Thinking it's about time for a drill around here...

Have you ever thought about what your situation would be if you were given ten minutes to evacuate? I recently got this link in an e-mail, and the video shows what happens when two different families are given this evacuation information. The results vary--greatly. So how do you think you would do? There may be some things you hadn't thought about, but having a (up-to-date) 72-hour-kit (aka bug-out bag) is a good start. Just thought that I'd share in case you realize there is something you haven't included yet, but would hate to be without...

Trying something new....

I'm not convinced that I will totally move over to wordpress, but I am considering it. I understand how to use this blog, and I have set up a blog on wordpress, though I don't know how everything works there as of this post. Aaaauuugh, etc. Anyway, I did post a post over there, so if you are interested in reading it, you can check it out here.

Thanks as always for reading! :) 

Have you called yet?

I usually don't talk about anything political on this blog, but I think this issue is so critical that I am now. Perhaps you have heard about the fact that a section of the healthcare legislation requires Catholics to act in ways that are contrary to their beliefs. 

I disagree that they should have to do that. Fortunately, according to an e-mail that I received yesterday, some people in Washington also disagree that they should have to do that (understandably, considering that they have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution, and religious freedom is part of the Constitution) and the Blunt Conscience Protection Amendment will be voted on soon. Unfortunately, the timing of the vote is unclear, so time is of the essence for the phone calls to your senators. 

I consider this issue to be non-partisan, and want to protect our Constitution. The e-mail I received talked about a movement that Glenn Beck that has organized, and included the information that you can find here. If you go to the link, you will find out what you can do to stand up for religious freedom--in step-by-step detail. There is even a link so that you can find out who your congressmen are, and information in case you want to e-mail your representatives. 

If you already know all the information that you need to know, and just want to call the Capitol Switchboard, the number is (202) 224-3121. Ask to be connected to your representative, and they will put you through to that representative's office. 

Glenn Beck's campaign is called "We are all Catholics now". You may be familiar with the poem talked about here, where the basic idea is that when someone doesn't stand up for other people there are fewer and fewer people to stand up at all.  We have to stand up for each other when it starts, so that we can stop it before it goes any farther.

I'm not a Catholic, but I will stand up for their right to have religious freedom. I called my senators this morning asking them to support the Blunt Conscience Amendment. Sometimes we don't know what we can do when things that are obviously unconstitutional are paraded before us, but we can do something now, and quickly, before religious freedom is taken away. When enough people are willing to speak out, things happen.

United we stand.

Those seasonings--- gluten-free

I posted previously about this taco soup recipe, and was thinking how great it would be if it were gluten-free, since that issue has come up in my comment section before.Then I checked my taco and ranch seasoning packets, and found out that if I used at least one of them, (if memory serves, at least one had wheat flour in it) the soup wouldn't be gluten-free. Then, thanks to a friend, I found out about this post on do-it-yourself seasonings--taco and ranch, with a bonus of dry onion soup mix--over at Self-Reliance by Jamie. (I originally had (hopefully)  in the post title to indicate that I didn't see any ingredients that I associate with gluten, but if someone else who knows more than I do sees something that would be a problem, please let me know--otherwise, it's all good.) Love that I can use these recipes for much more than just taco soup... :)

Thanks to my friend for the heads-up, and to Jamie over at Self-Reliance by Jamie for sharing the recipes!