I need your help.

I am packing to come home, Help. I can not think of everything to bring. I have to pack lightly because I can only have one bag.
Help me so I don't forget anything.

Eggs

Okay so maybe the water topic is a little dry but how about eggs. Did you know that you can store eggs unrefrigerated for up to a year if you rub them with mineral oil and then store them narrow end down. Of course you can still refrigerate them for added shelf life and freshness but they can be just left on a shelf. The garage in AZ may not be the best place but a cool storage room is best. It is recommended though that after 6 months you crack into a separate bowl before use just to be sure it isn't spoiled. You'll know its bad if it has an odor. So when eggs go on sale you can stock up and not worry about them spoilling. I thought this little tid bit was really interesting and I had never heard of it before so that is why I am passing it on to you. Just thought you might like to try it.

Water

So I'll start with kind of the basics. I know that we all know to store water and we know that it is important, vital really. So shouldn't it be the very first thing we start to store because we can't live without it? So maybe you have heard different but I think it is recommended to store 2 gallons a day for two weeks per person. So for my family of 8 ( including new baby already) we would need 16 gallons everyday for 14 days which comes out to 224 gallons. There are lots of ways to store the water from large 50 gallon drums to 2 liter soda pop bottles (don't use milk jugs as they disintegrate to quickly). The use of plastics in general is iffy. It is recommended to use PETE plastics for water storage. The Church website lds.org of course has great info on storing water, things to do and things to avoid. So check that out for some basic info but I want to share a few things you may not have heard of. First if you store water in the large 50 gallon drums you'll need to store a syphon system to get the water back out of the drums. Of course you'll want to replace that water about once a year and my understanding is that if it comes from a clean source to begin with you won't need to filter that water in an emergency, but what do you do if you run out of water and the emergency lasts longer than two weeks? You may have to go out in search of water from unclean sources in which case you will need a way to clean that water. Aqua Rain is a product that can filter 25-30 gallons of water per day. It can be found on the Internet. I am told not to go for knock off brands as they don't filter out all harmful bacteria like the Aqua Rain does. It is pricey at about 200$ but for families that live near each other one should supply enough water to share. There is also a cheaper version that I have heard about recently that uses a five gallon bucket and a conversion kit. We are ordering them in our ward right now they are 26$ if you are interested let me know very quickly and I can order extras. Another way to clean the water is by chlorinating concentrates. They are inexpensive about 15-20$ but supposedly more difficult to use. The instructions have to be followed very carefully or it can be harmful. A little scary but probably worth storing anyway because of the price.

So I know there is a lot of info on water storage and if you know more about the subject please post it for all of us to benefit. This info that I am getting is in a packet form and if you want more details on how the products work or where to get them email me and I will make copies and send them out or maybe I can even scan it and email it to anyone interested.

So I was thinking that we could inspire each other by leaving comments on the status of your water supply or your plans and goals to improve it. I have found that once you get started with all of this it can be very exciting to learn new things. I think that storing water is one of the easiest and most important ways to start out this huge undertaking of being prepared. So your challenge is to leave a comment about your status on water supply and goals to improve it and then to go and do it. Then let us all know when you have reached your goal.

Good Luck!

Congratulations Austin, Mallory & Macey 2008

I bet they never thought this day would come!

We are so proud of Austin and thankful he made it.

Congratulations Austin, Macey, Mallory! You guys did what seemed was impossible. Your family is behind you, cheering you on. Welcome to your future. Live it well.

awwwwwww

Happy Mother's Day!

I just became a contributer to this blog. Yeah! Thanks Ashley. Here is my best pic of Grandma! Happy Mother's Day to all ya Mamas out there.

Congrats to Gavin and Chessa!

Everyone mark your calenders for June 20!