How I Paid it Forward (Thanks to All of You)

Our house fire Oct 26th 2013 and my infamous Orange Jeep

When our house burned down on October 26, 2013 there was nothing I could have done to prepare for what followed. The barrage of insurance paperwork, utility company demands, changes of address to every person and company I knew and rebuilding our lives was more than overwhelming. Through faith and community support, we were able to get back on the road of recovery much sooner than had we been nomads in a remote area.

Donations came in from past and present church members and locals organizations such as the local Mason lodge, VFW, Jobs Daughters, WildLife Trekking Co., Hodgepodge, The Mattress Center, Frys Grocery Store, Findlay Toyota and VW, and dozens of other local companies in northern Arizona. 

Just as impressive was the outpouring of support from across the internet thanks to my blog friends, James Wesley Rawles of SurvivalBlog.com, Cody from Wranglerstar fame , Patrice Lewis from Rural-Revolution and the list goes on and on. It was with this support that my family began to rebuild our lives and begin to approach normalcy again. And it was because of this support that I was able to "Pay it Forward" to a coworker when I found out his house burned down shortly after mine.

Paying it Forward in the AZDAILY SUN

Joe Canedo is our long time cook here at my hospital and everyone knows him. More impressive is that Joe knows what everyone will ask for before they ask, whether it be breakfast or lunch. After only two months on the job, I could walk into the cafeteria and he would instantly begin making my favorite breakfast: scrambled eggs mixed with potatoes and ham. He also knew I preferred it in a takeout box.

Shortly after Thanksgiving Joe approached me in the cafe during lunch one day. He began by saying "Sorry to hear about your house." This was a common phrase to me lately and as I begin to thank him he told me that his home had just burned down a few days earlier. I could see the remnants of panic and sadness in his eyes and realized immediately that I had to help Joe...as so many other people had done for me.

I told him we would begin to save all of our extra donations and things we had no need for and he could have them as soon as he has a place to live. The Red Cross has put Joe up in a hotel until they can find him a suitable home for him and his disabled mother. After some reassuring chat, I returned to my office and called Wifey. I told her what had happened to Joe and we agreed to start stockpiling items for him. Couches, silverware, you name it...it is waiting for him.

I reached out to the newspaper journalist who had put our family on the front page of the local paper THREE TIMES (first article, second article, third article includes our Paying it Forward) in one month. That exposure helped us with donations and increased community support. I told her about Joe's plight and asked if she could do a story on him. She agreed and soon he was interviewed. That spread the story to the local University news station and they called me for information. They wanted to do a news story on Joe and I which I quickly arranged to be filmed in our hospital. Our segment is at the very beginning. Take a few minutes to see what YOU have made possible and the joy you have brought to Joe by helping me to pay it forward.

I'll never be able to express my gratitude for all that you have done for my family but I can at least share with you what I have done to attempt to pay it forward.

If you want to donate to Joe's family, you can send a donation to our PayPal account and I'll be sure he gets it. (PayPal address = LisaJones515@hotmail.com) They also list a donation fund in the news cast via Wells Fargo.

Joe is a wonderful man and so are all of you that helped us in our time of tragedy. Thank you and God Bless.

~OJD

Merry Christmas and Happy Homesteading!

Flower meets THE BIG MAN

It is 6:46pm and the Christmas excitement is winding down. Teenagers are in their rooms listening to their newest CDs and reading unfamiliar books. Youngins are enjoying a Barbie movie on the new family Wii game system via NetFlix. Wifey is tidying up the kitchen and I have snuck away to our bedroom to peck out a quick post.

We've been in our new rental house for about a month now and things are settling back to normal. We moved Wifey's mom in with us and she seems to be making herself at home. Her Huntington's disease is getting the better of her but she is hanging tough. Sis helped her up the stairs to the second floor today so she could shower before family arrived for our Christmas family gathering.  All-in-all, it went well.

Lucky loves the snow

Wifey whipped up a terrific meal of honey baked ham, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans and baked beans. There were plenty of desserts to go around as well. Our garage is still a mess with boxes everywhere and we've managed to fill an entire commercial dumpster in the driveway. Hanging some artwork and a mirror on the walls in the living room made it feel a bit more cozy. Lucky came inside to get some quality time today and claimed a favorite spot on the new (well, new to us) couch.

 I finally got the chickens outside and in a new home. They were two days old when our house burned down on October 26th. A gracious neighbor took them in for a month while we bounced from guest house to guest house. Once we were moved in to our current rental, I went and picked them up. They lived in our office (now Mother-in-law's room) for two weeks. The odor was getting a little much so I made room in the garage. They stayed there for about two weeks before I decided it was time to get our nine birds out of their box and into a real coop where they could stretch their wings a bit. I had found a Lucky Dog kennel on clearance at the local CAL Ranch store and figured it would make a perfect coop. There was a pre-made coop on the property already but it would only fit two to three birds at best.

8 girls and one lucky rooster

I finally had a Saturday with a little free time so I began to assemble the kennel (video). Once constructed and moved into place, I put the wooden coop inside the kennel. I was told my birds wouldn't have their "winter feathers" until the age of three months so I had to made sure they were sheltered since we have been getting snow for a few months now. With the kennel complete and the coop inside, I repositioned the Havahart electric fence to run about three feet outside of the kennel. My hopes were that it would train Lucky to stay away from the coop but with his furry body, he just slips right through it. Every now and then he catches it with his nose or something and let's out a yelp but it appears to be too random for him to get the hint to stay away from the wires.

The birds are happy now but I have a new problem. While the birds were being babysat, turns out one of the girls is a guy. Yup, we have a rooster. So, do I keep him around? I've been told he will make the girls more productive once they start laying.  I've also heard he could turn out to be VERY vocal. With six daughters...I don't need any more "vocals" around the house. For now, he stays...

Merry Christmas everyone!

~OJD

Lowest Price Ever: Life Straw Personal Water Filter

Every BOB (Bug Out Bag) or preparedness minded person should have several of these. These little straws, if you don't know already, can filter all the uglies out of water and make it drinkable. They are highly portable, are simple to use and cost very little.

Historically, these little life savers run around $20 plus shipping. Right now, there are 25% off with FREE shipping. According to a data tracking website (camelcamelcamel), this is the lowest these have ever been at just $14.99 with free shipping.

Click here to buy some before they are all gone.

Image courtesy of Amazon

Image courtesy of Amazon

 Stock up on some Life Straws. All the information you need about these is located a the link I gave above.

Sisters Helping Sisters for Christmas

It's Live!

12 Days of Christmas - The Jones Family

This gracious family of six sisters is honoring our family with a fundraiser today. For every RECIPE you upload to them, they will donate $1 to us. Do you have time to upload a recipe today?

They were unable to get a PayPal donate button active on the post so I  listed one above. A big THANK YOU to everyone involved in making this Christmas successful for our family!

~OJD

Featured on Six Sisters Blog Tomorrow

Just a quick note that our family was chosen to be featured on the Six Sisters blog tomorrow. We were nominated by someone in our church and were among the finalist. I could only DREAM of having a blog as successful as theirs.

To see the Six Sisters' 12 Days of Giving Back idea, click here.

We are honored to be chosen and wish to thank everyone involved in our recovery. Our family will be featured on December 7th so check their website tomorrow (or anytime after Dec 7th).

Thank You!

Cheap Food Prep Item: Macaroni and Cheese (Limited Time Offer)

I have several "deal" websites where I have set up email or text alerts to notify me when really good deals come along. One of my categories for alerts is food items. Today I received an alert that I jumped on and figured I'd pass it along to you guys. I do not know the expiration of this "deal" so if you are interested, you should act quickly.

The food item is the old Kraft Macaroni and Cheese standard box we all grew up with. The blue and yellow icon is the first food I learned how to make on my own as a kid. Sure, it's not the most nutritious thing out there. Some folks will scream about the Yellow #40 dye and how bad it is for lab rats but I like it for several reasons: easy to make, tastes yummy and fills the belly.

 Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

$8.54 for 15 boxes plus Free Shipping = $0.569333 per box DELIVERED

As a dad to six girls, who doesn't always have time to home cook a healthy meal, these little boxes can be life savers. And for this low price, I will stock up. I have done this in the past with this exact same item but it is much cheaper today. With Subscribe and Save on Amazon, I get the lowest price and have it shipped right to my mailbox.

Subscribe & Save, as mentioned before in my alerts, allows you to buy at a lower price. It will automatically ship out to you again, at the time YOU select unless you cancel the Subscription before the next delivery (which I usually do cancel). Just make sure you cancel the Subscribe and Save subscription AFTER you receive your order. Otherwise, it will cancel your original order.

Want to ensure your food storage will be there when you need it? Try these tips:

• First - freeze the boxes you have for 48 hours each - this will "kill" any bugs that might be in there. Wifey does this with most pasta/flour/grain purchases.

• Second, I would also take them out of the cardboard and put them in a plastic bag. This should help eliminate any cardboard taste they might have from sitting around...and it saves room. Do the bag before the freezer if you decide to do it. I HAVE had boxes taste like cardboard in the past after sitting for months in our hot garage in Phoenix. I'm sure that's mostly from the heat and now that we're in northern Arizona, it shouldn't be an issue. Nevertheless, to be safe, use the above tips.

How to order and get this deal for $0.57 per box (regular price is over $1.00 these days):

1) Visit my link  Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

2) On the right side of the page chose:

a) Your quantity
b) Click Subscribe and Save
c) Choose your Delivery option (I pick "every six months" to give me time to cancel)
d) click Subscribe Now

That's it. Hope this helps.

~OJD 

Pride and The Kiwi Shoe Polish Kit

My Kiwi Shoe Polish Kit from Amazon

I've been in upper management now for three months. I look back with a smile on the decades of wearing comfortable scrubs and tennis shoes. Attire was an afterthought since just about everyone I worked with was in hospital scrubs. Being the overnight employee also added to the blase attitude because I simply didn't see many people on my small town hospital shift.

Enter the world of management. Sport coats, vibrant ties, slacks and shiny shoes are the norm now. The weekend before I started my new job I visited the local Men's Wearhouse hoping to attain a management wardrobe. Having spent all my money moving back and forth between Arizona and Oklahoma, I was pleased to get approved for a store credit line.

As luck would have it, there was a Buy One, Get One sale on the day of my shopping spree. It had been years (high school?) since I attempted to dress in anything other than jeans and a t-shirt or scrubs. Aside from the routine church outfit, I was lucky to have two pair of slacks and a dress shirt. I walked out of the store that day with enough clothes to get me through my first week on the new job.

Nice and shiny

Fast forward six weeks and you'll reach the day my house burned down. Not only did I lose all the work clothes that I had purchased on credit but also the consecutive purchases I had made since that day. Yes sir, I was proud of that new wardrobe and felt that my attire was one less thing I had to worry about as I navigated through this awkward world of management. I choose the word awkward only because after working a graveyard shift for a decade, you tend to lose a bit of your social skills. Now, being thrust into the daytime, palm squeezing, Howdy Bob with a smile corporate world...I had to learn to be sociable again.

Oddly enough meetings interest me. Although my Bachelor degree in Psychology never meant much in terms of earning potential, I thoroughly enjoyed that field of study. People are VERY interesting...or can be.  Meetings provide an opportunity to "people watch" which can easily make the time fly in an otherwise dreadful meeting.

One thing I began to notice the other day were peoples' shoes. Specifically how some were nice and shiny while others were so dull you couldn't see a reflection if you were an inch away. I began to question the sense of pride folks take in themselves and how they appear. Often I noticed that if the shoes were dull then either the tie would be wrinkled, crooked or both. Other signs might be present  as well such as an improper shave, messy hair or (gasp) food stains on their shirt.

Digressing to the house fire, one of the few comforting things I realized after the fire was that over the years I had learned a lot about what I liked and didn't like. Having lost nearly everything I owned released me of the burden of keeping up with lots of things I didn't really care about. Clothes that I had outgrown but couldn't bare to part with or things that I thought would be made of good quality that simply were not high craftsmanship. Starting over meant I could now buy things that were tried and tested...

Enter the Kiwi Shoe Polish Kit. So simple yet so effective. I'd be a hipocrit if I besmurched a coworkers lackluster shoes if mine were of the same. As I looked down in the last meeting, my shoes had become just that...dull. In the month that has passed since the fire, I had neglected to polish my newly acquired shoes. In my defense, shoes take a much worse beating up here in the north country (snow, mud, dust) than they did in the city. But this is about pride.

So I woke at 4am this morning, broke out my newly acquired Kiwi kit and sat at the kitchen counter.  I propped open my laptop and began to peruse my YouTube subscriptions for something to watch while I worked on my dull, black dress shoes. It just so happens that Wranglerstar's latest video was covering a topic I was addressing at this very moment.

In his video, he digs his truck out of the snow where it had been stuck since the prior day. As he is digging it out with a shovel, he mentions that he COULD call a tow truck or a neighbor to help him with his troubles. But he eloquently demonstrates that a man should attempt to take care of himself first not just to spare his neighbors from the trouble but to (more importantly) teach his children to be self sufficient by example.

I spent a little over an hour shining up my work shoes this morning and they look ten times better. My girls didn't get to participate in this early morning endeavor like they did in helping me restore my Doc Martens (again, pride.) Today is a "late start" day as the recent snowfall has slowed up traffic.  They get to sleep in an extra two hours! Not fair! LoL.

I'll make sure to stick my prideful shoes out just a little further in my meetings today to let them basque in all their glory. The old, corny saying "Life is in the details" would probably fit nicely here but I won't use it. No sir, I'm practicing the new, hip office lingo...like "rearranging deck chairs on the titanic," "let's throw it against the wall and see what sticks," and  "we'll take that offline and circle back later."

Ugh, I just want to get home and work on the important stuff...like my workshop, chicken coop, greenhouse, rain barrel collection system and someday...Wifey's new craft room. Hey, priorities...right?

~OJD

Restored from the Ashes

For weeks my trusty pair of Doc Martens have been lying around like a discarded old pair of shop rags. Crusty and smelly from their last adventure inside our house after it burned to the ground. You may recall my triumphant post exclaiming that I found Wifey's wedding ring among the ashes the morning after the fire.

I wore my Docs on the hunt that morning for one reason: it's what I had on when the house burned down. Typically I wore these sturdy, leather boots with my favorite pair of jeans. With an added Dr Sholes insole, they were like walking on pillows and I could wear them all day. The sturdy brown leather withstood just about everything I could throw at them. Everything except...

The ash and debris was piled above my ankles as I slogged through the remains of our home. The firemen had hosed the house down with so much water that parts of the house had deep puddles of water and sludge. Insulation could be seen bobbing up and down in the living room. It was here that I took my Docs to battle.

Wifey knew that her wedding ring was in her jewelry case in the southeast corner of the bedroom. I entered through the bedroom window, careful not to step on any of the exposed nails.  Using downed two by fours of wood as a walkway through the sludge, I made my way to the corner of the room.  My shoes were ankle deep in the sludge as I began to dig around for the ring.

Thirty minutes later, a blackened metal circle could be seen in a pile of unidentifiable rubble. A few strokes with my now blackened fingers and I could make out the shape of her trillion diamonds. With a tear in my eye, most likely from the chemical smell in the house, I made my way out of the house.

I returned to the neighbor's home where we were graciously being allowed to stay a few days. After sharing the good news with Wifey, I kicked off the ash encrusted boots towards an outside wall of the house. They stayed there for two weeks until we moved to a different guest house. Again I brought them along, awaiting the day I could attempt to restore them to their prior glory.

Today was that day. It started with a warm water bath and soap scrub in my old blue igloo ice chest.  The soot quickly turned the water black but progress was being made.  After a thorough wash, the damage could be more clearly seen. The moisture has been sucked right out of several areas on the boots: toe, tongue and heel side.

A long hand bath in Obenauf's and they look remarkably better. I handworked the substance into every nook and cranny until even my hands were shiny. I placed them in the laundry room to spend the rest of the evening soaking up the moisture. I'm sure they'll get another coat tomorrow and look near brand new. I have a small tin of Kiwi brown polish awaiting any necessary touch ups.

Any time that I can, I like to renew something old rather than run out and buy something new like so many folks seem to do these days. Once I get them back into shape, I'll wear them with pride knowing that they made it through our house fire...just like I did.

~OJD

PS, I did a YouTube video on this too.

The Homestead Reboot

Home Sweet Home (with Solar!)

Now that the house fire is behind us and we've moved into a new home, things are slowly returning to normal. The house (and two storage sheds) are still full of trash bags and boxes that need to be sorted into the KEEP and DON'T KEEP piles. Then the KEEP piles need to be organized and put away so that they can be found again in a reasonable amount of time.

One of the most frustrating things about starting over like we are doing is that we can't find most of the things we need without going on an all-out manhunt. Think about it. Where do you put your car keys when you get home? On a wall hook? A special dish or bowl? I haven't picked a "special key place" yet and have already lost dozens of minutes looking for my keys after laying them down somewhere.

With my attention no longer focused on "where are we sleeping tonight" or " what are we wearing tomorrow," Wifey and I have began to reorganize everything and realize that we are starting over on just about everything. I now have the opportunity to REBOOT my HOMESTEAD from the ground up.

I have to reboot my bills:

• How can I tweak my electric bill to get it as low as possible? Water, propane?

• I'll be able to capture WAY more rainwater up here than in the Phoenix desert. That should help keep the water bill lower.
• I've learned how to use my unlimited data plan on my cell phone to provide internet throughout the house. No more internet bill.
• My rent now is $100 per month less than it was at the last house.

I have to reboot my food supply:

• We now have a greenhouse, left by the landlord, and intend on attempting aquaponics year-round with the help of solar power water pumps and thermal mass for heat distribution.
• We have to completely start our gardens over from scratch. The ground needs tilling, manure added and we inherited a nice composter just itching to be filled with organics.  Our growing season has been greatly reduced by moving up north.
• Our food storage took a big hit. First from a field mouse that got through our cardboard boxes AND mylar bags. Second hit from the fire.

I have to reboot my weaponry:

• Many weapons and ammunitions were lost in the fire but a few survived. I will have to replace my big game rifle and handguns.
• Ammo is still on the expensive side so restocking it will take some time.
• I've been reduced to a few knives.
• I'd love to finally learn to reload. Now might be a good time.
• Bow hunting is HUGE is this neck of the woods. I'll need to study up on bows before making a purchase.

I have to reboot my transportation:

• Both our 2001 Suburban (paid cash) and 2006 Orange Jeep Wrangler ($300/mo payment) were totaled in the fire by our insurance company. As of right now, we have NO car payment. 
• Do we want to pay cash for some low end beaters? Can we get by with one car?
• Lots of people up here walk and ride bicycles. Could we adapt to that culture?

You get the idea. Starting with a clean slate and mixing that with the years of experience of which equipment/clothing/tools work best for the job means I can minimize mistakes made by purchasing cheap/subpar/inadequate supplies. Having ordered so many things from Amazon since 2006, I can easily peruse my purchase history and reorder the items that will be long lasting and provide the most use while skipping over the shoddy craftsmanship of some things I THOUGHT would be good purchases.

Haven't seen the chicks in almost a month.

So this will be my new mantra on this blog. Rebooting a homestead from the ground up and sharing my experience/knowledge with all of you. I'll do product reviews on the items I add back into our inventory and tell you why I purchased it. This should prove, over time, to be a great resource to revert back to should you or I ever need to reboot  again. Everyone reboots at some point. It's my turn...and I'll share the experience with you.

~OJD

Upcoming reboots:

• Our baby chicks (one week old at the time of the fire) have been cared for by a neighbor. My landlord donated her chicken coop to us but it only holds up to four chickens. I will use my Havahart electric fence, some t-posts and horse wire to expand a larger run for them.
• Our ten 55 gallon water barrels are all empty from the move. One side of the house has rain gutters and I can easily divert rain water into the barrels. But first, I want to build a rack system, plumb the barrels together with pvc and then began capturing water. Eventually I will run drip lines from the barrels to the gardens.

5 Things Your Work From Home Business Needs

Operating a work from home business is the perfect opportunity for you to be your own boss provided you're prepared to do so! Working alone can be very exciting however experiencing small business success at home requires 5 simple components or measures you must consider or take as reviewed below! Structure This is to say you'll need to establish set working hours and not deviate from them simply because you're working alone and can do what you please! Whether you work for somebody else or have decided to be your own boss, if you're not productive your 'paycheck' will suffer as will your job security or business! Self Motivation Establishing the 'proper' environment is a well and good as mentioned above however without the proper motivation you'll get little accomplished! Are you self motivated because if you're not, trying to be your own boss will likely result in failure so this is something you MUST consider beforehand! Remember, when working alone you'll need not only to plan your work on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, but you'll also need to work your plan! Motivation will be needed to not only work through problems that may arise, and they will, but to also resist the temptation to 'take time off' whenever you please just because you can! Focus The degree of small business success you may or may NOT experience is dependent upon the quality of effort you invest! This is to say that simply 'putting in the hours' will NOT be good enough when trying to develop your own business! The efforts you invest must be focused, effective and productive if you expect to be successful, anything less will result in you 'spinning' your wheels and wasting your time! Remember you are NOT trading time for a paycheck but rather building something people want and need and this requires all your focus! Dedicated Workplace Working from home allows you to set up your office wherever you may please but it is recommended to establish a dedicated workplace right away! This saves you from the tedious and time consuming chore of having to gather and organize yourself each and everyday! This would be very unproductive and could ultimately be the reason you fall short of the success you're seeking! Here too since you're working alone it is all the more important you remain organized and time efficient to maximize your productivity! Internet Access No matter what type of business it is that you may be pursuing, having internet access will allow you the use of many valuable tools! Both your ability to communicate with others as well as to do necessary research are greatly enhanced when you're 'plugged into' the net! Another huge benefit is found in the availability of all kinds of business software which will significantly contribute to your productivity! Ignoring the internet when building any small businesses will only serve to delay your success while increasing your workload, therefore it simply doesn't make sense to do so, does it? Not every work from home business will be successful primarily because the home environment offers so many distractions! As exhilarating as working alone may seem to beArticle Submission, in order for you to be your own boss while still being productive the 5 measures discussed above MUST be addressed! The fact of the matter is small business success from the confines of your own home requires a certain focus and discipline! The 5 suggestions offered above help set the foundation for a productive and prosperous environment when working alone from home! Without the right structure or the ability to organize you'll stand little chance of achieving any entrepreneurial dreams you may have surrounded by so many temptations to slack off!

Move-in Day!

Home Sweet Home

Move-in day is finally here! We have found a nice little country style home that I am very excited about. It will be our first second story home but I can clearly use more exercise, right?  It's just about the same size as the last house and still sits on a lovely 2.5 acres of property.  This time, however, we are surrounded by huge pine trees instead of being out in the open on a hillside.

As of last night, our garage is now filled with donations. Later today, another load will be delivered containing what was left from our previous residence that did not get burned. Following that will be a uHaul truck from three hours south of us filled with donations from the neighbors and friends were we lived for thirteen years before moving to northern Arizona. We are truly blessed and it cannot be denied.

Garage full of donations

I finally have a laptop with which I can write posts for this blog. Google's Blogger app for Droid is certainly useable in a pinch or on the go but it is tortuous at best to add multiple pictures to a post. We have no internet still but I've become quite adept at turning my Droid cell phone into a hotspot and using it as a wifi connection. Thank you FoxFi!

The community support, both local and internet, has been overwhelming. The folks at the UPS store (where I purchased my post office box) know who I am as soon as I walk through the door. "You have several packages today," they'll announce with a smile. I intend on posting a Thank You list to all commercial businesses that have helped us out in an effort to give them the props they deserve. I'll observe the many individual requests for people asking to stay anonymous as well. I got a chuckle every time I opened a package and found a note inside which read "The return address on the label of this package is ficticious."

The second-hand safe is now a member of our family

A very special shout out goes to Cody (owner of the Wranglerstar channel, see his tribute video to our family here) on YouTube and JW Rawles (owner of SurvivalBlog.com). Their internet campaigns have proven extremely helpful in many ways. Also to my friends back in Mesa in our old church ward who have shown unbelievable kindness. My buddy Brandon is busy trying to sell our old house. He has arranged new carpet, done drywall repairs (with Dathan's help) and painted. There are so many friends who have turned this tragedy into a miracle that I have to use the old cliche "I can't possibly remember them all." Our new friends and church members up north have been a godsend as well both in helping us move, giving us shelter and donations.

We will, no doubt, be moving all through the weekend. I suspect that by Sunday night we'll have a good idea of what we have and don't have. Up until this point, we put most donations into a (donated) storage unit so that we didn't crowd the gracious local families that have given us shelter. This left us in the dark as to what we really have and what we have lost. People still ask me what we need. I have to answer that I honestly don't know yet.

A "full over full" bunkbed with a full-sized trundle

The children are all doing well. Things were awkward at first. Schoolmates were silent as I suspect that they just didn't quite know what to say. That has changed for the most part now. Tomorrow (Saturday) will be our three week anniversary of the house fire. I should mention that it has helped tremendously to receive all the wonderful toys and clothing. The dolls, horses, hair doodads etc has kept the girls in their normal girlie routine.

The rest of the family has voted to stay one last night with our guest family. I am siting at our donated kitchen table listening to the buzz of a cordless drill upstairs. Mr. BunkBed, who seems to have a successful home-based business with his wife, is upstairs putting together two custom bunk beds for my girls. He not only offered to help us out, he also drove two hours to get here AND is assembling everything. When I say we are blessed, you have no idea. I hope I can explain it for you in the upcoming blog posts.

The local mattress store also helped us with our five full mattresses and king mattress set. I bought five nice pillows from him to thank him for helping and he impressed me again. He threw in a full body pillow. This small town and it's people are truly amazing. Generally, that's true for most small towns as I'm sure those of you living in such are aware.

I won't be able to thank every single person who has helped us (several anonymous gifts) but I am here to tell you that this family loves every one of you and I have no doubts that God will bless each and every one of you for your good deeds. 

~one humble Orange Jeep Dad (who is still searching for an Orange Jeep)

Medications and treatments for diabetes

What is sad about people who are suffering from diabetes is that many of them remain undiagnosed mainly because of lack of knowledge on the disease and lack of resources to even visit a doctor and know their real condition. In fact, more often than not, "diabetics" or the people who are suffering from diabetes only know about their condition once their bodies exhibit signs and symptoms that can no longer be ignored. These include extreme blurring of vision, excruciating pains especially in the legs, and cuts or sores that takes time to heal and worse, wounds that don’t heal at all and needs to cut to avoid other affected cells from spreading to other parts of the body. Treatment and medical options Since diabetes is a chronic disease, people who are suffering from it should be more vigilant about their health more than ever. It means that they should visit their doctors more often, maintain a healthy lifestyle and take the necessary medications or undergo needed treatments for them to stay healthy. Before taking in any medication or undergoing a specific treatment, it is a must that person knows what type of diabetes he or she is suffering from. Basically, there are three types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes wherein the person's body doesn’t have the capability to produce insulin, which is crucial for sugar to turn the food into energy; the type 2 diabetes—the most common type—restricts the person's pancreas to produce enough supply insulin for the body to use well; and the gestational diabetes which occurs among pregnant women and can lead to type 2 diabetes eventually if not monitored immediately. Experts say that people with diabetes should aim for healthy diet and getting regular exercise to control the illness. At times, there will be the need to take in some medications or undergo treatments. The following are just some of the common medications advised for people with diabetes: 1. Insulin shots. Since insufficient insulin levels in the body cause diabetes, insulin itself can solve the problem. For diabetics, insulin is very important because it lowers the blood sugar in the body by moving the sugar from the person's blood into the cells. Insulin should be taken at least two times daily to ensure that there will be stable blood sugar control. It should be taken at least 30 minutes before each meal or should be taken before one eats especially if she or he takes a fast effecting type. 2. Oral medications. People with type 1 diabetes are not advised to use oral medications since insulin shots are injected in their bodies 24/7 in order to survive. Oral medications work best to people with type 2 diabetes—especially those who have high blood sugar—because these can serve as a supplement for them. The most common oral medications include sulfonylureas which forces the pancreas to produce more insulin to lower the blood sugar levels; siguanides which helps achieve lower blood sugar by stopping the liver in producing too much sugar; metformin which helps the person lose weight which is the common cause of diabetes; thiazolidinediones which helps the cells develop higher sensitivity to insulin which moves the glucose from the blood; and meglitinides which is responsible for helping the pancreas produce more insulin immediately after each meal to effectively lower blood sugar levels. “Learn a Little-Known, But 100% Scientifically-Proven Way To ERASE Your Diabetes in 3 SHORT weeks... ”Click Here To Watch The SHOCKING Video Here...

Goodies in the Mail! - Thank You!

Stopped by my post office box at lunchtime and look what I found! Thank you all so much. It means so much to me and my family. I have to hurry back to work now but will post more later thank you!

OJD

Sent from my Verizon Droid phone

Major Factor in Diabetes Management and Care

Everyone experiences stress every once in a while. It is basically unavoidable. Besides, if you see something stressful or you are in a stressful situation, you will definitely experience it. However, you have to remember that if you are a diabetic, stress can have negative impact on your overall well-being. Living with diabetes is stressful enough. But, you need to remember that stress can also have its effects on the body, which can aggravate diabetes. First of all, you need to understand what stress does to the body in order for you to fully understand why stress can have negative effects in people with diabetes. Basically, stress is something your body feels when something happens that makes your body feel that it is under attack. The source of stress can be emotional or physical. It can be triggered by stressful events, such as marriage problems, or by someone striking you or hurting you. When you are in a stressful situation, your body reacts and tends to gear up as if it is waiting to take action. This is when the levels of many hormones found in your body increases. This response from the body is what many people know as the fight or flight response. Stress can become a problem for people suffering from diabetes as stress triggers a body response that pumps sugar in to the blood. Therefore, stress increases blood sugar levels, which you don’t really need if you are a diabetic. You have to remember that being diabetic means that you don’t have the amount of insulin to use the extra sugar in your blood as energy. In addition to that, people tend to overeat or drink alcoholic beverage when they feel stressed. This is also something that diabetics should avoid. Because it will play havoc in your blood sugar levels, you will be entering a very dangerous situation when you get stressed. Stress is a bad thing for diabetics as it increases blood sugar level. It also encourages people to go on binge eating and drinking. This is why stress management is recommended for people suffering from diabetes. To effectively manage stress, the best thing that you can do is to avoid stressful situations altogether. By not being in a stressful situation, you will be able to prevent stress from affecting you and affecting your already serious condition. If you think that your work hours are stressful, try to talk to your supervisor about it and get it changed. It is very important that they know about your condition in order for them to assign you to a more suitable work hours. If you can, go to relaxation therapy. Here, you will be able to learn relaxation techniques that can be very beneficial for you. Exercise is also an excellent stress reliever. Go to the gym, walk, jog, or go cycling or swimming. You will not only help alleviate stress through exercise, but you will also be able to get your body to become healthier. Exercising has other benefits to diabetics too. Always remember that stress will never go away. Time and time again, you will eventually feel it. The only way to solve this problem is by knowing how to manage stress. If you manage stress effectively, you can be sure that you will be able to manage diabetes. “Learn a Little-Known, But 100% Scientifically-Proven Way To ERASE Your Diabetes in 3 SHORT weeks... ”Click Here To Watch The SHOCKING Video Here...

Invited to Join the YouTube Partner Program Today!

We've almost made it to Partner!

Update: Nevermind. I appear to have been duped. Like I really need false hopes right now :-(

Thanks to everyone for pointing out this false letter.
================================

I got an email today inviting me to join the YouTube Partner Program! This means, if I am accepted, the videos I make to compliment my blog could begin to earn me revenue by working from home. As I strive to be self sufficient, creating an income stream that I earn from home goes a long way towards our goals.

How you can help:

My invitation says that, upon completion of the application, they will review my YouTube Channel. If I meet their requirements of 200 views PER DAY, I am accepted and can start generating income from my videos.

If you have time, please visit my YouTube Channel and load as many of my videos as you can stand to watch ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWMFBmMhwioqe2mKQkXm9jQ

Of course, I can't make any more videos until I get a new computer but hopefully that won't take too much longer. Thanks again to everyone who has already helped us with donations! We love you all!

~OJD

Fire Got my Favorite Weapon - Double Barrel Hammerless 16 Gauge Shotgun

Wifey stumbled across this shotgun on a Facebook post earlier this year. Someone's father had passed and they were left with the task of selling his gun collection. I picked up the double barrel hammerless shotgun for $250.

I was a little apprehensive to fire it for the first time this summer. I had no idea how old it was or what kind of condition it was in. I did not know when the last time it was fired. I took it to the local gun shop but the gunsmith was not in that day. Some guys behind the counter told me it looked okay but to make sure I should have it inspected by the gunsmith.

Before I knew it, I was at the farm in Oklahoma. I found a brave family member that was willing to shoot it for the first time. After a couple of trigger squeezes,  we determined it was fine to fire.

Not only could she fire but she shot straight and true. I enjoyed the next couple of months with that shotgun and even took out a snake near the farmhouse (I can't hyperlink to previous posts like the snake encounter from my cell phone.)

I'm gonna replace this baby someday.  I saw similar ones at a gun show in Payson,  Arizona. Then I'll get Wifey the 380 she's been asking for to conceal carry. But first,  we need our own  transportation and a rental home.

Thanks to everyone who has helped so far with PayPal donations.  Blessings will befall you for your generosity and my family is eternally grateful. We have temporary housing and transportation from generous neighbors / church members. I have begun looking for a rental property today.

OJD

New PO Box & FFL Address

Jeep's gone but the canoe made it.

Blogging from my Verizon Droid cell phone isn't as easy as I would like it to be. I initiated a post yesterday to announce our new PO Box address but it looks like it is stuck in posting limbo. Hopefully I can get my hands on a second hand laptop today.

The address we are accepting mail at is:

Orange Jeep Dad
2532 N. Fourth St #230
Flagstaff, AZ 86004

The mail store was more than happy to add the moniker Orange Jeep Dad to the box so we're GTG (good to go) there. Thanks to everyone who has helped out so far. I have a neighbor with an FFL and will be posting that shortly.

Update: Friend with FFL license:

Margaret Jean Sullivan

8650 Kira Ln
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 526-3262 (Phone)
(Web)

FFL License:	9 - 86 - XXX - XX - XX - 01604
FFL License Type:	01 - Dealer
License Expires:	12/01/2013

- See more at: http://www.fflregistry.com/FFL-Dealer/Flagstaff/AZ/Margaret-Jean-Sullivan/4072.html#sthash.OQdFrE70.dpuf

Margaret Jean Sullivan

8650 Kira Ln
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 526-3262 (Phone)
(Web)

FFL License:	9 - 86 - XXX - XX - XX - 01604
FFL License Type:	01 - Dealer
License Expires:	12/01/2013

- See more at: http://www.fflregistry.com/FFL-Dealer/Flagstaff/AZ/Margaret-Jean-Sullivan/4072.html#sthash.OQdFrE70.dpuf

MJ Sullivan

8650 Kira Ln
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 526-3262 (Phone - See more at: http://www.fflregistry.com/FFL-Dealer/Flagstaff/AZ/Margaret-Jean-Sullivan/4072.html#sthash.OQdFrE70.dpuf

Margaret Jean Sullivan

8650 Kira Ln
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 526-3262 (Phone) - See more at: http://www.fflregistry.com/FFL-Dealer/Flagstaff/AZ/Margaret-Jean-Sullivan/4072.html#sthash.OQdFrE70.dpufMJ

Margaret Jean Sullivan

8650 Kira Ln
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 526-3262 (Phone)
(Web)

FFL License:	9 - 86 - XXX - XX - XX - 01604
FFL License Type:	01 - Dealer
License Expires:	12/01/2013

- See more at: http://www.fflregistry.com/FFL-Dealer/Flagstaff/AZ/Margaret-Jean-Sullivan/4072.html#sthash.OQdFrE70.dpuf

8650 Kira Lane
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Phone 805-630-4804 
Email: KnightsRMZ@dslextreme.com

FFL License 9-86-XXX-XX-XX-01604
FFL License Type - 01 Dealer
License Exp. 12-01-13 

They can email a copy of the license if you give an email address.

When we're asked what we need, I really can't accurately answer that just yet. We have dozens of black trash bags with donations in them and we need to sort them all out. However, one thing I am certainly looking for:

ISO (in search of) ONE ORANGE JEEP ;-)

 

I've had three Jeeps in my life so far: a 1983 Laredo, a 1981 CJ 8 (Scrambler) and my most recent Orange 2006 Wrangler. I loved all three and am looking for a fourth now. My dream Jeep would be another old Scrambler but funds are going to be a limiting factor.

If anyone has a Jeep in mind for me, please let me know. We are a dedicated Jeep family. If you don't understand it, "it's a Jeep thing."  Wifey said I needed to change the blog title to Orange Jeep HAT Dad. I reminded her I don't have the hat any more either :-( But the orange canoe that I picked up in Oklahoma this summer made it! Perhaps I'll be the Orange Canoe Dad now? LoL!

This is what my first Jeep looked like (not my actual but identical)

~OJD 



Photo from Johnny Ringo's Carefree Adventure 480-488-2466



I like CJ8s because they can hold all my kids (up to 7 people).

The Next Day

I dug through the ash this morning and found Wifey's wedding ring.  She cried with joy when I presented it upon my return.  We are staying at a gracious neighbor's house for the time being.

I am meeting with our auto insurance company tomorrow.  Both vehicles are totalled.  No more Orange Jeep. I'm hoping for a quick remedy from them.  Probably shouldn't hold my breath.

Being members of a loving church makes all the difference.  The outpour of help and prayers have made it bearable.

Gotta run.  Lots to take care of.  Our PayPal account for donations is:

LisaJones515@hotmail.com

OJD

Our house burned down today

I don't think I'll be posting for a while.  Our house burned down today.  All family,  dog,  puppies and chicks are safe.  House,  jeep and suburban are total loss.  We have the clothes on our backs and my cell phone.  Family and friends are helping as much as they can.  I am grateful for everyone's safety.

OJD

Cashing in through Affiliate Marketing

The internet is booming these days and there are endless opportunities to make money online. Today people tend to stay connected with each other through the internet. The increasing number of user on the internet has benefited businesses all over the world. Today it is quite easy to promote a product online and make profits from its sales. There are various ways by which you can make money on the internet. Affiliate marketing is one such means of generating substantial income. As an affiliate marketer, you sell products from another business or vendor and make profits with each sale in the form of a pre-determined commission. This business model is a huge hit on the internet and millions of people are already make tons of money with it. To get started with affiliate marketing, you need to choose a product(s). The choice of the product can depend on your knowledge of the product or on the demand of the consumer. As an affiliate marketer, you have to be very careful as to what products you choose to market. There are some products that are not worth buying and when you choose those, you may lose your valued customers. Any business depends mainly on repeat customers. Be sure that you are advertising for a product that will meet the buyer’s expectation and prove useful to them. There are various websites where you can join as an affiliate marketer. You can write your own blog or set up a website where you provide information about certain products that you intend to sell to your audience. Before people buy a product, they look for all sort of information they can find about the product. When they are sufficiently convinced that the product can meet their needs, they buy it. Thus, building confidence in customers about a certain product should be your priority as an affiliate market. You can also choose to sell products by means of paid advertising like Google Adwords etc. If you are new to the world of affiliate marketing, it may take a while for you to understand its core concepts and start making money. You have got to hang in there and learn things before implementing them.

Home Depot - Let's Talk!

One of the things I enjoy about blogging is checking the statistics pages and seeing what visitors are doing when they come to my blog. I use StatCounter.com, who not only are free, but show things like:

• Summary
• Hourly
• Popular Pages
• Entry Pages
• Exit Pages
• Incoming Traffic
• Came From
• Keyword Analysis
• Paid Traffic New
• Recent Came From
• Recent Keyword Activity
• Search Engine Wars
• Exit Links
• Exit Link Activity
• Downloads
• Download Activity
• Visitor Paths
• Visit Length
• Returning Visits
• Recent Pageload Activity
• Recent Visitor Activity
• Recent Visitor Map
• Country/State/City/ISP
• Browsers
• System Stats

I was VERY interested tonight to see that I have a visitor from a Home Depot IP address that has visited 27 times! In my alternate universe, that visitor is a marketing executive who is looking for a dad to sponsor for a web show. I'd love to do a Last Man Standing spin on homesteading. Wifey and my six daughters would be the driving source that keeps me in the garage.

Home Depot visits my blog! I would love you to leave a comment!

My whole house has split our sides laughing at Tim Allen and the Last Man Standing show he is performing in.  Since we dropped our cable tv over five years ago, the only method we have for watching shows now is through NetFlix via the girls' Wii game console. We've burned through the first two seasons in about two weeks...it is THAT funny. Of course, with six daughters, I'll be watching the show a second time to see what I missed with all their chatter. I've been a fan of Tim Allen since his Men Are Pigs comedy tour back in 1989.

So, Home Depot person, leave a comment and tell us what you like (or don't like, I'm a realist) about the blog. I'm super curious.

~OJD



P.S., and a BIG HELLO to GIG HARBOR, WASHINGTON for racking up 520 visits to my blog!

Building my Man Cave

Split my axe tonight cutting wood.

I've been working on my man cave the past week. I got two nice work benches put up and some pegboard to starting organize my tools. Feels a lot better knowing where some of my stuff is for projects. Got my vice clamp on the side of my workbench. Threw my double edge up there and was sharpening the edges with my new file. Took it out to try it out and worked like a charm. 20 minutes later I split the handle. So now I have a new project. 

Clubhouse by lantern light

I don't have enough lighting up yet and I'm enjoying this evening by Coleman lantern lights. I got one of the large bay doors open for some nice breeze. I am enjoying the heck out of this. I wish I had a full month just to work around the property. We have a gate on the fence now so no worries about Jade (our German Shepherd) running off. I added a door to the girls' clubhouse.

10 chicks + waterer & feeder = $57

Picked up ten chicks last Saturday down in the valley and hauled them up north. I have

• Buff Orphington x 3
• Wyandotte x 3
• Barred Rock x4

I'm hoping that come Easter, we have a good stock of eggs to eat & decorate. I finally got to taste some free range eggs left by some friends. They were more colorful and tasteful. I'm certainly looking forward to fresh eggs.

-OJD