Monday, August 31, 2009

Dont want to drown you......

I have thrown a bunch of info at you and dont want to overwhelm you.


Mull all this over - make your lists and we will chat again on Friday :)


Pray - Praise - Prepare

Now go brush your teeth.....

So - you have a TON of food and I am so proud of you!!! Some of it will need to have its shelf life extended, but if you are using the oldest food first and eating what you are storing, you are fine for a good long while. Meaning, I intend to show you how to store it for a long shelf life, but I am about to move and am not going to do it right now.... I will show you after I move as I do it myself ;)





Also, now that you have all this food, you need to USE it.... Reconstitute some milk and bake or cook with it. Keep a list of recipes that use things that come only from your pantry and not your fridge or freezer. Have your kids and spouse try one of these meals once a week. Sneak it in, I bet they dont even notice!





So - you have your food and now lets move on to toiletries. Storing months of food will not mean much if you have to run out in the middle of the crisis for toothpaste or deodorant. These things are easily stored and cheaply purchased. WHA??? You pay more than $.99 for these things? Pashaw....you are getting ripped off.





I havent paid more than this for either of these items in MONTHS. My items are also name brands and not purchased at a dollar store. I do this with coupons. I have a store nearby that doubles coupons up to a $1.00. They have a little store card which gives me an additional discount on certain items each week. I clip all coupons every Sunday and when my store circular shows up, match my coupons to the circular with the store's card discounts. Its like double dipping - triple if you count that the store doubles the coupon. It means I get stuff dirt cheap.





Another thing it means is that I cant be picky about what deodorant I use or the toothpaste....or the shampoo. Buts its ok - all the stuff is good and if I really dont like something, it goes into a give away box for our church's free pantry. Or I have the kids' use it - one of the perks of being a parent.





Honestly, it doesnt really matter if I brush my teeth with Crest or Colgate - my breath is minty and my teeth are sparkley!





On a side note - the coupons are also used for a lot of the fun items in my pantry. Coupons can give you a much deeper pantry pretty quick and on the cheap(er).





When you sit down and brainstorm your toiletry items, it also wouldnt hurt to just take a quick peek into your cabinets.



Shampoo

Conditioner

Toothpaste

Deo

Hairspray

Chick products

Lotion

Chapstick

Sunscreen

Aloe

Contact Solution

Floss

Toothbrushes

Soap

Razors

Shaving Cream







You can also take this time to list those other things that arent food or personal items, but are ABSOLUTELY necessary.



Toilet paper being my #1 item in this category ;)

Kleenex

Hand soap

Hand sanitizer

Paper towels

Paper plates (in crisis, make life easy for yourself)

Napkins

Cleaning supplies (dishwasher fluid - washing soap - windex)

Ziploc bags

Paper bags

Wax paper

Foil





You get my drift.... On some of the above items, its hard to figure out how often you buy it or how much you need to meet your goals. An easy fix is to use a permanent marker to put the date on it that you first open and use the product. When you finish it off, just note the date and do the math and then you can easily know how many you need for a year.







Please realize that the above lists are not exhaustive but just a kick start for you to make your own list :) Ready......Set......Go!!





As ALWAYS - Pray - Praise - Prepare

Saturday, August 29, 2009

F.O.O.D.

The beginning of any preparations is FOOD.


If it was just me, I am pretty sure I could get away with only storing Nutella and microwave popcorn (heavily buttered)....it would give me the something salty, something sweet that I look for in my food groups - but alas, as with so many things, I have a family that does not appreciate these delicacies - Fun Suckers.....


To survive you need these things:

water
beans
rice
honey
salt
wheat
multi-vitamin


But would you want to? I mean - just off the top of your head, how many things could you make? Better yet, how many things could you make that your kids would eat day in and day out? If you want brutal honesty, I could only eat this for a day or 2 before the nether region of my digestive track put on a full on revolt - seriously.....



But you can get everything you need by diversifying what each of the above items bring to the palate and the nutritional table, so to speak.


Example:

Protein - beans, peanut butter, canned meats, frozen meats, canned nuts
Whole Grains - wheat, rice, cereals, potatoes, bread - fixed a million different ways
Dairy - powdered milk, milk, cheeses,
Sweetener - honey, sugar, syrup
Salt - You need it.... period.
Water - You need it....period.
Vitamins - canned items, fresh/frozen veggies and fruit, dried fruit, jellies, juice



So, now we have expanded what you will eat to just about everything ;) But you dont buy everything and you shouldnt. You wouldnt eat everything. Does anyone reading this have that can of beets in your pantry that has been there forever? I did and I have yet to figure out how they got there..... They would be worthless in a crisis because I am not going to eat them and neither is anyone else in my family.



So - whats a girl to do? You store what your family eats. You store items that can fill in and substitute into what your family already eats. Your family would have no idea that you used powdered milk or shelf stable milk in their mac and cheese. Or that you baked using honey and dried eggs. Or you threw in whole wheat in their pancakes, muffins, cookies.



Back to the spreadsheet (it always comes back to a spreadsheet or a list) :)


Did you go check out this link?


Go take inventory of everything you have in your house and enter it into this spreadsheet. This program also has a place for you to enter how many and ages of your peeps. After you have everything in the program you get an accurate picture of where you are.



I want to stop right here and tell you that once you have all your items in this program, dont run to the program to deduct anything you use - that would be a total pain! When you use something, add it to your grocery list and replenish at a convenient time. Keep your grocery list just until you get home so if you bought more than what was needed to replenish, you can deduct what you had to buy from the entire purchase so you know what to add to the inventory. Did that make sense to yall?



Work on the 3 month stash :) If after you enter what you have in your pantry, you are at 3 months, then move on to 6 months!


So - after you have gotten everything into your pantry that will keep you alive (yawn....) - we get to move onto the fun stuff!


I was raised in Texas and down there we dont eat to survive - we survive so that we can eat! We use food to celebrate - to comfort - to nest - to meet/greet - to say Im Sorry - to say I Love You - to grieve - to welcome a new baby..... You.Name.It - we take food to it!


All that said - I have given thought to my pantry in regards to things that make my family feel good. FEEL GOOD. I have the fixin's for my husband's favorite cobbler.....to my daughter's brownies......to the boys' favorite cookies. I have jello - pudding - snack stuffs.


So....if you got your binders or just some random piece of paper - brainstorm some of your family's favorite recipes......do you have the ingredients in your pantry? They need to go on your list....


What are some of your family's favorite snacks? Desserts? Yummies? Get those items as well - trust me - foods that bring comfort and make you family feel good will be worth their weight in gold during a time of high stress.



*** One more thing - if you are like me, you want a list to just go do - check off and be done.....it doesnt work that way (actually, you can find those lists, but it doesnt work well). Each family is unique - has their own likes and dislikes. Spend the time in thought and paying attention to what you already cook to give your family the best food storage pantry to meet its needs. Make your own list.... Doing so will go the farthest in preserving family funds - not wasting food or money - and give you the most return which is happy people!



Pray - Praise - Prepare

Get yourself a binder, paper and a pen...GO....

Before you ever buy your first bag of rice or your first bag of beans, you need to decide what you are preparing for... And you may have more than one reason. Personally, I am preparing for Zombies. Not really - I stole that answer from TOR.... Its one of the best answers I have ever heard and the looks - if they were on the fence of whether or not they thought you were nuts, this answer kicks them right over....


I will give you my list in pretty much order of importance:

1 - Flu Self-Quarantine
2 - Winter Storm
3 - Tornado/Spring Storm
4 - Civil Unrest
5 - EMP


Granted, the last 2 may be long shots - but they are on my list anyway. #2 and #3 may switch places depending on if its October or April. Realize this list is fluid and may change depending on seasons, circumstances or personal situations. If all of a sudden you find yourself without a job, sick, injured, divorce, unforseen bill - you can rest in some comfort knowing that you have purchased food, its paid for, and you can eat and feed your kids. Its not all about some "out there" crisis - its for stuff that happens to everyone sometime or another.


Another great thing is that ALOT of the preps will work for all the above scenarios. There is not one thing up there that you will not have to eat during..... You will still need a way to cook - a way of light - drinking water.


Some of the clothing for the above differ as does if you need a way to keep warm or stay cool. Thats why depending on the time of year you pick wisely. I will not give time and resources to figuring out a way to stay cool when we are heading into fall just as I wouldnt stock up on gas, firewood and winter coats in April. Its common sense, but sometimes in a panic, these things just escape us, so I said it to get us on the same page.


Also - my #1 and #2 can be combined for this Winter although the #1 will also add some medical supplies.


So, lets start with my first one. I believe this is the most pressing. I may have to stay home before any ice hits our area......


Brainstorm with a sheet of paper - If you are to stay home for an extended period of time what will you need?

* Food
* Toiletries
* Paper products
* Cleaning products
* Fun items
* Winter clothes
* Medical / Flu supplies


The nice thing about this "crisis" is that power, utilities, conveniences will just about certainly not be disrupted. You will not have to figure out how to cook over a camp fire or keep your family warm. Your water will be clean and you will be able to flush and shower.


So - make your list - what would you like to be prepared for? Broadly list the categories you would like taken care of under your #1..... Or you can copy me - I am not one of those women who gets all in a snit if you happen to show up in the same dress.... I get in a snit if you look better in it than I do ;)


Pray - Praise - Prepare

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Prepping 101 (it is back to school time, after all)

I had a great convo recently with 3 PRECIOUS women. They have been in my life for about 8 months, but I swear, it so feels like much longer.


They are kindred spirits even though it seems to be in different ways. One is a prepper like me. It was such a gift to find her - when you think "prepper" I can honestly say, no one thinks of someone so beautiful - really, she is a hot prepper! She is also NORMAL which is also so nice because sometimes it feels like I am out of that circle.


One is a prepper to be. I know this because she is Southern - SOUTHERN - she out accents me, meaning her accent is pronounced and beautiful as she was raised in the deep South and her family lives on a big ole farm. And after our chat, her wheels were clicking - I could see them moving all over her beautiful face.


One is married to a good man with a survival bent - she is supportive and has a huge interest in what goes into her munchkins (which is how I really started in earnest)....so she too will be talking grain mills and water storage soon with vigor!


Anyway - there was some talk about the H1N1 being projected to hit this winter. It then went to "WHY DO YOU DO THIS?"


I am hearing this even more than before. People are wondering if there is something they can do to more insulate themselves against what seems to be going on in the Country, with the Economy, even with this Flu stuff....


People whisper it to me...."I like your blog"....."I read your blog"....."I so agree with you".....


People whisper to me wanting to know what to do....


So - it is with GREAT EXCITEMENT I announce that these next posts - I cant predict exactly how many - will be about PREPARING - squaring away food stuffs - medical supplies - toiletries - extras - just plain ole stuff you need :)


These will start tomorrow (I hope)....In the mean time - if you are starved for beginning information, here are a few websites to get yourself all fired up:


1 - This is my "why" and notice it was written almost a year ago....I still dont feel wrong or far off -

2 - This is THE BEST food storage spreadsheet that I have ever found - and trust me - its like my 2nd most Googled item ;) I love spreadsheets - I love lists - I love preparing - so this is PERFECT for me!

3 - HUGE LIST - dont need to add much more to the title, but BE WARNED - for a beginner, it could be overwhelming - It could make you feel like if you dont have all these things, you arent prepared. Its not true - and the truth? You dont need everything on their lists. It could make you feel like you need to run out and buy EVERYTHING....dont.....just wait.....we will go over everything :) Also - I used it for the list and ignored the Mormon History at the beginning....just saying'......

4 - This is a link to all my blog posts that have "Food Storage" in the label to describe it. Some are actual information - some are encouragement - some speak to the "why" - some tell my family to quit eating my stash and of course, I cover the all important Nutella in a full rounded food storage program.


For those of you farther down the path use this as a way to give yourself a checkup - I am. Its been a few months since I have been fired up in regards to my preparations. Its something that seems to ebb and flow which I think is fine. Sometimes you need to take a step back to recoup if you have been overspending your energies in this endeavor.


As always - PRAY (for our Country, families, future), PRAISE (for God is good - always) and PREPARE

Love you all!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Bathrooms....or.....

as the boys call it - the pooper....although none of the tile is in what is technically called the pooper....oops, yes there is, sorry girlie.... If she read my blog, she would be mortified - what she does not know, wont kill her and you people who know her, keep your big fat mouths shut ;)






Here goes....I am going to start with the above said Girlie's bath: Cheap flooring - standard subway tile - GORGEOUS 12x12 mosaic tile that has 18 rows, so its smaller than an inch made up of glass and marble. It was cut into 3 sections of 6 and used as a border.











We grouted with gray grout which annoyed my husband and our tile man to no end. I would have usually let the Hubs have his way - he is so good and usually doesnt have an opinion - but I knew I was right - RIGHT I TELL YOU. You see, for all you non-Okies - the dirt here is orange. O.R.A.N.G.E.






And therefore, the white grout that the fellas wanted would be orange in a matter of days in the boys bath and in my bath too, if you want to be perfectly honest. It would have taken a bit longer for it to go orange in the girlies, but it would have happened. Maybe bleach would have gotten it out, but I didnt want to take the chance and it not happen and then be in an "I told you so" frame of mind, so I stood my ground. Yes I did! Because I am right, in case you missed that at the beginning.....







This is the boys' locker room style bath - same cheap flooring but with black centers - even cheaper 12x12 - 1" mosaic tile in glass cut to border, same subway tile. This shower is so beautiful in real life. It has a shower head on each end so the boys can both get clean at the same time. We will use hospital track in order to hang curtains for both boys. It is a cheap solution right now as I really do not want to pick out anything else and have it "installed".








After we move in, and I unpack, I plan on going room by room and tweaking things, but I just dont have it in me currently..... Brain over load and honestly, some of this stuff I couldnt care less about.... not true - I care, but just barely.....




This is our bathroom. I love the Carrera marble tile. I want it all over the floor, all over the walls, all over the countertops - but it is cost prohibitive at this time. So, I got just a little taste with the flooring that mirrors the kids' but NICE and the border. I used the same subway tiles.


And yes - that is a window in our shower that has turned out to be boob height. That is what happens when you realize you can make the ceiling on the main floor higher with a high ceiling in the loft and the walls have already been poured in CONCRETE.... I also have another low window in the bath. Oh well - its a quirk and honestly, it doesnt bother me a bit. I know how much it costs to cut concrete and its not as bad as you think.....





















Here is my ode to subway tiles: They are timeless. They are beautiful. They are traditional. They are modern. They are darn near perfect.



One more post to go regarding the ceiling....stay tuned ;)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

This post is dedicated to Jennifer :)

This is a house post - My friend Jennifer was so sweet today about the pics and stuff that this is dedicated to her.....
These 2 orange lights were originally just Ikea lights that were silver and clear....these will totally spice up our #1 child's room :) She loves them.....and so do we because in case you dont know, IKEA = cheap :)
This large red light isnt even put together. It will be 1 1/2" shy of being 4' when all said and done. This thing was an accidental find at Lowes this weekend. It was a $210 light clearanced down to $39.90 but when I checked out, it rang up $19.90. CAN YOU SAY DEAL???? I spray painted it a glossy red and this will hang in our breakfast room.
I got an identical light which will be spray painted glossy white and it will go in our dining room. The almost $200 light will be going back tomorrow which makes the Hubs so happy :)
These are my feet - I thought I was getting tan while working kind of in the sun....turns out it was the orange paint.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Snap out of it!!! *slap* *slap*

When Bernard Madoff gets caught with his ponzi scheme - he goes to prison - FOR.THE.REST.OF.HIS.LIFE.....and justifiably.....


When the Government runs their own ponzi scheme, people feel entitled to it....its an entitlement - Social Security - Medicare - Medicaid. Its a ponzi scheme - it cannot sustain itself. If you got in at the beginning, well....lucky you but like Madoff's last "investors" these younger workers will get screwed also.


The largest healthcare dollar is spent in the final days of life and not at the beginning or during child bearing or anything in between. Its at the end.... Therefore, GOVERNMENT PROVIDED healthcare is a PONZI scheme. There are more people getting older with fewer coming up behind to support this GAME. Its a racket.....a game....illegal if it were in any other part of society except for the government.


Did you scream for Madoff's blood? Do you think what he did was so awful? Are you supporting the Government provided healthcare? Why?


I want to go back a little bit....to the beginning of time....the world rocked along. Man figured out fire....they figured out bronze, iron, gold.....they figured out salt and how it would preserve food....they made alphabet, paper and books....they made the printing press and sailed to new worlds. How long did all this take? Thousands of years.... Then, in 1776, those in this new world (about 10%) threw off the oppressive rule of a king. So, we are a little less than 250 years out since the creation of this experiment called These United States. 233 years.


How have these 233 years gone? Well - we have electricity, radio, tv, Internet, we have cars, trains, and have been to the moon. We fly.


Why are the "discoveries" and "inventions" so long to 1776 and then so fast after? Because of the free market. Here we have the heritage of being to do whatever we want. There is no having to stay in your station. Meaning - if your dad was a farmer, you dont have to be a farmer. You can be President. You can be born in poverty and become a Rockerfeller, Vanderbilt or a Kennedy.


Now - lets look at our Government. Does it run smoothly? Is it efficient? Has it done anything better than the private sector? Not really. We have roads, mail and some other things but thats because private business has been kept out and not allowed to compete. Is there really someone out there who believes that their mail is better in the hands of the USPS than UPS or FedEx? If the USPS was really better, it wouldnt fear the competition from these other two. The USPS is billions dollar in debt....UPS and FedEx have to be able to turn a profit or fold - and they manage to do so....why cant the USPS?


So - lets move this argument to the current debate. Healthcare. No one is claiming that the system is perfect (no system is). The debate is how to make it better.


I have posted some of my ideas in regards to the private sector solutions - I am not going to rehash them here. What I do want people to examine is WHY they think the Government would do a better job....


The knee jerk reaction is that the Government should do it - when did this happen in our country? It wasnt founded that way - in fact, it was founded with the admonition - ANYONE BUT THE GOVERNMENT. How have we been seduced, coddled, manipulated to now think anti-founding fathers? Its disgusting....


Thats where the title of this post came from....we need to snap out of it. The Government is the enemy and we need to act like it -- channel Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin and lets get on with fixing this - within our states, within our communities and lets kick the Government to the curb....literally.....

Monday, August 10, 2009

I want a REAL discussion....

I want a real discussion in regards to the Health Care convo.

If you want a single payer system tell me these things:

1 - How it will work

2 - How it will be paid for

3 - Who is covered

4 - How I get to keep my private insurance


What I do not want to hear is about how other countries have it so good - they dont, thats why those that can afford it, come here. Dont tough Massachusetts great system - its not, they are broke and kicking people off it as we speak. Dont tell me that it works perfectly everywhere else - if so , go live there - we are talking about how it would work here, in THE USA.


Also, do not just harp about the evil Pharma companies, evil insurance companies or evil right wing people or what have you.... No name calling - I want to hear how it would work.


I also want to know why you have such faith in our Government to do THIS right when it doesnt do Medicare/Medicaid or the health care for the VA well AT ALL....why would this be different.


Dont tell me something needs to be done and this is the only choice - tell me how it will work. I have written 2 articles listing ideas on HOW TO SOLVE THIS and those that dissent just tell me that something needs to be done, but NOT HOW....


I wrote on this issue twice - put my ideas out there to be shot down....if this single payer system is so great, put the REAL HOW TO's out there to be discussed....


TELL ME HOW IT WILL WORK....Now - GO!!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Ta Da....the Basement and deco stuff....

Here are pics of the kids' rooms and those doors that were an absolute nightmare to get in and now how beautiful they look when a fab construction company trimmed them out!







The blue room is the Girlie's. Both boys' rooms are the same color because Boy2 has to have what Boy1 has - of course.





The Green is the playroom/media room. And there is also a pic of our doors (not yet put in, but painted).




Boys bath tile - Subway all over - mosaic as decorative trim and the floor is black and white. Thought it looked classy for whatever age and its pretty timeless. It will go modern or traditional which ever we decide if we want to change at a later date. It was also cheap. So WIN/WIN.







Girlie's tile. She has white floor - subway everywhere and a TINY mosaic of marble and glass tile. Its some really pretty stuff and a little more than the boys' bath, but as she reminds us OVER and OVER and OVER, she isnt going to be here for much longer, so we decided to make it pretty for her and our future guests that will be in this room after she is gone ;)






The marble mosaic is our shower floor along with subway tile. The other tile was supposed to be our deco, but I hate it together. So....that sample will be going back and I will be buying the black/white marble checkered pattern to use as a decorative trim.







In regards to decorative trim - the 12" x 12" sheets will be cut down into 3 sections so 1' becomes 3'. There is a builders supply place in a questionable part of town that sells just about all of this which is where I got Girlie and Boy's deco tile. The rest came from Lowes and Home Depot.



This is our 7" wide, white pine flooring that The Hubs and I will install along with some friends. She wants new floor and wants her Hubs to learn how in order to put theirs in. I love her and think its a hoot she wants him to practice on ours so as to not mess up her floor. Not really, but its fun to tease her that way. We will be starting the boys in the pantry as well as our upstairs closet. When they master their technique, we will let them into the main areas. If my husband's previous work is any indication as to his proficiency, I have no doubt that after a weekend, we will have a beautiful floor. The man really does amaze me with how well he has done all the other work!






In regards to the floor - it was dirt cheap - much cheaper than laminate and was purchased online at Lumber Liquidators. It ended up being $1.13 a square foot. And its 7" wide. And its 3/4" thick. We will have this floor for years and if we decide to change colors, it is so thick, we can refinish away!



This post is dedicated to Matt who harps....er....gently reminds me that I need to update the House part of the blog :)

Funky SMELL and how it brought personal enlightenment....

My Hubs is putting in the insulation in our ceiling on the main floor. This means that he is about 20' in the air where the hottest air lives and since its insulation, he wears a hat, eye protection, respirator, long sleeves, long pants and his boots. And we live in Oklahoma. And it hovers around 100 outside in the breeze. So its like 300 degrees where he is working. And to so to say he perspires some is and understatement. LOOK: The shirt he is wearing is light gray (you might be able to see a small part not yet saturated). His pants are light tan (again, look for the light spot).




Last week he foamed/insulated around the edge of the ceiling and on one of his MANY breaks to drink an entire Gatorade, totally disgusted the boys by taking off his shirt and wringing it out. If you can gross out a 10 yo and a 6 yo, you know you are totally foul! So foul that my SIL (sister in law) ran home and brought him a new shirt and a towel which were also wringable by the end of the day. He came home and put his wet pile on my washer. I got to them on Monday, so they sat there for 2 days. When I picked them up - I was actually amazed at the outer dry, crusted shell that was HARD - and no, it wasnt from the foam he had sprayed. It was a protective salt shell.



And what was it protecting? It was protecting the WET, INNER layer that decided to marinate in its funkiness - thats not entirely correct - ferment in its funkiness is more accurate. So when I pick up the clothes, they literally go CRUNCH and then SQUISH. And with the SQUISH, the rudest assault on my nose took place. I have smelled some pretty disgusting stuff in my life - stuff that took everything not to kick in the gag reflex ( a dead mouse caught in the heater fan in the bathroom comes immediately to mind), but this.....this.....this was the olfactory equivalent to being violently kicked in the nards. There - now maybe you understand.



And I washed them....TWICE.....on HOT water..... And they lived.




So, you are probably wondering where my personal enlightenment came in....It was when I was sitting there this afternoon doing not much but watching and composing in my head. You see, I was sweating - yup! I hate to sweat. I dont work out because I dont want to sweat.



Sweating for a chick means that we have to take a shower and then there is the whole hair thing that is honestly, a huge pain in the butt. Too much shampooing drys hair out which makes it even harder to "fix" and with the sweating thrown in, it becomes a vicious cycle that I would just as well avoid.



So, back to me not working out and my loathing of anything that would make me sweat. But a realization came that I do it all the time now. I work, lift, sweat - stand in the open doorway and have a fabulous breeze cool me off (which is almost better than air conditioning).....God bless OKLAHOMA where the wind does come sweeping 'ore the plain....or in our case, the hill. Its not a loathing. Its an honor almost.



It must be because of the outcome. There is something tangible at the end of the day. There is insulation. There is tile. There is flooring. There will be chickens and a pig. There are muddy boys and vegetables. There are nieces and some dogs. The sweat is a trophy for work done and not a residue that must be washed off after a self-indulgent trip to the gym. (My hubs works out at the gym and it isnt an indictment, but he will be the first to tell you that he works out for himself - it makes him feel better).




I have become a night showerer and not a morning one. It was a subtle change and I didnt realize it until recently. How many more life long habits will be changed out of necessity and I wont even miss or realize..... May those days of change come SOON!!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Color me surprised....

So, I got an email about the National Guard recruiting for "Internment/Resettlement Specialist" which sounds pretty ugly and ominous - especially when it comes up on World Net Daily or in an email.


So, I did what any responsible blogger would do - I googled "National Guard recruiting civilian resettlement" :)


And this is what I got:

OH MY WORD


It takes it a minute to load from the National Guard site because it launches into a video also describing your duties if you choose this career path.....


****EDIT**** I am entering an already previous post to edit because sometimes people dont read the comments and one of my FAVES, Meadowlark, made an excellent point:

I'd just like to send out one voice of reason...this is NOT a new career path. It's existed for many years, including during the Bush Administration.

Of course, we've been heading towards fascism/socialism LONG before either Obama or Bush got into office.

That was all... just some perspective


And she is right - this is nothing new and therefore may not need the weight that the posting seemed to give it.... You decide. And dont even get me started on the Bush Administration....

And another note - I posted this like just a bit ago and Ms. Meadowlark is FAST on the reading/blogging!

Oh the irony....

The screams of racism....people who oppose BO are racist....people who go to the Tea Parties or to these Town Hall meetings are all racists.... Yup, yeah, that is exactly right....whatever.......


We arent racists. We have had enough. We called our Congressmen when the first bailout went through and they ignored us....they ignored us the second time.....and they ignored us about the car bailout.....and they ignored us about Cap and Trade.....and they ignored us about this clunker crap.....well people are tired of being ignored and now these Congress scumbags get to go home on break and deal with the people that they have been ignoring and people are angry.


Whether Congress likes it or not, WE THE PEOPLE view Washington as OUR EMPLOYEES.... thats OUR WHITE HOUSE and those are OUR PLANES and those are OUR WORKERS and they are spending OUR MONEY and we are tired of being ignored. There wasnt this uproar when Hillary tried to do this so many years ago, but it got quashed - we werent overspent, over stressed, over scared of what our Country was becoming....


Yeah, people are angry and they are telling Congress about it. They are booing those in elected office, they are picketing, they are protesting, they are demonstrating....doing all those things the left loves to hold up as FREE SPEECH and ALL AMERICAN....but we arent blowing anyone up (Weather Underground) and we arent shouting HATE SPEECH (Mr. Preacher) and we arent breaking any laws (ACORN) and we arent beating anyone up (SEIU).


I find it SO IRONIC the week that Nanci Pelosi calls those that arent happy with this Healthcare crap NAZI'S a WHITE SEIU (union thug) BEAT UP A BLACK MAN for handing out / selling GADSDEN Flags (Dont Tread On Me).


If you want racism, look to those who have a vested interest in keeping blacks or minorities "in their place". Look to the Democrat party who patronizes minorities by making them think they cant pull themselves out, but must take a Government handout. Look to the SEIU who calls a FREEDOM LOVING BLACK CONSERVATIVE words that would have anyone on the "conservative" side strung up for.... Ask Michael Richards or Andy Dick how it goes over when a white person uses the "N" word.... Where is the media in this instance? It should be everywhere and the SEIU should be castrated - PERIOD. This contempt for anyone is abhorrent.


But before I get myself all worked up on the INEQUALITY, I will sit back and enjoy the irony....the SWEET irony of this good man who will hopefully make the talk circuit this upcoming week and give the SEIU, the union, BO and this Healthcare crap a well deserved BLACK eye (even that is ironic) :)


As always - PRAY, PRAISE, PREPARE because we are on borrowed time, not to mention borrowed money....

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

This is how it started with the Zombies...

China is trying to CONTAIN deadliest form of Bubonic Plague...


It started with China in World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. Its a fabulous Zombie book that really gave me the creeps. It gives a War of the Worlds feel to it in that if you just jumped in the story, it feels like it really happened. Each page is footnoted which lends towards the REALISTIC feel.


Its a good read and I recommend it entirely! Its not a practical preparedness/survivalist tome, but you get a sense of acting quickly and with determination (Israel in this book was a great example). That and you have to destroy the Zombie brain ;)

Monday, August 3, 2009

How to read between the lines....

The following article appeared on my Yahoo page this morning under the title: Obama Officials: Taxes may rise to pay health care. Here is the article in its entirety with my comments in bold....



WASHINGTON – Two of President Barack Obama's economic heavyweights said middle-class taxes might have to go up to pare budget deficits or to pay for the proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system. Well duh, you can only bleed the "rich" until there is nothing left and they cant pay for everything that the Bush/Obama Admins have spent even if you tax them at 100%.

The tough talk from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers on Sunday capped a week that brought rare good news for the economy: The worst recession in the United States since World War II could be on the verge of ending. Even so, officials appeared willing to extend unemployment benefits.

Geithner and Summers both sidestepped questions on Obama's intentions about taxes. Geithner said the White House was not ready to rule out a tax hike to reduce the federal deficit; Summers said Obama's proposed health care overhaul needs funding from somewhere.

"There is a lot that can happen over time," Summers said, adding that the administration believes "it is never a good idea to absolutely rule things out, no matter what." Meaning, this Administration will do whatever it wants, whenever it wants even if the possibility seems out of the question. Detain without cause. Send in the military against its own citizens. Ban weapons. Declare martial law.

During his presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly pledged "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime." But the simple reality remains that his ambitious overhaul of how Americans receive health care — promised without increasing the federal deficit — must be paid for.

"If we want an economy that's going to grow in the future, people have to understand we have to bring those deficits down. And it's going to be difficult, hard for us to do. And the path to that is through health care reform," Geithner said. "We're not at the point yet where we're going to make a judgment about what it's going to take." Means we know we are going to have to tax everyone but we arent at a point where we are going to admit that publicly.

On Friday, a report detailed the economy dipped only slightly in the second quarter of this year — falling at a 1 percent annual pace, better than expected. The government report permitted optimism that the economic downturn is approaching its end. Dont be fooled by the 1% "dip" - "dip" means it went down and back up....its not....and the low number is only because of all the Government spending and Government spending doesnt mean squat....it should be stated that the economy plateaued at 1% due to spending your tax dollars, but once we are done with that, expect to go lower - but you wont ever hear that....

The president cautioned against instant turnaround, though. We know its going to continue to go down, but dont want to tell you that either....

"Well as I've said, I think we maybe are beginning to see the end of the recession but it's still going to be some time before we are seeing companies hiring again, that's usually the last thing that happens," Obama said in an interview with Univision that aired on Sunday. "At least thats what I think because I dont know for sure because I have no experience in private business....I am a community organizer" is what the rest of the quote should read....

"So I think we are still going to have a tough remainder of the year — probably until next year — but, you know, at least what we are seeing — we've pulled back from the possibility of a depression. That's not the danger."

And many analysts think the economy is starting to grow again in the current quarter, setting up a long-awaited recovery.

"Most private forecasters — and let's use their judgment — suggest you're going to see unemployment start to come down maybe beginning in the second half of next year," Geithner said, adding those same economists predict positive growth during the second half of this year. You can always find someone to say what you want them to say and so we are going to use those forecasters. In fact, we are going to set up a new Czar and call it the Fortune Telling Czar and use them for all our financial outlook predictions.

At the same time, Geithner and other administration officials are contemplating how to ask Congress to extend — again — unemployment benefits for the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in recent months. The proposal drew measured support from Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., as long as the benefits are drawn from the already approved economic stimulus package.

"We need to take care of those who are unemployed, but we also need to make sure they get jobs," he said.

Those jobs, though, are still elusive. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the economy is slowly coming back and that he is "pretty sure we've already seen the bottom."

"Collapse, I think, is now off the table. We were teetering for a while," he said. I bet Alan is saying this as this current crisis can be linked directly to his tenure at the Fed. I bet the last thing he wants is an audit of the Fed and so if he goes out there and says everything is Hunky Dory, maybe he can get people feeling good again and feeling good people dont want an audit - but pissed people do.... Alan, get ready, an audit is coming....

Geithner and Greenspan appeared on ABC's "This Week." Summers appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" and CBS' "Face the Nation." DeMint was interviewed on "Fox News Sunday." We sent everyone out there we could, even Alan, on all the shows in order to try and get people out there to spend money (which we did with the Clunker nonsense) and feel all warm and fuzzy about an economy which we know is going to crash when China untangles themselves from our dollar....it all depends on how long that takes and not what we do over here.... We are just trying to pass all our massive, oppressive legislation before that happens because when it does, we know we are all going to be thrown out on our collective posteriors.....