Hello, friends!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! We not only celebrated the holidays with a lot of family time, but my third son just got married yesterday!

I know! So exciting. He and his new wife are very happy together, and we hope they have a wonderful new life together. They are both in college, hard workers but also with a love of life, so we're excited for them both.

Meanwhile, I'm a little late on my newsletter today after spending the first part of the day recovering from a little too much social stuff from my inner introvert, and then packaging up and freezing the extra soup from the wedding so the new couple will have some nice meals to get started with when they get back.

All the extra work preparing food made me think about doing a prepper tip today, since it's been a while and I love that stuff!

Today's tip requires a simple crayon . . .

But first, check out a few of the ebooks that support my work writing and maintaining this newsletter:

Rainbow Warriors by Shirley Bear Fedorak

On Amazon! (Free in KU)

In the year 2128, Earth is no longer habitable. 

Tons of Amazing SFF Series here!!

Yuletide Space Ranger by CG Harris

On Amazon in Completed Series!

Santa is an alien and Christmas is in crisis.

So many captivating post-apoc and dystopian reads!

Amelia & Athers by Timothy Currey

FREE Story!

Two killers, a deadly mission, and an innocent child

Looking for more FREE SFF Adventures? Grab a few!

______________________

Turn a Crayon into a 30-minute Emergency Candle

This tip is really fun and I'd love to hear your results if you give it a try!

In an blackout, a crayon can double as an emergency candle. It’s an easy hack that could come in handy during an unexpected power outage or even on a camping trip.

How it works: Crayons are made of wax, which makes them surprisingly flammable. The wrapper will soak up the melting wax and act as the wick.

A few tips to make this hack work:

• Gather supplies: a crayon, a lighter/match, and a sturdy base like a small jar or saucer to keep the crayon upright and catch any dripping wax.
• Peel off some of the paper wrapper to expose the wax, prop it upright and light it.
• Drip a bit of the wax onto the base you're using and then stick the bottom (non-lit) end of the crayon in the cooling wax to hold it steady.
• That's it! The crayon will burn steadily for about 30 minutes, giving you just enough time to find your proper emergency supplies or set up a longer-lasting light source.
• Keep a few crayons in your emergency kit—they’re small, lightweight, and can serve as a backup light source. (Just not in your car kit if it's summer. Yeah, they'll melt all over everything!)
• Stick to traditional wax crayons (avoid the ones labeled "washable" as they might not burn as well).

So next time you’re organizing your home or emergency supplies, toss a pack of crayons into the mix. Who knew art supplies could be so versatile?

I'd love to hear how your new year is going and plans you've made. All the best with your goals!

- Misty :)

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