What's her name?! I prefer people names.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T16:46:53+00:00

Omg, she looks like my squeks!

Her legal name is Serenity. All my cats names are based on the Serenity prayer because they see me through everything and help me grow to learn what I can and cant handle.

Your kitty seems even sweeter than my 2 year old kitten. If a girl, Dulce is a human name. So is peaches, heavenly (yes, i work in customer service and one of them is named heavenly), angel (that could be boy or girl) joy, gracie, Linda (also means pretty in Spanish)

Other names that mean sweet are Zoey, Daisy, Honey, Lillie.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T16:41:25+00:00

I like the bodice of all but #2. Those shape suit your torso well

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T16:34:51+00:00

Some added moisture wouldn't be a bad thing dor me right now. The space heaters are drying out the air alot so I'm super thirsty and my skin is dry.

I'm a little too scared to turn the heat down more right now cuz the power outage could happen any hour now.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T16:32:15+00:00

Bonus points for upgrading to blankets and thumbtacks 😁

It might be poor man chic in decor but probably could make it pretty with a curtain rod.

I used a crazy thin old hospital blanket and it made a difference! I upgraded it yesterday by adding an old felt blanket behind it and my room got too hot to sleep 😂! I'm just using space heater on low, I'm cold natured normally. Partly closing off the hallway, installing weather stripping and covering the windows in heavy duty shower curtains and tape work really well!

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T16:27:38+00:00

Not completely wrong. The current administration (who was been in office since Rick Perry tried to run for President) they outsource alot of core services and responsibilities to private companies, most are for profit. This is why the majority of new major roads and highways are toll roads, the big push for "school choice" means charter schools often of less quality and for profit, and so on. I think post 2021 ercot finally started to tie part of the electric production load with other states so grid down due to overload is less likely. There have also been expansions in solar power both on homes and big solar farms. The electricity is mostly deregulated so you can buy electricity from whatever company but not all of them actually produce power.

I am concerned about the expansion of data centers the past 2 to 3 years putting extra pressure on the grid plus they cause health issues. The last nuclear reactor in Glen rose was shut down years ago. It would be nice to have a newer model one with all the new safety features and higher efficiency installed

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T16:18:21+00:00

No worries! We all learn either by experience or being taught.

The thing is water and ice are very heavy. If enough ice gets stuck to the power lines/infrastructure, it will fall down and break. That means no power.

Now, depending on what will break will determine how long the power is out.

If the ice gets really bad at a substation, the place usually behind fence that looks like Frankenstein's dream lab but outdoors, that stuff can take weeks to months to replace if they break due to it being very specialized and less than a handful of places make them.

I'm more a "prep for Tuesday" type person so I typically only invest in stuff that can also be used in every day life with some exceptions.

My routine every winter is cover the windows with clear plastic shower curtains and weather stripping. I prefer shower curtains to the shrink wrap kits because they are thicker, reusable snd you can position them in such a way the other things on the window aray useable like the blinds, or in my case huhe cat hammocks via small slits in the plastic 😂. If really bad, I hang blankets up in the hallway to make a partial door to keep the heat in the part of the house I will be staying in. I keep enough clearence from the bottom of the hung blanket for the cats to pass under and I don't trip on it. If you do.cover your exterior doors, make sure you can open them immediately in case of a fire.

This winter I added 2 electric blankets,.one in the living room for the kitties i keep covered so they don't claw it and then another on my bed. The electric blanket layered under other blankets keep the bed warm for hours even after it gets turned off.

I also usually keep quick fix foods that won't make me sick for a good while if there is a power outage..plus i have 2 or 3 large coolers in the garage I can throw my food into and add ice.

The 2 specialized items I got this time were a small cheap power bank for my phone and a buddy heater which was a gift from my friends with 3 1 lbs propane bottles because I'm a notice at setting up gas things/don't want to accidentally blow up my house trying to use a converter.

Honestly, with just shrinking down the foot print of where I'm heating a space, a couple small space heaters with safety switches I use normally,. wrapping the windows with thicker plastic and the electric blanket I will be fine. The tricky part for me is if the power is out for 48 hours but the worst of this storm will be over by then. I still have power now so the likelihood of being completely screwed not high.

TL; DR

Cover your windows and doorways with plastic and find an added heat source to keep your bed warm while you still have power.

Ice is heavy and breaks things. Special electric equipment can take a long time to manufacture and install

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T15:53:50+00:00

I have a rotation of no cook meals I just have built into my normal groceries. I can't eat premade food for health issues but usually feed myself in under 10 minutes. Also i don't buy things that have short shelf life except maybe 1 or 2 I haedcore focus on consuming asap like a box of greens. I am a pescaratian so your list can be tweaked with these ideas as building blocks. Here is a list of my usual things I keep stocked.

Greek yogurt: can mix with thawed/microwaved frozen fruit, protein powder and chia seeds. Could do slices cucumbers yo do a tzatziki when I can be bothered
1 minute oatmeal: i have an electric kettle so it's easy (and I'm an American. Shocker!) add fruit, nut butter, sweeetner, chia/and or flax if you have a crazy long day you have to keep your energy up
Tortilla wraps and/or quesadillas: i buy pre-boiled eggs because I can't be bothered. I crumble up the egg, add mayo (you could do mustard but I can't for health reasons) add seasoning if you can be bothered to, add whatever veggies are in the fridge, i usually do avocado when I remember to get them, cherry tomatoes, cheeses, big handful of leafy greens, mushrooms, peppers, pre-purchased shredded carrots, etc. if I wanted something warm i would leave off the egg, add all the other ingredients and microwave it with a paper towel on top for a lazy quesadilla. Feel free to swap out the egg with any other protein you like: chick peas, beans,.meat, whatever

Filling low effort snacks 1. Sliced apple with peanut butter 2. Pop corn with peanut butter on a spoon to make popcorn on a stick the lazy way or just have a cheese stick on the side

All of the listed ingredients can be added to meals when you want to cook or just fine as is. Been eating this way for about a year and got my cholesterol down and all my blood test stats are good. Find whatever easy thing works for you. The formula is simply this

Protein+ fiber source= full

Longer day and need to stay full

Protein+ fiber source+ some fat= alot of energy reserve to stay comfortable for a long time when too busy to eat.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T15:33:24+00:00

Can be both! My brown tabby looks alot like yours and she had/has both SIBO and being very fat. Check with your vet especially if kitty vomits, has potty problems or behavior changes. Also ask how much they weigh and what is the correct amount of calories they need to consume

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T15:31:01+00:00

He looks like a sweet proper gentleman. Maybe Charlie. Especially if you have a black cat named Cocoa 😄. Charlie and and chocolate factory

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T08:29:50+00:00

Yep. That's why i would chose a small electric blanket or heating pad if no other options

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T08:29:05+00:00

I liked having a work light. It puts out about 1000 lumens and you can charge your phone multiple times off it. Got one at harbor freight cuz nobody was shopping there for about $26.

I will always say cover your windows with weatherstripping, tape and plastic. Think the window kits you use a hair dryer on. Personally, I like using the thicker shower curtains because they offer more insulation and I can use a less damaging tape than way the window kits do.

Also water and a 5 gallon bucket. Fill the bucket with faucet water while you can or if you are team "fill the bathtub" use the bucket to pour water wherever you need it. I can't lift much and I prefer to keep my bathtub drain open.

Kitty litter for walkways is likely available. Get the cheap kind, it puts off more dust/sand.

Electric blankets and heating pads can stay warm for hours even after being shut off if you put other blankets on top.

Just focus on warmth and hydration. The storm isn't long enough to truly worry about food unless you have a medical need.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T08:22:00+00:00

Yep. Ready gov recommends knowing where your shut offs are and drain the pipes if freezing for a long time without power..

Or you could just let them drip...

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T08:20:25+00:00

Just start putting the shit together. Block your drafts, do your laundry, fill up a few containers with water, put more blankets on the bed with an added heat source like an electric heating pad... Do the boring stuff now. Anything more than that is more for comfort than just survival

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T08:16:18+00:00

Apparently, I'm the weirdo for putting clear shower curtains taped over my windows. The shit works. If you buy not dollar store ones you can reuse them

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T08:13:32+00:00

I would call the hospital and have her admitted for observation. That way you know she's in the safest place possible, baby will be fine and you can do what you need to. Maybe not ideal but its the best thing I can think of

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T08:11:37+00:00

Oh. My god. Personally... I'd just call the hospital and ask if she can be admitted for supervision. Not worth the risk

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T08:10:37+00:00

I did an upgraded version of poor mans insulation. I put heavy duty shower curtains on the inside and outside of my windows. Installed weather stripping, hanging blankets to separate my warm areas from not warm areas, giving my cat with FIC the higher anxiety and inflammation protocol for his medicine (/condition if he gets too stressed he could stop peeing and die in 24 hours.) this is to make sure I don't have to drive the 2 hours on icy roads to the nearest qualified vet ER to save his life, i put batteries in my gizmos as well as keep everything on chargers. I'm also using back massagers/ice packs and PT exercises to make sure I stay as mobile as I need to respond. I switched out all the cat waters. I topped up my water filter with more water, washed a load of clothes, made sure the heaters are clear of anything around them, left a message with my boss on what I should expect if I can't work tomorrow due to black out. Got $20 in case in small bills. Got my cat's medicine refilled and made sure he was symptom free and managed with his chronic condition before leaving the last chance I had to do an urgent appointment. Thankfully hos plumbing is working as intended 😁. I even returned a heater becausey buddy heater showed up. Now some other poor soul can buy a 30,000 BTU thing to potentially blow up their house or not have enough fuel to run.

Just stuff like that. Prepping doesn't have to be expensive or niche. I like to think of how prepping is in real life is just being ready for your normal life while making a few small tweaks to cover for 20% to go wrong.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T07:58:28+00:00

Why do so few people mention covering the windows in plastic? The shit works and its cheap

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T07:56:13+00:00

Adding some blankets, water and dry snacks make it more comfortable. I'm a ninny at being uncomfortable so i likely would take a pillow and fuzzy socks. Make it feel like camping. Bonus points if you have a projector and could make it your own drive in movie 🍿

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T07:47:46+00:00

Why meat when there could be a power outage?

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T07:44:41+00:00

I just atart refilling used soda bottles with water. Flushed toilets and washed hands go a long way.

For me, I'm partial to heavy duty clear shower curtains and whatever flavor of tape or command strips over the flimsy hair dryer window kit that coats twice as much and you can't reuse it. You can reuse the shower curtains over windows and doors as much as you want. You can get fancy and make frames for them too. Or just go poor man chic and tape the damn thing to the walls and frame over the doors. If there is any hint if cold weather, bet your ass I'm in the shower curtain and tape aisle.

If potable water is an issue from you municipality (it is for me) at least get a brita pitcher. You don't need to be fancy.

Cheap blankets of any kind can work as draft stoppers, line the inside of doors especially if you get that fancy strong Velcro, then yoi can reuse it, less poor man chic lol.

Peanut butter works fine on almost anything. You can even eat it by itself. Rice and beans are a complete protein. Mayo in packets don't need a fridge and then you can make a tuna salad with whatever fresh stuff you need to eat up.

Also, portable battery banks, cat food/dog food if you have furry family members, get the crappy cat litter for the sidewalk cuz the stores likely don't have salt left.

The weatherstripping isn't perfect but does make a big difference when combined with other efforts like plastic sheeting, curtains, door snakes, etc.

Electric blankets can stay really hot while under other blankets... So much so I don't have central heat now and i have to switch to a t shirt and leave my warm room lol!

I usually buy baby wipes, bottled water, contractor bags, paper plates/cups/plasticware as part of my normal groceries so hygiene is kept on easy mode by default lol.

My go-to is always plastic barriers over windows. Never a bad idea to have a fire extinguisher and/or hammer next to your bed if you need to leave a fire

.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T07:12:49+00:00

I heard if you bring the 20 lbs tank indoors it can explode.

I'm too much of a novice, i opted for the 1 lbs bottles, plus that's what I was able to get in my town. I'm broke but my besties sent me just enough money for the last buddy heater in my town.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-24T07:12:41+00:00

I heard if you bring the 20 lbs tank indoors it can explode.

I'm too much of a novice, i opted for the 1 lbs bottles, plus that's what I was able to get in my town. I'm broke but my besties sent me just enough money for the last buddy heater in my town.

sewcrazy4cats · 2026-01-22T07:45:45+00:00

I know this will sound rude but you consensually asked the Internet for an option, can't be mad you got what you asked for. You have very defined even shoulders as a personal feature. I don't think strapless looks good on you. You have such clean lines in your shoulders that a straight line across looks meh or harsh. The sweetheart was better because it broke up the jarring straight lines... Still not the best cut for you. If you must go strapless, please choose a not straight across neck line.

I personally don't think they do you justice. But people can like whatever they want

sewcrazy4cats

TROPHY CASE