Tuesday, June 28, 2011

GOT WATER? #2

OK so I am getting stoked about PREPAREDNESS and didn't want to wait another day to post this EXTREMELY important part of Emergency Preparedness: WATER! How much should you store? How do you treat it? Well, let me tell you...plain old CLOROX! (Don't use the Clorox with fragrance)

1 Quart: 2 Drops Clorox

1 Gallon: 8 Drops Clorox

5 Gallons: 1/2 tsp Clorox

6 Gallons 1/2 tsp + 8 Drops Clorox

15 Gallons; 1 1/2 tsp Clorox

30 Gallons: 3 tsp Clorox

55 Gallons: 5 1/2 Clorox

Double the amounts of Clorox if your water is cloudy.

A few things to remember...Make sure you don't store your water directly on the cement, it will pull contaminates from the cement and ruin your water.  Store your containers on a piece of wood or a couple thicknesses of heavy-duty cardboard. If you store water drums in your garage next to fertilizer, it won't ruin the water as far as being unhealthy, but it will take on the taste of fertilizer! YUCK! So set it near items that won't ruin the taste of the water.


  • Store water away from too much light or heat.







  • Clean, sanitize, and rinse all containers prior to use.







  • Do not use containers previously used to store non-food products.







  • Do not use Milk Cartons, they deteriorate too quickly.







  • Store water in multiple sizes




  • Recommended Storage Amounts: 24 Gallons per PERSON!!

    You can use empty canning jars with a piece of plastic wrap between the lid and the water to store water, You can use a 2 liter pop bottles, buy already bottled water (3-4 cases per person...they have to be rotated often!) or store water in 5, 6, 15, 30 or 55 Gallon jugs and drums. Make sure you use a lead-free hose to fill your containers.

    **ALSO... DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR OLD LIQUID LAUNDRY SOAP CONTAINERS**
    Especially the ones with the spickets. Fill them with water and use them for washing hands or cleaning. Make sure you label them as cleaning water and not drinking water!

    Now, some of you don't have large areas to store all of this water. Here are some ideas from people who live in small apartments. They hide water behind couches, under beds, in closets, in the laundry room, under sinks, and they even put bottles behind toilets! Where there's a will there's a way!

    **I am going to give you a challenge this week, while trying to gather some items for your 72 hour kits, store 1 GALLON  of water for every member of your family! SIMPLE!!

    CHALLENGE FOR JULY:  1. Start getting 72 hour kits together  2. Start filling water storage (This one is easy and really cheap! Look at Walmart! They sell 55 gallon drums now!) 3. I will tell you in tomorrow's post and its easy and cheap, like $5 cheap!!

    Happy Preparation!

    Monday, June 27, 2011

    ARE YOU PREPARED? #1

    OK, so I have been reading a series of books called The Great and Terrible. I'm on book 5 of 6 and it has really got me thinking that I need to be prepared for disaster. Prepared in every way! I need more food storage, water, shelter options, etc..I need to be prepared FINANCIALLY, and SPIRITUALLY. Then I started thinking about all of my family and friends and thought I want them to be PREPARED too. I don't want anyone to have to experience devastation but we have been told forever to prepare for emergencies and now with all of the crazy things going on in the world, I feel an URGENT need to follow the counsel of the PROPHET and get PREPARED! So, for Easter I decided to get my kids and myself a 72 HOUR KIT. It was fun and easy to put together. I am not going to lie, I got most of it from ALL A DOLLAR! SERIOUSLY!!   I want all of you to see what I included in my pack and I IMPLORE you to get one for yourself and for your FAMILY!! Here is what I included and where I purchased the items:

    All A Dollar:
    Flashlight and Batteries
    Work Gloves
    Rope
    Duct Tape
    Ear plugs ( I figure if I have to stay in a shelter with a bunch of crying babies these might come in handy!)
    Sewing Kit
    Socks
    Hand Sanitizer
    Blistex
    Moist Wipes
    Wisp (toothbrush and paste included...6 of these)
    Tissue
    First Aid Kit
    Notebook w/pen
    Floss
    Comb
    Razor
    Deoderant
    Lotion
    Sunscreen
    Bobby pins
    Hair Bands
    Beef Jerky
    Gum
    Hawiian Punch Single Pouches to put in water
    Mirror
    Multi-purpose lighter
    Cards, games like colored Dominoes for Mexican Train :)
    Search Words
    Hard Candy

    Emergency Essentials:  (There were really cheap!)
    Tube Tent
    Blanket (Silver kind)
    Poncho
    Waterproof firesticks
    Waterproof Matches
    Snaplights (3 yellow, 3 white)
    Whistle
    Can Opener (50 cents!! The little ones that you can use 2 fingers to open a can)
    Toilet Paper

    Walmart:
    Backpack (I was surprised how nice my backpacks were from Walmart for $15.98!)
    Water
    Sweats
    T-shirt
    Dry Shampoo (You don't need water to use this!)
    Utility Knife
    Mess Kit w/utensils
    Head light
    Pepto Bismol, anti-Diahrreal pills, Ibuprofin, Stool Softener ( A lady told me that when you don't get enough water in a bad situation your chances of constipation increases ALOT!  Allergy pills
    Mask
    Hygeine products for Ashley and Mikell :)

    Distribution Center:
    Garments
    Pocket size Book Of Mormon
    Ensign (Conference Issue)
    Oil Vile for Men to give blessings

    It looks like a really long list but once in the stores with my list it went fast and I cannot tell you the RELIEF I feel having FINALLY got them together. I have been putting this off for YEARS! I also bought a 3 days supply of food to put in our packs as well! And, I still have room in my pack because I moved my sweats in my DUFFLE BAG....that will be in another post. But PLEASE don't put off getting PREPARED any longer. I am going to start posting some PREPAREDNESS ideas so you won't get overwhelmed and not do it at all.  This one is a HUGE one but probably the MOST IMPORTANT one besides your WATER...that will be in an upcoming post as well!

    I love you all so much!
    Suzanne

    Thursday, June 23, 2011

    TELL ME ABOUT MY EYES!

    Anyone who knows my brother Steven, knows he says some pretty funny things over, and over, and over again! But one of the funny things he says is, TELL ME ABOUT MY EYES! Well, when I woke up the other day that's the first thing I thought of when I looked in the mirror! WHAT THE HECK???  My eye was so SWOLLEN! For 2 days it swelled up so I went to the doctor and guess what she told me about my eyes?  I had BLETHARITIS!  In other words I have STAFF INFECTION in my eye! Probably was caused by a small sty and then it may have cracked a little bit so Staff could get in there. She said my make up could have caused the bacteria to get in there also. So, although I just bought new masacara and eye shadow, I have to toss it and buy new...GRRR!  Anyway, I thought I'd share a pic of my eye with you. I'd like to hear what you could "TELL ME ABOUT MY EYES!"

    Sunday, June 19, 2011

    CORN ON THE COB CUPCAKES

    We were going to have a BBQ at my Dad's  for FATHER'S DAY but with all the rain we decided to have pulled pork sandwiches and potato salad, etc.. I made CUPCAKES that looked CORN ON THE COB. It would have gone better had we had a BBQ but hey, it still worked!
    I used JELLY BELLIES as the kernals.  I feel SO bad! I did not take one single pic of us at my Dad's! But I did get a pic of these cupcakes!




    ITALY...ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME??

    Yes I am kidding!! Wishful thinking here. But hey, we went to THANKSGIVING POINT and they had a section called the ITALIAN GARDENS and we had to take a bunch of pics! There are so many pics I am only going to put a very few of our fun time spent here. We had fun with me DRIVING the golf cart illigally (We were only supposed to have 4 on the cart but Grandma's little so we smuggled her on and we drove around with the 5 of us the whole time....except when we were pulling back up, we had Diane jump off!)
    We had a really great time here together!!











    YEAH! JOYCE IS IN TOWN!!

    My Aunt Joyce came to UTAH to get some business done and so we were able to spend the weekend with her and we always LOVE it when she comes to town! It's sad when she leaves. Anyway on Friday we went to dinner at TEXAS ROADHOUSE since its just across the street from my Grandma's house, and of course it isn't a complete visit with JOYCE if we don't hit a COSTCO! Actually we had to get food for FATHER'S DAY and then we went back and talked, and laughed, and just enjoyed being TOGETHER!

                                                     My mom and her only sibling...Aunt Joyce!
     They are total opposites in almost every way possible but one thing they have in common and that is they both know how to have a TON OF FUN!! In this pic Joyce kept saying Ok Shirley, that's enough! My mom is such an affectionate person and she wanted to keep hugging and kissing her baby sister!
    Me and my Grandma. She's a cutie! She is 96 years young!

    On Saturday we all went to lunch at TAGGART'S. All I can say is MMMM...MMMM!!! It was perfect temperature for eating outside in the mountains...I know what you're thinking and OF COURSE I got a big piece of CARROT CAKE!

                                                                         Me and Mom
                                                                       Debbie and Joyce
                                                               Jessica, Grandma and Diane
                                                                      Mom, Me and Judy
              I had to sneak a pic of Steve while he was eating or he would get mad and make me delete it!!

    TOOL BOX FULL OF CANDY!

    While I was at my new FAVORITE store in Lehi, I also saw this cute TOOL BOX full of candy that had cute cardstock tools attached to candybars and on the front it had a cute note using tools in the words. I'll show you in the pic. Anyway, I told the ladies at work I was making me some for Bill and my Dad for Father's Day and they LOVED them! OK...GUESS HOW MANY WE ENDED UP MAKING? 24!!  24 stinkin' tool boxes. I had to drive to 4 stores to find the right kind of box that looks like a tool box...they're called GABLE BOXES in case you were wondering. I finally found some at EXPEDEX (another new FAVORITE store!!) clear out on 3300 South! and we cut all the colored copied tools on cardstock and then since we did so many of them we cut out over 200 tools and then cut them out again after we LAMINATED them! Fingers were sore, not going to lie, Lesa could hardly bend hers! Then we attached them all to CANDY BARS AND tied them up with JUTE. (Did I tell you JUTE is one of my FAVORITE thnings? That's another post!) They looked cute all lined up on the counter. I wish I would have gotten a pic of all of them! Oh yeah...at the store they came in a plain brown box. I found the red ones that looked more like a tool box and loved it way more!  Here are the pics and hopefully I got a close enough one of the cute note on the front of the box so it all makes sense!
                                                                        Finished Product
                                         Letter on front using tools as words...I love stuff like this!

                                                       Clip Art we printed off and Laminated
                                              Attach a tool to a box of candy and it's that simple!

    KOOL-AID AND VISITING TEACHING

    I found a new FAVORITE store in Lehi. It's a PARTY store with lots of cute stuff for birthdays, thanks you's etc.. anyway... while I was there I noticed that they sold VISITING TEACHING handouts that were SO cute! So I bought one for the pattern and came home and made me 3 and when my friends, and some of my friends at work saw them they wanted some so I made 1, 2,3....22!  I made 22 of them! Next month when I go back to see the cute handout, if everyone wants one I will pick them up but I am NOT doing that many again!  They were cute. It said "Self Reliance is a KOOL AID in strengthening families." That of course was the monthly message. Then it included 3 packs of KOOL AID and 3 recipes on the back that tells what you can make with KOOL AID and then it was put in a cute cellophane bag with a copy of the VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE! So cute!!


    Tuesday, June 7, 2011

    ELVIS IS IN THE HOUSE!

    You can't leave Vegas without your picture taken with ELVIS! We saw this Elvis at the Buffet and we just had to get a group pic!
                                                                           YIKES!

    SWIMMING ON OUR LAST DAY OF THE TRIP

    Bill, Thera and the kids joined us for breakfast and then we all headed out to the pool. I hate the thoughts of going home! I realized that this was the last time I'd see Zach before he becomes a FATHER! That is just so crazy to me! I had such a great weekend and I hated to see it end.
                                                                            ZZ (Zander)
                  Ashley's friend Lauren dropped by to hang out for a little bit. (Ash forgot her swimming suit!)

                                                                  Bill and Mom catching up

                                                      Diane didn't stop texting the entire trip!
                                                                       Debbie posing!

    Buffet, Bellagio, and the Best Show Ever!! "O" how AMAZING!

    After the shower we decided to take a nap before our BIG NIGHT OUT! Bill invited to take us out to dinner so we went to a really nummy BUFFET. They had alot of great food and something for everyone. Mona loved sushi, mussels, crawfish and rice, I loved lasagna, pizza, and nachos, of course they had a variety of nummy DESSERTS as well. Take a look at our dinner and Joyce trying CRAWFISH. I don't think she cared for it!   Then we went to the Bellagio and was impressed with the beautiful flowers. We walked around until it was time to see CIRQUE DE SOLEIL'S "O".  We were AWED by this show. It was truly AMAZING! I suggest everyone see this FABULOUS show!



                                                          The whole gang minus me and Mikell


                                                Deb had Lemon Meringue Pie, and Carrot Cake for dessert!   
                                         Mona chose a Double Chocolate Cake, and a few other desserts!

                                                                  Mom, Bill and a shy Zander!
                                                                     Fun at the Bellagio
                                                                     Posing at the Bellagio

                                                                  Waiting for "O" to start
                                                                                   Mona


                                                   Water show at the Bellagio...AMAZING!