sustain, prepare & bbq

The other night I went to my friends for a BBQ. It was a much needed "kick-back" break in a week filled with writing, work, more writing, more work, housework, stress waiting to hear about a big fashion writing position at a blog (still waiting) and last week my body just wasn't feeling all that great. (waiting to get adrenal test results back). She had redecorated her patio and we planned to have a fire and use fresh herbs from her new garden in our meal. It was so pleasant and YUMMY! :) She is growing herbs (we used basil and thyme in our chicken! mmm!) and squash. It got me thinking about wanting to start my own garden but I've never planted anything. The truth is, it intimidates me, but I'd like us to be more self sufficient. So as my mind continued think on the idea of sustainability I naturally began to think on preparedness in general. 

Last night in Bible study I got into a long discussion with my sister-in-law about the topic. I look up to her in a lot of ways, one of them is how organized she is and with us both being avid Pinners I knew she had shared interest in the topic. She showed me what she has been stocking and gave me tips on how to save money in doing so. My plan is to start our emergency kit soon as well. I will post as I go and share tips, and the great ones I learned from her as well. She also gave me good ideas about how to store certain items at work and in your car as well! 

I think it's a smart thing to do in this day and age, to make sure your family has a few days of care in case of an emergency. In California it was just natural to have an escape route, water etc. because of the threat of earthquakes, I guess I just hadn't thought it about it in a while and feel like its something we all should think about. 

The holidays are getting so close and I have a lot of great holiday posts coming! My sister, Miss Ashley, is hosting Thanksgiving again, as is Mr. Charmings cousin, and they've both been amazing in making a gluten-dairy free menu. I'm really blessed to have family that, even if they don't exactly understand why I eat the way I do, still show compassion and accommodating care. I also have days 10-18 of the Gratitude photo challenge coming. It's been an enlightening photo project that I have totally fallen in love with. I think I may pick up another photo when this one is finished. It injects moments of positivity and creativity into everyday and who doesn't need a little more of that?