6 months ago
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Just... stuff
Although the spring grasses are starting to peak through the dirt and the tender bulbs we planted last fall are beginning to reach for the sun, I am reminded that it is still winter. Spring is on the way but regardless of what the calendar says, Spring is still not here yet. We have had snow for the last two nights and they are predicting snow every night this week. The Spring part - it is sunny and in the 50's during the day.
I woke up this morning to overcast skies, fog and drizzly rain. So what to do on a day like this? Luckily our Ward at church starts at 8 so we are done and home early! After church, R started on some boring man chores like changing the oil in the truck, cleaning and oiling our leather boots and cleaning our pistols. I asked him what he wanted me to cook and he responded "Cinnamon rolls and cheesecake..." *said with a grin of mischief* Little did he know that I have the necessities for both so I endeavored to make them.
I have made the cinnamon rolls before (the recipe is on our website) and they turned out great, as usual! The cheesecake is another story. Did you know that there are several secrets to making a successful cheesecake? I made one earlier this week and it was awful! I over mixed it and over cooked it so it cracked and crystallized. But this time...? Spectacular! It was great! The crust needs a bit of help since it wasn't really sweet but the cheesecake part was amazing! I'll post the recipe on our website later this week and give the hints I used to make it really good.
For lunch we had Cinnamon rolls and watched movies. For dinner, we had leftover Sour Cream Noodle Bake. We have had it for 3 of the last 4 nights and every night R gets seconds. It sounded weird when I was cooking it and I didn't hold out any hopes that we would eat leftovers for so long. It is amazingly good! I made 2 dishes and was going to put one in the freezer but after the first night R insisted that I leave the second dish in the fridge for eating :-) I'll post the recipe for that on our website too. *Recipes are on the Recipe page under the Country Life section*
I made a skirt last week. It is a super easy pattern and I got it done in one day! I had so much fun; I had forgotten how bad I am at sewing... I have another length of fabric to make a second skirt this week. R asked if I would make a quilt for the living room and stupidly, I said yes. The issue - I have no idea how to quilt real quilts. I can make block quilts but he wants a fancy quilt. So, the learning curve begins! I am researching patterns this week, hopefully to get fabric after my appointment in town on Friday and will start working on the quilt next week. We will see how it goes...
We ordered our new wood stove on Saturday and they will start installation next Monday. It always works that no matter how much you budget, it costs just a bit more than expected! C'est la vie. We also go a new television. Our old one was from my first semester at college. I won't say how long ago that was but I will say that they have not made that type of television for at least 6 years. Yeah, it was freaky old and ridiculously heavy! I think R went over board with a 42 inch flat screen but it has so many gadgets and capabilities we won't need a new one for a long long time.
Our bedroom is blue and white. I have been trying to think of a nice color to accent it and have been unable to decide. I was stuck on chocolate brown for a while; the walls are Wedgwood blue. But I am thinking that maybe peach would be a better choice. What do you think? The attached bathroom will soon be a light teal, tan and light green.
The adoption front has settled down a bunch. We had 1 back out, 1 scam and 3-4 times where our profile was shown with a few other couples and we were not chosen. It has been pretty quiet. We are still serving FSA and working on praying and trying to ensure that our wants do not control this process. I recently told a newer couple that patience is the only way to make it through this process. We are striving to follow our own advice! So far, so good!!
I woke up this morning to overcast skies, fog and drizzly rain. So what to do on a day like this? Luckily our Ward at church starts at 8 so we are done and home early! After church, R started on some boring man chores like changing the oil in the truck, cleaning and oiling our leather boots and cleaning our pistols. I asked him what he wanted me to cook and he responded "Cinnamon rolls and cheesecake..." *said with a grin of mischief* Little did he know that I have the necessities for both so I endeavored to make them.
 |
| Mmmm... Cheesecake... |
 |
| Mmmmm... Cinnamon rolls... |
I have made the cinnamon rolls before (the recipe is on our website) and they turned out great, as usual! The cheesecake is another story. Did you know that there are several secrets to making a successful cheesecake? I made one earlier this week and it was awful! I over mixed it and over cooked it so it cracked and crystallized. But this time...? Spectacular! It was great! The crust needs a bit of help since it wasn't really sweet but the cheesecake part was amazing! I'll post the recipe on our website later this week and give the hints I used to make it really good.
For lunch we had Cinnamon rolls and watched movies. For dinner, we had leftover Sour Cream Noodle Bake. We have had it for 3 of the last 4 nights and every night R gets seconds. It sounded weird when I was cooking it and I didn't hold out any hopes that we would eat leftovers for so long. It is amazingly good! I made 2 dishes and was going to put one in the freezer but after the first night R insisted that I leave the second dish in the fridge for eating :-) I'll post the recipe for that on our website too. *Recipes are on the Recipe page under the Country Life section*
 |
| Sour Cream Noodle Bake |
We ordered our new wood stove on Saturday and they will start installation next Monday. It always works that no matter how much you budget, it costs just a bit more than expected! C'est la vie. We also go a new television. Our old one was from my first semester at college. I won't say how long ago that was but I will say that they have not made that type of television for at least 6 years. Yeah, it was freaky old and ridiculously heavy! I think R went over board with a 42 inch flat screen but it has so many gadgets and capabilities we won't need a new one for a long long time.
Our bedroom is blue and white. I have been trying to think of a nice color to accent it and have been unable to decide. I was stuck on chocolate brown for a while; the walls are Wedgwood blue. But I am thinking that maybe peach would be a better choice. What do you think? The attached bathroom will soon be a light teal, tan and light green.
The adoption front has settled down a bunch. We had 1 back out, 1 scam and 3-4 times where our profile was shown with a few other couples and we were not chosen. It has been pretty quiet. We are still serving FSA and working on praying and trying to ensure that our wants do not control this process. I recently told a newer couple that patience is the only way to make it through this process. We are striving to follow our own advice! So far, so good!!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Emergency Preparedness - Sabotage!
I pulled this information from TotallyReady, which is a great site. I encourage you to visit them sometime but remember - everything in moderation! Don't freak out and start to fear unnecessarily; day by day, step by step.
In a real emergency, no one is going to ride in and rescue us if the calamity involves the whole community. Government, church leaders, prophets, and emergency response organizations all tell us to prepare – and to expect that in the aftermath of a disaster we will be on our own for 72 hours at least, and possibly for days or weeks after that.
Coping with natural disasters is one thing – coping with a slow drain on our back-up reserves is another. Food storage and emergency preparations require planning, continuing education, and awareness of our changing needs. In this time of downsizing and economic disappointment, it is more urgent than ever before in our lifetime that we commit to self-reliance and stay on top of our family emergency plan. Don't be left wondering when that crisis comes, "what have I done?" Here are twelve ways we could sabotage our own best efforts.
1. Move too fast – that’s right, just go right ahead and jump into emergency preparedness – blow a thousand bucks on off-the-shelf solutions before you’ve educated yourself. Or… Slow down. Take the time to understand your needs. We are all planning for the same things: food, water, shelter, hygiene, sanitation, and medical needs. The challenges we are preparing for may differ. Some live in earthquake country, some in the path of hurricanes, some in tornado alley, some for ice storms or power outages. It really doesn't matter. The items we store will be the same, but with slightly different priorities and proportions. The knowledge we need to deal with such emergencies is a matter of awareness, study, and organization. Analyze what your family needs before you begin purchasing. Create a list, plan and budget for priorities before buying anything.
2. Look for the easy fix. They say in real estate it is location, location, location. In food storage it is variety, variety, variety. As you create a list of foods and supplies to store, remember that variety is key to maintaining a lifestyle as normal as possible. You can find many lists that will tell you to store X amount of oats for example, but what if your family hates oatmeal? Remember when you told your mom you loved barbecued potato chips and she put them in your lunch every day? Remember how, after a month, you traded them for a new taste?
Do not make the mistake of storing large amounts of specialty foods. You may enjoy these, but if you have others evacuating to your home they may not. Children may also rebel and refuse to eat. Instead of ending up with foods that are unfamiliar, plan to include a variety of foods.
3. Ignore nutritional needs. Or, think about Food Groups. When creating your shopping list be sure to incorporate all of the food groups into your plan. Each group provides a different nutritional need. You should design your list to include grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables, dairy, and fats. Again - remember variety - but this time think color. Fruits are not created equal. Orange fruits provide different nutrients than blue and purple fruits.
4. Fail to include non-food essentials. Cleaning supplies, toiletries, personal hygiene products, medications, pet needs, and sanitation needs are all essential for a successful storage plan, one that is truly self-reliant.
5. Ignore a sensible storage strategy. All foods, even grains in cans and dehydrated foods, should be stored in a cool, dark, and dry area of your home. Temperatures should remain at under 80 degrees on the worst days, and hopefully below 70 degrees for optimal storage. Create new names for the areas of your home to break the mindset that you have become used to. The coat closet can be renamed the grain pantry. The linen closet can be thought of as the toiletries and medications cupboard. There is no law that declares a home must have a coat closet by the front door, though it is nice to have one, It is also nice to protect your preparedness investment. In a few minutes, you can add a few shelves and make storage spaces much more valuable areas of your home. It may take a few more minutes to grab a coat from your bedroom closet, but it might just be worth the effort.
6. Overlook comfort items. Yes - chocolate, candy, and popcorn all have their place in a good, well constructed food storage plan. Did you know popcorn is also the corn you will want on hand to grind for corn meal? Real popcorn, not the microwave variety.
During a time of stress, comfort foods can provide the catalyst that transforms kids from whiners to helpers. This is a chance to continue family food traditions in a crisis. Birthdays come even during difficult times, and a birthday cake can really lift the spirits.
7. Overdo it! Whether you purchase all at once or create a weekly budget and purchase over time, never purchase too much of just one food group. Always spread your money between all the groups and if you are on a limited budget get a one day supply of everything, then a one week, them a one month and so on. Three hundred pounds of wheat it not going to be satisfactory if that emergency arrives before you add the peanut butter and jelly to make the sandwiches.
8. Underestimate the value of water. Water is often the overlooked or under planned element in a preparedness plan. When designing your plan be aware that dehydrated and freeze dries foods need extra water to reconstitute and prepare. Remember, you need water for drinking, flushing, cleaning, laundry and cooking. Don't forget pets are family members too and need to be counted when calculating how much water to store.
Often overlooked sources of liquids are the canned fruits and vegetables you should be storing and this is precisely the reason for storing them instead of the dried varieties. Additionally, you already know how to use them and the kids are used to their taste and texture.
9. Put your storage in the basement and forget it! Or, you might consider the importance of rotating your food and other supplies on a regular basis. This is by far the biggest mistake most people make. They run out and purchase food storage and it is not what they are accustomed to eating, therefore, they do not cook with it and they do not rotate it. What they do after a few years, is throw it away. You must rotate your food storage, medical supplies and even cleaning supplies. All have a shelf life.
10. Who needs dates and labels, anyway? When you purchase foods, label them with the month and year purchased on top of the can. This will insure you are always using the oldest first. Canned goods do not lose nutritional value for at least two years after the expiration date so you will have at least two years from date of purchase to rotate through your three month supply.
11. Lose track of what you have. Create an inventory system so you can keep track of what you are storing. Design a spread sheet or get out the good old paper and pencil and record what you have so you know what you still need. Once you have completed your three month supply of the foods you eat this can be as simple as a paper on the fridge where you record items each time you use them up so you know how many you need to purchase to maintain your supply at the three month level.
12. Put it all under the bed. If you have a natural disaster strike your home some rooms may be destroyed while others are untouched. If you have spread out your storage you may be able to salvage at least part of your supplies. Thinking a little more negatively, should someone enter your home with the intent to steal, they may find some of your stash and be satisfied and leave. Or, if you take a needy stranger to one area of your storage with the intent of sharing, they can take what they need while the rest will remain safely unnoticed, just in case they discuss your generosity with others who are not so trustworthy.
Once aware of these twelve preparedness hazards, we can avoid these common stumbling blocks and keep our family storage plan on track, in balance, and ready for whatever may come our way. It’s all in the way we plan, budget, organize, and keep track of our best efforts and intentions to prepare and be self-reliant.
In a real emergency, no one is going to ride in and rescue us if the calamity involves the whole community. Government, church leaders, prophets, and emergency response organizations all tell us to prepare – and to expect that in the aftermath of a disaster we will be on our own for 72 hours at least, and possibly for days or weeks after that.
Coping with natural disasters is one thing – coping with a slow drain on our back-up reserves is another. Food storage and emergency preparations require planning, continuing education, and awareness of our changing needs. In this time of downsizing and economic disappointment, it is more urgent than ever before in our lifetime that we commit to self-reliance and stay on top of our family emergency plan. Don't be left wondering when that crisis comes, "what have I done?" Here are twelve ways we could sabotage our own best efforts.
1. Move too fast – that’s right, just go right ahead and jump into emergency preparedness – blow a thousand bucks on off-the-shelf solutions before you’ve educated yourself. Or… Slow down. Take the time to understand your needs. We are all planning for the same things: food, water, shelter, hygiene, sanitation, and medical needs. The challenges we are preparing for may differ. Some live in earthquake country, some in the path of hurricanes, some in tornado alley, some for ice storms or power outages. It really doesn't matter. The items we store will be the same, but with slightly different priorities and proportions. The knowledge we need to deal with such emergencies is a matter of awareness, study, and organization. Analyze what your family needs before you begin purchasing. Create a list, plan and budget for priorities before buying anything.
2. Look for the easy fix. They say in real estate it is location, location, location. In food storage it is variety, variety, variety. As you create a list of foods and supplies to store, remember that variety is key to maintaining a lifestyle as normal as possible. You can find many lists that will tell you to store X amount of oats for example, but what if your family hates oatmeal? Remember when you told your mom you loved barbecued potato chips and she put them in your lunch every day? Remember how, after a month, you traded them for a new taste?
Do not make the mistake of storing large amounts of specialty foods. You may enjoy these, but if you have others evacuating to your home they may not. Children may also rebel and refuse to eat. Instead of ending up with foods that are unfamiliar, plan to include a variety of foods.
3. Ignore nutritional needs. Or, think about Food Groups. When creating your shopping list be sure to incorporate all of the food groups into your plan. Each group provides a different nutritional need. You should design your list to include grains, proteins, fruits and vegetables, dairy, and fats. Again - remember variety - but this time think color. Fruits are not created equal. Orange fruits provide different nutrients than blue and purple fruits.
4. Fail to include non-food essentials. Cleaning supplies, toiletries, personal hygiene products, medications, pet needs, and sanitation needs are all essential for a successful storage plan, one that is truly self-reliant.
5. Ignore a sensible storage strategy. All foods, even grains in cans and dehydrated foods, should be stored in a cool, dark, and dry area of your home. Temperatures should remain at under 80 degrees on the worst days, and hopefully below 70 degrees for optimal storage. Create new names for the areas of your home to break the mindset that you have become used to. The coat closet can be renamed the grain pantry. The linen closet can be thought of as the toiletries and medications cupboard. There is no law that declares a home must have a coat closet by the front door, though it is nice to have one, It is also nice to protect your preparedness investment. In a few minutes, you can add a few shelves and make storage spaces much more valuable areas of your home. It may take a few more minutes to grab a coat from your bedroom closet, but it might just be worth the effort.
6. Overlook comfort items. Yes - chocolate, candy, and popcorn all have their place in a good, well constructed food storage plan. Did you know popcorn is also the corn you will want on hand to grind for corn meal? Real popcorn, not the microwave variety.
During a time of stress, comfort foods can provide the catalyst that transforms kids from whiners to helpers. This is a chance to continue family food traditions in a crisis. Birthdays come even during difficult times, and a birthday cake can really lift the spirits.
7. Overdo it! Whether you purchase all at once or create a weekly budget and purchase over time, never purchase too much of just one food group. Always spread your money between all the groups and if you are on a limited budget get a one day supply of everything, then a one week, them a one month and so on. Three hundred pounds of wheat it not going to be satisfactory if that emergency arrives before you add the peanut butter and jelly to make the sandwiches.
8. Underestimate the value of water. Water is often the overlooked or under planned element in a preparedness plan. When designing your plan be aware that dehydrated and freeze dries foods need extra water to reconstitute and prepare. Remember, you need water for drinking, flushing, cleaning, laundry and cooking. Don't forget pets are family members too and need to be counted when calculating how much water to store.
Often overlooked sources of liquids are the canned fruits and vegetables you should be storing and this is precisely the reason for storing them instead of the dried varieties. Additionally, you already know how to use them and the kids are used to their taste and texture.
9. Put your storage in the basement and forget it! Or, you might consider the importance of rotating your food and other supplies on a regular basis. This is by far the biggest mistake most people make. They run out and purchase food storage and it is not what they are accustomed to eating, therefore, they do not cook with it and they do not rotate it. What they do after a few years, is throw it away. You must rotate your food storage, medical supplies and even cleaning supplies. All have a shelf life.
10. Who needs dates and labels, anyway? When you purchase foods, label them with the month and year purchased on top of the can. This will insure you are always using the oldest first. Canned goods do not lose nutritional value for at least two years after the expiration date so you will have at least two years from date of purchase to rotate through your three month supply.
11. Lose track of what you have. Create an inventory system so you can keep track of what you are storing. Design a spread sheet or get out the good old paper and pencil and record what you have so you know what you still need. Once you have completed your three month supply of the foods you eat this can be as simple as a paper on the fridge where you record items each time you use them up so you know how many you need to purchase to maintain your supply at the three month level.
12. Put it all under the bed. If you have a natural disaster strike your home some rooms may be destroyed while others are untouched. If you have spread out your storage you may be able to salvage at least part of your supplies. Thinking a little more negatively, should someone enter your home with the intent to steal, they may find some of your stash and be satisfied and leave. Or, if you take a needy stranger to one area of your storage with the intent of sharing, they can take what they need while the rest will remain safely unnoticed, just in case they discuss your generosity with others who are not so trustworthy.
Once aware of these twelve preparedness hazards, we can avoid these common stumbling blocks and keep our family storage plan on track, in balance, and ready for whatever may come our way. It’s all in the way we plan, budget, organize, and keep track of our best efforts and intentions to prepare and be self-reliant.
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