Issue #11
Stinkin’ thinkin’…or gardens of laughter?
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A prepper’s not a doom-and-gloomer. Ready for a laugh? This one will push your
This Week’s Sponsor:
The Prepper Shaker: Will you be one of the “vital few” or the “trivial many?”. We’ve got an epidemic of our own we need to spread, and it has nothing to do with swine flu! Growing a sustainable family garden can and should become as common and important again as the family car. Why? Find out in this compelling and timely article by Master Gardener Jim Kennard: A “Growing” Epidemic
From the Funny Farm: Tater Tots When it comes to prepping,
So what kind of ‘Tater’ are you?
Prep Talk: Weed ‘Em and Reap! I love this little piece by Bruno Gideon:
Best Regards,
Parting Shot: Messages From God
Keep on…preppin’!
* * * * * The Prepper-Upper is published weekly Editor: Sharon Iezzi Subscribe to The Prepper-Upper by Email More free info at familypreparednessguide.com * * * * * If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to a friend. Your comments are always welcome! © 2010 All Rights Reserved Worldwide. You may NOT copy and distribute any portion of this blog for commercial purposes without written permission. Mail requests to: ready2prepare @ gmail.com
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Issue #10
Stressed with the rest…or at your best?
When the you-know-what hits a rotating nut, will
you be stressed with the rest, or at your best?
If you’re a prepper, you’re already one step
ahead of the rest. Why stress, when all you
have to do to outrun the bear is stay one step
ahead of the slowest camper?
This Week’s Sponsor:
The Prepper Shaker:
Keep It Super Simple!
If you are overwhelmed by the magnitude of what it would take to sustain you for a year, then think more in terms of what it would take to keep you alive for a few days, weeks, or months in case you didn’t have anything else to eat except what’s on hand.
There are only three things to remember about building your in-home storage program with the Basic concept:
- Store what you eat!
- Eat what you store!
- Use it or lose it!
The biggest challenge in procuring an in-home storage supply is financing its acquisition. Creative use of current household items, wise budgeting in accordance with the family’s income, and smarter shopping will help maximize your ability to accomplish your goal. But until the in-home storage program is established as a primary financial priority–after planning the repayment of current debt, of course–it will not become a reality.
You don’t have to do it all at once; just tell yourself, “I just have to begin, and then I can continue from there.”
It’s as simple as that!
James Talmage Stevens, Making the Best of Basics, 11th Edition, 2009, Chapter 8-2
From the Funny Farm: Dolphin Stress Test
Please stop, take a deep breath, and look at the picture below of two identical dolphins jumping in tandem out of the water.
Intensive psychological research has shown that the more differences you spot in the two dolphins, the more stressed you are. Extreme stress affects your ability to concentrate and see things clearly.
Be assured that the two dolphins are completely similar. If you can spot any sort of difference without looking too hard, you are definitely stressed and should pack up work and go home immediately.
Prep Talk: Taking Care of Y-O-U
Did you remember to take care of Y-O-U today?
Y-O-U (Your Own Upkeep) can’t be neglected just because there are other (seemingly) more important things to do.
If you neglect Y-O-U, then you’ll be doing the same as M-E right now (Mending Everything)!
The body, the mind, the spirit, and our relationships all need regular upkeep to stay in good condition.
Imagine for a moment that you (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) are like a typical American home with a kitchen, living room, dining room, den, bedrooms, one or more bathrooms, and a yard.
In this imaginary home the kitchen, bedroom(s) and bathroom(s) take care of you physically. The den takes care of feeding your mind and entertaining your brain. In the living room you cultivate relationships; and in the dining room you feast upon spiritual things.
Which rooms in your imaginary home get the most use? Which ones are gathering dust? Which rooms get cleaned most often? Least often? Why?
Is the dining room any less important than the kitchen? The kitchen lets you prepare and eat quick meals on the run but the dining room lets you serve others and enjoy what you’re eating on a much deeper level.
How about the living room? Is yours just for show or do family, friends and guests gather here frequently to discuss and do things together that really matter? Your living room is a place to live. Are you using it to its full potential?
What goes on in the den? Is it a place of learning or mindless entertainment? Do the kids have educational toys to play with? Does the library include good books, audio tapes, videos and dvds that stretch the mind and inspire you to improve? Do the music you listen to, the pictures on the walls, and the knick-knacks on the shelves stimulate greater, nobler, richer thinking or keep you mentally in the slums?
And then there’s the yard. Are you letting the grass grow under your feet? Time to get moving!
Without regular upkeep a house quickly falls into disrepair. Without regular upkeep a life, too, quickly fall into disrepair. Health starts to fail. Minds turn to decadence and decay. Relationships break apart with tragic results. Spiritual neglect leads to despair, depression, addiction, even suicide.
It’s a lot easier and less costly to take care of Y-O-U (your own upkeep) in at least some small way every day than it is to stop and take care of M-E (mending everything) when things start to fall apart.
You can pay Y-O-U now or you can pay M-E later. The choice is yours.
Best Regards,
Sharon Iezzi
Your Hoppy-Go-Lucky Editor
Parting Shot: Now That’s Respect!
A man and a friend are playing golf one day at their local golf course. One of the guys is about to chip onto the green when he sees a long funeral procession on the road next to the course. He stops in mid-swing, takes off his golf cap, closes his eyes, and bows down in prayer.
His friend says, “Wow,” that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You truly are a kind man.” The man then replies, “Yeah, well we were married 35 years.”
Keep on…preppin’! 
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The Prepper-Upper is published weekly
by
James Talmage Stevens, Publisher
Author of
Making the Best of Basics:
the all-new and updated 11th edition.
Editor: Sharon Iezzi
Subscribe to The Prepper-Upper by Email
More free info at familypreparednessguide.com
* * * * *
If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to a friend. Your comments are always welcome!
© 2010 All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
You may NOT copy and distribute any portion of this blog for commercial purposes without written permission. Mail requests to: ready2prepare @ gmail.com
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Issue #9
Tomorrow has come …
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A classic old song says, “tomorrow A foolish old uncle named Sam This Week’s Sponsor:
The Prepper Shaker: Got Plastic? In 2004, motivational speaker and author Joe Tye presented some sobering facts about America’s addiction to credit and its consequences for the next generation. But take heart! There IS a way out, and it starts right where you live. Go here to get your “prep pill.” From the Funny Farm: Scenario #1: Johnny goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
Scenario #2: Johnny gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
Scenario #3: Johnny takes apart leftover Independence Day firecrackers, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, and blows up an anthill.
Prep Talk: Initiative or Excuses? Do you know what crucial quality distinguishes a go-getter with lots of initiative from a couch potato with lots of excuses? HINT: It’s a five letter word which causes That’s right: FAITH is where true initiative comes from. It doesn’t matter which church you go to, or whether you go to church at all. It’s something anyone can develop with practice. And faith works just as effectively for growing your food storage as it does for growing corn, growing a family, or growing closer to God. Faith, therefore, is a “working” word … not a “sitting around” word. Something to think about… Best Regards, Parting Shot: Secret African
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The Prepper-Upper is published weekly Editor: Sharon Iezzi Subscribe to The Prepper-Upper by Email More free info at familypreparednessguide.com
* * * * * If you find this information valuable, please pass
© 2010 All Rights Reserved Worldwide. You may NOT copy and distribute any portion of this
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Issue #8
Ready…(Mind)Set…Go!
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When your heart tells you, “Prepare!” This certain way of thinking about preparedness requires focus, discipline and faith, but it works. Are you up to the challenge? Is this the year you will prepare–all the way? Wherever you are on the path, we’re here to help!
This Week’s Sponsor:
The Prepper Shaker: Paradigm Time! In walking the path to family preparedness, you may wish to consider creating a family paradigm–a written belief statement that unites your family in your effort. Let me share my family’s model as an example… Go here to read the rest of the story! Paradigm for Preparedness by James Talmage Stevens
From the Funny Farm: Lesson for the Day
Prep Talk: Seeds of Dreams Do you know what the single greatest source of light and energy for growing things planted on earth (the sun) has in common with the single greatest source of light and energy for growing things planted in your mind? The answer is simple. Both operate by faith. Would a farmer bother planting seeds in the ground if he didn’t believe they would grow and produce something he wanted? Of course not. Would all the sunshine in the world grow a seed that wasn’t planted? Of course not. A farmer must have faith that his work of plowing, planting, nourishing and cultivating will, when combined in proper balance with the light and energy of the sun, produce the desired result (a good crop). It is that faith which keeps him working day by day, month by month, until the crop is harvested and sold. So it is with our dreams of success in whatever form they may take. We must first believe that the seeds we are planting in our minds (our ideas) will grow and produce something we want. Then we must have faith to keep doing the work necessary to ensure that our efforts will, when combined in proper balance with the light and energy of divine providence, produce the desired results (the realization of our dreams) in their proper time and season. Best Regards, When the end of the world arrives how will the media report it?
Keep on…preppin’! * * * * * The Prepper-Upper is published weekly Editor: Sharon Iezzi Subscribe to The Prepper-Upper by Email More free info at familypreparednessguide.com * * * * * If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to a friend. Your comments are always welcome! © 2010 All Rights Reserved Worldwide. You may NOT copy and distribute any portion of this blog for commercial purposes without written permission. Mail requests to: ready2prepare @ gmail.com
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Issue #7
Blissfully unaware…or properly prepared?
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Ignorance is bliss, or so the saying goes. Welcome to this week’s “kick-butt” issue of the Prepper Upper! This Week’s Sponsor:
The Prepper Shaker: This could be it! This really could be it, folks. This is THE CRISIS. The one that could make all doomsday scenarios come true. The government bailouts and central bank interventions, which have held the financial world together during the last two years, will be powerless to prevent this one, which started in 2009 and is now looming right in front of our collective noses. And it’s just a few months away. There has been tumultuous weather killing crops not just in our own nation, but in the world. The same USDA that is predicting record harvests is also declaring disaster areas across half the Midwest because of catastrophic crop losses. And just last week Florida suffered at least a 30 percent crop loss due to freezing temperatures, the worst in over two decades. And this at a time when U.S. food reserves have completely dried up, and may be gone for a long time. So what does it mean? It means there is overwhelming, undeniable evidence that the world could, and probably will, run out of food this year. But wait! There’s more! And it isn’t pretty. If you’ve got at least a 3 month supply of food on hand and a place to grow a garden and maybe even raise a few chickens, it’s probably all right if you skip this week’s offering and move on to the humor section. But for the rest of you, it’s preparedness kick-butt time! Read on if you care: or for a kinder version of the same story, go here: Top Ten Predictions for 2010 A final caution: Please remember that our job as preppers is to be doom-SLAYERS–not doomsayers. We’re sharing this information to help you become better aware of what COULD happen in the very near future so you can prepare wisely. From the Funny Farm: Hammin’ it Up! A ham (radio operator) is driving up a steep, narrow mountain road, his antennas flapping in the breeze and flopping into the other lane. A YL (young lady) is driving down the same road. As they pass each other, the YL narrowly misses him and leans out of the window and yells “PIG!!” The ham immediately leans out of his window and replies, “WITCH!!” They each continue on their way, and as the man rounds the next corner, he crashes into a pig in the middle of the road. If men would only listen!!!. Prep Talk: Expect the Unexpected Babies! Don’t ‘ya just love em? So innocent. So cute. So special. And so…unpredictable! Suppose you and your spouse decide to go to a movie one evening. You’ll only be gone 3 hours at most. The baby has been fed, changed, and is already asleep when the babysitter arrives. Should be a piece of cake for even the most inexperienced babysitter, right? Wrong! I remember all too well what happened to me, the nervous novice, on my first real babysitting assignment. “The baby’s already asleep so he shouldn’t be any problem at all. He’ll probably sleep the whole time we’re gone. If his diaper needs changing before we get back, just use one of those Pampers (disposable diapers) over there. Don’t worry. Everything will be all right. We’ll be back by 10PM.” Right. You can probably guess what happened next. Less than 5 minutes after the parents walked out the door, the baby woke up and started crying … and crying … and crying …! Nothing I tried would quiet that baby. Nothing! He cried for almost the entire 3 hours, finally falling asleep (from exhaustion, no doubt) just a few minutes before they returned home. This nervous novice quickly turned into a nervous wreck! Oh well … at least the diaper change went OK, or so I thought. No one told me that disposable diapers have two sides: an absorbent one and a non-absorbent one. Guess which side I put next to the baby??… Fortunately for me, I made that infamous diaper change around 9:30 PM. When the parents walked in the door at 10PM, I proudly reported that the baby was asleep, his diaper changed, and of course, he was *no* problem while they were gone. Did those parents ever ask me to babysit for them again? Nope. It took them months before they could even tell me with a straight face what I had done with the diaper change. Ah…we live and learn. So what’s the moral of this story? Always look at both sides of a situation before you act. If you don’t, you could have a real mess (literally) on your hands! Best Regards, Parting Shot: Baby Diapering for Baseball Fans “Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then fold second base down to home and set the baby on the pitcher’s mound. Put first base and third together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again.” –Jimmy Piersal, on how to diaper a baby, 1968 Keep on…preppin’! * * * * *
The Prepper-Upper is published weekly
by James Talmage Stevens, Publisher Author of Making the Best of Basics: the all-new and updated 11th edition. Editor: Sharon Iezzi
More free info at familypreparednessguide.com * * * * * If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to a friend. Your comments are always welcome! © 2010 All Rights Reserved Worldwide. You may NOT copy and distribute any portion of this blog for commercial purposes without written permission. Mail requests to: ready2prepare @ gmail.com
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Issue # 6
Provident prepping–that’s the spirit!
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Are you a provident prepper? Does having “enough” mean a bunker full of stuff, or does being prudent, economical, careful and frugal in planning for the future matter more? This week we’ll take a look into the heart and soul of prepping and mix it with a pinch of fun to get your new years prepping off to a rolling start! This Week’s Sponsor:
What would a radio preacher know about prepping? More than you might think, especially if he’s Chuck Baldwin, a radio broadcaster, syndicated columnist, and pastor dedicated to preserving the historic principles upon which America was founded. Chuck offers “provident” advice gleaned from the most learned, most trained, and most qualified “experts” in a variety of fields. He says, “What I write today, I have learned from others. I’ve formed my own opinions and priorities, of course…but if I can share something in today’s column that will help someone be better prepared for the days to come, then my goal will have been achieved.” Read Chuck’s column here: Horror of horrors! Do some preppers actually worship idols? Let’s examine the evidence:
Prep Talk: Are YOU Prepared? Ask Your Heart… Most people think of “preparedness” as a state of mind, a state of finances, or a state of readiness achieved through storing food and supplies for emergencies, Although all of these are important, preparedness is first and foremost a state of the heart. We live today in an age of fear: fear of terrorism – fear of nuclear war – fear of business failure – fear of job loss and/or failed relationships – fear of another stock market crash – fear of having our privacy invaded – fear of drought, flood, climate change, environmental and natural disasters – fears for our safety and the safety of our children – and the list goes on. You probably already know that fear is bad for the heart. It causes a rapid heartbeat which, over time, can make a weak heart fail. Even the Bible makes mention of “men’s hearts failing them for fear” (Luke 21:26) in times like we see today. Will all the knowledge, wealth, food and survival gear in the world really be of much use to someone whose heart is full of fear? I don’t think so. Maybe it’s time to put first things first… to make the development of a strong, healthy heart the first priority in getting prepared for whatever the future may bring. How much easier is it to learn what we need to learn, to work hard, earn money, and acquire whatever we need in order to survive hard times (whatever the cause) when our hearts are in good shape! If you’re sitting down, take a moment right now to check your pulse. Is it slow or rapid? What does that tell you about the current state of your heart? Are you satisfied with the results? If not, consider this: Fear weakens the heart. Faith strengthens it. How strong is YOUR faith? Let your heart tell you. It knows… Best Regards, “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” –Bill Vaughn (1915-1977), American columnist and author Keep on…preppin’! * * * * *
The Prepper-Upper is published weekly
by James Talmage Stevens, Publisher Author of Making the Best of Basics: the all-new and updated 11th edition. Editor: Sharon Iezzi
Subscribe to The Prepper-Upper by Email More free info at familypreparednessguide.com * * * * * If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to a friend. Your comments are always welcome! © 2009 All Rights Reserved Worldwide. You may NOT copy and distribute any portion of this blog for commercial purposes without written permission. Mail requests to: ready2prepare @ gmail.com
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