Food Storage

When we moved Wards last year I was released from my calling of Dry Pack Canning Specialist and with that went not only my responsibility but also my motivation for getting prepared! I have since been preparing in different ways as not all preparedness revolves around food. I have started squaring away and getting organized in these different areas and have decided that it is time to get back on track with our food storage. Today I purchased some oil and sugar since the prices of those items are starting to go up. If you have not stocked up on those two things, I would recommend getting some in the next few weeks! This weekend I plan, with help, to regroup, inventory our supplies to see what we have and what we need.

I also went through my files and found an list of the following information for those of you that are having a hard time getting started and are worried that you cannot afford to start your food storage. This list contains $5 food items that you can purchase each week for a year to build up your food storage for you and someone else. Although some of the food costs may have changed, the general concept and estimate should still be worth your while.

 

Here’s the list of what to buy each week:

• Week 1: 6 lbs salt
• Week 2: 5 cans cream of chicken soup
• Week 3: 20 lbs of sugar
• Week 4: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 5: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 6: 6 lbs macaroni
• Week 7: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 8: 8 cans tuna
• Week 9: 6 lbs yeast
• Week 10: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 11: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 12: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 13: 10 lbs powdered milk
• Week 14: 7 boxes macaroni & cheese
• Week 15: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 16: 5 cans cream of chicken soup
• Week 17: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins
• Week 18: 10 lbs powdered milk
• Week 19: 5 cans cream of mushroom soup
• Week 20: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 21: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 22: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 23: 8 cans tuna
• Week 24: 6 lbs shortening
• Week 25: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 26: 5 lbs honey
• Week 27: 10 lbs powdered milk
• Week 28: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 29: 5 lbs peanut butter
• Week 30: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 31: 7 boxes macaroni & cheese
• Week 32: 10 lbs powdered milk
• Week 33: 1 bottle 500 aspirin
• Week 34: 5 cans cream of chicken soup
• Week 35: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 36: 7 boxes macaroni & cheese
• Week 37: 6 lbs salt
• Week 38: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 39: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 40: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 41: 5 cans cream of chicken soup
• Week 42: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 43: 1 bottle 500 multi-vitamins
• Week 44: 8 cans tuna
• Week 45: 50 lbs wheat
• Week 46: 6 lbs macaroni
• Week 47: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 48: 5 cans cream of mushroom soup
• Week 49: 5 lbs honey
• Week 50: 20 lbs sugar
• Week 51: 8 cans tomato soup
• Week 52: 50 lbs wheat

 

Some weeks you will will have leftover change. Instead of spending it, put aside the change each week to be used for the weeks you may need more than $5 (like for wheat, milk, etc). Also be sure to lookout for sales. This way you can jump ahead and cross items off the list where there are great bargains.

 

After you have completed this list, you will end up with:

• 500 lbs of wheat
• 180 lbs of sugar
• 40 lbs of powdered milk
• 12 lbs of salt
• 10 lbs of honey
• 5 lbs of peanut butter
• 45 cans of tomato soup
• 15 cans of cream of mushroom soup
• 15 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 24 cans of tuna
• 21 boxes of macaroni & cheese
• 500 aspirin
• 1000 multi-vitamins
• 6 lbs of yeast
• 6 lbs of shortening
• 12 lbs of macaroni

I calculated that this amount of food has around 1,249,329 calories which based on a 2000 calorie a day diet will provide enough food for two people for 312 days! That’s almost one whole year for two people on $5 a week! Even if the price was double that, at $10 a week you’re only paying around $40/month in grocery bills. Try to beat that…

Healing and progressing

We have a had a busy few weeks! I was gearing up to have a barrage of medical check-ups and go back to work and R has been trying to keep a leash on me! So, here is the latest update...

We went to see the surgeon last Friday. Of course there was the waiting room with oldies playing and all of the 'pain update' paperwork to fill out. They want to know all kinds of things like, how long can you sit in a chair before you start hurting, how long can you stand, drive, read, etc. They also check on the status of your personal care i.e. do you need help dressing, doing your hair, makeup, shoes. I laughed out loud because I haven't done my hair since the beginning of December and haven't worn makeup since November! On those two questions I put a big question mark and smiling face. ? :-)

Anyhow, when I finally got in to see him we chatted about how I am feeling and the activities I have been participating in. I haven't been doing much so it was a short conversation! He pulled out the two x-rays and studied them for a moment. He said "Huh..." Meanwhile I am sitting in a chair behind him freaking out! Huh... Huh? Huh, what? Huh, good or huh, bad? ACK! Finally he turns around and says "I am stumped." Being out of patience, I said 'Ok, Doctor B. You said 'huh...' and now you are stumped, which is great but it is my neck holding my head up, so spill it!' He said 'Hop up here on the table and I'll tell you while I check it out.'

I did as he requested and he proceeded to tell me that it appears that the front of the fusion, you remember, the one from last June, is starting to fuse. What?! Yes, starting to fuse after 10 months of no bone growth at all. He said "I have never seen anything like it. It is unheard of for a fusion that old to start healing. I can't explain it." I smiled! I can explain it - I got a blessing, many blessings actually, that are predicated on my faith, of which I have an abundance. I was instructed to study and learn the lessons that I need to learn from this experience and I have been doing so. - I should apologize for not sharing any more of my lessons, but they suddenly became very personal and precious. Being such, they were inappropriate for me to share on such a public forum. - So, great news; I am healing!

My incision goes from my hairline strait down about 4 inches and across the base of my neck/shoulders about 4 inches (like a big T). Then there is a hole the size of a pencil eraser, which is now closed, about 4 inches to the left of the base of the T. It is bright pink, as with most newly forming scars. I believe it will be a while before I am comfortable wearing my hair up in public.

I asked about work and he said no, not just no, but emphatically no! I am only 4-5 weeks out of surgery and I need to be 8-12 before the bones have healed enough to start being really active again. So, 6 more weeks. He wants a CAT Scan at that point and those results will enable him to better determine how fast I can increase my activities.

Check out my metal!



The original plate and 4 screws are in the middle, each side has a clamp, rod and 2 additional screws.
R likes to say I am much like a walking hardware store!
Yes - I did notice that they are crooked - but if you know me, you will know it is fitting!

Ready for even more great news?! I saw the vocal cord doc on Monday and he said that my vocal cords are 100% physically healed! Woohoo! Here is the only bad news of the entire situation over the last week... I saw the speech therapist for a check up and a battery of tests. I didn't pass so she wants to keep seeing me. We need to work on a few things and in time, I should be 100%. So bad news but not terrible! Part of my homework is to read out loud for 10-15 minutes each day. Today, Dozer and I lazed in bed and read a Nora Roberts book. Dozer loved it, he is such a romantic! Perhaps it was the tummy scratching, but I choose to believe he likes romance... I have been reading a lot, not just romance, but a nice variety of books. If you have any suggestions, let me know - I am always looking for new reads!!

I have also been doing some embroidery. I gifted a cute little heart to my Mom, now am working on a fantastic little piggy banner. I didn't take a photo of the first one but I will take a photo of the piggies when it is done!

JoAnn's had a sale a few weeks ago and R took me down to browse. I picked out a pretty skirt pattern and he picked out some really nice tan fabric with embroidered fabric. May I just say that he has some very expensive taste?! I am too scared to even take it out of the bag to wash it! I imagine I will be doing just that over the next few days since I need to have it done by April and I haven't sewn anything in years. I did get the machine out and it works well. I've been practicing on a pillowcase doll that I made for, Jasmine, R's little sister's baptism in May. When I get that done, I will post a photo! I want to wear the skirt to Mom's Easter singing program. They started practicing last weekend; there are 160 people in the choir and they sing like angels! I am still hoping to get some photos and a video when they perform. I would really like to make a new outfit for Jasmine's baptism in May. The question is - skirt or dress? plain or floral? Bright or subdued?

We joined Facebook last August; the peer pressure was too great to resist! It is a neat tool for keeping in touch but I still find it odd how some people use it like a journal. There are some things that you should not share with hundreds of people... We share, but as on here, we are very selective in what we share. It is fascinating none the less!

We have had a few 'almost' adoption situations over the past month - 4 to be exact. As frustrating as it can be, we are still trying to be patient and calm. Everything in God's time, not mine. Our Birth parents are out there and we will be reunited at some point. We have been chosen and then rejected, almost chosen and had an opportunity slip through our fingers due to technicalities. Through it all, we know that all of these things have happened for the same reason - it was not meant to be. Those situations were never meant to be ours. We continue to serve through Colorado FSA and I actually got to write a blog post on February 15th!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Goat babies!

We are not going to have any kids this year. We lost Lilly and her kids, then Lacey lost her kid. When we lost Lilly, we had to put the remaining 3 in the same pen. At that point Lacey was pregnant and P was not.

In theory, Nubian goats are seasonal breeders. The bucks go in rut and the does start cycling in August. They will continue until about January. So at this point I have no idea is P cycled while in with Nephi or not. If she did, then we will have a big surprise in July! Why did I say in theory? Well, occasionally Nubians will cycle later or earlier and the males will go into rut or stay in rut later. My vet swears that they ONLY cycle breed from August to January. I have friends that occasionally have kids in September or November. People cannot start to know or predict the secrets of God and I think it is interesting that we keep trying!

So, with no kids due this year and one doe down, it was prefect time to increase our herd. We had planned to keep one buck as companion for Nephi and we needed one doe to replace Lilly. We drove 6 hours to a breeder that has good bloodlines and sometimes cheap prices. It was a long and uncomfortable drive with my neck still in the healing process.

When we got to her place, she first showed me a little doe, that in her opinion, had some issues. She is the youngest of 4, has ear control and a mild under bite. Being the 4th of 4, she is very small. She is a month old when we see her and she is the size of a newborn. Ear control is not considered a 'fault' during showing but many people do not want a Nubian that can move her ears. If that wasn't enough, she also has a mild under bite (think of a bulldog but she isn't that bad and her teeth don't show). Her degree of under bite is also not an official fault but many people would not buy this girl based on those two things. So the chances of this girl getting a good home are almost as small as she is. I asked her price and was surprised that she wouldn't find a home since she was almost free. Here is my catch, she has fantastic bloodlines! Did I say fantastic? I meant amazingly fantastic! Her issues are genetic but as long as she is not directly bred to another Saada buck, she won't pass those traits on to her kids. If her faults were more severe, it would be a gamble, but with this girl, it isn't a gamble. Especially with my ace in the hole; Nephi! She is the idea doe to breed to Nephi whose bloodlines have strong facial structures. We got her; meet Summer's Pearl Moon, or Pearl for short.



How can you not love that face?! As she grows, her ears will lay
flat and her bite will even out quite a bit.





She jumped up on the chair to look out the window
 with ease. This girl is going to be a handful!







Chewing on my rug



After taking Pearl, we moved on to see the other does that we had originally come to see. There were 7 doelings in 3 different barns. We immediately discarded any from barn 1 since they were too closely related to Nephi. We picked one from barn 2 and took her to barn 3 for comparison. It was funny because as we talked I got the distinct impression that this lady did not want to let me buy to girl we picked from barn 2. When I strait out asked her what was going on she said that she quoted me a price before she realized what a good milker the Mom would be and now that she knows, she can get twice the price. This little doe has 1 sister, so the money take from selling these two would be quite high (almost as much as what we paid for R's Bella!). I told her that we wanted that doeling and asked if she wanted me to pay the higher price. She said no, she quoted me a price and would stand by that price (the only honorable thing this woman has ever done and since she increased the quoted price when I bought Nephi, we are now even!). So, we have Prairie's Dawn Light.

Dawn is on the left near the door. She was dam raised for the
first 3 weeks so she is a bit skittish. We are working
hard on her friendliness.

She is very curious and extremely loud! She has great bone structure
and we are very happy to have gotten her for the original price!
I love the markings on her face, R says she has black racing stripes.

Our final adventure was finding a buck friend for Nephi. We wanted one with a different set of bloodlines so we would have more choices and combinations for breeding and we would be able to offer a wider variety of lines to people in our area that want to breed. There were only 2 barns with bucks. We went from barn 1 to barn 2 and had an idea that we wanted a buck in barn 1. As we were talking in barn 2 a little goat ran up and started chewing on my pant leg. I pushed it away and we continued to talk. We started walking back to barn 1 when this little goat showed back up and started chewing on my pants again. I pushed it away and started walking faster. I almost made it to the corner of barn 1 when the little goat shows back up and stands on my boot. I started walking and it balanced on my boot and would not get off! I pushed it off with my foot and we walked the rest of the way into barn 1 so we could look at the little black buck. He would make such a great addition to our herd. Nephi is light brown and a black buck would even us out! Perfect. Then the little goat jumped on my boot again. So I asked, whats the deal with this one? It is beautiful! She said 'Oh, he is for sale also. He is the last of 3 and is quite a bit smaller than the others.' He? He?! He! He was dark chocolate brown with black trimming and a small white spot on his head. Oh, she says he is out of a blue roan doe who is out of a blue roan buck so he will probably throw some blue roans. Blue roan like my sweet Lilly goat! Sold! Meet Helaman, our last addition to our small herd.

Nice wide chest on this boy and he is only 2 weeks old.

He is such a nice color and is very friendly.

Heleman is the first one to greet me and even though
he is the smallest, he eats the most! Isn't he a doll?!

All in all our trip was a success. I am glad that we took Pearl. Her future was uncertain and I am sure the sale barn would have been her final destination. She will blend well into our program. Dawn is a gem and has great lines and a nice broad chest. Helaman has the best look of any buck I have seen. I think he looks better than Nephi did at that age. We are excited to see how they all grow and mature. We have a herd of 6; Lacey, Nephi, P, Pearl, Dawn and Helaman. This year will be interesting!

We will breed Lacey and P to Nephi in fall. That will allow the kids a year to mature. I am excited to see what kind of babies they throw but I also want them to get big and strong first. Having 4 does will let us breed two each year and give the others a year off.

I have people lined up this year for kids but we don't have kids to sell! I hope they will wait until next year, but if not... That is the plan Heavenly Father has!