Candles, Candles, Candles

I am officially burried in candles at this point! I made about 100 jar candles and probably 3 times as many votives a few weeks ago. These were all paraffin, and made in about 25 different scents.
I took them down to Croy Creek, by the way if you like flea markets and have never been, you really should take the opportunity to stop by there! We camped Saturday night last week which was a lot of fun and the boys enjoyed it a lot as they had never been before. The flea market is really only Sunday morning, but the venders and a few others come in on Sat. so I had a few sales on Sat. and then when Sunday came around there was a bit of rain so not as many people were there, however I did sell some and we more than paid for our going down there. Several people seemed to want soy candles so now I have ordered stuff to make more, and yes in more scents too. I will have over 50 scents by the end of the week!!! I doubt I will get them all made before the next flea market on Sunday but we will see......
We also took Lucy, our Rott pup with us and she seemed to enjoy it. Of course we have made a habit of taking her for rides all the time when we run errands etc. so she loves to go and is so attached to Zane and I she has to be with us constantly. I had to laugh at her as she isn't even 5 mos yet and already thinks she's big and protective. She is a lover in all aspects, however one event at the flea market showed already that if needed she will be a great protector as well. She had been greeting all passerby's well all day on saturday and the other dogs as well, even though she would give the dogs this low growl/bark that didn't seem possible coming from a young pup. It was all in play though as her tail was going a mile a minute as she greeeted each dog. Some of the dogs there will make you sick to see and watch them as you can tell what kind of life they have had, one this past weekend was a Mastiff who seemed to be regularly beaten as I never once saw him not cowering and with his tail between his legs. Poor thing! Anyway, as dusk was coming on the vender next to us came by to pick up a candle and Lucy went up and greeted and recieved her petting as she had all day. The lady handed me her money and I turned and went to get her change. It was starting to get dark out and harder to see, so I am suree this played a role in Lucy's actions, when I handed the change to the woman, Lucy half lunged and growled, guess she didn't think that woman needed to be taking anything from me!!!! LOL!!!! She was a bit wary through the darker hours before we went to bed, as long as she was right next to us she was fine, but if one of us was "missing" she got rather worried!
Back to the candles, we will see if I sell more this weekend having the soy as well now. The thing I really like about Croy Creek is that there is no vender fee, just $3 a person over 10 to get in, no fee to sell or to camp, so you can make a family weekend, possibly some money, and not spend a fortune!! It isn't like a lot of flea markets I have seen either, with diabetic socks and the like at every corner. You can find all sorts of things there, any livestock you can imagine from pigeons, pigs, goats, horses, chickens, rabbbets etc..... you get the point. You can find any knick knack you would see at any other flea market as well as guns, knives, coins, etc.... If you can imagine it being at a flea market you will probably find it there. Of course there is always a fair amount of junk there as well......
I guess I will also post the scents I will now have available for sale in votive or jar type for anyone whom may be interested in buying from me. If you are interested send me an email and I will be happy to get back to you.
Amish Harvest, Apple Jack and Peel, Asian Sandlewood, Baby Powder, Banana Nut Bread, Bayberry, Black Canyon, Black Raspberry Vanilla, Blackberry Tea, Blueberry Muffin, Cabernet Grape, Caramel Apple, Casaba Mist, Cedar, Cinnamon and Balsam, Cinnamon Buns, Clean Cotton, Coconut Lime Verbena, Cool Citrus Basil, Cornucopia, Country Garden, Cranberry Apple Marmelade, Creamy Praline Pecan, Cucumber Melon, Eucalyptus Leaf, Fireside, French Vanilla and Amber, Fudge Brownie, Fresh Brewed Coffee, Genuine Leather, Georgia Peach, Gingerbread Cookies, Grandma's Swingin' Eggnog, Home for the Holidays, Juniper Breeze, Lavender, Lilac, Love Spell, Mary Jane, Midsummer Night, Moonlight Path, Mountain Lake, Ocean, Peppermint Kiss, Pink Sugar, Plumeria, Red Clove, Rose Bouquet, Spruce Christmas Tree, Strawberries and Cream, Sweet Pumpkin Spice, Tuscan Nights, Vanilla Harvest, Vanilla Mint, Warm Apple Pie, White Tea and Ginger, Wild Mountain Honey.
Whew, that seems longer when you type them all!!! Anyway there they are and for those of you who had asked about them now you know wha tI currently have. Feel free to email me too....

Atlas

Since I couldn't seem to get the link attached properly I thought I would just attach it here in the text. Sorry for the repeat posts. http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mbaron/2009/03/26/why-atlas-shrugged-matters/

Check it out!!!!!!

Atlas Shrugged today's society!

I came across this website, and for any of the Atlas Shrugged fans, or others for that matter it is a great read!

Atlas Shrugged today's society!

I came across this website, and for any of the Atlas Shrugged fans, or others for that matter it is a great read!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears Oh MY!

Last Sunday we took all the boys to town to the wild animal petting zoo so they could see all the animals. Needless to say they had lots of fun. They saw a camel, lion cub, cappucin monkeys, lemers, a huge python, a Joey, a Tiger, a White tiger and a Black Leopard. Of course there were also Llamas, goats, a cow and ponies there. Some of the animals you were able to feed and some you could pet, no the tigers were not included! LOL

Horse Sale Barns

It amazed me tonight the difference between two local Salebarns. Several months ago I took a out of control 16 hand thoroughbred stud to Veedersburg salebarn with a friend of mine. Knowing there are men employed by the salebarn to handle the animals that owners do not want to run thru themselves. Me being 4 months or so pregnant and showing knew I didn't really need to handle this horse. That in itself was a lot as I don't like to say "I can't". He was large and unpredictable at home let alone around numerous unknown horses and in season mares, as well as an unknown and very intimidating, frightening environment. He could have and possibly would hurt most anyone there if reacting in fear to any of the many stimulus's there, let alone a 5 foot 3 pregnant woman. As we backed the trailer to unload him, he was aggitated to say the least and dancing all over the trailer. Seeing one of the men employed we informed him someone would have to handle this horse for us as I was the best bet among us and couldn't take the risk. He said to unload him and they would take him. So I proceeded to try to unload him. In doing so he turned himself completely around in my two horse trailer and walked right out. Understand this is a very large horse, and I still am baffled at how he was able to do that. Taking one look at him the guy, and many other men standing around, said "take him all the way to the back and tie him up, make it tight!" Not even an offer to take very large uncontrollable horse from smalll pregnant woman. So having no other choice I proceeded to walk him through all the other horses, somewhere near a huindred I am sure! Thankful I had thought to put a stud chain on him at least I told myself all I had to do was keep him calm till I could tie him and then he was their baby from there. I got him back there and tied by some miracle without a catastrophe. We then went to watch the sale and hope for the best in a profit on this horse. Sitting there through all the other horses near 11 pm we knew it was getting near the end. They had not brought him through yet and people were thinning out quickly. They said there was a horse left but no one was trying to go get it. Knowing the guy that runs the salebarn, my friend went to him and told him it was her horse and that she had been told they would bring him out. He informed her they didn't even know where he was and we would have to bring him through the sale ourselves. Frustrated and tired the two of us went to go see what was going on and I found him where I had left him other than someone having untied him and him prancing freely dragging his lead through a pen of five or six other horses, some mares. I grabbed the lead prepared for the worst and hoped I could get him to the arena so one of the dozen or so men could take him from there. Of course he didn't want to leave the pen he and his new found girlfriends wer in, so I was in for a fight. I sent Jan to get a man to help. She returned with a "no one will help." Well sh** what do you do, I had to do it myself, so I got mr. unruly out of the pen and led to the arena past 20 or more men just watching and chatting. We get to the ring filled with men, some with 6 foot prods in their hands. As we walk in the ring he begins to become uncontrolable due to the fear created by a sale ring. I wasn't able to lead him, more I was being led. He positioned himself right up against the arena fence and me in the middle and paced the length of it. Meanwhile I was afraid to let go knowing I was fair game to be trampled or kicked if I did, so I did what I could. The men in the arena all climbed on the fences as if a mad bull were loose. Finally he sold, and the buyer came off the fence to lead him out!! Talk about a bunch of Sissy men and me being as dissrespected as I think I have been in my entire life. Oh, did I mention the 10 or so times I asked for help while leading him to the arena as well as in the arean and my friend yelling for a male to take him from me as I was dragged along the fence by this 1200 pound animal! To make the story better, as she went to get her check she caught up with the owner and stated her opinion of how the situation was handled. There was no sympathy nor any apology made, just a "You have to tell us!!!!!" Duh what were all the requests for help? I will never go back to a place the treats people in general so badly.

To see the opposite side of this story I must relay what happened today at the salebarn in Greencastle. I took a filly of mine to sell before winter rather than to feed her all winter. Knowing horses at this sale bring far less than other sales but having watched and also knowing the animals as well as people are treated with respect here. I opted to get less money. While I was filling out the paperwork, the teen boys checking livestock in had her unloaded before I was able to finish. They penned her and left nothing for me to do but watch. I never asked for anything!!! This horse I wouldn't have had any trouble handling, but with my blood pressure as rocky as it has been was content to sit back and watch. When sale time started she was to be first in the arena. I was sitting right next to where they were going to bring her in and watching again a teen worker struggle to get her through the door into the noisy ring I got up to offer encouragement by talking to her and patting her hind end so she would walk forward. I was immediatly approached by a man whom I don't believe works at the auction, as I frequently attend and have never seen him, he took charge telling me to go sit and another teen boy working to help him as they both stood behind her to give her no place to go but forward. Of course she walked right in. As I had known she didn't bring what she was worth or even near it but she and I were both treated with such respect, even without asking anything, that I felt it well worth the trip and lost sale money. I will return as often as possible and gladly give my business to this type of establishment. It is very sad to see that these young men, not more than 16 and some as young as 12 have more respect not only for the animals they run through the sale, but the people as well than the grown men some other places!!!!!!

Avery

Avery Avery where to start!!!!!! How to catch up 7 almost 8 years? Wow seems like yesterday when he was born. The firstborn and most sentimental and caring of the three boys. Avery is constanly a lover and rarely a fighter except when it comes to his brothers. He frequently will retaliate on his own and definately has an "I'm older" attitude. Bossy and a tattler he is often dissappointed when things don't turn out his way as the older brother, mostly at his own faults for taking things into his own hands. He is a protecter as well the, the first to be telling exactly what happened as quickly as possible and in the most detailed way he can. Always chatty and sometimes, no most times getting on the families nerves with his constant statistics and need to tell every detail. Even though I wouldn't change it as it shows his willingness to learn everything he can soak into his young brain. A constant reader and levels ahead of his age he sometimes finds himself frustrated with the "system" holding him back from his eagerness to spring ahead into books and knowledge beyond his years. Recently as he entered the 2nd grade he came home utterly disgusted that the teacher in library wouldn't let him get a book becasuse she told him he couldn't read it as it was out of his age catagory. Having read it this past summer he had a hard time understanding this and cried to me that she was being mean. I had to take quite a long time getting him to understand most kids his age wouldn't be able to and only having been teaching him for a week and a half she had know idea where he really was in the subject and that he needed to be patient. I will also never forget when at the tender, young age of 6 he came to me interupting my shower to ask me what cancer was and for pictures of kids with cancer. Where he learned of it I have no idea to this day, but nearly two years later he is still completely facinated by it. I of course directed him to the internet as well as explaining the disease in terms I thought age appropriate. I didn't want to scare him nor cover the truth as it will likely someday hit someone close and dear to him. I had no idea that later little things he would get later would bring him to the subject often. This past summer he had a bout with ringworm and when playing with his neighborhood friends would show it to them asking if they knew what ringworm was? When they would answer no he would immediately then ask if they knew what cancer was? Then would proceed to tell them that cancer and ringworm were both diseases but ringworm wasn't as bad!!! So funny, yet not as moch as the other day when he was finding everything possible wrong with his hand in order to try to convince me to wrap it in bandaging for him. He finally found a minute cut that he decided needed washed and since it was on his palm I would not bandage it, plus I could see nothing there. So he went to the bathroom to rinse and wash it out, talking the whole time about "having found his problem and how it would be compounded if were to turn to cancer!!!!!! Oh boy!! I do hope that noone near his heart has to battle the disease before he is old enough to understand comepletely. Avery loves to spend time outside and while work isn't on his "to do list" in his mind if he is asked by me to do me a favor and jump in where needed whether it be a chore or a favor for a brother he is reluctantly quick to jump and to do it even though he doesn't want. He wants so much to be selfish and do or have what "Avery" wants, but his love and kindness usually wins out with a "I'll do it even though I don't want to mom." I am sure he will make someone a very considerate caring husband one day!

First Time Blogging!

Well, I thought I would try this in my "pregnancy" down time. I do not do well at Journaling, or scrapbooking, so after following a few friends blogging activities I thought I would try my hand at it. No better time than now when I cannot do so many other things to start. The kids say and do so many silly, funny, and memorable things that without having them stored somewhere other than my brain, in which things are frequently lost, I will forget almost as soon as they happen. With them being in more and more activities I need a way to file it all away to be remembered in the future. I also do quite a bit of web research and forget where I get it half the time so this may help organize that as well. We will see how much self discepline I have to keep it up.