Want to make colonial or pioneer life comes alive? Why not make some hand dipped candles during the day and use them at night without electricity and experience what it was really like to live those times. Thanks, Kristin, for showing Campfire Cougars this fun craft yesterday afternoon.
To do this project, you'll need beewax, candle wicks (1/2" wick to 1/2" candle), double boiler or large coffee can, stirring spoon or tool you don't care it coated with wax (we just use a knife,) and sauce pan.
1. First, heat water in medium heat; bring to a gentle boil. Place the wax in the double broiler or, if you are using a coffee can, place the can into water. (Don't use high heat or place container of wax directly on heat, it may cause the wax to catch on fire and post severe fire hazard.)
2. Stir wax until it is completely melted. Turn the heat down. Keep water warm enough to keep the wax melted.
3. Now on to the next stage. Begin with cutting the wick to the desired length of candles plus a little extra to hold. Dip the wick in the wax for a few seconds then lift back out. Allow the wax to cool between dippings, about a minute or so. You may find it a little tricky to get started at first because the wick floats on top of the wax until it gets weighed down. Don't worry; before long you'll get the hang of it. If the wick curls up, just pull it straight slightly while wax is still soft (handle with care and caution for hot wax.)
4. Continue the dipping and cooling process. After a few layers, although not necessary, you can speed up the cooling process by dipping the candles in cool water after each wax dip (we skipped the cooling process as kids took turns dipping which allowed wax to cool between dippings.)
5. Repeat Step 4 until the candle has reached desired thickness. If lumps occur, roll warm candles on a smooth surface.
6. Using a sharp knife, trim the bottom to remove excess wax and to create a straight edge bottom for your candle.
7. Hang your candles to dry. Once they are dried (after a day,) you may cut the wick.
AND next, time to enjoy your new creation!
After Campfire meeting, Chloe invited DD#1 over for some girls' one-on-one. DH dropped DD#2, DS, and I off at Prue and Mark's for some cookie and tea time. We haven't seen them since before Thanksgiving. So, we had quite a bit of catching up. It's a switch that someone was fussing over me in the kitchen. Mark is a wonderful cook and baker. I enjoyed his homemade cookies and the to-die-for rice salad he quickly whipped up. Thank goodness, both of our families will be around for the holiday. Our kids will have plenty of play days together.
DH came back to pick us up around 5:20 last night and rushed over to Altera Assisted Living Center about 5 minutues away from Prue and Mark's. We met up with DD#1 and other Campfire troops there for an evening of Christmas caroling. The residents and staff were just delightful. They love young people. As we sang carols, some elders sang along. It sure put a bright spot in their holiday.
I do wish there was time for more interaction between us and the residents after caroling. The facility was highly equipped with security lock down system throughout, unlike other assisted living facilities I have been to in the past in California and Oregon. It made me sad for them even it were for their safety.
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Ken Wilhelm, Executive Director of the United Way of Deschutes County, was Grand Marshall for this year's
Bend Christmas Parade, helping us celebrate our theme “Christmas Dreams Come True” yesterday. This was one of our favorite Bend traditions and holiday events we look forward to. The parade started at Harmon and Newport Streets and ended at Galveston and Harmon. Consequently, Newport, Wall, Riverside, and Harmon Streets were closed from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Seasoned parade watchers were prepared for the cold and taken warm covers/blankets/collapsible chairs to sit on. We had to park our van on Awbrey, over 10 blocks away from starting line. Instead of starting at noon time as advertised, as we raced over to meet up with our float, the parade was already in progress at 11:30! Disappointingly, DS missed riding the Campfire float with his sisters and COOL COUGARS friends.
If you missed yesterday's parade because of
FLL (First Lego League) tournament at Skyview Middle School from 9 to 3, preparation for
4H Annual Leaders and Members Recognition Dinner Gala, getting or cutting a christmas tree, holiday shopping...just too bloody cold to be out. We actually missed a small part of the beginning due to mixup with start time and having to park over 10 blocks away from the starting point. Whatever the reason maybe...here is instant replay straightly from "my view"
(no...I refuse to run around to capture both sides of the floats!)Now, grab a cup of latte or your favorite tea, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
Proudly Presenting to you 2007 Christmas Parade in Bend, Oregon
in a total of 290 pictures--thank goodness for digital camera!
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Today a fresh day...the sort of a day you have after a storm--remarkably gorgeous. The world sparkling clean and renewed. It made a heeeuuge difference to life.
After dropping off the kids at Campfire office, dh and I headed over to ACB--DH worked out at the Club while Tyson, Cookie, and I went for a long stroll along the river. Boy, do we need it! Both dogs now weigh 15 lbs each--not healthy for them!
Sun was out, wind untamed, but still lovely. Only regret was that I didn't put on right shoes for the unexpected muddling trails. Darn! I left the digital camera in the van for some wonderful photo opportunities near Farewell Bend.
Here is a glimpse of the ribbed hat I whipped up during the stroll this afternoon. It is going to a local charity (
Knit Together.) All knitted projects for this group must be turned in by Monday, December 7, so I am busy clicking needles along into the nights. More photos will be availalbe at our crafty blog later in the week.
Children sleep, dogs curled,
cold wind howls outside the house; our heater kicks on. (Haiku)
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I'm so excited to participate in the Pay it Forward exchange! Thanks for another great idea, Kristin! I will send a handmade gift to first three (3) people who leave a comment on this post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what the gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days (that makes it a whole year,) that is my promise! The only thing you have to do, in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
Since I am new to blog world, most people wouldn't know me quite yet. Besides knitting and crocheting, I am recently obsessed (many virtually) to create paper/fiber/mixed media art, make jewelries with beads, cook (healthy/organic), bake, decoupage, fold origami, quilt, felt, compose...and more. Then one day, but you don't know when, you will get a gift that I have made especially for YOU!
So, if you're interested in receiving something handmade from RadicalUnschooler, leave me a comment.
I have been staring at these intense bursts of color yarn cakes in my laundry room, with missing labels, for past few months and pondering what they are in order to acquire other yarns to knit up a sweater (ready for Spring?) Thanks to Lolly Knitting Around's recent Thoughtful Gift post, it is her new logo for blog cards--Noro Sakura! Off to shopping...
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Yeah just in time for little Sheamas' arrival...our new friend Lis is due any day now. I managed to get the maya wrap done before leaving for our 10-day holiday trip in --oops--18 minutes ago!
It took over an hour to get the 5" pleats folded--OMG, I realized I only needed to fold 18" down from each end and not the whole 5 yards of fabric! What can I say...it has been over 6 years since I used a baby wrap or sling. I hope our friend Lis like the choice of fabric picked out. If not, I know how to make another one quick and easy :0D
Thanks to our friend, Michelle S, to get this delivered to Lis and a little Tiger for Megh's 5th Birthday.
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Blue sky...sun is shining. The weather is sweet...make you want to move those dancing feet. In early part of the afternoon, our kids enjoyed a welcoming Surprise by briskly snowfall but all melted within minutes upon landing.
It's a busy day at the Peery lane, just as I've foreseen it would be. I'm a bit swamped getting ready for tonight's SPA party, finishing up community quilts,
teaching one of the COOL girls to sew a quilt, packing for a 10-day trip, finding sitter for the birds, cleaning the house and the messy birdcage...running million miles a second. Some days are just too busy to create a masterpiece in the kitchen for the potluck dinner. Today is one of those days. Hmmm...Chinese takeout will have to do!
To complicate my schedule further, a mixup on my part, a friend dropped off her daughter at 11 a.m. instead of 1 pm as I thought erroneously. Now, my day is totally off. Anyway, it was fun to lay out the pattern with a 10-year old. For a first-timer, Madelaine did great. We finished sewing all but 2.5 stripes-not too shabby for 3 hours' worth of machine sewing. Madelaine will finish piercing the rest of the blocks and ironing the seams at home. Next time we meet after our 10-day trip, Madelaine and I will add the sashs between stripes, borders, and bindings. Meanwhile, check out her first machine-sewing project:
Tonight's COOL Moms' Night Out is in honor of a special friend (which I will have to keep it a secret for now. Michelle S.) She will be presented surprise CARE "Full" (not Felted as referred by many) baskets, filled with handmade goodies, from the moms coming this evening. The two wash clothes I chose for the occasion are intended to salve the hurt a little bit - to let Michelle know that her friends are thinking of her, know the gut-wrenching disappointment she feels, and wish we could magic the pain away. Hope these gestures help her move on from the heartbreak.
The Angel measured 8.5" by 10", in Bernat CottonTots Pastel Dreams. The staggered fern is 10" x 10", in Lily Sugar n Cream Playtime. Both are 100% worsted cotton, washable/dryable, and knitted with size 8 needles. They will get softer with each wash--I love how they both turned out.
Following are some holiday samplers I decorated, over the wet weekend, out of wooden cutouts with acrylics paiints and glitters...they are adorable and fitting for upcoming winter festivities. I got more cutouts for COOL Kid's Club next project in first week of December.
It is grey in Bend today--dark and cloudy, and very reminiscent of a Seattle autumn day. See for yourself.
It’s amazing how it affects me. I am sluggish and slow and just feel like sleeping in as with our three little ones. I wonder how people get by living in places like Seattle in gloomy autumn days.
A part of me welcomes a grey day because it inevitably means cool weather, which gives me the perfect excuse to wear my Audrey Hepburn shrug knitted last winter (but soon will be taken apart…)
finished a scarf for KNIT TOGETHER before sunrise yesterday, later than I really like to admit that I stayed up knitting an reading.
I feel silly…really, really silly. Yesterday, I cast on for a Totally Autumn lap blanket. After completing first 36 rows that made up one complete pattern and examining the diagram twice, I realized a couple of stitches were incorrect—K2tog & SSK in rows 1, 3 and 5. It is not noticeable. But, I just had to rip it apart--Doh! It’s embarrassing.
A second chance…I knit it with a size-7 circular needle and Paton’s Soy Wool Stripes in Natural Geranium. Isn’t the color great? 
I love variegated yarns, but I’m pretty picky about them. I want all of the colors to be similar hues in terms of their relative light/darkness. That way any pooling isn’t especially bothersome. The blanket I’m working on now is my idea of a great hand-paint - it gives depth but doesn’t scream at you.
Now I’m off to cuddling with the kids…11:15 in the morning? It’s gonna make this a busy day.
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"Likewise teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women..." Titus 2:3-4
You may wonder what the title and the Bible Scripture have to do with each other. Well picture these:
I truly believe that sewists that have been in the game for awhile should take younger women or beginning sewers under their wings and share their sewing knowledge...share their sewing trials and tribulations...share their sewing triumphs and their low points...and when necessary share their fabric and accoutrements. Shelly Creach does just that for our girls here at our 4H Sewing Club "Sew Much Fun."
Today was about so much more than sewing...it was about spending time with a godly woman whose love for sewing I so admire and who understands one of my greatest joys in life. It was about encouraging that love and fanning its flames. It was about serving our community. But, mostly the 2.5 hours that we spent with Katherine, Amy, Kim Eberhardt, Kelli Conklin and Shelly Creach were fun! So much fun! We laughed and talked while the girls busy sewing the blocks together for their first ragged Harmony quilt to donate to local seniors in December.
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What is it with rainy night? People all stayed home? DD#1 and I were the only one shown up at Kerry's
KNIT TOGETHER last night. In Kerry's absence, her good friend Gay was there to welcome us to our first KNIT TOGETHER meeting. The quiet/cozy evening went by quickly. We had a nice fellowship while knitting.
DD#1 whipped up a nice self-designed, crocheted scarf. She finished hers in 3 hours. When she showed me the scarf this morning, I was very impressed with her taste in color and designing choices. Way to go, DD#1!
I am about 40% into the lime green, cabled scarf I started last night. The log cabin blanket as pictured is my other WIP community knits.
Some people think philanthropy is just about foundations giving away lots of money, but that’s only one part of the picture. Philanthropy is really about people giving their time, care, and help to causes they care about.
Very simply put, philanthropy can be explained as anything you do to make the world around you a better place.
As you look around, acts of philanthropy may take many forms, ranging from donating a large sum of money to a charity to creating a community garden in your neighborhood or volunteering your time to help out at a soup kitchen. There is no age limit--involve even your young ones in some kind of philanthropy. There is no better time than NOW.
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Well...we went in with fabric in mind for a Maya wrap. Then, we spotted these dinosaur & safari flannels--they are soooo cute and ON SALE. Next time, I'll have a shopping buddy go with me, instead of DD#1, to keep me under wrap.
Now, what are we making with them? Ummmmm...any good idea for a baby boy?
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Weather was on our side this morning...though there were a few drop here and there, it didn't deter people from supporting our veterans and honoring those who have served us in the past, by showing up at the parade. A couple of our COOL COUGARS didn't make it--Will, Bennett & Tate. We miss you all; hopefully, you're all okay.
The 8th Annual Parade is held as a reminder of the armistice of November 11, 1918 ending World War I. The parade route started from 700 blocks of NW WALL near Downtown Library and was to begin at 11 a.m. Of course, it seemed we waited forever for our lineup. For the first time since our move to Bend, we actually saw and heard an F-15 flyover.
An old COOL mom, Mary Wells, surprised us with her brief visit. Her son Tyndell joined a boys cub pack recently through a Christian Homeschooling Group. Mary felt good about the whole classical education model, reconnecting with her church, and making friends with COCHE. We wish her and the family very best in her newfound journey.
Bond, Wall and parts of Franklin Streets were closed from 10:00 to 12:00. We witnessed the memorial dedication taking place after the parade by the Newport bridge on the way home.You may view photos taken at the parade by accessing directly by clicking
here.
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4H readjoined after a long summer break. Though we started much later than most clubs, we are not concerned. Most clubs meet only once a month; ours meet once a week--part of an advantage of having a homeschooled club and a generous, dedicated club leader. This is truly a God-Sent for our kids. They learned not only sewing skills; there are other valuable life applicable skills they acquire throughout the year through record-keeping, taking part in cookie camps making thousands of cookies, writing an essay for leadership...
Last week, the kids, moms, and club leader met to fill out enrollment, paperwork, pay the dues & club fees, and decide a few projects for the year. I bought over a large trash bag size of cotton fabrics for the club to use for their sewing projects. Gosh...It must have weighed a ton! I barely was able to lift it out from the van into Shelly's house.
For the next month, the girls will learn to make ragged harmony quilts to donate this holiday season to seniors in our local community. Following that, hopefully they will have enough time to make some gift and tote bags as gifts.
Yesterday, in joined effort, the girls learned to use rotary cutters for the first time and managed to cut 108 squares for one harmony quilt. They will begin sewing squares together next Thurday. We cut another 108 pieces of squares today for a second quilt to be sewn for charity by the club members.
Once these projects are completed, the girls would like to make some quilts for themselves. It would be fun to do fabric shopping for these handmade holiday gifts.
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I discovered another unique community service opportunity--that is academically beneficial/rewarding to those who participate!
For each correct answer provided to a vocabulary question, the organization donates 10 grains of rice; distributed through United Nations World Food Program, to hungry people all over the world.
The level of difficulty depends on your answers. So, kids may play. English learners may play. Those who are, well, wordy, may be challenged too. Ready for a challenge and for a good cause? Click here.
We raised 310 grains of rice, at Level 47 while I'm checking mails, reading up posts----it's that easy to help the hungers!
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Born in early October, KNIT TOGETHER--a local group of ladies in Bend, ranging from teens to 70s--meets Mondays from 7 to 8:30 pm and knits scarves and hats for homeless.
Attendance varies from meeting to meeting (nothing new.) There is an average of 7-8 people at a gathering, with snack provided kindly by the hostess, Kerry. Most ladies are crocheters. However, the group welcome experienced knitters especially to help teach young school kids as an outreach initiative set by the group.
Some in the group likes to learn to knit hats so I offered to help at the gatherings if we are in town. KNIT TOGETHER has a great start with donated yarns; thanks to a local yarn shop on the West side JUNIPER FIBERWORKS and its generous customers. KNIT TOGETHER provides a valuable avenue for experienced knitters/crocheters to share their know-hows and to mentor new knitters/crochetters in this great community project.
DD#1 and I shared this opportunity with our COOL family and hope to see some of their involvement in upcoming gatherings.
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Chris Huyett, a local resident/advocate for March of Dimes, was desperately looking for volunteers to help at a local fundraiser two days before the event. This is one of the two biggest March of Dimes fundraisers of the year. Finding people with generous heart to donate money has not been difficult. Chris can't seem to find anyone who has time to spare. So, we RUers rose to the occasion and (selfishly) share that homeschoolers are great assets to our community/society.
The Peery clan welcomed such opportunity. We recruited another COOL friend, Katherine A, for the good cause. The fundraiser was held at Scanlons in Athletic Club of Bend, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. As "wardens" and "clerks of the court", we fingerprinted and took mugshots of the "jailbirds." Jailbirds were turned in by their anonymous friends or relatives and found "guilty" of "crimes" committed. They needed to raise "bail money" in an hour in order to get out of "prison." It's hilarious to listen into the telephone conversations "jailbirds" made to their friends and families...just picture the recipents' expressions on the other side of the line! Nokia cellular phones were provided. However, most "jailbirds" use their personal phones. Bell was rung when a "jailbird" raised over $1000; there were a few. Throughout the day, Chris was interviewed by two local reporters; the fundraiser event was filmed. Last year, Jail N Bail raised over $37,000 to help save babies from prematurity. This year, its goal was to reach $40,000.
All and all, we had fun helping. Plus, as members of Athletic Club of Bend, we ventured into some water fun at the indoor pool after a long-day of hard work.
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True learning-learning that is permanent and useful,that leads to intelligent action and further learning, can arise only out of the experience, interest, and concerns of the learner.
John Holt
Real heroes are men who fall, fail and are flawed, but win out in the end because they stayed true to their ideals, beliefs and commitments.
Actor Kevin Costner
