What did I do to prep today?

I haven't done too much this week to prep.  Tomorrow I'm going to try to make up for it although the way things have been going lately something else will come up to mess up my plans.  Today I did do some things, so at least the entire week wasn't a bust. 

 

The other day I was on the Lehman's website and ordered a catalogue.  It came today and I was able to glance through it.  I figured this would probably have some things in it that I would like to have on hand.  I love kitchen things and when I saw the handcrafted cherry noodle cutter, which looks like a rolling pin with lots of edges to cut 3/8" wide noodles, I said that's something that I would love to have.  Never mind that I have and Atlas noodle maker which was shown on the same page.  That noodle maker works by putting in your dough, turning the handle, and out comes your noodles slices in whatever size your cutter is set to.  There were stoneware crocks that I would love to use for making pickles or sauerkraut.  Right now I use gallon sized Vlasic pickle jars.  I think the most useful thing that I found was the plastic storage caps for canning jars.  They are just plastic lids that fit onto canning jars so you don't have to use your rings to keep the jars closed.  They were under four dollars for a pack of eight reusable lids.  The catalogue was free.  You can get one from their website at www.Lehmans.com

 

Other than ogling over the catalogue, I went back to GI Jim's today to use another one of my $20 certificates.  Today I picked up a knife.  I don't remember the brand but it had a small serrated edge at the top and a several inch straight edge.  The knife also had a seatbelt cutter and a point to break a window.  It will be a good knife to carry for work. I also bought two little thumb use can openers.  These cost fifty cents each and are going to be gifts for the two grandkids.  They will love them.  Now all I will have to do is actually use food that comes in cans so they can practice using them by opening the cans.  I can see it now...girl and boy fighting over who gets to open the can for me.  I better use two cans when I prepare meals with cans!

 

Jim and I had a good conversation about being prepared...storing food, knowing how to hunt and prepare what you've caught, living without electricity if things come to that, preparing children, etc.  Conversation turned to the paracord that I bought last time.  Since I made a headband and belt for girl and a belt for boy, I wanted to know if there are other colors that I could buy.  Olive drab is a great color but I was hoping to get a navy blue or black if navy wasn't available.  He said that he'd order navy for me.  I figure if the kids or I are wearing navy paracord belts it would look less conspicuous than the olive drab.  That just shouts out military - or I am pretending to be military.

 

One of the other things we talked about is coming up with little get home bags or more likely "stuck in school" bags for the kids since school will be starting in a couple of weeks.  I am going to rig their backpacks to have a false bottom.  Inside this false bottom will be a storage space for a few items although I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to want to put into them.  School is 5 1/2 miles from home and they've walked it before, so them getting from school to home isn't really an issue.  Yes they are 8 and 9 and no I did not give them permission to walk to school and back by themselves...they just did so one day this summer when they were bored(...little monsters).  Perhaps a poncho to keep off rain, some granola bars, first aid kit, walkie-talkies (although the ones we have only have a two mile range without obstructions - good from the house to the back of the property, etc.).  It would be nice to be able to communicate with them if something went wrong.  Something to think about.  

 

Overall, I didn't accomplish a lot today to prep but I did put some more good ideas into my head.  That's always a start.