Christmas Gift Idea - Homemade Wooden Bead & Maze Toy

Little Ones love these so much. My Little Man still has his Wooden Bead & Wire Maze Roller Coaster that he got when he was about 2! He will not let me get rid of it for nothing. You can make one for a toddler that you know for very little money and very easy.

Use A piece of hardwood for the base. It can be any shape you want to make it. Drill 6 holes into the bottom of it that are the same size as your heavy gauge wire. The wire needs to have one end put into one side and secured on the bottom. Put some brightly colored wooden beads onto it and then twist it around , like a roller coaster or maze. Put it through one of the holes on the other side and secure it on the bottom. Repeat this with 2 more wires. Make it fun and twisty. Use bright colored wooden beads. Which come in all kind of styles! They even have some that are painted with the ABC's. Maybe put the child's name. That would be neat. A personalized, homemade gift. Something that will be loved. 

Some Ways To Save At The Grocery Store

Just takes some strategy and organizing to find ways to save at the grocery store.

1. Bulk buying is a great way to stock up on things that you use a lot.  Purchase them when they are on sale. You get more items and it will carry you longer.

2.  Eliminate all non-nutritious foods, like soda, candy, junk food. Saves you a lot of money and is healthy for your family. We cut out soda in our house a year ago and don't miss it at all. I had some bad headaches when I stopped drinking coke, but it only lasted about a week. Now I feel better and it has saved a lot of money.

3. Eliminate any convenience type food. Single serve pudding cups etc.

4.  Choose the less expensive alternative. Generic brands are just as good as other brands and save you money.

5.  Buy marked down items. The deli in our local store always has bread, cookies, pies, etc marked down. Fill the freezer.

6.  Compare boxes for portion sizes and per portion cost. Etc

7. Prepare all of your meal from scratch. It doesn't take too much more time. Saves money and is better for the family.

8.  Eat more casseroles, soups, etc.

9.  Have a couple of meatless meals a week.

10. Waste nothing.

The Last Soldier

The Last Soldier: Nature of the Beast was a free book for the kindle when this post was written. Something different. I usually share non-fiction books for your survival library, but this is a fiction book for us to all read while stuck in the house during this awful winter weather.

A MEDICAL MIRICLE HAS CURED ALL DISEASES

Jason Randal finds himself in the middle of civilization’s collapse, wanting only to get out of the way with his wife Catherine, and survive if they can.Betrayed and imprisoned, he has little hope of reaching her or safety, until the beginning of a revolution offers a chance for escape. His perilous race to reach his wife, brings him in contact with a group of young people, considered fugitives by the military government. With their help, he rescues Catherine from the brutal leader of the rebels, liberates hundreds and escapes with enough supplies for them all to start over somewhere safe. Carley Ross and her lover Boone, accompany them into the mountains in search of a safe place to weather the coming storm. The young couple’s skill in the wilderness proves invaluable, but Carley’s headstrong attempt to return home, brings Jason and Catherine back to the front lines. There they discover the government’s horrifying plan to bring the population to a sustainable level.

Power Out! Use Your Fireplace For Heat

Winter means bad weather in many parts of the United States. And bad weather means power failure for many people. In cold weather be prepared to use your fireplace or woodstove to keep your home warm until your power is restored. What do you need to do to be prepared? Here we will review what you need to do in preparation along with what to do in the midst of the power failure and also after the power has been restored.
Be Prepared! Long before you lose your power you need to be ready for it. You never know when the power will go out (or how long before you get your power back). Here's your To Do List for preparing your fireplace before the power failure:
1. Stock up on whatever fuel source you use in your fireplace or woodstove. If it is wood, make sure you have split and stacked it properly allowing for good air circulation while keeping it dry so it will age properly. This will allow your fire to burn hotter and minimize the buildup of creosote while making it easier to start and maintain your fire. Also have a good supply of kindling on hand such as Fatwood.
2. Make sure your fireplace or woodstove is in good working order. If you are not sure, call in a professional to have it inspected. You may have to use your alternative heat source non-stop for many days.
3. Have quality fireplace tools, fireplace screen and fireplace accessories. You will be using them ALOT! If you don't have them, invest in them NOW! They will make your job significantly easier and fire building safer. Here are some key fireplace items and why you need them:
a. Fireplace Tools (Shovel, Poker, Tongs and Brush) - helps in the ease of building and maintaining fires and the cleaning of the fireplace after use. Much safer than trying to reposition burning logs with your hands!
b. Fireplace Screen - critical item to prevent embers from flying out of the fireplace and still allow that necessary heat to flow into the room. You want to prevent starting a house fire caused from a spark flying out of the fireplace and landing in the room.
c. Fireplace Bellow - building a fire is critical when you have a power failure and you do not want to be struggling to get it started. Fireplace bellows easily provide the oxygen rich air that helps to get that fire going. A good flow of air is critical for a successful fire.
d. Fireplace Andirons - It was discovered many centuries ago that if your fuel material is up off the ground the fire burns better and with less smoke. Andirons keep your logs off the floor of the fireplace and the vertical front piece of the andirons hold the logs in place and prevent them from rolling out of the fireplace. Fireplace grates can also accomplish this task.
e. Fireplace Log Holder - this will allow you to keep extra logs by the fireplace. The fewer times you have to op en the door to the outside to get more wood the better. Every time you open the door you are letting cold air into the house. Keep it to a minimum by stocking logs in your fireplace log holder.
Get these items stocked and in place before a power outage so you can build the easiest, best fire possible when it is critical to have one.
4. Practice building a great fire before the power failure:
a. Make sure your damper is open
b. Place tinder (crumbled paper perhaps) on the fireplace floor between the andirons. This is material that will catch fire instantly.
c. Place kindling such as Fatwood on top of the tinder. This is material that will catch fire from the flames of the tinder.
d. Stack several fire logs on top of your fireplace andirons or fireplace grate making sure that everything is spaced about 1/2" apart to allow for good air circulation. Your burning kindling will start the logs burning.
e, Light the tinder with a long match If you have a problem with back draft (smoke flowing into the room instead of up the chimney), open a window a little before you start the fire to create a flow of air from the outside to inside and up your chimney. Once the fire has started and the smoke is going up the chimney close the window.
f. If the flames are not taking off don't forget to use your fireplace bellow to help the fire get going
g. Keep it going by adding wood from your fireplace log holder as needed and keep the burning logs stacked properly by using your fireplace tools to reposition the logs as they burn down and shift. When not working on the fire keep your fireplace screen in place to prevent fire embers from entering your room.
Your power is out. Now what?
1. Close off rooms you do not need to use. The more areas closed off the better. Let the fire heat only the rooms you need.
2. Build that fire and keep it going.
3. Fill containers with water and place on your fireplace hearth near the fire. This is a great source of hot water for multiple uses while your power is out and your water pipes are running cold. If you are using plastic containers make sure they are placed where they will not melt.
When the power comes back on:
1. You may want to continue your fire as your heating system begins to heat the whole house. Keep in mind if you have only one thermostat and it is in the heated area then you will want to open the doors to the closed off rooms so the heater will kick on. If this does not cause your heater to start you may need to raise the setting on the thermostat to above room temperature to get it to start.
2. Once the need for your supplemental fireplace heat has ended let your fireplace cool completely (this may be longer than 24 hours) before you clean your fireplace using your fireplace tools and prepare it for its next use.
There you have it. With some good preparation, the next time you have a power failure you will be prepared to use your fireplace to stay warm. Whether it is a few hours to over a week before you get power back on (depending on how wide spread the outage) if you have prepared properly you will have heat.
CAUTION!! Do not bring into your home or garage BBQs, gas fueled generators, or any other heat generating devices that are designed for outdoor use. People have died from the undetected gases given off by some of these devices. Please use caution and be safe when you lose your power and need heat.

Terri Young
terri.young@ToolsForFireplaces.com
Fireplace Tools at ToolsForFireplaces.com
Fireplace Tools, Fireplace Screens, Fireplace Accessories

Grandmas Guide To Raising Chickens

Grandma's Guide to raising backyard chickens (Grandma's series) was a free book at the time of this blog post. This is a guide for beginners who want to breed a few chickens for their backyard, be it for meat or eggs or both! We cover everything you need in the book :- * Buying chicks * Choosing which breed is best for you – depending on your needs * Building a correct size coop * Buying and making your own chicken feed * Emergency chick feed * Breeding * Rearing baby chicks * Dealing with problems and disease * Learning chicken behavior * Increasing egg yield * Keeping your chickens happy * Butchering and much much more

Potato Battery

I remember my dad doing something with a potato when i was a kid. Lit up a light bulb with it.

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/ideas/2013/12/a-potato-battery-can-light-up-a-room-for-over-a-month/

Winter Storm Warning!

We are under a winter storm warning. It has been raining all day and the temps have fallen fast. Prepared as well as can be. Plenty of food. Extra kerosene in case power goes out and have to pull out the kerosene heater. The local weatherman said to be prepared for power outages because of all of the ice that we will get on top of the ,maybe, 6 to 8 inches of snow!

Hope everyone is safe and prepared!

Keep warm!

Practical Prepping

,Practical Prepping: Be Ready For Disaster Without Driving Yourself Crazy Was a free book when this was written. ok Description Publication Date: June 5, 2013 People say that “you can never be too prepared” for a disaster – and while that is true, I do believe there is such a thing as over-preparation. If preparing for a possible disaster in the future significantly impairs your family’s quality of life today, you might need to reassess your priorities. Living in a constant state of terror and paranoia is not something I am particularly fond of. I’m not one of those people who has built such an incredible fortress for myself that I’m almost giddy about the idea of getting a chance to use it. If you find that lifestyle appealing, this guide is not for you. But you probably guessed that already from the title. I believe in practical preparation. Being smart and ready, but also being rational about the risks and rewards involved. In this mini-book I will seek to address some simple steps that everyone should take to stay prepared. ==================================== SOME TOPICS INCLUDE... + Building a "Ready Bag" (a.k.a. "Go" or "Bug Out" Bag) + Creating a Sensible Stockpile + Having a Basic Disaster Preparedness Plan + What if you have Children or Pets? + Prepping on a Tight Budget + BONUS: Canning and Preserving Food

Food Drying - How To Dry Vegetables

Food Drying vol. 2: How to Dry Vegetables was a free Kindle book when this post waswritten.

Book Description Publication Date: October 17, 2013 Are you looking to learn how to safely preserve vegetables by drying them? Food Drying vol. 2: How to Dry Vegetables covers exactly that, giving detailed information on how to prepare and dry more than 30 different vegetables. From artichoke hearts to zucchini, this handy guide has you covered. The following topics are covered in this vegetable drying guide: Why learning to dry vegetables is important, even in this day and age. The vegetable drying process: What happens to vegetables as they dry. How to pretreat vegetables by blanching them to prevent enzymatic browning. Drying trays. How to dry vegetables using the sun, your oven or an electric dehydrator. Conditioning and pasteurizing dried vegetables after drying is complete. How to safely store dried vegetables. The following vegetables are covered in-depth: Artichokes. Arugula. Asparagus. Beets. Bell peppers. Bok choy. Broccoli. Brussels sprouts. Cabbage. Carrots. Cauliflower. Celery. Chili peppers. Collard greens. Corn. Cucumbers. Eggplant. Garlic. Green beans. Lettuce. Kale. Mushrooms. Okra. Onions. Peas. Potatoes. Tomatoes. Zucchini. and more . . . Detailed drying information is provided for each vegetable type, including the following information: A brief description of the vegetable and its health benefits. How to select the best vegetables of that type for drying. How to prepare the vegetable for drying. How to blanch the vegetable, if necessary. The drying temperature range that works best. Approximate drying times for the oven, the dehydrator and sun-drying. How to tell when the vegetable is dry. Conditioning, pasteurizing and storing the dried vegetable. How to rehydrate the dried vegetable before use, if applicable. In addition to detailed instructions on preparing and drying vegetables, there are 20+ bonus recipes included. The following recipes are included in this helpful guide: Beet chips. Bell pepper paprika. Bok choy crisps. Dehydrated Sauerkraut Crisps. Dried carrot chips. Cauliflower crunch. Celery salt. Collard green crisps. Popcorn on the cob. Dried cucumber chips. Cucumber powder. Eggplant jerky. Cajun spiced green beans. Spicy kale chips. Kale powder. Dried pumpkin powder. Spinach chips. Spinach powder. Chard chips. Sun-dried tomatoes. Zucchini chips. Buy this book today and learn to preserve your harvest by drying vegetables.

Garden all year round

Month by Month Gardening Guide / Free Resource Guide Included was a free book when this post was written. A useful book to have in your Kindle survival library for becoming self-sufficient.

 Garden all year round. Month by month guide to large and small vegetable gardening to enjoy your garden year-round. Includes a valuable free Resource guide.