Using up and making do...

...this one is about finishing up projects.

 I have finally finished my "floor pouf".  I started it so long ago that I can't find it in my archives.  It was inspired by a picture at maya made when she released her book.  It is made with some random piece of thick fabric from my stash, a zipper salvaged from a pair of old coveralls at work, and it is stuffed with...

... all kinds of bits and pieces.  Fabric bits too small to use, failed projects that can't be salvaged, strange pieces of material passed on to me by others (that aren't nice enough to be used in other projects), and the trimmings from the crocheted T-shirt rug project.  It took me months and months to stuff this pouf bit by bit (hence, the zipper).  I brought it out to show the family when the last bit of stuffing went in and they quite literally dove on it.

S wants one made out of old jeans, and N wants one too - he's not too particular what it will look like, so I will be saving every single piece of scrap for the next long while to stuff some more.

 I have also finally used up the herbs I had dried this past summer (the non-food herbs that is) to make a quite large sachet for the linen closet.

 

This one is stuffed with lavender, penny royal, mint and tansy because that's what grew well enough to harvest enough to stuff a bag.

 Remember the dyeing with walnuts post from the fall?  I just kept throwing fabric into the pot to see what else I could dye...this is the last piece that went in.  It didn't come out as I had hoped so it was in the reclaim pile.  I folded it in half, serged two sides, stuffed it, and then used some "lavender" embroidery floss to sew it shut.

I think it is so pretty!  It kind of looks on purpose, even though it was made with scraps.  I love when that happens.  Also, a note - the blanket stitch was added because when it is time to replace the herbs inside, it will be super easy to rip that out and refill it.

And because it is three things on Thursday:
#3) patience pays off.

 

I have been looking for a stainless steel tea kettle for camping for the last several months.  I didn't want to buy a new one (but I almost did when they went on sale 1/2 price).  I picked this one up yesterday from our local on-line perpetual garage sale for a great price.  Now I'm so glad I waited.

Linking up with: Stash Bash at Crunchy Catholic Momma

                         The HomeAcre Hop over at the self-sufficient homeacre

                         Backyard Farming Connection Hop # 19  

                         Keep Calm Craft on over at Frontier Dreams

                         Eat Make Grow Blog hop at Foy Update  

                         Wildcrafting Wednesday at the self sufficient homeacre

It's Thursday...

I have realized that I have a very hard time keeping myself to a schedule.  I was so desperately trying to keep to the "baby steps to preparing for emergencies" by putting it together with "three things on Thursday" but things are just too darn unpredictable, especially when the kidlets end up sick on Thursdays.

Here is something interesting though:  if you are a regular reader, you may remember from my last "Thursday" post that I was trying to clear up the basement...at least get everything up off the floor.  That Thursday night, I finished off roughly 1/3 of the basement.  Every last bit was off the floor near the door that goes outside, and consequently, near the washing machine which, plumbing-wise, is the low point of the house.  Saturday morning, our plumbing backed up and partially flooded the basement floor.  The newly cleaned basement floor that just two days before had cardboard boxes full of "stuff" lying all over the place.  Pheee-yoof.  Close call.  So, there is # 1 for today - emergencies come in all shapes and sizes.  It's not the end of the world as we know it that I am preparing for, but all those little nasties that catch us unaware (not that I judge the preppers who do - more power to you).

#2:

I received this little booklet at work - from our insurance company, which I thought was pretty funny since most people I know don't give it a second thought.  It had a great suggestion in it, which I plan to do.  Since most of the important phone numbers I need are stored on my cell phone, I will be printing up individual cards with important numbers that we will keep in each evacuation bag, in my purse, and on the bulletin board in case of emergencies.   They suggest the following:

-adult workplaces
-ambulance/medical services
-children's school/daycare
-credit card companies
-dentist (this one is already on the bulletin board from the time that S smashed out his 3 front teeth- baby teeth thank goodness)
-doctors and specialists
-electrician (good one - I hadn't thought of this - ever)
-family, friends, neighbours (since these are in my address book, I am not sure I will include them)
-fire department
-home security provider (if applicable)
-hospital/ health clinic
-insurance provider (wouldn't have thought of this one on my own either)
-pharmacy
-plumber (you bet it's going on the list after the other weekend)
-poison control
-police
-provincial telehealth or health information hotline (I won't be adding this, since the 3 times I called they couldn't answer anything I asked - what, pray tell, is the point?)
-utility providers - gas/electric/water
-veterinary (need this, wouldn't have thought of it)

#3) Also from the little booklet:  they list some emergency preparedness resources.  I haven't visited them yet, but I will be doing so this week, hopefully:

St. John Ambulance
Canadian Red Cross
Provincial/Territorial Emergency Management Organizations
Public Safety Canada
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Insurance Bureau of Canada
For kids:  Scouts Canada and Girl Guides of Canada

So, how about you?  Any baby steps, or big giant leaps, getting ready for emergencies.  Please share.

More baby steps to emergency planning

I took a little break from my "planning for emergencies" while I was preparing for the holidays, but once we got back into town, I realized we were missing a few things that I should get as soon as possible.

Our biggest threat right now would be power outage from a winter storm so I thought it was time to get my self in gear and collect the items to make these emergency long lasting lantern/candles:

picture taken from salt n prepper's DIY list

 which I found via Pinterest

I was able to find narrow lantern wicks at Canadian Tire, and the liquid paraffin is from Green Earth.  After I bought the paraffin ($5.99 for 500ml), I realized that although it burns cleaner than kerosene, it is still lamp oil, so if I need to refill them, I will probably stick with the kerosene as it is $6.00 for a liter.  I didn't buy the squat mason jars, as I have plenty plenty of mason jars at home.  I will be cutting the slits in the jar lids this week (hopefully) to fit the wicks, but as I read that the paraffin wax evaporates, I will only fill them when I need them.  I still have plenty of candles on hand to light the way long enough to fill the lanterns - thanks to my lovely sister who brought me a whole box full on her last visit.

# 2  While we were out at the mall (that's where our Canadian Tire is), I found $5.00 flashlights on sale for $1.49, so I bought 4.  One for each of our evacuation bags...something I had forgotten until my sister mentioned that on her visit as well. Oh, and I added a peanut butter jar of dried cat food to my own bag, for our furry little friend.

And #3:

This is something that I tucked into the boys' stocking this year - for camping I told them (sly).  The tutorial for the little pouch is on my sidebar if you need it.  I added a small floating compass that pins onto your clothes, a whistle and bright yellow bandana to attract attention should they need it, and a tiny knife (because they love knives, and I don't have scissors in the evacuation bags).  They have clipped it onto the strap of their evacuation bags, so that when we go camping we will know right where to find the pieces, at which point it can be clipped to their belt loop.  Since my husband already owns a compass, he just got the whistle and bandana (I think that will be used more for answering the boys' whistle calls than anything else, but you never know), and I made myself a little kit too, but mine is in one of the pockets of my backpack as the bag does not have a clip on it yet (very typical of me, by the way...to finish theirs but not finish my own).

What I'm finding as the weeks go by is that taking these little baby steps has actually gotten us ahead faster than I thought.  We still have a long way to go, but at least now it isn't as overwhelming as when we began this journey.

So...here's my question...are you doing yours in baby steps or a whole bunch all at once to get it out of the way?  Anything you would like to recommend to those who are following along?

Three things on Thursday - being prepared

1)  With so many people getting ready to travel for whatever holidays they celebrate (even if it's just holidays from school and work), I thought I would use this chance to remind people traveling by car to make sure the car is stocked with a small emergency kit.  Jumper cables, water, blankets, a candle and matches, flares, etc.  You can get a pre-assembled kit or make your own fairly quickly.  Also, if you are traveling in the cold, please make sure you take along a warm coat, boots, hats, mitts, etc.  Even if you are wearing your pretty party clothes, with the lovely high heeled shoes, it might be a good idea to take along your warm things (even if you are not wearing them) in case you get stuck on the road.

2)  I highly recommend printing off this list of 50 last minute things you can do if you have a bit of notice of an upcoming emergency situation.  The kind of thing you can do if you have a day's notice of a storm coming.
I had meant to share this a few weeks ago when I first came across it, but I misplaced it and only found it again this morning.  Print it off and store it in a safe place (where you will remember it) so that if you aren't prepared now, you can take the steps recommended to put yourself in a better situation.

3)  Stay safe, make some memories, take some pictures, spend time with family and friends and have yourself a good time.  Whatever traditions you keep, for whatever holidays you celebrate, make the most of it...you'll be thankful for it later.

Here is one of our favourites:

...And, as a bonus, I received a wonderful surprise the other day.  Someone very near and dear to me has finished packing her and her husband's evacuation bags!  Woohoo.  The best Christmas present I can think of.  Here's to hoping we never have to use them...any of us.

Three things on Thursday - getting prepared

If you are a regular reader, you will notice that posts have been sporadic at best lately.  I am finally ready to share in the hopes that I help someone else at the same time.

My father-in-law has been ill for some time with cancer.  A few weeks ago, he fell in his home and ended up having to go into the hospital.  He caught pneumonia, and because of his weakened state, he was unable to pull through it.  We had to say good-bye way too early.

Here is the thing:  He was prepared.  Since his illness began, he had time to "get his affairs in order" and it made me realize that if something happened to us (my husband and I), we do not have our affairs in order and it might leave the kids in a bit of a lurch.

So, for three things on Thursday, here is what I plan to work on as soon as possible:
    -we finally made our will a few years ago, but the executor does not have a key to our house, so no way to access it...need to fix that.
    -our lawyer said to have a chart of all banking accounts and financial information attached to it - we did that, but all of our information has changed since that time so it needs to be updated
    -we want to get a fireproof / watertight box so that all of the important information will be safe and sound

and here is an extra for this week: I really need to make copies of our licences, SIN cards, health cards, etc.  One copy to keep in the fireproof box once we get it, and one copy for the evacuation bag.

Not the most pleasant post, but if we get prepared, hopefully we will save someone a huge headache.

What about you?  Did you do anything this week to prepare for emergencies?  Any tips for us?  Please feel free to share in the comments.  Thanks.

Three things on Thursday - getting a prepared a bit at a time

I missed posting "three things on Thursday" last week but here is a little something I have been working on to continue getting prepared for emergencies a little bit at a time.

 I saw these on a website I found the other day and thought they would be a great thing to have in case of an extended power outage during the coming winter.  I have to say, I felt a little silly going to buy wood shavings when we composted some all summer long, but the bag ended up costing about 3 or 4 dollars, and I have made three of these so far.  There is enough left over to make several more, once I pick up a bit more wax.  They are supposed to be able to keep a small room from freezing, and if you put a grill over it, you could even warm up some food.  I haven't had a chance to test them yet, but I intend to before I make more.

I found a hurricane lantern at the Goodwill, for a whopping deal of $5.00.  It didn't have any wicks though, and I thought I was going to have to McGyver one, but after searching around town, I found some in the camping section of Canadian Tire - just a note to any of my Canadian readers who may be looking for some.  A six pack was $6.00 and I don't think I ever ever have changed the wick in my original hurricane lantern, so I am expecting them to last a while if they are only used in emergencies.

Lastly, I finally decided that I should indeed add hand sanitizer  to our evacuation bags, so I picked up the three small bottles of it.

How about you --- did you take any baby steps this week?  Please share your tips, comments, and helpful finds to help us all out.

Three things on Thursday - Adding to the food stash

If you have been following my blog lately, Thursdays have been all about preparing for emergencies (combined with Three things on Thursdays).

Last week's goal:  I did in fact by two jugs of vegetable oil (they were on sale -and the expiration date was 3 years...crazy!).  I also managed to clear away some of the non-food items from the pantry and put some of the dry goods into plastic totes.  They aren't air tight, but they should at least be insect and rodent proof.  For my third item, I picked up two cans of pineapple juice and one jar of buckwheat honey after reading   this post by Mackenzie at While the Water Boils last week...things to stock up on for cold and flu season...I didn't know about these two and added them to my stash.

I also added a tin cup -found at the Goodwill for next to nothing - to each evacuation bag (feeling very little house on the prairie...remember the one where they each get a tin cup of their very own for Christmas and are so excited they no longer have to share) as well as a bandana to each bag.  And I have partly packed a suitcase on wheels with spare camp bedding.  I say partly because it still needs sheets, but I don't have many extra of those...

This week's goal:
1) I noticed that I am running low on a few canned foods - corn, pineapple, and pears specifically, so if any
of those are on sale I will pick up a few.
2) I must get a photocopy of our important documents to include in the evacuation bags
3) I noticed our car emergency blankets were in the garage yesterday...don't know why, and my hands were full so I couldn't put them where they belong at the time.  Must remember to do that today.  Oh, and put the emergency candle back in there for the winter.  Won't hurt to check the whole kit while I am at it.

If any of you are doing this along with me...you might want to go back and check the comments on some of the older posts.  Some very good suggestions have been made there.

So...what are you getting ready this week?  Are you focusing on one thing, or adding to what you already have?  Are you starting out or completely stocked?  I'm curious how people go about preparing.

Three Things on Thursday - March 15

I'm not feeling very well today, so that's all for now.  Have a nice day.

I see some stash bashing in my future

Before I forget...if you haven't yet entered the Give-Away, go here (if you want, of course).

Now...to the future stash bash..

A few weeks I entered a give-away for this book...and I won! 

Thank you very much to Adrie at Fields and Fire for the generous give-away.  It arrived last night.  

I had read about it on a few blogs and was really quite interested in checking it out.

So, I thought I would share with you the first three projects I plan to make, since it is Three things on Thursday.

 First up will be this little gardening apron...once I saw it I realized I need a gardening apron.

Next up will be this hat, or something very similar.  I think my family will be happy to see a hat replace the bonnet that I wear in the yard (and maybe, once or twice, to the beach).  You see, apparently, my bonnet is embarrassing (to them of course, not to me).

And this little guy caught my eye.  I don't know who I will make him for, but I do believe that I must make him.  He's in the queue anyways.

What are you planning to make?

Sometimes you just feel fancy

...or otherwise could be called "in which I spend way too much time on a bookmark"

In general, I am not a very fancy person.  I don't where fancy clothes.  I don't have fancy things in my house.  My garden is almost strictly functional rather than for "landscaping".  But once in the while, I find myself spending an insane amount of time on an every day item to make it just simply over the top.  This week, I did just that.

This is my new book mark.  It is gigantic.  I made it to hold the page in the book I was using for learning cables (see yesterday's post if you wish).  It is 15" long...and beaded...

This is the top.  It has three rows of beads.  Hold on, I think I have a more close-up view...

This is the bottom...

Ok, here is the top.  There is a row of dangly bits in the center, and then a loopy kind of row on each side.

and here is my very sad attempt at showing you how to make it.

I had a tiny piece left from my kitchen curtains.  Fabric that I love.  Fabric that I thought would be too small to make anything useful with, but I kept it anyways.  So I cut a rectangle, folded it in half, sewed around the edges.  Then, I strung on the beads.

I started with the middle row.  Just string the beads onto your needle in the order that you want them.  Top off the row with a seed bead, then string back through the row the opposite direction...all except your seed bead, which will hold everything in place.  Then stitch back through your fabric and do the next row. 

For the loopy rows, I strung on the beads for each loop, and placed a stitch where I wanted the loop to end, and kept going along both sides.  I took me well over an hour and a half to make this bookmark,

but isn't it fancy?!?

So, although you can see by the size of it, it didn't make much of a dent in my stash...but, it was stash busting just the same (the beads are left over from a bracelet I made for a friend a few years back).

Please come on over and join the stash bash fun at Crunchy Catholic Momma.

And speaking of fancy...it is time for Three Things on Thursdays.

I have 6 of these green goblets.  We use them for grapefruit (as here) or fruit salad, or whatever, when we are in a fancy kind of mood.  And for "feasts", warm water and a lemon wedge as finger bowls.

So, three things:
1.  Whenever we use them, N calls whatever is in them the "appetizer" (except when they are finger bowls, although they have both been known to skip the finger bowl part and just drink the lemon water).  He sets them on the table, and is just thrilled to be eating his "appetizer"...even if it was part of his supper anyways.
As I said, we are not fancy people, so a real and true appetizer does not make a frequent appearance around here.  It is enough just to get the dinner on the table most days, yes?

2.  I love them because for years, I imagined them as Tasha Tudor's finger bowls from "Becky's Christmas".
These finger bowls were a part of every holiday.  They were of thick green glass, and after dinner everyone wet the tips of his fingers and ran them around the edges of the bowls, making thereby wonderful singing vibrations without which Becky would have considered a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner incomplete.
Note:  Mine do not make "wonderful singing vibrations".  They are just pretty.

3.  I once found another set identical to this, but in orangey-yellow at a vintage shop while I was looking for something else.  For $1.00 a piece.  It took every ounce of my will power to leave them behind (we are working on living with less "stuff", right?).  I have never been back to that particular store because I don't think I would be able to leave them behind a second time on the off chance that they are still there.

Enjoy your day everyone...will it be fancy?