A Second Car!

We are slowly getting our second car up and running. We bought a 2001 Chevy Lumina for just $600.00 - we knew for that price that it would need some work. So far we thought that it needed a new alternator , but after putting in a new one and the car still not holding a charge we tried a new battery , but that still was not. Guess what we found out -- It is just a switch in the lights that has a short so when you turn the lights off and think they are off , they are really on and running the battery down!! OMG. We are going to fix that this upcoming weekend and then we will have a great "new" car for backup. Plus for our 16 year old son to drive. His driver's test is in October.
It is always a good idea to have 2 vehicles. Download our free toolbar

Preparedness Fatigue??

I think that my husband has preparedness fatigue! Yesterday he was making a cup of coffee and our Mr. Coffee machine has been getting slower and not making coffee as good. It is a few years old. So he was telling me that I need to get a new coffee maker this week, but then under his breathe he said " Na she can't buy a new coffee maker, she will have to go buy one that is solar powered!" I started laughing until I realized that he was being totally serious. What to do???Download our free toolbar

The Colony Reality Show

Anyone else been watching this? I have learned a few things from it, one of the major things that I learned is that I need new friends. LOL. I need friends that are rocket scientist, engineers, nurses, and others. I also need a warehouse full of tools. But, no really I did learn a few things about security, water, and such. It was an interesting show. I think the one thing that I really noticed about this show is that if you do nto have the skills and tools than you can never be prepared enough. Now I am worried.

What are your thoughts on the show? The finale was last night. I watched the marathon of it yesterday.
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Being Sanitary In An Emergency

My hubby told me about this idea. He always is bringing buckets home from work and we now have a huge collection. I use them for catching rain and storing items in. Well, he thought up the idea of putting a toilet seat on one and making it a toilet for when we have no other way of getting to a toilet. Easy to make , use, and clean. Plus you still feel like you are using something normal. Maybe. Since being sanitary is a must in any emergency - make sure that you stockpile bleach and other cleaning supplies. Lysol and such. You do not want to take a chance and get nasty germs while there is an emergency.


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I will be back with more soon! I promise!

I have been sooooooo tired. I have not felt like doing anything. I have my 3 year old that I have been having to chase around and he is just getting into more and more things. I told my husband a few minutes ago that I feel like I have just put in a 12 hour shift at a factory. I am so tired. I will get back to writing soon. I have a few ideas and I am hoping that the newness of my little one having turned 3 will wear off and he will get back to being the calm, cute, little boy he used to be. Maybe. Maybe that is just wishful thinking.Download our free toolbar

Candles For Lighting

Yard sales have not been too good this summer, but I have found a few things. One of the best was what I got at a yard sale this past weekend. A huge shoe box, a size 13 pair of KSwiss used to be in them, full of safety candles!! Guess what I paid for it. A whole $3.00!! I could not believe it. I even told the woman that I thought that she might want to keep them in case she needs them later and she just said oh I need them out of my house. Too cluttered. So, Cool, I got them. There are over a hundred in there. I burned one that night just to see how good of quality they are and I had to put it out when I went to be a couple hours later and it was only about half burned down. So they are good quality candles. Probably about 5 hour candles.

Below are some candle safety tips: Got the list from National Candle Association Website

The National Candle Association urges consumers to be careful when burning candles, and to following these rules for burning candles safely.

Always keep a burning candle within sight. Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep.

Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Keep burning candles away from furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, paper, flammable decorations, etc.

Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets. Do not place lighted candles where they can be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else.

Trim candlewicks to ¼ inch each time before burning. Long or crooked wicks cause uneven burning and dripping.

Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use. The holder should be heat resistant, sturdy and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax.

Be sure the candleholder is placed on a stable, heat-resistant surface. This will also help prevent possible heat damage to counters and table surfaces and prevent glass containers from cracking or breaking.

Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times.

Always read and follow the manufacturer's use and safety instructions carefully. Don't burn a candle longer than the manufacturer recommends.

Keep burning candles away from drafts, vents, ceiling fans and air currents. This will help prevent rapid, uneven burning, and avoid flame flare-ups and sooting. Drafts can also blow lightweight curtains or papers into the flame where they could catch fire.

Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room. Don't burn too many candles in a small room or in a "tight" home where air exchange is limited.

Don't burn a candle all the way down. Extinguish the flame if it comes too close to the holder or container. For a margin of safety, discontinue burning a candle when 2 inches of wax remains or ½ inch if in a container.

Never touch a burning candle or move a votive or container candle when the wax is liquid.

Never use a knife or sharp object to remove wax drippings from a glass holder. It might scratch, weaken, or cause the glass to break upon subsequent use.

Place burning candles at least three inches apart from one another. This is to make sure they don't melt one another, or create their own drafts that will cause the candles to burn improperly.

Use a candle snuffer to extinguish a candle. It's the safest way to prevent hot wax from splattering.

Never extinguish candles with water. The water can cause the hot wax to splatter and might cause a glass container to break.

Be very careful if using candles during a power outage. Flashlights and other battery-powered lights are safer sources of light during a power failure. Never use a candle during a power outage to look for things in a closet, or when fueling equipment - such as a lantern or kerosene heater.

Make sure a candle is completely extinguished and the wick ember is no longer glowing before leaving the room.

Extinguish a candle if it smokes, flickers repeatedly, or the flame becomes too high. The candle isn't burning properly and the flame isn't controlled. Let the candle cool, trim the wick, then check for drafts before re-lighting.

Never use a candle as a night light.

Looking for other supplies

I have been getting some solar powered items and then got it in my head that I had to have a solar powered fan. I looked on ebay and seen some that look like desk fans , about 5 inches across. I went to Google and did some looking around and the reviews on them were not too good. Not a lot of power and no real fan movement to where you can feel them. So now I still want a solar powered fan , but do not know what to get. There are some out there that are like attic fans or vent fans , but they are way out of my budget. WHAT TO DO??
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Solar Power is AWESOME!

I went a few months ago and bought a bunch of rechargeable batteries. We go through a ton of batteries. Last week we had a really bad storm go through and our power went out for most of the day. Well, that made me realize that having rechargeable batteries would be useless without power. I went online and did some looking around and found on ebay some solar powered battery chargers!! I went a head and bought one that has a light on it even. Cool. It is real bright, too. So we will also have a light AND charged batteries!

The photo below shows my radios and my new battery charger in the only south facing window I have in my house. The yellow radio below also has a cell phone charger and a flashlight.

Earthquake Preparedness

All of the bad earthquakes in Japan the last couple of days have got me to thinking about being prepared for an earthquake. I live in a earthquake area.(Not California) I have been researching what to do and I have found some interesting things online.

Earthquake Preparedness

One major thing that I am reading is that your water and power might be disrupted so you need to be prepared for that. Also if you have natural gas you should probably shut it off. This web page has some great info on getting your preparedness kit ready.

The US Geological Survey website has tons of maps, info, and more to help. I also love my little add-on that I have on my Firefox browser that is called equake. It shakes your browser every time an earthquake happens any where in the world.



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A Mini Stove Necklace??

This is just so cool!! It is a Working Stove Necklace - great for hikers, survivalist, and more. It is also great looking. I wish that I had thought of something like this.


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