{home & making scented wax}

It's so nice to be home. But I always feel a little sad when a much awaited trip is over. Thank goodness my sweetheart & I will be traveling to see my parents in Texas for Thanksgiving! I was even planning out our meals and day trips on the plane with my Mum, so it is a good thing it is only three weeks away.

I haven't even started to go through all of my pictures from New York. There are probably hundreds. The trees were gorgeous, and with the castle like walls of West Point, I felt like I was back in Europe. So I will have to share soon!

Anyway, the other day I was frustrated with a candle that would not light. The wick was buried in the wax. What are you supposed to do about that? Well, here's what I did to create some more wax for my scented wax burner.

Most tutorials try to use the stove to melt the wax and do this instead of buying the scented wax, but I think that's too complicated and buying the wax is sometimes best because the smell is stronger. But in this case, I just didn't want to waste. Who likes waste, anyway?? & it didn't seem like the wax could damage my wax burner.

ingredients.
a scented wax burner {flameless}
unused wax
container

I

First, scrape out the wax of the candle that you want to make into the wax bar.The blue wax in the lid of the container below is what I wanted to melt. I also emptied a container into a plastic bag {see next picture}, so that I could use the mold for the cooling wax. 

II

Put the wax into the burner. Let it melt all the way. {Patience...}

III

After the wax is completely melted, slowly pour it into the mold. Be sure the wax isn't ridiculously hot, or it might melt through the bottom of the container and leak everywhere. {nope, never happened to me...} I usually wait a few seconds before I start to slowly pour.

Tada!!

Please notice I'm not saying any specific brands. My favorite is Scentsy, though. They have some pretty bases. I have two, and love them! I'm hoping to buy more holiday scents, and maybe even lavender wax.This post is not meant to be a copy right infringement.

All thoughts & prayers to those in Hurricane Sandy's path! Please stay safe.

{green life & organizing}

plenty to do...

I really love organization. It's one of the things I do when I'm stressed, if I'm not able to garden.

By the way, a good friend of mine gave me a cute little book called The Little Green Book of Health, 250 Tips for an ECO Lifestyle. She gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago, and I pull it out every once in a while for a few green lifestyle tips. It's a small book but I love having it in our collection of books. I've learned quite a bit from her, and I'm even interested in composting now. {Don't worry, I haven't even thought to try that in an apartment...}
Here are my top two favorites this time, and I included what I learned {again}:

15. Garden Away Stress. "There are even claims that a harmless bacteria normally found in dirt, Mycobacteriam vaccae, has been found to boost the production of a mood-regulating brain chemical."

35. Freshen Breath with Aloe Vera. "Daily gargling with Aloe Vera juice will help reduce toxins in the digestive system {that can lead to bad breath} as well as relieving any inflammation.  Look out for an organic variety, to ensure it is toxin-free & kind to the environment."

Just another reason why my dear friend Aloe Vera should stay alive! He is doing quite well, by the way. I guess my Ode to Aloe perked him up.

Onto organizing!! I saw this on one of my new favorite blogs and pinterest, and just had to share mine! I plan on changing the background to a pale photo as soon as I can. I also want to buy a few more markers, but I just happened to have one from back when my roommates and I would keep track of our "to do" stuff. At first I started reading this new blog just because of the name, but now I love it! http://montrealnest.blogspot.com/

how to make a dry erase board

If you make one, let me know how it worked out! 

shake, shake, shake

shake me!

Check out these cuties! I traipsed around NoDa with a friend of mine yesterday. Before she got there, I found a little uncommon antique store called Fifteen Ten around the corner that we ended up going to after we ate. We ate at The Dish, and had I had the best chicken and dumplings I've had in a loooong time. 

So, I'm somewhat obsessed with chicken and dumplings. I used to eat the canned kind as a kid, and then last year I tried to make them myself. I don't recommend trying to cook it in your crock pot. My recipe called for Bisquick dumplings, and since I do like Bisquick,  I decided to give it a try. It turned into a flour soup. It was so thick, I could barely eat it. Thank goodness Mountain Man was able to stomach some of it. 

Anyway, the mac'n'cheese at The Dish was amazing too. Definitely the home made kind. They even had a deviled egg on each of our plates, which seems very odd to me. I think they served the biscuit with a honey butter drizzle on top too, which I've never had. Definitely want to make it in the future though! Clearly, I need to eat out more often...

I got these cute little salt and pepper shakers, and my friend got some that were sea green, ceramic, ball shaped with the little holes for shaking on the side and with a cork on top. Very different, and so cool.  The guy said that mine are probably replicas. If they are, they were poorly done. I think these might actually be authentic. There are some bubbles in the glass, and you can see that the salt doesn't sit flat at the base of the shaker. 

Authentic or not, how cute!! Just another piece to make our place feel like a home.