For Sunny Days

Yesterday my mother's car broke down. To make a long story short, AAA had trouble securing a tow truck and she was there for about five hours. For the most part she waited outside with the continued assurance that the tow would be there "any minute." By the end of the day in the Florida sun, she was a bit sunburned.

Her experience got me thinking.

Here in the Southland and almost anywhere these days, survival preparedness includes sun protection.

I had also been looking for my next project. With a few hours of Dancing with the Stars on the telly, last night was a great night to sew. This hat came from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing.
I am a big fan of this book because it came with full size patterns in a little storage pocket. No enlarging patterns! No lost patterns!


I used a scrap of denim from my stash of $2 Loft odds and ends and a thrifted sheet. While I did have some issues with tension and my bobbin was acting up, it was an easy project. The book suggest taking several nights to make this. It did take me the full three hours of DWTS. I measure my sewing time in TV shows. While the length was prime time, the degree of difficulty was just an I Love Lucy.




The brim is a good size and this would be good for the playground. The fit is OK. I have a big 'ole head and the hat sits pretty high up there. This one shows the usual first time blips and bumps. Next time I might make the crown a bit shorter and wider to accommodate my "five head."

Since this one is a tad wonkey, it's going into the survival backpack. Soon, I will make another to keep in the car. And, if I am not totally sick of it, I hope to make another to stash in my desk for recess.

The first step to disaster preparedness is knowing your risks!

I took a short quiz on preparedness. You can take it here.

Of the ten questions, I answered "no," as in not prepared, to nine of them! Yikes! My biggest risk is lack of effort!

Today I am going to talk about the disaster supply kit. I have known for many years that I should have three days of food and water on hand for an emergency. The reason I don't have it has been logistics.

Our apartment is fairly good sized, but it lacks storage. Where would I store food, water and clothes for three days?

I thought of storing it in a bin in my closet, but in an earthquake, I imagine that my clothes and boxes will all fall on the floor of my closet and bury my survival supplies. I also considered storing bins out on our balcony. But, again in an earthquake, if our building is structurally compromised I am not going out there! Maybe the trunk of our car? No, that is in the lower garage some six stories below us. Probably not a safe place after the earthquake!

My fears and concerns have been largely addressed by this wonderful disaster kit that I received from California Volunteers! My whole problem was that I was thinking too big! Water and food for three days means survival rations, not actual meals.

These are some of the items in my survival kit!

1. The first is an Emergency Ration bar . This little bar broken into serving rations will provide enough calories for survival for the two of us for three days! Although it says "pleasing lemon flavor" I am sure it will be quite gross. Still, it is the foundation. Now, I can keep other foods in my pantry and use and restock them as needed to supplement the kit, but the bare necessities are in there and it will last for up to five years! The ER Bar is available here for $2.95.

2. Next in the kit is "The Light Saver" a solar powered flashlight radio that can also charge a cell phone!! You can get one here.

3. Itty bitty first aid kit. This tiny box has a bunch of stuff, but no rubber gloves. I added a pair of those and will get a few more pairs soon. These kinds of kits are available everywhere.

4. The next item, Emergency Drinking Water in a pouch was a real eye opener for me. When they say drinking water for a day, they don't mean the huge water bottles I normally drink in a day, they mean enough to live. These pouches contain 4.225 oz and they reccomend drinking two a day. So for us, six pouches would be enough for three days. Compared to plastic water bottles, it takes up hardly any room and weighs very little packaged this way. Also these pouches have a five year shelf life. A six pack of these pouches is just over $1!

5. Many different brands of these face pads are out there. What a nice thing to wash your face when I imagine the air conditioning will be out!

6. Disinfecting wipes. Love it in a travel size!

7. This little silver pouch is an emergency blanket! When I was thinking about blankets, I was imagining, well...my woobie. Big, bulky, pluffy goodness. At the very least I was thinking sleeping bags. We have those things and can grab them, but this little emergency blanket is really what we need in a pinch.

8. A Pur Water Purifier Kit. I'm thinking this could be very handy since the above water pouches are just the bare necessity. This kit would help provide water for cooking and extra for drinking.

9. Flashlight with batteries.

Also included in the kit was a box of baby wipes. We all know how handy those are!

QuakeKare.com has a wealth of information and sells a variety of these kinds of kits already made up. For about $100 you can get a really comprehensive kit. I plan to add a few additional things to my kit. I need to add an extra set of house keys, Purel, rubber gloves, matches, sunscreen, a can opener, toothbrushes and toothpaste, a hat for each of us and sunglasses, Tylenol, and a few other personal care products. I think I can squeeze in a pair of socks and underwear for both of us as well. There is a great checklist for creating your own kit here.

As for my storage concerns...




The basic kit fits under my sink! This vanity is located right by our front door on an interior wall so it's pretty safe and best of all out of sight!

I hope that this post has inspired you to make your own kit!

Soon I will blog about a family disaster plan. I am currently working on completing ours.

And, over at my other blog...I am giving away a coupon for a free pack of Pampers Diapers!

Ooo La La! That's French for Goodness

My partner in the Sweet Goodness Spring Time in Paris Swap was Karen of Tattered Treasures.

When I arrived home from Florida I was greeted by a lovely box of goodies. This is the picture that Karen took.

Can you see the sweet Eiffel Tower charm on the package? It was created by Camille of Pretty Girl Things at Etsy. (Another wonderful Etsy dealer to add to my list!)


This banner and birdie are hanging on my mirror right in my craft corner. Deeelightful!

Now the amazing thing (other than the chocolate Toblerone- already gone) was that the little fleur di les dish keeper was actually the clown car of trims. Jsut when I thought I had seen it all more came out!


All this trim and more (it's not empty yet!) spilled out upon opening. Can you hear the gears in my head turning? So many possibilities! The pom pom trim will be horded tho.



The best thing of all was this gorgeous rose tablecloth! Karen suggested that since it had a few stains, I might cut it up and make something out of it. I might have. I have cut things up before, but much to Sarah's relief, ...I am not cutting this. No, it has already been pressed into service right here on this chair. Perfect.

Thank you Karen! You made my day! Merci! Merci beaucoup !

Oh, the backpack is to let you know that tomorrow I will be blogging with great relief about survival preparedness, my bad ceiling, and the kit that came today. Good news! Most of my emergency readiness fears have been put to rest right in this little backpack.

And the monkey, well that is Lady Monkey. She came out of hiding to smell the roses and to say hello to another monkey fan, Rebecca.

Heaven Help Me... I Need A Plan

You know that saying about making plans and God laughing?

On my first trip to California more than ten years ago, there was a mudslide in the town where I was staying. One house fell down the hill and was destroyed. I declared then and there that I would "NEVER" live in a state like California! I was so freaked out that a little rain could cause one house to slide down the hill while the neighbors were fine. It seemed so targeted. What had those people done to deserve that?

No, I preferred the predictable storms of NJ . A snow storm (snow days!) was my idea of "disaster."

Of course, 911 changed my perception of safety anywhere forever. And, reconnected me with Cliff after fifteen years.

Here I am married to Cliff and living in this unpredictable state!

And, if that isn't enough irony for you, I have been invited to participate with other So. Cal bloggers in a volunteer program to increase disaster awareness and preparation among California residents.

Do you hear God laughing? I do!

Actually, I have come to love LA and California -risks and all.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with this project over the next few weeks because it will force me to take this topic seriously. It's not that I don't take disaster preparedness seriously, but I am overwhelmed by the scale and scope of disasters in this state, and how to manage a disaster kit in a city apartment.

One statistic I have already learned from reading some of the materials, is that since 1989 there have been 27 major declared disasters in California! Yet, nearly half of us are unprepared.

I am one of those who just doesn't exactly know where to start.

Join me each week as I tackle one step at a time disaster preparedness at home and at school.