Hah!! I think they got pretty close to the real smell, but your nose may vary 
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Thanks for all the recommendations everyone! I think I am going to try some beeswax candles for now. I also saw a YouTube video of someone making homemade beeswax candles with wood wicks! Maybe I need to do some crafting over Christmas break haha…which will likely end in disaster but I want those crackly candles!
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Did you not find any for purchase? I Googled and these popped up!
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Hmm those look like a good option…but not nearly as satisfying as spending $100 on supplies and hours of time and a giant mess to make them at home! 
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I look forward to hearing how they turn out!!
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I am staying with my in-laws for 5 weeks. They’re slowing down - e.g. unlike previous visits we are responsible for all our dinners, our groceries, getting to the train station to go into town. They are still doing things like mowing their lawn.
How rude is it to do things like clean their fridge shelves and freezer bins of crumbs and sticky bits? Their cupboard fronts? How about if I only do it when nobody else is around?
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I would ask but make it seem like they are doing you a favor. “I have some energy to burn, would you mind if I INSERT TASK?” or “I’d love to feel useful since you’re hosting us, any chance I could INSERT TASK?”
I definitely wouldn’t do it without asking or when they aren’t around. And I think if they are firm in saying no you should respect that. If they say no to a direct request to do something specific you could follow-up with, “well is there anything helpful I could lend a hand on?” because they might have something that matters more to them that they’d like you do, like lifting something, etc. If they say no again I’d leave it.
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This is how we do it in my family. Get an extra toothbrush and go nuts having a relaxing bath for yourself! Sneak attack one cabinet at a time making tea!
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I think this is the way. If caught, you can always say that you spilled something so you just wiped the whole thing down.
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Good one!
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Anyone have thoughts on paving costs? We still need to pave our driveway at some point, but right now I hear asphalt prices are through the roof (because of oil prices). Anyone think paving costs will come back down a bit as oil prices do, or is right now the best we’re gonna get?
It’s not an insignificant question for us; our last quote was for $50,000.
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Whoa. It’s a big driveway, I guess?
We had a cement driveway poured maybe 4 years ago and it was shockingly expensive, like $12k. And driveways are boring, so it was extra annoying.
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Yeah, about a quarter mile and steep. But that’s part of why it has to be done before we get too old for maintenance. Plus we will someday want an ambulance or a caregiver to be able to get here.
Driveways are boring. But necessary.
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My father is looking for white socks with REALLY THICK soles. He shops mostly on Amazon, so if they were there, he probably would have found them. Has anyone encountered such a thing elsewhere on the interwebz? This is a Christmas present so it’s okay if they are unusually expensive socks. He has unusually small feet for a dude if that’s relevant (like an eight and a half I think).
He says if I can find them, he’ll name his next kid after me 
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I really like feetures brand!
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Is he looking for really thick soles for the cushioning, or so he doesn’t wear through them too quickly? No ideas if it’s the former, but if it’s the latter I’ve been (very slowly) transitioning over to Darn Tough socks for the lifetime guarantee, and for someone who typically wears holes within 1-2 years of regular wear, I’ve got a couple mid- and lightweight pairs going on 3 and 4 years in fairly good shape (and one sent back with a hole after 3 years where they sent me a gift card for an equivalent pair). Not sure what’s on Amazon, but at least on their website they do have some plain-colored options.
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LOL, probably the former. He mostly sits perched on a stool in his “tool room” smoking and binging Yellowstone… he doesn’t cover a lot of territory!
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I second @Allhat the feetures brand has a cushioned sock that is very thick and comfy. Some of my favs! They are very durable too, in my experience
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Check out Smartwool, also try searching for socks for diabetics.
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Also, spouse has some old Gold toe socks are are very soft and have thick cushy soles.
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