Top 10 Emergency Preparedness Post Links

As a member of The LDS Church I have learned since I was young Always be prepared.  Now my family was not always active and we frequently lived month to month. So preparedness was not really something we did.  But as I got older I began to learn more and more about being prepared and the blessings that come from heeding the prophets words. Preparedness is not just something that is for the Zombie Apocalypse or a huge natural disaster.  But can be used when life isn't going our way or during an economic down turn.  I have and know families who have used food storage after a job loss or 72 hour kits were used after a fire or flood.  President Hinckley gave a talk, If ye are prepared ye shall not fear. After hearing that talk I decided that I would take the 5 topics he suggested and begin to work on those things to have for my family. So today I have compiled blog posts from others to give you the Ultimate Top 10 Emergency Preparedness blog links to help you get prepared! Being prepared for any kind of disaster is so important. Gathering a few everyday items to a central location can make a difference!

Storing your Winter Gear for an Emergency

Spring is just around the corner and that means 2 of my favorite things happen.

 1. Winter Gear gets put away and my mud room stays clean and 2.  Sock matching goes out the window because we wear sandals! Yeah for Spring!!  

Instead of just putting away our winter gear I get it ready for an emergency.  Living here in Idaho, even in the summer we can have some cold nights.  So if we were to ever have an emergency we would most likely need our winter gear to keep warm. So I have my own way of keeping my winter gear together during the summer months just in case. 

Cherry Limeade Concentrate {Recipe}

So after posting about my Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate I decide it was time to try my hand at Cherry Limeade.  I loved cherry limeade as a kid and I love myself a good Lime Rickie.  So I bought a lot of Cherries and Lime Juice and busted out a few bottles!

 

Can you see all that yummy pulp?  It's the best part for me!

Want to make a yummy batch for yourself?  Check out how I made mine!

Summer Grab & Go Bags! Are you ready?

Are you enjoying the 31 days of Summer Fun? There are so many great activities! Today I am sharing my  Summer Grab and Go Bags! This is my way to be a little more organized this summer and have fun with my kids without all the stress! I only get 18 summers with them.  I so I need to make them count. So I introduce to your my Summer Grab and Go Bags!

Dollar Dice Games

So for those of you who don't know, I am a Prepper.  I love everything emergency preparedness.  As a member of the LDS church I have been taught to save for a rainy day, build my food storage and have a 72 hour kit.  I love learning about preparedness. I am kind of nerdy that way.  So this year I thought it would be fun to have a gift that can serve a few purposes.  Super inexpensive (Under $5), fun for all ages, easy to store and I can use it in my emergency kit.. 

I love dice games. They are quick and easy and take up no space. And there are son many to choose from.  I decided to pick 5 games I thought my kids would like.  Printed them and glued them to card stock. I personally had them laminated. They just look prettier.  Especially if you are putting them in a 72 hour kit. 

Next I made a cute simple drawstring bag the size of my cards. (Or you can just use a Ziploc bag)

Add some dollar store dice.  They usually come in a 10 pack.  Be sure to check all your dice that they have all the same numbers on them.  I have had a set with no 6 and 2 ones on the same dice. I guess that's why they were at the dollar store. 

If you want you could also add a small note book and pencil if you want for scoring.  

Here are the games I chose for my family.  you can click on the link and print them off your self.  

Dice Games 1

Dice Games 2

I tried to keep them pretty simple so most my kids could play too. 

I added a notepad and pencil to keep track of score.  I also added a dry erase marker for the extra games I added below. 

For one of my games I used this cute gingerbread from Kinzie Kreations. This one either requires you to laminate and have a dry erase or crayon or have a notebook to draw they gingerbread.

And I printed this one from Fabulous finds.  The dice game Ten Thousand. She has it all ready to print. 

If you would like more dice games to add to your fun try this website they have loads of dice games 

A to Z Dice Games

If you are using them in a 72 hour kit, place your notebook in a ziploc bag to keep it away from moisture. Make a drawstring bag for all your stuff and you are ready to go.  

My kids are super excited to play these games.  I hope yours will too.  Do you have any fun deice games your kids love?  I would love to hear from you.  I would love to add a few to our game bag.

Easy Homemade Wheat Bread

For a while now (about 6 years) I have been making Bread for my family each week. I go through phases.  Summer is hard due to the heat.  I usually make it on Sunday's and it lasts us the week.  I make 4 loaves. Through trial and error I have finally found the best recipe.   I grind the wheat in my sweet little grinder and mix the dough in my Mix & Blend from Blendtec.  Roll it out onto my counter. Divide it into 4 loaves and bake. If you have ever considered making your own bread and were scared this is the recipe for you.  I think of the 100+ times I have made it I only failed once.  I forgot the salt. Bad, very bad Mistake.  No flavor. This bread takes about 90 minutes to make start to finish.  And during those 90 minutes you really only stand at the counter about 20.  I do laundry or the dishes as I make it.

Now this is not to say I don't buy bread.  There are those times when it just isn't going to happen.  But I really try.  It is healthier for my family.  And less expensive in the long run.   And delicious.

I have a neighbor who has been baking bread for her family for years. She told her husband if she got the equipment to make it she would never buy another loaf and she hasn't. Bless her soul.  When I moved into the neighborhood she asked for my recipe and uses it all the time now.

This recipe is so simple and easy to make. The bread makes and amazing gift to a new neighbor, a new mom and My favorite is a loaf of bread with jam for Christmas.  Everyone loves a fresh loaf of warm bread!
So this is the recipe.

Wonder box

Have you ever heard of a Wonder Box??  I met a lovely lady at a Emergency Preparedness class.  She was talking about Sanitation (I will post on that a little later).  I felt inspired to talk with her.  After a lengthy talk I discovered we had a lot in common.  When I mentioned I enjoyed sewing she brought out the wonder box.  She had many people that wanted one, but didn't sew.  After looking at hers.  I added a few improvements. 

She handed me the cookbook and history behind the Wonder box and away I went to make my own.

So here is a little History on Retained heat cooking.

One of the stories I came across was about how they used hay boxes in WWII.  They would get there food boiling during certain times of the day. When they were allowed to cook. (Certain times were not allowed due to aircraft over head bombing the area.  Smoke from a fire would alert enemy planes to the area.) They would place there food into the hay box and eat a few hours later or even the next morning.  Allowing the families to have a hot meal.

So now to the wonder box.  They first began in South Africa.  A Pamphlet was published by "Compassion".

Here is the Google Document with the information.  The information was retyped and a few recipes and other information has been added.

Wonder Box Cook Book

So here is my Wonder Box Diy. 

Wonder Box DIY

I love my Wonder Box.  I use it all the time.  Its great for Cooking, Keeping thinks cold and even camping when you want a hot shower at night or hot water to wash dishes. 

Here are a few I have made.  I like the simplicity of the design.  No pattern pieces to cut.  Just 4 large circles and 2 long strips.  Sew them fill them and you are ready to go.

Enjoy! 

Adrienne

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