Food Storage Friday: no excuses #3

The last big excuse I hear is "we don't like (or don't eat) food storage."  I get it- you don't eat flour, tuna and dried beans.  I don't blame you- yuck!  Food storage needs to be about storing the foods you do eat!  You only eat fresh fruits and vegetables?   Good for you, learn to grow those fruits and vegetables yourself.  It could be a lifesaver someday.  Learn to dry, can, and freeze to preserve fresh foods, and then find ways to work them into your diet. We've been able to live confident that we can go out and buy whatever we want whenever we want, and hopefully it will always be so, but you can't rely on that.  My pathetic attemepts at gardening have made me realize just how delicate of a process growing food can be- it's hard work, and there are no guarantees.  Store 3 months of food that your family eats regularly- and rotate it.  Once you have that, start to store plenty of the long lasting save-you-from-starvation kind of food, maybe start with rice, beans, and wheat.  You don't have to eat a ton of those things on a regular basis to keep a good rotation because they can be stored for so long.  One reminder about grains, be sure you freeze them at least 24-36 hours before storing them because they almost certainly have tiny weevil eggs in them, and freezing kills them so they don't hatch and totally gross you out.  This includes pasta, baking mixes, flour, etc.

Glitz Layouts from NSD

I made these fun pages at a class on National Scrapbook Day a few weeks ago and finally put my pictures in- they were so fun! 

They all use the Glitz Vintage Love stuff- my favorite are the little accent cards and tiny alpha stickers!

Check out my new header!

My blog is ready for summer now, but I on the other hand, am not ready at all!  Come what may and love it right? My header finally fits across the page- hooray!  Thanks for looking :)

Food Storage Friday: No More Excuses 2

I know I'm late- I don't know when exactly, but life just got really busy!  We're wrapping up the school year and even the days are even flying by- but oh yea, no excuses!  Moving on to the next common excuse for not having a good food storage, and I can relate, NO MONEY.  My mom made it pretty much impossible for me to use this excuse though, because she lived on practically nothing for several years and stuck to a very strict budget but she always made sure to pick up at least an extra can or 2 of food to set aside.  That is do-able for anyone.  If you don't already have a working budget then you almost certainly are spending money without realizing it, so for a month keep track of every penny you spend, write it down, and see where you can sacrifice.  (For tips on saving money on groceries, see my "supermom" post HERE.)  See if you can take just $5-$10 a week to start and stock up on a good sale.  One week it might be canned beans, the next toothbrushes or spaghetti sauce etc.  When you get a little chunk of extra money, like a birthday, bonus or tax return, consider spending some of that on your year supply.  Start with water, then gather 72 hours of food and supplies, then 2 weeks and so on, you can do it!  If you are consistent, it will start to add up and you won't even think about it, buying extra will just be something you do.  So what other excuses do you have?

Happy Mother's Day!

It took a few years, but finally I've lowered my expectations of Mother's day, and it's good now!  I got some cute cards with sweet notes from the girls, Miss B made me a beaded bracelet and a Dr. Pepper pin (missing at the moment- picture soon).  Sam gave me flowers and cooked breakfast.  I was able to go to church and hear about amazing mothers without comparing myself to them too much, I watched Stephanie Nielson's video again, and I spent the evening with my own mom- while Sam stayed home with the boys because Mr. C was a bit under the weather.  We watched the latest episode of "The Middle" which was hilarious- you've got to watch that show!  (ABC Wednesdays at 8) And I really liked her idea of celebrating "The Day After Mother's Day."  I just wanted to share this recently found picture of my mom and I- she was only 20 years old in this picture and so beautiful- she is so talented too, I bet she made the clothes both of us were wearing then!  Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I love Nie

Just in case you haven't seen this video yet, watch it! Sometimes I get frustrated and think "this isn't fun" but then I remind myself that life isn't about having fun- and I think about other people, everyone has challenges and struggles, I think about Stephanie- life is good!  And God is good.