Quote of the Day

I dont usually do Quote of the Day, but I love me some Hermit and he is FUNNY....

If this ice is going to melt today, it had better get started. Right now I'm living in a demented Christmas Card.

LAUGHED OUT LOUD!!!!

It seems Bin Laden has released a new tape and again, he is hacked off at the USA. This time its because of Global Warming.....


I found this a hoot! First, I cant imagine that blowing people up and setting off all of the explosives is really that great for the environment either....


But mostly I laughed because I really thought Bin Laden was smarter than to believe this nonsense.... Shame on me....

How do you let your light shine?

Seriously - Ice is here....and therefore, electricity is on the mind. More accurately, lack of electricity is on the mind.


What is your plan for light? (I know - there are some things that might come before light in regards to a power outage - heat, food, etc. but right now we are talking light).


You have so many options - you have batteries (rechargeable) for lanterns and flashlights. You have double mantle lanterns that use gasoline or white gas. There are candles. And then there is the old school kerosene lamp.


We have candles but our main source of light is the kerosene lamp.


They are easy - its old school technology, so you pretty much make sure you have a wick, kerosene and the lamp is in good condition. If you have ever watched any of the old westerns you have seen kerosene lamps and may have even learned how to use one :)


*****They are dangerous - as all fire plus flammable liquid are - and therefore should never be left alone or burning after you go to sleep.... They should also be kept on a sturdy foundation (table - counter)...


Here is why I like kerosene..... Its relatively cheap. The lamps can be picked up at Walmart or any camping supply for less than $10 (I got mine for $5) in addition to the 2 that my grandfather handed down to me. Those 2 are my favorite - love those lamps..... The kerosene can be picked up at Home Depot or Lowes for less than $40 but if you take your own container and google "kerosene" and your location you can find a dealer selling it for less than $4.00 a gallon which would make it 1/2 the cost at Lowes.


Kerosene keeps really well. If you did buy a 5 gallon drum of it at Lowes, it would keep for years - YEARS..... *** Do your own research but be wary - those that say it only keeps for 6 months probably have a reason to resell you some quickly :)


Another GO KEROSENE reason is that you can burn your lamp 5 hours a day EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR and only use 12 gallons of Kerosene. $100 will get you light for a year. Personally, I dont see me burning 5 hours in the middle of the summer since its daylight savings and also Kerosene puts off HEAT!!


This leads me to another reason I love Kerosene - the heat.... Several lamps going can heat quite a large space.


So my reason:

1 - Fairly cheap start up cost
2 - Comparatively cheap long term cost
3 - Comparable to a 50watt bulb
4 - Light PLUS heat
5 - Long term storage friendly


Now - WHAT YOU MUST KNOW.....

* You must trim your wicks to keep the carbon down

* You must use in a well ventilated area (Kerosene lamps burn "good air" and expel "bad air"

* You could burn your house down - seriously....


*** Disclaimer - there is more info out there to ensure you use your lamp to its maximum benefit while keeping the risks to the absolute minimum. Do your homework - we are talking about YOUR family, YOUR life and YOUR home.... :)


This is also the beginning of our "lighting" plan.... It would make a "dim" world view if this is the plan entirely :)


As always - Pray - Praise - Prepare

Ice and Snow....Snow and Ice....

Here it comes again. Unlike Christmas, 2009, this stuff will have ice with it - and wind (lets not forget the wind - its always windy here). When you get to around 1/2" of ice and wind, power lines start coming down. When power lines come down, they go back up in a very precise way. The more people in a down grid get priority (after essentials - hospitals, fire departments, nursing homes, etc) and the farther out you are (the less people) the longer it takes for crews to get your power back on.


Our last REAL ice storm was in 2007. It was nasty. We lost power for 24 hours (actually a little less). We camped next to the fire and the kids had a blast. People way out didnt have power for over 2 weeks.... Not so much fun....


I wont bore you with another entire post about my preparations for an ice storm, but I will take this time to pat myself on the back {reaching and patting} since on this list "Winter Storm" is listed as my #2 prep reason.... And I am pretty much ready.

We can handle this.....

We will look upon it as an adventure.....

We will make good memories.....

In addition to physical preps, a shift in thinking is just as valuable - especially if you have kids....

If you are in OK - be safe - be warm - be prepared....

If you are out of OK - same to you :)

As always - Pray - Praise - Prepare

2, 3, 4.....or more?

My hubs and I have a disagreement. He believes that there needs to be only 2 political parties for maximum effectiveness in our Federal Government. He believes that any additional parties would just water everything down and therefore there would never be a consensus.


I think hes wrong. And, bless his heart, I get to explain why..... (If he wants to explain in further detail his opinion, he is more than welcome to comment, get his own blog or nicely ask me to allow him to guest post).... Although I did a very accurate job ofsuccinctly portraying his viewpoint, ifIdosaysomyself.


I so see his point - I really do and I have struggled with my own personal viewpoint - but here it is. If we are going to be a free society - a free market comprised of free men, then competition is good - scratch that - competition is necessary - absolutely a bedrock principle.


I think the less one party has a majority, the more those scumbags answer to those at home - the less they are able to game the system with their pork, their deals, their corruption. The less they have a party's backing, the more their true compass are those people at home and the Constitution they swore to defend.


The less they have a party, the more they have to actually work together and KNOW what is in the crap they sign.....


But its not that easy - Here where I live, we have a closed primary which means that I HAVE to be a member of one or the other party to vote. I get to vote anyway I want in the general election, but D's vote for D's in the primary and R's vote for R's. And Heaven help the off brand Political Party.....good luck even getting on the ballot. I couldnt vote for the Libertarian Party this last time around.....


Some states allow Independents to vote for either but it is up to the individual parties in the individual states. For example - D's let anyone vote in the primary in CA this past presidential election.....


The parties have rigged the system as much as possible - DUH.....


So what do we do? You pull your registration - You register as an Independent - more Independents exists now than D's.....How cool is that? You let each party know they are boats filling with water and that people are jumping ship. Actually, You register any way you see fit....again, the more the merrier in regards to parties.


And you learn the rules in your own state. This is my plan.... I am going to register I. However- I have marked on my calendar the dates by which I have to register as a D or an R to be able to vote in the primary (or I am praying a viable 3rd party). Neither party will be able to count on me in deciding Who to run - they wont be able to count me on their rolls as they make their plans for the upcoming election. Its not a perfect plan and it does put the pressure on me - the pain of switching, going to the Tag Agency - all of it on me.


But you know what? I am cool with that because for far too long, people have depended on someone other than themselves. They depended on the D and the R and look where it got us?


So I say bring on the Constitutionalists, the Libertarians, the Greens, the Secessionists, the Independents, the Socialists, even the Communists. Its time we know where everyone stands. Because I am fine knowing you love Stalin, its the hiding it and lying about it that I have had enough of.....


Pray - Praise - Prepare

Seriously....

What is a prepper without an apron?


I have friends that blog - and no, not like yall, my prepper friends....


Friends I know, that I love, (not that I dont know and love yall), but friends I have coffee with on a regular basis (see, that does leave yall out....)


They blog about their lives, their kids, their marriages, their God. They rock.


Well, one of my girls is having a giveaway all week - she is calling it - Week of Awesomeness. Love me that Cindy Beall. She is funny. Anyway - todays giveaway is by another girl that I LOVE - LOVE - LOVE.


Kim makes aprons - not just any ole piece of fabric tied around your waist - but they are fun and beautiful and quirky (love me quirky) and some she makes even have a towel BUTTONED TO THE FRONT - how perfect is that because one of those pockets would have been used for my dish towel, but that perfectly placed button frees up another pocket....(**The giveaway does not have the towel - you can buy one of those yourself ;)


Long way (and hopefully amusing) around to tell you to go here and try to win yourself an apron.


On a serious note, Cindy blogs to marriages in trouble. REAL trouble - not the "he left the seat up and I am annoyed" trouble - but "they walked out because they have himself (or herself) a little something on the side" trouble. If you know a couple like that - if you are a couple like that - God can put your marriage back together. He can make your marriage so great that you praise the hell you walked through because of the miracle He has given you on the other side. Seriously. I serve a God that can do that and so much more. Pass Cindy's blog on if you know someone in this situation. And even in you arent, read Cindy's story (Our Story on the right hand side of the blog) - it is not all that short, it is pretty heart wrenching. The story of the betrayal, the forgiveness, the reconciliation.....AMAZING. God rocks.

Chili's is my fave....

I love me some Thin Mints. I love me some Southwestern Egg rolls from Chilis. My husband loves him some Buffalo Wings.


I have no intention sitting around a table and reminiscing about what we would eat if things went back to normal. Like that scene in Jericho - Dad wants a big steak....


There are websites who dedicate themselves to copying restaurant recipes. Yes. They. Do.


Google: "copycat recipes" and then your favorite restaurant or dish item and POOF you get a list.


There are also cookbooks you can purchase (of course there are) but I prefer the old school method of either writing the recipe down on my recipe card (they just are so much easier to read than trying to keep a book open while cooking) or printing it directly off the computer.


We are expecting awful weather in a couple of days - YIPPEE!!!! I bet I get my kids home on Friday, but today I am off to get some fun foods in case my hopes come true. Most will be out tomorrow and if I didnt happen to make it out, we would be fine, but some fun stuff is always nice.....

Stay warm.


Pray - Praise - Prepare

Fourth branch of the Government, my rear end....

The press is supposedly the fourth branch of the Government, meaning, it takes on each and every other branch (Legislative - Congress; Executive - President BO; Judicial - Supreme Court). It used to be that the press looked for every way to expose corruption or a newsworthy story, no matter which administration was in office. It seems now, that if a Republican holds office, this holds true, but if the Democrats control a branch, then it might as well be labeled the unofficial press secretary.

All this to say, I dont trust the news - I believe they either omit, skew or outright lie. I believe they are fed stories and therefore rank no higher than the National Enquire. Although the National Enquire did break that story about Edwards and shouted it for over a year before anyone paid attention, so maybe the press is lower than they are....

Anyway - a long way around to get to the point of this post - If you want to know what is going to happen in regards to the financial system, read the UK press before you read any of the "green shoots", sunshine up your skirt stories over here.

Want to know if the recession is over? Want to know if inflation is on the rise? Want to know what the banks are doing behind closed doors?

Read the Guardian....Read the Telegraph.....Read the BBC.....

The British Press are the 4th Branch of Government over there....and our economies, while having some very distinct differences, travel parallel (kind of) roads.... Watch their economy - watch what their press says about it....

Its also almost alarming to read the UK's press regarding the United States. Stories you wont find on your Yahoo page. Those Brits dont sugar coat much.....and they certainly dont put on a happy face for the Americans.

Who would have thought that the Fourth Branch of Government might turn out to be a red coat?

Pray - Praise - Prepare

A little link I LOVE....

I like watching Glenn Beck. The problem is that at 4:00 (if I am home) is when I go to the kitchen to start fixing dinner.... I dont have a TV in the kitchen, so either I turn it up really loud in another room or I am running back and forth to check things out. This does not work well for me....

My computer, however, is always attached at my hip (or in this case, on the counter).

I have found this WEBSITE that I love.... It plays Fox News all the time.... So, at 4:00 pm you will find me watching Glenn on my computer in my kitchen....

I love modern technology.....

Now, if only iPhone and the peeps that make the Flash Player would kiss and make up and I could watch Hulu on my phone, my life might almost be complete ;)

Pray - Praise - Prepare

Change I can believe in.....

The people that voted for CHANGE last November, voted for it again last night.


They voted for it because the hopes and promises made to them on the campaign trail in 2009, have not come to fruition. They were lied to, ignored, patronized. They still want CHANGE. They want the same things they wanted then..... Only now they realize that the one that promised CHANGE cant give it to them - doesnt care about them and actually, used them. They are starting to realize that CHANGE comes from each individual and yesterday, each individual made their own CHANGE. Some voting for an "R" for the first time in their lives - I call that CHANGE.....


Those that saw CHANGE for what it was voted too....


This time - all were on the same side.


I do not hold that Brown as the end all be all - although he is handsome, charming and can give a great speech. And now that he is a 1st term Senator has enough experience to run this Country. What I do hold to is that people are paying attention. What used to be a handful of people holding onto a truck that had slid of a cliff is now a crowd that has come to help. With enough people we can pull this thing back up. It will be the hardest thing we have ever done.


But so was telling The British Empire to take a flying leap.... Turns out we come from some very fine stock....


Pray - Praise - Prepare

How I got rid of my Gold Guilt.....

First, you might ask me what is "Gold Guilt".... Its that feeling after listening to ALL the commercials, pundits, other preppers that say that EVERYONE needs to be owning gold.


I admit it - I sent away for the Goldline packet - December of 2008, and THEY ARE STILL CALLING ME.... I have half a mind to send them the info back, but I am afraid it wont stop them and then I would be out my time, postage and their DVD ;)


I had that feeling that I should have some gold - I did the math if I had bought 12/2008, how much it would be worth now.... And yes, I would have made some bucks. It kind of made me sick to my stomach and thats when I knew I needed to take these thoughts captive. I was falling for COMMERCIALS.... Doing the math gave me a panicky feeling.... I knew I had to take a step back and decide for myself what was the best avenue for my family, act accordingly and throw off all the other crap.


So, this is where I went....


I thought through my objective - WHY I am doing what I am doing for my family....

I thought about what would be the BEST way to reach those desired goals....

I decided that Gold wouldnt get me where I needed to be by the desired deadline....


Here were my thoughts. I prep - I store food - I store supplies - I store resources - and I do it to best take care of my family regardless of what is going on whether it be circumstances brought on by weather, Washington or whatever. Life happens -- I want to be able to keep on rocking.... Gold will not do that - Its like having bucks in a bank - it does me no good when ice has taken down the power lines.


We are in the middle of building - yes, if I had put our house fund into Gold, I would have a lot more money now - that would do alot in regards to what we could do with the house - but we would still be in the drawing stages. It would have put us 2 years behind schedule and not about to move in. Gold would have cost me time and no matter how much gold you have, you cant buy time with it....


Look, I am not saying that if you are squared away, got a good refund, saved your pennies and you want to, that Gold is not a good buy. It is - but it isnt what will keep the world from burning down around you. What if we are heading towards high inflation? Wiemar Republic inflation.... What will Gold do for you? You would still have to cash it in and then run to buy what you need before those dollars are useless. OR You will have to wait until everything stabilizes and then cash in your coins. So, during the crisis, you are in the same boat as the person who doesnt have gold. (I understand that your gold will likely go up and therefore you would have more dollars to buy items, but if there is massive inflation, even if you have more dollars, the buying power of said dollar goes down, you may come out ahead, but I am not sure you would be that much ahead. "Prepper" type items will undoubtedly go WAY UP, maybe to the point saving and purchasing with gold wasnt the best option....)


Honestly, I would rather use my funds to buy the utmost BEFORE any event and not wait until DURING or AFTER. But thats just me. I also maintain that if I have extra funds, I would purchase silver and not gold. But that was an entirely different post....


And it bears mentioning again - this was the conclusion I came to for MY FAMILY....everyones' situations are different as well as their motives, their state of preparedness and their bank account. Make your own financial decisions or at least discuss them with someone who does this for a living or at least plays one on TV.

What a difference a year makes.....

I wrote this last January 19th..... The day before President BO became my President (and by "my" I mean the one of this Country I love and not the one I personally chose)


As I just reread my words it just made me sad. Sad that MLK would not find this President one of CHARACTER, but one of untrustworthiness (I think I just coined that word, but you understand what it means), totally lacking in integrity, honesty, or any of those basic CHARACTER traits you try to teach your child.... Working hard....empathy.....honesty.....


It was just one year ago - doesnt it seem longer? Doesnt it seem that the changes should have taken so much longer?


Enjoy your day off if you have it.....if not, take an extra long coffee break to stick it to the man ;) And today, we take a flash back to one year ago.... God still help us!

You can pass a law, but you have to prove I broke it....

I had seen this article and it held my passing attention but when TOR sent me another link for my reference, I decided to post.... Here is the article that he sent.


Here is my opinion - the law states that it is illegal for me to fortify my home against possible entry by LAW ENFORCEMENT. Fine - I am thinking that this law is meant to tell crack heads that their meth houses can only have a deadbolt.


But what about the average prepper.....anyone who has read The Patriots....anyone who fears the end of civilization (I am kidding on this last one....sort of).....?? Does that mean that they have to leave themselves defenseless? I dont think so....

I believe that for someone to be prosecuted under this law, The Law would have to prove that you fortified your home against said Law Enforcement. I dont think a prepper applies.... We fear roving gangs, golden hoards, opportunistic thieves.


This law also specifically references the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act. Meaning just what I said above - if you make Meth - sell anything that falls under this Act, and you fortify your home, you are breaking the law....


As a fellow Prepper.....I dont fear this law and will do what I see fit according to my dwelling.....


Pray - Praise - Prepare