Emergency Preparedness - Step One

We hear a lot about how we need to be prepared for emergencies.  And needing to be prepared is even becoming a reality for some people with various natural disasters happening around the world seemingly more and more.  Needing to be prepared for an emergency can happen to any of us, at any time.  And yet there are many, many of us who are still not prepared at all.

Some emergencies just aren't likely in certain areas.  It is highly unlikely we will experience a hurricane in southern Arizona.

However, there are still emergencies that can happen very quickly and unexpectedly, even in southern AZ.  For example: wildfire, power outage, flooding (seems unlikely, but it can happen here!), nuclear leak (chemical emergency), drought, heat wave, terrorist attack (may sound silly, but could happen)...  I'm sure there are others, but this is just some examples.

I know it feels overwhelming.  But it must be important since we keep talking and hearing about it!  When you think it won't happen to you is when you may find yourself surprised, and you don't want that.  At least I don't!

I feel like I've had an excuse, not a very good one though, since living in a temporary place, namely an apartment.  But we have finally moved into our new house and are living in a permanent place.  Now my (bad) excuse is out the window.  Time to start!

Thinking about getting to having a year supply is SUPER overwhelming.  But I heard some good advice this week -- Start small!  Start with your 72-hour emergency kit, then work your way up from there.  (Or you can start with a car emergency kit.)

Car Emergency Kit
72-Hour Emergency Kit
2-Week Home Emergency Supply
3-Month Supply
Year Supply

I've got my car emergency stuff in my car already.  But actually I need to get another one together for my husband's car.

My advice to start is: MAKE A LIST

Unless you want to purchase a ready-made 72-hour kit, start compiling your own personal list of items for your family's kits.  This is what I have accomplished today.  I don't necessarily know how everything will fit, or maybe I'll take some things out that don't necessarily need to be in there.  But I have my list, and that's a really good starting point.  I would suggest looking at lists of items that other people have put in their kits as a reference to building your own.  Some of my references were:

Self-Reliant Sisters
Food Storage Made Easy
How Does She?
Red Cross
The Moes Family in Texas
Sportsman's News

My PRELIMINARY 72-Hour Emergency Kit List and Notes:

Change out perishables every 6 months - at Conference time - April and October

Gallon jugs of water - one per person stored in garage or closets

Jugs of gasoline in garage/trunk of car

Teach children Morse Code (at least S-O-S)

INDIVIDUAL PACKS

Storage - backpacks - rolling (Not duffle bags)

Food & Water
- 4 (24 oz) sport cap water bottles OR 7 (.5 L) water bottles
- 3 boxes or small bottles of juice or sports drink
- 3 flavor packets (for water)
- 3 granola bars
- 3 snack packs of trail mix
- 3 packages sandwich crackers
- 3 snack packs of dried/dehydrated fruit
- 3 snack packs of jerky
- 3 small cans of beefaroni (pop-tops covered with duct tape)
- 3 small cans of tuna (pop-tops covered with duct tape)
- 1 snack pack hard candy jolly ranchers
- 3 snack applesauces
- 1 package of gum

(depending on where you live you may need to be conscious of things melting, like I do)

Supplies
- 2 plastic forks
- 2 plastic knifes
- 2 plastic spoons
- (camping utensils?)
- pocket knife
- (multi-purpose tool?)
- small manual can opener
- 2 gallon ziplock bags for trash
- hand crank OR shake flashlight
- hand crank OR battery operated radio (weather radio)
- extra batteries
- candles (that won’t melt?)
- lighter
- waterproof matches
- 4 hand warmer packs
- rope
- duct tape
- small shovel (gardening)
- whistle (with neck cord)
- compass (combined with whistle?)
- cash: quarters and dollar bills (how much?) - in a snack bag
- two-way radio (walkie-talkie?)
- filtration water bottle
- camp towel
- work gloves

Personal Care
- hand wipes (18?)
- hand sanitizer
- lotion
- mini shampoo
- mini bar soap?
- 3 days worth of prescription medication
- roll of toilet paper (center tube removed)
- feminine hygene
- sunscreen
- bug repellant
- chapstick/carmex tub
- kleenex
- small deodorant
- toothbrush
- toothpaste
- nail clippers
- compact mirror

First Aid
- medication: ibuprofen/tylenol
- band-aids (how many, what kind - variety?, extra large) (in snack bag)
- 2 x 2 gauze pads
- 4 x 4 gauze pads
- tweezers
- 1 roll sport tape
- 1 pair scissors
- 1 elastic bandage wrap
- 2 pair latex gloves
- light stick?

Clothing & Bedding
- Sneakers (tied to the outside)
- 3 pairs undergarments
- 1 pair sweat pants (a little big) (Winter clothes can be cut off to be made into summer clothes, so double clothing is not needed)
- 1 long sleeve shirt
- 2 pairs long socks
- zip up hoodie jacket
- warm gloves
- warm beanie hat
- sports cap
- small pillow in roll (tied to the outside)
- small mummy sleeping bag (tied to the outside)
- blanket
- plastic sheet (plastic table cloth?)
- rain poncho

Important Documents (laminated on ring?)
- Scriptures (Blue Book of Mormon)
- Patriarchal Blessing (glued inside BoM?)
- Genealogy Records (inserted inside BoM?)
- copy of birth certificate
- family and emergency contact information
- personal identification: with pictures and important dates and places
- allergies notes (to medication and food)
- extra set of house and car keys

Other
- small notebook
- pen and pencil
- deck of cards
- glasses
- “waiting” game ideas written on a piece of paper
- extra cell phone charger
- glasses

PARENT PACK

- Extra 9mm handgun
- Extra magazine of 9mm bullets
- water purification tablets

FAMILY PACK (combined with parent pack?)

- Legal Docs: Birth Certs, Marriage Cert, Passports, Wills, Vaccination Papers, Immunization Records, Insurance Policies
- flares
- blanket
- water (how much?)
- water purification tablets

Winter clothes can be cut off to be made into summer clothes, so double clothing is not needed.


This list is still in the works and in its beginning stage.  I just wrote it out tonight!  My plan is to begin executing this list by buying one or a couple things each week.  Maybe starting with the storage items -- the things to store everything in.  Now wish me luck, and go start your own 72-Hour Emergency Kit list!  I believe in you!

Jesus Speaks Today -- Through His Authorized Servants

What an incredible morning so far.  Messages have been shared from some of the Lord's appointed and authorized servants, the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  What a wonderful opportunity.

Some announcements were made this morning, one of which was that a Temple will be built in Tucson, Arizona!  I have been wishing for some time to be able to just live in the same city as a temple.  I can't wait for it's construction and to be able to attend the temple and feel of the amazing Spirit there much more often.

So far from the messages shared this morning I am feeling a renewed dedication to Jesus Christ and to more fully living His Gospel.  What a wonderful feeling.

Christ's Gospel brings me the most real happiness and peace in my life I have ever felt, no matter the circumstances and situations that surround me.  Nothing compares to the happiness and peace Christ offers if we receive it.

All are invited to come and feel of it's goodness.

You can watch General Conference live or afterward online:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference

Some of the topics talked about in this morning's session:

• "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" -- Book of Mormon, Alma 5:26
  
• How to feel the Spirit, or Holy Ghost, more fully
  
• Being an example of Christ by the way we live
  
• Gain more knowledge -- of secular and spiritual things
  
• Obedience and submission to God
  
• The Temple should be the focal point in our lives
  
• Holy Ghost and acting on his promptings
  
• Little children do not need baptism
  
• Life after death
  
• Missionary service and efforts
  
• Christ's original organization of His church, the Great Apostasy, and the Restoration of Christ's original church
  
• Purpose of life
  
• "You have seen our missionaries, you may have ignored them, you should listen to them, they will help you"
  
• Spend time doing what matters most -- spending time with those we love, dedicating ourselves to God and His Gospel
  
• Find joy in the journey
  
• "Good intentions are not enough, we must do"
  
• Be more happy now -- We determine our happiness
  
• "Look less with your eyes and more with your heart"
  
• "I pray we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live."

Watch and learn -- Your life will be blessed -- You will feel uplifted --
Christ speaks today, through His authorized servants.  This is who they are:
Jesus leads us through His Prophet

Pinterest Project #2 - Dinner

For dinner tonight I maaaaaaddeee this:

Chicken Bacon Ranch Cheddar Pasta

(She calls it Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta, but that's a mouth-full and I like the way "Chicken Bacon Ranch" rolls off the tongue better...  Plus it's easier to say.)

(And please don't judge me for my hard-water stained pan...  I'll fix that eventually...)

It looks like a lot of noodles but the ratio was actually perfect.  And I did half a pound instead of 1 lb like her recipe calls for.  It's all about equalizing the proportions of the food for each bite!

And next time, I'll cook the pasta while the chicken is cooking instead of doing it first like she says in the recipe.  That was silly and it made the cooking take longer.

The final result -- It was really good!!!  Hubs approves also -- very much!  :)

He's also still eating those brownies!  (We have a whole pan left...  Should probably give some away.)  Oh, and by the way, I had a piece tonight and it was super delicious!  Milk was necessary to wash it down.  So good.

Happy pinning!

Pinterest Project #1 - Dessert

First off, let me say that I LOVE having so much room in my new kitchen!  I am really going to enjoy cooking and baking in this new house a lot more than in our tiny previous apartments.

Well, tonight I WAS going to go to a little Pinterest girl party thing tonight, but other things happened and I didn't go.  But this is what I made for it:

Oreo Truffle Brownies

This was the first time I've made brownies from scratch.  The recipe was pretty easy.  The hardest and most annoying part was smashing the Oreo cookies.  I won't be doing any of that for a while.  Maybe eventually I'll invest in a food processor.

I was really excited about this dessert.  The picture on the author's blog looked REALLY yummy!  After making it though, I just wasn't in the mood to eat it.  It probably also had something to do with my bad eating habits today -- Too much junk and not enough real food.  I did taste it though, and it turned out pretty good!  The hubby really liked it -- It passed his test!  Maybe I'll have some tomorrow.

Happy Pinning!

Do I Really Have to Pee Again?!

I find myself thinking this quite often lately.  I don't drink as much fluids as I should, but it seems like I still have to go to the bathroom every hour.  This could also mean that time is just flying by -- which it does!

Oh the joys of pregnancy!

Our baby boy is doing well!  This week I am 25 weeks.  We still haven't decided on a name, but we have a couple possibles.  I wonder if I'll be able to settle on one until I see him and hold him.  I can't believe I'm going to be a MOM -- what the heck!  But wow, we are excited.

I had some fun morning sickness throughout the second half of the first trimester, which really was mostly only in the mornings (thank goodness).  For the most part I would just feel sick and queezy -- only a handful of times did I actually throw up.  Actually probably two handfuls (of times, not barf).  Luckily I always made it to the toilet, trash can, throw-up bowl, or side of the road (yes, it happened once).

As for this second trimester, I've been feeling great!  I think I've been more tired than usual, but not by much.   Actually what I think has been happening is that my body is FINALLY teaching itself to work on an inner clock.  I get tired around 9pm or so (and get to bed around 10 or so, hopefully), and don't have as hard of a time getting out of bed at 7 or 8am to help Adam get ready for school (packing his lunch).  And the REAL miracle is that I can actually stay awake after he leaves instead of crawling back into bed!  I feel like this has been a huge accomplishment.  Now my next task is to start getting ready and get out of the house before 9 (eek!) or 10 (doable).

Our little baby Ferg is moving around a lot now (since a couple weeks ago).  Adam has even been able to feel him!  He gets really excited when he feels him move.  He's going to be an awesome dad, I can already tell!!!  I actually forget a lot that I'm pregnant, sometimes it just doesn't seem real, but it's when I feel him moving that I remember -- Oh yeah, I'm pregnant!  And I'm finally starting to look like it!  However, I'm still in that awkward phase where if you don't know I'm pregnant you probably assume that I'm fat in the belly.  But if you DO know that I'm pregnant, you can totally tell!  Even if I wear a t-shirt.  It's almost time I start investing in more loose/maternity shirts.  I've hardly gained any weight throughout this whole pregnancy so far.  I've been teetering around 115 pounds -- which is small for me!  I lost weight during the past year from dancing ballet. So basically all my pants still fit!  Actually a lot of them are still too big.  Kind of annoying, but it's nice that I don't have to buy new clothes yet.

Here are some pictures:

"We're expecting!" (May)

"This is CRAZY and EXCITING!" (May)

The bump! 22.5 weeks (September)

13 weeks

20 weeks

It's a BOY!

20 weeks

:)