Is there such a thing as fall cleaning? Getting ready for a new school year typically motivates me to clean and organize like crazy, and this year more so than ever. My big problem is that while I am working in one area of the house, small children are destroying another area unless I keep them parked in front of a computer watching shows, which I’d rather not do all the time. So they end up in my bed with dirty feet and a stinky puppy (I’m washing bedding multiple times per week), outside working on treehouses and ending up needing stitches (Silas), or in the basement finding the toys that I hid because I was tired of cleaning them up. I keep telling myself that it’s okay because as long as I see this through, I will end up on top of things with a cleaner house than before. (I’m not sure I believe myself.) I got Jonny started on cleaning out his workshop and it’s up to him now to finish that project, the biggest of them all. When we moved here from our other house, he moved fifteen years of junk from his previous shop without going through any of it. So now we are doing what should have done years ago. Since moving here more has been acquired, including two square grand pianos that I guess he and Seth thought they would somehow refurbish. Thankfully, we found someone else who wants to refurbish them both and they will be leaving soon along with a trailer full of broken chairs that will never be fixed and other long forgotten projects. I’m working on the basement storage room (again. I’ve got to ban the kids from that area and enforce it) and cleaning out all the cabinets and shelves where I store homeschooling books and other kid related activities. Last night I cleaned my room, and my bedside desk is tidy again. Tomorrow I’ve got to return to the basement. I hate it down there but must persevere!
In addition to organizing and decluttering we downsized by two goats a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been thinking for awhile that we needed to rehome Robin Hood and Ivanhoe. If you’ve been reading here for a long time, you know that we bottle raised both of them and have had them for years, so it wasn’t an easy decision to make. We took them to live on the property of a friend of ours who has been considering goats for years to help with brush clearing. Not wanting them riding in the back of our open trailer, I convinced Jonny that it would be fine if they rode in the back of our big van. It was mostly fine until Robin decided he wanted to come up front. Not the same as having a dog decide it wants to ride in your lap! Thankfully, I was able to intervene before he made it!
I was sad to say goodbye, but they are doing great there and I have no regrets. My friend sends me periodic updates and they aren’t too far down the road if I want to say hello.
I mentioned that we harvested some honey, and wanted to show you what I did with the beeswax. First we had the bees clean all the honey off so none was wasted. That took a couple of days.
The wax looked pretty chewed up when they were finished with it.
My first step after the bees finish is to process and filter the wax and pour it into molds. That way I can easily store it or remelt it down to make things. This wax was new this year and so light in color!
This is beeswax from a couple of years ago. It was older wax when I processed it so it had a deeper color. I love all the shades of beeswax from pale almost green yellow to deep orange. The darker shades are my favorite and I love the way that dark wax smells.
I borrowed molds from a friend so I could make some candles with our wax. She gave me tips and even supplied me with candle wicking. It was the most satisfying project!
What starts out looking like loads of beeswax melts down to not as much as you might think. But, I have a little stash of wax for making more candles someday, and I was able to give some candles as gifts. I have a nice little stash for us as well. I love the beeswax just as much as I do the honey!
p.s. This sweater is blocked now but still waiting for buttons.
p.p.s. We still have all three girl goats and Tilly is still a brat. I did make a batch of soap with Greta’s milk and some of our beeswax and honey. It turned out great and I’ll have it in the shop in a few weeks.
Emily says
Can I ask how many hives you have, Ginny? We’re about to begin with bees. Thanks 🙂
Ginny says
Hi Emily! Right now we have three. Good luck with your bees!
Emily says
Thanks Ginny!
Tisha Friesen says
How does one know when all of the honey is cleaned off? How do you then “process and filter” the wax? We are going to be extracting honey soon.
Thanks!!
Katherine says
I’m trying to remember how old your youngest child is….3? I am heavily pregnant with baby number 10. My other children are 14,13,11,9,8,6,4,2,1 and I wonder if I will ever be able to do things like you. All of my children have been born via c section so I think I am just weary from years of not being able to do much.
Lara says
Katherine , I can understand your feelings exactly !! I just had my 6th baby in May … unfortunately,
All my babies are breech and must be born via c section. There is so much healing involved , that I don’t feel like I have the energy , to take on anything else other then caring for baby , the other kids and keeping up with feeding , cleaning and homeschooling . I know it’s just a season in life and it’s totally worth it to grow our family… as my Momma used to say , “ this too shall pass “ ❤️
S says
The candles are gorgeous! Well done on making great progress on organizing. My default position is inertia and after 20+ years and 3 kids it has reached a tipping point. I need to summon your perseverance and tackle things one pile, corner, and closet at a time!! Thanks for the inspiration.(now to ignore the calling to curl up and read!) The positive is my kids are pretty grown, youngest in middle school, so I don’t have to battle the destruction on the daily anymore but it is definitely time to deal clutter in a major way. Not sure how others stay so on top of it – not my skill set at all!
Connie says
I loved A Year to Clear by Stephanie Bennett Vogt. She has other books out now as well. She has a gentle approach and a perspective on the clearance of inter clutter as well. How we are de-stressed when we declutter. I just started an online course of hers on Daily OM for a refresher…. for my soul.
S says
Definitely checking it out!
Erin says
I love seasonal cleaning, and when I get to toss things it’s even better 🙂
elizabeth says
I recently moved after having lived in my old house for 10 years. I thought I had been quite good at tossing things… but golly, I still gave and threw away so much stuff!! It felt like a detox though, it was really therapeutic!
Here in the new house, I still have a surprising amount of boxes just sitting untouched in the garage, so maybe… I should have been even more strict about giving things away. I guess people who move houses often must be minimalists!
And I know so well that kids and cleaning stuff out don’t go well together… there have been days where my kids were glued to a screen all day and I told them: “mama is too busy moving now.” Ah well, it was a short phase and we survived ;).
Leanne says
Loved this post!! You inspired me to clean up my house. It’s a wreck. Everywhere I look….so instead of tackling the piles, I sit and knit! That doesn’t help with the house!
Love the beeswax candles you made. They’re beautiful.
Paige Kemper says
Wow sooo beautiful love all your post. We have bees too and I have been wanting to use the wax. How do you store it till you have enough to use.
Marilyn says
Autumn is the best time to clean the house.
Marilyn
Marion says
You sure are busy. At least you can visit Robin Hood and Ivanhoe. They are cute.
Marion
Joan says
Ginny I agree with you on cleaning. I decide to clean one thing and then something else needs attention.
Joan
Rachel says
I do more end of summer/fall back to school cleaning and organizing than any other time of year. I hate starting a school year a mess. I love your beeswax candles and all the varied colors!
Connie says
Can you please post the link that you shared previously for your friends shop that sells beeswax sheets?
I bought some from her previously and loved them but now I can’t find it??♀️
Ginny says
I order beeswax sheets for making rolled candles from Sunflower Candles. I don’t know the owner personally, but I’ve been ordering from her shop for years! https://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowerCandles?ref=l2-shopheader-name
Connie says
Thanks Ginny!!
Emily DeArdo says
I just bought beeswax tapers at the farmers’ market last week and now I have to find candlesticks for them! Since I moved in March I did a lot of cleaning/purging before that, but I’m still fine tuning, in a sense, and getting things where I want them to be in the new place…..slow progress is still progress! 🙂
Eileen says
Good Morning Ginny, love reading your post this morning.WOW, you are a busy lady. I wish I had cleaned out my house periodically, now, we are still in the process of moving, packing, cleaning, 30 years of STUFF! We closed on new house yesterday, starting moving my sewing/knitting/etc., over, 6 truck loads! I need to purge some fabric,yarn,fibers.Can’t move the furniture till end of month, new house being painted and mover availability. It’s all a HUGE job. Feels good to work hard and clean out stuff,(if I don’t think about how much I dislike moving.)
Good luck on you’r cleaning before school starts up. The boys are getting so grown up! So cute too, someone doesn’t have front teeth?
Take care of yourself, happy end of summer.
Kate says
We make beeswax candles. Since we don’t have bees, I buy big blocks of wax wholesale. I have an eight-candle taper mold (which took awhile to get the hang of threading it with wick) and a six-candle votive mold. I try to make candles early in the year and bring them to church to be blessed on the Feast of the Presentation (Feb. 2). Some years, I’ve made a largish candle and decorated it for our own Easter candle. I didn’t have time to make candles this year, so my 16yo volunteered to try it. He did a great job and found he enjoys candle making. We have the same wax melting setup as you – black enamel pot and metal pitcher. I save all my used beeswax candle stubs and when I have enough, I melt and strain it to reuse.
I’m starting an home organizing, furniture moving blitz this week in preparation for the new school year. It’s going to be hell in the house during the chaos, but it will be good in the end.
Ginny says
Hi Kate!
Did you buy your molds from somewhere that you can share links? I borrowed molds and am still trying to decide on what I would purchase. I’d love to see what you use!
Good luck with the house overhaul. I am running out of steam… 🙁
Nicole Spring Frontierdreams says
I second what Lisa said. If you ever are able to get enough beeswax I would love to buy candles from you! Especially those super cute pine cone ones!
lisa says
If you list some beeswax (in any form!) in your etsy shop you have a customer here (hint hint 🙂 ).
If not, do you have a recommended source? Amazon is overhwhelming…..
Ginny says
I wish we had enough to sell! Maybe someday? When I want beeswax to use for making lip balms or creams, I typically do just order the little pastilles from Amazon because they are so easy to measure and melt. Otherwise I would go to Etsy and do a search and look for something from a beekeeper. 🙂
Susie says
I always enjoy your posts so much – thanks for writing!
Rachel says
Hi Ginny, I struggle so much to get clean wax. Can you post a step by step process please? Yours looks so lovely. I love the pale colour this year.
Thanks
Ginny says
Hi, Rachel! I do something like this: https://www.diynatural.com/how-to-render-beeswax/
Things I would add to that tutorial: Sometimes I tie up the wax inside a cloth bag made from something that I don’t care about (maybe an old t-shirt tied up and turned into a bag) and then when you boil the wax in a pot of water, the wax comes through the t-shirt, but all the grime stays inside. Once my wax cools from this first rendering, I break it into pieces and melt it down (double boiler method) in a metal candle pot that has a pouring spout. I place a piece of an old t shirt over the top and hold it in place with a rubber band and then pour the wax through the shirt into my molds. Then I have my clean wax to work with. It’s a long process, isn’t it?