cookiejar

A good example of ceiling shelves. Good for the attic or basement.

The fat and meat I could understand but why no citrus?

Hilarious and true. Now you see why I bumped it up so much. Leah posted a gem with this.

Originally Posted By: CrabGrassAcres We need more ducks! I looked out the window and one of my roosters was squaring off with a duck! When I laughed the rooster turned around and started to walk of, but the duck chased after him and noodled him right in the tail feathers. That rooster jumped two feet in the air and took off running with the duck hot on his tail. LOL No Ducks!!! (Don't encourage her Trish!) I love the visual of the duck hounded rooster.

Originally Posted By: S.K. i just saw this thread you all are just to funny Funny and with wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy to many pics to play with.

Originally Posted By: Belle There's a shelf above my closet door, inside the closet, for my guns. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never notice it. Wow! Now that is a cool idea! Now you have me looking at my closets and going ...hmmmmmmm Your a bad influence chica!

Thanks for the link chica! The decorative GUN racks were interesting too

Originally Posted By: Dora BUMP When you look at all the "ornamental grasses" and wonder if they make seeds in enough quantities to use for flour. lol Dora You go girlfriend! When you can name 5 things you can make flour out of and wheat isn't one of them (too easy)

Emergency Sources of Water In an emergency, if you have not previously stored water and commercial or public sources of water are not available, drain water from your plumbing system. Unless you are advised that the public water supply has been contaminated and is not safe, open the drain valve at the bottom of the water heater and salvage the water stored in the heater. A typical water heater holds 30-60 gallons of water. Discard the first few gallons if they contain rust or sediment. Let the water heater cool before draining it from the heater so it does not scald you. Turn off the electricity or gas to the water heater to prevent the heater from operating without water. Once water has been drained into clean, sanitized containers, add 5-7 drops of chlorine bleach* per gallon of water, and stir or shake the solution to mix it. Let it set 30 minutes before use. Emergency Outdoor Water Sources If you need to find water outside your home, you can use these sources. Be sure to treat the water first. Additional sources include: Rainwater Streams, rivers and other moving bodies of water Ponds and lakes Natural springs Avoid water with floating material, an odor or dark color. Use saltwater only if you distill it first. You should not drink flood water. Hidden Water Sources in Your Home If a disaster catches you without a stored supply of clean water, you can use the water in your hot-water tank, pipes and ice cubes. As a last resort, you can use water in the reservoir tank of your toilet (not the bowl). Do you know the location of your incoming water valve? You’ll need to shut it off to stop contaminated water from entering your home if you hear reports of broken water or sewage lines. To use the water in your pipes, let air into the plumbing by turning on the faucet in your house at the highest level. A small amount of water will trickle out. Then obtain water from the lowest faucet in the house. To use the water in your hot-water tank, be sure the electricity or gas is off, and open the drain at the bottom of the tank. Start the water flowing by turning off the water intake valve and turning on a hot-water faucet. Do not turn on the gas or electricity when the tank is empty. Using Swimming Pool Water You should always view your pool as “backup” water; keep the water treated; you never know when it will be needed! The maintenance of the free chlorine residual will prevent establishment of any microorganisms. The maintenance level should be kept about 3-5ppm free chlorine. (See Water Purification for detailed information on purifying pool water.) If other stored water stocks are not available, remove the necessary pool water and boil it or just treat with chlorine to the normal 5ppm. It is best to err on the side of caution. Covering the pool at all times when not in use is a very good idea. Try to keep the cover clean and wash the area you put it on when removing it from the pool.

Originally Posted By: nmchick Cookie, I love the hydrology map idea. I think you need to change your name to "SmartCookie". LOL...smart cookie? Don't I wish! But, look at this... http://www.zianet.com/lwv/nmwater.htm I found this is for you in a few minutes with a couple of good links for NM which has unique water woes and needs. Use the word Hydrology and you'll get all kinds of cool links.

I remember how I drooled over Darlene's account of how she had a well on her Miami property. While I don't think my association will approve that. For the sake of possible emergencies, I have been considering other ideas. Cookie outside the box again.(Or too much Flu meds ) This is a snip from another site: Just a side note; Some preparedness folks take a look at hydrology maps - even some metropolitan hydro maps may note natural springs, streams, abandoned wells, or underground drainage and seasonal watershed areas on private and public properties that are ignored, long forgotten or unused. I imagine there may be quite a few springs or wells nearby if you're in a rural area that has has very old homes or farms. Such watering holes may not provide a good solution for your needs, but it might be worth taking note of in a serious emergency.snip I considered this to use along with water harvesting and conserving. Rain collection etc. I found these things in a few minutes. A small list of larger springs with directions and links. A list of well use and artesians plus some cool places where torm drainoff is. I'm aware all of this will require care and filtering. Consider googling the same for your area. It only takes a few minutes and gives you more than one option for finding water. So, do you have a plan for finding water in the advent of a extreme natural disaster? When the regular faucett doesn't come on? http://www.miamiconservancy.org/ http://sjr.state.fl.us/programs/abandonedwells.html http://www.tfn.net/Springs/Springbook/

Originally Posted By: Cat Don't dress it in a pink frilly dress and a tiara as the Miami Babes do!!! NEXT you'll take my Glitter Pens for marking the gold Lame labels.. SHEESH!!!

Hey chica! I decided to reread your wonderful book again and was struck by this snippet: The news was getting worse every night. Oh, the newscasters were great. They had fun doing their job, and you could tell. But tonight, for a split second as the main anchor-man told of the dollar dropping yet again, the price of crude oil going up, and the tensions with China rising, you could tell/snip So odd you wrote this in 2005? and it feels like you worte it about today... Good and mildly scary! Hugs to you

Originally Posted By: jlegg759 I get calls at work all the time from companys that want to sell us computers, printers, copiers, suppies, or IT services...My fiance is a network engenier. Somehow they always leave me alone when I tell them that my fiance does all that for our company & no I'm really not interested in getting a quote or changeing providers. I'm quite happy with who I have. It really freaked out the new sales guy at his company when he called & I said I already used their company that my fiance & best friend worked there. He was afraid it would get back to his supervisor that he was trying to steal comissions Now that's funny!!!

Bump for Happy Camper45, who must put her idea for a canno-holic tee-shirt here...

Yeah but your OUR kinda crazy! I loved your reply!!!

You save magazines like Backwoods, Grit, Mother Earth not just for the articles, but as future toliet paper

bump

Are you ready? Laundry I've grabbed laundry and tossed it over things and answered a door folding a sheet for the UPS guy. He didn't blink twice. He saw what he wanted to see, nice lady folding clothes. Something else to think about, do you have a nosy Mail person? All those packages from esssential Preps coming in? Just food for thought.

Look at the second picture again... See the trap door? It's soon to be painted white with *spray* popcorn ceiling added. It's a drop ceiling so it has about 7 inches deep x...oh what is the regular length of a closet? How's that for hidden storage. I did not say this was my house not bad huh? What O' What could you hide in a space that sized? Nowwww get your mind thinking.

An example of a bit of *hiding in plain sight* Nice use of a office closet and a little more

Spaces in the walls Behind your drywall and panelling lie countless hidden spaces nestled between the two-by-four studs. While some are filled with pipes, wiring, and sheet metal duct work, others are wide open and ready to be put to use. If your home is new or under construction you may already know where these spaces are. If not it’s just a matter of taking the time to do a little investigation to find out where you can re-open these spaces. Once you know where they are you can open them up into space saving shelves or convert them into storage cupboards. Disguised storage spaces There are all kinds of ways that you can disguise storage spaces. For example, think about putting a floor length table cloth over a small table. Not only will this create a trendy skirted table that is attractive to look at, and functional, you can also use underneath the table as storage space. The same applies to ottomans, blanket boxes and benches with hinged seats, these are all attractive and functional and each makes a great storage space. Choose functional space When you are buying new furniture, always think about its function as well as how it will look when you get it home. How it will work for you practically is often more important. For example, when you buy bookcases or other types of furnishing with shelves; make sure these items have five or six shelves. Two or three shelves per item are just wasted space. And don’t forget to reach upwards. You have all that space between the floor and ceiling. Why waste it with a couple of long horizontal shelves when you can fill it with a taller row of shelves and use your space more economically. Furniture that hides Murphy beds, chairs, tables, cots - anything that folds up and can be stored away, hung on a hook or slid under a bed saves space. From a low-tech drop-leaf table to a high-end, built-in, pop-up countertop that conceals small appliances in a kitchen island; your imagination and budget are the only limits to creating double-duty furnishings. But do remember that if you choose fold out furnishings like a Murphy bed that you will need to keep the floor space empty for when it is in use. New house space After choosing both your home plan and builder, carefully review your home plan with your builder. Keep an eye out for hidden space that can be utilized. Some of the most common places you’ll find hidden space are under staircases, among unusual curves or angled walls, and inside walls that hold recessed fireplaces or cabinetry. If you can’t find enough hidden space to create a shallow closet, there might be just enough space for a niche to display a favourite collectible, artwork or mirror. Ceiling space Two important lessons can be learned from pot, pan and wine racks. Firstly, things can be stored right out in the open, and secondly, items can be hung from ceilings. Incorporating the same basic methodology; make use of decorative hanging racks; you’ll work down from the top of the ceiling, cleverly disguising storage as display space. Roof space Don’t forget attic space is great for storing things. But do remember with all the insulation up there, to take into account the year round temperature and how this will effect whatever you are storing. http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/workshop/hiddenstorage.htm

Sorry, Somehow I sliced off part of my message. I was going to say not for apartments, good for suburbia. Some townhouses have space in the back to create storage areas. Everything is relative.

Garden sheds, prep boxes, water barrel supply or gasoline metal sheds, bunker entrances and other outside storage can sometimes be too noticeable or plain old ugly I was trying to figure how to disguise or hide such objects. I found many answers everything from painting the boxes or sheds to match the house to planters and trellises. Some were hiding in plain view using decorative privacy fences. One suggestion is to leave the storage out but draw the eye away with splashy color in front or away from it. butterfly bushes and livid color growth. Sunflower plants (duel purpose! ) are an example. If your home has brick perhaps a brick half wall or even a brick veneer on the box? These are all just suggestions and I'm open for more.

Grace&Violets, I remember that! My family is Western Slope and that was such a hard time for them. Luckily, they bulk shop as my father can only go out on limited time. But, there was nothing fresh and the roads were treacherous to try, ice everywhere. It creeped my step-mom out too when she made it to their safeway and found it stripped. Ironically, she said she now understood what happens down here in Hurricane season. Hugs to you