Planning Ahead

Prepping is all about thinking ahead.  We buy insurance just in case we have an accident, get sick, have a fire or heaven forbid, die.  We store food just in case we lose our job, there is food shortages, bad weather keeps us home, and a long list of other possibilities.   We buy equipment to cover power outages, ect. 

It is also good to think of possible personal disasters  that might come your way.  So many are getting behind and losing their homes right now.  If you don't own your home outright it could happen to you.  Have you thought through plans if you should find yourself in that position?   You should as a family have plans and several possibilities so that you might be able to turn a bad situation into a better plan if you have to.  

Staying ahead of the game and planning for anything is a good way to prep so that you can survive just about anything that comes down the pike.    Spend some time today looking at possible problems and finding solutions that might be pulled out to cover you.

Have a great day!

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Being blown away

Have you notice that the wind storms seem to be picking up?  As the sun enters the big solar flair storm season it also makes the winds pick up.  Tonight's winds seems like the house is going to come apart.  I'm sure it won't but anything not tied down will be somewhere new tomorrow!  

My kids are asking if trees are going to go and put the power out again.  We all had fun when we went 3 weeks without power back in Dec. '08 and had sub zero temps.  It was quite a learning experience for us.  Right after that we made a list of things we needed and didn't have and changes we should make.  We immediately went about making those changes. 

It's ok to go through storms in our life but you should learn from them and make changes.  I get very frustrated with people who go through storms year after year and never make any changes.  Learn from these storms or even your mistakes.  If you learn from them then they are not mistakes or tragedies!  They are learning experiences that help us improve.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Being Thankful

It's that time of the year when we take time to be thankful for what we have.  So many never stop to think about all the little things we have that we never even think about. 

We all think about our family and I am most certainly very thankful for my family and friends in my life, even my family that went before me and made me who I am. 

We always mention the food on the table and the good things we have and even where we live.

But what about all the little things like clean water flowing from our taps.  I always think of those who don't have running water at all and don't even have a clean water supply near them.  If you have good clean tap water you should truly be thankful.

Abundance of food is another we take for granted.  While many in our world are starving, we still have a wide abundance of food.  Fast food places are every where and our grocery stores are still pretty well stocked.  Be truly thankful for the food you have.

How about the  little things we don't even think about.  Like sliced bread and ice cream in wide varieties.   Being able to watch any movie anytime or any TV series any time.  Having clean air to breathe.  Decent medical care when we need it.  Beautiful sunrises and sun sets.  Wild life and birds in all their varieties.  Air conditioning and heating.  Clothing for every season.  Shoes in such variety.  Cars and gas and oil to run them.   Fabrics in so many styles to make clothing and quilts with.  Weapons to hunt with and ammo to go with it.  Telephones and internet.  Rain, snow and wind.  Sun, moon and stars.  Highways and roads.  Paint, roofing, siding, insulation, wiring and plumbing to give us wonderful homes to live in.  So many things we never even think about. How about those who serve us like teachers, police, medics, firefighters, our military troops and so many others.

Don't rush through life.  Stop and look around at all the good Lord has blessed us with and be truly Thankful each and every day you have here on this good earth.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Expiration dates

I had to go do some research recently when I noticed things like "shortening" suddenly had short expiration dates.  In fact, things like shortening last pretty well forever if stored in a cool dark place. 

Some item like dairy products and meats we expect to have use by the expiration dates listed.  We know that a week after that date it's going to be bad.  But what about canned foods or packaged dry goods?  Well once they passed a law making it mandatory to have expiration dates and requiring producers to pay to prove the date, those dates no longer mean much.   For every year they have to pay more so most only do 1 year testing but some will go up to a 3 year test level.  

Don't be tricked to toss out that mustard or shortening because the expiration date is past.  It's still good unless you left it out when it states to refrigerate.  Here is a site that will tell you about expiration dates:  http://stilltasty.com/articles/view/5

I store shortening for long term storage because it was created way back in WW1 times to last forever so they could feed the troops cheaper.  Unused shortening stored in my dry cool basement could give us needed fats in a crisis.  I mostly use coconut oil and olive oil.  Coconut oil is another fat that unlike shortening is a very good fat and it will store forever.  Olive oil has to be rotated and used so I only store about a 9 month supply so it doesn't go rancid.  If it does go rancid don't toss it out!  You can use it in an oil lamp.

I just wanted to make sure you knew those dates don't really mean that much anymore.  So stop tossing all those cans and boxes and discover how great they still are past the dates!

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

It could never happen here

We all say it but the sad fact is that it could very well happen here.  For us who were born after WW2 we've had a golden life.  The whole world seemed to evolve around the USA.  We could go anywhere in the world and they eagerly accepted our US dollars.  That was because during WW2 the US dollar became the world currency.  Every other nation
bought and sold in US dollars, hence they eagerly wanted as many as they could get.

Now our nation is in decline.  We are head over heals in debt and Congress seems unable to deal with it.  Any of you who faced personal debt knows paying it off can be a painful experience but yet one that brings much peace and comfort in the end.

Our Congress lacks a backbone to make those hard decisions.  They need to cut programs like arts and do away with departments that States should be covering themselves like education, Law enforcement, Security.  They need to scale back our military and make do with what we already have.  they need to privatize services such as IRS, postal system, ect.  They need to cut people off the SS roll's that have large retirement funds and pensions.  They need to trim and find ways to do the job for much less just like private companies have to do. 

So many places have had their economy collapse and they are sharing their stories.  While they might all be different they all are the same.  Signs were there but they all thought it could not happen to them.   As our "super congress"  admits defeat which will probably lower our nations credit standing once again, you had better be ready.  

While you can, stockpile the things you need.  Food, water, medications, tools, weapons.  Get garden seeds.  If you live in an apartment buy window boxes and bagged soil mix.  A salad or few veggies once a week can be a big plus in a crisis.  Do it now!   Lay in what you need.  If you think people in this country will be civil about an economic collapse  you should rethink that!  Suddenly not having everything will push many over the edge.

Below is Stasha's Story.  It just gives you a brief idea of what we might face if it happens here.

STASHA’S STORY

I’m 37 years old, wife and stay-at-home mom of three 8 year old girl, and two boys 22 months and 4 months, I home school and can’t imagine now not having the food storage. I come from a war torn country and food storage should been my way of life, I experienced hunger and life without electricity, gas and running water, but it wasn’t until few months ago when my sister in law started her own food storage and memories of the war came back. She sent me links to Crystal’s blog and youtube channel. Crystal inspired me and made it approachable. If I can do it anybody can, life is very busy around here, I have limited space and very limited budget, but we make it work.
I should probably tell you a little about myself before the war. Here’s the link to wikipedia about the town where I grew up, Banovici

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banovi%C4%87i

The 29 000 population includes surrounding villages, the town itself had less people. If you compare your family and mine side by side I’m pretty sure the only major difference would be the language we spoke. I had ordinary uneventful childhood, music and dancing was something I loved (Madonna, U2, Michael Jackson, Simple minds…I even secretly liked Wham, hey I was young ) art and books, going out with my friends, watching movies (can I just say Top Gun and any girl that says she didn’t like the movie I don’t believe her lol) My parents worked and my two brothers and I went to school always counting down to the next vacation. It is important to mention this so you know I didn’t go from bad to worse. Life was good, really good, and then one day somebody pulled the plug on all good things and if as that wasn’t enough they pulled the rug underneath me too. How did this happen over night? Well, it did and it didn’t, the stores were emptied over night and money lost all value but there were signs we ignored, prices going up, lack of certain items at the stores, riots here and there, news from other parts of the country….Why we ignored it? Because we were “special”, those things didn’t happen to us, this happens in other countries, it happens to those people, my family is different, my town is different….that will never happen to us. Human beings are amazing in convincing ourselves that bad things happen to other people. We actually think that if we stand on a railroad and see a train approaching fast, we can just close our eyes and think happy thoughts and the train will go around us.
So the war was the fast approaching train and all we did is close our eyes and counted to 10. My worst nightmare became reality, the war started in May of 1992 on the last day of my high school. We became CNN and BBC sensation. Now my family became “those people”.

During the war we had no electricity, gas or running water…..I don’t mean to go down “the war path” I can go on forever but I wanted to share at least few things with you which you probably already know
-The first thing that lost value OVERNIGHT was money, stores have been emptied overnight too, all the owners and managers refused to sell food and kept it for themselves.
-We were able to buy some food from other people for gold, I remember my mom exchanging her rings and other jewelry for sacks of potatoes, flour and rice but that didn’t last for a long, people got scared and the only way we were able to get food was through exchange for other food items.
-things that gained in value other than food itself, tools, any and all tools, if you didn’t have a shovel good luck planting, also seeds, if you had storage of seeds you can get “big items” for your seeds like oil, yes oil or any kind of fat was priceless
-we were lucky to live in a small town so we had natural water spring walking distance from our house but line was long and sometimes took hours of waiting in line to get water, which brings me to the third item of great value, water jug, or any container that you can carry water in and if grenades started falling on the way home you better have a container that you can close so you don’t spill water running.
-when it comes to medicine only three things were in demand, pain killers, fever reducers, and antibiotics

MORE OF STASHA’S STORY OF LIFE IN BOSNIA DURING WAR

Before I start with the next story, I would like to say one thing. If you talk to 100 people from Bosnia you are going to hear a 100 different stories. Everyone had a different experience. Depending on where they lived, amount of food they already had, if they had natural resources near by. Some lost everything within first few weeks of the war, their homes, their loved ones and their lives. We were fortunate to be able to stay in our home and to live in a small town surrounded with natural resources.

 I don’t think I need to do much convincing how important water is. We had a natural spring near by so we were able to get drinking water. The “only” challenge was getting there and back alive when grenades are falling from the sky. Having a good container that you can close tight and run without spilling water was very important. Having containers of any kind that you can use to store water was important in general. We needed water for washing laundry, for bathing, cooking and cleaning. Very quickly we learned to bring these things down to a bare minimum. One of the first things my parents did is move this big wood burning stove into the house. It was sitting in our backyard unused, inheritance from my grandparents, we were going to get rid of it…….oh how happy we were that we kept it. My home already had a hook up for a wood burning stove but I know that some people just simply made a hole in their wall and made it work. Wood burning stoves were in high demand. I can’t imagine having to live without electricity for a long time and not having one. Sure you can cook food in your back yard using open fire or sun oven but good luck heating up your home in the winter.

Back to water, so we used this stove to heat up water in a big stock pot and we would carry it to the bathroom add some cold water and then we used it for bathing. I used plastic pitcher to grab water from the pot, the smaller the pitcher is the better. You have to fill it up more often but when you start running out of the water it is easier to fill up small pitcher from the bottom of the pot, I guess you can have both.

Other than preparing food, washing laundry was a full time job in it self.

We changed shirts and underwear everyday but pants and towels were used few times before they were washed. Washing laundry by hands was painful. My back was killing me leaning over the bath tub all the time, and my wrists developed scabs, the skin on my palms was painful and sensitive to the touch. Underwear we boiled in a big pot on the stove with a little detergent added. This was the only way to disinfect it and yes we had a pot designated for this purpose only

Drying the laundry became a challenge too, you would think you can just use clothes line and hang it outside but the problem was since everyone in the town had some sort of fire going, and some used coal burning stoves the air was filled with sooth and if you left your laundry outside for an hour it was covered in it so we hung it above our stove inside.

Dirty dishes were kept at minimum, most meals were one pot meals, this helped us stretch the protein too. Paper plates and plastic utensils are great when electricity is out for only few days any emergency that lasts longer than a month means you have a big problem on your hands, how to dispose your trash and even though your trash becomes minimal too since you’re always thinking of different ways to reuse different packaging and there are absolutely no leftover food to be thrown away, there’s still trash.

OK, so for now I’ll live you with this image of a small town that was once beautiful and now smells like a giant beef jerky mixed with aroma of trash that is not going away.

Here is the next part of Stasha’s story…Medicine in a time of emergency.   Stasha has a great story to tell about living in Bosnia during the Bosnian war.  We can all learn a thing or too from her.  (If you haven’t yet, make sure you read her other story about Water and an overview of her story.)

If your family has special medical needs you will have to decide based on that what medicine is important for you. I can tell you this, pain medication, fever reducers and antibiotics were in demand. We had none. Going to a hospital was out of question, hospitals were full of wounded soldiers and civilians, missing limbs and badly injured.
Medical supply is one of those things you can not predict how much you are going to need and what kind you are going to need, medicine can’t be rotated the same way food can so like I mentioned before this is something you will decide based on your family needs.
I would like to give you a list of things that I like to have, these are cheap things and are available everywhere, and if you have a limited budget like me you can still stock up on them. Distilled white vinegar,baking soda,bleach, hydrogen peroxide. These are the things you can use in baking, cleaning, disinfecting……the list is endless. Build from here based on your needs and as your budget allows.
For women I must mention, not having feminine pads will add a lot of stress to already difficult situation. My mom and I used some old cut up and folded cotton shirts, we did not know how long the war will last so these had to be washed and reused, I know maybe not pleasant to hear but it was my reality. If I had a choice back then I would’ve given up shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste……all of it just to have pads.
I saved one thing for the end because if you forget everything from this story I hope this one thing stays with you. It is very important that you go and see your dentist regularly, you DO NOT want to have to deal with tooth infection and pain that follows in any emergency situation. The only thing available to us during the war was tooth extraction and yes you guessed it, without Novocaine. I had my tooth extracted that way and I’ll just say it took a dentist and three nurses to keep me in that chair.

I hope all of you who are reading my story are able to learn something new, if not maybe by reading it you can feel somewhat better knowing that you already knew this and you feel prepared. If you have any questions please ask, maybe you can think of something that I didn’t cover. I will do my best to answer them. Thank you.

Living more abundantly

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

When we apply gospel principles in our lives, we can become more productive spiritually and temporally. The gospel teaches us to do our best to prepare for a successful future while enjoying the present. It teaches us to seek our Heavenly Father’s help to develop our potential so that we can contribute to the lives of others and be examples of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The atonement of our Savior has given Him the power to help us become the person He knows we can become... if we are truly willing to follow the Spirit and become more like Him and ask for His help. Our spiritual growth must be complemented by our temporal progress. It is important for you to educate and train yourself in order to better
provide for your family and serve in the home, Church, and community. 

Many spiritual principles have temporal application, and our temporal lives often influence our ability to grow spiritually.  As we read and study our scriptures daily we learned and grow Spiritually and it helps to grow temporally as well.  So many lessons carry into our temporal lives and we become better for it. 

In our lives we will all face disasters.  Most will be personal but some will cover more.  Having a spiritual and temporal foundation will bless you and your family so that you will be able to weather the storms you will have to face as you go through life.

Cherlynn

brchbell@yahoo.com

Doing Pumpkin up

I cured all the winter squash including pumpkin by keeping them above 70 degrees for 5 weeks.  Pumpkins that have been cured only last up to 2 month's so I go ahead and can those when I have time.  The other winter squash if blemish free and properly cured will last 4 to 8 month's.  I have 1 apple box full of acorn squash and 2 apple boxes full of butternut squash on the shelf in my basement now.  I had 9 pie pumpkins and then 2 that the kids had bought for Halloween and didn't use.  Out of those I got 42 pints of canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin is easy to work up if you know how.  I read one book that said to peel the pumpkin and then cut into chunks to can.  Oh my what a hard job!  An old neighbor many years ago told me to bake the pumpkins after I removed the seeds in a 350 to 400 degree oven for 1 hour.   Then I cut off pieces of the pumpkin and slice the meat out of it and toss the outer skin into a bucket for the chickens or to toss into the compost bin.  I ran my pumpkin through the food processor and then canned it up. 

Pint jars in the pressure canner for 65 minutes and quarts for 80 minutes.  You can do chunks and puree it later and can do the same with other winter squash. 

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

Making Do

We've become such a throw away society .  Our grandparents knew how to make do and get by.  With the economic crisis looming we would all be wise to learn the things they knew back when.  If things got real bad, would you know what outside was fit to eat and what wasn't?  Back during the depression many lived off the landscape and thrived. 

Many found talents and job skills they never would of found.  Maybe it's time to look into yourself and find skills and make them better so you will be able to survive no matter what.
Many skills can be found online for free.   Don't just watch a few video's and call it quits.  Practice and make sure you understand skills you want to improve. 

Learn new skills now so if things go wrong you will be able to survive and make your way in the future.

Cherlynn

brchbell@yahoo.com

living providently

Living providently is a way of life not a frantic act of getting prepared.  It's the act of putting things aside when the time is right.   It's the act of using what you have and doing without when you can't get anything at the right time.  The right time is when it's in season, when it's on sale.  It's making do with what you have instead of getting the latest thing out on the market.

You might feel a little weird to have food stashed all over the house or a special room set aside for your food storage but I bet you sleep a lot better knowing if things go crazy you can at least feed your family!

Living providently means saving up instead of going in debt for stuff.  It means carrying a debit card instead of a credit card.  It means making most of your meals at home from scratch instead of eating out every day.  It is a daily commitment to live a provident life. 

May God bless you as you work toward living a provident life style.

Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com

On the Road

We'll be taking off for Utah to spend some time with my father in law who has been battling cancer.  I have to leave my lap top at home for my daughter to use for her online college class.  So I will be off line for at least a week. 

Any time you are traveling make sure you have emergency supplies.  If you break down or get lost and then stuck on a back road you'll be thankful for the supplies you have. 

There is a big winter storm covering the area we normally would travel so we will be taking a southern route on highways and back roads we normally wouldn't take.  Having emergency supplies is always important but when you know ahead of time that you will be traveling strange roads then you really know to prepare.

It's winter so along with food and water I'll make sure at least one of us has heavy boots, gloves, coats in case we have to take an unexpected hike.  Having some cord, knife and emergency heat might save your life. 

Take care and I'll be back in a week or two.
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com