Green onions

Here's a really cool idea for always having fresh green onions! Linda sent this my way for the blog. If you try it, let us know how it goes!

This is it guys — place a bunch of scallions with their roots in a glass full of water, then place in a sunny window. Cut off what you need to use in your cooking and the onions will literally regrow themselves almost overnight. No joke.

Here's a shot of some of the green onions with 2 that I chopped down to the roots. See the two nubs off to the side there in the left shot:

This is what they looked like not even 2 days (left) and 4 days (right) later as they literally regrew themselves:

And not even a week later, this is what we have; you can barely tell the difference between the ones I originally cut and the ones I let be (which have also doubled in size):

See how much the roots have extended as well...

These were store-bought organic scallions, guys. Crazy! From what I understand, we'll be able to continue to chop off the parts of onion we want to use and they will just continue to regrow and regrow. You can also plant them in soil and achieve the same effect — something Mary and I will most likely do once the roots gain a little more traction.

Here are the before and afters again for good measure:

Water filter sale

Mary Ann is hosting some really fun and interesting classes this month! Join Her for the   2nd Annual Emergency Living Series Click Here for More Info! Check Out Mary Ann's Post on a Creative Way to Do Laundry in an Emergency! Garbage Bag  Washing Machine "Water" You Waiting For? It's time for our Annual Water Filter Sale! Get great prices on all of our  Seychelle Water Filtration Products Now through March 1st! ORDER ONLINE Seychelle Plastic Flip-Top (28oz)Water Filtration Bottle--Advanced Filter The 28oz Advanced Seychelle Water Filtration flip top bottle is the perfect solution for anyone concerned about contaminated drinking water. Great for traveling, hiking, biking, rafting, camping orjust being prepared! The bottle produces up to 100 gallons of great-tasting, clean water.  The Advanced Filter removes up to 99.99% of all environmental, chemical, bacterial, and viral contaminants.  For the 75% of the water you consume away from home, this is the perfect portable product! Reg. Price: $25.00 Sale Price: $16.81  S & H: FREE!   Seychelle Stainless Steel Filtration Bottle 27 oz, Advanced Filter Same great filtration as the plastic bottle, but made of 304 food grade stainless steel that is non-leaching, BPA and lead-free, reusable, lightweight, and taste-neutral, and saves the environment from 757 half-liters of plastic bottled water discards!  Reg. Price: $30.00 Sale Price: $22.00 S & H: FREE!   SAVE up to 50% ON our Entire Selection of Seychelle Products Now through March 1st! ORDER NOW!

No Lights challenge!

Coming up on March 4th we are going to have our second challenge. This time, we will be shutting off the lights and electronics for 24 hours.  So stock up on batteries for your flashlights, and locate the lanterns, and dust off the board games, and be prepared to have an enjoyable family night!
And please prepare to share your experiences with the ward!

Vegetable planting timeline

This is a helpful guide that shows when you should start different plants for your garden. Some of these dates are coming right up. Click on the image to see it larger. 

Laundry Soap Recipe

Did you know you can make your own laundry soap? You probably did. I've known, but never tried it. Here is a tried and true recipe from pinterest, and Linda Bickham has a friend who uses it and loves it. I think I'll make some for my long term storage.

1 (4 lb 12 oz) box of Borax—found in the detergent aisle
1 (3 lb 7 oz) box of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda—found in the detergent aisle
1 ( 3 lb) container of oxyClean—found in the detergent aisle
2 (14.1 oz) bars of Zote Soap (found at Home Depot)  You can also use Fels Naptha -found in detergent aisle.
1 ( 4 lb) box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda ( found in the cooking aisle)
1-2 (55 oz) bottle of Purex Crystals fabric softener—found in the detergent aisle (this is optional)

 You will need to grate the Zotes or Fels Natpha soap and then just mix it all together.  Don’t know how much you use for each load. I guess we will all figure that out together.

I tried to price it by doing internet searches, so this estimate won't be exactly what you will get at the store, but you can probably use it as a pretty-close-to-it number.
Borax: $5-10
Arma and Hammer Washing soda $3-8
Oxyclean- About $8
Zote Soap $2
Arm and Hammer Baking Soda: $2-3
Purex Crystals fabric softener $9

All told it should be about $29-$40. But very possibly cheaper. And Im sure the yeald is much greater than what we purchase in the stores.

If you try it out, let us know what you think!

Nielson Family without heat

Larry and Diane Nielson participated in the challenge and sent a report. I love their sense of humor and outlook!


We survived fine! We have a fireplace! (We have to be sure that we have wood in case we need it.)

 (I'm not getting out of bed until 9:00!)

(Trying to stay warm.)

Poston family without heat

The first challenge is over! How did everyone do?

For our family, it was a little easier than anticipated. The heat went off a few minutes after 3:00 on Friday, but our house retained it really well. The children didn't notice it being colder or anything by the time we put them in bed. We did let them know that it might get extra cold though, and to let us know if they were chilly. David and I made a bit of a wager. We tried to guess what temperature the house would be at the next morning. My guess was 54 degrees, and David's was 50 degrees.
We did notice it was a little nippier in the house as David and I headed to bed. We threw an extra blanket on all four children and called it good.  However, we made mental notes that we really don't have a lot of extra blankets in the house. Not good ones, anyway. We've got lots of little baby blankets left over from baby days, and we have a couple extra queen sized comforters, but not really any good blankets for a twin bed.
It was pretty cold in the morning when I woke up, which made it harder to have motivation to get out of bed, but it really wasn't too bad. 
I checked the thermostat.

Ha! Well no wonder everything was going so smoothly. That's nothing. I kind of feel like we should have kept the heat off longer for a truer test, but, well, I was cold! So, when 9:00 rolled around, I dutifully turned the heat back on.
Morgan, our 6 year old boy, woke up and called from his bed, "Daddy! Can you turn the heater on?" Then he proceeded to whine throughout the morning about it being cold.
Here's Morgan looking miserable while waiting for a nice warm oatmeal breakfast.

While we ate breakfast, I noticed something rather amusing. My two kids and I were all bundled up and cold. David and his two boys were just fine! They didn't think it was a bit cold, and were walking around in normal clothes, short sleeves and all. Genetics!

In my defense, I must say, if the challenge was to turn off the AC in the summer, I'd handle that much better than my other half. :)

We will be adding "good blankets" to our necessities shopping list.

I'll post more stories from you all as they trickle in. Stay tuned!

Let the games begin!

Last night I cuddled up on the couch with my husband and a big blanket, and I was still cold. My house was heated; the thermostat was set to 70* (though I maintain that the only place in the house that gets to that temperature is on the stairs, where the thermostat resides).
As I tried to warm my nose by cupping my hand over it and my mouth, and breathing out warm air into the small space, I thought, (and said) "Tomorrow's gonna suck. If I'm this cold now, it's going to be horrible tomorrow night without the furnace."
That's right! It's just past 3:00 in the afternoon! Time to have the heat turned off! Time to put the fluffy socks on, and layer up.
I really haven't done much (okay, anything) to really prepare for today, even though I've known it was coming. We have the blankets we've always had, the lack of heating we've always had, and nothing has really changed.
But, the forecast is pretty good! Right now my weather app says it's 45* outside. That's pretty good. Tonight it's only supposed to get down to 27*. We'll be okay. At least we aren't dealing with the weather of 2 weeks ago!
Well, good luck, everybody! Let us know how it goes!

Water Conservation Tips

If you missed the fireside last week, check out these few tips on Water Conservation.

WATER CONSERVATION
Careful use of water during an emergency is very important if it is going to last for two weeks.  We are not accustomed to rationing.  Here are a few ideas that will help
Use water carefully—don’t waste.
Know your tank systems and the requirements for obtaining water from your tanks.  Have the proper tools to accomplish this.
Pour stored water back and forth from one container to another several times to aerate and improve the taste.
Purchase and study a good book or pamphlet on home storage or water storage.
Learn some new skills in procuring water such as collecting rain water or making a solar still.
Whenever possible, recycle water.
DRINKING WATER
1. Label a quart size beverage bottle with each family members name.  Fill it with water from storage and set it on the counter.  This is an excellent way to control spread of disease, monitor the amount of water consumed by each family member to prevent dehydration, and conserve water use.
2. The other three quarts of water allotment per person per day is used for cleaning and sanitation.  A two weeks supply of paper goods, foods that require minimal cooking, and smaller food portions to eliminate leftovers are essential in an emergency situation.
3. The water from drinking bottles should be used for needed liquid in cooking and brushing teeth.
4. The cleaning water supply should be recycled to maximize its use.
DISH WASHING
1. Place a flat bucket in each side of the kitchen sink.  Heat one gallon of water as hot as you can stand to touch.  Pour two quarts in one bucket for washing and two quarts in other bucket for rinsing.  Add a few drops of soap to dish water.  Place dish rack or towel on counter for air drying.  Do not dry dishes unless absolutely necessary as dishtowels will add to the amount of laundry you will have to do.
2. After washing dishes, strain dishwater by pouring is through a kitchen towel into another bucket to use for pre-washing dishes.  Be sure dishes are scraped as clean as possible before pre-washing.  Shake food particles off dishtowel and hang to dry or fold over pre-wash bucket until needed.
3. Strain rinse water through a dishrag into a bucket or teakettle for heating. Save dish rag for washing dishes. Two teakettles  (one labeled dishwater and one labeled rinse water) are excellent for heating water.  Because of their construction they heat water quickly and hold approximately two quarts of liquid.
4. Pre-rinse water could then be used for flushing the toilet, watering plants or disposing of wastes.
5. In order to conserve as much water as possible, dishes for breakfast and lunch should be pre-rinsed only and stacked.  The day’s dishes would be washed after dinner.
6. For a family of four, one quart of water per person would be used the first day for dishes, and one pint per person on subsequent days.
HAND WASHING
1. It is extremely important during an emergency that proper sanitation procedures are followed in order to reduce the spread of disease.  Therefore, washing hands before meals is a must.
2. Place a bucket in the bathroom basin to catch water.  Heat a third tea-kettle and place it on a hot pad on the counter.  Use a liquid soap container instead of bar soap for washing.
3. Pour about one cup of water in bucket for moistening hands.  Wash hands for 20 seconds with a drop of soap and rinse by pouring a cup of water over hands.
4. Let water in bucket accumulate or pour into a labeled five-gallon container to use later for bath water.  
5. Each family member should have one bath towel to use for bathing and drying hands.  Have designated places for each member to hang their towels.  No more than one towel per person should be used each week.
BATHING
1. In order to conserve water, bathing should be kept to a minimum.  Once a week is enough to refresh, and cleanse the body unless very dirty work is being performed during the day.
2. Sponge bathing uses the least amount of water.  Use one bucket of heated hand rinse water from the five-gallon container for washing. This water will contain sufficient soap to wash the body.  Additional soap will be needed for washing hair. Do not use safe drinking water for rinsing unless no other water is available. A pitcher or teakettle works well for rinsing the hair and pouring additionally needed water into the rinse bucket.
3. Sit in a plugged, dry bathtub.  Lean over wash bucket while washing hair.  Use as little shampoo as possible so that the water from rinsing the hair can be used to rinse the body.  Any water that splashes into the tub will be caught in the plugged tub.
4. All family members should bath during the same time period. The cleanest family members should bath first so that those following can use their water.
5. If water left standing in the tub is dirty it should be siphoned off into a container for flushing the toilet the toilet or watering plants.  If it is clean enough to reuse for bathing, siphon it into a 5-gallon container marked “Used bath water”.

Food Storage Plan

Getting a long term food storage can be overwhelming. But here is a plan, that if followed, can make it much simpler and doable. Hooray for simple and doable! Check it out, and implement what you think will help your family.
Do you have any food storage tips that have been helpful for your family? Please share with us by commenting below, or emailing me.


What is a year supply of food? Once you have a year supply, what does it look like in the form of meals
that must be spread throughout the year? Now you can choose your family's favorite dishes and create a
year supply of MEALS.
Steps to plan your Year Supply of MEALS
1. Choose:
7 Breakfasts
7 Dinners
A Daily loaf of bread
7 Various desserts and snacks.
If you ever needed to solely live on your food storage, the meals you choose would be
rotated weekly for an entire year. Sound boring? Possibly! However, you wouldn't
have to wonder what you were going to eat, you would be healthy and you would be
ALIVE. If you have special dietary needs due to medical issues or personal preferences,
this plan is definitely for you because you plan the meals that you can eat.

2. Use one index card per recipe and list each ingredient needed along with its
measurement on the left side of an index card.

3. Determine how many months of meals you want and how much to get of each
ingredient:

                        3 mos. supply 6 mos. supply 12 mos. supply
How do I figure out X 13 weeks
my total amount of                 X 26 weeks
needed ingredients?                                  X 52 weeks

For a year supply of meals you will multiply your ingredient measurements by 52. (The
ingredients for your daily loaf of bread will need to be multiplied by 365.) Write these
totals on the right side of your index cards. You now know how much of EVERY
INGREDIENT you will need in order to make your family a year supply of meals. You
will finally feel like you have enough.

4. Create your Food Storage Binder
Alphabetize your master list of ingredients.
Create a chart for these ingredients to help in shopping, inventory, rotation,
expiration dates and food location.
Include all recipes that are used in your meal planning.
Example:

Items Meals Need Have Buy
Alfredo Sauce 9 26 jars 9 jars 17 jars
MB exp.4/12
Almonds 7 (09) 104 cups 0 104 cups
Apples, dry 31 11- #10's 10- #10's 0
~B 5 (09), #10's expo (104 c.) 128 c. (jar)
Apple Pie 129 126 qts 56 qts 0
Filling MB 21 (08), B2 35 (09)
Items- Alphabetize all of the ingredients from your recipes.
Meals- Which meals need this ingredient, where is it stored in your home &
when does it expire.
Need- According to your food storage goal, how much of this ingredient do you
need?
Have - Take inventory of your current storage.
Buv - What is the difference between what I need and what I already have? This
is what I need to get.

5. Can Meat (You don't have to live on wheat & beans. How about Chicken Alfredo,
Spaghetti & Meatballs, Beef Stew, Sausage & Eggs .. etc.?)
· 1 pint (1 Ib) of meat per day = 365 pints of meat
Put all but 50 pints in your long term storage .
· Put the 50 pints in your pantry to use.
3 jars/week = 4 months = rotates every 2 years
2 jars/week = 6 months = rotates every 3 years
· When meat is gone, take 50 more pints out of your storage and can 50 new pints to put into storage.

6. Can, Dehydrate & Bargain hunt to save money.
· Glean fields and orchards (with permission).
· Grow your needed ingredients-in-your-garden-
Check for sales, and buy a lot when it is cheap.
· Can fruits and vegetables that are not on your list of ingredients. These are your
"extras. "

7. Use a Foodsaver to seal foods in glass jars for long term freshness.
· This is great for foods that cannot be stored in a # 10 can (chocolate chips, brown
rice, dried fruits and veggies ... etc.).
· You can seal foods in used jars from the store. (peanut butter jars, salsa ... etc.)
· Check seal 2X year, use and rotate.

8. Don't become frustrated and quit. Anything worth working for is always
challenging at first. Become a master at this program and share it with others.
Wendy DeWitt is the woman I learned this system from. You can find her blog at
http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com  She is amazing, so please take time to look her
up.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact LeAnn Castor at
leanncastorreismail.com.
Happy Planning!!!