Merry Christmas
May you, your family and loved ones be filled with the Spirit of Christmas, peace, joy and the magic of the season
May we each celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ
Why do we do it?
Why do we prepare?
Because we love our family and want to feel the peace that comes with preparation
Today while at church a sister in our Ward shared a personal experience regarding being prepared . . .
Her neighborhood had been given notice the water was to be shut off for the entire block the following Thursday. Usually when she hears this she prepares by filling pitchers, bowls and other items with water. Wednesday came, the day before the water shut off, and everyone discovered the water had been shut off at noon that day. She and her neighbors were unprepared. She has water stored in her
garage that is anywhere from 5 to 30 years old. She said she could probably use it
to wash dishes, but wouldn't risk drinking it without the filter or
bleach (which she also does not have). She has the filter, but
not the pump. She drove to the store to purchase bottles of water. She said she quickly learned how unprepared she is even though she has water stored in her garage which is several years old. 
A few month ago I shared another story from one of our other church members. The electricity had gone out in their neighbor for several hours in the evening. They had candles but they were the scented kind. The smell from all the lite candles gave them a headache. You want to store non scented emergency candles and matches.
Emergencies happen! You never know when they are going to happen. We all learn from emergency situations when they come up and how little we really are prepared. Why not be prepared ahead of time with those items you might need when an unforeseen emergency might arise?
When you live in certain parts of the country, or the world, and you know the type of natural disasters that can occur, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides, flooding, blizzard conditions, etc., we need to be prepared for them. Why not prepare ahead of time and keep those items stored for future events? How often do we see on the news people running to the stores for boards to board up their windows, flashlights, batteries, water, and canned foods when the storm is upon them and they get very upset to only find the shelves empty? All the time! I just do not understand why they do not prepare ahead of time and keep those supplies on hand all the time. Life would be a little easier and you would have peace of mind knowing you are prepared.
Emergency preparedness and food storage should be a part of our everyday lives. It should be something we are striving towards daily.
Great Christmas present ideas . . .
Have you ever thought about giving emergency preparedness supplies and food storage as Christmas gifts?
If you draw family names it is a great gift. Even if you give individual gifts it works great too. If you go to store.lds.org there are some great ideas there and also at emergencyessentials.com (emergency supplies and food storage). There are so many great and fun ideas!
I know one family who one year gave each family member a certain amount of money and they were to purchase emergency preparedness item or food storage for their family. They had a list to choose from so as to not purchase something the family did not need. I love this idea.
A great stocking stuffer would be a Seychelle Filter Water bottle ($16.50 and $22.00) from store.lds.org. Each family member should have one strapped to their 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack. They filter out 99.9999% of all bacteria and contaminates. Or, small items for each family members 72 Hour Individual Emergency Backpack. Be creative!
Another great idea is to give each family member a 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack, if they do not already have one. Click here to see what to put inside.
I know one family who one year gave each family member a certain amount of money and they were to purchase emergency preparedness item or food storage for their family. They had a list to choose from so as to not purchase something the family did not need. I love this idea.
A great stocking stuffer would be a Seychelle Filter Water bottle ($16.50 and $22.00) from store.lds.org. Each family member should have one strapped to their 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack. They filter out 99.9999% of all bacteria and contaminates. Or, small items for each family members 72 Hour Individual Emergency Backpack. Be creative!
Another great idea is to give each family member a 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack, if they do not already have one. Click here to see what to put inside.
And of course, there are still the presents from Santa too!
December Monthly Assignment: Fats and Oils
Like last month this is a great time of the year to purchase fats and oils because they are on sale due to the holiday baking season. Figure out how much fats and oils your family uses in a month. Multiply that number by the number of months you have set your food storage goal (1 month, 3 months, 6 months, a year). Each time you go grocery shopping pick up extra fats and oils for your food storage. December Monthly Assignment: Fats and Oils
Fats and oils consist of shortening, butter/margarine, lard, mayonnaise, coconut oil, corn oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, olive oil, and other types of oils you use in cooking. Fats and oils should stored in a cool dry dark place. They usually only store for about a year. Do not purchase more than your family can use in a year. Remember to replace any fats and oils you use from your food storage immediately. Butter and margarine can be frozen for up to a year.
Emergency Preparedness Ideas . . .
Take the Home Safety Checklist test from Eater Seals.
Click here to take the test.
You can print a copy and discuss it in your Family Home Evening.
Comments: Your comments and experiences are most appreciated. We all learn from each other.
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