Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have lost their homes and businesses due to the recent disasters.
  It is proven that it can happen to any one of us at any time, without warning. 
  I hope this will help you prepare and think in a different way than what we are used to. We have all been spoiled by the opportunity to buy whatever we want or need at the grocery store. We even get upset if they run out on something we need for a special recipe or for company coming to town.
  Just think of what would happen if the grocery stores were out of necessities or closed! 
  Now is the time to learn what you will need to survive any disaster and stock up!
  You need to know what to do in case of a disaster.

• The things you absolutely must have in your house before any crisis strikes (see articles and books below).
• How to have all the pure drinking water you need without buying an expensive filter
• Which food items have a long shelf life (honey, white rice, sugar, dried beans, pasta, oats, peanut butter, whole grains, instant coffee, tea, potato flakes, seeds for sprouting, vitamins if stored properly)
• Have a good first aid kit
• Make a plan
• Learn about using grills and solar cookers when the power goes out
• Don't forget your pets, have plenty of extra water and pet food
• PLUS, you’ll need to have cash on hand.

Sometimes in a crisis you can’t buy medications. Learn what to do “for meds” in an emergency.

During the coming food shortage, folks will really panic which will make matters worse. Faced with closed stores, some people will give up altogether… and wait for the government to save them. Others will get weapons and take from those weaker than they. As we have learned in recent history in the U.S., hungry people don’t hesitate to take what they want. Have enough food, water and supplies so you will not need to go to the store in a disaster.

Learn society’s “pressure points" that you must watch for to alert you of the coming storm. If you do, you’ll predict panics and be able to prepare for trouble… ahead of the crowd.

Plan what to do in the event you have to get the hell out of Dodge. Knowing when and how to evacuate becomes pretty darn important in a breakdown.

Or if you find yourself in a flood, tornado or earthquake – have a preset plan how to get to safety in a hurry.

List of helpful books

www.goodreads.com/book/show/1795658.When_All_Hell_Breaks_Loose
There are plenty more available, just do a search.

Book for Kids in cartoon form (even though the situation may be serious, kids may relate to it) Ready Set Prepare in .pdf form
www.utah.gov/beready/family/documents/ReadySetPrepare02.pdf

Article on preparation
www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/awake-no5-2017-october/disaster-steps-that-can-save-lives/

Preparedness websites
www.offthegridnews.com/off-grid-foods/stockpiling-101-which-foods-really-have-the-longest-shelf-life/
http://ReadyNutrition.com
http://shtfplan.com
www.prepperwebsite.com/

Holiday Chia Veggie Cheese Ball

1 packet Cream Cheese, softened
1 C. Shredded Cheese
2 Tablespoons Chia
Seeds, plus 1/2 teaspoon for topping
1 Tablespoon each fresh Basil,
Parsley
1/2 Tablespoon Rosemary, chopped
Use any herbs you like, fresh or dried.
1 Carrot, grated
1/2 C. chopped Walnuts or slivered Almonds
Garlic Powder to taste


Combine all ingredients except nuts and 1/2 t. Chia seeds in a medium mixing bowl.
Roll cheese into a ball.
Roll in chopped nuts.
Sprinkle Chia
seeds on top.
Serve with crackers or veggies.


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Decorate the platter with colorful Carrot slices, Cucumbers, Zucchini, or different colors and shapes of crackers.

Here is a fantastic way to grow vegetables with practically no weeding I received in an email from a friend.

"Step 1...Drill 1/2" to 1" holes in the sides and bottom of a 5 gallon bucket in the lower half until it looks like Swiss cheese. You could also use large heavy planters.

Step 2....dig a hole large enough for your bucket to sit in. You want to go deep enough to cover all your drainage holes. I leave about 6" of bucket sticking out of the ground. This is the hardest part of the process for me!   

Step 3...use the soil you removed from your garden, compost, and /or potting soil to fill your bucket. Fill it to about 2" of the rim. I  use a mix of soil, dried manure and compost.  

Step 4...put 1 tomato plant into the bucket. Plant it just like you would in a garden.  

Step 5...water well. 

Because the bucket is sunk in the ground it will draw in water from the surrounding soil as it needs it. The rim will help protect the plant from slugs and cut worms too.  

You can use the food sticks you place around plants to feed your tomatoes. One placed in the bucket feeds the plant for about a month unless there are heavy rains. I  use a good manure tea once a week. I don't use commercial fertilizers.  

Place your supports right over the bucket to tie up your tomatoes.  I place a stake in each bucket as I am filling it with soil to help support the young plants.  I tie name tags to the handles of the buckets to keep track of my varieties.  

Another benefit is weeding. Cover the ground around the buckets with thick layers of newspaper. No weeds and the ground is kept moist. To keep the newspapers from blowing away I cover them with old screens until I can cover them with grass clippings and compost.  (I get the screens from habitat for humanity for 50 cents each) This keeps the soil improving so I can have rich soil for next year. The whole garden works something like a compost pile around the buckets.

After the season is over I simply pull the bucket out of the ground and dump it over! I work the ground up with a tiller and it is ready to go next year.   You can try this with just one or two buckets. It is important to cover the soil around your bucket to help keep moisture available to the plant.

Another thing is to water the bucket until the water is standing almost to the rim once a week. This will drain out through your holes and into the surrounding soil and then pulled back in as your plants need it.   And don't think this will only work for tomatoes...I have used buckets for peppers and eggplants. 

The best advantages I have found is I am watering only the plants and not the whole garden, and I am putting my valuable compost right where it will do the most good.  Not to mention I have very little weeding.  In fact, Because the bottoms of my plants are protected by the buckets I use a small weed-eater to cut down any unwanted weeds that happen to come up.  

Also I hand pollinate the plants that supply me with seed and I am able to mark the buckets holding those plants and cover them with netting to keep out unwanted pollinators easier than growing in long rows.   
Debbie"
www.Garden-Baskets.com

This is a super easy recipe to make creamy, fudgesicles! We are expecting a heat wave this week, so I'm making up a double batch, maybe triple, to cool off.

Fudgesicle Recipe

In medium size mixing bowl, mix:

1/2 cup Milk or evaporated canned milk
1 can sweetened Condensed Milk, 14 ounce can
1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Mix until smooth. Pour into small individual plastic bowls with lids, or 6 Popsicle molds. Freeze overnight.

I apologize for not adding posts for a while, my computer is giving me a hard time.