I am all over the map on this post....

I prep. Yall know it. My friends know it. And people who know me know it. I have kept some things close to the vest, but in regards to food and the like, I have tried to get those around me to be a little more prepared.

I outlined my "why" in a previous post (and I am too lazy to hunt it down) but suffice it to say, that the more prepared everyone I know is, the safer it is for me and better for them.

As we get ready to move in the near future, I am turning my thoughts back to my prepping. I have twirling around in my head "care package" ideas. I know a 1/2 cup of beans and 1/2 cup of rice will keep someone alive for a day. But if things arent exactly DIRE, I would like to be able to offer charity with a little more flavor and sustenance than a baggie of the above mentioned beans/rice.

I want something to be able to drop off at a home, or send with someone that will get their family by for a few days - a week. I want a list so I dont have to think when the realization hits that someone needs help. I wont have it done today - my list - but its coming - twirling around in my head - like I said....

Anyone out there have a list? Have a suggestion of something for the list?

On a totally schizophrenic note.... These are the floors in my "keeping room" (we define keeping room as the room that will keep our life together - pantry, laundry, work room, bill paying, dog living, entry/exit where kids and hubs drop off coats, backpacks and everything so it doesnt get distributed all over my house room.

I have to describe them - they are 3/4" pine - tongue and groove - with a width of almost 7". They werent the best boards. Every now and then, there is a hole that goes to the sub floor. They are exactly what we wanted. If we were recreating a warehouse, then the floors need to be able to be beat up and not look perfect. We love the knots and the character of these floors. We also loved that they were $1.10 a square foot. YES THEY WERE. This wasnt some local cheap deal, we ordered off the Internet and so yall can get them too. They are also so thick they can be refinished over and over and over.....

Anyway, back to these beautiful babies - now how to finish.... I honestly just wanted to paint them a dark color - like black. My husband really didnt care. But then I was afraid that would be too dark with our cabinets so then I opted for a maybe a white. But then Hubs worried about dirt (its red here and it sucks - doesnt come out of anything....sorry for the language Mom, but it does). Then I thought about white with a brown rub over it, but UGH, that meant so many steps to getting these things done and honestly, I am tired and ready for this building thing to be over. At this point I seriously thought about just leaving them..... And then I came across this....

EBONIZING and THIS

How cool are those? And since a gallon of stain is $30 and vinegar and steel wool is $4.00 total, it was a no brainer. So Hubs and I mixed us up a batch. And it worked. Sort of - painting it on left a rust film after the solution oxidized on top. Then it just didnt soak in that well when we wiped. But, when we damp mopped the wood to raise the grain and rubbed in the solution, this is what we got:

I did these (Hubs varnished them - oil based / semi-gloss) and they are beautiful and feel so good to the feet. Hubs has since done the main floor and its waiting on a second coat of varnish and then I will post pics. His floor is a little darker and just scrumptious. The ebonizing solution mixes with the tannins in the wood and darkens them up. Different woods do different things. Ours look like they have been scorched in places - JUST BEAUTIFUL.

I pass this on, not to get kudos on how pretty they are, but to tell you to do your research and you can find a CHEAP alternative to just about anything. Pergo floors would have been twice as much - go figure - and not near as beautiful!

Pray - Praise - Prepare