Wednesday: Project Complete

Yesterday was a relaxed day as far as working on the family room. The second coat of paint went on the big wall that had all of wallpaper on it. A few things were placed in the bookcase, and organized.

I'm thinking of ordering some movie posters for the room to over the Klipsch Cornwalls. It is really nice to get the family room back in order. Sweetheart was right and it really bothered me to have the house in such a wreck. I am saying that the project is completed, but there are a few loose ends. I want to have a charging station for the boy's game systems. I'll also have to figure out a non-cluttering place to put my school work.

We do have a shoe cabinet, but it doesn't get used like it is supposed to be used. Shoes usually get left where ever they get dropped. Well, I'm off to move a washer and dryer for my father-in-law.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Tuesday: Project 21st Century: Finishing Touches

Well, it is barely Tuesday by about 15 minutes, and I feel like I'm keeping Mr. Rat's hours. Howdy Mr. Rat!!! I've even popped a Newcastle to celebrate the progress that has been made in the living room. Since this morning, I've removed the last of the wallpaper, painted the trim, and painted all of the walls. The big wall will need another coat tomorrow. My Mom is coming over to help paint. I had to save her something ;-)

Sweetheart went to bed early tonight. Last night, Red Ant woke us up, and she has a hard time falling back asleep, so she was kinda tired. At this point, I had just finished adding the detail work of brown paint (You know, the job no one likes to do when painting has to be done).

Anyways, I thought that I would surprise her when she woke up in the morning. The picture below is what it looked like when everyone went to bed.

There still needs to be some minor details done tomorrow, but I hope that Sweetheart is surprised by the progress. Probably not, she knows me better than myself sometimes. The boys should be excited too. They were banned from the family room yesterday, and really thought it was cool what Daddy was doing. That's another reason I pushed on into the morning. The boys get roused from the sleep, and carried into the family room to dress, then watch some TV before heading out the door. I don't want to break their routine.

(opens second beer)

I've listened to Pandora all day, and it has really helped pass the time quite pleasantly. You should check it out if you aren't familiar with it. I started with Hall & Oates for some 80's rock, and finished with some Roger Waters.

The TV is still about four feet from the wall

Looking opposite the TV.

 (The vacuum cleaner will find it's home in the closet once the path is cleared)

Just to jog the memory...

That's all I got folks....Goodnight and Keep Right On Prepping - K

MRE Monday - Chicken Fajita

This is part two of the MRE Mexican dinner review.

Nutritional Information:

Seasoned Chicken breast with rib meat (chopped and formed) with peppers and onions

Serving Size: 8 oz.
Calories: 160
Calories from fat: 30
Total Fat: 3.5g or 5% DV ( Daily Value )
Cholesterol: 50mg or 17% DV
Sodium: 980mg or 41% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 11g or 4% DV
Dietary Fiber: 1g or 4% DV
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 19g
Vitamin A: 8% DV
Vitamin C: 10% DV
Calcium:  0% DV
Iron: 2%

Expectations:

We had already tried this entree, but needed to do it again for the blog and kids.

Realities:

Row, the seven year old, liked the chunks of meat and little else. He did eat several bites, so it got his seal of approval.

Ant,the four year old, already had his mind made up before he took a bite, and it was that he didn't like it. This is a running theme with him and MREs, and I'm not sure on how to remedy it.

Sweetheart, the super taster, noted that this would be another MRE that would go great over rice. I would have to agree. She liked it

I thought that the meal was mediocre by itself, but had real possibilities once paired with other MREs. I didn't like the fact it had a more of a soup consistency, but I was able to fish out enough substance to make some fajitas with the tortillas. 

Final Thoughts:

A couple of these and some rice would take care of a hungry crew with little prep. The boiling water for the rice wouldn't take long, and it probably wouldn't give your location away. A lot of the comments were done from memory, since the family room is a disaster because of painting. I'll flush out the comments once I find the index card with all of the notes.

Stars: * * * (3)

Sunday: Project 21st Century: Brute Force and Finesse

Before any of the update begins, I need to do some house keeping. A huge Thank You for the donations. I should have been a lot prompter in my post, and I guarantee that the money will go to good use!

I also need to welcome a new follower...Constitution Coalition and his/her blog is the same title.

On a personal note, I have broken 100 countries and 10,000 unique visitors from the United States on my blog. Only 313,890,000 more people to reach about prepping and personal responsibility.

The title of the blog (Brute Force and Finesse) says a lot about this me and my Sweetheart. I approach most problems from the viewpoint of a hammer, and all problems are nails. Sweetheart has more tact and finesse.The huge, I mean huge wall would be a great example. I was trying to power my way through the wallpaper.

Sweetheart's work

Sweetheart, who has more finesse, took the smaller putty knife and worked it under the layers of wallpaper, then carefully slide it around. The net result has huge chunks of wallpaper coming off with little less effort. She ended up spearheading the big wall project while I played cleanup and detail work. If I had continued my manly ways, I probably would have ripped all of the sheet rock out, and started from scratch. Finesse wins this round of home remodeling.

This is what was left after she was done...or my job.

The Piranha wallpaper remover worked on the big wall. The only thing that I can guess is that the paint or texture is different. Around a third of the wallpaper removal, I ran out of the $7.00/half gallon bottle of Piranha. On a whim, I sprayed Simply Green on the wallpaper backing, and to my surprise, the results were better than the more expensive stuff.

What's left to remove along the borders.

Same

Can you believe that this is the big wall?

File this one away folks...Simply Green removes wallpaper paste, is cheaper, and non-toxic.

Keep Right On Scraping & Peeling!- K
 

Saturday: Project 21st Century: Trial and Error

We took off the outer layer of the wallpaper around the tops of the walls, and it has been a lot more work than originally planned. I heard the old saying that you double the time and amount spent on your original estimate and you'll get a good idea the true cost of your project. Well, it's holding true.

The outer vinyl from the ceiling border was a breeze to take down. The boys got a huge kick out of seeing who could pull the longest piece of wallpaper. Row won.

The under layer is a different matter. I tried to wet the paste and backing with water, let it sit for a few minutes, and tried to peel it off. Nope. I then tried a putty knife, but it only took out a few lines. A quick search on the internet found that vinegar and hot water would take the paste off real easy. I tried a new batch in the spray bottle and let it soak into the backing of the wallpaper. The putty knife again went after the backing and the results were the same.

I tried a small spot on the opposite wall to see what I was up against...

Underneath the old world map wallpaper, was another lovely wallpaper flower print. The owner before the one that I bought the house from was a widow, and I'm sure that she had a hand in picking out this pattern, or her flamboyant handyman. So, I'm not sure how this is going to translate into time committed for the project, but it's not going to make it any shorter.

I also remembered that Woolite mixed with water would also take the wallpaper backing off the wall. It doesn't.

While I was working on the border, Sweetheart was on the opposite wall peeling wallpaper. The big wall. She was making some good progress in removing both sets from the wall. The paste will need some heavy elbow grease to remove it. I tried a small patch, and it worked. I'll have to clean the wall with hot water and some Dawn to remove all of the paste, and to prep the wall.

This morning

This morning the boys and I made a run to the Lowe's and bought a small bottle of Piranha Wallpaper and paste remover (professional strength). After reading and following the directions, it was also a fail. The only thing that has worked so far is wetting the backing, letting it soak, using a putty knife, wiping it clean with a rag, using a steel wool scratch pad, wiping it down again, reusing steel wool, then doing the final wipe down. It took about 2.5 hours to do the shorter wall, but one wall is done. All I can say is that it works, even though I'm not happy with the rate of progress.

(break between writings) 

This day's progress was slow. We went to church tonight, which was a much needed break for my sanity, and arms. The process goes like this: wet, wait, scrape with putty knife, wipe with rag, scrape again, wipe with rag again, use steel wool for the stubborn paste, wipe it down, cock head to see if all of the paste is gone, climb down ladder, climb back up ladder for forgotten tools, climb down, move ladder. Repeat as neccessary.

I've managed to get two walls done, and about 20% of the big wall. Not too bad, considering I had to watch the kids most of the day as well. I'm thinking that this won't get done by the time the beach trip rolls around. I've got to complete some paperwork for the school, which will probably take a day. I'll also be helping my father-in-law move a washer and dryer into his house. He needs the help, and has offered to pay me for my time. I'll take a full tank of gas for the truck, and a few bucks. After all, he needs the help.

Anyways, I need to get back to the wallpaper, but it just might wait until morning.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Project 21st Century

I have started an ambitious project of repainting the living room this semester break. I get about little under 3 weeks between semesters, and the living room is in dire need of a makeover. The hallway was officially completed yesterday! A full two days behind my schedule for the break. The last week will be spent at the beach with a slew of family and relatives descending on The Caribe like summertime locusts.

The hallway project started about a month ago quite by accident. Well, not so much an accident. As I was walking past the wallpaper that covered the lower half of the hallway, I reached out and started to peel it off. A bigger chunk than I was expecting came off, and so it started. The lower portion of the hallway was a different color than the top, and it looked rather tacky. It needed some attention, and we've been in this house for over ten years. It should have been done a looong time ago.

The visqueen is covering the attic fan, and during the summer and winter months, the heat/cold pours into the house. The double layer of visqueen probably saves us over $40/month just from heating and cooling.

Looking down the hallway

Looking up the hallway

The gate was to keep the kids off the stairs, but now used for canine control.  Our viscous dog, would lick intruders to death if allowed to run free. Our rescue dog is our oldest kid, and earns his keep by saving us money on an alarm system. He has been a wonderful companion, and excellent with the boys.

The new project, is running two days behind because of the hallway and my slothfulness. I've already taken all the personal pictures down, and done some small tasks. The previous owners had plants hung from the ceiling, and the hooks have been removed and patched as of yesterday. From the photos below, you can see that we painted a small area of the wall to make sure that we like it.

The house is being prepped in anticipation that we will be selling it within the next year, so that the boys can go to a better school. Using the house as a rental has also been discussed, since we owe so little on the mortgage. The daycare is no longer providing after school care, ergo our "reason" for a transfer won't be valid anymore.

This brings us full circle to the project at hand: Bringing our family room into the 21st century, and out of the 1980's!! I have the idea to post nightly pictures as the project progresses...it'll be fun to see the progress and to document the changes.

Facing South, entering from the entry hallway.

Old color on the left, new one on the right. Valspar Nighthawk Satin Finish.

The big 65" TV against the wallpapered wall. This wall will takes HOURS!!!

Our lovely curtains from the previous owners...begone.

The bookcase between the two doorways.

Well, you can see the project ahead. Time to get working, and I'll post tomorrow.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Ammunition Update

In my neck of the woods, it seems that the ammunition shortage has eased up a bit. While 22LR is still unavailable at my local stores, at a reasonable price, most other ammo can be found with a little hunting. I noticed shotgun ammo was available throughout the shortage, but the usual amounts on the shelves was gradually decreasing during the whole "crisis". I'm beginning to wonder if the cost of the other ammo had eaten into the shotgun category for purchasing??? Either that or the amounts available had also taken a hit.

The online retailers are also more reliable in their selection and prices. The prices have started to drift downward, but not to previous levels. I'm not quite sure if we will ever see pre-shortage prices again. Hopefully. I've also noticed that the major players in retail have stopped advertising ammo prices, which is understandable. A good indication that the shortage is over will be the beginning of advertising for ammo again.

Magazines have become plentiful for my weapons, and in a few cases cheaper. Supply and demand at work. Curious that the people complaining about the high prices in the beginning aren't being vocal about the price drop. They should be lined up to pay the full retail, if I was supreme ruler of the universe. I was actually ahead of the curve on magazines, but still need to purchase the magazines for the guns that I'll be buying in the future. You can guarantee that the PTB haven't forgotten about their failed attempt to ban them. There will be new legislation in the future, they're just licking their wounds right now.

While I had a good stash of ammo, I didn't have enough to continue training during this time frame. This means that I didn't have enough (period) I'll be bumping up the amounts as money allows.

The only thing that I really haven't tracked is primer, leads, and brass. How is the reloading supplies in your area? By the way, my region is the South.

Comments are welcomed and encouraged.

Mundane Monday

I'll have to owe you an MRE Monday, since I've got to close out my Summer clinical work through Trajecsys. It's an online tracker, or logsheet, of all of my x-ray procedures that I've done the last eight weeks.


Sounds fun doesn't it? Anyways, I'll post again tomorrow....Oh, and I got an A for a clinicals and an A for Advanced Patient Care this semester. 9 hours of A's should bump the GPA up a little.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

It's expensive...I should know.

The Sunday Times

At our home things are starting to wind down for the summer. I'm brushing up on my anatomy for my final validation of the semester. I'll also be carrying forward two comps for the next semester. I passed my ACLS course, and am now certified for Advanced Cardiac Life Support which should give me a slight edge when applying for jobs. I've also written a sternly worded letter that our graduating class stands behind, because of some of the new policies that have been implemented by the college directors. It will cost each student several hundred dollars, and a lot of time. A few of the items are redundant things, such as another physical and another certification for BLS almost a full year early. I'll be running the letter by my advisor and department director to proof, mainly to make sure that it is professional and polite. I'm certain that it will have no direct impact on the policies, but I had to voice my concerns. Maybe the ivory tower occupants will hear a peasant's voice? 

The boys are taking  Red Cross swimming safety skills through our dive shop in anticipation of our annual trip to the beach. We are all about real world safety skills, just in case. They have had a big time this summer without having to spend a ton of money. We've tried to keep things simple (read: cheap/frugal) since I'm in college.

Money has been tight, but Sweetheart has been working two evenings a night on her other job.Which means that I've had to step things up with the chores, and taking care of the house. The boys are getting older and able to help out more around the house. It usually takes longer, but we are trying to have them become productive members of our society. No sense in raising another free loader, there is enough of those already!

The boys already earn their own money by doing chores. Their main source of income is school by good behavior, and keeping up with their school work. We feel that that is their job until they get out of college. Hopefully they will be smart enough to get an education early. I have some regrets about not going to college sooner, but I wouldn't have met my wife and had my two adventurous boys if I hadn't waited so long. How time slips away so quickly...

The hallway painting project has been rather slow, with only a few hours on Sunday being the norm. It should be completed soon after I'm done with the summer semester though. Like I said earlier, I've had to pick up the slack on chores. It seems that most projects take way too long around here. My Dad would have it knocked out on a weekend or a day.

Speaking of which, they have become regular readers of my blog. It kinda throws me for a loop every now and then when they mention something that has been posted. Hi Mom and Dad! I wasn't really sure how they would take the whole preparedness blog, but my Grandmother and Granddad were better preppers than our family. Grandmother always had a full pantry, probably enough for a good six months worth of food for the two of them. When Y2K was coming up, I asked my Mom if she had thought about it, and she said that "Yeah, we'll go to Grandmother's house".

Courtesy of Google

Sweetheart and I have talked about this very scenario. What do you do when your parents and other family members start showing up at your doorstep after a SHTF event? We'll post our thoughts after we hear your comments.

Comments are welcomed and encouraged!

School Supplies

Just a friendly reminder to be on the look out for special sales on school supplies.

 

Last year, I picked up crayola crayons for 25 cents each, packs of pencils for a penny each, sheets of paper for less than two dimes, folders and notebooks were deeply discounted as well. In addition to school supplies, Kleenex, Ziplock bags, and peanut butter were also deeply discounted. In our household, sheets of paper are made into books and our boys make their own comics. The sales weren't all at on time, but the items would be the weekly special to entice the parents into the store to buy all of their school supplies from them. Use this sales gimmick to your advantage, and if possible donate to a worthy cause. We usually spent $20.00 on crayons when they go on sale, and bring the loot to the daycare.

There will be deals this year, so stay vigilant and save some money.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Today In Interventional Radiology

I was working in close proximity to a bunch of doctors, and this guide came in handy:

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Finally, It All Evens Out

Today at summer clinicals, I assessed my second lower extremity, a knee. It officially gives me an A for the Summer semester, and they can't kick me out this semester for not meeting the minimum. :-)

I also got my comp for a Frog Hip and a Barium Enema, the B-E is a fluoroscopic procedure. Most second years don't get their B-E Comp until the very end of the year. This is how I felt earlier today:

Take Care and Keep Right On Prepping - K

My Kind Of Day

I did my clinical rotations today, and it was one of those days. I've been trying all week to get the "perfect" lateral knee radiograph. It boils down to getting the perfect patient, the perfect tech, and the perfect schedule, or as the students at school call it: Winning the trifecta.

The "perfect" lateral knee x-ray

FYI, this isn't any of my knee x-rays today. The first knee that I got today belonged to an older gentleman, and his knee had swollen to the size of a grapefruit, and very sensitive to the touch. Needless to say, that touching the epicondyles on the femur was a big no-go. The image was rotated, ergo unacceptable for my last lower assessment.

I did a few more x-ray routines, and had the opportunity to get a pre-comp for a cervical spine. It takes two pre-comps then the next one is considered a comp that you take to your advisor to validate the x-ray. Anyways, the poor guy comes in and is unable to lift his chin even a few inches, and he is standing all lopsided as a bonus. I try to angle the x-ray to compensate for the limited range of motion of the top of the spine, but was unable to get the Odontiod through the open mouth. I had to call in a registered tech to show me another way of capturing the image. Fail number two, for those keeping score.

After a few more routines, I notice that there is another knee in the line up for x-rays. I asked around to see if anyone else needed a knee, and it was all mine. I went to one of the four x-ray rooms, and got it ready for the patient. The Ortho clinical wanted a weight-bearing bilateral knee.No problem. I head to the waiting room, and call the name of the  patient. Guess what? A 70+ year old sits up and hits the knob on his wheelchair and speeds towards me. Great! We chitchat a little bit on the way to the examine room, and find out he is able to stand for a few minutes at a time. "Well, at least I've got a chance", and it's a bilateral, so I have two chances!

We get to the room, and he drops the bomb on me that he has had a stroke, and when he stands he has a constant case of vertigo. He is deaf in the right ear and has 70% hearing loss in his left ear. To recap, the Doctor wants a standing x-ray on an elderly man, in a wheelchair, that is mostly deaf, and has the same balance as a drunken sailor. 

I drop the bucky board, the image receptor, down to knee level and get him into a standing position. On his right is a staircase that we use for weight-bearing feet x-rays, so he is able to hold onto the railing to steady himself. The tube is close enough in front of him, in case he leans too far forward. On his left, he has the hand rails, that is attached to the bucky board for chest x-rays, all within a cozy 40" radius. One problem solved!

Now keep in mind that I have to crawl through the handrail fortress to get him into position, and correctly mark each image. I hurriedly take the two front shots of the right and left knee before he has to "take a rest." No problem, I've got all day, and I need him fresh and steady for the harder lateral images. I get him back to the chair, and we take about a ten minute break.

I get him back onto his feet, and one leg in front of the other. At this point, he is swaying around like he is being repeatedly being punched by Mike Tyson. He's holding on fast, while I rotor up the x-ray tube, and try to time the x-ray when he is in the correct position.

I came pretty darn close! There is a little rotation, but I should get extra bonus points for this one. I'll run it by my advisor tomorrow, and see if I get the green light. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for me.

Oh!, and as an added bonus the next guy that I had was a foot x-ray. I sail through the first two x-rays and I get him in the next position, and he farts in my general direction! Simply Wonderful and all before lunch.

The rest of my day pretty much played out the same, and by 3:00pm, I'm sure that it is 5 o'clock somewhere!

Josh, my friend and classmate, is taking Advanced Patient Care with me and we had our last test today. I scored 28/30 while he scored 30/30 - both A's. This Saturday, we are taking Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification. When we pass the certification, it will count as a 100% for the final exam and we will both finish the course with A's.

K:     319.00/338
Josh: 323.00/338

Josh won the friendly competition this semester by 4 points, and I'll buy him a beer at the next opportunity as a congratulations. 


We walked out of the library, and the Express shuttle bus was just pulling up to take us to the student parking lot. How perfect was that? We talked about how the day had gone, and that we would take many more bad days at clinical to have it end so well.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

(All images were taken from Google Images with no HIPAA violations)

MRE Monday - Refried Beans and Tortillas

We actually did three MREs this weekend, but I'm gonna sandbag the Chicken Fajitas for next week.

Nutritional Information for Refried Beans:
Serving Size: 5.0 oz.
Calories: 160
Calories from fat: 25
Total Fat: 3g or 5% DV
Cholesterol: 0mg or 0% DV
Sodium: 460mg or 19% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 25g or 8% DV
Dietary Fiber: 8g or 32% DV
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 8g
Vitamin A: 0% DV
Vitamin C: 0% DV
Calcium:  8% DV
Iron: 15% DV


Nutritional Information for Tortillas:
Serving Size: 2.12 oz. for 2 tortillas
Calories: 220
Calories from fat: 70
Total Fat: 8g or 12% DV
Cholesterol: 0mg or 0% DV
Sodium: 320mg or 13% DV
Total Carbohydrates: 34g or 11% DV
Dietary Fiber: 0g or 0% DV
Sugars: 0g
Protein: 4g
Vitamin A: 0% DV
Vitamin C: 0% DV
Calcium:  15% DV
Iron: 8% DV

Expectations:

Any canned variety would be nice, and any Tex-Mex variety from the many Mexican restaurants in our area.

Realities:

Row, the resident seven year old, thought that the tortillas were as good as the store bought. The refried beans were the big surprise of the night though: "Ding,Ding" was the answer when I asked him what he thought of them. He also described them as "excellent." We were both surprised by this review from Row.

Red Ant, the four year old,also enjoyed the tortillas but not the refried beans. Truth be told, the refried beans did have a spicy kick to them and Ant isn't our spicy eater. Score one for the tortillas, and zero for the beans.

MIL loved the refried beans, and wanted to know were she could get some more. She also said that they were "the best tasting beans ever!"

Sweetheart, who could eat Mexican everyday, is my expert in this food category. The beans had random bits of spice that she thought were a nice touch. The MRE refried beans "were kinda thick, and would make an excellent bean dip." The tortillas were also a clear winner tonight too. The tortillas were moist, and pliable straight out of the package. Most tortillas have to be heated before being used as soft tacos, otherwise they tend to tear and break apart.

I thought that the tortillas were excellent, but once again I was concerned about the cost per tortilla. The tortillas were excellent and among the best that I've had in a while. I had mixed emotions about the refried beans. They were too thick, and could have used a little liquid after being heated up.

Final Thoughts:

The MRE refried beans and the MRE tortillas were $1.39 each. For me, the cost would only be acceptable for a cache or an extended backpacking trip.

For home storage, I would choose canned pinto beans (at half the price) and make them into refried beans with a little butter, fajita seasoning, and an electric mixer. The tortillas can be made with Masa mix , water, and a little shortening for a long term food storage solution.

Stars:

Tortillas * * * * (4)

Refried Beans * * (2)

Just a Quick Note

I'm still alive, just hunkering down for school. It also seems that my writing muse has taken a short vacation without me. Perhaps she got tired of all the prepping talk, and needed a little beach time. Speaking of which, we will be headed back to the beach in early August between semesters.

Take Care, and Keep Right On Prepping - K

This Weekend In Review

The Fourth of July was another great event at our house. We had another couple over with kids and hung out in the carport just like last year's celebration. Teriyaki wings and Sriracha wings were appetizers and the orange soda, cokes, and beer were iced down the night before.

We celebrated old style with a blow up pool, two sprinklers, water guns, and water balloons for the kids. They got the biggest kick out of the shaving cream and water balloons though.

I took a lot of my music and put about 300-400 songs from the 80's onto the computer and we played name that tune. You got half a point for the artist and half a point for the name of the song, if either one is incorrect, then points double for the next person that can correctly identify it. I also added a twist with the option of double or nothing with 80's TV trivia as the theme. The early questions involved a lot of Three's company, and it quickly became a running joke when the bonus phase started. Last year's champion kept her title. She was naming songs with only a few notes, and her husband was saying " How do you compete against that?" (She won both rounds)

The afternoon meal included grilled chicken, corn on the cob, salad, mac and cheese, and a fruit and fresh cream dessert. The kids had hotdogs and chips in addition to anything that they wanted from the adult menu. Row was sneaky lucky and had about four small orange sodas before any parental units figured it out...but it was a "special occasion." We try to limit the soda intake for the kids to only special occasions, and for myself, I try to limit one per day.

The rest of our weekend will include church, painting, and cleaning. Oh, and we are going to see Despicable Me 2 on Sunday as a treat for the boys. This is Ant's third time to go to the movie theater, but Row has been quite a bit.

While we aren't putting away food, practicing our outdoor skills, or prepping. We are building something more important - memories.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

A Ton Of Free Downloads

Here is a ton of FREE downloads for the prepper that I ran across, and I had to share.

SOURCE: http://www.preppers.info/Free_Downloads.html

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Big Brother In Your Pocket

Okay, everyone informed people know that the government (NSA) is recording your calls and collecting a lot of information about it's citizens.  It is safe to assume that anything ever Googled, clicked on, emailed, or looked at on the internet is also being recorded and archived. Credit card purchases too.

German Green party politician Malte Spitz, who is against internet censorship, sued to have his information released by Deutsche Telekom . His phone acted as a location device for his movements by triangulation of the cell towers. The data was made into a map with his actual movements over a course of six months.

Chilling...click to see what your government admits to collecting and think of what they can collect.

Keep Right On Prepping and think OPSEC - K

2013 Challenge Update - June Accountability

*Increase our families preparedness food supply to 6 months of long term storage.

We rotated a few pantry items: First In, First Out. Same as last month. We had a major score of over 60+ packages of Mac and Cheese this month for .49/each.

*Get into better physical shape - diet and exercise.

Jan 1st : 182.2 lbs.
Feb 1st: 179.4 lbs
Mar 1st: 184.2 (Too much birthday cake!)
Apr 1st: 186.2 (Okay, wrong direction!)
May 1st: 184.6
Jun 1st: 186.0
Jul 1st: 184.5
Aug 1st:
Sep 1st:
Oct 1st:
Nov 1st:
Dec 1st:

*Get better organized in the home.

We have been trying to maintain at least some level of neatness. It's a constant battle!

*Complete some long standing projects - Kitchen and downstairs bathroom.


The hallway has been stripped of wallpaper, paint colors selected, and the ceiling painted this month. The progress always seems to go slow, but the weekend should prove some major progress. After this semester, the living room will be getting a much needed facelift. I'll be posting pictures of the progress as it develops.

*Reorganize our food storage into a better logical format.

Still in good shape - need to bring canned goods back up to par level.

*Get better grades in school ( 3 A's 3 B's last semester ).

*Clinicals -
*Online Classwork -

Doing two online classes and clinicals Monday through Friday has been quite the challenge this semester.


 *Go to the range more often with Sweetheart.

Nothing this month due to busy schedule and lack of time to hunt for replacement ammo.

*Teach the kids new practical survival skills : outdoors skills, common sense camping

I'm working on plant identification with the boys, poison ivy and dandelions have been identified, and we will continue to build on these basic plants. It will be good to be able to id them during all seasons, when possible.

*Learn to bake better bread.

I think that I've baked maybe two loaves this month.

*Pick three skills to work on with wife.

*Be more consistent with the MRE Monday reviews.

We missed one review, so 19 out of 23. I'll be missing one today as well.

*Improve our family's water plan.

I bought another bottle of bleach, and used part of the old one to rotate out stock.

*Do a monthly review of each for the blog to hold myself accountable.

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