Hello, my bloggie frens. I hope today finds you well and contented. And well contented.
I like to reuse things, but always with an eye to avoiding any "hoarding" behavior. I had two neighbors and a boss who were hoarders, back in Texas, and the people across the street here in my new city are hoarders, and if seeing hoarding with your own eyes doesn't give a person a jolt, nothing will. So, I keep the house pretty bare.
All of this to say, I bought two packages of yogurt that are packed in small glass jars. I wanted to keep the little "glass pots" and reuse them for things like salsa servings, pudding, dip, and so forth. And I have! I use them a lot, and they are also good for portion control.
I was hurt at being excluded from the "End of the School Year" party at our school. I think I have already whined about that on the blog. I've been in a funk about it, a blue funk. One of the things they had to eat was different kinds of berries. Those berries really caught my attention. Blackberries as big as a squid's eye, fragrant raspberries just melting into pools of sugar, huge frosty-looking blueberries! Enormous strawberries, hollow-hearted at that size, to be sure, but sweetening the very air around them! Oh, I wanted those berries!
Today, on the way home, I stopped at the grocery and got some berries, too, and had some in my little glass jars. Ha! My own party! I have the other jars loaded up, so that all I need to do is reach in and grab one. Party on.
I stopped off at the church on the way home from the store, went in and said a Rosary and just sat in the cool and the darkness of the church, and then lighted some Holy Candles. It's funny, but which church I stop at depends on my mindset and my pocketbook. Holy Cross's candles are just $1 but they are small, thumb-sized. Then again, a ten-spot buys you ten sweet dancing candles and they are right under the new statue of Jesus! VALUE-ADDED! The priest at Holy Cross is a riot.
St. Genevieve's are only 50 cents, because of the dire poverty of their parish, but I light only one per the $10 so that any profits are not eaten into. Flashy San Albino rakes in the tourist money and theirs are $3 to $5, but they are the big ones, and last at least two full days, and they are in cobalt blue glass. If I'm flush with cash, I go there. Immaculate Heart of Mary, my home parish, has medium ones for $2 each, and each has a picture of Mary.
Today I went to Immaculate Heart, mainly because I wanted to light candles in the votive bank nearest the statue of Mary. Many times, in the gloom, I have to be careful not to step on another parishioner, prostrated before her statue. Seriously, they are all over the floor sometimes. They must not only be devout, but have really good knees. Today, I was not alone in the church, but there was no one lying about the floor. But I think a lizard was on the wall, heading for Mary. It was very dark in the church; the photo is light for some reason.
Since rejoining the blogging world, I always light a candle for the other bloggers when I am doing my candles.
But I also have candles at home burning almost constantly. I make "oil candles." It's easy to make these "oil candles." It lets you reuse the pretty glass holder after the wax candle has burned. You just fill the holders with water most of the way up, then pour in some cooking oil to a depth of one or two inches, depending on how long you want your candle to burn. The oil floats atop the water. (I use regular cooking oil, the cheap bottles!) Then you poke a small bit of waxed candle wick into a floating wick-holder (just a bit of cork), just barely poking through, so that the wick brings up the oil, and doesn't push through into the water part.
Place it, light it, and a steady flame burns. Once the oil is burned, the wick will sputter and pop, having encountered the water, and will self-extinguish. I have some stoneware discs and some lantern wicks that I use in a similar way, but lately I use the floating wicks. I got mine from Ebay, from Israel.
Kind regards,
Olde Dame Holly
when i saw the photo of your berries in that adorable glass cup, i thought that would make a great candle holder and it would and i have always saved small glass anything to put votives in. the oil and water is a great idea, except i would have to buy wicks and corks since i have none... i love those glass cups. we have only throwaway containers here billions of them going in the trash daily. I would have to add a room on the house if we had cute glass things. i am a glass lover. i keep glass bottles that i like the shapes of. the link to some of my bottles... https://snapperone.blogspot.com/2017/10/would-you.html
ReplyDeleteThey have the Oui brand in the little glass jars at Walmart now! At least here in New Mex they do. I love them and their yogurt is really tasty, too. A bit spendy but YOU GET THE JARS!
DeleteYes, I recycle and reuse many things, too. I love your little jars and still have/use little cheese jars that my Mom saved after eating the cheese. We always called them grandma glasses because they came from grandma. The nice part is the cobbled texture in the glass that made them just the right texture and size for toddlers to hold. Just think, those jars/glasses are still being used today in our kitchen fifty years after they could have gone to the land fill.
ReplyDeleteI think that was "Old English" brand jarred cheese, the extra-sharp? We had some of them, too, plus jelly jars, to drink from, our glassware!
DeleteHow beautiful~ Both your berries and your candles are delicious colours :-)
ReplyDeleteNature sure can make some beautiful colors! Can't go wrong copying nature!
DeleteThe berries make my mouth water. I have seen people make the floating candles but I've never made any myself.
ReplyDeleteThe berries are really great! Plus they say berries are very healthy for people.
DeleteI bought berries this Saturday and we ate it with a sort of cottage cheese.
ReplyDeleteIt’s nice to make candles, I have plenty of yogurt small jars.
It was YOUR blog where I got the idea to buy the pre-made yogurt that comes in glass! I saw how you are able to make yogurt at home! I want to get a yogurt maker, too!
DeleteExcluded from the party??? Just like junior high. How sad.
ReplyDeleteYou sure do know your churches...lol!
I have never made floating candles. I may have to give that a try.
Ha ha I didn't even mention the other parishes nearby! Just my main stops LOL. The floating oil candles I like very much because you can easily be ready for a power outage with them.
DeleteHow interesting to make the oil candles. I should try that. And I'm sorry you weren't included...that feels yucky! Love the little bowls of berry goodness. I picked some blackberries this weekend next to the hiking trail. They are SO sweet but I only took a few and left most for the animals!
ReplyDeleteThat is so nice to leave the blackberries for the animals. But sometimes your blog posts are scary - I can't believe you are so brave you hike where gators and bears roam!
DeleteThe candles are so beautiful, Holly. I want to thank you for always thinking of your blog friends when you light candles at your church. And you make your own candles! I've always wanted to try Oui yogurt. I heard it was good and people use the glass jars for so many things. I have seen these candles with Jesus and Mary at the dollar store, and they are so lovely. I must get some! Your berry treat looks delicious. Now, I want some BERRIES! haha
ReplyDelete~Sheri
The Oui is good, but I always have to stir it up a lot or it is a bit too unsweetened for me. It has a LOT of good stuff at the bottom. Yes, get yourself some berries, they are good for you!
DeleteOh, a party! With my favorite fruit dessert. Yay! And, I really must have some floating wicks. Thanks to you there's no need to be without candles. A great post, as usual!
ReplyDeleteOur church the candles are $5.00 and are cobalt blue and red. I love mixing blueberries, blackberries and strawberries together and then eat them! A wonderful glass jar to place yours in! Janice
ReplyDeleteI bought that brand of yogurt once and did keep the little glass containers. Good idea about the berries. I love berries too. My neighbor brought me a small container of strawberries today. Said she bought too many. These were locaally grown and delicious. The candles are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou really inspired me today. I went to look for my very old box of Flam Bouyants which are exactly the wicks and floats that one uses for oil candles. I used to use them but have gotten out of the habit. I'm glad I found them again.
ReplyDeleteThen I read about your little glasses to make minuscule desserts. I had cream cheese in the fridge and made up 12 little jars of "cheesecake" which I'll top with berries before eating. The berries were frozen but very soon fresh ones will be available.
BTW I bought my set of little glasses at the Dollar Store.
I'm truly sorry you weren't invited to the End of the School Year party. That's so hurtful and plain old mean spirited.
Thanks for a great post.
I must have missed where you was excluded from the end of school party. Was that this year at this new school where you work? Looks like you had your own party at least.
ReplyDeleteI got 100 wicks and 10 plastic wick holders one year at WalMart. Now you don't see them anywhere. I loved seeing all the candles lit. Beautiful.
I have not seen the wicks and holders at Wally World, either! I used to get them at Michael's in the candle department but no longer.
DeleteI like to save jars, especially when they are a different shape. I bought some milk from a farm, they have really good milk with the cream still on the top Yum! Anyway that made small milk bottles for 1 serving, They look like old fashioned milk bottles, I havn't used them for anything yet, they just look nice for now, I'll come up with something. Thank you for lighting candles for your blogger frens. The candles look pretty in the dark coolness of the church.
ReplyDeleteThe little milk bottles sound ADORABLE!
DeleteI save jars too.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have a friend who is a hoarder. You are 100% correct in saying, once you experience hoarding .. you go bare. Every visit to her house I come home and clean.
I missed what happened about the school party? I am sorry. I am glad you found some sweet berries to enjoy.
I enjoyed reading about the candles. Thank You.
Right! When the neighbor leaves their garage door up a sec, I get such a shock and go into MY garage and throw something out!!!
DeleteI'm being diligent with the stinky spray, staying 2 steps ahead of Rosebud and the gang. LOL. I've never seen a real Hollyhock, so I am looking forward to it. Thank you for stopping over my place. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't save jars, but I've often thought of doing just that. I like your idea of filling them with berries...and blackberries...yum. Adding water & Oil to an exhausted candle is genius!!
ReplyDeleteAwww...thanks, Fren, for always remembering us in your prayers in such a special way. I feel honored to be one of them. I am not Catholic so am not completely versed in the candle tradition...Obviously I know the basics and often light my own candle for those I am remembering and praying for. But I did not realize that you had to pay for them, etc. I would be distressed as well to have been left out. It probably was something as simple as an oversight, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. And I have always taken things way more personally than they usually likely are.... Some just don't take the time to think about how their actions/inactions may affect another. I am glad you celebrated with berries.... They are still quite dear here and who knows if/when we will get fresh ones...it actually snowed today. :-( I LOVE Oui yogurt...it is all I buy and I have had to start "recycling" the extra jars. They are absolutely perfect for making my Crema Chocolate. And I splurged and purchased some lids for them so they pop in the frig wonderfully. ~Robin~
ReplyDeleteGood gravy, I didn't even know there were lids for them, I must get some! I have been putting "tinfoil" over them but I would much rather have lids! Thank you for stopping by -- the destitute don't need to pay for the candles; it's a fundraiser for the church, mainly to buy more candles LOL.
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