Old to New…Candles

Yesterday one of my very best friends came over and helped me with some small projects I wanted to get done before baby arrives.  We still have a while, but I have a lot of small projects so every little bit helps.  Anyway, we hadn’t really planned on doing the project I’m writing about, but I’m glad we did!  It took a while, but the end result was a fun, colorful, and great smelling new candle.

Now I know some of you may have already figured this out, but it took me a while!  I love candles, but it always ends up having that little bit of wax left over and I just hate to throw it away.  So that leaves me saving all these glasses of little bits of candle and taking up valuable storage space. 

                                 

Since I am now in the process of getting rid of things I don’t need and trying to make room for baby, I decided to compile all of my pieces of candles into one new candle.  If you have the same problem as I do and need a solution, here is how I did it!

After we finished last night, I decided there were a few extra steps I would have taken to make it a bit easier. All in all it is pretty simple, just time consuming.

First a list of supplies:

• Some type of jar (One that can withstand the heat of the flame)
• Wicks (I bought mine at hobby lobby)
•  
• Your left over candles
• Wax paper
• Tweezers
• Stove and pot (There are probably other ways to do this, but we did ours on the stove)
• Something to protect your hands from the hot jars
• Scissors
• Anything you want to decorate your finished product with

Once you’ve gathered your supplies, it’s time to start! I would suggest putting wax paper down under your new jars to help with any wax spills and makes clean up easier. (We didn’t do this, but I wish we had) You may also want to try some way of gluing your wick to the bottom of your jar before getting started.  We also did not do this and ended up holding the wicks to try and keep them straight when we first got started. I’m not sure if hot glue will work because of the hot wax melting it, so if anyone has any suggestions I would love to know! We decided the best way to melt the wax was in a pot of water on the stove.  I used a small pot because most of my candles were small.  As we got started we decided we needed something in the bottom of the pot to keep the candle from actually sitting completely on the bottom.  So Amber grabbed a spaghetti spoon and it actually worked perfectly and helped with lifting the candle out of the boiling water.  So we let the candle sit in the water until the wax was melted.  Sometimes the original wicks weren’t stuck to the bottom, so you need something to get those out with before you pour out the wax.

Once your wax has melted, carefully lift the jar out of the water and place on a towel or something that is easy for you to grab the jar and pour. 

Let that layer completely cool before pouring the next layer in.  Just keep repeating those steps until you have used up all your old wax.  I would not pour all of your old wax in because a lot of times the old burnt wax settles in the bottom and that doesn’t make a very pretty new candle. We also found it helpful to sit the new jars in the refrigerator for just a few minutes to help the wax cool faster.  Although this is not necessary and don’t leave them in for long because it will cause the center to cave in.

Once you have finished with as many layers as you want in your new candle, you can decorate your jars with ribbon or leave them plain.  You can either clean your old jars and reuse them, and if I had room to store them I would have. I have seen a lot of instructions from pinterest on how to do this, so I will try to find one and link it on here.  I hope you enjoy your new old candles!

Janna Banana

Goodbye 2013!

 

I have not written a blog since 2012, so I will have to speed through 2013.  Wow what a year!  There were so many memories.  Some were good memories, but some weren’t that great. 

At the beginning of the year, we made a quick getaway to Disney.  It was a girls weekend with my mama, my Aunt Joyce, and my self.

We had so much fun.  We got to visit and eat at the new Be Our Guest restaurant. It was the highlight of the trip for me!  Yum!

In may my little cousin graduated high school!  I am so proud of her.  She has always had a special place in my heart and no matter how grown up she gets she will always be my little Jessi!

My husband changed jobs in March and had to start over with vacation time.  Meaning, we didn’t get to go on vacation for our anniversary or for summer.  Instead I was able to enjoy a beach vacation with my mama and daddy!  It was very nice to get to spend time with them like I used to when I was younger. 

The trip home however was not fun at all.  But I can say that we made a memory that I will laugh about and remember forever!

During the entire ride to the beach and the whole time there, my mama’s car kept making really weird tremors.  Thankfully it didn’t quit on us where we were stranded at the condo the whole time.  Although it did decide to die on us as we were leaving the last gas station out of town.  We had to ride in the back of a tow truck the whole 6 hour ride home.  Boy, saying it was the ride of our lives was an understatement!

Not long after our trip to the beach we celebrated my Grandmother’s (Gaugee Ma) 86th birthday.  She was not feeling her normal, spunky, jolly self and not long after, she was hospitalized for a health problem she had been battling for two years. 

No one could give us any answers and she remained in the hospital for a while.  When she was finally released, she came to my mama’s house and then to my Aunts.  While staying with them it was very obvious that she wasn’t really well enough to be out of the hospital.  During the night she became very sick and was sent back to the hospital by ambulance and our lives were turned upside down.  When she arrived they wanted to do exploratory surgery immediately.  My cousin and aunt were there with her and got the hospital staff to hold off until we were all able to get there and see her before they took her back for surgery. 

Little did we know that would be the last time we would get to hear her voice.  She made it through the exploratory surgery, but they had to remove several inches of her intestine.  They kept her sedated over night and decided they needed to go back in and see if the surgery was a success and if her body was going to be strong enough to withstand it.

We were so hopeful because they said it was great that she made it through the night.  She even squeezed some of our hands and could motion for water and other small signs.  As she went into the second surgery we all had our hopes up.  Unfortunately when the doctors called us in to go over the surgery, we were not prepared for the news we received. 

They told us that although she was a very strong woman and was fighting very hard, the surgery was just to much for her body to handle.  We were able to spend a little more time with her although she was sedated the entire time.  She was with us until about 12:30 A.M. August the 13th.  We were all able to say our goodbyes and be with her until the end and I find a sort of peace in that.  It was a very sad day, but I know she is dancing and singing in heaven now with no pains.

Although losing my Gaugee Ma was very hard and still is, we all tried to pick up and continue on.

In September Brandon was able to get a weekend off and we had a mini vacation to, where else, Disney!  We were joined by my mama, Melody and Lily, and Aunt Cheryl and Mr. Gene.  We went to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.  Brandon is not crazy about Disney, but Lily has him wrapped and of course he gave in to her begging him to go!  We had so much fun!

In October, we got some very exciting news!  We are going to be parents!!  We are both so excited and thrilled, and can’t wait to find out what it will be in the next month!

We got to celebrate a milestone in my cousin Kayla’s life.  She was married in November!  She is like my sister and I was so honored she asked me to be her Matron of Honor!

Needless to say, 2013 was a rollercoaster of a year and although it had its moments, it wasn’t a bad year. 

I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store for us.  I just pray for health and happiness for all my friends and family and hope everyone is blessed beyond measure!

Happy New Year and God Bless!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bethany’s Shower

Finally I am able to show and tell what I’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks!  March has been a busy month in itself, but today we had a shower for my sister-in-law, Bethany!

I am so extremely happy and excited for her!  At the same time, it’s a bitter sweet thing because the guy she is marrying, Garth, is in the military and stationed in New York!  That’s like a gazillion miles away from all of us!  Bethany and I are pretty close and it just feels weird to think she will be so far away.  But I’m glad she will be with her true love.  Anyway, moving on before I tear up! 

The shower was a ‘mood’ shower.  It’s a neat idea for a shower that my sister had done for me before I got married.  Everyone is sent an invitation that has a ‘mood’ the bride is in.  The mood could be cleaning, romance, decorating, gardening, and so on. You are then to bring a gift that will help the bride with her mood.   It’s quite fun to see what everyone will bring to match the mood.  Her 2 cousins (and mine too now) Michelle and Melody hosted along with myself.  I was in charge of decorating, so I choose the theme to be lady bugs.  Bethany likes lady bugs and that what her mama called her growing up, so I went with that.  It was fun!

We had a good amount of food, and I added a few personal touches to kind of tie the theme in.  I made lady bug pretzels,

and red and black chocolate covered Rice Krispy's,

some lady bug crackers,

and you can’t go wrong with red strawberries and strawberry lemonade!!

All the food looked great!  Michelle made everything else and made it all look fantastic!

It was so much fun and Bethany got some great gifts to start her marriage off with!

I just hope we have a good while longer before we are doing this again for Autumn!!

I hope Bethany had as much fun as we did!  She got to wear her ‘wedding’ shoes.  She had picked them out to wear with her wedding dress, but is going to end up having to wear flats because the heels make her to much taller than Garth (and he’s tall)!!

Best Wishes you two!!

Fried Green Tomatoes!

Umm, Umm!  Boy am I happy!  Green tomatoes have made it in at our local Farmer’s Market, and are being sold at Calhoun Produce.  And when green tomatoes are in, that can only mean one thing…

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES!

Oh how I love ya!  Fried green tomatoes are a southern tradition (well actually anything fried is!) and I’m gonna share my recipe for these delicious treats! 

First, pick out some good green tomatoes.  I like the really green ones, my hubby prefers the ones that are just on the verge of turning that orangy color.

After you decide which you would like to use, you need to slice them.  My hubby and I were the only ones eating these so I used 2 tomatoes, ended up being to much but we ate what we could!  So that just gives you an idea of how far these go.  I like my slices a little thick, but of course Brando likes them thin.  He is the fryer so I value his opinion.  He said that the thinner the slice the crunchier they are.  Well I don’t like mine crunchy, so.  But depending on your preference just remember; thin makes crunchy and thick makes softer.

They make a mess, but they are so worth it!  After you’ve sliced the tomatoes, dip them in buttermilk and then your batter.  My batter is a little secret shared to me by my husband from when his family owned a fish shop, but all you need is to mix flour with your favorite seasonings and a little salt and pepper.  Make sure you coat them well.

Once they are battered, throw them into the fryer for about 8 – 10 minutes.

Once finished frying, place them on a paper towel to dry the excess grease off of them and then…

Ta da!  Fried Green Tomatoes!!

Janna Banana!

Happy Birthday Sissy!

 

Today is a very special person’s birthday!   Not only is she my best friend, but she is my sister!  She is 12 years older than me, but I am so thankful that she is. 

Not only for the reasons that I love to tease her about, but because she has so much knowledge to share with me.  The do’s and don’ts of life, financial advice, marriage advice, and so many other things!  Sure we sometimes argue and don’t agree on the same things, and she will definitely tell me what she thinks, but I’m so glad she does. 

Sometimes we need to hear those opinions so that we can take a step back and try to do things better.  If it weren’t for her all these years I don’t know that I would have made it through!  I can never put into words what she really means to me, but I hope she knows that she is a very special person in my life!

I can remember when I was little and she would get ready to leave me, I would cry and cry for her to stay.  Even though I know longer cry, I still miss her like crazy when we spend time together and we have to part ways. 

Well I hope today is a wonderful day for her. She begins the birthdays in March. Today is her birthday, in exactly one week is her Husband Stacy’s birthday, and mine is exactly one week later!

I love you Sissy Lynn!

Janna Ranae!

March :)

 

Wow, it’s already March!  Can you believe it?!?  And how about this weather?  I guess it is that time of year, where the season can’t decide if it’s winter or summer!  That’s usually how it is here in south Georgia.  One day we’re all running around in shorts and flip flops working in the yard, the next day we’re bundled up from head to toe running from the car to our next location trying to stay out of the cold!  Well that’s exactly how it’s been this past weekend!  Thursday and Friday felt like mid June with a a high around the 80’s, a nice breeze, birds chirping, and crickets singing at night.

I really enjoyed the warmth and jumped into full spring swing.  I planted some new planters, weeded the front flower bed, picked up a good bit of pine cones (which have covered the same area again), and cut some grass!  Whew, I definitely felt accomplished when I laid my head down Friday night!

Saturday was a mess of a day, but a blessing none the less!  We received 3” of rain!  That’s great for a drought infested area.  All our ponds are almost filled back to the brim and there are actually water puddles everywhere!  When we woke up Sunday, the sun was shining so beautifully, but when you walked outside it was a whole different ball game!  The wind was blowing so hard with such a chill in it!  It was 57 degrees for the most part of the day. Brrr!  I was not made for cold weather!  But today is starting to shape up to be a nice day, still a little chilly but I can feel it warming up!

The sun is out and it is just beautiful!  My mom and I are going for a walk and to pick strawberries shortly!  And even though the weather never can make up it’s mind, this is still my favorite month of the year.  It’s also a very busy month!  We have 3 birthdays this month (mine included) along with the Fire Ant Festival in town!  It’s just a great month!  And being that today is a very special day for a very special person you are going to get a very special second post today!! Stay tuned…

Janna Banana!

Autumn’s Happy Birthday trip to Atlanta!

Brandon’s baby sister Autumn’s birthday was this Friday, but last weekend we celebrated her birthday in Atlanta at the World of Coca Cola and the Georgia Aquarium!  We all had so much fun!

That’s Autumn in the middle!  She turned the ripe old age of 17!  It was so much fun to just get away and be together!  If you live in Georgia or are planning to visit Atlanta, you check these two places out!  They are side by side and make for a great day trip!

Our first stop was the World of Coca Cola.  It is a very interesting museum of how Coca Cola got it’s start.  You go through different exhibits like the Coca Cola Vault, a 4D movie about Coca Cola, and how they make, bottle, and distribute Coca Cola.  The last exhibit gives you the chance to taste all the different flavors of Coca Cola all around the world!  It was quite interesting,

After the World of Coca Cola, we headed over to the Georgia Aquarium.

This was my favorite one.  Mainly because I absolutely love animals and anything to do with water! So here are a few pictures of the fish and other interesting things we saw!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was so much more, but that is a good summary of what you can see at the Georgia Aquarium!  Like I said, if you’re ever in Atlanta you should check them out!  Let me know if you do and what you enjoyed seeing!  Thanks for stopping by!  Later guys!

Janna Banana!