Seed Ordering

I know it is the middle of winter and some of you might not want to hear about gardening, but it is about time for all of us to be getting our seeds ordered or bought for spring. I plan on getting a few veggies and herbs for myself and am getting some seed catalogs sent to me. I need to be planning on where I am going to put my garden at our new place.
Here are a few places that have great seeds and I plan on using.

Native Seeds

Amishland Seeds



Seed Savers Exchange

Burpee

Now that you are getting your free seed catalogs you will need to get to planning.




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Coffee Can Ice Cream

I know that it is winter, but for some reason when it gets really cold I want ice cream!
Who knew crafting a batch of homemade ice cream could be so much fun? Grab the kids, two coffee cans, ingredients for the ice cream and roll away!

What you'll need:
2 clean metal cans, both with lids (make one can larger than the second)
Use the ice cream recipe already given in Ice Cream in a Bag or:
1 cup of very cold milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs chocolate syrup
Ice


How to make it:
Place the ice cream mixture in the smaller coffee can (make sure it's clean) and seal with the lid on tightly.
Place the smaller can in the larger can. Pour the ice and salt around the smaller can making sure it is more or less in the center.
Seal the larger can with its lid tightly and roll it around for about a half hour. This process works great if you have kids. Let them sit on the floor and roll the can between them. When it's done you'll have a nice container to keep the ice cream in!


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I Have A Toothache!

What do you do if you get a toothache? There are a lot of ways to cure a toothache with just stuff from your kitchen cabinet or stockpile.

Tea Bags - Press a dampened tea bag against your toothache or sore gums. This will relieve your toothache or stop your gums from bleeding. The tannic acid in the tea numbs it and clots blood.

Swish a mouthful of Listerine to temporarily relieve a toothache. Swish it right around the cavity, lost filling, or broken tooth. It is an analgesic.

Add a quarter of a teaspoon of pepper to one cup of boiling water , stir , cover, and simmer on low heat for about seven minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for about 15 minutes. Strain this through a coffee filter and while it is still hot , take small sips and swish it through your mouth , concentrating on the affected area. Repeat as often as needed.

Another easy way to relieve a toothache is to take vanilla and soak a cotton ball with it and place it against the sore tooth or spot. The high alcohol content in it will dull the pain.

Salt is another great way to ease the pain of a toothache. Just add it to a glass of warm water and rinse your mouth with it.


I hope that none of up gets a toothache when times are bad, but if we do at least we will be able to relieve it a bit!!








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Use Cloth!

I have already wrote on this blog about the benefits of using cloth diapers, but did not mention another important item that is needed -- CLOTH WIPES!! I started out making just a few for my son, but then I got to thinking that I better make as many as I can so the whole family can use them IF we need too. You never know if you might run out of toilet paper and cannot get anymore!

They are very easy to make. I have made them from old t-shirts, receiving blankets, flannel sheets and shirts, and more. You just need to cut out squares that are about 7 inches X 7 inches and place them right sides together and around the edge , making sure to leave a place to turn it out at , stitch up the hole and top stitch. Very easy to make and totally worth it!!

You can find some more info on using and making cloth items at my other blog Sewing Cloth Diapers & Other Stuff ~ Sewing, Crafts, Making Money,& Living Green

Stockpiling is Great, But..........

You also need to make sure that you have a renewable food source. You have got to locate one for your family because you never know how long you will be needing to survive. What if it over a year or two?? Your one year stockpile would dwindle away and you would be left with nothing.
Where we live I think that it would be fine. We live in town , but on the edge and have deer that go through our yard daily. When we first looked at this house before we moved in one ran through the backyard and I looked at my husband and said, "That might be supper one of these days!!". So, you never know what might happen and you need to be prepared for whatever might happen!
Be able to grow your own garden and always have seeds on hand for all kinds of vegetables. Even ones that you might like eat so you can trade with neighbors! Get a few chickens for eggs.

A Treadle Sewing Machine

This is something that would come in handy!! I would love to find one. Imagine being able to sew when there is no power! That would be so awesome. I would be able to mend clothing, sew new clothing, sew stuff for neighbors, etc. That would be a great bartering tool also. Tell your neighbor who has something that you need that you will sew and mend stuff for them for trade. Huh - Great idea. People will always need stuff sewn. This would be a great investment.

Help Birds Survive This Winter!

I think one great way to prepare for survival is to help others that need it.
So why not have your kids make this bird feeder for your bird neighbors.

What your kids will need:

1 Bagel
Peanut butter
Birdseed
Ribbon for hanging

Spread the peanut butter on the bagel and roll it into the birdseed until it is fully covered.
Tie a ribbon around it and hang it from a tree -- Try to hang it in a tree that you can see from your window.

Bagged Omelet

I found this recipe in a camping book , it is an easy recipe that can be cooked with camping gear!

What you need:
Eggs
Milk
Any of the following --- diced ham, cheese, bacon(bacon bits), onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc
Zipper style freezer bag
Crack the eggs into the bag and add the desired amount of milk. Add your other ingredients that you have chosen. Make sure to seal the bag tightly. Place the bag into a pot of boiling water and cook for a few minutes or until done to your liking. Put the egg mixture (bagged Omelet) into pita bread and enjoy!!

Cola Can & Oil Emergency Lamp

In the winter time it seems like we have more power outages. Hopefully , we are all prepared with food, flashlights, water, etc , but what if this power outage is a long one? So what do you do when this happens and you need light?
You can make this simple oil lamp for long term outages. The parts needed for this can be found in most every home.
An empty aluminum cola can, an old cotton sock, and about a tablespoon of cooking oil are all you need.
First stab an empty cola can in the middle and cut around the circumference until you cut the can completely in half. Make sure to se a pair of gloves to hold the cut can, because the metal is very sharp. Use the bottom half of the cola can, and cut half inch deep slits spaced each half inch along the circumference of the can. Fold over to make a safe rim along the edge. Now take the top half of the can and work the pull tab off the top by pulling up and side to side. You can throw the top half of the can in the recycle bin, because you do not need it. Next cut a one inch by 3/8" slip of material from the old sock. Roll the material into a thick rope and feed it into the pull tab attachment hole. Pull through about half an inch so it sticks up while the pull tab rests upside down. Now pour a cap full of cooking oil into the bottom of the can. Place the upside down pull tab with the wick in the middle of the can and drape the cotton wick so it pulls the oil from the edge of the can. The length of the wick pulled through the tab hole will determine the height of the flame. A good quarter inch of wick will give a good flame with virtually no smoke. Now you can light the wick and it should last about three to four hours with each tablespoon or so of corn oil.

Another One For The Kiddies

Kool-Aid Fingerpaint
2 cups flour
2 pack unsweetened kool-aid
1/2 cup salt
3 cups boiling water
3 tbs. oil

Mix wet ingredients into dry. The kids love the color change. Then paint away. Non Toxic ingredients make this a fun and safe way for kids to not be bored.