Karen, I just happened to be trapsing through.. In my opinion the best soy wax is produced by Enchanted Lites. But I also know what it costs to ship wax. So I also recommend finding a reputable supplier as close to you as possible and working with the soy they offer. Soy wax burns better with fragrance oil added. And cotton wicks are great. I prefer HTP wicks, which are a cotton braided coreless wick, that bends towards the melt pool. Greatcandle.com candlecocoon.com Both these companies have very knowledgeable ladies running the show. They were chandlers first, then became suppliers. Unfortunately, they are both in the Midwest..I think Angie(greatcandle) has kits..that might be the best way for you to get started. 86 oz, that's over 5lbs of wax...WOW! And I'm guessing atleast 3-4 wicks?? If I did something that big, not including the crock or the cost of it, Yep it would cost about $40 for the wax, wicks and fragrance, based on my mark up rate. So $46 is not off base...But certainly it would cost about about 16-18 to make. So yes you are definately saving alot of money making your own..However, I will caution you that repeatedly refilling candle jars and crocks and burning in them will weaken the containers over time. So the more times you do it the more closely you need to watch those containers when they are lit.

I ditto trying not to get overwhelmed and just toss stuff out randomly. Try to identify those things, or categories, or activities, that are no longer "you" and those will be the easiest starting points. Or, pull out all the items in a certain category and, if you're like a lot of collectors, some will represent the "early" you and some will be your more advanced tastes, or better quality, or something. So some combination of approaches like that can help you get started. Also, it's not unusual to weed out a few things at one level and then weeks or months later have the focus and confidence to go further. Give yourself time to make those discernments. Another good approach for some people is to take everything out of the shelf, or cabenet, and then put half (or less) back. In the meantime, you don't actually ahve to toss out what you've deleted, but maybe put it in a box. Then look at it later and see if you think you really still need those things. If the changes you're making include bringing fewer items into the house, you'll find that if you are patient and persistent, you'll make real progress and yet not feel like you might be throwing away something you really love. I actually started a thing-out, thing-in journal "list" so that I could see if I was sabotaging myself by acquiring new things as fast as I got rid of other things. It is helpful in keeping me honest about where my problems lie. I also find some of my most satisfying de-cluttering comes at the end of an "era" or phase of project, or life--such as, as kids grow and you finally realize that certain items are now too juvenile, or when I have the guts to admit that I'm not going to actually DO a certain project or that if I ever do, I can always get the things I need then, or maybe a cooking phase that now is too complicated, or clothing styles, or whatever. And you have to be able to realize that you may have just made some shopping mistakes, and keeping the things now out of guilt won't help you or anyone else. Forgive and move on!

Too long!!! It seemed as though things came out of the woodwork. I would start packing ASAP. There is always the chance that the schedule will have to be modified and kitchen demo could come sooner than expected. About 2 weeks prior to having to demo the kitchen I went through and packed up what I didn't think I would need (food and all other kitchen items). MY DH thought I was packing too early. There is no such thing as packing too early. This allowed me to use and live with that I thought I would need and adjust what I packed if I had to. I probably didn't pack enough, but with 2 young kids I didn't want to be stuck without. I did pack all dishes and glasses and we are using plastic and paper. I am washing the plastic and recycling as much as I can. I didn't want to use "real" dishes and glasses b/c my temporary kitchen is in the basement and nothing will survive if it is dropped on the cement floor. I also have young children and wanted to eliminate as much breakage as possible. Don't forget under the sink (in my kitchen it was a black hole). I can't believe how much was back there. And most of that will have to be packed away (kept on-site in a plastic container), unless you are lucky enough to have a dishwasher in your temporary kitchen. I suggest you go to your temporary kitchen location and set up as much as possible before hand. In my case, I have placed food items in the playroom and my sink, range (the construction crew ran a dedicated electrical line so I could move the range to the basement) and fridge is in the unfinished part of the basement/laundry room. I have a large, deep 2-basin utility tub. I purchased 4 plastic tubs (using two as bases for the remaining two where I wash in one and place cleaned dishes in the other). I also have a drying rack with telescopic ends that also fits over the rinsing part of the utility sink for dishes to dry. I had my DH place a drafting table across from the sink to use as a work surface. He will be setting up another for me today. You will also need somewhere to store all your things. Since I have young children, it is a bit more of a challenge b/c they see the wooden spoon, colander, and the like as things to play with (I found a whisk in my bed). The items we are not using have been packed in moving boxes and we rented two storage containers and put them in there. They delivered the storage containers to the house, we packed them and they were removed to a climate-controlled facility. We also had to empty our master bedroom and bathroom, dining room,TV room and breakfast room. We couldn't put it in the basement, since the construction crew needs access to the basement to run pipes for the new kitchen and bath, and to deal with the furnace and the HVAC issues. We used these containers when we put our last house on the market to de-personalize the house and it worked great. What didn't I anticipate??? We are renovating above the unfinished basement/laundry room and we get dust and pieces of who-knows-what coming down through the exposed sub-flooring above. I have moved my work/prep area as far from where renovations are taking place above. I also keep everything covered. Also bear in mind how many things you plug into which outlets. Between the construction needs upstairs and the electrical needs in my temporary kitchen I have had circuit breakers trip. If you can, try to figure out which electrical socket is on which circuit breaker and don't overload it with too many appliances. Our basement is much cooler than the rest of the house so my DH went to Sears to purchase a ceramic heater (this led to the first circuit breaker tripping). Now I only have one freezer (I used to have an old fridge, but it was sent to the dump to make room for the fridge brought down form the kitchen) and this has had more of an impact than I would have thought. Though it is a rather nippy 30 degrees outside so I guess I could just put some things outside...... Other Issues: Do you have internet service and where is your router? We use wireless, however my router used to be connected to a wall that no longer exists. I had to have it relocated so I could continue to have internet service during renovation (the thought of being cut-off from GW was too much to bear...there also was that little issue of being able to pay bills). If it is located near where renovation is occurring, during construction the electrical to that router could have to be turned off and you will lose internet service. Make sure your fridge is not on the same circuit breaker as any of the kitchen electrical sockets. If they need to turn off the electrical you will end up with ice cream soup. I don't know what type of fridge you have but you might want to check on the electrical requirements just to be safe. Will you have adequate lighting in your temporary kitchen? I am sure there is more. All I can say is that so far this experience will make me appreciate my new kitchen even more. I am beginning to fantasize about the first meal I will cook in my new kitchen.... Good luck!

For what it’s worth, there’s a University Extension program that explains “a few .. tests are useful for back-yard composters [that] helps composters understand the many criteria involved in assessing ((( compost maturity ))) from pH to microbial activity to temperature.” I understand that what we are discussing in this article is different. However, understanding the properties of gel-pack contents and their impacts on plants can probably be tested in a similar manner. We many not be able to *directly* find out the properties of the gels, but we can *directly* observe the impacts that its (hidden) properties have on plant growth and germination. If you’re interested follow this link: http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasota/natural-resources/waste-reduction/composting/what-is-composting/when-is-compost-ready/compost-maturity-test/ or type something like this into google: Compost Maturity Tests plant growth and germination Incase the article ‘disappears’ (dreaded 404 code!!) I’ll do my best to give a rundown of the type of procedure that can be used: PLANT GERMINATION TEST Performing the Test Put 1/4 cup of ((( the test agent eg: gel )) in the paper cup Add the 1/2-cup of clean water (( perhaps consider using bottled water )) Mix After two hours, filter the mix through cheese cloth and collect the liquid (called filtrate) Prepare six glasses by putting a piece of tissue or paper towel at the bottom of the glass and adding five seeds to each glass (( consider using radish seeds if you can easily get them as they germinate quickly )) Place about 20 drops of clean water on the paper in each of three glasses (this will be your control, to see if there is a problem with your seeds or your testing agent), seal the glasses with aluminum foil and tape, and then label the dishes "control"; Place about 20 drops of testing agent filtrate on the paper in each of the other three glasses, seal the glasses with aluminum foil and tape, and then label the dishes “gel filtrate“ and Keep the glasses in a dark place at room temperature (around 80 degrees F, or 27 degrees C), and then observe and record germination after 24, 48, and 72 hours using. PLANT GROWTH TEST This test helps to see if the test agent provides nutrients to plants or, potentially, robs nutrients from plants or even ‘poisons’ them. To complete this test, you will need the containers and seedlings started in the ‘plant germination’ test. Note: these seedlings will be y days old. Performing the Test . Trim samples to leave just three seedlings per container . pot seedlings up in a straight gel mix or a potting medium + gel mix … ensure all mix amounts are measured to ensure each mix is the same . Irrigate regularly to keep containers moist (( using a spray bottle allows a roughly controlled amount .. eg 3 full sprays each ))) . You may fertilize once, if you want, but fertilize no more than half each of the compost and control containers, taking care to add the same amount of fertilizer to each container (( perhaps add liquid fertiliser to watering spray bottle)); . After 21 days, harvest the crop from each container, wash the roots to remove gel / gel + potting medium mix, weigh the sample, and record the data from each container separately; . Calculate the average weight per plant for the fertilized versus the unfertilized plants in each media type; and . Arrange/rearrange your containers to set up a new random pattern of control and compost containers, and repeat this step every seven days. Hopes this is of use to someone out there! Best of luck, and remember: SHARING (your results if you do these tests) is CARING!! ; )