Things to come,,,,,,,,

Greetings!!

This will be a short post today, I have so much to get done.  As I told you last week my freezer died with a large amount of food in it.  I managed to get get most of the food into the freezer in the refrigerator, a back up small refrigerator and my electric cooler.  I did give away a few things to some folks who could really use the help.  Yesterday I roasted 6 whole chickens and picked the meat off the bones.  I saved the broth and refrigerated both it and the meat.  Today I am washing canning jars and my pressure canner to get it ready for canning tomorrow.  I hope to remember to take some pictures of the process for posting next week.

Once the chicken is done I will be working on the tomatoes.  I had several bags of Roma tomatoes from my garden last year that I had frozen.  I did not have time to can them last year as I was in the process of moving.  Now I have no choice.  They are thawing and need something done with them.  I plan on making spaghetti sauce and perhaps some stewed tomatoes to can.  Again I will try to take some pictures of the process and post them.

I was going to start canning the chicken today and then remembered I need to make a trip to the grocery store as it is discount day and I can use that extra 10%.  I did not want to have a mess in the kitchen and have to go out so decided to wait until tomorrow to can.  Besides, it is a hot humid day today and tomorrow is predicted to be much cooler.

So, the things to come are pictures and descriptions of canning meat and tomatoes, LOL.

About a half hour ago the monthly emergency siren test was sounded.  It reminded me of how many emergencies can come up in our lives each day.  And how important it is to always be prepared.  I have a basic first aid kit in the car and one in the house for minor injuries.  There is always extra food stocked up in the pantry that is rotated out so it does not go out of date.  I also have water stored in large jugs to use for cooking, cleaning and drinking.  The water is also rotated out so it does not get stale or go rancid.  I feel blessed to have a good sized pantry room in my basement to stock up for emergencies.  I have extra soaps, detergents, paper products, bleach, shampoo, etc.  Every need can be met for several months if need be.  Including supplies for my pets.

The area that I live in in Illinois is subject to tornadoes, ice storms and sometimes large amounts of snow, also flooding, so being prepared is surely a necessary.  A few years back an ice storm left some of my neighbors without utilities for 2 weeks.  Because of the ice it was difficult to get around for a few days and to go shopping for food and supplies.  I did not have to worry because I had a full pantry and a back up plan!!  I hope everyone is prepared when need be.

Until next time,,,,,,,Blessings!!

Being prepared,,,,,,

Greetings!!

I know I have written about this subject before but being prepared for any type of emergency is essential and it is also being a good steward of the things God gives you.  This past Sunday on John Hagee Ministries Pastor Hagee gave a sermon on this very subject.  I found it most interesting but I do believe he left out some important details.

Pastor Hagee was discussing the need to be prepared in case of a national disaster or heaven forbid a war.  He talked about having a good supply of food on hand, an alternative way to heat and cook your meals, a good supply of water, etc.  He mentioned you should know how to garden and have a place to do so to raise food for yourself.  He missed on how to save seed from one year to the next or you might not have anything to grow and he only lightly touched on how to store that food.

Granted I realize his time is limited on each program and getting into such details might be difficult or might need to be done in other episodes, but these are really important things to think about.

I am reminded of this all too well this morning as my deep freezer died last night and it is filled with food!!  I am not panicking yet, LOL.  I will get as much in the refrigerator freezer as possible.  I also have an electric cooler that I plugged in that will keep it frozen for a while giving me time to take care of the food.  My plan?  I am going to can as much of it as possible.  It will be a process that will take several days to complete.  I was planning on doing this anyway but had other projects in the works first.  So, my plans are changed a bit.

This was totally unexpected.  I was going along just fine with my other projects and at the bat of an eye, I have a little emergency.  Isn't life that way?  Emergencies tend to happen rather suddenly and unexpectedly.  I guess that is why they call them "emergencies".  Being prepared for emergencies can save you a lot of heartache.  Luckily I am a firm believer in being prepared!!  I have plenty of canning supplies to get the job done without having to run to the store to pick some up.  What if it were a war or natural disaster instead?  I might not be able to go to the store to buy the supplies I need.  Always good to have supplies on hand!!  Being prepared saves time, effort and lots of worry.

Pastor Hagee was also talking about Biblical Prophesy and what we can expect in the coming months and years as we rush towards the "end of the ages".  Things are going to get really rough folks.  We are already in an economic crisis which is only going to get worse.  The weather is changing drastically as predicted in the bible.  There are more natural disasters and more frequently as well.  Maybe you have not been directly effected by one yet, but you have been indirectly with the rising costs of food, fuel, shipping etc.  When things really come crashing down will you be prepared?

Over the coming weeks I will be posting ideas to help you prepare for any emergency.  There are things that can be done to help you through the rough times, even if you live in an apartment.  So please watch for those posts and in the meantime, start making your own preparedness plan.

Until next time,,,,,,,,Blessings!!