Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! A time for new hopes, dreams and GOALS!
We are back and with all sorts of new ideas and helps in helping you and your family become more self-reliant and prepared both temporally and spiritually for what may come your way. I want our Ward members to be the most prepared Ward in our Stake.
Over and over I am surprised, with all the warnings and daily news, how little we are prepared as a community, as a family and as an individual for disasters and things that can happen in our lives. We have had hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, wind storms, blackouts, and many other things happen this past year. I fear they are only to get worse. They are predicting an even worse tornado season this spring. And of course, we are always being warned of the "Big One" in California. But for some reason we never get prepared and then complain when the local or federal government is not there to help us. We need to self-reliant and be able to take care of ourselves!
This year I would like us as a Ward, as a family and as individuals to set some Emergency Preparedness Goals along with our other Goals. I know, you say "Emergency Preparedness, I do not have time nor the money for it. I will take care of it some day." Some day may be too late!
Remember, you do not have to do them all at once. Goals usually take time. Break the main goal down into smaller goals until the main goal is accomplished. Much easier and manageable that way and not so overswhelming. Set up a chart with the categories below in each column. Determine which areas you need work on. Then set up some small goals within each column to help you accomplish the main goal. I have given you some ideas below. Do this as a family for Family Home Evening or with a friend. Put the goal chart on your refrigerator, or in a place you will see it daily, to remind you of your goals and accomplishments.
Here are some ideas for Personal and Family Goals and our Ward Emergency Preparedness Goals for 2012:
Personal and Family Goals:
1. 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Backpack Kit (including the Food Kit, Personal Hygiene Kit and Stressor Kit, with a change of clothing)-- Put together a Kit for each family member. For home and/or in the car, and one at your work place.
2. 3 Months Food Storage-- Keep track for two weeks of what your family eats, most people eat the same thing within a two week. Include everything, meals and snacks, what it takes to make them. Multiply that by six and you will have what your family eats for three months. Each week make a goal to buy something extra for your 3 Months Food Storage. Set a goal to first get one week's supply, then two weeks and so on until you have a 3 months food supply. Then continue on to 6 months, until you have a year's supply. Remember to take inventory every few months and rotate what you store and eat.
3. Water Storage-- You should have one 55 gallon water barrel for each family member for drinking and cooking, not bathing. Either purchase the 55 gallon water barrels or smaller bottles if you do not have room for the barrels. Change the water barrels every year if there is bleach in the water, every 6 months if not (every General Conference). Purchase water barrels if you do not have them and fill them with water. See the Posting under Water Storage on the right side for where to purchase them in Long Beach. Set a goal to purchase the needed barrels and/or bottles of water. You should have enough for drinking and cooking for at least a month, or more if possible. You will need extra for bathing.
4. Emergency Preparedness Supplies--purchased needed items for you and your family. Example: Sleeping bags, a tent(s), a way to cook, lighting, heating and sanitation. Check out the blog Postings on the right under Shelter, Heating, Lighting , Cooking and Sanitation for ideas. You will also need paper supplies since you will probably not want to use your valuable water for washing the dishes. Big 5 has great sales on sleeping bags and tents throughout the year.
5. First-Aid Supplies--Have emergency medical supplies and perscriptions on hand.
6. Fire and Earthquake Drills--Just recently there was the story of a fire on the news which was divesting to hear. Two grandparents and children's lives were lost due to a fire in their home. The mother and a friend's lives were spared. How tragic! Many, many times I have given you the challenge of setting up fire escapes and fire drills in your home. Please, do this for your family's safety! Here are some ideas:
1. Make sure all smoke detectors are working properly. Replace worn out batteries. Check them twice a year, at each General Conference time, and replace the batteries if needed.
2. Have a fire escape plan for your home. Set up fire escape routes, several different routes in case the fire is blocking a different escape area, and put a drawing of these escape plans on the back of each bedroom door low enough for children to see them. If they cannot open the window, teach your children it is OK to break a window if there is a real fire and how to put a blanket over the window and climb out.
3. Purchase a second story fire latter if you do not have one. Teach your children and practice with them how to use it. You should have one in each bedroom and each person in that room should know where it is.
4. Assign older children to younger children. If you have a large family it will be hard for one person to help everyone.
5. Have a place to meet outside, either a corner or a neighbors yard, away from the house.
6. Call 911 as soon as possible, but make sure your family is OK and secure first.
7. Never, never go back into a burning building, you may not make it out. If you decide there is time, stay low to the ground, but it better if you do not go back in.
8. Have a Family Home Evening on fires, fire drills and how to protect themselves. Teach them to never hide in a closet or under a bed. Look online for things to know and teach your family about fires in your home. Have a fire inspection of your home to make sure it is safe.
9. Have a fire drill in your home every few months so each family member knows what to do and where to go. When we did this with our children, we would say fire drill, fire in the kitchen and what areas are blocked. That way they get use to different fire escape routes. If there is a real fire then yell "real fire in the ________".
8. Strive to be more Spiritual and closer to the Spirit and set goals to help you do this. Attend the temple more often, read scriptures individually and as a family, say family daily prayers, youth attend seminary and their Sunday School and youth meetings, children attend Primary, and adults attend Sunday School, Relief Society and Priesthood weekly.
Our Ward Emergency Preparedness Goals:
1. Complete setting up our Ward Emergency Preparedness Plan
2. Complete setting up the Emergency Response Teams and instruct them on their responsibilities.
3. Make sure each family member has a 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Backpack Kit.
4. Have a CPR class sometime on a Saturday in February or March. We are working with the American Red Cross to set up this class. We will be passing around a sign-up sheet for this soon.
5. Have First-aid classes members can attend to teach them first-aid skills. We hope to set some of these up for January. We will be passing around a sign-up sheet for this soon.
6. Work with the Bishopric in setting up Ward activities on Emergency Preparedness throughout the year.
My goal this year is to help each family become more prepared. We can do this if we all work together as a Ward team.
Remember--"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."
FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing--to be held the last Sunday in January.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of November 27th)
Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,
Congratulations to the George and Vai Fuailefau Family! They won November's FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing. They won a kit with the following items in it: Camping Mess Kit, Silverware set, Heat Cell (Like Sterno. Last for 10 hours of cooking), Water Proof Matches, and a small Hand Crank 3 LED Light Flashlight. This can either be put in the 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Family Bag or a 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Individual Backpack.
For the month of December I will be taking a break from the Carson Ward Emergency Preparedness Blog. Many will be busy with Christmas parties, Christmas shopping and family get togethers. But continue to add to your Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items. I do have a Temporal Assignments for the month of December.
Have a spiritual and fantastic Christmas and New Year!
Temporal Assignments for December and this week:
1. Give each family member a 72 Hour Emergency Backpack with the 3 kits (Food Kit, Personal Hygiene Kit and Stressor Kit) inside? See October 9, 2011 blog posting for the Individual Food Kit and November 19, 2011 blog posting for the Persoanl Hygiene Kit. (Just keep scrolling down until you get to them) And see the Posting on the right side under 72 Hour Emergency Kits for the Stressor Kit, which we will be working on again in January, the other two are mentioned there too.
2. Give each family member $10-$20 and have them purchase an item the family needs for your Food Storage and/or Emergency Preparedness items. Give them a list of the things you need. Of course, you will need to help the young ones. You may even put the items in a jar to draw out an item and that is what they will purchase, no duplicates this way. But, remember it is a secret until Christmas morning when the family opens the presents. It is always good to get the family involved. See the blog "Postings" on the right for ideas.
3. Continue to add items to your Food Storage and rotate out almost expired items and use them. This is an ongoing process!
4. Purchase a 55 gallon Water Barrel and fill with water. Or, purchase other bottled water for storage, it will only keep for a year. See the blog posting "Water Storage" for the place to purchase them in Long Beach and how to prepare the water to store.
5. Be creative in ways to give Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items as Christmas gifts this year!
Spiritual Assignment:
Continue reading the Book of Mormon and try to finish before the end of this year. You can follow the guideline in the 2011 Stake Director in the back we have been following.
Remember: Post you name and comment to have your name entered into the December FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing.
Congratulations to the George and Vai Fuailefau Family! They won November's FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing. They won a kit with the following items in it: Camping Mess Kit, Silverware set, Heat Cell (Like Sterno. Last for 10 hours of cooking), Water Proof Matches, and a small Hand Crank 3 LED Light Flashlight. This can either be put in the 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Family Bag or a 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Individual Backpack.
For the month of December I will be taking a break from the Carson Ward Emergency Preparedness Blog. Many will be busy with Christmas parties, Christmas shopping and family get togethers. But continue to add to your Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items. I do have a Temporal Assignments for the month of December.
Have a spiritual and fantastic Christmas and New Year!
Temporal Assignments for December and this week:
1. Give each family member a 72 Hour Emergency Backpack with the 3 kits (Food Kit, Personal Hygiene Kit and Stressor Kit) inside? See October 9, 2011 blog posting for the Individual Food Kit and November 19, 2011 blog posting for the Persoanl Hygiene Kit. (Just keep scrolling down until you get to them) And see the Posting on the right side under 72 Hour Emergency Kits for the Stressor Kit, which we will be working on again in January, the other two are mentioned there too.
2. Give each family member $10-$20 and have them purchase an item the family needs for your Food Storage and/or Emergency Preparedness items. Give them a list of the things you need. Of course, you will need to help the young ones. You may even put the items in a jar to draw out an item and that is what they will purchase, no duplicates this way. But, remember it is a secret until Christmas morning when the family opens the presents. It is always good to get the family involved. See the blog "Postings" on the right for ideas.
3. Continue to add items to your Food Storage and rotate out almost expired items and use them. This is an ongoing process!
4. Purchase a 55 gallon Water Barrel and fill with water. Or, purchase other bottled water for storage, it will only keep for a year. See the blog posting "Water Storage" for the place to purchase them in Long Beach and how to prepare the water to store.
5. Be creative in ways to give Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items as Christmas gifts this year!
Spiritual Assignment:
Continue reading the Book of Mormon and try to finish before the end of this year. You can follow the guideline in the 2011 Stake Director in the back we have been following.
Remember: Post you name and comment to have your name entered into the December FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of November 20th)
Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,
Quote:
"Come, ye thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest home.
All is safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin.
God, our Maker, doth provide For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God's own temple, come: Raise the song of harvest home.
All the world is God's own field, Fruit unto his praise to yield,
Wheat and tares together sown, Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, Then the full corn shall appear.
Lord of harvest, grant that we Whole-grain and pure may be. "
(Come, Ye Thankful People, Hymn # 94, LDS Hymn Book)
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Let us all be thankful not just this time of year, but all year long. How blessed we all are to live in this country where we enjoy the freedoms we do. How thankful we are for all those who have fought and given of their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy daily. Let us thank them each day and our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ for freedom and the gospel in our daily lives!
Once again I am excited about how the members are preparing their homes and families. Last night I was at a member's home and notice the family had #10 cans of freeze-dried/dehydrated food from Honeyville. It makes my heart sing when I see the members getting prepared!
Temple Assignment:
Please add the following items, one of each per kit, to your 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kits:
1) Emergency Reflector Space Blanket (Emergency.Essentials.com has them for $1.25 each or you can purchase them at camping/sporting goods stores)
2) Small tube of Sun Screen
3) Prescriptions and any other medications your family member takes (remember, enough for 3 days or more)
Congratulations! You have just completed a 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kit for each family member. Put all the items in a large plastic zip lock bag and place the bag in each 72 Hour Emergency Individual Backpack for each family member. You should have the following items in each kit in a large plastic zip lock bag---
1) Small comb and/or brush
2) Small bottle of shampoo and rinse, better to get the type that requires not rinsing out to converse your water
3) Small bottle or tube of hand lotion
4) Bar of soap with a wash cloth in a plastic zip lock bag
5) Small bottle of liquid soap
6) Small bottle of hand sanitizer
7) Deodorant (adults)
8) Baby wipes (small package)
9) Roll of toilet paper
10) Small tube of Sun Screen)
11) 2-3 Respirator masks per person
12) Emergency Reflector Space Blanket
13) Heavy work gloves
14) Prescription and other medications as needed, enough for 3+ days
Spiritual Assignment (Continue to read the Book of Mormon daily)
This week read the following:
Day----Page------Thru Chapter
21-------271--------Alma 24
22------275--------Alma 26
23------280-------Alma 29
24------287-------Alma 31
25------293-------Alma 33
26------300------Alma 36
27------305------Alma 38
Remember: Post your name and comment at the end of the blog posting to have your name entered into our FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held next Sunday, November 27th.
Quote:
"Come, ye thankful people, come; Raise the song of harvest home.
All is safely gathered in Ere the winter storms begin.
God, our Maker, doth provide For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God's own temple, come: Raise the song of harvest home.
All the world is God's own field, Fruit unto his praise to yield,
Wheat and tares together sown, Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, Then the full corn shall appear.
Lord of harvest, grant that we Whole-grain and pure may be. "
(Come, Ye Thankful People, Hymn # 94, LDS Hymn Book)
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Let us all be thankful not just this time of year, but all year long. How blessed we all are to live in this country where we enjoy the freedoms we do. How thankful we are for all those who have fought and given of their lives to protect the freedoms we enjoy daily. Let us thank them each day and our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ for freedom and the gospel in our daily lives!
Once again I am excited about how the members are preparing their homes and families. Last night I was at a member's home and notice the family had #10 cans of freeze-dried/dehydrated food from Honeyville. It makes my heart sing when I see the members getting prepared!
Temple Assignment:
Please add the following items, one of each per kit, to your 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kits:
1) Emergency Reflector Space Blanket (Emergency.Essentials.com has them for $1.25 each or you can purchase them at camping/sporting goods stores)
2) Small tube of Sun Screen
3) Prescriptions and any other medications your family member takes (remember, enough for 3 days or more)
Congratulations! You have just completed a 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kit for each family member. Put all the items in a large plastic zip lock bag and place the bag in each 72 Hour Emergency Individual Backpack for each family member. You should have the following items in each kit in a large plastic zip lock bag---
1) Small comb and/or brush
2) Small bottle of shampoo and rinse, better to get the type that requires not rinsing out to converse your water
3) Small bottle or tube of hand lotion
4) Bar of soap with a wash cloth in a plastic zip lock bag
5) Small bottle of liquid soap
6) Small bottle of hand sanitizer
7) Deodorant (adults)
8) Baby wipes (small package)
9) Roll of toilet paper
10) Small tube of Sun Screen)
11) 2-3 Respirator masks per person
12) Emergency Reflector Space Blanket
13) Heavy work gloves
14) Prescription and other medications as needed, enough for 3+ days
Spiritual Assignment (Continue to read the Book of Mormon daily)
This week read the following:
Day----Page------Thru Chapter
21-------271--------Alma 24
22------275--------Alma 26
23------280-------Alma 29
24------287-------Alma 31
25------293-------Alma 33
26------300------Alma 36
27------305------Alma 38
Remember: Post your name and comment at the end of the blog posting to have your name entered into our FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held next Sunday, November 27th.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of November 13th)
Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,
Quote:
"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, have a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20)
Wow! What a wonderful promise in this scripture. Now to tie this to Emergency Preparedness---if we press forward with a steadfastness in building up our Food Storage and Emergency supplies we will reap great benefits and peace of mind. Also, to be spiritual prepared, if we read the scriptures daily and feast upon them, we will have the spiritual strength and knowledge we need to help us through any trail we face. It may not get rid of the trial, but it will make it a little easy to handle.
Temple Assignment:
2) Roll of toilet paper (This may not fit in the large plastic bag with the other items, put a roll in each family members emergency backpack.)
Quote:
"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, have a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20)
Wow! What a wonderful promise in this scripture. Now to tie this to Emergency Preparedness---if we press forward with a steadfastness in building up our Food Storage and Emergency supplies we will reap great benefits and peace of mind. Also, to be spiritual prepared, if we read the scriptures daily and feast upon them, we will have the spiritual strength and knowledge we need to help us through any trail we face. It may not get rid of the trial, but it will make it a little easy to handle.
Temple Assignment:
This week add the following to your 72 Hour Emergency Personal Hygiene Kits(one item per kit for each family member):
1) 2-3 Respirator masks per person (I got mine from EmergencyEssentials.com, 10 in a package for $12.99, shipping will be $6.00. You can also find them at Walmart and other stores.) 2) Roll of toilet paper (This may not fit in the large plastic bag with the other items, put a roll in each family members emergency backpack.)Great Emergency Light Tip:
Yard/garden solar spot lights are a great source of emergency light at night. Put them around in your garden or planter and pots to catch the sun during the day. If you loose your lights you can bring them into the house at night to give you about 6 hours of light. It will not be a lot of light, but it will be better than being in the dark. Just remember before going to bed to put them back in the garden so they can recharge during the next day.
Spiritual Assignment:
Continue reading the Book of Mormon. This week read the following:
Date---Page----Thru Chapter
14------271------Alma 24
15-----275------Alma 26
16-----280-----Alma 29
17----287-----Alma 31
18----293-----Alma 33
19----300-----Alma 36
20----305------Alma 38
Food Storage Ideas:
How to use older stored wheat---
How many of us have wheat stored from the 1970's which is about 40+ years old and have not used any of it yet? I learned something from Sister Cummings as she is started to rotate and use their 40 year old wheat. When you make bread or bake with it you will need to add some white flour to the wheat flour to make the total amount used in the receipe. If you do not, the bread will come out like bricks. The white flour lightens up the bread. Another trick I learned from Sister Emily Brown in Torrance Ward is to add Lecithin liquid and the bread will be lighter too. Add 3 tablespoon for a whole wheat bread receipe that uses about 9 cups of wheat flour, 1 tablespoon per loaf the receipe makes. You may need to experiment with the amount. You can only get Lecithin from Whole Foods or other health food stores. Most of us will probably not make whole wheat bread with just wheat flour in the beginning, it will cause some very uncomfortable stomach problems if you are not use to it, best to add white flour at first, and then start decreasing the white flour until your family gets use to just the whole wheat flour.
Remember: Post your name and any comments you would like to make and that would be helpful to other at the end of this positing. Your name will be entered into our Monthly FREE Giveaway Drawing to be held Sunday, November 27th.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of November 6th)
Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,
I put this on last weeks blog posting, but I am not sure if everyone saw it, so here it is again.
WARNING! I was just reminded last Sunday by Brother Andy Jensen to NOT STORE YOUR PROPANE TANKS INSIDE YOUR HOUSE OR GARAGE. They need to be stored outside in a place that gets the least amount of sun, keep cool and dry. They can explode if in the house/garage or exposed to the sun to much. In fact, it is a law in California. Also, the church building is not a place to store propane tanks. Thank you Brother Jensen for the reminder.
Quote:
"We all have the responsibility to teach the gospel." (Matthew Richardson, Second Counselor in the General Sunday School, October 2011 General Conference)
What a better way to open the door to sharing the gospel than share with our less-active and/or non-member family members, neighbors, co-workers, and friends, than to share with them about being prepared by having extra food, water and emergency supplies on hand. This is a great way to introduce the church, its programs, the teaching of Jesus Christ and share our testimonies. Invite them over for Family Home Evening and have a lesson on emergency preparedness and then relate it to eternal preparedness.
Temporal Assignments:
If you are working on your 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kit please add the following this week. Remember, you only need one of each item for each kit. Put these items in with the other items in a large plastic zip lock bag and then place the bag in your 72 Hour Emergency Backpack for each family member. Add the following:
1) Small bottle of shampoo and rinse. Try to find the non-water type, meaning you do nto have to use water to rinse out the shampoo. You need to save your water for drinking and cooking. I found the non-water shampoo at the 99 Cent Store.
2) Baby wipes--small package. I found these at the 99 Cent Store too.
For those of you who have already completed a 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kit for each family member, do the following this week, of course, everyone can do this too:
Strive to keep a half tank of gas in your cars at all times. If the electricity goes out and there is an emergency situation the gas pumps will not work. You may need to evacuate. A half tank of gas should get you pretty far. President Kimball admonished us to follow this rule.
Spiritual Assignment:
Continue to read the Book of Mormon. This week read the following as an individual or a family:
Date-----Page---Thru Chapter
Nov 7----228-----Alma 8
Nov 8----234-----Alma 10
Nov 9----241-----Alma 13
Nov 10---246-----Alma 14
Nov 11---253-----Alma 17
Nov 12---259-----Alma 19
Nov 13---266-----Alma 22
Food Storage Ideas:
Inventory your food storage 2-3 times a year. A few weeks ago I mentioned how I had to throw away a hold chase of Potato Pearls, a costly loss. I have created a Food Storage Log Sheet I use to keep track of my Food Storage. I have divided it up into columns to help me. The columns are:
1) What is stored--example, Hunts Diced Tomatoes
2) How many of that item--number of cans or packages
3) Size of the can or package--16 oz, #10 can
4) When it expires
5) Where is its stored--pantry, kitchen cupboard, bedroom closet, hall closet, under what bed,garage, etc.
On the place where items are stored I have a list on the door, what is on each shelf, on the floor and under the beds. It makes it much easier to find things when you are looking for them, since some items are in the very back and hard to see. Example: Top Shelf: Canned Green Bean, Canned Corn, Canned Peas. Second Shelf: Canned Tomato Sauce, Canned Diced Tomatoes, etc.
When you purchase new items put them in the back and rotate the older items to the front so you use them first. Remember: Rotating is important and the key in Food Storage. Also, only store what your family will eat!
Find a way that works for you. If is important to organize our Food Storage, inventory it 2-3 times a year and rotate it so as to not loose items because we forgot they are there and are going to expired soon.
Remember: Post your name and comment at the end to have your name entered into our FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held the 4th Sunday of November. Also, any ideas or thoughts are greatly appreciated and help us all.
I put this on last weeks blog posting, but I am not sure if everyone saw it, so here it is again.
WARNING! I was just reminded last Sunday by Brother Andy Jensen to NOT STORE YOUR PROPANE TANKS INSIDE YOUR HOUSE OR GARAGE. They need to be stored outside in a place that gets the least amount of sun, keep cool and dry. They can explode if in the house/garage or exposed to the sun to much. In fact, it is a law in California. Also, the church building is not a place to store propane tanks. Thank you Brother Jensen for the reminder.
Quote:
"We all have the responsibility to teach the gospel." (Matthew Richardson, Second Counselor in the General Sunday School, October 2011 General Conference)
What a better way to open the door to sharing the gospel than share with our less-active and/or non-member family members, neighbors, co-workers, and friends, than to share with them about being prepared by having extra food, water and emergency supplies on hand. This is a great way to introduce the church, its programs, the teaching of Jesus Christ and share our testimonies. Invite them over for Family Home Evening and have a lesson on emergency preparedness and then relate it to eternal preparedness.
Temporal Assignments:
If you are working on your 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kit please add the following this week. Remember, you only need one of each item for each kit. Put these items in with the other items in a large plastic zip lock bag and then place the bag in your 72 Hour Emergency Backpack for each family member. Add the following:
1) Small bottle of shampoo and rinse. Try to find the non-water type, meaning you do nto have to use water to rinse out the shampoo. You need to save your water for drinking and cooking. I found the non-water shampoo at the 99 Cent Store.
2) Baby wipes--small package. I found these at the 99 Cent Store too.
For those of you who have already completed a 72 Hour Emergency Individual Personal Hygiene Kit for each family member, do the following this week, of course, everyone can do this too:
Strive to keep a half tank of gas in your cars at all times. If the electricity goes out and there is an emergency situation the gas pumps will not work. You may need to evacuate. A half tank of gas should get you pretty far. President Kimball admonished us to follow this rule.
Spiritual Assignment:
Continue to read the Book of Mormon. This week read the following as an individual or a family:
Date-----Page---Thru Chapter
Nov 7----228-----Alma 8
Nov 8----234-----Alma 10
Nov 9----241-----Alma 13
Nov 10---246-----Alma 14
Nov 11---253-----Alma 17
Nov 12---259-----Alma 19
Nov 13---266-----Alma 22
Food Storage Ideas:
Inventory your food storage 2-3 times a year. A few weeks ago I mentioned how I had to throw away a hold chase of Potato Pearls, a costly loss. I have created a Food Storage Log Sheet I use to keep track of my Food Storage. I have divided it up into columns to help me. The columns are:
1) What is stored--example, Hunts Diced Tomatoes
2) How many of that item--number of cans or packages
3) Size of the can or package--16 oz, #10 can
4) When it expires
5) Where is its stored--pantry, kitchen cupboard, bedroom closet, hall closet, under what bed,garage, etc.
On the place where items are stored I have a list on the door, what is on each shelf, on the floor and under the beds. It makes it much easier to find things when you are looking for them, since some items are in the very back and hard to see. Example: Top Shelf: Canned Green Bean, Canned Corn, Canned Peas. Second Shelf: Canned Tomato Sauce, Canned Diced Tomatoes, etc.
When you purchase new items put them in the back and rotate the older items to the front so you use them first. Remember: Rotating is important and the key in Food Storage. Also, only store what your family will eat!
Find a way that works for you. If is important to organize our Food Storage, inventory it 2-3 times a year and rotate it so as to not loose items because we forgot they are there and are going to expired soon.
Remember: Post your name and comment at the end to have your name entered into our FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held the 4th Sunday of November. Also, any ideas or thoughts are greatly appreciated and help us all.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of October 30th)
Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,
WARNING! I was just reminded today by Brother Jensen to NOT STORE YOUR PROPANE TANKS INSIDE YOUR HOUSE OR GARAGE. They need to be stored outside in a place that gets the least amount of sun, keep cool and dry. They can explode if in the house/garage or exposed to the sun to much. Infact, it is a law in California. Thank Brother Jensen for the reminder.
Quote:
"Doing things the Lord's way will make us happier than doing them our way." (J. Devn Cornish, Of the Seventy, October 2011 General Conference)
How many of us try to do things our way, thinking we know best, and only end up hitting a brick wall, making things harder on ourselves and becoming unhappy? We all need to follow the Lord and his guidance. We will be much happier if we do and we will receive rich blessings. Now how can we apply this to Emergency Preparedness? If we are striving to set up and increase our Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items, we will much happier in having peace of mind knowing that we have followed the counsel of our Church leaders (General, Stake and Ward), who follow the Lord, and we are striving to be prepared for whatever might come our way. The Church has provided us with wonderful information on setting up our Food Storage and Emergency Supplies, this blog will also help you. The Lord will help us in our endeavors. We will receive great blessings and provide for our families when the time comes that we need to use our Food Storage. We are becoming self-reliant, as we are counseled by our leaders.
This week a Ward member called me about their concerns about not being able to set up their Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items fast enough. We are all on a budget and in these more difficult financial times it is not easy. As long as we are striving, trying our best, adding may be only an extra can or package, or two, of food each week, or even each month, we are striving to follow the Lord and our Church leaders, we are striving to be prepared. The Lord will bless us greatly for trying and we will feel peace of mind knowing we are trying!
Temporal Assignments (72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack):
1) 72 Hour Individual Personal Hygiene Kit (This week add the following items. One of each item for each family member's Personal Hygiene Kit. Put them in the large plastic zip lock bag with the other items we have added and put it in each family members 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Backpack.)
I purchased both of these items at the 99 Cent Store.
1) Small bottle of hand sanitizer
2) Heavy work gloves
For all families to do this week:
1) Have a fire drill in your home. If you have not talk to the family about this then have a Family Home Evening on Emergency Preparedness and talk about fire safety in your home. Set up emergency escape routes, make sure they know where to meet at outside, put older ones n charge of younger ones (especially if they share a bedroom), and put the escape plan for each bedroom on the back of each child's bedroom door. Check the smoke detectors in your home to make sure they are working properly, if none, put them up. The Fire Department sometimes gives these out free. Purchase a fire latter if you have a second story house and teach your children how to use it. We had Fire Drills in our home every few months. We would call out "Fire, Fire, Fire in the living room", or where ever, (but we would also let them know it is a practice so they would not break any windows as we can taught them if they had to go out the window and could not get it open).
Note: For a spiritual side of FHE, talk about fire safety---Paying your Tithing.
2) Have an earthquake drill in your home. Talk about this in FHE too. Show the family what to do, the best and safest places to go in the house in the event of an earthquake. Have these often too, maybe 3-4 times a year.
Spiritual Assignment (continue to read the Book of Mormon as an individual or family, read the following scriptures this week):
Date------Page----Thru Chapter
Oct 31----186 ----Mosiah 20
Nov 1-----193----Mosiah 23
Nov 2-----199----Mosiah 26
Nov 3-----204----Mosiah 28
Nov 4-----210----Alma 1
Nov 5-----215----Alma 3
Nov 6-----223----Alma 5
Food Storage Ideas:
Where can I purchase food and non-food items for our Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness?
1) The best source is your local grocery store. Only purchase items when on sale and watch the expiration dates. Be very careful of discount stores like the 99 Cent Store, Dollar General, etc., their food items usually expire pretty quickly. You want them to last at least a year, some items are only good for 6-9 months. Do not purchase dented cans or opened packages.
2) LDS Dry Pack Cannery (2730 E. 12th St., Los Angeles, nex to the DI)--You can make an appointment and put together you own dry pack #10 cans of food (dehydrated). Let them know which food items you want to do, usually best not to do more than 2-3 different kinds of food. When there you can also purchase any food items canned by members on the shelf, these are extra they did and did not want. Their prices are very reasonable. Good family activity or get together with a friend or another couple. You must be 16 to run the machine. 14 years can go and can fill the cans but not use the machine. Check to see if you can bring younger than 14 years old to help out. Check out the church LDS Dry Pack Cannery website to see what food items you can can and the cost. I am hoping to set up a day on a Saturday at the Dry Pack Cannery for our Ward. There is a limit of how many can go due to space.
Great News! I just found out you can put your food in the Mylar Pounches too at the Dry Pack Cannery. Now you have a choice, the #10 cans or the pouches.
LDS Dry Pack Cannery website: Go to providentliving.org, click on Home Storage Center Order Form or put in search box. Choose the way you want to down the form to print it out, I used the PDF file.
You can also purchase cases (6 #10 cans) of pinto beans and rice for a reasonable price.
3) Freeze-dried or Dehydrated Foods are your next best choice, which come in the #10 cans or Mylar bags. There are some great companies out there you can order online from and one you can go to in Rancho Cucamonga, about an hour from us.
a) Online Companies--If you want to purchase from an online company I have found EmergencyEssentials.com have the lowest prices. Even with sale items from other online companies I have found they are the lowest. They also carry Mountain House products. And another great thing, the most you will ever pay for shipping is $12, even if it is a truck full. Their shipping prices are either $6, $9 or $12, depending on how much you order.
Great News! EmergencyEssestinals.com has new smaller freeze-dried and dehydrated cans--MyChoice--What a great idea! They have just started selling freeze-dried and dehydrated foods in smaller cans, #2.5 cans. They still offer the #10 cans. The new #2.5 cans are great for those who want the option of the smaller cans and not having to open the larger ones and worry about using it up fast enough. Check out their website for this new size can.
Other online companies are Shelf-Reliance and Food for Health International. There are many others online too.
Shelf-Reliance I find expensive.
Food for Heath International--I like their products, can be a little expensive, but I like the way they package their food, it is all natural, no preservatives, just add water and they taste good. They come in packages, each package usually make 5 servings, and then the packages are placed in a large plastic bucket. They keep for 20+ years. Why I like this way? When you open the #10 cans of freeze-dried or dehydrated food cans you have to use them within a few months, plus the cans can rust if not stored properly. Watch for sales. We have some of these ourself.
b) Honeyville Foods in Rancho Cucamonga (11600 Dayton Drive). The store is clean, organized and well stocked. Go with a friend or two to check it out.
Remember: This Sunday by 9:00am is the last time for this month to put in your name and comment on this blog posting for this Sunday's FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held Sunday, October 30th. Everyone will want this item for their 72 Hour Family Emergency Bag.
WARNING! I was just reminded today by Brother Jensen to NOT STORE YOUR PROPANE TANKS INSIDE YOUR HOUSE OR GARAGE. They need to be stored outside in a place that gets the least amount of sun, keep cool and dry. They can explode if in the house/garage or exposed to the sun to much. Infact, it is a law in California. Thank Brother Jensen for the reminder.
Quote:
"Doing things the Lord's way will make us happier than doing them our way." (J. Devn Cornish, Of the Seventy, October 2011 General Conference)
How many of us try to do things our way, thinking we know best, and only end up hitting a brick wall, making things harder on ourselves and becoming unhappy? We all need to follow the Lord and his guidance. We will be much happier if we do and we will receive rich blessings. Now how can we apply this to Emergency Preparedness? If we are striving to set up and increase our Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items, we will much happier in having peace of mind knowing that we have followed the counsel of our Church leaders (General, Stake and Ward), who follow the Lord, and we are striving to be prepared for whatever might come our way. The Church has provided us with wonderful information on setting up our Food Storage and Emergency Supplies, this blog will also help you. The Lord will help us in our endeavors. We will receive great blessings and provide for our families when the time comes that we need to use our Food Storage. We are becoming self-reliant, as we are counseled by our leaders.
This week a Ward member called me about their concerns about not being able to set up their Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness items fast enough. We are all on a budget and in these more difficult financial times it is not easy. As long as we are striving, trying our best, adding may be only an extra can or package, or two, of food each week, or even each month, we are striving to follow the Lord and our Church leaders, we are striving to be prepared. The Lord will bless us greatly for trying and we will feel peace of mind knowing we are trying!
Temporal Assignments (72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack):
1) 72 Hour Individual Personal Hygiene Kit (This week add the following items. One of each item for each family member's Personal Hygiene Kit. Put them in the large plastic zip lock bag with the other items we have added and put it in each family members 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Backpack.)
I purchased both of these items at the 99 Cent Store.
1) Small bottle of hand sanitizer
2) Heavy work gloves
For all families to do this week:
1) Have a fire drill in your home. If you have not talk to the family about this then have a Family Home Evening on Emergency Preparedness and talk about fire safety in your home. Set up emergency escape routes, make sure they know where to meet at outside, put older ones n charge of younger ones (especially if they share a bedroom), and put the escape plan for each bedroom on the back of each child's bedroom door. Check the smoke detectors in your home to make sure they are working properly, if none, put them up. The Fire Department sometimes gives these out free. Purchase a fire latter if you have a second story house and teach your children how to use it. We had Fire Drills in our home every few months. We would call out "Fire, Fire, Fire in the living room", or where ever, (but we would also let them know it is a practice so they would not break any windows as we can taught them if they had to go out the window and could not get it open).
Note: For a spiritual side of FHE, talk about fire safety---Paying your Tithing.
2) Have an earthquake drill in your home. Talk about this in FHE too. Show the family what to do, the best and safest places to go in the house in the event of an earthquake. Have these often too, maybe 3-4 times a year.
Spiritual Assignment (continue to read the Book of Mormon as an individual or family, read the following scriptures this week):
Date------Page----Thru Chapter
Oct 31----186 ----Mosiah 20
Nov 1-----193----Mosiah 23
Nov 2-----199----Mosiah 26
Nov 3-----204----Mosiah 28
Nov 4-----210----Alma 1
Nov 5-----215----Alma 3
Nov 6-----223----Alma 5
Food Storage Ideas:
Where can I purchase food and non-food items for our Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness?
1) The best source is your local grocery store. Only purchase items when on sale and watch the expiration dates. Be very careful of discount stores like the 99 Cent Store, Dollar General, etc., their food items usually expire pretty quickly. You want them to last at least a year, some items are only good for 6-9 months. Do not purchase dented cans or opened packages.
2) LDS Dry Pack Cannery (2730 E. 12th St., Los Angeles, nex to the DI)--You can make an appointment and put together you own dry pack #10 cans of food (dehydrated). Let them know which food items you want to do, usually best not to do more than 2-3 different kinds of food. When there you can also purchase any food items canned by members on the shelf, these are extra they did and did not want. Their prices are very reasonable. Good family activity or get together with a friend or another couple. You must be 16 to run the machine. 14 years can go and can fill the cans but not use the machine. Check to see if you can bring younger than 14 years old to help out. Check out the church LDS Dry Pack Cannery website to see what food items you can can and the cost. I am hoping to set up a day on a Saturday at the Dry Pack Cannery for our Ward. There is a limit of how many can go due to space.
Great News! I just found out you can put your food in the Mylar Pounches too at the Dry Pack Cannery. Now you have a choice, the #10 cans or the pouches.
LDS Dry Pack Cannery website: Go to providentliving.org, click on Home Storage Center Order Form or put in search box. Choose the way you want to down the form to print it out, I used the PDF file.
You can also purchase cases (6 #10 cans) of pinto beans and rice for a reasonable price.
3) Freeze-dried or Dehydrated Foods are your next best choice, which come in the #10 cans or Mylar bags. There are some great companies out there you can order online from and one you can go to in Rancho Cucamonga, about an hour from us.
a) Online Companies--If you want to purchase from an online company I have found EmergencyEssentials.com have the lowest prices. Even with sale items from other online companies I have found they are the lowest. They also carry Mountain House products. And another great thing, the most you will ever pay for shipping is $12, even if it is a truck full. Their shipping prices are either $6, $9 or $12, depending on how much you order.
Great News! EmergencyEssestinals.com has new smaller freeze-dried and dehydrated cans--MyChoice--What a great idea! They have just started selling freeze-dried and dehydrated foods in smaller cans, #2.5 cans. They still offer the #10 cans. The new #2.5 cans are great for those who want the option of the smaller cans and not having to open the larger ones and worry about using it up fast enough. Check out their website for this new size can.
Other online companies are Shelf-Reliance and Food for Health International. There are many others online too.
Shelf-Reliance I find expensive.
Food for Heath International--I like their products, can be a little expensive, but I like the way they package their food, it is all natural, no preservatives, just add water and they taste good. They come in packages, each package usually make 5 servings, and then the packages are placed in a large plastic bucket. They keep for 20+ years. Why I like this way? When you open the #10 cans of freeze-dried or dehydrated food cans you have to use them within a few months, plus the cans can rust if not stored properly. Watch for sales. We have some of these ourself.
b) Honeyville Foods in Rancho Cucamonga (11600 Dayton Drive). The store is clean, organized and well stocked. Go with a friend or two to check it out.
Remember: This Sunday by 9:00am is the last time for this month to put in your name and comment on this blog posting for this Sunday's FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing to be held Sunday, October 30th. Everyone will want this item for their 72 Hour Family Emergency Bag.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Weekly Assignment and Food Storage Ideas (Week of October 23rd)
Hi Carson Ward Family, Family and Friends,
Quote:
Paraphrased from a talk given by Carl B. Cook Of the Seventy, October 2011 General Conference---
" 'It is better to look up' )President Thomas S. Monson). Looking up leads us to God. Looking up can be a metaphor to remember Christ. We can be released of our burdens, stresses, sins, trials, hardships that are holding us down in life. Always remember him, always look up. We need to have a hearing ear, a seeing eye, look up, God wants us to be happy, he wants to heal our wounds, he leads us along, are burdens are lightened and our sins are forgiven. It is better to look up."
I would like to tie this to Spiritual and Temporal Emergency Preparedness, of course! I love the statement from President Monson, "It is better to look up". What great advise for when we are going through trails in our lives. What a great thing to remember when a disaster hits our lives, either personal or natural. This statement will give us hope and faith in a loving Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ who are always there for us. It reminds me of the talk given by the Temple President's wife at Stake Conference last Sunday when she asked a temple worker how she was doing and she said there was "only one set of footprints today". No matter how difficult things can be or get, our Savior is there holding us up through the most difficult trails. Keep looking up and you will receive his strength and feel his love and guidance.
Temporal Assignments:
Since some of you already have your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Kits/Backpacks I thought I would give another Temporal Assignment for you, really for everyone.
1) 72 Hour Individual Personal Hygiene Kits (add the follow this week):
You can purchase all of these at the 99 Cent Store, the Dollar Tree or $1 bin at Target/Walgreens/CVS, etc.
1) Comb and/or brush (this should not be too big, need to save space)
2) small bar of soap or liquid soap (put the bar of soup in a small zip lock bag and include a small wash cloth)
3) small bottle or tube of hand lotion
2) Add some plastic sheets (or roll of plastic) and duck tape to your emergency supplies. You may need to seal your windows and doors to keep as much contamination/germs from coming in as possible. Figure out how much you will by the number of doors and windows you have in your home.
Spiritual Assignment (This week read the following in the Book of Mormon):
Date---Page---- Thru Chapter
24----- 143------ Omni
25----- 151------ Mosiah 2
26----- 157------ Mosiah 4
27 -----162------ Mosiah 7
28----- 167------ Mosiah 10
29----- 174------ Mosiah 13
30----- 180------ Mosiah 17
Food Storage Ideas---Warning!:
Potato Pearls Excel: I had a case of some Potato Pearls Excel (they come in bags) stored, you can purchase them from the LDS Dry Pack Cannery in Los Angeles, buried in the back of a closet. I did not write the expiration date on them and called the company that makes them to see when they will expire or expired. Turns out they expired in 2007, oh dear! I also learned from the company, they only store for 8 months. I was told by the LDS Dry Pack Cannery they store for 2 years, not the case. They said they are usually used by restaurants and not meant to be long term food storage. OK if you rotate them every 7-8 months. This product is not cheap. They are about $45-50 a case. A costly experience!
I am not saying to not store them as a part of your Food Storage. I love the Potato Pearls Excel, they are really good! You just need to remember to ROTATE them about every 6 months. I would start then since they expire in 8 months. One bag makes a really huge bowl of mashed potatoes and so easy to make. Just add water, or you can use milk, but water works great.
The best way to store instant potatoes for long food storage is dyhdrated or freeze dried, usually good for 20+ years depending the tempature stored.
If you go to the Basic American Foods website, "baf.com", who produces the Potato Pearls, there are some great recipes there and ways to use their, or other, instant dyhdrated and freeze dried potatoes (perals, slices, shredded).
I cannot say enough, I learned even I need to remember this rule of Food Storage--ROTATE, ROTATE, ROTATE WHAT YOU STORE AND CHECK THE ITEMS ABOUT EVERY 3-6 MONTHS!
Remember: Post you name and comment at the end of this blog posting to have your name entered into next Sunday's, October 30th, FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing, it is something for your 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Family Bag, a must for all families.
Quote:
Paraphrased from a talk given by Carl B. Cook Of the Seventy, October 2011 General Conference---
" 'It is better to look up' )President Thomas S. Monson). Looking up leads us to God. Looking up can be a metaphor to remember Christ. We can be released of our burdens, stresses, sins, trials, hardships that are holding us down in life. Always remember him, always look up. We need to have a hearing ear, a seeing eye, look up, God wants us to be happy, he wants to heal our wounds, he leads us along, are burdens are lightened and our sins are forgiven. It is better to look up."
I would like to tie this to Spiritual and Temporal Emergency Preparedness, of course! I love the statement from President Monson, "It is better to look up". What great advise for when we are going through trails in our lives. What a great thing to remember when a disaster hits our lives, either personal or natural. This statement will give us hope and faith in a loving Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ who are always there for us. It reminds me of the talk given by the Temple President's wife at Stake Conference last Sunday when she asked a temple worker how she was doing and she said there was "only one set of footprints today". No matter how difficult things can be or get, our Savior is there holding us up through the most difficult trails. Keep looking up and you will receive his strength and feel his love and guidance.
Temporal Assignments:
Since some of you already have your 72 Hour Individual Emergency Kits/Backpacks I thought I would give another Temporal Assignment for you, really for everyone.
1) 72 Hour Individual Personal Hygiene Kits (add the follow this week):
You can purchase all of these at the 99 Cent Store, the Dollar Tree or $1 bin at Target/Walgreens/CVS, etc.
1) Comb and/or brush (this should not be too big, need to save space)
2) small bar of soap or liquid soap (put the bar of soup in a small zip lock bag and include a small wash cloth)
3) small bottle or tube of hand lotion
2) Add some plastic sheets (or roll of plastic) and duck tape to your emergency supplies. You may need to seal your windows and doors to keep as much contamination/germs from coming in as possible. Figure out how much you will by the number of doors and windows you have in your home.
Spiritual Assignment (This week read the following in the Book of Mormon):
Date---Page---- Thru Chapter
24----- 143------ Omni
25----- 151------ Mosiah 2
26----- 157------ Mosiah 4
27 -----162------ Mosiah 7
28----- 167------ Mosiah 10
29----- 174------ Mosiah 13
30----- 180------ Mosiah 17
Food Storage Ideas---Warning!:
Potato Pearls Excel: I had a case of some Potato Pearls Excel (they come in bags) stored, you can purchase them from the LDS Dry Pack Cannery in Los Angeles, buried in the back of a closet. I did not write the expiration date on them and called the company that makes them to see when they will expire or expired. Turns out they expired in 2007, oh dear! I also learned from the company, they only store for 8 months. I was told by the LDS Dry Pack Cannery they store for 2 years, not the case. They said they are usually used by restaurants and not meant to be long term food storage. OK if you rotate them every 7-8 months. This product is not cheap. They are about $45-50 a case. A costly experience!
I am not saying to not store them as a part of your Food Storage. I love the Potato Pearls Excel, they are really good! You just need to remember to ROTATE them about every 6 months. I would start then since they expire in 8 months. One bag makes a really huge bowl of mashed potatoes and so easy to make. Just add water, or you can use milk, but water works great.
The best way to store instant potatoes for long food storage is dyhdrated or freeze dried, usually good for 20+ years depending the tempature stored.
If you go to the Basic American Foods website, "baf.com", who produces the Potato Pearls, there are some great recipes there and ways to use their, or other, instant dyhdrated and freeze dried potatoes (perals, slices, shredded).
I cannot say enough, I learned even I need to remember this rule of Food Storage--ROTATE, ROTATE, ROTATE WHAT YOU STORE AND CHECK THE ITEMS ABOUT EVERY 3-6 MONTHS!
Remember: Post you name and comment at the end of this blog posting to have your name entered into next Sunday's, October 30th, FREE Monthly Giveaway Drawing, it is something for your 72 Hour Emergency Preparedness Family Bag, a must for all families.
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