52 Weeks for One Year Supply

52 Weeks

One Year supply for two people

Thought some of you may want this.  I have had a few requests for it.  It is also in the Personal Preparedness Portfolio as a part of the Long Term Self Reliance Module.

Week 1

8 cans of your favorite soup

8 rolls of toilet paper

8 cans tomatoes or sauce

Week 2

8 cans of meat (tuna, salmon, chicken, etc.)

25 lbs of sugar or honey

3 boxes of saltine crackers

Week 3

8 lbs of salt

25 lbs of pasta

1 gallon of cooking oil

Week 4

2 months worth of laundry soap

8 cans fruit

extra batteries of all sizes you would need

Week 5

25 lbs of rice or other grains that you eat

8 cans of meat

3 months worth of seasonings and spices

Week 6

8 cans vegetables

Fruit drink to make 30 quarts

Beef, chicken, or other bouillon for 3 months

Week 7

25 lbs flour

8 rolls of toilet paper

any special diet foods you need – 3 months worth

Week 8

8 cans soup

dish soap for 3 months

comfort foods for 3 months – chocolate chips, etc

Week 9

25 lbs pasta

8 cans meat

8 cans tomatoes or sauce

Week 10

30 lbs beans / legumes

8 rolls toilet paper

3 months worth of seasonings

Week 11

20 lbs rolled oats

2 months of laundry soap

water purification tablets

Week 12

3 months of dish soap

fruit drink mix for 30 quarts

bandaids and bandages of all sizes and other first aid supplies

Week 13

6 months worth of vitamins

25 lbs sugar

2 gallons bleach

Week 14

shampoo and conditioner for 6 months

8 cans of meat

3 months of special dietary foods you might need

Week 15

25 lbs grains / flour

8 rolls toilet paper

fire extinguisher for home

Week 16

25 lbs rice

10 lbs powdered milk

1 gallon vinegar

Week 17

25 lbs pasta

8 cans tomatoes or sauce

1 lb each baking soda, baking powder, yeast

Week 18

2 months laundry soap

8 cans vegetables

3 months comfort foods

Week 19

8 rolls toilet paper

8 cans fruit

batteries in multiple sizes

Week 20

25 lbs flour / grains

8 cans soup

duct tape and rope of various sizes

Week 21

8 cans fruit

8 rolls toilet paper

3 months seasonings

work gloves for all members of family

Week 22

2 months laundry soap

25 lbs rolled oats

1 gallon vinegar

Week 23

30 lbs beans / legumes

5 jars peanut butter

3 months comfort foods

Week 24

20 lbs pasta

2 gallons oil or shortening

rubber gloves, garbage bags, paper towels for six months

Week 25

8 rolls toilet paper

8 cans meat

bouillon cubes / powder for 6 months

Week 26

25 lbs grains / flour

1 gallon vinegar

water purification tablets

Week 27

16 cans tomato sauce

8 rolls toilet paper

3 months of special dietary foods

Week 28

2 months laundry soap

8 lbs salt

2 gallons bleach

Week 29

3 months dish soap

25 lbs flour / grains

hand sanitizer, soap

survival knife or multi-tool

Week 30

8 cans vegetables

6 jars jam

emergency light sticks, matches, candles

Week 31

6 jars jam

16 cans / jars tomato sauce

tylenol, aspirin, other pain meds – 6 months worth

Week 32

8 cans fruit

25 lbs sugar

case to store and organize first aid supplies

Week 33

8 cans vegetables

30 lbs rice

laytex gloves, ipecac, antacids, disposable wipes

first aid book

Week 34

8 cans fruit

25 lbs flour / grains

3 months comfort foods

Week 35

8 cans tomatoes or sauce

30 lbs beans / legumes

1 gallon vinegar

Week 36

8 cans soup

25 lbs rolled oats

kleenex, bandaids, paper towels for six months

Week 37

8 cans meat

8 rolls toilet paper

bouillon cubes / powder for 3 months

Week 38

2 months laundry soap

fruit drink mix to make 30 quarts

3 months special dietary needs

Week 39

25 lbs grains / flour

8 cans fruit

batteries of all sizes

Week 40

8 cans soup

30 lbs beans / legumes

bandages and allergy medications, n95 masks

Week 41

25 lbs pasta

8 rolls toilet paper

cold and flu meds

Week 42

8 cans vegetables4

25 lbs sugar or honey

extra toothbrushes, paste, floss, for 1 year

Week 43

30 lbs rice

3 months dish soap

6 months cleaning supplies

Week 44

25 lbs flour / grains

8 cans meat

Miscellaneous toiletries for 6 months

Week 45

20 lbs pasta

8 rolls toilet paper

3 months comfort foods

Week 46

8 cans soup

10 lbs powdered milk

1 gallon vinegar

Week 47

8 rolls toilet paper

2 gallons oil

3 months seasonings

Week 48

20 lbs pasta

8 cans fruit

2 gallons bleach or bleach wipes

Week 49

6 months vitamins

fruit drink mix for 30 quarts

5 jars peanut butter

Week 50

25 lbs grains / flour

8 rolls toilet paper

8 cans tomatoes or sauce

Week 51

8 cans vegetables

8 cans soup

extra toiletries & sanitation supplies for 6 months

Week 52

25 lbs rolled oats

1 lb each baking powder, soda, yeast

5 jars peanut butter

Personal Preparedness Portfolio

Hey everyone, I have finally finished what I am calling

your

Personal Preparedness Portfolio!

 You can see what it is all about by following the link.  

It is a workbook portfolio that has literally hundreds and hundreds of hours invested into making it everything that you need to help you on your journey to becoming more self reliant in three main areas:

Emergency Preparedness

Short Term Self Reliance

Long Term Self Reliance

I am charging a small fee for the purchase of this mini course.  I really am hoping to see thousands of people become more prepared through the use of this information!  My goal is to help as many as possible, wherever in the world they are.

There are other home preparedness courses out there that cost hundreds of dollars, and I am selling this for only $25 as a download, or $50 flat rate for a mailed hard copy, only in Canada or the United States.  Anywhere else in the world will need to order the downloaded version.

Please share this with anyone that you know, who could use this information.  It will save them a lot of time and frustration trying to get themselves prepared and organized, if they will just order this guide.

Thanks for your support!!!

Davilyn

June 2013 what's been happening in the world?

Here are some things to think about.  Any one of these events is bad enough, and these kinds of things have been happening forever, but all of these, plus more, at the same time?  This is only a sampling of what is happening all over the world.  I didn't add in the mass animal deaths, or much of the political unrest or the wars, or even all of the disasters, because there just is not enough of me to go and figure it all out.  This post would be really, really long.  But I did gather a few of the events that have happened just in June - last month.

Keep in mind the ripple effects that all of these events are going to have.  Disease, no power, famine, lost lives, destroyed crops, destroyed cities, skyrocket cost of living, and so much more.  The devastation is almost too great for my mind to even understand.  

All I can say, is are we prepared for what comes our way?  Because given the stats of what is happening everyday, somewhere, it is only a matter of time before we experience something?  I know we have had some flooding here where I live, but it is nothing compared to what it could have been.  We were really blessed here in Medicine Hat.  Not so for our neighbors, just up the river, and even down from us.  They all got hit pretty hard.

Okay so now onto some of the things that have been happening for the month of June. 

Oklahoma had the two largest tornadoes on history both EF5 and the largest one was 2.5 miles wide at the base and was 300 miles / hour

2^nd rain and major blooding across entire Europe, torrential rain and many landslides

2^nd 6.3 earthquake in Taiwan – felt in Hong Kong 7000 km away

3^rd Austria has river of snow

6^th China – strong winds and rains causing massive flooding

8^th Still massive flooding in Europe – highest levels in 400 years – Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and many others

8^th America extreme flooding and rain on East coastline

9^th 5.7 mag earthquake in Australia

9^th France – rare tornado waterspout

10 tornadoes spotted on the sun

12^th across the mid west and eastern seaboard 300 storm reports, wall of wind, flash flooding, tornadoes, hail – a line of strong thunder storms – over 10,000 lightening strikes in one hour

17^th torrential rains and flooding sweeping away buildings in India

17^th 5.8 quake in Mexico City

18^th France and Spain savage storms and flooding, tornadoes, flash flooding – this years harvest in many vineyards ruined due to hail

20^th India flooding continues – at least 1000 dead – landslides have washed away roads and buildings

20^th heavy rain in Switzerland and France – strong winds and flash flooding

20^th Western U.S – dozens of wildfires burning – extreme drought

20^th Massive protests – civil unrest against government – millions of people

20^th Alberta flooding – states of emergencies in dozens of cities and towns – 6 months worth of rain in less than 2 days

20^th New Zealand – worst storms in years with 200 km / hr winds

22^nd Colorado exploding wildfires everywhere

26^th Australia rainfall tripled the average June rainfall in less than 3 days – massive flooding

26^th Supreme Court Ruling in America for gay rights – struck down the law that says marriage is between a man and a woman – all for equal rights

30^th Florida Court House monument built - an Atheist monument

30^th 20 plus million in civil unrest in Egypt – government protests

30^th Death Valley in California reaches 50 degrees Celsius or 125 degrees Fahrenheit

30^th torrential hailstorms and rain cause more massive flooding in China – one hailstorm lasted for 10 minutes

30^th more record breaking rain in Australia

Why Food Storage?

Here is an excerpt from the self reliance manual that I have been working on.  It just gives us one more reality check as to why we really should have food storage.  It also gives a reality check into one more reason why we should all be striving really hard and fast to become more self reliant.  This self reliance manual, which I am calling the Personal Preparedness Portfolio, should be available by next week sometime.  It is in the 1st draft editing phase right now.   

Why Food Storage?

It's time that we open our eyes a little to the infrastructure of our food distribution system. We have thousands of growers and suppliers, that work together with thousands of distributors, and send food to literally millions of retailers, who in turn sell the food to billions of consumers. Now this system seems to work quite smoothly, but what if one day, some small part of it crashed? Do you think it would affect you, as one of the billions of consumers? Let's take a look at just what could happen.

We have all heard that any one grocery store has at the most a one week supply of stock on hand. Most wouldn't last three days before they run out of food, if for some reason the truck wasn't bringing them their supplies.  I actually know people who believe that they will always be able to go to the store to get what they want. They don't think they should have to grow a garden because they can buy everything. They don't think that the weather has a factor in what they can buy at the store. 

Let's back up a bit to where the food is actually produced. Most of our food starts by being grown at some farmer's field. The farmers who grow the wheat, corn, vegetables, and all of the many other thousands of things, are greatly impacted by the weather. Drought, flooding, bug infestations, crop disease, freezing weather, and even the price of purchasing the seed, or watering the crops can all have a very serious impact on whether or not the farmers are able to produce enough food to keep the infrastructure up and functioning at maximum capacity.  We are always hearing in the news of how millions of acres are being wiped out due to flooding, fire, or drought.  We hear of devastating hard frosts that kill millions of fruit crops or vegetable crops, in places where they have never had frost before.  We hear of food shortages all over the world, where countries have stopped exporting foods like rice and some grains, because they are keeping it all to feed their own people.  We hear of hundreds and thousands of farmers who can't even get their crops planted because of bad weather, and it creates a growing season that will be too short to plant and harvest.  We hear of farmers who have just walked away from their harvest for the year, whether it is fruit, vegetables, or grain because it is too expensive to use pest control, therefore the crop rots in the field.  Farmers far and wide having their entire crops destroyed by hail. And, farmers who simply can not afford the price of the seed, pesticides, fertilizer, and fuel to plant and harvest their crops, so they fold.

Could the farmer's at the bottom of the ladder, bring down the food distribution system? Absolutely! We are on the brink of some very serious problems! 

The reality of our food distribution system, is that we rely 100% on farmer's for pretty much everything we consume, and if for any reason the common farmer isn't able to produce what we need them to produce, it could have a very real impact on our system. Whether in shortages or extreme high prices, or more likely both, it would affect us just the same.

Let's look at a few other factors that come into play.

Here is one of many headlines that show how easily and quickly our food distribution can be interrupted. This one is from the HuffPost very shortly after Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy Disrupts Food Distribution, 'Thousands Of Trucks' In Limbo From the Huff Post

“Thousands of truckloads of food that were headed for stores in the Northeast are stuck on roadsides and in warehouses following the crippling blow Hurricane Sandy dealt to the nation's food distribution system.

Though the system is struggling in the face of uncertainty, no one who spoke to HuffPost on Tuesday was concerned about short-term food shortages or a storm-related increase in prices across the region. Still, the hurricane demonstrates just how complex and vulnerable the networks are that deliver America's food supply. “

I had mentioned earlier that if the trucks stopped bringing food to the stores, most stores would be completely out of food within one week or less. Could this really happen? What might stop the trucks from traveling down the road? 

Trucks depend on the road infrastructure, rail cars, airports, shipping ports, technology, refrigeration, warehousing, and many other things. One example: what would happen if the price of fuel were to double or triple? This would double or triple the price of the transportation costs, just for the trucks to roll down the road. You can count on the fact that this would also double or triple the end price of the goods that we purchase in the store. 

Another thing that high fuel prices could cause, is a trucker's strike. Have you ever experienced one of these? When the trucks go on strike, and they refuse to move any produce, it has a pretty huge ripple effect. Produce that usually needs refrigeration, and has a short deadline to get to where it needs to be, often sits and goes rotten. There is large amounts of waste, which of course will increase prices. Also, remember that I mention that if stores don't have their regular supplies, they will be forced to close their doors within one week. I have witnessed this personally due to a truckers strike, and within 48 hours of the announcement of the strike, all of the major grocery stores, and most of the little stores, had their shelves completely emptied and closed their doors until further notice. People panicked and bought anything and everything that might keep them going until the strike was over.

So in short, if there were a disruption in the distribution of goods, food would not get from the producer to the factories, and then from factories to stores. Items would rot, and without a doubt, in the end we the consumers, pay the higher price that would come.

The honey bee, is another factor that could have a great impact on our food system. Most of us think of these bees as a nuisance, and they are, but they are vital to our food infrastructure and they are threatened right now with becoming extinct. Bee population is dropping at a drastic rate, and it is because of a disease called Colony Collapse Disorder. This has caused the population to decrease by 2/3 of what it was 50 years ago. It is a disease that causes a colony or beehive, to suddenly collapse into chaos, and eventually they all die. After much study from scientists, they have determined that the more likely causes for this are things like mite infestations, and viruses, such as Colony Collapse Disorder . I have heard that GMO crops, or cell phones are the cause, but scientists have eliminated both of these concerns. The viruses that they have discovered that are traveling through the bee population, cause the bees to become paralyzed, or born with defects, which in turn causes their death.

So reality to us as the end consumers, bee's don't just produce honey, they are a huge part of the pollination process that takes place in the farmer's field, and in the orchards that produce our fruit. If the bees die, our crops don't produce, and we, the end consumer, don't have the produce in the stores that we are used to. The bee's are a very important part of our ecosystem, and any time we lose a species in the ecosystem, there are bound to be large ripple effects. So next time you hear about the bee population becoming close to extinction, pay a little closer attention and see what you can learn and do about it.

What about war, oil, climate change, and politics, do you think they have an impact on our food distribution system? The systems that produce the world's supply of food are very dependent on fossil fuels. Gas and oil are used in every aspect of food production, from the growing of the raw materials, transportation, processing, packaging, and delivering the end product. From the farmer's equipment, to plant and fertilize the crops, to the trains, boats, and trucks that ship it to the end consumer and everything in between, our society is so dependent on fossil fuels. This system is also the largest producer of greenhouse gases that are destroying our environment and creating such extreme weather patterns. It is kind of a crazy conundrum. We are creating the extreme weather that is causing destruction to our crops, by using fossil fuels to process the crops and bring them to us the end consumer. It is not one of those win win situations. It seems that we are caught in a viscous cycle that we had better start thinking of ways to get out of.

 

War will always have drastic ripple effects, which often are things like famine, disease, poverty, and economic challenges. Without a doubt the transportation and food distribution would be affected.  Nobody wins in a war.  We may "wahoo" that the good guys are winning a war, but really are they?  What about the devastation left behind?  If war were to come to our continent, we would not be spared the after effects of it, just like every other nation that goes through it.  And I believe it is only a matter of time until we shall see much of these challenges right here in our own free land.  We just can not continue the way we are going and not expect to see some of the unrest that is so evident in pretty much the rest of the world. 

The miracle of the food distribution system that feeds us all, is very fragile.  It wouldn't take  very much to have some pretty serious ripple effects.  And it is already taking more than it should.  It is wobbling right now, on the verge of toppling over!  

What are you doing about it?  I know that it is easy to fall into that comfortable chair in front of our television sets and forget about real world stuff.  I get that!  But let's not do that people!  Don't become idle and forget what we should be doing.  Keep focused on our priorities, which may be different for me than you.  But focus none the less.  We really don't have time to waste on things that won't bring about our temporal or spiritual well being.

 

Disaster Facts

Just thought I would share a few disaster stats with you today.  Tomorrow I will start posting some ideas for preparedness.  Perhaps a few that might get you thinking outside the box - a little extreme perhaps, and then of course the ones that should be just normal common sense to most of us, but that others perhaps don't even consider.  For now....

Here are a few disaster facts from www.dosomething.org :

• Between 2000 – 2012, natural disasters caused $1.7 trillion in damage and affected 2.9 billion people.
• Worldwide in 2011, there were 154 floods, 16 droughts, and 15 cases of extreme temperature
• 2012 marked the third consecutive year of worldwide natural disaster damage exceeding $100 billion. 2011 reached a record high of $371 billion
• 1.1 million people have been killed by natural disasters between 2000 and 2012
• Floods are the most widespread natural disaster aside from wildfires. 90 percent of all US natural disasters involve some sort of flooding
• In 2012 there were 905 natural catastrophes worldwide including severe storms, droughts, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, hail storms, typhoons, wildfires, and hurricanes
• Nearly 50 percent of the fatalities caused by natural disasters in 2012 were due to hydrological events like flooding or mass movements

www.factmonster.com

• US has sustained 123 weather related disasters alone during 1980 – 2012 with overall costs exceeding $1 billion – 12 of these occurring in 2011 and 11 occurring in 2012

www.disasterium.com

• Floods are the number one deadly disaster in the US accounting for over 46 percent of disaster related deaths
• Up to 10,000 people die per years as a result of an earthquake

A disaster can devastate a community and the after affects can lead to drought, famine and disease. The understanding the facts about disasters can help to make sense of what is occurring.

Www.naturaldisasterfacts.net

• each year around 250,000 people die from Natural Disasters. Once a Natural Disaster is in full swing there is no stopping it.

Www.nobodyleftbehind2.org is another great website that has done research on natural disasters and man made disasters and the facts about them. Here are a few facts about the man made disasters:

“There are countless types of man-made disasters happening daily, including industrial accidents, chemical leaks, oil spills and accidental and deliberately set fires. All of these disasters affect the health and safety of workers, health care and safety personnel, and the general public and can cost millions of dollars.”

• Nationwide (US) there is a home fire death every 170 minutes
• Fires kill more Americans than all natural disasters combined.

2013 January

Here goes with January disasters and happenings around the world.  This is not a complete list, but it is what I have found thus far.

Here is one of the links that I got some of this info from  Mass Animal Deaths there are quite a few links that show this kind of info.  Kind of crazy how many are happening in the world right now.  I am working on compiling lists for each month just for 2013, of all the natural disasters that are happening.  This doesn't include the political unrest and war in most of the world, and the financial disasters happening in many parts of the world too.  Nor does it even begin to count the many smaller events that happen locally to each of us.  These are numerous.  I have had people tell me time and time again that it is just because we have media now that we know of all of these things.  And to some extent I agree that media makes these events available to us more than ever before.  However, never has there been as much unrest in the whole entire world as there is now.  The whole world is truly in "commotion". 

Disasters of all kinds January 2013

January 1^st – 150,000 lbs of fish found dead in China

2^nd – thousands of fish freeze to death in China

3^rd – hundreds of buffaloes, cows and goats dei from mysterious disease in Pakistan

3^rd – mass fish kill in Thailand

4^th – Heatwave begins in Australia temperatures in the high 40's

4^th – Several thousand dead fish in Oklahoma along lake

4^th – massive fish kill along beaches in New Zealand

4^th – hundreds of ducks suddenly die in Bali

4^th – 30 turtles washed ashore dead in India

4^th – mass fish killed in Florida

4^th – mass fish kill along beach in Kenya

4^th – thousands of dead sardines on shore in Florida

5^th – Earthquake in Alaska 7.5 mag

6^th – thousands of livestock killed by disease in kenya

7^th – 50 baby sharks found dead along beach in Fiji

8^th - record breaking heat in Australia – temps up to 54 degrees in some places

9^th – 284,000 birds killed in Mexico because of Avian flu

9^th – Rare snowstorm in Israel, with severe weather and up to 30 cm of snow in places that have never had snow

9^th – thousands of sheep and cattle killed by wild fires in Australia

9^th – 25,500 ducks and chickens dead in Indonesia

9^th – 770 geese, large number of ducks and fish killed by sewage in China

9^th – 70 red deer deaths in belarus - unexplainable

10^th – Western Australia, huge dust storm and cyclone coming

10^th – dozens of pig die from rare disease in Dominican Repulic

10^th – tonnes of fish dead on beach in Indonesia

10^th – 180,000 cattle dead due to cold weather in northern China

11^th – Southern California – heavy snowfall and winter storm, freezing of many citrus crops

11^th - thousands of dead birds washing up on Michigan's shoreline

11^th – hundreds of thousands of dead fish on Masonboro Island in America

12^th - extreme hot and cold temperatures across America

12^th – Australia still has extreme heat and over 100 fires burning out of control

15 – California coast is rising – biggest arctic ice melt in history

15 – Indiana is flooding

15^th thousands of dead fish washed up in South Carolina

15^th – 30 plus birds found dead in Louisiana

16^th – thousands of fish washed ashore in Masonboro and Rawleys Islands

16^th – 2200 chickens killed due to Avian flu in Nepal

16^th - 2000 fish found dead on shore in Nebraska

17^th - Indonesia – massive flooding

17^th – Fires continue to burn out of control in Australia

17^th – 40,000 fish washed ashore 2^nd time in one week in South Carolina

17^th – thousands of dead fish near Jatiluhur Dam in Indonesia

17^th – countless number of fish found dead on shore in Florida

18^th – more record breaking heat in Australia

18^th – millions of dead fish in Okinawa Japan

18^th – 9000 fish killed due to a viral outbreak in Scotland

18^th – 100 Bats found dead in parklands in Australia

18^th – 12 dolphins, 35 sea lions, 13 pelicans was ashore dead in Peru

18^th – thousands of dead fish on Sarasota beach in Florida

18^th - thousands of ducks die suddenly from bird flu in Indonesia

19^th – Paris, Poland, Croatia, 11 major cities – record breaking snowstorms

21^st – many tonnes of salmon killed due to new disease in Scotland

21^st – Cyclone in Australia

21^st – Freezing temperatures in London and Holland and Germany, freezing rain in Moscow

22^nd – Arctic blast hits America – 50 below – ice and snow in many states

23^rd – Cyclone in Australia creates massive flooding

23^rd - 4000 lbs of dead fish found in ponds in China

23^rd – 280 sea turtles plus lots of fish dead along shores in Costa Rica

24^th – tonnes of freshwater fish dead due to lakes drying up in Australia

24^th – thousands of dead starfish wash ashore in Lincolnshire England

25^th – millions of oysters wiped out by a virus in Australia

25^th – 15 donkeys die of mysterious disease in Chad

25^th – 40,000 fish suddenly die in China

25^th – massive snow storms across America – east coast under ice with drastic drop in temperatures

26^th – Australia still in a state of disaster with flooding

26^th – Africa – torrential rains – massive flooding along river in China

27^th – thousands of birds killed due to avian flu in Cambodia

27^th – fish and other sea creatures found dead in Malaysia

27^th – 70 horses dead from a sickness in South Africa

27^th – fish kill found along river in Philippines

28^th – still flooding in Australia – massive amounts of foam coming in from the ocean

29^th – masses of dead fish found in park ponds in Australia

29^th – dozens of dead seals found on beach in Prince Edward Island

29^th – 420,000 ducks have died from avian flu in Indonesia

29^th – 13 elephants found dead in a forest in Malaysia

30^th – large number of dead fish wash up in Queensland, Australia

30^th – fish kill caused by algae bloom in Texas

30^th - 9272 cattle died in Zimbabwe in one month

30^th – sinkhole in China swallows buildings

30^th – 6.7 earthquake in Chile

30^th – tornadoes in Georgia

31^st – hundreds of birds washing up along coast in England

31^st – hundreds of fish dead in river in Australia

31^st – thousands of fish killed by pollution in China

Hello again, I am back and in the full swing of it all!

I have been soooo busy and I must tell you I love the fact that even though I haven't posted anything for quite some time, I still have the traffic through my website, which tells me that people are still wanting and looking for preparedness information. 

Thus I have a renewed commitment to give you all of the up to date information that I can come across. 

Life has taken a few new curves for me.   I am working on my Master Herbalist certificate right now, so that keeps me busy.  I am learning so much that you will probably hear some of that as it all relates to preparedness.  I have also started my own business in helping others get prepared.  It has been a long time coming for both of these.

My business is still in it's infancy and developmental process, especially on the web, but it can be found here:  Real Self Reliance .  I just feel the need to help others at an alarming rate today, and I will talk more of that in some of my upcoming blogs about the world news and things that we should all be aware of.

I have been really busy working on a few different ebooks, and as I get them online I will get back to you as to where you can find them.  I love writing, teaching, and doing seminars and workshops.  I love the satisfaction of watching other people learn.  You will find alot of these kinds of videos and things online very soon at both of my other blog pages, as well as I will post the links to them here.

Well there you have it, I am back and ready to take on the world of preparedness.  It is something that is vital and vastly needed, even though there are those who don't yet see it.  I hope to open their eyes to it all!  No I won't be a Glenn Beck, whom I love by the way..........but I am a far cry from opening eyes at his level.  But I will do my best. 

Check back often for the new updates. 

New Books

Just got two of my books published to Kindle!  You can check them out below

Herbal First Aid Kit

Your Home Apothecary

I have quite a few more that are in the works.  If you want to see what I am working on right now you can check out my new sites at

Sunkissed Apothecary

Real Self Reliance

52 Weeks, Week 7

 

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 7

President Ezra Taft Benson: "Concerning clothing, we should anticipate future needs, such as extra work clothes and clothes that would supply warmth during winter months when there may be shortages or lack of heating fuel. Leather and bolts of cloth could be stored, particularly for families with younger children who will outgrow and perhaps outwear their present clothes. (He then quoted Wilford Woodruff) "The day will come.....when, as we have been told, we shall all see the necessity of making our own shoes and clothing and raising our own food."

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 6 lbs. Jam

Extra Item Purchase 20 lbs. Oats - click on the picture to find out some great info about why you should store and eat oats.

72 Hour Kit Flashlight and AM/FM radio with extra batteries.  Here is a great pdf on 72 hour kits

Family Preparation Take a few minutes to plan what your family will plant in your garden this year.

Spiritual Preparedness Memorize at least one verse of hymn #131, More Holiness Give Me. Every time you need a spiritual boost this week, sing it.  In case you don't have the words at home you can find them here. 

Educational Preparedness  Here is a great article from Gordon B. Hinckley on why it is so important that we keep gaining education.  And education comes in so many different forms.  It isn't the same for everyone.  Some can go to school.  Some can go to libraries.  Some can learn online.  And some can learn from others.  What do you want to learn?  How can you go about doing that?  And why should you do that?  Read this article and get motivated to do whatever it takes to reach your goals and make your dreams a reality.  Go here to learn more about  BYU independent study courses. 

Emotional Preparedness  Sometimes it is so hard to keep smiling.  It is all we can do to just face the day ahead and keep going.  Here is a great page to check out if you have ever felt like that or know someone who is feeling that life is hard.  It is fun and will make you smile.  Smiling is contagious.  Watch this video...

Financial Preparedness Needs vs Wants........Something that might be different for each person.  However if we want to be smart with our finances, we will sit down with our families and discuss what exactly are our needs.  This is a great little video that you could share with your family to help teach kids the difference between needs and wants. 

Calgary Preparedness Fair

Just an update.....

Thanks to everyone at the Fair today.  Your support was awesome and as soon as I can I will have the recipes and things posted here from my display.  So keep checking back to find them or email me and I will gladly email them back to you.

For those following my 52 week preparedness plan, I will be back in full swing this next week.  Thanks for being patient!

52 Weeks to Preparedness

Sorry for missing the last couple of weeks, life has been a bit crazy! But here goes.....

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 6

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge of the Week:

Brethren, learn. You have learned a good deal, it is true; but learn more; learn to sustain yourselves; lay up grain and flour, and save it against a day of scarcity. Sisters, do not ask your husbands to sell the last bushel of grain you have to buy something for you out of the stores, but aid your husbands in storing it up against a day of want, and always have a year's, or two, provision on hand. (discourses of Brigham Young. p. 293)

Food Storage Purchase 8 Cans of Vegetables

Extra Item Purchase 30 lbs. Rice Health Benefits of Rice

72 Hour Kit Food for 72 hours: non-perishable and easy to prepare

Family Preparation Make sure your house number is large and visible for Emergency Responders to see easily.

Make sure all family members know their address and directions to get there.

Spiritual Preparedness Read Ether 12:6 and consider one area in life where you can increase your faith.

Educational Preparedness Statistics show that 1 in 5 adults cannot read fluently. Creating a study space in your home will actually help you remember better the things that you read and study. Create your study space wherever it makes the most sense, and equip it with the things you need to facilitate learning:books, pencils, paper, etc. Maybe reading in a window seat helps you remember more, or sitting in a porch swing. Do you need total silence? Or do you prefer a noisy center? Learning and studying can happen anywhere, but be creative to what you have available, and what works best for you.

Physical Preparedness One of the very best things that you can do for yourself, is to get healthy. Most of us could stand to lose a few pounds, and in so doing we would be much healthier. Spring is upon us and walking is free!! It is good for the body and the soul. It is GREAT for the heart both physically and emotionally. The Walking Site is a great place to get info on walking. Go for a walk, and make it a goal to walk at least three times a week. You will be amazed at how much healthier you will feel in no time at all. Heavenly Father needs us to be healthy, in all ways to be His hands.

Emotional Preparedness Stress.....we all feel it. We all have it. It affects all of us at some point. Here is a couple of great sites that have excellent information that we can all use.
Canadian Mental Health Association Kids H

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 5

David O. McKay "To be alive only to appetite, pleasure, pride, moneymaking, and not to goodness and kindness, purity and love, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God and eternal hopes, is to deprive one's self of the real joy of living."

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 8 Cans of Fruit

Extra Item Purchase 8 Rolls of toilet paper (1 per week)

72 Hour Kit Outer gear- correct for the season. Winter coat, rain gear, hat and gloves per person.

Family Preparation Pick two meeting places: Have A Plan!

1. A place near your home in case of fire.

2. A place outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home after a disaster.

Choose an OUT OF AREA friend as a "Check in Contact" for everyone to call.

Spiritual Preparedness Prepare at least one family name for temple work.

Emotional Preparedness Hymn #142 "Sweet Hour of Prayer" I love the words of this hymn.

...Sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care And bids me at my Father's throne make all my wants and wishes known. In season of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief And oft escaped the tempter's snare By thy return sweet hour of prayer!

In our time of distress and grief, in the trials of life, let's not forget the power of prayer and our Father in Heaven who really cares!

Financial Preparedness We can all save a bit of money on our utility bills by being wise in a few things in our home. Unplugging electronics that are not being used can actually save a few dollars a month here and there and over the year even a few hundred dollars. Electronics that are not turned off and unplugged continue to use power without us even knowing it. Make use of natural lighting especially during the summer months. Use the sun to heat or light your house and use your blinds and curtains to keep your house cooler. Make use of a clothesline to hang dry your clothes during the nice weather. Just look around your home and think smart utility saving sense!

Physical Preparedness I think that too many of us relate this category with being the super sports star or being the super model. Really, it is all about being healthy. And of course with being healthy, we must start with baby steps. We can't expect to change all of our unhealthy habits over night. We all have unhealthy habits, so pick one and start working on it. This week, how about checking out our dental health. Do we and our children brush morning and night? Have we had a regular dental checkup within the last six months? Are we flossing daily? Dental health is an important part of our physical health. What would we be without our teeth? Well I think you get the picture - and it isn't a pretty one!

Educational Preparedness Gardening season is upon us. We should all be thinking of what we can do this year to help put a bit more surplus into our food storage, whether through freezing, canning, dehydrating, or even just eating fresh out of our own gardens to be more healthy and save money. And don't forget the value of teaching our families to be a bit more self reliant through gardening. There are so many sites out there that have amazing info on this subject, so I won't repeat, just point you in some of these directions. Learn, plan, and grow!

Square Foot Gardening

Container Gardening

Small Space Gardening

52 Weeks Week 4

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 4

"The foolish virgins were not averse to buying oil. They knew they

should have oil. They merely procrastinated, not knowing when the

bridegroom would come. The day of the marriage feast approaches.

The coming of the Lord is nigh. And there are many among us who are

not ready for the great and glorious event." Spencer W. Kimball

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 30 lbs. Wheat or other grain, such as pasta, flour, rice, etc

Extra Item Purchase 8 lbs. salt

72 Hour Kit Flashlight with extra batteries

Family Preparation Fire prevention: Test smoke detectors weekly. Change batteries every six months (for example General Conference time). Date batteries. Smoke detectors should be on each floor and outside a bedroom door.

Spiritual Preparedness Make a commitment to study the Gospel Doctrine lesson to prepare for Sunday School Class

Financial Preparedness President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982) taught: “Those who structure their standard of living to allow a little surplus, control their circumstances. Those who spend a little more than they earn are controlled by their circumstances. They are in bondage” (“Constancy amid Change,” Liahona, Feb. 1982, 46). We should make a plan to get ourselves out of debt, and the first step in this process is to pay an honest tithe and fast offerings. If our tithing is the first obligation met, our commitment to this important gospel principle will be strengthened and the likelihood of financial mismanagement will be reduced.

Educational Preparedness BYU offers many free online courses that will enrich our lives. Take a look here to see what they have to offer. There is no reason why each of us should not constantly be learning and improving something in our lives.

Physical Health Preparedness Sleep is so important for proper body and brain function. In fact studies show that a lack of proper sleep can lead to many other dis-functions and diseases in our bodies. Here is a link that gives us some sleep tips, so we can teach our bodies to get proper sleep.

Social and Emotional Preparedness I have listed a site here that is done by the LDS church to help people who are dealing with pornography or know someone who is struggling with it. This site also will be helpful for any kind of addiction, from prescription drugs, to financial, or what ever it may be. Addictions are something can be a part of our lives and we may not even know it. Check out the valuable information and learn what you can do to help a friend, and perhaps even see something in yourself that you can improve upon.

Week 3

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 3

"There is an old wise saying; Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Thrift is a practice of not wasting anything. Some people are able to get by because of the absence of expense. They have their shoes resoled, they patch, they mend, they sew, and they save money. They avoid installment buying, and make purchases only after saving enough to pay cash, thus avoiding interest charges. Frugality means to practice careful economy." - James E. Faust

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge Of The Week:

Food Storage Purchase 20 lbs. White Sugar or Honey

Extra Item Purchase Enough dish soap to last 3 months

72 Hour Kit 1 change of clothing (pants, shirt, socks, underwear). Place in Zip Lock Bag

Family Preparation Obtain a family utility box- Action Packer, cooler with wheels, cardboard box, etc.

Spiritual Preparedness Read Elder Bednar's article in the September 2007 Ensign; Seek Learning by Faith

Social and Emotional Preparedness This link here takes you to a site that you can find a library of information that will help in any area of this kind of preparedness.

Educational Preparedness “As Latter-day Saints we believe in education, and we have a philosophy about how and why we should pursue it. Our religious faith teaches us that we should seek learning by the Spirit and that we have a stewardship to use our knowledge for the benefit of mankind.” —Dallin H. Oaks, “Learning and Latter-day Saints,” Liahona, Apr. 2009. An excellent article well worth reading. Some educational things that we could look into learning are some basic preparedness and survival skills. There are so many sites out there on the internet that can help us with these. I will start to go over some of them in the coming weeks. For now check out this site about self sufficient living.

Financial Preparedness Here is a pdf file One For The Money, put out by our church that talks about family finances. And here is some resources for online budget calculators.

52 Weeks to Preparedness

52 Weeks to Family Preparedness for Two

Week 2

"Our emphasis on this subject is not grounds for crisis thinking or

panic. Quite the contrary, personal and family preparedness should be

a way of provident living, an orderly approach to using the resources,

gifts, and talents the Lord shares with us. So the first step is to teach

our people to be self-reliant and independent through proper

preparation for daily life." Victor L. Brown, Ensign, Nov 1976

Food Storage and Preparedness Challenge of the Week:

Food Storage Purchase 8 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup

Extra Item Purchase Laundry Soap to last 2 months

72 Hour Kit Obtain a blanket (wool is preferred) or

sleeping bag per person. Also - sleeping mat

Family Preparation

By your night stand place a pair of gloves, flashlight and shoes in case

of an emergency in the middle of the night.

Spiritual Preparedness

Read John 5:39, Mosiah 1: 7, and Alma 17: 2

Have personal daily Scripture study

Social and Emotional Preparedness

“What is the great strength of this Church? ..... It is the emphasis which we place on families....Keep your families close together and love and honor your children.” President Gordon B. Hinckley Parenting is one of the greatest and most challenging aspects of adult life. Whether a father and mother are coping with responsibilities of a young family or a challenging teenager, they can gain insight and perspective from these articles found here Parenting Issues – One of the Ten Common Challenges Facing Families

Physical Health

Maintaining the best possible physical health has been a gospel ideal throughout the ages – from the strict dietary laws of ancient Israel, with the example of Daniel and his associates, to the Word of Wisdom in this dispensation and the counsel of today’s prophets and apostles. By maintaining good physical health, we become more self-reliant and are better prepared to progress personally, strengthen the family, and serve in the Church and community. Work this week to plan eating a variety of food groups regularly. Plan them into your weekly menu plans. Here is a great pdf file all about Nutrition and Diet

Education

When we have knowledge and wisdom, we are better able to discern truth from error and make good choices. Education is also a key to encouraging personal growth, preparing for suitable employment, building strong families, serving in the Church, and making a meaningful contribution to the society in which we live. One are we can become self-reliant in our education is to improve our communication with others. (providentliving.org) This week work on your communication skills. Even if it is just a simple “hello” to someone you normally would not speak to, or a visit to that neighbor you have been missing, take the opportunity to communicate to someone. It will help them as well as you.

Finances

Today is Fast Sunday. On fast day, we go without food and drink for two consecutive meals, if physically able, and then give to the Bishop a fast offering at least equal to the value of the food not eaten. If possible, we should be very generous and give more. The Bishop uses the fast offerings to care for the poor and needy. (Found on providentliving.org) Fast with a purpose and pay fast offerings with a generous purpose as well. The blessings received will astound you!