Showing posts with label preparedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparedness. Show all posts

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Spring has Sprung

Spring has officially sprung here on the little farm we call home. Rabbits are having bunnies, Chickens are flying and trying to eat every bug they can gobble up, and Hubby and I have cabin fever.
I got the cleaning bug not to long ago. I have started to organize the homestead. Decorating is not far behind.
So far the inside has been done wonderfully.

 To get this much organization done with in my home is a small miracle  Almost the whole house is done now. My bedroom, Dining room, Front room, Kitchen (Including inside cupboards), laundry room, and family room have all been done.
That leaves the really hard rooms: Mud/ Storage room. And garage. neither of which I or the boys have had time to tackle just yet. But it is coming quickly.
 The bookshelf alone took us 3 hours to get straightened and done. But we are slowly chipping away at the cleaner side of life.
With the baby here now we have had the challenge of cleaning around the bigger :"toys" if you will. the Swing, port-a-crib, bouncer ect. They are easy to move but harder to keep looking nice if company happens to come over.
With my office in place I can keep up on bills , calling, family things that needs to happen. the best part of this whole thing is my phone. Jimmy had a birthday party and one of the boys needed to make a phone call.He picked up the phone and looked at me and asked. "Mrs.Myers how do you turn this on?" Then proceeded to figure out how to dial. I laugh to myself thinking of how cool I thought this phone was when Krik gave it me.



Look closely you can see even Baby Lykota helped out today. 
 The boys and I have been busy also getting the yard ready for our garden this year. Can't wait to get it in. Krik could not either. He went out a got himself 50 tomato plants today. .

Jimmy and I worked on getting the row's cleaned out so we can plant tomorrow. He would have helped but he had a minor heart attack on Sunday so he is under doctors orders not to do that kind of work for at least a week of not two

The boys are so excited to have the garden going in. Kanyon has asked to plant: Pea's, watermelon, and tomatoes. Byron asked for : cantaloupe  potatoes, and pumpkins. Cole asked for : Lettuce, carrots, and egg plant. Jimmy asked for: Romina tomatoes, jalapeno, and green peppers. We are planting all this plus squash a variety of sorts, onions, spices such as thyme, basil, cilantro, ect..
I love the fact I have such space I can plant as much of something as I need and as little of stuff as I don't want.




The last little bit I have gotten into cooking homemade from scratch meals. Breads, muffins, stews you name it I am trying it. For Jimmy's birthday party to save $ we had it at our house. The kids got to watch movies and make their own pizza's from scratch. I prepared the pizza dough ahead of time and they topped it. then we cooked it.




This was so much fun for the kids. they enjoyed doing it so much. I think they enjoyed eating them just as much.
 They munched down and had a wonderful time at his party. Jimmy turned 14 years old this year. He has grown up so fast.

yep they watched old tv show's classic Doctor Who and Star Trek Voyager. Yep I am raising Treky's. Love it too.












 Byron had his blue and gold banquet for Cub Scouts this month as well. He had to make a cake for dessert that night. He decided to make a tie dye cake from scratch. He made a white cake and colored it. Baked it and frosted it. Loved it too.

he worked hard on this. Letting it cool was hard for him because he wanted to frost it so fast afterward. He made chocolate frosting and it was a white and chocolate cake. I must say for his first time making a cake it tasted yummy.










 He won best inside surprise cake for the night.


Colorful it was and loved it we did.












Well as the summer wheres on I will keep you all apprised of how my simple life ride is going. Cooking is just a fun start to saving money. I even made homemade bread bowls to serve my stew in on Easter.


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Monday, September 17, 2012

Harvest

So it has been a while since I last wrote. I found myself busy with a harvest that has been non-stop over this summer. Update to the family life we have a new member his name is Coffee Myers.  He is a Chocolate Lab/American Bulldog mix and great dog. He loves the kids and is for the most part a calm addition to the family.
Pictures to come.....

The harvest time has been great this year. Our family has produced quite the garden.
This is the way we water the garden 


And the produce we have gotten has been wonderful. It has really helped add fresh fruits and vegi's to our diets. Also I am learning to can/bottle or freeze our produce as well. We put up 58 qt jars of stewed tomatoes over this weekend. (And people wonder why I don't have time to write here.)
Golden Delicious Apples 
Apple a day keeps the doc. away
Grapes off our Grape Vine. 
Punpkin anyone?
Honey Dew this and Honey Dew that. 
Sleepy squash likes to hide. 

Krik taught Jimmy how to can  these. All that hard work outside pays off right here inside. 

We are still harvesting but as of tonight I am writing on here to let you all know I have not yet fallen off the wagon.
We still have chickens.
Little Red Hen

Goldy 
And with the Hens it brings forth the fruit of Eggs. Yeah we are getting about 5-6 a day right now. They lay regularly and are all doing well.

As of date we have enough eggs to supply us for a while with.

We also still have our bunny's and cat!

I know living like this is more then most people can handle but I am enjoying it to the maximum right now. Krik has been the one to really keep up on the farm life. I have been so tired and pregnant that I have not felt like much of a help in all of this but I know he has been.  Thanks sweets for giving me my simple life.

I will keep you all posted on the next adventure we have in bottling vegis soon. 

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Fire Season is here.

I live in a state where Fire Season has begun way to early. Usually we don't get our first forest fire until mid June in Utah. However, the conditions were right this year to start an awful season off.  As I have watched this season unfold I have seen destruction, devastation, heroism, and kindness unfold right before my very eyes.
Each one of us has been touched in some way by the fires burning around the western US. Each of us have wondered what if that was me.  What if that was my home that I had to leave. What if that was my city I had to abandon for  a week. What if that was my family that must live in an evacuation shelter because I had no where else to go.
Then you start asking your self, What can I do to prepare? What can I do to help those who have lost everything? Am I really ready if that was to happen here?
I use to tell myself that I did not need to worry about fires because I live in the middle of a City. Not a town or village.  That thought process has changed over night.
Colorado Springs, CO has been totally evacuated due to a huge wild fire burning through the town. It is not a town or small village it is the 2nd largest city in Colorado. I live in the 2nd largest city in Utah. that could very well be me. With a population of 32,000 people that city is roughly the same size and the city I currently live in.
Now that hits very very close to home for me.
I started to look at this blog and think what can I do to be more prepared. It doesn't have to be elaborate!!! It can be made very SIMPLE.
Step #1 :
Ask your self do I have a 72 hour Kit? What should I have in this Kit? Where should I store this Kit?   Honest answer: I don't have a 72 hour kit. I need one.
I am building mine now.
I need to start with something to hold it in. I should be able to pick up and carry it to my car in the case of an evacuation.  I think I will start with a  heavy duty reusable grocery type bag. It has handles and is very durable. It can also store easy in my front room closet right by the front door.  So here is my check list now.  (Remember I have a family of 6 so I need to make sure all 6 of us will be taken care of for three full days.) 
  • 3 Days Food/Water supple for each person in Household. (remember you won't be able to cook or refrigerate most generally.) 
    • 36 granola or protein bars
    • trail mix or dried fruits
    • Approx 18 each: canned tuna/ soups/ meats 
    • 3 Lg cans juice
    • 6 Gallons of Water (1 Gallon of water  Per Person)
  • Bedding and Clothing 
    •  2 Change of Clothing (short and long  sleeve shirts, pants, socks, jackets, etc.) 
    •  3 pr Undergarments each person
    •  6 Rain Coat /Poncho 
    •  Sleeping Bags for each person and Emergency Heat Blankets 
    •  Cloth Sheet 
    •  Tarp to roll out and sleep on.
  • Fuel & Light 
    • 6  Battery Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps) 
    •  Extra Batteries - make sure the batteries fit the flash lights. You don't want AA when you need C. 
    •  Flares
    •  Candles 
    •  Lighter 
    •  Water-Proof Matches
  • Equipment 
    •  Can Opener 
    •  1 for each person Dishes/Utensils 
    •  Shovel  (I have a fold up shovel that fits well inside the bag.)
    •  Radio (with  batteries!) 
    •  Pen and Paper 
    •  Axe 
    •  Pocket Knife 
    •  Rope 
    •  Duct Tape 
  • Personal Supplies & Medication 
    •  First Aid Supplies 
      • See First Aid Kit Supply List below
    •  Toiletries 
      • roll of toilet paper—remove center tube to easily flatten into a zip-lock bag, 
      • feminine hygiene
      • 2folding brush
      • 3travel size toothpaste
      • 6travel size toothbrush
      • 1 plastic mirror
      • 2 Bar Soap (baggie to store open soap in)
      • 1 travel size Hand Sanitizer per person
      • 6 travel Size Shampoo
    •  Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children’s medication, etc.) 
    •  Prescription Medication (for 3 days) 
  • Personal Documents and Money 
    • (Place these items in a water-proof container!) 
    •  Scriptures (miniature ones are lighter) 
    •  Genealogy Records 
    •  Patriarchal Blessing 
    •  Legal Documents (Birth/Marriage Certificates, Wills, Passports, Contracts) 
    •  Vaccination Papers 
    •  Insurance Policies 
    •  Cash  (you will want this in case you need to make emergency purchases.) 
    •  Credit Card 
    •  Pre-Paid Phone Cards ( during 
  • Miscellaneous 
    •  Bag or Bags to put 72 hour kit items in (such as duffel bags or hiking back packs, which work great)  (I am putting each persons items in gallon size zip-lock bags to keep them from getting wet and keeping them dry . Items such as clothing,  books, legal docs ect.)
    •  Infant Needs (if applicable) 
72 Hour First Aid Kit
  • Standard First Aid Kit Supplies* 
    •  Container (metal, wood, or plastic) with a fitted cover to store first aid kit 
    •  First Aid Booklet (including CPR) 
    •  Prescribed Medications  (3 day supply)
    •  Any critical medical family histories 
    •  Adhesive 
    •  Ammonia 
    •  Bicarbonate of soda 
    •  Calamine lotion (sunburn/insect bites) 
    •  Diarrhea remedy 
    •  Elastic bandages 
    •  Gauze bandages 
    •  Hot-water bottle 
    •  Hydrogen peroxide 
    •  Ipecac syrup (induces vomiting) 
    •  Knife 
    •  Matches 
    •  Measuring cup 
    •  Medicine dropper 
    •  Needles 
    •  Paper bags 
    •  Razor blades 
    •  Rubbing alcohol 
    •  Safety pins 
    •  Scissors 
    •  Soap 
    •  Thermometer 
    •  Triangular bandages 
    •  Tweezers 
    •  Prescriptions 
    •  Consecrated oil 
  • Additional First Aid Kit Supplies 
    •  Immunization records 
    •  Medications for children (if applicable) 
    •  Fever reducing medications such as: -aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen  
    •  Allergy medication 
    •  Antibacterial wipes 
    •  Antibiotic ointment 
    •  Antiseptic wipes 
    •  Band-aids 
    •  Burn ointment/spray 
    •  Cotton balls 
    •  Cough syrup/cough drops 
    •  Disposable blanket 
    •  Eye drops/eye wash 
    •  Feminine Hygiene 
    •  Gloves 
    •  Hand sanitizer 
    •  Hot and cold instant packs 
    •  Hydrocortisone cream 
    •  Lip ointment (chap stick) 
    •  Medical tape (waterproof & regular) 
    •  Nail clippers 
    •  Needle and thread 
    •  Snake bite kit 
    •  Sterile strips 
    •  Sunscreen/lotion 
    •  Tourniquet kit 
    •  Vaseline 
    •  Water purification tablets
Ok so I now have a good list of what my family needs.  In order to afford all the new stuff I need I can start by looking at what I already have. Most of us have tuna , canned soup and other canned items. You can coupon for these items or buy one extra item each time you go to the store until you have your kit fully stocked.
If you nee to make purchase's on shovels, lighters, and other equipment you may want to yard sale or freecycle.org to find these items. 
I think the only things you might need to pay full price for would be the 1st aid items.  If you watch for sales and pick up things slowly over time you will be able to afford to get this together so much easier. 
I hope this helps anyone not ready for a disaster out with a basic plan. 

Remember in School you had fire drills? You would go to a designated meeting area so you knew everyone was accounted for. Well the next question is does your family have one of those in case of a disaster when you are not all together? 
In Utah yesterday, June 29th the Rose Canyon Fire started by the city of Hereman. People did not have time to grab even their 72 hour kits to get out of their homes. This was an extremely fast moving fire and it was on peoples door step's literally before they could get out. It started while people were at work and not home as well.  In this case if you are work and you come home to an evacuation order how are you going to find your family? Where is the meeting place? Who is going to pick up the children from daycare/school and where are you going to meet? This is a family plan every person in the home should know. IT should be practiced as well. That way in case this ever happens to you , you are ready and not wondering what did that plan say again?!
I suggest writing it down. Putting it under your visor in your car or in the glove box to keep it with you at all times.  This way you know exactly the plan with out needing to go home to remember. 

Ok, so I know this is a lot of stuff for such a short time. I think it is IMPORTANT for every family to be simply prepared. I don't have all the answers. And I am just starting my own journey in this arena. If you have suggestions please comment to help all the readers of this blog be better educated and better prepared. 

http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/first_aid_kit.htm is the link I got my 72 hour kit and 1st aid kit information from. You may want to search online for other ideas to be better prepared.