Preparedness

Part of "getting our feet back under us" has been building up our food storage and other emergency items that we needed.  I've said it before, but I love, love, love having shelves!  In Arizona you can't really keep food storage due to the heat so we've had fun building up a supply of food. Even my pantry was small and most people I know in AZ used a linen closet to also store food in or built a wall to create one out of a great room.   I think we probably have 6 months worth at this point.  We also now have a car kit in one car for snow trouble.  The kids for family night one night made safety kid books with their fingerprints and DNA samples (a lock of hair) and Carter filled out the forms for a cub scout badge.  I've had those forever and never filled them out.  I don't have pics of it, but after many hours without electricity one week, we loaded up on candles, a lantern, and flashlights with batteries.

Goals by the end of the year for preparedness:  shelves in our new house, water storage, canning equipment like a cold pack, vacuum sealer and dehydrator, another car kit, possibly a generator, update our 72 hour kits.  I heard a good suggestion for that.  Take out your 72 hour kit at every General Conference and make sure everything in there is fresh (like the food) and up to date (like the kid clothing sizes).  Then you know that every six months you've kept it up to date.