Harvest is currently going on around us. We live in Central Illinois where the two main crops are corn and soybeans. It has been very dry not to mention hot, so the combines are kicking up lots of dust and dirt around us. The other night when they were picking soybeans a few fields over, it was like we were living in a fog. Having a clean car is almost impossible during this time. 

My DH's daughter will be getting married in a week at our place. We have worked hard on some of the decorations, including wrapping tin cans with burlap and lace for "vases." I wrapped a wine jug (our church buys communion wine in a large Mogen David jug) with material to make a stand alone vase. 

I melted down some old candles to make new candles for the tables since she has a harvest theme. I doubt if we will light them unless it is a calm day, but they at least look fall like. 

When we were cleaning out the pole barn I found a metal lantern. I don't think it is old. It looks like a reproduction. I've been told we will have straw bales around an arbor for the wedding so I looked up how to convert this lantern into one that can hold an electric candle. Who knew a painted tuna can could do that? I know the bride to be used to laugh at me about saving stuff like cans and paper bags and all that, but not any more. The lantern's wick had something that stuck up to hold it, so I needed a level surface and the tuna can fit the bill.

The bride to be bought plain burlap and then realized the holes were too large to cover anything. I suggested we make table runners out of it by weaving very thin ribbon down the sides and hemming the ends. She liked that idea so I did that.

I mentioned the paper bags...I grew up using them and the few times we get them, I just cannot bear to throw them away. I started a new hobby and I am no way professing to be great at it, but I wanted to try and make bars of soap. I thought, well, what can I put around them and then it dawned on me, why not cut stripes from a bag and label them. So, I had some scissors that make a design when you cut with them and I did that. I'm into homespun, so it works.

Recently I painted a coffee plastic can so I had an additional container to hold seeds. I have been saving seeds from what I've grown to be able to plant them next year. I've been using old prescription bottles and even plastic spice bottles to hold them. I then put them in the coffee containers. I had one originally, now I have two. I like the idea of reusing stuff. 

I had a pair of work jeans that were getting so worn, that they were starting to separate. I saw something about using the canning jar rings and cutting strips of the denim and tying them around the ring to make a flower. I had some rings that were starting to look pretty bad so I figured, why not? I had a piece of burlap to use for the center and I went outside and found some sticks to glue on as stems. 

The other day we went to an orchard to buy some apples. I like to make applesauce besides having the apples to eat. I'm always reading things and discovered you are supposed to be able to make apple cider vinegar with cores and peels, so I have 4 quart jars fermenting with my leftovers. I like the idea of using things and getting as much as I can out of something. I made and canned apple sauce and with the juice made some apple jelly. 

How can it be we are already at the first Monday in September and Labor day weekend is here? One of the local drugstores on their sign said "Summer ghosted me." How appropriate!

It's been a busy week here working on things, picking some vegetables, and just trying to survive in the heat. The back garden has been pulled up other than the pumpkin plants. I planted some seeds for a fall garden, but without rain, I doubt if anything will come up in this heat. 

I so have 4 tomato plants in another garden and they have been producing some, but I think their days are numbered. But I cannot complain. This has been the best garden I've ever put in. Some success as well as some failures, but plans for next year are in mind. I have canned some tomatoes and made some tomato sauce from cherry tomatoes which I put in the freezer. I also made pickles. So, not a bad gardening year. 

Yesterday we drove and hour and 15 minutes for DH to go to the dentist. I had been bugging him about going since he was experiencing pain. Well, there was good news and bad news. The good news is he was treated and is on antibiotics for an infection and it was caught. The bad news is he has major work scheduled and it will cost over $11,000. Ouch. It's a good thing we are savers. So, after he gets over the infection, they will pull teeth and than make a temporary bridge before making a permament one. 

One of my hobbies is making candles. Of course I try to do is frugally. I had an idea to remake candles and asked some of the ladies at church if they had any old candles they would like to part with. One lady was more than generous, she gave me a box of candles and most had never been lit. I've been melting them down and making new candles in containers. Another lady said she had these glass jars from yogurt and could I use them. I said that would be great. She gifted me 45 of them. I'm making some to sell at the bazaar for a fundraiser for the ladies guild. So, other than the wicks, some extra soy wax and safety stickers, all I basically have in them is my work. I've read that mixing soy wax with paraffin often helps with the burning of the candles. I'm not going to put very much on them, because it will basically be pure profit for the ladies' guild. Plus, a lot of these customers are looking for frugal finds. I've crocheted some key chains and made some scrubbies for the table as well. 

Like other parts of the country it has been very hot here. It has limited any work outside because I don't handle the heat very well. 

DH and I sat down and ran through our list of subscriptions to things. I have a few more days of one subscription taht I'm trying to get as much out of before the cancellation goes into effect. DH is doing the same for one of his. Others we just stopped. One was the paper. What a joke it has become. The deadline is like 3 p.m. It is printed two hours away from the town and then trucked back. So, most of the news is two or three days old. They discontinued the Sunday and Monday editions. One of my friends works at the paper and they are down to three full time reporters so the coverage is sparse since they are run ragged. Anyway, the ongoing joke is if you threaten to cancel they will give you a better price. We went to online because it was cheaper a few years ago. DH has negotiated over and over everytime it comes up. Now one doesn't even speak to a person; it is probably AI. The new negotiated price he was quoted when he said unsubcribe was a dollar more than what he was paying. He had to go through three screens to finally unsubscribe. But success...finally! We are saving a bit of money, but we didn't have that many subscriptions to begin with. DH did subscribe to Peacock for a couple of months for a special rate because I had been watching Downton Abbey and hadn't finished the series. But as soon as I was finished, he made sure it would not renew. 

Other than that, just working around here, which I guess is appropraite for Labor Day. Any big holiday plans for you?