Please, I'm begging

Is it time for school to start yet?

Today I actually used the f-word in front of our fabulous summer baby-sitter. She said, "I can't believe school is going to start so SOON."

And I just couldn't help it. I said, "I cannot f-word (which would earn me a NC-17 rating, no doubt) wait."

She laughed. I said, "Oh, gosh, I can't believe I said that out loud!" (Um, Mom of S.? This blog relies a lot on hyperbole and you can't really believe everything I write here. Your child is safe with me. Actually, your child is more mature than me. So, really, we pretty much all do what she says.)

It's just been a Bickering Summer and I can't take much more of it. My husband and I are bickering. The girls are bickering even when I threaten DIRE consequences. They simply can't help themselves. We've had lots of rain, it is true (did I tell y'all about that?) but it's also just the age.

Today, I actually wanted to do a little craft thing with the kids but they were so crabby I just did it by myself.

I made candles.

It sounds very impressive but honestly? It's like this: you buy wax.

Then you melt it over a low heat and add a crayon or several for coloring. (Take the labels off the crayons. Trust me.)


I melt mine in a simmering pan of water but that's really because I Lack Patience For All Things and it goes faster in hot water. You could just heat it up over low heat.

Then you pour it into molds (I'm using these cups that my mother in law (she of every possible disposable item known to man) bought when she was visiting one time so that she would have something to serve espresso in. They are exactly the size of votive candles.)

You put in wick into the candles first and you use this Tacky Wax (that's not a judgement, that's an actual name) to stick the wick down so it doesn't move when you pour in the melted wax.


Viola.

Whoop-dee-do.

Candles.



It'd be a fun thing to do with kids.

If you could manage not to say the F-word.

Comments

Candy said…
Barb - we need to talk. You need a night out. Find a friend and go to dinner. Or call me and I'll drag you somewhere.

LOL.

Dude. You made candles. By yourself. On purpose. THINK about it.
Barb Matijevich said…
Oh.

Oh, right.

Oh. My. God.

Know what else I did? About an hour of Perler beads--those beads you put on a form and iron so they fuse?

No child in sight.

I need stronger medication.
ckh said…
Can you please write a post about your obsession with Perler beads? This is the second time you've mentioned them (once here and once in a comment on Iron Mommy) and I still don't know what these are.

I'm so tired and was about to turn off my computer. I hadn't been anywhere near it all day long, so I checked to see if you had a new post. Can you believe I almost didn't read it tonight - while tired - so that I could savor it for tomorrow when I'm more alert?

Your fan & fellow mom who needs a night out and can't wait for school to start by now,
~Carol
hokgardner said…
We made soap last year. Similar process, but the glycerin, even the unscented stuff, had such a noxious odor that I wound up with a migraine. Of course the kids LOVED doing it, never mind that I did all the work.

And unfortunately our sitter wouldn't be shocked in the least if I let loose with the f-word in front of her.
Anonymous said…
Um hello.....you put the candles on the SPORTS page!

LOL!!!

I like the colour - what colour crayon is that anyways.

You should come here in October and go to the CreativFestival with me. It's an entire weekend of crafting - but mosting.....KNITTING!

I'm going to tease you with some of the classes they offer in an email later.

How much would the flight be if you booked it 2 months in advance?
Anonymous said…
Well, that brings back memories of the summer during college when I worked in an Avon perfumed candle factory. It was not air conditioned because the wax wouldn't stay liquid enough. Hot, hot, hot. I was dating my now-husband then, and I visited him at his parents' home. I was talking about the candle-making process, and about 10 minutes later, we heard shouting from the kitchen. My husband's little brother had melted candles in a pan over a burner and they burst into very tall flames. Ruined the pan too. How not to impress future in-laws, but really, how could I have known his little brother would have done that? You're smart to use the water method. Wax gets TOO HOT very quickly. For some cool candles, put ice chunks in a 1 quart milk container and pour wax in. Let it harden, tear off the packaging and let the water pour off. (Oops, forgot the wick)
Heather' mom