Getting Ready For Winter

By now everyone has probably seen the Farmer's Almanac prediction for this upcoming winter. For us, in Indiana, it is supposed to be like last winter if not worse. So we are getting winter ready sooner. 
Hubby bought a freezer for us to fill up for one thing. Last winter our drive was frozen and I couldn't move our car for about a month. So, hubby wanted that filled up for winter. We have someone coming sometime this week with a load of gravel to redo our driveway. That should help a lot! Pretty sure that is why it was hard to get out of the drive last winter. No gravel for traction and the snow just froze solid on our hill.
We have started sealing the bottom of the house with plastic. We got the back of the house done yesterday and around the back deck. It doesn't look the best , but if it keeps the floor from being so cold that will help a lot. I have extra plastic to do our windows and back door with, but I will wait another month or so to do those. It has been so nice last week that I want to be able to open windows.
 We also re-potted all of our flowers and trees. I found out the painful way that lemon trees have horrible thorns!


WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO GET WINTER READY????

The Homesteading Guidebook - A Beginners Guide to Self Sufficient Living (Self Sustained Living)

The Homesteading Guidebook - A Beginners Guide to Self Sufficient Living (Self Sustained Living) was a free book for the kindle when this post was written.

By going back to our roots as producers, each household member learns the value of commodities like food, water, shelter and clothing. This in turn allows them to appreciate more what they have and conserve the same. The bottom line is, homesteading allows you to appreciate what you have and take care of our surroundings. I hope that this leads to a more responsible and environmentally conscious generation.

Here Is A Preview Of What You'll Learn...

• Basic Land Requirements
• Plants and Crops
• Farm Animals
• Necessary Equipment and Facilities
• Practical Tips and Information
• A Great Intro to Self Sufficient Living

101 Ways to Prepare Your Home for a Natural Disaster

101 Ways to Prepare Your Home for a Natural Disaster was a free book for the kindle when this post was written.

Natural disasters are events that come in different shapes and forms, and usually without warning. They range from catastrophic weather conditions to seismic events. When these events occur, they can injure people, take lives, and cause property damage. Although the susceptibility of each country varies, there is no place on Earth that is considered disaster-free.

Since most of these disasters are inevitable, the best thing we can do is to be prepared. Preparedness is a good thing so that when disaster comes, it will cause less damage to our property and we can avoid needless injury.

101 Ways to Prepare Your Home for a Natural Disaster aims to guide you on what you should do before, during, and after a natural disaster by covering the following topics:

- Types of Natural Disasters
- Early Warning Systems
- Food Needs
- Water Needs
- Creating an Emergency Disaster Plan
- Preparing Your Home Against Natural Disasters
- First Aid Skills and Techniques
- Tips on Disaster Communication Plan
- Evacuation During Disasters
- Returning Home After the Disaster

Campsite Cooking: Delicious and Easy Recipes Using Foil Packets, Grills and More

Campsite Cooking: Delicious and Easy Recipes Using Foil Packets, Grills and More was a free book for the Kindle when this post was written.

Campsite cooking is not a new fad; it has been around for centuries. Our ancestors were foragers, having to go out and find food they wanted to eat. If it did not grow around them or walk by them, chances are they did not eat it. Today, we can get more creative with the meals we make while camping making the meals healthy and delicious. The recipes in this book will be fun for the family to create together.

This book will walk you through what campfire cooking is, how you can create amazing meals with it, and give tons of delicious recipes to tantalize your taste buds. Not only that, but it will tell you how to cook certain foods you have never cooked and will make you start thinking of more creative dishes you can make back home in the kitchen or on the grill.
 

Indoor gardening - How to grow beautiful tomatoes, bell peppers & avocados at home

Indoor gardening - How to grow beautiful tomatoes, bell peppers & avocados at home (Indoor Gardening, Urban Garden Book 1) was a free book for the kindle when this post was written.

Discover How to Grow Healthy & Delicious Tomatoes, Bell Peppers & Avocados At Home

Your diet sucks.

Well, it doesn’t suck that much, but I know that you want to eat healthier, natural vegetables.

We all know that natural vegetables are the best. They taste better, they look better, and they provide your body with the best vitamins and nutrients that Mother Nature has to offer.

SO GROW YOUR OWN.

“But I don’t have green fingers, I don’t even have a garden.”

That doesn’t matter.

This helpful eBook will teach you everything you need to know about indoor gardening basics

Along with teaching you how to grow tomatoes, bell peppers, and avocados, this comprehensive guide will teach you:

How to start indoor gardening for beginners

Step-by-step guides on how to grow each

Harvesting your crop

Meal ideas for each vegetable & more...

Download your kindle copy of Indoor gardening – How to grow beautiful tomatoes, bell peppers & avocados at home and when you grow your indoor vegetables, not only will your body thank you for natural food intake, your sense of accomplishment will also leave both you and your tummy with something to smile about.

Unidentified Respiratory Virus Likely to Hit Kids Across Country - ABC News

Unidentified Respiratory Virus Likely to Hit Kids Across Country - ABC News





There is some scary  stuff going on.

Caution Infection Zone...

Sent my hubby to the Dollar Tree and he came home with some great things and even the batteries I had sent him there for. LOL . But, they have a lot of Halloween decorations now and he looked thru it. He saw these things that made him think of what he thought was a great idea. The more I think about it , he might be right. These 30 foot long "CAUTION' AND "INFECTION ZONE" banners. Looks like the caution tape that road crews use etc. He has always thought that a SHTF situation would be brought on by a disease. And the items that have been on the news lately. The Ebola and this new disease that kids are getting is just reinforcing this thinking. He thought that if we are fine and everything else is going to hell in a handbasket that we could use these put in front of the doors and windows and maybe people out looking to loot would think that we were infected. I don't know. Seems like a good idea. 

The Prepper's Urban Guide

The Prepper's Urban Guide: Things You Need to Prepare for Disaster in An Urban Environment and More Life Saving Survival Strategies (preppers blueprint, preppers handbook, preppers pocket guide...) was a free book for the kindle when this post was written.

The world has never been a, shall we say, safe place? No matter the era, each generation has faced a series of terrors and nightmare scenarios most foul: disease, pestilence, natural catastrophes so powerful that even the most advanced technological efforts of that generation’s time were rendered utterly moot. And that last scenario? It is still totally applicable to today.
And here we are, in the 21st century, with all the luxuries of modernity for good or ill, but that pesky, nagging yet wonderful old biddy, Mother Nature -- she still holds the upper hand. She’s all powerful and at times it seems, all too willing to show us just how insignificant we really are. Even with our powerful smart phones and spaceships and self-driving cars and super-human robot-esque Google glasses. Yes, even with those nifty little gadgets, it boils down to a simple reality.
We live in her world. And it is her world. In the grand scheme of things, we’re all just pesky house guests that refuse to leave no matter how many hints she drops. And to live in her world requires many a compromise. Evolutionary speaking, we have made compromises down to our very cells in order to retain our residence here. We have spent millennium adapting and changing to suit little else than the selfish perpetuation of our species. And yet, despite all of the natural difficulties we face and as a whole, ultimately survive; we’re still, by and large, an idiotic group of nomadic morons.
Well, it’s your lucky day because despite the odds being ever out of your favor, especially if you live in an urban environment, reading this book will give you the tips and tricks you’ll need to keep yourself alive.

Here Is A Preview Of What You Will Find In This Book:

* The Basics
* Leaving Danger
* Staying in Place
* Know your Variables
* Knowledge is Power
And Much Much More!

Food Storage Recipe - Hobo Knapsacks

Take these along with you to the park, throw them on the grill and than eat them right out of the foil packs.


NEED:

2 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large tomatoes , chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 package of frozen mixed vegetables

1 can of mushrooms, drained

1 pound of ground beef

1/2 cup of tomato juice

1/2 cup of rolled oats

1 beaten egg

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil

In a mixing bowl combine the potatoes, tomatoes, onion, mixed vegetables, and mushrooms. Set that aside.

In another bowl mix the beef, tomato juice, egg, oats, onion, salt, and pepper. Mix it up well.

Divide it into 6 equal portions. Crumble it up into the 6 foil packets. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the beef mixture.

Tightly fold the foil up to make a pouch.

Cook in the oven or on the grill for about an hour.

Food Storage Recipe - Broccoli, Hamburger, & Cheese Soup

YUMMY!

NEED:

1 1/2 cup of water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 package of frozen broccoli

1/4 cup of finely chopped onion

2 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt - try and get some Pink Himalayan Salt . That is  so good for you. Google it and you will see the amazing uses and how great it is for your body. It is all that we use now.

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups of milk

1 cup of cubed velveeta cheese

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained well

Boil the water in a big pot and add the bouillon cube. Stir until the cube dissolves.

Add the broccoli and cook as package said. Do not drain. Remove from the heat and set it aside.

In a large pot cook the onion in the butter until it is clear.

Add the flour , salt , and pepper to the onion and stir until well blended.

Remove from the heat and add just enough of the milk to make a smooth paste , than add the remaining milk.

Return to the heat and bring it to a boil. Let it boil for about 1 minute. Stirring constantly.

Add the cheese, ground beef, and broccoli (with its cooking liquid)

Cook until heated thru and the cheese is entirely melted.

Stir occasionally and serve hot.