Scented Gels

I found a post recently about how to make your own air fresheners (to view that blog, click this link: Delightful Country Cookin' ).  I love scented things, and I like to set out candles around the house to make it smell good (although I don't burn them very often).  The idea of creating my own scented gels to set out around the house intrigued me.  Plus, it seemed like a really easy project!  It's been a long and trying week, so I felt the need today to do something fun and creative for a rainy day.  So I ventured out into the deluge and picked up everything I would need to make my scented gels:

 Two boxes of Knox gelatine (4 packets per box)-$1.25 per box at Walmart
Heat-proof jars-I used Ball 4 oz. decorative jars-$7.47 for a box of 12 at Walmart
Scented oil for candles-I chose two scents-$2.99 per bottle at Hobby Lobby
Food coloring of my choice-it's most likely in your pantry already!
2 cups of water, divided
2 TBSP salt 

Perhaps I should note that this is the first time I've used gelatin like this.  I've made Jell-O before, but it's not quite the same experience.

I have a lot on my mind right now, and I guess I wasn't concentrating quite as much as I should have been.  I read the instructions and wrote them down for me to take to the kitchen, and read them again as I gathered my supplies.  The instructions go like this:

Add a few drops of food coloring to each jar, then add as much scented oil as you would like.  The more oil you add, the stronger the smell will be.  

 I got through this step.  Then things went awry.  Terribly awry.

The next step:
Bring one cup of water to a boil, then add four packets (one box) of your gelatin.  Stir until completely dissolved (which, according to the gelatin box, should be about five minutes).

I promptly added one cup of water to my sauce pan and dumped in two packets of gelatin before I realized my mistake.  Boil the water before adding gelatin, stupid!

I sighed and dumped my gooey water out, glad that I had purchased an additional box of gelatin.

So, I started again.  I boiled one cup of water, then grabbed two packets of gelatin at the same time and ripped off the top to pour the contents into the pan.  Except that one packet fell out of my hand.  And into the boiling water.  And the packet was covered by the sticky granules of the other packet that was still in my hand.  I grabbed a fork out of the drawer and attempted to fish out the quickly-hardening, gooey, sticky paper packet and managed to get everything sticky.  Who knew that pulverized animal bones would be like playing with tacky glue??  Doing my best Marge Simpson annoyed grunt, I finally succeeded in fishing out the packet, but there was no saving it, and I had to throw it away.  Thankful that I had purchased two boxes of gelatin, I dumped three of the four remaining packets into the pot, and tried to stir it with a whisk.  It was like a giant lump of goo, and it seemed like no matter how much I stirred, it didn't break up the lumps.  I don't know, maybe it's supposed to act like this.  I let it go for a few minutes, and it came to a frothy boil, and after about five minutes or so, the clumps of gelatin finally broke up and dissolved.  Onto the next step.

Add another cup of water to the pot, and your salt.  Stir until the salt is dissolved.

I left the pot to sit for a moment as I poured in the water and measured out the salt.  I went back to stir the pot again, and the gelatin had formed a crust along the bottom of the pan!  Grrrr!  I stirred and whisked as though my life depended on it.  I finally scraped the crust off of the bottom of the pot, and it began to dissolve, finally.  I was relieved.

After the salt was dissolved (and by the way, watch the pot carefully after the last two additions--it wanted to bubble over once it heated back up), the next step is this:

Quickly pour the liquid into your glass containers.  Stir them with a plastic or disposable spoon to mix the scented oil and food coloring.  Then let sit overnight to solidify.

I poured the liquid evenly into my jars with the help of a canning funnel.  I was able to fill four 4 oz. Ball jars with the liquid.  Obviously, this recipe makes 16 oz. of liquid, so you can get one really big jar, two pint jars, or four 4 oz. jars.  You can adjust the recipe accordingly to fit your needs.

I would say that if everything had gone smoothly from the start, it would have been a relatively short project.  It was still a fun learning experience, and a welcome distraction.  I think this is something that you could do with kids, if they want to experiment with scented oils and learn about using gelatin.

It's really easy for me to become distracted.  It seems like I'm always thinking of a million things at once that I either need to do, need to keep track of, or need to remember for later.  And it has been a tough week.  It's a good reminder to me to keep my focus on God and not things in this world: “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.  Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock."--Isaiah 26:3-4.  That's my challenge--keeping my focus on the everlasting Rock.

Busy Weekend!

Hubby Home!

After a week in Knoxville, my husband returned home last Friday from his business trip.  It's never fun to be alone while he's away, but I manage to pass the time somehow.  I watched a few movies, went for a drive, and just stayed cool while the world outside sweltered.  I'm glad he's home now, though, and enjoying his company once again, and we had a busy weekend together, as you will see below.  Yay!

Craft Show

Saturday morning, we ventured downtown looking for a place called Gaslight Gallery.  While hubby was gone, I saw an advertisement for a craft and art show that they put on during certain Saturdays in the summer, and I thought it would be a great idea for The Sunflower Tree to get some exposure.  The ad said that interested people needed to go to the gallery to fill out an application, pay for space, and have your work approved for the show.  So I took a bunch of notepads and we finally found the gallery after a bit of a goose chase.  I was told that the stationery should do very well, and was therefore approved!  Most craft shows in Ohio require a vendor's license for tax purposes, which is why I have not pursued this avenue up to this point, but perhaps if I do well here, I'll apply for a license and do some sales that way.  Here's hoping!

My helpers for the craft show

Hog Roast 
Saturday evening, we were invited to a hog roast and party by one of my husband's co-workers.  It was out in the country, there were three houses involved, and it was a great time, despite only knowing about four people of the hundred or so that were there.  It was a hot day, but once the sun went down, it cooled off nicely and we enjoyed live music and a great view of fireworks that were being shot off in a nearby town.  We stayed out later than we were used to, but it was a lot of fun.

E.P. Jones House

The next day, Sunday, there was an open house here in town to raise money for the renovation of a post-Civil War mansion that has been owned for years by a reclusive woman who recently passed away.  She willed the mansion to a friend/neighbor, who is considering renovating and restoring the building and possibly opening it up as a museum or living history site.  I've wanted to see the house ever since we moved here, and so I had to take the opportunity to take the tour through a house that had no air conditioning, despite another 90-degree day.  I headed over there in the early afternoon, and there was a bit of a wait, but it was worth it.  This was an amazing home at one time: amazing plaster and woodwork, three-story spiral stairs with a mural on the third floor ceiling (visible from the first floor), gold leaf details, original gas fixtures that were retro-fitted for electricity, 8 marble fireplaces, 12' ceilings, a third-floor ballroom, wine cellar in the basement...the list goes on and on.  I was able to take a few pictures of the interior before being told not to, and I've posted them below.  As you can see, the house has some problems, but it could be beautiful again!

Gold leaf detail, plaster moulding in the informal parlor

Ceiling detail in the informal parlor

Leaded glass dining room window

Dining room ceiling moulding

Ceiling detail of the formal parlor

Formal parlor ceiling detail

Front of Jones Mansion

Movie Date
We rounded out the busy weekend with the final Harry Potter movie.  The theater was having a $5.00/ticket deal, and we hadn't had the chance to see the movie yet, so we took advantage of the discount prices and finally saw it.  Pretty good, and I think it followed the book well.  I read the books years ago, and have a somewhat vague memory of the story, but I think they did a pretty good job.  Hard to believe that this franchise has been around for over ten years!  It doesn't seem like that long ago.  Time sure does fly!

I have a hard time not getting wrapped up in the events taking place in my own life.  My own little world is so nice and cozy, but when I'm in it, I can't possibly see what plans God has for me that I might be missing!  I'm sure I'm not the only one to fight this, right?  So, despite what excitement, or lack thereof, I might be experiencing, I must try to remember that it's not earthly goals and treasures that I should be focusing on. Philippians 3:12-14 says: "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  That's certainly where my eyes should be!  Where might yours be?