Texas Weather, an Inspiration for Crafts

Everyone seems to think Texas doesn't get cold.  They think it doesn't get snow.  Texas is supposed to be warm all winter and brutally hot all summer.  This is what I keep seeing pop up all over Facebook as friends talk about the weather here.  It seems their friends from out of town think this kind of weather is shocking and impossible.

Late Monday night into Tuesday morning we got a brutal ice storm.  You could hear the ice bouncing off the windows at rapid speeds.  The wind was whipping and howling.  It had all started as a nice winter rain, but the weather change caused all the moisture to freeze.  By Tuesday morning it was a soft flurry of snow.  The sun came out in the afternoon, melting some of what had frozen, but it was still rather cold.  I heard plenty of jokes about cold being mid-30s where I'm living.  If only they'd known.  We were down to 15 degrees by 10pm with a strong, brutal wind.  Yes, it gets cold in Texas.

All over the city they're having "rolling black outs".  This isn't really something I'm used to back home.  New England does have black outs in the winter due to storms, sure, but not like this.  The lights go out, come back, go out again.  We've been lucky enough to only have it that first night, but it makes me wonder.  Places are closed down all around the city.  Kids are getting sent home from school.  There's even at least one Walmart that's closed.  I'm wondering if I'm even going to have work tonight.

It's days like these that I'm glad we have so many candles around the house!  It would be easier if we had one of those 100 count tea light packages.  That would be enough to last us a good long while.  I know they make emergency candles as well, but I've never tried them.  At least we know that we'll have light if the power goes out.  Unfortunately, heat in Texas is all electric, so if the power is out for long we'll be bundling up to our eyes!

Days like these make me think how wonderful it would be if we started making our own candles.  There are plenty of candle making kits on the market.  We used to make our own candles when I was a kid with juice box with the top cut off, some candle wick tied to a stick, a big block of candle wax, and some crayons for color.  We would pour in a layer with the wick dangling in the center, then wait for it to cool.  Once it was pretty solid, the next layer would go on.  We'd repeat for as many layers as we chose to use.  It was so easy to do!  We made dip candles too.  We would have to wait in the back of the line for the color we wanted to dip our candles in, shaping and molding them between dips as they cooled.  That was one of my favorite projects in Girl Scouts.  Unfortunately, I heard the candle shed burned down.

I would love to make some candles with my own kids.  Now there are all sorts of products on the market.  Instead of having to use crayons there are tons of wax dyes on the market.  Instead of having to use juice boxes, there are a large variety of candle molds.  There's options for making soy candles, beeswax candles, and so much more. You can buy additives for scented candles as well!  There are pour pots designed specifically for candle making too!

Candle making is a traditional craft that's been a part of our culture for ages!  Kids especially love doing it.  There are plenty of adults out there that love doing it too!  They make great gifts, if you're so inclined to be a candle gift giver, but they're also very practical for days like today!  Just to be prepared, I think we might just have to make some for next year...