I grew up in New Orleans, and thus, had Hurricane Season to deal with on an annual basis. Every year, without fail and right before the beginning of the season, we were all educated on being prepared for "The Big One". Part of this preparedness was to have at least two week supply of food and water, along with batteries, flashlights and other basics.
As s single mother, and wanting to stretch my grocery dollar as well as have a good supply of food and hygene materials on hand for when money was tight, I discovered a web site called The Grocery Game, which tracks the rock bottom prices at local grocery stores. If you stock up on what you use, when the prices are at rockbottom on the 12 week sales cycle and combine this with manufacturer coupons, then you can have a 12 week supply of pretty much everything you use and cut your grocery bill significantly. I still belong to the site and my husband is amazed at what I can get for our budgeted money. For example, this past weekend I spent about $150.00 but came home with nearly $300.00 worth of groceries.
So I've been doing basic food storage for a few years now, but I have never really considered storage of at least a years worth of food and necessities. At least prior to the election of President Obama and the havoc he is reaking on the economy. As a consequence, I've been trying to put more away, and replelish what is used, but I haven't really been trying hard.
Last night I watched Glenn Beck, I don't do it frequently as I'm usually busy around that time of day. I do DVR his show, but there's that time factor again, but I'm glad that I caught it last night. He discussed inflation and food storage. I learned a few things that I didn't know; for example, the government is telling us that there is no inflation, yet they don't include food and fuel in those figures. If they did, then the "official" figures would show us to be in inflation.
Well make a trip down the grocery aisles, or fill your tank and you will see that we are indeed in a peroid of inflation, no matter what is being spewed to us on the nightly news. Milk alone, including cheese and dairy as a whole has gone up by a dollar since last year. So has meat and poultry, and vegetables. As amatter of fact, cotton is at it's highest EVER...even higher than it was after the end of the Civil War!
Cotton, Oil and Corn are at all time highs. Your clothing is more expensive, even the oilbased poliesters and man made fabrics. Food is more expensive because cattle, pigs, chickens are all fed with corn. Pretty much everything is pricier because of the use of corn, from katsup to salad dressing to soup to nuts. When I compared my grocery tabs from last year to this year (to date) I saw a drastic increase in prices and smaller quantities in packaging.
So after watching Glenn's show last night, I decided to get more serious about food storage. Not because I think the nation will collapse, it may, but because of the continuing inflation I think that we will be seeing as the economy continues in it's doldrums.
I hit Glenn's website and read his links to the basics of food storage, then after perusing the comments found some other sites that don't complicate the whole process of storage, but give practical information as well as lists and tips on building the stockpile without breaking your budget. Some even show ideas on food rotation and shelving with out having to spend a ton of money on equipment.
Starting with the baby steps, and using my coupons and The Grocery Game, I'm going to build a supply of food and household and hygeneic goods to last us a year or more (You can keep dried goods like rice and beans for YEARS if properly stored!). I think that this will add to our security as a family, knowing that no matter how bad times get, we will at least be able to eat. I'm also going to start a veggie garden and maybe grow an orange tree and some berries, too.
Food storage is something I think that we should all consider, at least have a two week supply on hand no matter what part of the country you live in. Natural disasters aren't discriminatory, and you won't get stuck with empty shelves and panic if a blizzard or hurricane is headed your way.
Food Storage Made Easy
How Do I Store?
How Do I Can?
How Do I Dry?
The Grocery Game
Glenn Beck; Be Prepared
Friday, November 19, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Fireplace Weather and Football
After the events of last week and this weekend, tonight was a chance to relax. The weather was perfect for a fire in the fireplace and for Monday Night Football. It's been a great game thus far, with Philly kicking Redskin ass; as I write this Philly is up 52-21. Michael Vick screwed up with the whole pit bull thing, but he served his time and still remains an awesome ball player. I just hope that he has genuinely changed his ways...I think he has.
After returning from New Orleans on Wednesday, and working on Thursday, Mike and I went to Galveston for an annual meeting of the colonels and I had a really nice time, in spite of the crap weather. The food was excellent and copious, the booze the same. The beach house we stayed in was beautiful. The only drag was having to leave at 6:30 Sunday morning so that I could work from 8 to 3...hung over.
Annnnd, the Eagles, just intercepted the ball from Washington, bringing the game to 59-21 with an quarter and a half to go in the game. Barring the second coming, I don't think that the Redskins will be able to overcome this team tonight.
Oh dear, Mike, my football fanatic, has just changed channels off of football and to Star Trek...apparently watching one team shame the other is boring to him. He may have a point.
Back to topic. No political round-up tonight...am too tired. Not that I haven't paid attention, it's just that everything I'd write has been written. However, I will share this hillarity. While I'm not a fan of SNL, they do, on occasion, come up with funny stuff:
Am also really pissed, though not surprised, that it's looking like KSM won't stand before the tribunal BEFORE the elections in 2012. Can we PLEASE start trying these animals and disposing of them?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like KSM?
And I said I wouldn't post a round-up.
Instead, here are some pics from this past weekend:
Here's a link to my honey's blog post on the weekend:
Council of Colonels...A Cop's Watch
That is all, except to say that the fire is really heavenly and I am so very relaxed. Happy Monday!
After returning from New Orleans on Wednesday, and working on Thursday, Mike and I went to Galveston for an annual meeting of the colonels and I had a really nice time, in spite of the crap weather. The food was excellent and copious, the booze the same. The beach house we stayed in was beautiful. The only drag was having to leave at 6:30 Sunday morning so that I could work from 8 to 3...hung over.
Annnnd, the Eagles, just intercepted the ball from Washington, bringing the game to 59-21 with an quarter and a half to go in the game. Barring the second coming, I don't think that the Redskins will be able to overcome this team tonight.
Oh dear, Mike, my football fanatic, has just changed channels off of football and to Star Trek...apparently watching one team shame the other is boring to him. He may have a point.
Back to topic. No political round-up tonight...am too tired. Not that I haven't paid attention, it's just that everything I'd write has been written. However, I will share this hillarity. While I'm not a fan of SNL, they do, on occasion, come up with funny stuff:
Am also really pissed, though not surprised, that it's looking like KSM won't stand before the tribunal BEFORE the elections in 2012. Can we PLEASE start trying these animals and disposing of them?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like KSM?
And I said I wouldn't post a round-up.
Instead, here are some pics from this past weekend:
Council of Colonels...A Cop's Watch
That is all, except to say that the fire is really heavenly and I am so very relaxed. Happy Monday!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Life, Death, Family and Faith...
Last Wednesday, my phone rang, and at the other end of the line was my mother.She told me that my beloved Aunt Barbara had gone into the hospital for the replacement of her Aortic Valve, and that she didn't survive the surgery.
Aunt Barbara was an awesome woman. She raised 4 children as a single mother after her and my Uncle Chuck divorced, she was deeply involved with the Catholic church, the Rosary Society, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and she was devoted to the Blessed Virgin, like no one I have ever, ever known. She took care of my Gramps (her father) and my Aunt Adele when they were sick and dying. She was one of the very few people I talked to when I was considering moving back to New Orleans in 2009, because I knew that she would be honest with me whilst not trying to influence me one way or the other. She was someone who I could talk to about anything and know that I wouldn't be judged by her, but that she would listen and advise with nothing but love,and the guidance of Jesus and the Holy Mother.
At family gatherings, you could always hear her giggles, rising above the noise of our large French-German family; she delighted in life and the living of it. In her youth, she was physically beautiful, so much so that, according to my daddy, she had men beating down the door. Judging from her pictures, I can see why...she was a knockout! The one thing I learned about her, was that, her hands were never idle, she was always looking for things to do, even in her youth. And she was so brilliant, so very, very intelligent; and I didn't need a scrap book or family stories to tell me that. I saw it all the time, those brains of hers.
She also had this melodious voice, which is why, if you watched WLAE(New Orleans local Catholic television station), you would hear her voice overs or announcements. It's also why (in addition to her being so beloved by me) I had her do the readings at my 1st marriage. It is a great sadness to me that she won't be able to do the flowers for my upcoming wedding to Mike, she would have loved him so had she had the chance to meet him. She would have been so happy that God has given me this man.
I miss her so very much.
To me, she was angelic. An Earth-bound angel, just waiting to get her wings. I just didn't expect it to be so soon.
When mom called me, I wept. I was stunned and devistated. She had gone in for a valve replacement, but her Aorta had calcified. I like to think of it as she had given her heart to the point that it just wore out. She died in the best way possible; without pain, heart full of joy, at peace. She went to sleep and poof! woke up in heaven. How beautiful that is to think of, dying peacefully in the manner that one lived?
Even in death, Aunt Barbara was working amongst us all. Even in my sadness, she was teaching me things; or rather, pointing out the obvious in her gentle way. You see, her death brought me back to New Orleans and to my family.
When I moved back to The Big Easy in July of 2009, I and my cousins and aunts all got together and celebrated my return. Then life got in the way and we all got too busy with family and work. I didn't see my cousins or my aunt as much as I intended to do. Her death brought us all back together, her passing stoked the burning embers of the love that I have for my cousins and aunts and uncles. I got to know them again, and found that they are all essentially the same as I remember from childhood when we played together.
It was a chance to look at photo albums, to remember Gramp's annual 4th of July Picnics at the house on Clearview and the incredible fruit salad he'd make. I've never been able to duplicate it. I can still see the violets that Gramps grew on the little nook counter in the kitchen, right next to the jar of peppermints, which he swore settled an upset tummy(they do). I can still taste my Granny's corn soup, a recipe I've also never been able to duplicate. I thought of Aunt Adele and her incredible fudge (it melted in your mouth!) Aunt Carol and her hugs and red lipstick, Aunt Teeda and Uncle Don who live so far away in Washington. Hanging out will Bonnie, John, Kenny and Reid at Christmas. I thought of Miss Elaine and her children and grandchildren, new family all when Gramps married her after my Granny died.
And from all of this living and growing up, I have my cousins-in-law; Lori and Michelle in particular; and never forgetting my Auntie Robin. I love these three women, more than I can find the words to express. I found myself feeling ashamed that I hadn't spent more time with them during my year in New Orleans, just as I felt guilty about not spending more time with Aunt Barbara...even though she'd tell me I was being silly.
Another thing that weighed on my mind and spirit was my faith and walk with Christ. You see Aunt Barbara was so faithful! I've never met anyone with such a genuine, childlike faith in God. Ever. She trusted in the Lord for everything, but also knew that faith without works is dead...she go totally got it! I want to be like her in that way. I desire that unconditional love, that faith and hope that she possessed. She went into the surgery without worry. Her odds were great, statistically, that she'd survive, but she didn't and she was at peace.
She had a real peace of soul. Think about those words for a moment "peace of soul". I want that for myself, any my biggest regret is that I never got around to asking her how to attain that; even though I really know the answer anyway, it still was a conversation I wanted to have with her.
It is said that God never shuts a door without opening another, and I believe this is true. It's amazing how much one's life can change in a few days time...He is truly a wonderous Father.
During the sad days of last week, I determined that I would no longer let life get in the way of spending time with the ones that I love most of all in this world. Mike, my children, my parent's, my friends and my cousins.
I will pray the rosary, I will read The Word, I will nourish my soul. I will walk into church and not expect to burst into flame. I will go with a humble heart, swallowing my pride. I don't expect perfection, I am merely human and flawed, but I will walk in faith. I seek and desire Aunt Barbara's peace of soul.
You see life is so delicate...one day you could fall asleep and never wake up again. What is the legacy that I want to leave behind?
Aunt Barbara was an awesome woman. She raised 4 children as a single mother after her and my Uncle Chuck divorced, she was deeply involved with the Catholic church, the Rosary Society, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and she was devoted to the Blessed Virgin, like no one I have ever, ever known. She took care of my Gramps (her father) and my Aunt Adele when they were sick and dying. She was one of the very few people I talked to when I was considering moving back to New Orleans in 2009, because I knew that she would be honest with me whilst not trying to influence me one way or the other. She was someone who I could talk to about anything and know that I wouldn't be judged by her, but that she would listen and advise with nothing but love,and the guidance of Jesus and the Holy Mother.
At family gatherings, you could always hear her giggles, rising above the noise of our large French-German family; she delighted in life and the living of it. In her youth, she was physically beautiful, so much so that, according to my daddy, she had men beating down the door. Judging from her pictures, I can see why...she was a knockout! The one thing I learned about her, was that, her hands were never idle, she was always looking for things to do, even in her youth. And she was so brilliant, so very, very intelligent; and I didn't need a scrap book or family stories to tell me that. I saw it all the time, those brains of hers.
She also had this melodious voice, which is why, if you watched WLAE(New Orleans local Catholic television station), you would hear her voice overs or announcements. It's also why (in addition to her being so beloved by me) I had her do the readings at my 1st marriage. It is a great sadness to me that she won't be able to do the flowers for my upcoming wedding to Mike, she would have loved him so had she had the chance to meet him. She would have been so happy that God has given me this man.
I miss her so very much.
To me, she was angelic. An Earth-bound angel, just waiting to get her wings. I just didn't expect it to be so soon.
When mom called me, I wept. I was stunned and devistated. She had gone in for a valve replacement, but her Aorta had calcified. I like to think of it as she had given her heart to the point that it just wore out. She died in the best way possible; without pain, heart full of joy, at peace. She went to sleep and poof! woke up in heaven. How beautiful that is to think of, dying peacefully in the manner that one lived?
Even in death, Aunt Barbara was working amongst us all. Even in my sadness, she was teaching me things; or rather, pointing out the obvious in her gentle way. You see, her death brought me back to New Orleans and to my family.
When I moved back to The Big Easy in July of 2009, I and my cousins and aunts all got together and celebrated my return. Then life got in the way and we all got too busy with family and work. I didn't see my cousins or my aunt as much as I intended to do. Her death brought us all back together, her passing stoked the burning embers of the love that I have for my cousins and aunts and uncles. I got to know them again, and found that they are all essentially the same as I remember from childhood when we played together.
It was a chance to look at photo albums, to remember Gramp's annual 4th of July Picnics at the house on Clearview and the incredible fruit salad he'd make. I've never been able to duplicate it. I can still see the violets that Gramps grew on the little nook counter in the kitchen, right next to the jar of peppermints, which he swore settled an upset tummy(they do). I can still taste my Granny's corn soup, a recipe I've also never been able to duplicate. I thought of Aunt Adele and her incredible fudge (it melted in your mouth!) Aunt Carol and her hugs and red lipstick, Aunt Teeda and Uncle Don who live so far away in Washington. Hanging out will Bonnie, John, Kenny and Reid at Christmas. I thought of Miss Elaine and her children and grandchildren, new family all when Gramps married her after my Granny died.
And from all of this living and growing up, I have my cousins-in-law; Lori and Michelle in particular; and never forgetting my Auntie Robin. I love these three women, more than I can find the words to express. I found myself feeling ashamed that I hadn't spent more time with them during my year in New Orleans, just as I felt guilty about not spending more time with Aunt Barbara...even though she'd tell me I was being silly.
Another thing that weighed on my mind and spirit was my faith and walk with Christ. You see Aunt Barbara was so faithful! I've never met anyone with such a genuine, childlike faith in God. Ever. She trusted in the Lord for everything, but also knew that faith without works is dead...she go totally got it! I want to be like her in that way. I desire that unconditional love, that faith and hope that she possessed. She went into the surgery without worry. Her odds were great, statistically, that she'd survive, but she didn't and she was at peace.
She had a real peace of soul. Think about those words for a moment "peace of soul". I want that for myself, any my biggest regret is that I never got around to asking her how to attain that; even though I really know the answer anyway, it still was a conversation I wanted to have with her.
It is said that God never shuts a door without opening another, and I believe this is true. It's amazing how much one's life can change in a few days time...He is truly a wonderous Father.
During the sad days of last week, I determined that I would no longer let life get in the way of spending time with the ones that I love most of all in this world. Mike, my children, my parent's, my friends and my cousins.
I will pray the rosary, I will read The Word, I will nourish my soul. I will walk into church and not expect to burst into flame. I will go with a humble heart, swallowing my pride. I don't expect perfection, I am merely human and flawed, but I will walk in faith. I seek and desire Aunt Barbara's peace of soul.
You see life is so delicate...one day you could fall asleep and never wake up again. What is the legacy that I want to leave behind?
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Gloatfest...
Glenn Beck: Happy days are here again! The Right Scoop
I'm a fan of Glenn Beck, he has taught me history on his show, things that I never learned in school, and reminded me of things I had learned but couldn't articulate. He and Pat Grey (who used to have a morning talk show here in Houston, along with entrepeneur/ restauranteur Edd Hendee) are can be hilarious together, especially when Pat does his "voices" (Satan is my favorite).
Anyway, I missed the show yesterday beccause I was nursing a sick kiddo, so I was glas to see this this morning as I prepare for my first day at an new job (part-time).
Word of warning, though, to the victors; Marco Rubio had it right when he said that this is a "second chance". We will be watching you all and you'd better come across. While I realize that the Senate is still controlled by the Dems, it's really titular. DO NOT compromise with THEM, make THEM compromise with YOU. To those in the House who will get committee chairmanships, do your job and do it conservatively...cut spending, lower taxes, investigate what needs investigating and please, for the love of God, don't bring in celebrities, or "comedians" in to testify before you.
For the rest of us, this is only the beginning. There are more seats in the Senate up for grabs in 2012, as is the Presidency. I hope and pray that we nominate a newer face to run against Obama, not someone "whose turn it is" like Dole and McCain.
This is the beginning of the revolution, y'all, not the end.
Enjoy the victory but be prepared to keep working in the trenches. Click the link above and enjoy.....
I'm a fan of Glenn Beck, he has taught me history on his show, things that I never learned in school, and reminded me of things I had learned but couldn't articulate. He and Pat Grey (who used to have a morning talk show here in Houston, along with entrepeneur/ restauranteur Edd Hendee) are can be hilarious together, especially when Pat does his "voices" (Satan is my favorite).
Anyway, I missed the show yesterday beccause I was nursing a sick kiddo, so I was glas to see this this morning as I prepare for my first day at an new job (part-time).
Word of warning, though, to the victors; Marco Rubio had it right when he said that this is a "second chance". We will be watching you all and you'd better come across. While I realize that the Senate is still controlled by the Dems, it's really titular. DO NOT compromise with THEM, make THEM compromise with YOU. To those in the House who will get committee chairmanships, do your job and do it conservatively...cut spending, lower taxes, investigate what needs investigating and please, for the love of God, don't bring in celebrities, or "comedians" in to testify before you.
For the rest of us, this is only the beginning. There are more seats in the Senate up for grabs in 2012, as is the Presidency. I hope and pray that we nominate a newer face to run against Obama, not someone "whose turn it is" like Dole and McCain.
This is the beginning of the revolution, y'all, not the end.
Enjoy the victory but be prepared to keep working in the trenches. Click the link above and enjoy.....
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