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.