this week in preps

[Shadow]

No hemp around here in the hinterlands of North Miss. lol

Would jute twine do since they are so similar?

[Anonymous]

no no, don't use jute.

hemp wicks are extremely tight weaves.  wicking needs a tight weave

do you have any craft stores or fabric stores around?  Some of them will sell good candle wicking by the yard or they might have small amounts like 20 yards or so and some might even have it by the pound (wicking on rolls is usually measured by the pound)

good, proper wicking for the candle you are trying to make will give you a better burn all around

[beast]

why do you have wax in the refrigerator?


votives are a specialty candle, they are a free standing pillar  candle when you purchase them, but they are specifically designed and formulated to be ONLY used in a tight fiting container.  Do NOT burn a votive without being in an appropriate container.  they will 'pool' and make a mess.

and some idiot I know started a fire with one by setting it in and burning it a plastic cool whip bowl

 i have the wax in the fridge in the lettuce drawer because i remember our Christmas candles ( you know, the ones made in the shape of mr and mrs santa clause melting one year in the summer heat .


I have some little voltive candle containers kicking around too and some shrimp cocktail cups i burn them in.

[beast]

Frosty melted too


but we expected that 

[Anonymous]

Got my water barrels drained and refilled with fresh water this morning.  Yahoo!

Picked another 5 pounds of tomatoes and some bean pods that I am saving for seed.  I've never done that, so I'm experimenting. (I had 8 bush bean plants growing in a recycling container which have finished producing)

Noticed I have half a bag of peat moss and a whole unopened  extra large bag of Miracle Gro potting soil!  Yahoo!  I'm thinking of trying to grow some cilantro in the house.  I love to make my own pico de gallo but with all the problems with cilantro and spinach, etc., I don't want to get any from the store.  After chemo week, I'll plant a few seeds in a pot and see if I can get some growing inside.


My neighbor buddy is going to pick me up two cases of an aloe drink I like.  It helps settle my stomach.  He introduced me to it a few weeks back and I tried to get some, but I could only get 8 bottles.  Buddy orders it by the case, so he's going to add 2 cases to his order and bring me some when he gets delivery.  Yahoo!

Got my ride to the store lined up for tomorrow and I'll do my darnest to get over to see my folks tomorrow too.

also, started some wax for a batch of votives.  They will be dark blue and scented "Storm Watch".  It's hard to describe the scent. the website says: "Storm Watch - This popular fragrance is difficult to describe. It is a unique, clean fragrance with subtle floral and spice undertones."

I probably won't get these poured for a couple of days because tomorrow is booked up and next week is real busy, but I'll try to get a first pour done sometime during the week.

[beast]

Sounds like you are having some fun doing the prep thing. That's great 

keep up the good spirit.

[Anonymous]

i have to make my own fun

[Anonymous]

Okay, just got back from my grocery run.  Spent $207.  didn't get as much as I would have liked to get, but I did notice that every single, every single item I usually buy has gone up in price.  Somethings just a few cents, some things like 20%!  I'm pretty sure I have two months of (non freezer) food.  Mostly canned stuff and rice and juice... but I can make some fairly 'balanced' meals with it all.

Wish I had some of that canned cheese beast and herb have... oh well...

I saw Mom and Dad.  They are hanging in there, getting used to the home health care worker being around...she cooks them hot meals and makes them baked goodies.  But, it is horribly expensive (8K a month and medicare won't pay for it because my folks' little modest home is paid off-- frak that, eh?) Oh well, Dad can maybe pay one more month... then, frak, I don't know what we will do.  I bought a lotto ticket at the store...maybe the Lords of Kobol will bless us with a jackpot.

It doesn't look as if I will be able to get the front fence repaired before 10/7,  I'll try, but I'm not hopeful.  If it falls down, I'll try to prop it up.  If I get the chance later in October, I'll try to fix it then.

I'm about to head up and make some dinner and then I'll be back tonight to read up on the news and see what this new bailout crap is going to do to us.

my new phrase is: What a mess!

What else can I say?  It's just a mess and I firmly believe that no one knows how to fix it... well, no one in power knows how to fix it.

[beast]

that's what i'm doing. cooking

making some cheeseburgers for now

and american chop suey for the week.

i found some hamburg for 1.99 lb 

freezer pays off again!..------

you're right about everything going up in price. EVERYTHING

the ten for ten buck isle in the store is now 4 for five dollars. incredible.

[Anonymous]

I was talking to another lady of my age at the store and we both noted how stuff like canned veggies that forever were always 39 cents but recently gone up to like 49 cents, was now 59 cents

we discussed whether there would be some holiday specials and she said, probably not much at all.  she said she had been thinking about that the other day and was mentally planning on looking for the specials and then had the feeling there might not be many this year

I still think any specials will either be late, like just before the holiday so they don't get stuck with stuff... or they will have clipable newspaper coupons for special items and you will have to make a minimum purchase and they will spread out one or two specials a week to get people into the store

either way, we'll know soon

pumpkins were at the store today

halloween is comin

boo!

[beast]

i didn't buy my usual candy today. i was buying two bags at 2.50 a piece. but they were one bag for 3.79 today so i couldn't make myself pick it up off the shelf.

hersheys.

so i settled for a couple of 1.00 semi sweat candy bars and i'll have to just cut down on my intake till i find a sale.

[Shadow]

I've got a feeling that whatever holiday specials they have the prices are going look
a lot like the "regular" price two months past. (which ain'ta gonna be much methinks)

We will go shopping probably next Friday. I may end up posting a frustrated rant
at some point thereafter.

There is a recipe that dad found in a bell South cookbook and  likes to make....

1 stick Margarine or butter, melted
1/2 c. Cocoa
2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Milk
3 c. Quick Oats
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla

Cook Margarine, Cocoa, Sugar, and Milk until bubbles
form around side. Remove from heat add peanut butter
until it is melted and then add oats and vanilla. Drop on
waxed paper and allow to cool.

Now for a few side notes from me:

While the recipe doesn't state it, cook this on high heat.
You can also add raisins and coconut or other chopped
nuts if desired.

After you add the oats, get ready to stir like crazy because
the cooler it gets the thicker it will get. You can also pour
the whole batch onto a sheet of waxed paper overlapping
a cookie sheet and cut the cookies into smaller squares
if you prefer.


Call it the poor mans candy bar.