Christmas Countdown with stories

I recently pulled out 24 Christmas Stories I printed out many years ago.  I love to read these to my children in the lead up to Christmas, and will do so again this year.  The stories are gorgeous, and include 'The Little Match GIrl', 'Angel on a Doorstep' and 'The Cobbler and his Guest'.  Tissues may be required for some ;D

They can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/43003269/A-Story-a-Day-Until-Christmas

I do a lolly countdown too in an Advent Calendar my Mother-in-Law made, but the stories help to remind my children what Christmas is really about.

What do you do with your family at Christmas time?

Week 47 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

$10 Challenge
Store 2 kgs powdered milk

$20 Challenge
Store 4 kgs powdered milk

I'm not keen on powdered milk, but that may be because I'm not fond of milk in general.  I used to be highly allergic to cows milk and any soy product.  I remember wandering up the street with my brother with some glass milk bottles to ask an older gentleman if he could supply us with goats milk, which he would happily do.

I'm not sure if my mother paid him money or with veggies from the garden, but he was a lovely elderly man.  That was the only milk I could have.  Sometimes we would have it warm.  I shudder to think what that was like...

I digress.  I still like to use milk and milk products in my cooking, and powdered milk is definitely necessary in the bread I make.

Here is some information on powdered milk on a previous post of mine: http://denleydiaries.blogspot.com/2011/01/powdered-milk.html

And this one, with some useful 'uses' for powdered milk: http://denleydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-to-do-with-powdered-milk.html

The biggest hint is to check the use-by date on your powered milk.  You don't want off milk.  It's nasty!

Week 46 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

$10 Challenge
Store 2 bottles Vitamins (100 tablets each)

$20 Challenge
Store 4 bottles vitamins (100 tablets each)

I guess the main reason for this challenge is that if you have to life off your food storage, and you have very limited access to fresh fruit and veggies, you may need some extra vitamins in your diet to keep you healthy.

I have heard some vitamin tablets are better than others.  Some will go straight through your system and not be absorbed - kind of defeats the purpose.  There are so many different brands and varieties.  Store them if you will use them.

November 2011 Monthly Challenge

This month's challenge is to purchase bleach, disinfectant and vinegar.

Bleach
For hard core cleaning.  Here are some ideas, found on the Reader's Digest website: http://www.rd.com/home/12-smart-ways-to-use-bleach/

I have heard that it definitely comes in handy in extremely humid weather, or to assist in cleaning up after a flood.  It kills lots of nasties.

Disinfectant
There are a few different types of disinfectant, so store the type that you would use.  There are the cream types for First Aid for topical use, or there are the bottles of disinfectant concentrate you would use e.g. to clean your toilet with, or your kitchen benches.  So depending on your need, is what you would store.

Vinegar
This one is an interesting one.  It also can be used as a cleaner.  I listed some uses, and some links in a previous post: http://denleydiaries.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-37-of-2011-food-storage-challenge.html  

Week 45 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

$10 Challenge
Replenish the Kitty Tin

$20 Challenge
Replenish the Kitty Tin

If you have been using a jar or tin to put your leftover money in, you get to top it up this week, as we have another vitamin week coming up.  Vitamins are rather expensive.

If you don't want to store those, think of something else useful you would like to store instead.

Week 44 of the 2011 Food Storage Challenge

$10 Challenge

Store 2 cans fruit and 2 packets of jelly.

$20 Challenge

Store 4 cans fruit and 4 packets of jelly

 A great Summer storage food, and easy to make dessert.  If you get the canned fruit in natural juice, you can drink it as well.

Make sure you store extra water if you store Jelly crystals in order to make it up.

The Slug Fight Continues...

This was the sight that greeted me this morning when I went out to check on the bunnies.  *Shudders*.  I have been trying to get rid of a family of mice living in this corner near my rabbit hutch, but I couldnt' catch the mice in the trap, because slugs kept trying to eat the choc bit I would place in it.  I decided to do something different...surround the mouse trap with slug pellets.  Well, I did catch a mouse.  And I killed off a whole heap of ping-pong ball sized slugs.  So that is what was getting to my lettuce.

 The mouse trap you see is about the size of my hand.  Can you imagine how big these slugs are?

Another camera shot after I had pulled out the mouse trap and discovered a deceased mouse.  I didn't want to gross you out too much though! (So the trap is not in the photo).