Monday, March 8, 2010
Kids in the Park
Kids in the Park meet every Wednesday morning at 9:30 AM at Ensenada Park. Come enjoy the morning letting your child(ren) play while visiting with friends.
New Baby
We would like to Congratulate Ezra & Kristen Jansen on the birth of their son, Ezra Seth Jansen, Jr.
Born February 18, 2010
Born February 18, 2010
Temple Days
The Relief Society has set two times that we will attend the Temple as a sisterhood. We will go the second Tuesday of the month at 2:00 PM and the second Saturday of the month at 8:00 AM. We would like as many sisters as possible to go to at least one of these two times. If you need a ride you can contact any of the Relief Society Presidency or email adobevillawardrs@gmail.com. We will do our best to make sure everyone has a way to get there.
March Birthdays
2nd Kristie Kempton
3rd Carolyn Gabbitas
5th Valerie Jensen
6th Fran Olsen
8th Bette Frassa
10th Margaret Shreeve
10th Jaime Jones
11th Lori Bottomley
12th Darlene Baker
13th Ashley Guiterrez
14th Brenda Eldredge
18th Shana Wilson
20th Cielo Barrett
22nd Sandra Heywood
23rd Ila Gold
24th Grace Mejia
28th Joyce Fuller
29th Kelly Taynor
3rd Carolyn Gabbitas
5th Valerie Jensen
6th Fran Olsen
8th Bette Frassa
10th Margaret Shreeve
10th Jaime Jones
11th Lori Bottomley
12th Darlene Baker
13th Ashley Guiterrez
14th Brenda Eldredge
18th Shana Wilson
20th Cielo Barrett
22nd Sandra Heywood
23rd Ila Gold
24th Grace Mejia
28th Joyce Fuller
29th Kelly Taynor
15 Minute Emergency Kit
With four major earthquakes occurring around the world in the last two months (three of them just in the last 2 weeks, and one of those just yesterday), emergency preparation has probably been on quite a few minds recently. I even heard a spot from our state's governor on the radio yesterday letting everyone know of our state's preparedness web site and other resources.
One of the main things that is suggested on most of the government and community preparation web sites is to have an emergency "kit" (sometimes called a 72-hour kit or a bug-out bag) for each member of the family, that contains items that would be useful in possible emergency situations.
There are many options for kits out there - you can purchase pre-assembled kits, you can make your own, or you can do a combination of both. As an aspiring "frugalista", I really wanted to make my own because I was pretty sure I could do it for pretty cheap, and doing my own meant I could customize it for my family's needs.
In an emergency situation, the top priorities are water, wound care and sanitation/hygiene. You can go a few days without food. You can go for weeks without a shower or brushing your teeth or shampooing your hair if you had to (no, it wouldn't be pretty, and it might be downright miserable, but you'd at least survive).
But you CAN'T go for very long without water. And if you happen to get a wound (which is quite likely in an emergency) and it gets infected and is untreated, you just plain WON'T be able to go for very long - period.
small backpack
sweatshirt/jacket
bottled water [it's not the recommended 3 gallons, but it's certainly better than nothing, and you can add more if space and weight allow]
assorted adhesive bandages
antiseptic wash (or alcohol wipes or iodine)
antibiotic ointment
otc pain relievers
any prescription meds you take on a daily basis
food for 1 day [I just grabbed 6 granola/nut bars - convenient, no cooking required, and could be easily rationed if needed]
bar of soap
washcloth
roll of toilet paper
(for the gals) feminine hygiene products
[If you have a young child, you might want to include a baby blanket, cloth or disposable diaper(s) and possibly a bottle and formula]
It took about 15 minutes to gather all these items. There was still about 6 inches of room at the top of the backpack, and even with the water bottle included, the entire pack only weighed 5lb 10oz. It was fast, cheap (all items came from around my house already) and lightweight.
Remember, this is not a deluxe version. This is just a quick put-together kit that you can do on the cheap that will get you started. But even this bare-basics kit will still get you a lot farther in an emergency situation than having no kit at all.
Of course, the idea is that you can then add to and customize your kit as time and finances and circumstances allow. There are many more things you might want to add if space and weight will allow. But even if you don't add anything else, at least you'll have something put together should the need ever arise (but hopefully it won't).
Here's a quick list of other things you might want to add on (and this is by no means an exhaustive list):
flashlight
trash bag/rain poncho
copies of important documents (birth certificates, IDs, contact information, etc.)
additional first aid supplies
change of clothes and additional cold weather items (hat, gloves, etc.)
additional personal hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste, wet wipes, razor, etc.)
knife or survival tool
additional food
whistle
matches
solar blanket
water purification tablets or water filtering device
hand sanitizer
etc.
[For additional resources, check out www.ready.gov or www.fema.gov/areyouready.]
One of the main things that is suggested on most of the government and community preparation web sites is to have an emergency "kit" (sometimes called a 72-hour kit or a bug-out bag) for each member of the family, that contains items that would be useful in possible emergency situations.
There are many options for kits out there - you can purchase pre-assembled kits, you can make your own, or you can do a combination of both. As an aspiring "frugalista", I really wanted to make my own because I was pretty sure I could do it for pretty cheap, and doing my own meant I could customize it for my family's needs.
In an emergency situation, the top priorities are water, wound care and sanitation/hygiene. You can go a few days without food. You can go for weeks without a shower or brushing your teeth or shampooing your hair if you had to (no, it wouldn't be pretty, and it might be downright miserable, but you'd at least survive).
But you CAN'T go for very long without water. And if you happen to get a wound (which is quite likely in an emergency) and it gets infected and is untreated, you just plain WON'T be able to go for very long - period.
small backpack
sweatshirt/jacket
bottled water [it's not the recommended 3 gallons, but it's certainly better than nothing, and you can add more if space and weight allow]
assorted adhesive bandages
antiseptic wash (or alcohol wipes or iodine)
antibiotic ointment
otc pain relievers
any prescription meds you take on a daily basis
food for 1 day [I just grabbed 6 granola/nut bars - convenient, no cooking required, and could be easily rationed if needed]
bar of soap
washcloth
roll of toilet paper
(for the gals) feminine hygiene products
[If you have a young child, you might want to include a baby blanket, cloth or disposable diaper(s) and possibly a bottle and formula]
It took about 15 minutes to gather all these items. There was still about 6 inches of room at the top of the backpack, and even with the water bottle included, the entire pack only weighed 5lb 10oz. It was fast, cheap (all items came from around my house already) and lightweight.
Remember, this is not a deluxe version. This is just a quick put-together kit that you can do on the cheap that will get you started. But even this bare-basics kit will still get you a lot farther in an emergency situation than having no kit at all.
Of course, the idea is that you can then add to and customize your kit as time and finances and circumstances allow. There are many more things you might want to add if space and weight will allow. But even if you don't add anything else, at least you'll have something put together should the need ever arise (but hopefully it won't).
Here's a quick list of other things you might want to add on (and this is by no means an exhaustive list):
flashlight
trash bag/rain poncho
copies of important documents (birth certificates, IDs, contact information, etc.)
additional first aid supplies
change of clothes and additional cold weather items (hat, gloves, etc.)
additional personal hygiene items (shampoo, toothpaste, wet wipes, razor, etc.)
knife or survival tool
additional food
whistle
matches
solar blanket
water purification tablets or water filtering device
hand sanitizer
etc.
[For additional resources, check out www.ready.gov or www.fema.gov/areyouready.]
Freezing Cheese
You can easily freeze cheese in your freezer, so if you find that killer deal on cheese, or if you are like me and you scavenge the discount bins and are buying cheese close to the best before date, you can easily freeze it for use later.
If you are using cheese for cheese sauce, pasta noodles, etc, grate the cheese first, and then freeze in either a freezer bag or with your food saver. As it freezes, remove it from the freezer a few times to shake it, so the cheese doesn't stick together as it freezes. This way, you can grab just as much cheese as you need.
Note: did you know that the “cheese companies” put additives in the shredded cheese to make it not stick together? YUCK!
If you would like to freeze it in blocks, do note that the cheese will change texture slightly. So it will be fine for grilled cheese, for example, but not as good for cheese and crackers. Wrap the cheese well in foil or plastic wrap, wrapping as tightly as possible to prevent air reaching the cheese. Then place in a bag, squeezing as much air as possible.
Plan to use frozen cheese within 4 to 6 months. Thaw cheese in the refrigerator. Use soon after thawing.
The cheeses that freeze best are brick, Camembert, cheddar, Edam, mozzarella, muenster, Parmesan, provolone, Romano and Swiss. Blue cheeses are more prone to becoming crumbly but they'll still taste good. Cream cheese and cottage cheese do not freeze well.
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