Can You Sleep When the Wind Blows?

  

        

       A young man applied for a job as a farmhand.  When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."  This puzzled the farmer, but he liked the young man and hired him.

      A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm.  They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure.

      They found that the shutters on the farmhouse had been securely fastened.  A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace.  The young man slept soundly.  The farmer and his wife then inspected their property.  They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements.  The tractor had been moved into the garage.  The barn was properly locked.  Even the animals were calm.  All was well.  The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words.  "I can sleep when the wind blows."

                                                                 ...Author Unknown

    

      Our prophets have been advising us on being prepared for the storms to come for years.  Have we done what we can to follow that advice?  Can we sleep when the wind blows?

                                                                    May

                               "The revelation to produce and store food may be as 

                               essential to or temporal welfare today as boarding 

                               the ark was to the people of Noah."

                                                          -Ezra Taft Bensonn

Spiritual Goal: Share a Book of Mormon

                            with a non-member.

Provident Living Goal: Make a goal and plan to

                                          exercise regularly.

                                                  Storage Goal:

                                                 May Week #4

                             Garden Seeds: Radishes are great in an emergency, 

                             they grow fast, are full of vitamins and minerals, and 

                             full of water.

                                      ***************************************************

                                                           May Week #3

                             Jell-O gelatin (24 per person) and pudding mixes

                                      ***************************************************

                                                           May Week #2

                             Dry soups and a box or two of crackers.

                                      *************************************************

                                                           May Week #1

                             It's dress your burger week! Mustard, catsup, mayo,

                             relish, Worcestershire, salsa, etc.

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

       Happy Spring!  After a long, cold winter we are so happy to welcome Spring.  This year however, I think Mother Nature may be confused.  We go from a beautiful, sunny 65 degree day, to rain, to 6" of wet heavy snow.  Oh well, that truly is Spring in Idaho.

      The month of April brings with it so many new and wonderful things.  We begin to see and hear the beautiful sights and sounds of Spring.  This weekend we will gather as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to listen to counsel given to us by our inspired Prophet and Apostles.  April also brings with it the celebration of Easter.  We are truly blessed as we take time to reflect on the Ressurection of our Savior, Jesus Christ and the great blessings that this brings to our lives.  What an amazing time of the year!  

                                  

       I pray that as we listen to the words that are shared by the Lord's servants, we take this counsel and begin to apply it to our daily lives. We are told in D&C 1:38 "...whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."  Prophets and Apostles have counseled us for years to be prepared and to begin a food storage program. In the October 1980 conference, President Ezra Taft Benson gave this great counsel: "Members of the Church are feeling the economic pinch of higher taxes and inflation coupled with conditions of continuing recession. Some have come to their bishops seeking assistance to pay for house payments, car loans, and utilities.  

     "Unfortunately, there has been fostered in the minds of some an expectation that when we experience hard times, when we have been unwise and extravagant with our resources and have lived beyond our means, we should look to either the Church or government to bail us out. Forgotten by some of our members is an underlying principle of the Church welfare plan that “no true Latter-day Saint will, while physically able, voluntarily shift from himself the burden of his own support” (Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Oct. 1973, p. 106). We are taught that we are responsible for our own support.  It is not the Lord's way that we depend on others to care for our needs.  

      In wise counsel given to us today, we are taught: "Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.

 “We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.

 “We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.”

    I pray that we may each be doing our part to prepare our families for those difficult times that we are promised will come.  I know that this wise counsel we receive comes through Prophets and Apostles that are called by The Lord.  I pray that we are using our time wisely and are  actively working to "prepare every needful thing."

~Miranda~

                         April

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."

                   D&C 38:30

Spiritual Goal:  attend the temple one or more

sessions than you normally do this month.

Provident Living Goal:  If you do not grow a

garden, plan do learn how.  If you do, try

something new this year.

                    April Week # 4

Ready Dinners:  ravioli, pasta, oriental, boxed

or frozen.  Get what your family will eat.

                    April Week #3

Assemble an emergency sewing kitK thread,

needles, buttons, snaps, zippers, tape measure,

scissors, pins, safety pins, etc.

                    April Week#2

Dry milk: 40 oz. will make 5 gallons of milk.  Make

sure to get real non fat milk & not dairy substitutes.

Work towards 10-10 lb. cans perperson.

                    April Week #1

Pasta: 5 lbs. at least.  Buy a variety.  (Your goal is

100 lbs. of flour and pasta per person."

March Food Storage Ideas

  

        It's hard to believe that March is already here!  It brings a smile to my face as I love the sights and sounds of Spring.  We begin to see the first buds on the trees.  A few of the brave little flowers begin to pop their little heads out of the cold ground.  We are greeted by the musical sounds of the birds as they chirp, "We're back! Welcome Spring!"  Spring for me is a fresh start.  A time to begin again.  A time when changes are welcomed.  So, to start our month off right we would like to share with you some ideas that will help you add to your food storage this month.  There is a goal for each week of the month.  As you are buying these items, try to watch for sales.  Every penny saved is worth it! Remember, you can do this!  Week by week, a little at a time!

                                                                    MARCH

                                 "The Lord has warned us of famines, the righteous 

                                will have listened to the prophet and stored at least a 

                                year's supply of survival food."   ~Ezra Taft Benson~

Spiritual Goal: Try to kneel in family prayer at least once a day.  Twice is better. :)

Provident Living Goal:  Learn a new skill or read a book pertaining to your career.

                                                       

                                                                Storage Goal:

            

                                                              March Week #5

                                                      Eating rice makes us nice!! 

                                                        Try to secure 10-20 lbs.

                                               (We are working towards 100 lbs of

                                            cereal grains per person recommended-

                                                    rice, oatmeal, cornmeal, etc.)                             

                       *****************************************************************************                                                         

   

                                                            March Week #4

                                              Spices and herbs you use most often:

                                              salt, pepper, cinnamon, garlic powder,

                                                     chili powder, oregano, etc.

                     ******************************************************************************

                                                          March Week #3

                              

                                       Mixes!! Cake, pancake, muffin, Bisquick, etc.

                                        You can purchase these or make your own.

                     ******************************************************************************

                                                         March Week #2

                                 

                                    More Personal Products: Shaving supplies, floss,

                             toothbrushes and paste, mirror, comb, moist towelettes, etc.

                               Infant needs: formula, food, diapers, wipes, infant Tylenol

                    *******************************************************************************

                                                          March Week #1    

                       

                                     Juices: Try to avoid watered down products, get

                                 100% lemon, orange, grape, pineapple, etc.  1- 10 lb.

                                can of powdered drink mix with vitamin C.  Get what

                                 your family likes.  (Work towards 50 qts. per person)

Food Storage...Friend or Foe???

   When you hear the words  food storage or emergency preparedness does it bring a smile to your face or does it make you want to run and hide? Beginning a food storage program can be a very overwhelming task.  For those of you who may rate food storage right up there with a trip to the dentist, we are here to help!  Through our experiences we would love to help you to see that food storage can become a fun a very rewarding experience for you and your family.

 

    When I first thought about beginning my family food storage plan,  I went online and found a food storage calculator to give me an idea of how much I needed to store.  What?!  I need to store how much!!  As I read, I could see that for my family of 5 I will need to store 1196 lbs. of grains, 101 lbs. of fats, 228 lbs. of legumes, 238 lbs. of sugar, 299 lbs. of milk, all my cooking essentials (baking powder, baking soda, yeast, salt, and vinegar), and water!  This was enough to send me running.  How in the world would I possibly be able to store this much food?  Not to mention the cost that would be involved!

  It was too much for me.  I had to put it all away for a few of days and really think about how I was going to make this happen.  After a lot of thought, I came to realize that food storage is just like everything else in life.  We have to take it one step at a time.  The journey may be long, but every step you take will bring you closer to your goal.  I now know that having a good storage of food is something that anyone can do!

  So, now that I have this information how do I get started?  Like I said, a little at a time.  When you make food storage a priority in your life, you will be amazed at the blessings you will begin to see.  Food storage can become a very simple thing by just taking a few simple steps.  When you go to the store and you buy a can of beans, buy 3.  Check your local weekly ads for items that are on sale. Make it a family goal to try not to eat out as often.  That $30 you spend on fast food can buy a lot of food storage!  Make food storage an important part of the monthly family budget.  The most important thing is to DO SOMETHING!

  If you are anything like me,you like to have a plan.  It seems so much easier to me to have it broken down week by week.  When I look at it like this, it seems a lot less overwhelming. We can help with that!  Each month we would like to share with you some ideas of the things that you can buy that will help you build your food storage.  It's that simple.  Do a little each week, and by the end of the year you will be amazed at how far you have come!  

   We are taught in D&C 38:30, "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear."  This is a powerful reminder to me that if I doing my best to prepare myself and my family, the Lord will in return greatly bless us.  It brings peace to my heart to know that if events should arise, I have began to prepare for the needs of my family.  I know that you can have that peace as well.    

Now let's get started!  

February Week #4

Solid vegetable shortening, oil, butter or margarine.  Butter or margarine will store well in the freezer.  These are items that you will need to use and rotate regularly as they will become rancid. Remeber that we are working toward our goal of 20 lbs. of fat per person.  It is important that we also keep a bottle of olive oil on hand for consecrating.  

Scout Fundraiser Sweet Pork Recipes

Thanks to everybody who supported the scouts Troop 607 this weekend.  They held a dinner and auction fundraiser in effort to earn money for scout camps and equipment. 

Being the Scoutmaster's wife I got to cook a bunch of the food and wanted to share the recipes I used here on the Preparedness Blog.  :)

Sweet Pork Sauce (this is the recipe for about 2 lbs.)
14 oz can of green enchilada sauce
1/4 T cumin
1 cup brown sugar
Mix it all together and pour it over the meat.

The meat cooks about 10 hours on 250 so it shreds pretty easily.  I like to use pork loin or pork roast but this time we used pork butt.

Cilantro Dressing - makes approx. 2 cups
1 1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayo
4 T green salsa
juice of 1 lime (approx. 2 T if you just have lime juice)
bunch of cilantro
dry ranch dressing mix
2 cloves garlic (I usually do 2 T minced)
1/8 tsp tobacco - optional

We bought the fresh produce from Grasmick Produce.  They are a local company that sells bulk produce for a discounted price to grocery stores and restaurants.  Anybody can buy from them and go pick up. 

The scouts and their families cooked all the rice and beans.  To make the rice sweet they added 1 T of sugar to the water per 1 cup of rice. 

72 Hour Kit Assembly & Fire Drill Practice

Monday night was the big night!  We unloaded our box of supplies and organized them in backpacks again for a new start to our 72 hour kits.  This time we are excited that we won't have to rotate them for at least 5 years.  However, we will be changing out the kids clothes next year.

Once again everybody felt a little concerned but mostly excited to have

 such a fun backpack full of goodies.  Hooray for being prepared!

 

After we finished our kits (because it didn't take much more than half hour) we decided to do a quick fire drill without telling the kids.  We have done this in the past, but it has been at least a year.  Dustin snuck in the basement and set the alarm off and it made me happy to see the 2 old girls ask no questions, just take off running out the door to the mailbox.  We have designated that as our meeting place in case of a fire.

 

 

We even practiced removing the screen and jumping out the window in case the fire was in the living room.   We explained that we didn't care if the screen got broke, just that they get out!  So Ella decided to give it a try and without hesitation kicked that screen right through. :)

 

They did a great job helping each other out of the window.

 

 

If you haven't practiced fire drills at your house this year I encourage you to do so this summer while it is nice and warm outside.  It is a great family home evening activity!

 

Here is a good guide.

 

At-Home Fire Drill

• come up with two different escape routes
• stress that we need to get out and then stay out!
• Learning why we need to crawl low under smoke, and then practicing our crawling
• Checking doors for heat before opening them
• Assigning a meeting place once outside
• Calling 9-1-1 after we are out of the house
• Checking the batteries in your smoke detectors
• Practicing the fire drill – not just talking about it, but actually doing it

 

 

FIRE!

Thanks to all of you who came out to our fire starting night.  We had a great time and sure did learn some good things from Bro. Braithwaite's expertise.

 

Wanted to share a few things we learned.  

 

We practiced using flint & steel to catch a flame on kindling, toilet paper, char cloth and some jute (similar to hemp).  Out of all of these the jute by far was the easiest to catch flame and start the fire.

 

When you use flint and steel make sure you are holding the steel correctly with the UP side facing up.  You need to do firm quick motion downward to spark a flame.  Pretty easy but takes some practice.

 

 

We made our own char cloth by putting some square pieces of cloth fabric in a aluminum container and puncturing a hole in the top of the lid.  We put it on the fire and let it smoke until it stopped smoking.  It was super stinky!

 

I personally think it was one of the most difficult ways because you have to really blow on that little tiny ember you get on the cloth to get a flame.  Probably a simple solution for an experienced fire started though.

 

We also did the steel wool and 9 V battery trick.  You need a small piece of steel wool and touch a 9 volt battery to it and you have fire.  You quickly add your kindling and start to blow on it until you get a flame.

 

Sister Lasenby did a great job starting her fire this way.

 

We learned a fire needs:  oxygen, heat and fuel in order to burn.

 

You need tiny pieces of dry things such as pine needles, sage brush twigs, small sticks to use as kindling.  This goes at the very bottom of the fire.  See in the picture above.

 

Then you need some tinder which are a little bit bigger than the twigs.  You can see them sitting up against the log in the picture below. 

 

Last you need some bigger wood for burning.  Once your fire is started it needs to have logs or bigger chunks of wood to keep it going.

 

Nice work ladies!!  We had a fire started and then we had a triangle made out of long sticks and lashed together with some twine.  We dangled a steel pot from our mess kit from some twin in order to boil 2 cups of water for our Mountain House meals.

 

We tasted Chili Mac with Beef - yummy and a bit spicy for kids.

 

And Turkey Tetrazzini which was tasty!  We were impressed they tasted so good for packaged meals like this.  A terrific option for 72 hour kits!

 

To make one of these meals you just add 2 cups boiling water to the package and seal it up.  It sits for about 9 minutes and then you can just eat it right out of the package or pour into bowls.  They have 2.5 and 5 serving packages.

Survival Mom

I like to read different emergency preparedness blogs to stay focused and get different ideas.  Recently Survival Mom published a post called: 

Moms, your kids need these 3 things from you in a crisis

The 3 things she lists are:
            *Confidence
            *Courage
            *Comfort

If you have a minute, stop by and read it.  I thought it was really good.

Changes to Home Storage Centers

http://www.lds.org/church/news/changes-to-home-storage-centers?lang=eng

The Church has announced changes to home storage centers.

“Over time, we will be reducing the number of facilities where the packaging of dry goods occurs,” spokeswoman Ruth Todd said May 6. However, she added, the Church’s “home storage centers will offer the same or additional commodities in prepackaged form at no additional cost.”

Sister Todd said, “The change from self-service canning to prepackaged commodities occurs over time and depends on what goods are available at each individual facility.”

She said once the change occurs, people will be able to get the same variety of supplies and goods and at the same price.

“The Church is not closing canneries and is not limiting the variety of goods available to Church members,” she said. The only thing being reduced over time is the number of locations at which members can purchase bulk food and can it themselves onsite.

There are currently more than 100 LDS home storage centers across the United States and Canada at which Church members can obtain food items for personal and family use.

The home storage centers are part of the Church’s massive welfare program that includes canneries, meat-packing facilities, thrift stores, farms, ranches, and storage facilities for food. Latter-day Saints are encouraged by Church leaders to keep a three-month supply of food on hand in case of physical, natural, and economic emergencies as part of the practice of self-reliance.

“Self-reliance is a product of our work and undergirds all other welfare practices,” President Thomas S. Monson said. “It is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being.”

Orange Candle

We recently put a little fire ring in our back yard so we can practice our fire starting skills (mine are lacking huge!).  In the midst of this Dustin has been trying to find different ways to start fire.

 

He came across this orange candle that was pretty cool.  He cut the orange in half and pulled the fruit out leaving the center as a wick. 

 

Put some olive oil in the bottom of the orange and started a flame on the top.  It took about 5 seconds to start the first time, but started right up the 2nd time.  It gave off enough heat to warm your hands and actually smelled pretty good.   Pretty cool little trick!

Week #11 First Aid

If you have made it to week #11 you deserve a huge high five!  You are almost done and that is worth celebrating!  You will be so grateful for the peace of mind you can feel from knowing that your kits are complete for at least 5 years.

This week we need to gather our First Aid supplies.  It's funny that we are doing first aid this week because last weekend we went on a little ride in the mountains and Dustin was carving us some willow branches to roast hot dogs on.  I was tending to the kids when I heard him say he cut himself and needed a band aid.  As he became a little more anxious and then a little impatient I felt such stress that I couldn't find where the stinking band aids or gauze was in this foreign first aid kit.

I realized how important it is that we not only have a first aid kit, but we know what is inside and where to find it quickly.  Thankfully it was a minor situation that taught me this lesson and thankfully we were prepared with what we needed to have.

Some of the supplies that are listed on our 72 hour kits checklists are:

small first aid kit including: band aids, butterfly bandages, gauze, first aid ointment, antiseptic, cold pack, alcohol pads, tweezers, small scissors, Benadryl, ibuprofen, medical adhesive tape, safety pins

moleskin
Vaseline
syringe
thermometer
latex gloves
snake bite kit
insect repellent
sunscreen

Whatever else you may feel you need would be wise to add to your kits.  Each of my kids carry a little $.99 Johnson & Johnson kit from the travel section at Target and other stores.  It includes 2 alcohol pads, 8 bandaids and 2 gauze pads.  Dustin has a larger kit that was purchased at Walmart in the hiking section for $16.   I have been pretty impressed with that little kit.  So far it's had all we have needed.  We have added a few things like the snake bite kit & sunscreen.

Week 10 Fun, Money & ID Badges

This week is pretty simple.  Make sure you have some fun and entertaining things for your kids to do.
I found a 3 pack of cards like Old Maid, Go Fish and Crazy 8s at Dollar Tree on 17th Street.  Each one of my kids has a pack of cards.  You could do a small notebook and pen, some dice, coloring book, reading books, etc.

Make sure you have some small bills and change in each pack.  If electronics go down you will need cash.

ID Badges can be made as easily as writing on the back of a wallet sized photo and putting it in a Ziploc baggie.  I printed a picture of my girls on the computer and next to the picture I wrote their name, birthday, height and weight and parents names.  I laminated it for protection from water.

72 Hour Kit... to the test!

This past Saturday our family decided to venture out on a hike.  It is one we have taken our kids on before so we pretty well knew what to expect.  It's 2.6 miles round trip and only a small amount of incline so pretty ideal for a family hike.

 

However, this past Saturday (as you may recall) there was a lot of rainfall.  This calling has made me a little more adventurous as I would like to try to put these things I am learning to the test.  As we made our way up the hill the trail had water and hail just gushing down the center so we had to either straddle the center, walk on the edge or get really wet.

 

 

Thankfully each of our kids have rain jackets and we brought ponchos for us.  There was also quite a bit of snow to walk through so your pant legs got wet if they were not already from the water.

 

There was a lot of tree fall so we had to climb around it or if you are tiny like Ella you can just duck right under it.   Do you know this 8 year old girl did not complain!  As we walked, we talked about our pioneer heritage and how much harder it would have been to have walked for 3 months instead of just 3 hours.  How they were pulling carts and we had a backpack.  How we had hot dogs with ketchup and jerky and granola bars and they had flour & water.  We talked about how because they endured that, we can face our challenges today because we are strong! 

 

 

Each one of our kids had backpacks they carried with a spare pair of socks, their water, some snacks, a flashlight, Kleenex and their rain jackets.  Ella chose to walk through the snow or take the harder looking path because she felt like that was a little more real to what the pioneers did and she wanted to prove she was strong.  We just let her.  Again, she didn't complain.

 

 

When we got to the top and stopped moving, everybody started to freeze.  They were wet, tired, hungry and sadly everything we threw into the backpacks was soaked.  There were no dry socks to put on, no dry underwear for the 2 year old and a lot of chattering teeth.  Pretty soon the kids started to whine.  Ella was wrapping her feet in the most dry head wrap she could find to keep them warm.  We had each of our feet inside Ziploc baggies to attempt to keep them dry.  It worked for the girls with boots, but with shorter shoes the water still got through the tops.  Dustin was smart and had waterproof boots so his feet stayed dry.

 

 

My good Scoutmaster husband attempted to start a fire with flint & steel (just for the sake of teaching me) and within a minute the toilet paper we were trying to catch of fire was wet from the ground so after what seemed like 10 minutes of hearing the kids complain and watch no action in the fire area I insisted we use a match.  (Wimpy I know)  Do you know how to start a fire?  We are going to learn very soon!!

 

Soon after our fire was going, it started to rain.  So as great as our attempts to dry out by the fire were, we had to find shelter.  Thankfully Dustin was able to move the fire over to a place where the trees were sheltering us from the rain and we could start to warm up and dry out and cook some hot dogs. 

 

 

Dustin made us a couple of clothes lines to dry our stuff over the fire.

 

When we got to the lake Dustin left to go fishing while the girls and I "played house".  Ella wrung out the socks and gloves and changed their position on the clothes line.  We cleaned up and cooked everybody some hot dogs.  Thankfully the girls and I got warmed up and our pants dried a bit by the fire and they got happy again.

 

On the way back I was carrying Alissa down on my shoulders and as I was trudging through the snow I twisted my ankle and fell to my knees.  Thankfully I was able to walk the rest of the way down still carrying her.  My ankle started to hurt and get stiff and swollen when I stopped walking.

 

I only wanted to share these experience so I can tell you a few of the

lessons I learned for our 72 hour kits:

 

*Do we know enough first aid to help somebody or even ourselves with an injury?  What if I was unable to walk on my ankle? 

 

*Dry feet are important.  Alissa wouldn't even walk once her feet got wet and so we had to carry the 2 little girls 95% of the time.  I would throw in some extra baggies and definitely some socks and shoes.  It made it quite a bit harder to pack those 30 pound babies all the way.

 

*Warm hands are important.  I brought some chemical hand warmers and they saved the day.  The girls just clasped those things in their hands and held tight.  We stuffed them in their pant pockets to be up against their body to keep them warm.  Make sure you have some gloves and adults need work gloves for handling wood, fire, whatever else you might need to do.

 

*I was so glad Dustin had rope to make some clothes lines.  Make sure somebody in your family has rope.

 

*PONCHOS are essential!  As soon as it starts to rain you get that thing on you and over your pack.  If the things in your bag get wet, you are in trouble.  I am going to throw in an extra 1 or 2 in mine just in case somebody needs a spare.  They are such thin plastic and a few ripped.  If we are using them for 3 days somebody in our family may need a spare.  We also used them to sit on since there was no dry place to sit.

 

*Just for extra protection, I would put your things like toilet paper, clothing, dry foods, etc. in individual bags just to keep them dry should your pack get wet.  Ella's water bottle leaked and on top of the rain water got everything so wet.

 

*Less food preparation is better.  If we had to wait on something to cook much longer than the hot dogs, the kids may have had a melt down.

 

 

Overall, my kids had such a fun time and we made some great memories!  They were only sad for a few minutes while they tried to get warm.  I am so grateful for this opportunity we had to build memories and to let our kids prove they are strong and can do hard things.  I was so grateful again to be reflecting on our pioneer ancestors and all they endured.  We need to have that faith, we can endure.  We MUST prepare!

 

 

Week #9 Water

It is recommended to plan 1 gallon of water per person per day for your 72 hour kits.  Obviously the needs are going to be a bit different based on the person (children, nursing mother, etc.) but this is the recommended goal.  Also if you packed food that need water for preparation.

When I originally read this a year ago I couldn't figure out why we would actually need to pack this much water for a short time when I know we can survive on less.   As I talked with a family member of a hurricane Katrina victim she informed me that chances are pretty good that each day will be spent working.  Moving trees, sandbags, whatever.. and we will need to stay hydrated especially if it is a summer month. 

There are a few options for water.

Preparedness Store & Emergency Essentials sell these water packets.  4.2 oz.  They are about $.35.  Probably the most compact water I have seen.  These are good for 5 years.

You can go with your traditional water bottles.  They should be rotated every year according to the expiration date.  This is what we have in our kits.  The are less compact, but cheaper.

 

 

We have some 5 gallon water jugs like this that I plan to grab if possible.  They have handle and a spigot.

 

We also have multiple water filters.  It would be good to have at least 1 water filter for your family.   These kind can be filled straight from the water source and need no other containers. 



 



 

 



 PLEASE get your water!  It would be a miserable 3 days if you don't have water for you and your family.  Even if you don't have food, you could survive with some water. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

Week #8 Tools & Communication

Week #8 we will be collecting all the supplies we need for Tools and Communication.

A few items you will want to make sure you have are:
a whistle
compass                      

They make these 5 in 1 with whistle & compass for $1.50 or a plain whistle for $.50..  I will be placing an order on May 16 if anybody is interested in ordering these for their family.

notebook & pencil
personal emergency phone book (other than your phone)
battery operated radio and extra batteries

Our radio looks similar to this one and I bought it years ago.  I think I remember it being about $15.  We have 1 for our entire family.  You can determine how many you need.  You can get them for $10.95 from Emergency Essentials. or something similar at Walmart for $9.

A leatherman, super glue and a lighter are the only "tools" we have in our 72 hour kits right now.  My grandpa gave me a pair of these scissors a few years back which are selling on Ebay and they would be a good addition.  I have loved them and keep them in my purse.

 Be sure to check the suggestions listed on the 72 hour kit list here for a more complete list.

72 Hour Kit Menu

Maryann Blanchard shared this with me while we were preparing food for our 72 hour kits.  I believe it is something Miranda Egan shared a few years back. 

It's a 72 hour kit menu guideline and could come in handy for somebody who isn't sure what to pack.  You can follow the link to print it off.  Please comment if you are having issues opening these files.

Preparedness Store Classes

The Preparedness Store & Bosch Kitchen Center 120 Northgate Mile Idaho Falls, ID 83401 208-524-8300 COOKING CLASSES May, 2013

Forgotten & Often "Overlooked Items" Thursday, May 2nd 11:00am Bread Making Saturday, May 4th 11:00am 8 Steps to Preparedness Thursday, May 9th 11:00am Food Storage Desserts Saturday, May 11th 11:00am Bread Making Thursday, May 16th 11:00am You Can Have Your Food Storage and Eat It Too! Saturday, May 18th 11:00am Sprouting Class Thursday, May 30th 11:00am

Week 7 Food Equipment

I wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you who have talked to me recently about putting together your 72 hour kits.  It's thrilling to hear how many of you are working on them and thinking about them and will start them when you finish your current project.

I hope you all have your food nicely organized and ready to put in your pack.

Week #7  We are going to work on Food Equipment.
This includes anything you may need to eat out of and with, cook with, and clean with so it depends on what you packed.  Do you need a can opener?  Do you prefer paper or plastic products or a mess kit?  If you are boiling water you need to have some of way to heat it as well as something to heat it in. 

I will need some way to boil water for my dinners and 1 lunch so here are some options:

Mountain Oven Flameless Heating Kit - warms pouch meals to 100 degrees without the need for boiling water.  Simply add water to activate.  Comes with 5 heating pouches for $10.99 (May Sale)

Folding Stove with Fuel Tablets - clean fuel that is easy to ignite and smokeless.  Contains 8 tablets for $5.95 each.  $2.75 for an additional 24 tablets.  The tablets burn about 10 minutes.

Canned Heat - You can buy 2 sterno cans for $4.95 at Walmart or 1 can of Heat Cell on Emergency Essentials website for $3.95.  I have been told sternos are toxic so you shouldn't burn them unless you are very well ventilated.  These last about 4 hours for cooking and can be relit.  You need some sort of wire rack to put over them to heat your water.  You can find one at most of these places for around $5-10.

Single Burner Propane Stove - We have something similar to this that Dustin takes backpacking and it works great other than the big propane bottles he has to carry with him.  The butane bottles are much smaller so I would recommend a butane stove over the propane.  Just make sure you have an extra bottle of fuel.

I think any are a good option.  If you have a large family you may want to consider getting multiple heating units so it doesn't take all day to warm the water.  You have to make the decision of what is best for you. 

GOOD LUCK!

Food Sealing Adventures!

I am so happy with the knowledge that 9 families from our ward and multiple other families are now 1 step ahead on their emergency preparedness!

 

 

We sealed our food today in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber with high hopes that it will stay good for 5 years vs. changing it out in 1 year.  We learned that cereal has high oil content and cannot be stored for that long and some granola bars (specifically Sunbelt) have no preservatives and should not be eaten past expiration.

 

Also got reminded how good it feels to have this part of 72 hour kits DONE.  It's a lot of effort but will be worth it should we ever need to use them.

 

Some of the items people included are:

granola bars, oatmeal packets, formula, rice cereal, easy mac, ramen noodles, hard candies, fruit roll ups, hot chocolate, drink flavoring packets, jerkey, dried fruit

 

Great work everybody!