Zone 4a and this will be my fifth year doing this. I start around new years, typically with hardy perennials in my zone, shurbs/trees and seeds that i don't really care about (e.g. old seeds). I typically wait until late February to start putting out a lot of my annuals, and I leave the following til the end of march or early april: zinnias sunflowers ornamental millet abutilon dolichos lablab morning glories 4 o'clocks cosmos and pretty much anyhting tropical in origin Most of these will sprout if sown earlier, but their foliage is sufficiently tender that I lose them in the cold nights we have earlier in the winter/spring. If I wait til then, they typically don't pop til mid april or later and i typically don't have to worry about the seedlings freezing then.

I've heard and broken all the rules....I'm just chiming in to give you your smile for the day! When YDS was about 5 or 6, all of the family gathered for T'giving dinner. DS had helped me with the tabledecorations and had made a couple of pine cone turkeys to display. We had a couple of candleholders that matched our "decor", so I stuck a candle in them and DS was sooooo excited to get to eat by candlelight. My Dad(who was most interested in the FOOD) sat down and immediately yowled because he "couldn't SEE what he was eating....turn ON the LIGHTS" DS was crestfallen, so I had to take Daddy in hand and convince him that it was really all right to eat by candlelight on T'giving!! He mumbled, but the kidlets all enjoyed the ambiance!!!!

I make pillar candles, and you have to use a thicker wick for pillar candles. You should keep the wick trimmed short while burning, and if there is any black smoke then trim it shorter. That way the flame will stay in control too, so you won't have to worry so much about fires. Any candle can easily start a fire, so obviously should never ever be left unattended. Also, when you're talking about pillar molds, the bottom is the top right? Just want to make sure we're talking about the same end. It worked out easier for me when I used to not know better and thought the top was the top, because the bottom was always level! Anyway, try nail clippers to trim the wick at the bottom, digging a little below the surface. Good way to save money and recycle wax. I buy plan wax though so I can add my own scents and other additives a lot though. I find the scents are most expensive. Too bad this forum seems so inactive, we have recently moved into a much bigger house and soon plan to set up a candle making space in the basement so I won't have to do it in the kitchen any more. I have taken long periods of time away from candlemaking simply because of the mess it makes in my kitchen! They're fantastic for Christmas and other gifts though, and I use them all over the house to decorate. There are some good sites online, including the one below, which has a chatroom that seems active enough in the evenings with die hard candle makers that are more than willing to answer any questions you have. I go there often when I have problems or just want new ideas. good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: great candle site with chatroom

I only need to get the pictures uploaded to snapfish... it's possible the bowl of the boy's is going to be not grouted...we don't know yet, cuz court is in an hour and a half..it'd be a fine bowl, as is..... I need to leave in a few minutes, to the juvenile court house...if his mom gets custody, they will be leaving for Oregon this afternoon. this girl/lady is the same age as my oldest daughter..eleven days apart and is the daughter of a friend of mine, that I've known for 40 years... my friend lives in Corpus Cristie and advised her to call me, when she was at the CPS office, here in town and needed a safe place, right then...man, expedited background checks and a visit from the case worker and CPS case worker, here at the house and my place was approved, right there on the spot... ( I swear, they must have had blinders on...lol cuz my place is filled to the rafters with art supplies and not a lot of space to do any square dancing, in my front room!!) that was last Monday..and here we are, 11 days later and the future is unknown for them but it's a new beginning, either way... Zach went through trama and I watched a transformation, while he worked on his glass piece.. here, on this forum, we all talk about how doing mosaics is a healing process.. Zach got a broken finger, when he blocked a blow to the head, when his dad was beating him up... the dad had also taken everything important to Zach, including little clay pieces he had made, from first grade on...the kind made in the classroom, with clay, glaze and firings...all of his favorite games, his laptop (I think I mentioned he's 14 and is a very sensitive boy)and made Zach ride with him to the landfill...then threw all of his belongings in the dump and said he would have to work to pay for the trip to throw it all away... it was a cruel and needless assault on Zach, both physically and emotionally.... This week's journey helped him take something broken, both from himself and other things and make something beautiful from it.... he first walked in the house with a rather empty look in his eyes.. this morning he's full of hope... I only wish and pray the judge sees the same thing.... I have his bowl and some of my projects, in a display case right now, with an overhead light and it's so pretty... it's a 6 hour drive to where she lives and we've already been talking about her coming up to visit friends and an aunt, or me driving there for a couple days..but not in winter...I would take grout with me...lol the lexel is in a tube just like the GE11 and is 5 oz...it was under $5...I think it was like $4.85 or so.... it's a lot cheaper if it can be found in a 12 pack but then again, I'm not going to do that...lol it's gone a very long way, with just the 5 oz... the number on the tube is 13013, evidently to be sure which one it is, between clear or white or something... at least that's what I noticed, ....it's on the bar code and this one says 31525 13013 super elastic sealant it also says it sticks to wet surfaces...guess that would be in an emergency, to maybe fix an aquarium...?? I'd better be going now, to get to the court house...