72 Hour Kits

With natural disasters going on in the world, we thought it was about time we put together our 72 hour kits. Getting out the door to go anywhere with four kids is a challenge; we needed to have things packed smart and light to grab and go in case of evacuation. The kids were a big help and now are so excited for an emergency to happen. (Umm, I told them we need to rotate the food every couple years, so let's not wish for a disaster).

I read a few websites and came up with a meal plan and essential items that work for us.
3 days of meals:
breakfast - juice box & 2 granola bars
lunch - juice box, tuna and crackers & raisins
dinner - vienna sausages & applesauce / kippered snacks & pb crackers
9 water bottles, nuts, mints


toothbrush, toothpaste, sunblock, chap stick, body wash, lotion, deodorant, wet wipes, tissue (for tp), emergency blanket, whistle, compass, poncho, antibiotic ointment bandaids, head flashlight, permanent marker (for labeling kids with name and contact info - I know it sounds morbid). Diapers for Fiona. I carry a nylon cord and water purification tablets; Ben carries a tarp. We need to pack a change of clothes and emergency contact info, and then we're set!


If we are able to evacuate by car, I'll prepare a shelf in the garage with our tent, wind up radio, cases of water, and maybe a case of canned soup, camping stove, etc. Still brainstorming here... Suggestions on what works for your family?

The Smith Days of Christmas

Here is a link to our latest creation, "The Smith Days of Christmas" photo book. Hope you enjoy seeing a slice of our year.

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=6c90ff06c588a6e7&sid=0IYs27Fq4cMXWw

Merry Christmas!

Love, The Smith Family

Steph, Fiona, Ben
Chase, Abby, Isa

First Egg Breakfast

We made a feast from the eggs we gathered from our backyard chickens. The eggs are brown and the yolks a happy sunny yellow. Maybe it's in my head, but they seem more delicious than store bought eggs. Either way, glad they're so tasty. We haven't bought eggs since. (If anyone is considering raising chickens, I highly recommend it. They are surprisingly easy to keep).

Our First Egg

Chase collected our first chicken egg! One of our hens (we think Penny) began laying after only two and half weeks after arrival, earlier than we expected. Two other hens (Snowy and Ginger) began laying a week or so after Penny. Nutmeg, however, is a little confused. She tries to dig her own nest in the dirt instead of using the one already there. She hasn't laid eggs yet, but we're hopeful. (Ben has jokingly threatened to eat her unless she gets a move on). I guess she's waiting until she has a comfortable spot. It's amazing. We never get tired of gathering eggs. It's a miracle every day!

Special Delivery

Our chickens arrived at the post office today. We excitedly picked them up, drove them home, and opened up the box. We have four Gingernut Rangers! They are excellent egg layers; a hybrid related to the Rhode Island Reds. Really beautiful birds. The kids each picked out the one they wanted to name... Nutmeg, Snowy, Penny and Ginger.

We got them in their new home without too much trouble. They need to stay in their run for five days while they learn where home is. They seem to like it here just fine.

In My Pretty Garden

It is always a miracle to me that seeds actually grow. And even more amazing when we harvest food! The growing season starts early in Louisiana; March 15 is usually past the last frost. According to a national growing map, we get 10 months of growing season. Now the trick is learning to make the most of it. We are very new at this, but having a blast!

Omlet Eglu

For our birthdays, Ben and I ordered an Eglu from Omlet. What's that, you ask? The greatest way to keep chickens in your own backyard! We figured, "We're in Louisiana; why not raise chickens?" But the bigger motivation is all part of becoming self sufficient.

The design is pretetor proof and super easy to clean. I had to go all the way to Alexandria (an hour drive each way) to pick up the shipment (that was the closest Greyhound station to us). The two huge boxes fit in the back of my van with the back bench seats stowed down. (Yes, the kids had to share seat belts on the way home - don't call social services. Hey, I remember the days when we'd roll around in the back of the van, playing crack the egg, as my mom made sharp turns, but I'll save that for another post).

I put the whole thing together with help from Chase and the two kittens. Now we are waiting for our mail order chickens to arrive. Seriously. They are "point of lay" chickens which means they are around 18-20 weeks old and should begin laying 2-4 weeks after we get them. They will be overnighted to our local post office. Crazy, huh?

Shelf-Reliance

I am so excited about our new rolling shelves. Abby helped me hammer the shelves together, and Chase helped me sort, measure, and roll on the cans. Fiona loved to "help" by removing the magnetic can lables. The unit fits perfectly in our laundry room, which doubles as a pantry.

Compost Bin

I know it's silly, but I get get so much satisfaction from projects like making a new compost bin. Our old compost bin, which was just the plastic mesh tied to form a circle, kept getting blown over during rain storms. Abigial helped me construct this wood frame and attach the mesh to it. It works great!

The Nativity

Ben suggested that I don't spend so much time this year designing a Christmas card. I agreed... and ended up designing a book. To view the finished book, see: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IYs27Fq4cMXLA&emid=sharpbshar&linkid=link5&cid=EMsharpbshar
Click "View photo book" and then "Play Slideshow".

I got the idea while watching the First Presidency's Christmas Broadcast (http://www.lds.org/move/index.html?type=Christmas&event=2008&lang=english) and ran with the inspiration.
We created it for our family to start the tradition of reading it on Christmas Eve, as well as for a gift for the grandparents. If expense were no issue, we would love to send each of you a copy, but as that is not possible, we hope you enjoy the slideshow version.

Merry Christmas!

24 hours and $25

So, I thought our house would look better if the shutters were black.

I did a little research, asked a friend (who had succeeded in painting her shutters last year - thanks, Meredith) and in doing some initial investigating found I could easily remove them by carefully using the back of a hammer without having to replace the anchor pegs. While Ben was out of town (the time I usually initiate big projects) the kids and I picked up some spray paint and set to work.

First I carefully removed all the shutters while Abby helped me sweep out the cob webs.

Chase helped jet spray the shutters while I scrubbed and dried them.

Then I spray painted each shutter while the kids scootered in the driveway and babysat Fiona (who was awake by this point). After running Isabelle to tap class I finished up the spraying. While the shutters were drying I swept and sprayed down the side of the house before hanging up the masterpieces.

It was a race against the sun to finish up. There is no better feeling than working hard and then enjoying the fruits of your labors at the end of the day. I must have paced around the house and basked in the joy of my gorgeous new shutters for a good half hour before going in for the night.

Here are some pics of the grand result the next day...