Vital Records Supply List

Vital Records Purchase List:

3-inch 3-ring Binder

(You get 2 for about the price of 1 at Costco and Sam's)

Page Protectors

(You can get a box of 100 at Costco or Sam's)

Divided Page Protectors

(For Family Pictures)

Business Card Page Protectors

2 - Zipper Pouches

(For Quick Cash, Notebook, Pens and Pencils)

CD Protectors

Sharpie Markers

Small Notebook

Carry Case

(Look for a bag or purse that will hold the FILLED binder.)

You can start with just a binder, page protectors

and the zipper pouches.

The rest can be purchased a little at a time.

Check on-line as well.

I found several stores that offered free shipping.

Watch for weekly assignments

and reminders!

Neighborhood Block Plan!

I have to say before we get started,

this is not a 1 hour project!

This one will take some time to put together,

BUT...

It will be worth every minute you invest in it!

The peace of mind that will come

with this preparation is worth it for sure!

That being said, lets get started.

  I decided to give you a little at a time.

It can be a little overwhelming if you get all of

the information at once.

Your assignment this week is to gather:

A Map of Your Neighborhood

(This map will include ALL of the houses in your ward boundries

whether they are members or not.)

My ward was just divided and so I will be

going through this process right along with you!

YAY?

(Just kidding....I'm excited!)
I will be taking pictures of each of the houses

in our ward boundries

so that I can make a more personalized map

BUT this is not necessary!

It is a FuN way to get
the people in your neighborhood
interested in preparedness.
Who knows....you might even find neighbors
willing to help with this project! 
Here's the PDF File for that:
Neighborhood Block Plan PDF Packet 1
Here are a few things to
keep in mind when creating
your Neighborhood Block Plan:
Each BLOCK will consist of
10 HOMES.
1 BLOCK CAPTAIN will be
assigned to each BLOCK.
Each BLOCK will be assigned
a NUMBER.

Block Captains Photo's will be added to this page.
This will be a great help in an emergency.
That should do if for today!
I will be posting the rest of the information
throughout the month of December.
My hope is to be ready to start
practice drills in January or February!

Vital Records - Scan and Label!

We're finishing up the Photo Section Today!

Scanning and Labeling Photos

Before the days of digital cameras...we used to use

film that needed to be processed and negatives

that needed to be stored.

It was quite a process!

I have tons of pictures that I would like to be

able to preserve digitally,

SO... this week I will be scanning photos like crazy

so that I can save them on my hard-drive.

(This will also save them on Backblaze so

that they will be around FOREVER!)

One more thing I will be doing:

Labeling the photos that I have in photo albums.

I used the albums with pocket page protectors so I don't

have any information written down anywhere

that would let anyone

other than me and my immediate family know

WHO is in the picture.

I will be adding the information to those photos

using photo safe permanent pens so that others down the

line will know who we are and what we were up to.

That's your challenge

for this week!

I'm working on the PDF files that I wasn't able to load last week.

I will be posting the Primary Theme and Scripture FHE

as well as some Thanksgiving Placecards later TODAY!

Vital Records - Photos!

We are on the LAST official section of our Vital Records Binders.

I can't believe how close we are to finishing this BIG FELLA!

During November I will be going back and posting

some of the pages I missed along the way,

(I may have missed a few!)

BUT we will be completely done by the end of November!

For This Week's Assignment:

You will need to make sure your photos are

ELECTRONICALLY PRESERVED!

This may mean saving them on:

CD's

Floppy or Flash Drives

Memory Sticks

or by . . .

Using an outside source like:

Backblaze (My personal favorite!)

Mozy or Carbonite

Make sure that you have properly stored

your negatives and other prints.

REMEMBER:

Pictures like to live where we live!

Temperature and Humidity are important factors to consider

when storing photos and important documents.

This one is a big one but worth the time for sure!

I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel . . . WhaWhoooo!

Vital Records - A Few More Insurance Records!

We're finishing up the last of the Insurance Section

TODAY!

For this week's assignment you will need to gather

Long-Term Care Insurance Records

Medicare/Medigap and Medicaid Insurance Records

and

Work Related Insurance Information.

Print the ones that apply to you and the needs of your family.

Put the pages into clear page protectors and add the documents.

That Does It For Insurance . . . We're Onto Photo's Next!

Here's the PDF:

Vital Records Insurance Packet 2 PDF

More Halloween Ideas Are Coming!!!

Vital Records - Insurance!

October's Vital Records Section

is all about

INSURANCE!

This Week you will need to gather your

Disability Insurance Records

and your

Life Insurance Records.

Print the PDF and put the pages into clear page protectors.

Add the Insurance Documents for each section into

the page protectors and you're done for the week!

Here's the PDF:

Vital Records Insurance Packet One PDF

Keep Up the Good Work.

You're Getting Close!

Vital Records!

Conference was AMAZING!

There was so much to think about that I thought

it would be a good day to deveate from the regular posting schedule

and just focus on the messages we heard during CONFERENCE!

I wanted to focus on how I can apply the things I learned,

in my home with my family.

My cup has been filled to over-flowing and I can't

wait to act on some of the thoughts I had as I listened.

We'll catch up on the Vital Records Assignments

next week.

Hope You Have A Great Night!

Plan on Lot's of

Halloween Games and Ideas

This Coming Week.

Vital Records - Video Records!

We're finishing up the last section of the

Housing Information Today!

You'll want to pull out the video camera for this one.

You will be making a visual records of your belongings.

Along with a video record, you will want to

include copies of the appraisals you have had done

on any of your belongings.

Here's the page for that:

Housing Information - Appraisal Records PDF

Make a copy of this page for each appraisal you have.

Place the copies of the appraisals into the clear sheet protectors

along with the copy.

Don't Forget to keep the video record with your

Vital Records Binder.

"That's It!"

We're done with this section.

The next section we will be working on will be the

Insurance Section

Gettin' close to finishing this big fella!!!

Vital Records -

Today's Household Information Includes:

A Copy of Your Property Tax Bill

as well as a

Copy of the Land Survey

and

Title Policy

Place each of the pages into clear page protectors.

Slide a copy of each of the items listed into the page protector.

If you own more than one property, remember to

include the information for each.

Only one assignment left to go in the Household Section!

Here's the PDF:

Vital Records Household Packet 3 PDF

So close to finishing this project!

Whah Who!

Vital Records - Household Inventory Sheets!

If your home were to burn down today,

would you have any proof of your posessions?

Would you have a record of what you would need

to replace as well as the value of that item?

If your answer was, "NO!" no worries.

After today, you will have that fixed!

Today's Assignment:

Household Inventory Sheets

Here's what you'll find on the sheet:

A Photo

A Description

A Brief History of the Item

Who Will Get the Item When You're Gone

An Appraisal

or

The Centimental Value

as well as

A Record of Where It Is Stored.

Make a copy for each of the items you would like

to replace as well as the one's that you would like to

pass down to family and friends.

It's also a great idea to make a video showing

the items you will be keeping a record of.

Keep a copy of this in a safety deposit box or

make a couple extra copies to keep at a

parent or sibblings home.

You will also want to include a copy of your

insurance records if you haven't already.

If you are renting, you will want to add a copy

of your renters insurance policy as well.

I'm also including a section for you to add 

the Deeds you have.

Here it is:

Homeowner's Insurance:

(These were included in an earlier post.)

Renter's Insurance Records:

Just add a copy of your insurance policy.

Your Household Inventory Sheets

will take you a little bit of time to put together

the first time,

but it will be worth it . . . I Promise!

From now on, just plan on taking a photo of the

important things you bring into your home.

Take a few minutes to record the information on your

Household Inventory Record Sheet

and you'll be good to go!

Here's the PDF:

Vital Records Household Information Packet 2 PDF

There is a lot of information included in this week's assignment.

Set aside a few minutes every day to work

on completing each of the pages

and it won't seem so overwhelming!

Best of LUCK!

Vital Records - Housing: Appraisal and Mortgage Statements!

We're now in the Housing Section

of our Vital Records Binder!

For today's assignment you will need:

A Copy of your House Appraisal

and

A Copy of your Mortgage Statements.

These statements will go into a clear page protector

along with the divider page.

Here's the PDF:

Vital Records Household Information Packet 1 PDF

Keep up the Good Work!

The CD and Tab Pages are ALMOST READY.

Vital Records - Home Owner's Insurance!

We are finishing up the

HOME SECTION . . . TODAY!!!

The last thing you will need to add to this section is

a copy (or the original's) of your Home Owner's Insurance.

Now would be a great time to check on Flood or Earthquake

Insurance or to up-date any new information and check pricing!

Here's the PDF:

Home Owner's Insurance Records PDF

Print the PDF and place it into a clear sheet protector.

Add the insurance information in the back side of the same sheet protector.

Only 3 more sections to go . . .

Keep up the Good Work!

Vital Records - Emergency Evacuations!

I'm sorry I missed Sunday's

Vital Record's Assignment.

We had a serious power outage that lasted for about 24 hours!

The first day back to school with no power was definately

an ADVENTURE we'll remember for years to come!

We have already talked about Emergency Evacuations

so if you didn't do it when I first posted it . . .

Now's your chance to get it done!

Here's the Link to that Post:

Emergency Evacuation Post Link

Here's the Evacuation Page:

Evacuation Page Link

Don't Forget to watch the video . . . It made me laugh

and panic all at the same time!

Thank You for being so patient with me.

My husband's grandma passed away Monday morning

and we are spending as much time with family as possible.

August has been quite a month for us!

Vital Records - Home Repairs and Maintenance Records!

Today's Vital Records Assignment Is A:

Home Repairs and Maintenance Record

It's not one you can complete in a day, but it will be a

great place for you to record repairs, schedule maintenance,

and to list the names, numbers, and addresses of the

contractors and repairmen you have worked with.

Here's the PDF:

Vital Records Home Section Part 1 PDF

Valerie is making it so you can fill-in-the-blanks.

Which happens to be my FaVoRiTe option!

(Thank You Valerie)

Saturday's Challenge WINNER Is . . .

Tara M.

Woot Woot for YOU!

Please send me your address so that I can send you your PRIZE!

Have a GREAT Day!

Vital Records - Food Storage Inventory!

We are in the HOME Section

of our

Vital Records Binder

which includes a

Food Storage Inventory.

Keeping track of the food we have stored can definitely

be over-whelming.  Trying to keep track of what's coming

in and what's going out on your own is hard enough,

but when you add the rest of the family to the mix

a perfect system can fail in minutes.

The pages I'm including in this section were created with

the FAMILY in mind.

Here's How The System Works:

As a family . . . take one area of your food storage

at a time.  List each of the items you have on your shelves

on the Food Storage Inventory Sheet.

It's important to have the whole family help, so that they

can understand the system and be a part of

setting it up.  It's also a great time to explain

the blessings of food storage.

Once you have listed all of the items in your food

storage you will want to keep track of the quantity.

Next to the item, you will see several boxes.

Fill in one box for each item you have, using a highlighter.

This will help you to know how many you have on hand.

Put the pages into sheet protectors.

Now all you have to do is put an "X" in the square

next to the item on the list that you took off the shelf.

I use a wet-erase marker to keep track.

When it's time to go shopping, all you have to

do is look for the "X" and

add that item to your shopping list.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about.

The food storage items are listed on the left side of the page.

The boxes that have been highlighted in yellow

would be what I already have stored on the shelf.

The boxes that have been highlighted in red

would be what I would like to add to my storage.

The "X" shows what items have been used and that

need to be added to my shopping list.

After the items have been replaced,

wipe the "X" off and start over.

To separate your lists into freezer items,

condiments, canned goods . . . etc.

Use different colors of highlighters or markers to

differentiate between the different areas.

For Example:

Squares highlighted in blue could be freezer items, red could

mean condiments, green could mean canned goods . . . etc.

You can mark your shelves with a colored dot

so that items are easy to find on the list.

the BEST part is that . . .

YOU can personalize the lists to match your set up!

Here's the PDF:

Vital Records Food Storage Inventory Sheet PDF

(The PDF can be filled out on your computer and printed.)

You also have the option of putting the number in each of the

quantity boxes if you would like to use numbers

as well as a highlighter.

I printed two copies, one for my Vital Records Binder

and one for the Storage Room which I attached to a clipboard.

Good Luck!

Other Ideas and Lists

for Food Storage Inventories

and

Shopping Lists

Were Posted on April 13th

and March 16th

Under Ark Prep 101.

Here's A Link To That Post:

(April Post)

Other Food Storage Inventory Ideas and Systems Link

(March Post)

Food Storage Inventory Systems Link

Vital Records - Extra Keys!

We are now in the Home Section of our

Vital Records Binder.

Only 3 more sections to go!

This Week's Vital Records Assignment Is:

To make copies of your House Keys and Car Keys.

Use a C-Ring to attach the extra keys to the

top ring of your binder.

Make sure to label each key so that you don't just

end up with a ring of random keys on a ring.

Don't Forget to add keys to Safety Deposit Boxes as

well as keys to a Safe or Cabinant you have at home.

Time to add some CASH

to your Preparedness Banks!

Encourage Family Members to contribute

even if it's just a little bit.

It's a great opportunity to teach!

Vital Records - Back It All Up!

We're finishing up the Geneology Section Today!

If you have created scrapbooks for your family

or your children, now is the time to scan the pages

and save them to a disc.

You don't have to scan EVERY page, but having a second

record of a special event you have recorded in a scrapbook

can give you peace of mind.

Sounds like a lot of work, but what is the first thing

you would grab if your house was on fire

 . . . after your children that is?

I've heard it over and over again,

you would grab your pictures or scrapbooks.

These books are filled with memories and it would be

 heartbreaking to loose a single one.

Now imagine having one chance to grab everything

important to you in one arm load and in just a few minutes

knowing that's all you get. 

No more chances to go back and get more.

The scanned pages would truly become priceless treasures!

Give a copy to your parents and grandparents and then

add copy to your Vital Records Binder.

Make sure your binder is stored in a place that is easy for

you to get to in case of an emergency.

This should be on your list of things to grab, and when

you practice for emergencies you should actually practice

taking this with you, so that it becomes second nature.

YOU ARE PRACTICING . . . AREN'T YOU?!?

You can purchase page protectors for your CD's,

or you can put them into an envelope and tape them to the

 inside of your binder.

Set a goal to scan a certain amount of pages everyday

until you have finished, and then make scanning your

completed pages

a part of your scrapbooking process!

You have your assignment . . . now you can go to work!

We'll start on the HOME Section

of your Vital Records Binder Next Week.

Keep up the good work . . . You're getting closer!

Vital Records - Geneology: Ordinance Records!

So how are you coming on the

Geneology Section?

Have you caught the

Family History Bug . . . Yet?

I love looking at old photos, so last week's assignment

(even though I'm not quite done) was a fun one for me.

As I looked through the pictures, I realized just how important

it is to write things down.  We think we will remember,

but as time goes on, we loose the details and the

tender feelings of that moment.

I guess what I'm trying to say . . .

Keep Written Documents,

Record Important Events,

and

Write in Your Journal!

It will make Geneology sooooo much easier.

(Wish I would have figured that out a lot earlier!)

For this next section you will need to record the dates of the

Church Ordinances

each of the members of your family has received.

We were surprised when we received a letter from the

First Presidency saying that they would accept Corey's baptism,

even though the records show that we baptized him

BEFORE he was eight.

What?!?

I knew we didn't jump the gun . . . but the church records

had a different date and unfortunately I couldn't prove otherwise.

We lost a lot of pictures and records to water damage,

so instead of the "True Date" of his baptism, we have

a new date and a letter from the First Presidency.

The letter is super cool and everything, but I would have liked

to have the right date for such an important step in his life.

This page will give you a place to record important

Church Ordinances so that

you won't have the same experience I did!

Here's the PDF:

Geneology Section: Church Ordinance Records Packet PDF

Copies of Original Records can be put into

clear page protectors and added to this section.

Keep Up the Good Work . . . This is an Important Section!

Vital Records - Geneology Pictures!

Today's Assignment takes a little organization

and a little bit of time, but it's not too bad.

You will need to print thumbnails

of the family pictures you have,

save the pictures to discs and add them to your binder.

They have CD holder page protectors for you to use in this section.

(Check your local office supply store.)

You can divide this section by

family members or family names.

We tend to have alot of photos, which is where the

organization part comes in . . . so it may take you a little

while to get everything ready.

Having a printed index

of all of your pictures as well as a

copy on CD

is definately worth the effort!

I have had problems with my computer in the past and as

you know, my hard drive just died a couple week's ago. 

The first time it happened to me, I lost

EVERYTHING,

but I have learned a thing or two since then.

After my first computer virus, I decided to backup all my files

using Carbonite, the only problem . . . they don't back up the external

hard drive and that's where I store 99% of my information.

I recently heard of a new computer storage company called,

Backblaze. 

They back up the external hard drive automatically.

Happy Day!!!

Using an outside source to backup my information

has given me peace of mind and I know that the information can

be accessed anytime and from any location.

I'm giving you a blank divider page for this section.

You can add family names and use the pages as dividers for

your photo's.

Here's the PDF:

Vital Records Blank Divider Pages PDF

(The page has been set up for you to personalize on your own.)

Thanks Valerie!

Keep up the Good Work!

The Gossner's Milk Orders will be here this Thursday.

If you didn't get your money to Tricia, please do so before then.

Don't Forget . . .

We get to go to the

Dry Pack Cannery this coming Tuesday @ 7:00 pm.

See YOU There!

Vital Records - Geneology!

We are starting into the Geneology Section

of our Vital Records Binder.

It's not a very big section but I think it may be a little

challenging for some of us.
The first thing you will need to collect is a
COMPLETED
4 Generation Group Sheet.
Here's a Link for you to get that page
if you haven't already completed your own.
Group Record Sheet PDF
Family Group Sheet PDF
Family History Link
Here's YOUR Challenge:
If you clicked on the link you will have noticed that
it's a 5 Generations Group Sheet instead of a 4.
See if you can complete the sheet with all five generations.
Place the completed page into a clear page protector
and add it to your Vital Records Binder.

Hope you had a great 4th of July!
THANK YOU . . .
to all of the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country!