The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for pajarigirls!
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 4,500 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 8 years to get that many views.
Check out the whole thing. I showed you mine… 🙂
Usually, our projects are like what we eat: fast, cheap, and easy. This is not one of those. The good news is that it’s way simpler than it sounds.
It’s fast if you have the supplies already and don’t have to gather the pine cones now and wait two days for them to thaw, warm, and open. Just collecting them was an adventure… (See that one here).
It’s cheap if you have wax and a few common kitchen tools that can be dedicated to wax projects.
It’s easier than making candles from scratch.
You will need:
A large pillar candle
Double boiler (or a small pot and a glass 2-cup measuring cup, OR a small pot and a wax pouring pitcher)
Wick from pillar candle or pre-waxed wicks
Cupcake papers
Muffin pan/s (disposable aluminum pans from the Barn would have been smarter than using my real pans.)
Scented wax (optional)
Pine cones
Directions:
While the wax was melting in the double boiler thingy, I set up the papers and wicks.
To use: place under kindling and light the wick.
Notes: I did two kinds; the larger fire starters are made with leftover green wax from an unscented pillar and a few balsam scented wax tarts, the smaller starters are made with the already-scented coconut cake candle.
These are easier than real candles because you won’t need to have the wax at a certain temperature or monitor the stearic acid content. They were made with pillar wax so they will hold their shape longer without needing a holder.
As usual, if you found this useful, or have something to add, share, like, comment or Pin it!
Loveyabye!
Ok, so all my ice-cream buckets are toast. The ice pushed through the bottoms instead of the tops. 😦 And I have yet to master the five gallon bucket or garbage can methods. However, I did have one experiment that turned out great…an ice candle ring.
You will need:
A bundt pan
about three quarts water
3 drops food coloring (optional)
winter or a freezer
votive or tealight candle
long fireplace lighter thingy deal
This is almost too easy. I should check the Thrift Shop for more bundt pans and jell-o molds… Anyway, I just set the pan outside and filled it with water. If you want to add food coloring, rock on. The first ring I made popped right out of the pan, but the second one was tougher, so I asked myself,” What would Lois do??” She said to place the pan in a sink of hot water for a few minutes. It worked like a charm :).
Add a tealight or votive candle, and it’s probably best to light it with a long grill/fireplace/candle lighter. Unless you like burns and frostbite at the same time. (We usually have the candles, food coloring, balloons and lighters at The Barn if you’re local.)
Short video clip of candle flickering here. It was COLD out (-15 F), so it’s a short video. I recommend placing ice candles away from your house, yet visible from a window. It’s very possible they will freeze where they are placed, so make sure it’s not a tripping/shoveling hazard. Safety first, people! Or top five, anyway.
If you think this is a GREAT IDEA, like, comment, pin or share it. Please? If you know a way to make this idea even GREATER, let us know that, too! Loveyabe, Laura
“The Liebster Award is given to up-and-coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The word ” Liebster” comes from the German language and can mean the sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, most beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.”
Thank you Heather, of Ramblings of a Hedge Witch, for the nomination! 🙂 The toughest part was figuring out how many followers each blog had. There were a few that I couldn’t find any stats on, so I hoped and included them anyway.
Cliff’s Notes on how it works: I answer 11 questions, share 11 random facts about myself, nominate 11 bloggers, and write 11 questions for them to answer. (Full rules at the end.)
The questions I was supposed to answer:
1) Why did you start writing a blog?
Mary Conger told me to. Bossy Big Sister seconded. Motion carried.
2) What is your favorite work of fiction?
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King.
3) How would you describe your personal philosophy/spiritual path?
Seeking balance.
4) What has impressed you lately?
The snow llama. (http://pajarigirls.com/2012/12/16/weekly-photo-challenge-delicate/)
5) What has depressed you lately?
The Sandy Hook tragedy.
6) What advice would you give your younger self if you could go back in time ten years?
Can I make a joke about getting a defense lawyer instead of a divorce lawyer?
7) What are your vices?
Smoking, cussing, being late.
8) What would you like to achieve in 2013?
I want to be Employee of the Year at Cook Dollar Barn. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. But will my sister acquiesce?? Nooooo.
9) Describe your personal style.
In public? Jeans, T-shirts, sweatshirts.
10) What is your favorite city?
Philly 🙂
11) Name something that always makes you smile.
Playing ball with Walli; Corgi butts drive me nuts. That is funny stuff.
Questions for my nominees:
1.) Does YOUR sister pick on you, too? Nagging and such?
2.) When was the last time you shoveled poo?
3.) What would be the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?
4.) How YOU doin’? (It’s just not the same without an up-nod and a bad Sopranos accent.)
5.) What do you want to be when you grow up?
6.) If you could live anywhere on earth (and take whomever you wanted along), where would it be?
7.) What do you admire most about yourself?
8.) What would you most like to change about yourself?
9.) What are you waiting for?
10.) Why did you start blogging?
11.) What is the most-watched movie/DVD in your collection?
11 things you might not know about me:
1.) I hate this part.
2.) I know how to harness and drive a team of horses.
3.) I have been a mom since I got pregnant at 16.
4.) I always wanted to be a truck driver/ heavy equipment operator.
5.) I can play 3 instruments, though not well: piano, trumpet, and guitar.
6.) The activity that makes me happiest is gardening.
7.) The first deer I shot was a 12-point buck. Really pissed off the Chicago boys lol.
8.) I have Rheumatoid Arthritis…I spent 18 months in a wheelchair and give myself a shot in the stomach twice a week to keep that from happening again. (There also a million other things I need to do to stay upright, but that is the one that seems to freak people out the most.
9.) We Pajari Girls speak in movie shorthand–if you haven’t seen The Boondock Saints, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Practical Magic, and The Big Lebowski, you will totally miss what the hell we are talking about most of the time.
10.) I had the WORST taste in men. Mr. Wonderful endured a committee of friends and family members, as well as a 3 page application, a note from his doctor, and a background check. It was worth it. (PS I did the same for him, under orders from my bossy sister, aka Head of the Committee. )
11.) I am always out of the running for Parent of the Year by mid-January. (See #3.)
And the nominees are (in no specific order):
Here are the RULES –
You paste the award picture into your blog, Google it or steal mine.
It’s easier than you might think to forget that snow is delicate. We of the northern climes spend months cursing it, shoveling it, salting, plowing, and bragging/worrying about driving through it. Last night, though, I lay in the snow for a moment, trying to improve my attitude about winter. It only took a few seconds, and it was better than I remembered. Today, I appreciated the views from my sister and her husband’s home, The Funny Farm, and captured them to share with you. You’re welcome. 🙂
This is a WordPress Gallery, which is a foofy name for a slideshow. Click on any picture to start the show.
Statistics and Quantitative Analysis are two of the classes that keep me from having a Bachelor’s degree. 
However, the Stats page of my WordPress site is AWESOME. For example, it tells me that the blog has been viewed 3,209 times since I started it in August, 21 so far today and the busiest day had 596 views. I don’t know if that’s good, bad, or average, but it seems purply impressive. I DO know that the Goodbye Mr. Stinky Droolface post contains a slideshow thingy WP calls a Gallery. Every time a picture is viewed, it counts as a view to the blog. 😦 Purple. So there weren’t really 596 people here that day.
Another great feature is that I can see how people found us. Most of the clicks come from Facebook. If you haven’t liked the Barn, Funny Farm, and Pajari Girls on Facebook, you are missing out, because my sister doesn’t know how to comment on the blog. She is funnier than I am. And older. And is the Queen of Poo. (Google and my stats page tell me so.)
Tifany B of Rice River Ramblings, thank you for following! Several unsuspecting victims have found their way here from there. 🙂 I would ask you to post more, but I imagine your hands are beyond full. So maybe you could sleep less. Or manage your time better. Ask Lois how. Chop Chop!! 😀
Mary Conger of Quite Contrary, I still don’t get Twitter. But you were right about blogging. And thanks for making Thailand the number-two country visiting Pajari Girls 🙂
Which brings me to my favorite statistic: The Map. [Does anyone else hear Dora’s Map singing?? “If there’s a place you gotta go, I’m the one you need to know, I’m the map. I’m the map, I’m the map. If there’s a place you gotta get, I can getcha there I bet, I’m the map…flashback to being lost in Philly and Camden with my sister. Welcome to my brain.]
It’s impossible to see all the individual countries when orange=1 view, and it should be 50 shades of purple, but I find it fascinating and cool as hell, nonetheless. Took two screens to see all the countries from which Pajari Girls [PIE-ree Gurlz] has been viewed.
And page two.
Yesterday, I was happy to see FINLAND on our map!! (Tuire, was that you? I thought you were in Greece… )
Thank you WordPress for making it fast, cheap, and easy to join the blogosphere.
And thank you to all the other bloggers on earth. We’re hurrying. Any words of wisdom for me, now that I’ve been at it almost four months and might understand what the hell you are talking about? I need a Translate button, don’t I?
This is northern Minnesota. Bitching Bragging about extreme winterness is in our Nordic DNA. When hell freezes over, Minnesota schools will start 2 hours late. There are four seasons in Minnesota: Early Winter, Winter, Late Winter, and Road Construction. The majority of cars and trucks have block heaters, standard. And on and on…
I used to hate detest abhor dread winter. Winter can be cold, dark, expensive, depressing, and we love to complain about it. However, as part of my ongoing quest for better health, personal growth and general serenity, I have been looking for ways to be more positive. I have come to realize that hating winter does not make it shorter, dreading winter does not prolong its arrival, and preparing for winter internally and externally reduces my stress levels about it. Less stress translates into less physical pain and reduces depression. This may be first-grade stuff to most people, but for me it was a revelation. Winter may never be my favorite season, but I can accept hate it less and find its unique moments of beauty and joy.
You will need:
2 containers of Cool-Whip
2 plastic tumblers
rocks or sand
food coloring
water
tea-light candles
First, eat the Cool-Whip. If you are from North Dakota, mix it with Jell-O and cottage cheese. If you are in Minnesota, combine it with a can of fruit cocktail and Jell-O to make a “salad”. Wash out the Cool-Whip containers, after licking them mostly clean.
I brought everything outside, having had a VLE (Valuable Learning Experience) while making Ice Gems/Marbles . I centered the rock-filled tumblers in the Cool-Whip containers, then filled them with hot water* from a teapot and added a few drops of food coloring. *I was told that the boiling water would make the ice less cloudy and add cool bubbles, but with a project this small, and my overuse of food coloring, it didn’t seem to matter.
Freezing times vary, depending on climate. These small containers freeze faster than their traditional 5-gallon bucket counterparts. And I can lift these without hurting myself. Once frozen, I tapped the whole works gently and popped the tumbler out.
Tah-dah!! Add the tea light candles for another craft that’s fast, cheap, and easy. 🙂 And hopefully, something to make winter feel a little less…blah.
As usual, if you enjoyed this post, let us know. “Like”, share, or comment. Loveyabye.
PS: This is just another glowing example of how I am working ’round the clock to help Cook Dollar Barn. This is Employee of the Year stuff, if you ask me. Vote for me here. Or send my sister a postcard. Better yet, bring us a plate of Christmas Cookies and tell Lois in person that LAURA ROCKS!
Personal Note from The Baby: As the Employee of the Year at Cook Dollar Barn, I feel it is my duty to share not only my successes but also my epic failures. Mistakes are where I learn the most, anyway. And I make plenty of them. You’re welcome. Last night’s mistake Valuable Learning Experience (VLE) came as a result of multitasking. You probably don’t want to follow along. I am unsupervised much of the time, and looking back, I may have confused the ice candle tips with the ice gem tips. Whatever. I lived.
*************
All day at work, creative women were in and out, gathering supplies for winter crafts. I was especially interested in the balloon ice gems and colored ice candle ideas floating around thanks to Pinterest. I did a few of the balloon gems last year, and apparently I’m not the only one who thought I could tweak them a little. This year I wanted to do some ice candles, too.
So I asked questions and tried to remember the answers.
Everything I knew last night BEFORE craft time in the empty nest:
Susie was going to try freezing curly ribbon in her balloon gems to hang them from branches. And glitter! And she also said putting the filled balloons in a bowl will keep them from getting a flat spot on the bottom.
Ericka said ice made with boiling water is clearer with lots of little bubbles while she helped DeeAnn pick out matching cookie trays and bags for a cookie exchange.
And hot water freezes faster than cold water.
Last year, I should have used more food coloring, and stretched the balloons out more before filling.
The only way I filled my balloons with water was out of the tap.
What I learned during and after craft time:
One craft at a time.
Anything you want to add to a balloon ice gem needs to be put in FIRST. Before the water. Glitter, food coloring, a length of ribbon tied to a washer, etc. This led to the next lesson:
Water shoots out of a balloon really fast. Like, water-cannon fast. Even though I have the ninja reflexes of a mom, and squeezed the balloon shut and pointed it away from my face to the bottom of the sink, the water still shot fast enough out of the balloon to ricochet off the sink and all over the rest of me. And the floor. And the kitchen table. Shit. I should have checked the ceiling…
Maybe lukewarm water is the way to go. It doesn’t hurt as much as super-hot tap water.
Also, for your first try, don’t add food coloring, glitter, ribbon, etc. Just practice filling a 12-inch latex balloon with the kitchen sink and tie it closed. Unless you want your kitchen to look like a smurf murder scene. I’m sorry I didn’t take a picture–I was too busy wiping it all up and then making the others so I could change out of wet blue clothes that started to freeze to my body when I brought the gems outside to freeze.
I hope this was helpful. Any hands raised? Please like, share, or comment to help friends Pin safely. Loveyabye.
Don’t get me wrong. Not all the time. Not every day. Well, usually at SOME point every day, I hate them…
Okay, maybe I should clarify that a little. Maybe you fell behind and are raising your hand. By “pants”, I mean jeans or slacks. Pajama pants, yoga pants, leggings and long johns don’t fall under the Pants Category for me, because I wouldn’t wear them in public unless I were on my way to a sleepover or yoga.
Please don’t think I am saying ,”I don’t want YOU to wear pants”. I do. Please please please wear pants! I am not advocating public nudity…that’s just too awkward. Besides, this is northern MN. It could be -40 F any minute. Pants save lives!! Hell, I wear them every time I leave the house from November to at least May.
But they hurt.
Technically, my lower back, knees and hips hurt. Not just the joints; the other connective tissue (i.e.: tendons, muscles, bursae, etc.) hurts too, and pants just seem to make it worse.
Also, I inject myself twice a week in the stomach with a mild chemo-type drug that kills the white cells that are trying to kill me. The injection itself doesn’t hurt much-far less than the arthritis- but sometimes the injection site is itchy. Which adds to the allure of pantlessness. When I first started this medicine years ago, I had the common side-effect of injection site reactions (ISR) which were still no biggie compared to the arthritis but made me feel like this:
But it’s ok. I don’t want this post to be a downer. Because I can (and do) wear pants for several hours a day. Most days, that is. I just feel the need to explain what I mean when I say, “I’m not wearing pants.” Or, “Today is NOT a pants day”. Or Lois says, “Laura isn’t here [at The Barn] today because she isn’t feeling so hot.” And you thought this post was gonna be about sex!! HA!
I remember wishing as a child- and later as an adult- that I had half the crafting ability of our Great Aunt Martha. She made Martha Stewart look like an unimaginative slacker. And I LIKE Martha Stewart. (I also wish Aunt Martha had lived to see Pinterest–she would have LOVED it!)
In my twenties, I went on a wreath-decorating bender. Being flummoxed by the thought of making a fancy, foofy bow I almost gave up. I can’t cut a straight line. I can’t do origami. But that year, I found simple directions for a bow that changed my view of crafting forever. I have long-since lost those original directions (that were ON a roll of ribbon–genius!) but here’s the gist of it:
To make a bow that is approximately 5 & 1/2 inches wide and 5 & 1/2 inches long you will need:
46 inches of wide ribbon (with or without wire)
4 inch-long piece of craft wire or needle and thread (wish I’d thought of that sooner.)
scissors
PART ONE/ The Foofy Part:
First, cut 12, 10, and 8 inch pieces of ribbon. (This part is flexible; if you desire a larger bow, start bigger. Make three lengths that decrease in size by 2 and 4 inches. ie: 18, 16 &14 inches.)
Fold the ends of each piece to meet in the middle.
Part Two: The Constants
Cut a four-inch length of ribbon to use as a cover-up later, and a four-inch piece of craft wire
(OR use needle and thread. That’s what I should have done instead of the wire). It doesn’t matter what size bow you make; the wire and the cover-up are still 4 inches long each. You should have one 12-inch length of ribbon left. That will be the tail later.
Next, bend the wire like so:
Part Three: The Mechanics
Starting with the smallest loop, poke wire through.
Add medium and large loops to the wire. If you’re smart, you can sew all three together at once instead of messing with the %$@! wire.
Remember the other 4-inch piece of ribbon? The cover-up? Use it to hide the wire (or thread) by centering it over the wire on top of the bow and securing it on the back with the wires that are poking out.
Next, you should have a 12-inch section of ribbon remaining. Fold it like so (below) and trim triangles out of each tail.
Almost done! Attach the tail using the wire still sticking out the back of your bow. Twist said wire to secure it all together.
Fluff the bow to desired foofiness. TA-DAH!!
I swear, it took less than 10 minutes to make this bow. Writing this post took a lot longer. The moral of the story is:
Don’t assume only perfectionists can make cool stuff.
Another GREAT IDEA that’s fast, cheap, and easy…brought to you by the Pajari Girls. 🙂
As always, if you found this useful, please “like”, share, comment or Pin It!
Pajari Girl 
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