Again

So my alarm went off at 6 (I was already awake typing on the blog). As I shut it off, my phone rang. School is closed today. Outside I can heard the freezing rain hit the windows. Another ice storm is coming today. Supposedly a mixture of the horrible ice storm we had 2 yrs. ago and the horrible blizzard we had 6 weeks ago.  I lost power for a week in the last ice storm and with my then husband 2.5 hours away, my kids and I ended up living at the church. My scars from that week are still very pink and tender. I am soooo praying I don't loose power. And that the monster tree in my back yard doesn't come crashing through my roof. If those two things hold, I should be good for some time.

I filled up the gas tank last night, got some cash, and picked up milk and bread from Walmart. Hard to believe it was 63 degrees yesterday. Walmart was an interesting site. The shelves were bare. And I mean bare. The entire bread aisle only had about a 12 loaves left and a 3 or 4 packages of tortillas. Cereal was wiped out. Cake mixes, jello and most of the puddings - gone. Sugar - gone. The dairy aisle was holding it's own but was at least half gone. Most of the produce was gone. Except for broccoli - lots of that to be had. I saw 3 oranges left in an entire display. The lines were horrific. Why, oh why is it sooooo hard to hire a few cashiers????? Why are the slowest ones on the express lanes? They probably have 12 registers open today when no one will be there. Roll eyes.

With power, I love an ice storm. I love being stuck at home. I plan on a crock pot full of chili or some other incredible yummy soup, clean my house, read a book, play games, tackle projects, and just soak up every second. Without power... well let's just not consider an ice storm without power.

I posted the following about my last ice storm experience a week or two after. I thought I would post it here for easy reference and a reminder. One of my projects today will be to update and repack the 72 hour kits.

Anyway- Enjoy & stay warm!

Jan. 1, 2008
What I learned living without power for a week:
As far as our Get-up & Go kits - the good:
1. Money! I had some cash which is unusual. But it was a wonderful blessing to have 50.00 in the kits. Especially since the only gas station I could find on the second day only accepted cash.

2. The Hygiene kits were wonderful. It was wonderful to grab the bag and have everything together.

3. Treats bag- also very helpful. It was full of hot chocolate/cider, hard candy, granola bars, gum, etc.

4. Large mugs for everyone & hand crank flashlights (Walmart - $18.00) were great. The flashlights were actually a gift for dh. We gave him one a few days before the storm when he was traveling through some bad weather to another town. The other we opened during the storm. The light is very strong and they have a cell phone charger port. VERY HANDY!

5. Chapstick- it was cold and we were out a lot. The chapstick was a wonderful luxury that made things a lot better.

6. Long johns, wool socks, and wool blanket. The first night we stayed at home and those things really helped as our house cooled down. We continued to use them at others' homes as it took a long time for us to warm up - it was like we were still chilled on the inside.

Things I will do differently:
1. Suitcases- our kits are in large school backpacks. I ended up with tons of bags including stuff we added that it not typically in our ER kits. Half way through the week I went home and got a large suitcase and repacked everything. It was sooooo much easier to move around with things were on wheels. I will keep the bags, but I will also pack one or two med. size family suitcase(s).

2. Fanny pack - I was carrying everything. My pockets were full and it was hard to remember where everything was. My license fell out of my pocket and the missionaries found it. It took me two days to hook up with the Bishop to get it back. I will be adding a fanny pack that will have the cash, my wallet, chapstick, cell phone & charger, & glasses/case.

3. Bathroom bag- When I went to the shower at the church I was carrying 2 or 3 bags of stuff. I am going to put all the bathroom stuff in an old make-up bag and keep all the stuff together.

4. My list of things I needed over the week and had to return home for:
Contact case (our kits had solution, but no case)
Glasses case
Tweezers
Razor (I was feeling a bit European by the end of the week)
Conditioner (no idea why I didn't have this)
Cough/Cold medicine
Laundry Soap (some packets would have been great. I had to borrow from the RS pres. & my friend had to pay a ton at a laundry mat)
Inflatable Pillows (carrying everyones pillows from place to place, was not fun. Yet pillows help a lot to keep one happy and rested.)

Lastly, many people asked us what they could do to help, but we didn't want to feel like a burden, esp. since others were struggling as well. I learned to not ask, but do. Just show up with a pot of chili or come take the laundry. We (the four families living at the church) would not have said no. We were very grateful for the sisters who brought homemade stew & bread and another night, lasanga. We were doing fine on our own, but it really boosted our spirits to have those meals brought in.