...learn more about food storage.

So, I've dabbled a little into the whole food storage thing. I've bought in bulk when things go on sale. I've participated in our regional bulk food order. But I don't think I know very much yet. I'm a baby in this big world of being prepared. So, I'm glad that I can follow others that know much more than me--like our ward's preparedness guru (she is so awesome!) and Jodi and Julie from Food Storage Made Easy. Jodi and Julie held a "7 DAY CHALLENGE" on their blog where I learned a bit more about preparedness. Here's what I learned:

Day 1: Natural Disaster -”It’s a Flood”
I learned that I don't know what I would grab from my house if I only had an hour and wasn't sure I would have a house when I got back. Sure, I need to get a 72 hour kit together--but I didn't think about how to prepare for the things I just wouldn't want to leave behind. What about the family photos? I so need to back those up as digital files!

Day 2: Pandemic -”Time for Quarantine”
Okay. This time I learned something from what happened this month in real life this month. Our stake president was quarantined over stake conference weekend. He was able to "attend" and speak to us at conference through a web cam. This made me think about my tech and how I communicate. I need to be better at keeping my phone charged so I can communicate with the outside world when I can't go outside.

Day 3: Every Day Emergency -”Dinner Guests?!?!”
Here's another real life one for me. September must really be preparedness month! I got a call text from my hubby that the mess hall was closed and we would be feeding a few Marines that night. I had enough food on hand to make 30 meatballs to go with rice and green beans. I had to use 3 different frying pans/pots to cook all the meatballs! It all worked out well enough. They Marines were fed. :)


Day 4: Economic Crisis -”Money is TIGHT!”
I learned that I don't have enough water stored. It takes 1 1/2-3 gallons of your stored water PER FLUSH! Enough said.


Day 5: Natural Disaster -”Earthquake!”
I need to back up my computer. I keep saying that I should...and those might turn into words of regret someday.

Day 6: Diet Disaster -”Healthy lifestyle”
The disaster of the day itself taught me. I didn't think about being diagnosed with a disease as a good reason for food storage/preparedness. I have had several relatives that needed to change their diets for medical reasons. Why didn't I think of that before? I guess because it wasn't me...?!


Day 7: Every Day Emergency -”Why Didn’t you Ask for this Sooner?”
My first thought for this one was: pudding. I was worried that it sounded too lame, but pudding was listed on several comments. So, I feel good about this one. Yea! I get to end on a high note. :)

So, I can do some of this now, and I know better what I need to do.

Thanks, Jodi & Julie.

...go red.

'Nothing new except the background. BTW, it is 3 months until Christmas. As soon as the months start ending in "-ber," they start celebrating in the Philippines--hanging decorations, singing carols, etc. So, Merry Christmas!

...have a doggie play date part 2!

Riley came over to play with Lucy again. Boy, has she grown! Check out her old picture from my last post "...have a doggie play date." Here is a new video of them playing. Lucy had more of a challenge this time. :)

...store.

It is harvest time, and that means there is stuff to store. My food storage order came in, so I have a lot to store right now. I was so excited to get it. Then, I wondered if it would all fit in my car to take home. Surprisingly, it did! Here are some pictures of my car packed with goodies:



Later, I had to be a little creative about storing it in our little apartment. Here is part of it under the table:


The rest fit in our storage/Lucy room:


This came at a good time. My case lot supplies have been shrinking since May.

So, how are my food storage buddies doing?

...look for buried treasure!

Lucy has this game she likes to play. Sometimes we give her a rawhide to chew when we leave her for a while. She will sometimes hide it in the apartment for us to discover. When we come home, she leads us to where it is hidden. She usually barks at us until we unearth her treasured rawhide. We live in an apartment, so her attempts to bury her rawhide can be odd. We have found rawhide treats in the couch, the laundry basket, my hubby's gear, etc. I decided to document her latest buried treasure game.

First, this is how the bed is supposed to look like.


This is what it looked like when Lucy led us in the bedroom.


Yep. Buried treasure was found here!


Lucy now eats her treat. Who says you can't play with your food?!

...count down.

Okay. Some of you know that we are waiting for some big things coming up in the next few months. But just to put everything in perspective, I've added a new countdown widget to my blog for...

...New Moon!

'Cant wait for November!!! ;)

...smile!

Okay, all you Lucy fans. I put together a Smilebox for y'all to enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

...feel small.

We have some really big trees out here. They don't normally fit in my camera shot, so a single shot won't capture how big this tree really is.


To show the size a little better, I patched a few shots together to get this panoramic.


That's pretty big, huh?!

I felt very small as I walked through the forest today.

...remember summer.

I know that it's still summer, but it is only 70 degrees right now. School is starting. Autumn is on its way. I want to savor the last of summer before it is just a memory. And if I keep this new background up all month, then it will be because I am remembering summer!

BTW,
Here
is
the
original
photo.