Tin Can Candle Holders

I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but I always seem to have 5 or 6 cans of random canned goods that I never have, and never will, use. Currently I have a small stockpile of store bought canned peaches bought by my parents during a visit roughly 3 years ago. I'm not a fan of these. At. All. I've gotten quite spoiled by an aunt of mine that cans her own peaches and bestows upon me a few heavenly jars at a time. But, that's another story. The point is I keep forgetting to donate these canned goods to food drives (I feel like a terrible person) and they're just taking up my, fairly limited, kitchen cupboard space.

And then, out of nowhere, I was reminded of a project that I did during 2nd grade. Our teacher had us all bring in cans. We opened one end, washed out the cans, filled them with water and stuck them in the freezer. Once the water was frozen in the can we all marked designs on our cans. Anything we wanted with tiny dots of permanent marker. Then we were each presented with a hammer, a few nails, and an older student to help us. We then hammered the nail in a bit into each dot on the can. The ice prevented the can from denting in, and the nail and hammer created a pattern of holes all over the can. After we were done we let the ice melt out of the cans, dried out the insides and set small tea light candles inside. When lit the candlelight shines out of the holes producing a pretty pattern of light on the surrounding walls.

This project was a perfect way for me to use these canned peaches! It was fun and made me feel like a kid again. Plus it's literally a FREE diy project, that you're basically guaranteed to have supplies for! Unfortunately, I only had screws, no nails. But, It still worked just fine other than leaving a few blisters on my fingers!

**Update: I didn't think too far ahead by putting the holes all the way to the bottom of the can. You should leave the bottom bit unpunched, or else the melted wax will ooze out the bottom holes! Learn from my mistakes!

Mexico

I totally do!

This past March I had the enormous privledge of going back to an orphanage in Mexico for the second time. I went a few years ago for a spring break and I most certainly plan on going back for a third and a forth time! The orphanage is located in a small town called Ejido Uruapan. I learned that "Ejido" is actually a word in front of the town name that basically means that the town is owned by the government. Learn something new everyday, eh? The orphanage is fairly close to Ensenada, which is a popular destination for cruise ships. The cruise ships take day trips out to La Bufadora, which is a great place to get souvenirs if you want good deals. Ensenada tends to be a massive rip-off, often charging three times the amount for the exact same items that they sell at La Bufadora.


The two places we went when we weren't at the orphanage!

The orphanage is different from what you normally think of when hearing the word "Orphanage". Many of the children have parents that simply cannot afford to take care of them. But unlike in a traditional orphanage most of these kids actually go stay with their families on the weekends.

On the trampoline with some of the kids (And they all fall down!)

I don't speak much Spanish (I'm in my second year of the Spanish in college), but I went with my friend Tiffany who speaks Spanish fluently and actually lived at the orphanage for 6 months a few years ago. So I definitely have an in when I go down there! I know all of the best taco stands/ bakeries/ souvenir stands (We have our picture on the wall of Big Burro, the best taco stand EVER) in Ensenada! Oh and did I forget to mention the hot springs right by the orphanage itself, in Uruapan! Bliss!

My major is Social Work, so going back down there was the most positive experience I can imagine. When I come back up to the States after being down in Mexico I'm always hit with an overwhelming appreciation for all those things that I take for granted. It also gives me such compassion for illegal immigrants. Things are not always as black and white as they seem, and I think being reminded of that is a necessary thing in my life! (Oh and if you think there's a ton of pictures on this blog entry then you shoulda seen how many I WANTED to add!)

Augustine (used to be called Frijolito, then Frijol, and now that he's all grown up he wants to be called by his actual name! CUTE!)


Making pizza with the kids! No easy feat when trying to bake multiple
personal pizzas for over 20 kids with only one oven!

The view from the orphanage!


Eating fresh churros and buying souvenirs from the car while waiting
in the endless line at the border!


At the beach in Ensenada!