Food storage shelves, part 1

We have been working hard trying to figure out how we can get all of the food storage we need, and mostly, a place to store it. Yesterday Thayne worked to get some shelves up in the laundry room downstairs. It's the beginning of our big 'beef up the food storage' plan we have for the year. It's only the beginning, but I hope to have the whole 'plan' finished by the end of the year, or at least see the bulk of it done.

Thayne got the shelves up and we started moving things around. He is going to tile the floor in the next few weeks and maybe if we get really ambitious we will get the walls painted nice. The tile is the biggest priority here though. We have been cleaning and organizing the cupboards upstairs and moving more things around and next month we are hoping to attempt our once a month cooking/menu plan. Thayne is excited and ready to do it, and I figure I might as well take advantage of his enthusiasm! We plan on getting another freezer, an upright this time so we can keep the once a month cooking organized. My biggest hope/goal is to get not just one, but possibly two uprights and then get a generator. And if I get all organized with the once a month cooking now with Thayne's help, maybe we will have a couple of months planned for when the baby comes and I can be really lazy! :)

Next job is the storage area in the garage that Thayne is going to do. Hoping to make it a room in the corner so we can control the temp somehow, and to get two huge water tanks to complete our water storage. We are ordering a few hundred more pounds of wheat and will have a full years supply of that. The garage storage will not only keep our 3 month supply but also the long term storage we have out there already.

I was talking to a friend today and we both expressed our strong desire to get truly prepared... not out of a sense of fear or worry, but more a sense of urgency to really have peace in knowing that we have followed the instructions we have been given through our church leaders for many years now. We have always heard if we are prepared we have no need to fear. Kailee said today that a woman at work told her it seemed like a waste to have extra food in the house. Yet we have heard the our stores would be wiped out in a matter of a day if the trucks could not deliver. On top of that, as gas prices rise, food prices continue to go up. It's a big vicious circle. I had read somewhere a woman say that they have 4 wheel drive so if they have a big snow storm they can still 'get' to the store. But what if there is nothing at the store. We have heard it over and over during a natural disaster when the stores were empty, or people couldn't get water or the basic things they need to live. It feels good to know that we are getting somewhere... starting somewhere is still a start. Buying a little extra now may be a huge blessing later.

So part one is complete... several more steps to go to get where we need to be, but it's a start, and it feels good!

And making sure that we have a year supply of Hershey's chocolate for baking is THE most important thing... after all, if there is ever a real tragedy you will need chocolate to remove the stress!!!

Hayden could live an entire year on Ramen noodles... I will go ahead and eat the green beans... but he will be happy!