Most useful presents EVER!

The last few gift giving moments have netted me some awesomeness in the useful and fun department. As the time as passed I've been able to enjoy them more and more.

1 gift was my shotgun. Mossburg 500 in 20ga. I adore it and last time we ventured out for trigger therapy we took clays. I had been too nervouse to try then before but my guy is always my biggest cheerleader and convinced me. Oh my awesome.  So dang fun. And I hit more than I missed. My aim without a scope has massively improved since I discovered the whole cross eye dominant thing.

My other fave gift is my Diamond bow. So stoked. It's a youth/womens so the poundage starts smaller which it great for this girl to build muscles up. It's super light weight, pink camo, dual cams. We are going on the bow hunt this year and I can't wait.

Plus both are dang useful in a SHTF situation. Woot.

Put up or shut up? Guess I better put up huh!

I do a lot of educating and informing on this current fight for our rights but I wanted to go a step farther. I wanted to put my money where my mouth is and try to truly make a difference. I hope I make a difference here, but honestly most of you already believe what we believe. You feel what I feel. :) So what could I do to help?

Then I saw the facebook page 1 Million Moms Against Gun Control cross my screen. Huzzah! Of course I liked the page. They are working on their non-profit status and on spreading awareness. They want to be the voice to combat the mom group screaming to take our rights. They decided to go even farther and make state specific pages to focus on the needs of each state. And I found my opening. I am now one of the Nevada coordinators! Woot! Since I know most of you aren't in NV here is the link to the list of every page. Like your state, share the list! Shout it to the roof tops. Right now the moms saying that guns are out to kill us all are 60,000 strong and growing. We need to fight back. 

Just random rambling

Yesterday was the nicest, warmest day we have had so far this year. We had a nice dinner with a friend and her family and then loaded up all of the kids and guns (for some reason the "kids and guns" combo always makes me smile) and went out to the desert for some fun. Hubby set up the AR and the .22 while my friend and I set up some targets for our handguns. Next thing you know, bullets are flying an everyone is having a blast! I need some serious practice with my gun before I am anywhere close to being ready to take my concealed carry test. Oh well, at least the practice is fun.

I got to shoot my friends Ruger 9mm and her husbands XDM Springfield .45 (holy smokes! That thing is LOUD). My gun kicks worse than either of theirs, lol. We all got to shoot the AR and my friend's husband has decided he really wants on of those!

We forgot hearing protection and now have a slight problem. Hubby has some painful ringing in his ears. I used some essential oils, and it worked......for a few minutes. He is still having problems with it today at work. If he is still not better by friday, I will get him an appointment with the audiologist.

My mouth is almost healed to the point where it feels normal. Last night though I had a shard of bone make it's way down and out through my almost healed gums. Argh. I hope that doesn't happen again. I have lots of the bone graft coming out, but those are small sand like grains, not at all painful. This piece last night though was SHARP!

Hubby has decided to build a few more beehives. We want to buy more bees this year as well as split my hive. He has built everything except the foundation. He has decided to jump right into this rather than sit back and watch me do it. He ordered a veil for himself and everything. Now I need to find a bee repellent for my son to wear outside. I have a bunch of essential oils I am going to try. I know lemongrass attracts them, but I think I can find one to repel them as well. Hopefully I can figure it out because I have several ideas of where I can use that. I can use it to keep them out of the chicken feed, I can use it to keep us from getting stung, and I can use it to clear the bees out of a super I am collecting honey from. I will let you know as soon as I figure that one out, lol.

He got in trouble for WHAT!?

So after a long crazy day involving a (mock) disaster complete with helicopters, ambulances and fire trucks, and a rogue mountain lion (for real), I went to pick my sons up from school. I was also picking up a neighbor kid because his mother didn't want him walking home with a mountain lion on the loose. I went into the office at school to inform them about the cat so they could inform the bus drivers when I saw a pair of feet that looked.....familiar. I leaned around the parent in front of me and was met with the sheepish grin of my middle son.

Me: "What the heck are you doing in here?"

Crash: "I got into trouble."

Me: "AGAIN?"

Crash: nods

I had to go find the neighbor kid before he got on the bus so I told Crash he was in big trouble and went down the hall to find Spike and the neighbor boy. (He needs a nickname too as he is over all the time).

When I got back to the principles office, Crash and I went in and sat down. Here's where the story gets ridiculous.

The principle proceeds to tell me how my son had formed a gun with his thumb and finger and (gasp!) used it like a gun! His teacher asked him to stop and he did. A few hours later, he did it again this time using the desk for cover. He informed me that Crash had insisted that over the course of a few hours he had forgotten. (So.....?) The principle didn't believe that he could have forgotten in just a few short hours.

I just stared. I didn't know what to say. For one, IT WAS HIS FINGERS! That is almost the first toy a little boy ever comes up with. Seriously!? Two, my son can't remember what he was told to do five minutes ago and he was surprised that he didn't remember after three hours?

I asked if he was disrupting the class and was given the run around and told the same story. How he shot, stopped, forgot and shot again. The principle will call me tomorrow to let me know his punishment. If he gives Crash detention, I swear I am going to go get him. I don't think he should be punished for something all kids do, especially boys, as long as it wasn't disrupting the class. I just think this is stupid. Am I over reacting? I honestly don't think I am but then again, I tend to go Mother Bear when someone is picking on my kids.

Nifty app!

So my lovely smart phone ate it. The water bath contributed but it was being finicky anyway. So on to replacing it. Had to download all my apps again. While meandering in app land I discovered the U.S. Survival guide app. Same nifty guide now on my phone. Knots. Poisons. First Aid. Soooo cool.

So if you are a geek like me what apps do you adore? Find any that help in your survival prep/ gun love?

Revolver or rifle? How about both?

Yup how about both? I recently posted that my BIL bought a gun. Not just any gun. He bought a Circuit Judge made by Taurus. Yeah honestly I think the idea of a revolver in a rifle just fascinated that kid in side as it really serves no purpose to expand the list of protection weapons. Will it kill a bad guy? I am sure. Shooting 410/45 Colt rounds can do that. But it isn't very practical. Of course BIL is far ahead of us in his stash so practical isn't always the top thing in his mind, haha. He is in love. I think it is funny how he and J.W. both look like little boys in a candy store. I swear they might actually be worse than that. It is cute. They hope to go and play with it next weekend. This weekend he is playing with it by scoping it and getting it just right with a sling and all. I swear if he won the lottery he might not notice.

Relaxing Sunday target shoot.

We did a family shoot today. Hubby and Bug are the 2 in the pic. I shot my 9mm with the idea of "Lila stop concentrating so hard." and seemed to do pretty good. I think the problem was that I was over thinking it. It also felt smoother in my hands. Yay. Hubby didn't bring our 10-22 so I shot the pink one. Awkward! It was built with longevity and her in mind so there was no way to shoot left handed. I do okay right handed and shot 50 rounds through but it wasn't perfect. I had assumed our 10-22 was the one Hubby intended for my long-distance use if SHTF. I was wrong. Apparently he pushed for a custom built 6MM that used to belong to his parents because of how it shoots, weight, accuracy and such. The reason I didn't know was because Hubby has been getting it back into perfect working order and being a guy didn't think to tell me. LOL.

Overall we all had a lot of fun. Even Monkey digging in the dirt for treasure. Nephew and Bug waged war on a Kangaroo Rat though I think it came out victorious as it was not dead when we left. Yay for Sunday morning relaxation.

Guns and some needed advice.

Okay. So I need some advice from you lovely gentleman with your vast gun knowledge and incredible amounts of experience in the buying, selling, and trading of said guns. I am young, female, and new to this shooting stuff and Hubby is in the arming for a purpose rather than collecting part of things so we are both completely out of our depth.

A friend is trying to sell part of his collection to aid a grown daughter as she opens her own business. He has worked with my guy for a while and because I am "internet savvy" wanted help trying to sell his guns. They are listed on Guns America. We managed to sell one in the past few months. Three others remain.

The big daddy is a Connecticut Special Launch Edition 20 ga. Side by Side by RBL valued at $12,000

He is asking $8,500. Mint condition.

Then is the K22 6 shot S&W Revolver, Not mint but close. Asking $900

The last is a Browning Challenger .22 made in 1971. Mint condition, never fired, original box. He is asking $800.



I recommended taking them to gun shows and taking the Connecticut to Bass Pro for at the very least a nicely documented appraisal from their fine gun staff. He is a bit stubborn and short on time though so they sit on GA and wait. Thoughts? Ideas? What can we do? Places to list them? I feel awful because he asked for my help but I told him I have no idea what to do beyond listing them for sale.

Bikes and Bullets!

This past weekend marked the end of Hubby's time off so we gathered up our girls, our nephew, the quads and decided to go for a ride. We really haven't done any riding locally. Usually we take them with us when we head north for family things as 2 of my husbands sisters live in some wide open country with great places to trail ride. We went to a close area that is mostly a dry lake with a few side trails to keep it gentle for the little one. We had a blast! I got a tiny bit sunburned but my fair skin does that even though the sunscreen. Monkey fell asleep like she usually does. I taught Bug a bit about the driving of one of the 250's which tickled her pink. We saw a few dessert squirrels and lizards.


On the way home we stopped to shoot. Hubby got a new .45ACP that he is in love with! He is an amazing shot so of course hit all his targets. I am doing better and got both of mine as well. Nephew is the proud new owner of a Taurus Judge. He shot as well and did pretty good. He was the main reason we had stopped because he hadn't shot it yet. He is an amazing kid. He is almost 13 and very mature. I think a lot of that comes from his diabetes. He had to grow up and be more aware because his life depended on it. I think his dad taking him hunting pretty much his entire life has also been a big help. He is very weapon aware.


All in all a pretty great Saturday in our desert oasis.

Friday Funny

Taking the concept of open carry to a whole new level!!! In Walmart, where you never know when someone is going to get you! Hehehe. Do have to cheer for the open carry though. Nice job Walmart guy!

Lila gets a gun!

Woo hoo. I went and bought my conceal carry gun yesterday. I went a little bigger than I had anticipated but I think the trade off was worth it. I looked at the whole range but my choices are not as broad as some as I am a lefty. So either it needed to be a revolver or an ambidextrous semi-auto. A couple reasons I wanted that was ease of use. My .40 is no made for a left handed user. So to switch clips I had to switch hands as my mag release was located for the right thumb. Same for the slide. I had taught myself to shoot right handed if I had too but it still was not my strong side. Hubby was pushing for a hammerless revolver. No issue with slides or mag release.


So we looked through Hubby's favorite local shop. I honestly had never been in having always just waited in the car with the girls when we had an ammo purchase or at home. I got lucky that the owner/instructor was the one who helped me. On top of my need as a lefty I also needed it to be something smooth and easy. My FMS means days when my hand strength is very little so I needed a slide I could pull back with ease even on a bad day and that I could release even without a bullet in the chamber. Trigger needed to be firm but easy enough for me to work. I wanted it to also be safe enough for me to feel comfortable with the kids around it.

I tried a few of the semi-auto's but had a hard time with the slide release. It was a bad day strength wise which made it the perfect day to shop. Finally we narrowed it to the new S & W Bodyguard .38 Special Revolver and the HK P2000 9MM Semi Auto. I took both into the range to try. I shot the HK first and honestly wasn't sure I liked the kick. Then I shot the .38 and that was terrible for me. The fibro makes all my joints hurt and the kick to the revolver shot agony through my hands. Beautiful little gun and my husband loved it. He may go back to get it anyway for that reason but for me the HK was a much better fit. So I got it!!

We bought it, my conceal holster to go at the base of my spine. I think on my person that is the best spot for it. We also got several types of home defense rounds to see which one feels better when I shoot. I also got snap caps to practice my dry fire and slide at home without worry of damage. We put my open carry holster on order and I will take my concealed weapons course next month. So this girl is getting better prepared. I feel I have to. Crime here is going through the roof. I am not going to open carry all over the place, but when we are on the quads in the desert I plan to. I also will probably conceal carry pretty regularly.

My New Years Resolutions

Personal:
1. Spend more time with the Boy having fun, and less time yelling.
2. Get back in some sort of decent shape.

3. Quit smoking (again).

Personal Stuff:
4. I would really like to get a hand grinder, but considering the price of the ones I like, this is more of a hope then a resolution.

5. Also, I want to co-op with a friend's family this year for a garden. The Boy is old enough to help out, they have the land, and then have school-age kids who are willing to help out. I love fresh fruits and veggies, we just don't have the space. Also start a small herb garden at the house.

Financial:
6. Start an emergency home-stash of cash.
7. Rebuild saving to 3 months of expenses.
8. Continue using Mint.com to better track/save expenses.
9. Continue to not make stupid choices.

Skills:
10. Go shooting at least once a month.
11. Take knitting or quilting class.

12. Enroll the Boy in Swimming classes.

Preparedness Stuff :
13. Add a stock of various Batteries.
14. Purchase some lighting setups. I.e.: various lanterns and flashlights.
15. Stock up on firewood this winter, perhaps get DNR permit.

Gun Stuff:
16. Save some money each month for a handgun. I know this sounds small, but seeing as my gun knowledge is extremely limited, I'm working with what I've got now.

Food Rotation:
17. This year, be much more realistic about what I'm canning and what amounts. Having lots of fruits and jams is nice, but realistically I should have canned much more veggies. I'm much more likely to use 10 quarts of spaghetti sauce then I am to use 10 quarts of pickles.

18. Purchase a small dehydrator to use for drying own herbs and veggies.

Middle of the night realization.

So if you have read my last few posts you know I am with my parents in the SW desert country. My 'rents are living in a very very well off community. Gated and small. Seeing a limo pass by has become pretty normal, lol. Well my little brood is all in one room. Bug on the floor, Squeak in her cribby, and Hubs and I in the bed. It is sweltering here, was still above 80 after 10 last night. So middle of the night I had woken to feed Squeak. It is about 4 AM. Laying there dozing while I nurse I hear a crash. The parents are out of town so it wasn't them and my first thought was "Crap I left my gun in my car." Luckily it was Bug tripping over the car seat rather than an intruder but it did make me dang glad Hubs was here. Also reminded me that we really will need to have a weapon handy at our home. While it is still a very nice neighborhood it is not gated and that makes us targets.

beautiful guns

These were just too cool not to share. I never did see any information on the hand gun. They guy who owned it was talking to someone else and I didn't get to ask questions. He said it wasn't a very old gun, it just looked like one. All of the silver on this is inlayed. Beautiful gun with amazing craftsmanship. They have nothing whatso ever to do with preps or survival, they were just something cool I saw at our pioneer festival and I wanted to share.

This rifle is a gun I would love to own someday. Not for any practical reason (obviously) just because it is so pretty. I know, its a girl thing. All of the silver was inlayed and the design on the stock is wire inlay. Coolest gun I have ever seen. Prettiest gun I have ever seen. I could get excited about guns if they all looked like this one! Here is one more.

Are women really the paranoid ones?

I don't think so. My Mom and I recently were discussing carry conceal and gun ownership and she had some pretty valid concerns. She referenced a camping trip a chunk of family went on where the manly men seemed to kind of blow up the situation and become a bit more paranoid and how easy it could be to freak yourself out and overreact to a situation. Something I realized though is that all of the over reactions I have encountered where guns are in play has to do with men.

Now I am not man bashing. Heck I am a happily married woman to a very responsible gun owning manly man. I also realize men are programmed to protect the roost whether that is a campsite, a car, or our homes. What gets me is how normally sane smart men can take a situation and all of the sudden we are facing a raid by armed militants in the wilds of Wyoming rather than the dumb kids shooting at signs that were actually present. When in protection mode I think guys see all the possibilities of danger and react to those possibilities rather than taking the time to truly assess a situation. Men are hardwired to see the worst possible scenario and it seems the men I know lose the ability to trust their instincts in situations where it just might help to listen to the female contingent.

Granted there were small children on the trip I mentioned above and I would have absolutely pulled out and loaded the .40 that travels with me at the first sound of gun shots but I also would have remained in my campsite, placed the children in the most protected area and stayed right there to protect the little ones rather than running off to investigate. Curiosity after all did kill the cat.

Yes I know a few men will be able to argue that women are the less logical in tense situations, and I know that can be true, but in my world the men tend to jump to conclusions rather than actually take the time to think things through.

Armed and fabulous.

So recently we started our gun collection. My husband almost died from joy when I not only said yes to buying weapons but gave him a higher monetary number than he expected. So we bought 4 weapons. A .308 which my husband is in heaven over. I think if we had a fire he would grab the girls with one arm and the .308 with the other. We scoped it and I think it makes him drool seeing the red, green, or black crosshairs, lol. We also bought a .17. I have been told that this one will be easier for me to handle as I am 5'4" and more lower body strength from my ballet days. We bought me a .40 for personal protection. I haven't been out to shoot it yet but the Hubs lovs it and I like how small and manageable it is. Our 4th is another drool worthy gun in the Hubs eyes as it is known as the Judge. It is a .45 Long Colt. I have never seen a revolver with a barrel like this. Talk about scary. Plus at 5 lbs it isn't nearly as light as my .40. We bought a few hundred rounds for each gun as well.

Now this is only the start of the collection. I want a 9 mm for my conceal carry weapon. We want a few shotguns, probably a rifle for me, and a semi-auto for Hubs at the very least. I also recommend something not requiring ammo. We have a compound bow for that reason. We will probably buy me a bow as well so that I have something I can pull. Hubs' bow takes a bit more strength than I have.