLOTHING/BLANKETS
- FUEL/POWER
- BABY NEEDS (August)
- GARDENING SUPPLIES (Sept)
- CASH (July
- HYGIENE
- SPIRITUAL/MENTAL PREPARATION (Always!)
- LONG TERM FOOD STORAGE
- SHORT TERM FOOD STORAGE (Nov)
- EXTRA COOKING SUPPLIES/PAPERWARE (Dec)
- WATER
- ANIMAL NEEDS
- MEDICINE (Oct)
- EMERGENCY DOCUMENTS (Jan)
- 72 HOUR KITS
Monday, June 6, 2011
WHEAT CLASS SAT, JUNE 11- DON'T MISS IT!
Here is the info about our long anticipated wheat class! We are very excited to have Lorraine who came all the way out here from Pennsylvania to teach this class for us (among other things :) If you ordered wheat (or even if you didn't) she will show you some very easy ways to use your wheat, from the berry (no grinding necessary)to sprouting to delicious recipes using wheat flour. Even if you use wheat regularly, I am sure you will find some uses that are new to you. Lorraine has done a ton of research and experimenting and has a fantastic wealth of knowledge.
Please RSVP if you can make it and bring a friend if you would like! (Email me at foodstoragenow@gmail.com)
Date: Saturday, June 11
Time: 10 -11 AM
Place: Joan Elder's home, 4820 Hollow Road, Nibley (email me for directions)
Cost: Free for those who made a wheat order, $5 for others
This is normally a $20+ class so we are excited to be hosting it for such a low cost. It is excellent preparedness info and whether you are familiar with using wheat or not, everyone will learn something from it! Hope to see you there!
Date: Saturday, June 11
Time: 10 -11 AM
Place: Joan Elder's home, 4820 Hollow Road, Nibley (email me for directions)
Cost: Free for those who made a wheat order, $5 for others
This is normally a $20+ class so we are excited to be hosting it for such a low cost. It is excellent preparedness info and whether you are familiar with using wheat or not, everyone will learn something from it! Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
How would I fare without a kitchen in an emergency?
So...you may have noticed (or not) that I didn't write a monthly preparedness post for May. I thought about it all month long, but just couldn't do it. I have a great excuse.
My kitchen was out of commission for the entire month.
So, at first I saw this as a great adventure. I thought, now I can see how I would do in an emergency event when I couldn't use my kitchen. You know...cooking with a different source, washing dishes and finding cooking water without access to a kitchen sink, etc.
I give myself about a D-. That's how bad I did. And I can see now where I need a lot of improvement to be able to function under a highly stressful situation where I really do have to operate without my kitchen. Here are some things I learned:
1) Bottled water was invaluable. Even though we had access to bathroom water...it tasted yucky and of course in a real emergency that may not be available. We burned through those cases of water like crazy and still never really felt hydrated. I need about twice as much as I had before...and that's a lot!
2) I am lost without my dishwasher! Joan suggested a very simple way to hand wash dishes without access to a sink...buy those cheap plastic dishpans from the dollar store with soap water in one and rinsing water in the other. This is, of course, making sure you have plenty of dishwashing detergent on hand!
This is the area where I really bombed...I tried washing in my tub, from the hose, using neighbors' sink and dishwasher...in the end I gave up and just piled dirty dishes in a laundry basket until we could give them a good wash. What a pain!
3) Which leads me to another invaluable item...paperware! We didn't have nearly so many dishes as usual because we used so many paper plates, cups and utensils! Again, I should have about 10 times the amount of paperware than I now have if I ever want to make my life that much easier in an emergency. (I know it's bad for the environment but if water was scarce...it would be mighty helpful.)
4) Grill, griddle, slow cooker, blender, and toaster oven. These babies helped me get something warm on the table. Because I had electricity and propane, I was good on the energy side of things. But it's a reminder to me that I still need to get an extra propane tank and I will also be looking for a generator that can run small appliances.
5) Ready made/Easily prepared food: I am not a fan of processed food and try to avoid it when I can. However, it was a real life-saver in this situation. Granola bars, yogurt, string cheese, fruit snacks, cold cereal and PBJ's were the go-to items pretty much every day. Ready made granola, pre-browned hamburger, and pre-grilled chicken from the freezer would have been mighty helpful. Never knew how much I took that cooktop for granted till I couldn't brown a pound of hamburger! Also, easily accessible fruits and vegetables that don't require preparation would be fantastic; grapes, baby carrots, bananas, apples, etc. For whatever reason, we really craved pre-made juice; probably because we weren't getting enough water or enough fresh fruit. Stores easily and really refreshing in a pinch. Mixes are also helpful. Pancakes, cookies...whatever. Easy to make up a batch and help everyone feel "normal" for a minute.
I didn't do much grocery shopping during the entire month because we didn't really have a place to keep groceries and so I could also gauge how well we were using our food storage. I give myself about a C here; I made a valiant effort but we pretty much bought the Chinese takeout and pizza joints close to our house. Sigh...too bad that stuff isn't readily available in a crisis...
We did appreciate canned soup, bread from the freezer, tuna, crackers, pickles and dried apple chips. And mayo. Plenty of it.
6) I also had my refrigerator/freezer running. So without those I would really be hurting. Another reason to find a good generator. Ice chest coolers could be used temporarily. Also a cool trick...freeze water in milk gallon jugs in your extra freezer. Keeps things cold for awhile even if the power goes out, plus it's extra water storage!
I sure learned a lot with this experienced, mainly that I'm really not as ready as I had hoped.
How would you fare without a kitchen in an emergency???
By the way...in case you're interested...here's the fruits of our labors.
So, at first I saw this as a great adventure. I thought, now I can see how I would do in an emergency event when I couldn't use my kitchen. You know...cooking with a different source, washing dishes and finding cooking water without access to a kitchen sink, etc.
I give myself about a D-. That's how bad I did. And I can see now where I need a lot of improvement to be able to function under a highly stressful situation where I really do have to operate without my kitchen. Here are some things I learned:
1) Bottled water was invaluable. Even though we had access to bathroom water...it tasted yucky and of course in a real emergency that may not be available. We burned through those cases of water like crazy and still never really felt hydrated. I need about twice as much as I had before...and that's a lot!
2) I am lost without my dishwasher! Joan suggested a very simple way to hand wash dishes without access to a sink...buy those cheap plastic dishpans from the dollar store with soap water in one and rinsing water in the other. This is, of course, making sure you have plenty of dishwashing detergent on hand!
This is the area where I really bombed...I tried washing in my tub, from the hose, using neighbors' sink and dishwasher...in the end I gave up and just piled dirty dishes in a laundry basket until we could give them a good wash. What a pain!
3) Which leads me to another invaluable item...paperware! We didn't have nearly so many dishes as usual because we used so many paper plates, cups and utensils! Again, I should have about 10 times the amount of paperware than I now have if I ever want to make my life that much easier in an emergency. (I know it's bad for the environment but if water was scarce...it would be mighty helpful.)
4) Grill, griddle, slow cooker, blender, and toaster oven. These babies helped me get something warm on the table. Because I had electricity and propane, I was good on the energy side of things. But it's a reminder to me that I still need to get an extra propane tank and I will also be looking for a generator that can run small appliances.
5) Ready made/Easily prepared food: I am not a fan of processed food and try to avoid it when I can. However, it was a real life-saver in this situation. Granola bars, yogurt, string cheese, fruit snacks, cold cereal and PBJ's were the go-to items pretty much every day. Ready made granola, pre-browned hamburger, and pre-grilled chicken from the freezer would have been mighty helpful. Never knew how much I took that cooktop for granted till I couldn't brown a pound of hamburger! Also, easily accessible fruits and vegetables that don't require preparation would be fantastic; grapes, baby carrots, bananas, apples, etc. For whatever reason, we really craved pre-made juice; probably because we weren't getting enough water or enough fresh fruit. Stores easily and really refreshing in a pinch. Mixes are also helpful. Pancakes, cookies...whatever. Easy to make up a batch and help everyone feel "normal" for a minute.
I didn't do much grocery shopping during the entire month because we didn't really have a place to keep groceries and so I could also gauge how well we were using our food storage. I give myself about a C here; I made a valiant effort but we pretty much bought the Chinese takeout and pizza joints close to our house. Sigh...too bad that stuff isn't readily available in a crisis...
We did appreciate canned soup, bread from the freezer, tuna, crackers, pickles and dried apple chips. And mayo. Plenty of it.
6) I also had my refrigerator/freezer running. So without those I would really be hurting. Another reason to find a good generator. Ice chest coolers could be used temporarily. Also a cool trick...freeze water in milk gallon jugs in your extra freezer. Keeps things cold for awhile even if the power goes out, plus it's extra water storage!
I sure learned a lot with this experienced, mainly that I'm really not as ready as I had hoped.
How would you fare without a kitchen in an emergency???
By the way...in case you're interested...here's the fruits of our labors.
Before...
After...
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wheat pickup info
For those who ordered wheat:
Pickup will be on Wednesday, May 25, at 6-8 PM at the JB's Flooring America store in South Logan, 1202 S. Hwy 89-91. Directions to the store are listed below. You may pull around to the back of the store (east side-to the immediate west of the Browse Around antique store...there's a loading area there) and check in, and we can get you loaded up right from there. We plan to have some help on hand, but it would be great if you could bring a strong set of muscles if you have a big order!
If you yourself can't make it, please try and send someone in your place. We have special permission to use this building and we can't leave any of the wheat there overnight so whatever is not picked up will end up coming home with us and it becomes somewhat of a hassle for you and us. Thanks for your understanding!
See you there!
Directions to the store from the south: Turn left at the light at the Providence Maverick, heading toward Hwy 89-91. You will pass the south side of Walmart. Head straight west (even through the windy intersection), you will see Browse Around antique store just to your left (after Watkins Printing, Family Dollar, and the old Hobby Shop), take a left in the driveway just to the west of the antique shop. That goes directly to the back of the store and the loading dock.
Directions to the store from the north: Turn right at the light at the Providence Maverick, heading toward Hwy 89-91. You will pass the south side of Walmart. Head straight west (even through the windy intersection), you will see Browse Around antique store just to your left (after Watkins Printing, Family Dollar, and the old Hobby Shop), take a left in the driveway just to the west of the antique shop. That goes directly to the back of the store and the loading dock.
Pickup will be on Wednesday, May 25, at 6-8 PM at the JB's Flooring America store in South Logan, 1202 S. Hwy 89-91. Directions to the store are listed below. You may pull around to the back of the store (east side-to the immediate west of the Browse Around antique store...there's a loading area there) and check in, and we can get you loaded up right from there. We plan to have some help on hand, but it would be great if you could bring a strong set of muscles if you have a big order!
If you yourself can't make it, please try and send someone in your place. We have special permission to use this building and we can't leave any of the wheat there overnight so whatever is not picked up will end up coming home with us and it becomes somewhat of a hassle for you and us. Thanks for your understanding!
See you there!
Directions to the store from the south: Turn left at the light at the Providence Maverick, heading toward Hwy 89-91. You will pass the south side of Walmart. Head straight west (even through the windy intersection), you will see Browse Around antique store just to your left (after Watkins Printing, Family Dollar, and the old Hobby Shop), take a left in the driveway just to the west of the antique shop. That goes directly to the back of the store and the loading dock.
Directions to the store from the north: Turn right at the light at the Providence Maverick, heading toward Hwy 89-91. You will pass the south side of Walmart. Head straight west (even through the windy intersection), you will see Browse Around antique store just to your left (after Watkins Printing, Family Dollar, and the old Hobby Shop), take a left in the driveway just to the west of the antique shop. That goes directly to the back of the store and the loading dock.
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