Can't Talk, The Dr. is On!

Can't talk, time for a new season of the Dr. I'm super excited, the new season opens with a scary series. I love the scary ones!!! Grab some snacks and let's hunker on the sofa together!

I'm turning off the phone and maybe the lights. Ooooh!

The Place Where I Live

I finally am getting around to updating and uploading some pictures onto my Flickr account and ran across these. I love looking at my new hometown.
These photos were taken in my favorite part of the city- Riverwalk. No matter what day or time I go, there is something wonderful to see. This is a city full of laughter, friendly faces and amazing food. We can't forget about the food! I have never eaten such delicious Mexican food!

Biology Bites

Sooo, I've been fighting the good fight this semester and trying to finish my Associates. I've of course left myself all of my favorite classes like Biology and math.

I studied, took some time with the professor, printed out all the lectures. You name it, I tried it... got my last test back and made a whopping 40%. 40%?!?! DAAANNNG! That's just crappy.

The Trek West- Man, Do I Have it Easy!

In Seminary, we are about to begin the Trek West lessons. I'm not sure how many days I can make the kids do but I could spend days, weeks, months, reading about all the stories. One of the interesting things I found was the supply list printed in the Nauvoo Neighbor, the main newspaper in Nauvoo at the time. I also found a blog, called Utah Preppers who had a list they converted to modern times.Here is the original items:
BILL OF PARTICULARS
For the emigrants leaving this government next spring.
Each family consisting of five persons, to be provided with—
1 good strong wagon well covered with a light box.
2 or 3 good yoke of oxen between the age of 4 and 10 years.
2 or more milch cows.
1 or more good beefs.
3 sheep if they can be obtained.
1000 lbs. of flour or other bread, or bread stuffs in good sacks. 1 good musket or rifle to each male over the age of twelve years.
1 lb. powder.
4 lbs. lead.
1 do. Tea.
5 do. coffee.
100 do. sugar.
1 do. cayenne pepper.
2 do. black do.
1/2 lb. mustard.
10 do. rice for each family.
1 do. cinnamon.
1/2 do. cloves.
1 doz. nutmegs.
25 lbs. salt.
5 lbs. saleratus.
10 do. dried apples.
1 bush. of beans.
A few lbs. of dried beef or bacon.
5 lbs. dried peaches.
20 do. do. pumpkin.
25 do. seed grain.
1 gal. alcohol.
20 lbs. of soap each family.
4 or 5 fish hooks and lines.
15 lbs. iron and steel.
A few lbs. of wrought nails.
One or more sets of saw or grist mill irons to company of 100 families. 1 good seine and hook for each company.
2 sets of pulley blocks and ropes to each company for crossing rivers.
From 25 to 100 lbs. of farming and mechanical tools.
Cooking utensils to consist of bake kettle, frying pan. coffee pot, and tea kettle.
Tin cups, plates. knives, forks, spoons, and pans as few as will do.
A good tent and furniture to each 2 families.
Clothing and bedding to each family, not to exceed 500 pounds.
Ten extra teams for each company of 100 families.
N. B.—In addition to the above list, horse and mule teams can be used as well as oxen. Many items of comfort and convenience will suggest themselves to a wise and provident people, and can be laid, in in season; but none should start without filling the original bill.

Here is Utah Preppers list converted to fit modern days:
A strong 4 wheel drive with a large trailer attached
100 pounds of powdered milk (I’m attempting guess how much they would need in the time it took them to travel and considering that today most people can’t keep a milk cow)
300 – 400 pounds of preserved beef (again, trying to estimate considering most people can’t keep beef cattle
150 – 200 pounds of preserved mutton
1,000 pounds of flour, wheat, or bread
1/2 lbs mustard
600 lbs of rice (I’m assuming that they are referring to a dozen 50 pound bags of rice)
12 sticks of cinnamon? I’m not sure about cinnamon at all, never used it
6 cloves? Again, I’m not sure how to convert this
12 nutmegs? I’m going to assume for these spices that one spice bottle from the grocery store would be sufficient
25 lbs salt
5 lbs baking powder (saleratus)
5 #10 cans of dried apples
50 lbs of beans
5 lbs dried bacon (bacon bits?)
2 #10 cans of dried peaches
20 cans of pumpkin (I think this may have been to make pies with regularly but I’m really not sure, maybe replace it with cans of pie filling?)
25 lbs of seed for planting
1 gal 91% isopropal alcohol
40 bars of soap (I think a bar is about 1/2 pound or so)
fishing poles, hooks, line and other tackle
Iron and Steel tools i.e. hammers, saws, drills, etc (I think carrying raw steel was to forge tools with which we don’t really do these days)
5 pounds of nails, 8, 10 and 16 penny
Wheat grinder
1 good rifle per person (we won’t exclude the women)
250 bullets per rifle
24 lbs powdered drink mix (kool-aid, coffee, tea, etc)
100 lbs sugar
3 bottles of cayenne pepper (Cayenne pepper is a very good herbal treatment as well as a flavoring)
1 Heavy Duty Pulley block with hook or possibly a powered winch on your 4×4
2 good pulley blocks
Shovels, rakes, hoes, other gardening tools – as well as a tiller and gas
Outdoor Cookware – dutch ovens, frying pans, cooking pots, kettles, etc
Eating Utensiles, forks, spoons, knives, plates, bowls, cups
A good tent, collapsible chairs, tables, cots etc as desired
Several changes of clothes per person
1 Good sleeping bag per person
More gas than you need to get where you’re going, spare hoses, fuses, various vehicle parts, tools to repair vehicles

Food, Inc or Why is My Food Biting Back?

I've never considered myself a foodie or anything fancy like that. I admit there's not too many hamburgers I've said no to but last night, Hubby and I watched "Food, Inc". That movie might've changed our food habits forever. Sadly, I knew many of the facts presented but something finally clicked. Maybe it was seeing the cow's legs turned backwards, the chickens who can't support their own weight or some combination but it's time to turn over a new leaf and pay attention to what goes in my family's mouths.

The amount of garbage coming through even foods we thought should be safe was frightening. We started today by making a trip to Whole Foods, doing a little shopping and research into buying healthier options.

I'm going to start using my blog, turning over some new, improved habits and let's see where we go from there!