SAND IN MY SHORTS
by Lucretia Voigt
This past week was beach weather at its finest. Up to this point, we have had a "Chamber of Commerce" summer, and there's no reason to believe that this trend won't continue.

Kids love going to the beach, and as a mother it's an easy activity. This year we invested in a pop-up cabana, which has been a lifesaver with the baby. I purchased mine off island, but you can order them off the Internet at www.shadeusa.com. I don't know how we lived without it last year!

Another must-have is a soft-sided cooler bag. We always lugged our hard-sided cooler to the beach, but this year, we began to use the soft-sided cooler we purchased. It keeps the food cold enough and doesn't require lots of ice. In addition, it's much easier to carry since you can hike it up onto your shoulder along with everything else you are carrying.

Beach time is what summer is all about. With every great thing, however, there has to be a downside. With days at the beach, the downside is sand. No matter how careful you are to wipe down your children, even undressing them outside by the outdoor shower, you are still going to get some sand in your house. It's quite possibly one of those great mysteries, along with Roswell, Area 51 and socks lost in the dryer.

I believe in taking negatives and making them positive. It's how I get through life with a 23-month old. How do you make too much sand a positive? You make sand candles.

Now, you won't be able to make these with just the sand you sweep up from your floor. You will have to consciously bring home some sand. I know that may go against everything you hold dear, but bear with me here. This craft makes great Christmas presents, so think of it as planning ahead. Martha Stewart would be proud.

The materials you need are: about one gallon of sand (a good size beach bucket full will suffice), water, wax (you can use old candles or buy blocks of paraffin at the grocery store), shells and wick material (this is a good way to recycle old candles your child has broken or you can buy cotton wicking at Marine Home Center).

This is an outdoor activity, unless you really enjoy sweeping up excess amounts of sand. If you do, please give me a call and come over anytime. I'll even treat you to scones and coffee after you finish.

Put the sand in a square metal cake pan. The disposable aluminum ones you can buy at the grocery store work well, and since they are disposable you don't have to worry about ruining something you use at least once a year at Thanksgiving. You want the sand to be at least six inches thick. The depth of the sand will determine the depth of the candle.

Pour water over the sand to make it wet. You don't want the sand to be soupy. Make a hole in the wet sand as big as you want your candle to be.

Now comes the creative part! Have your child place shells around the sides. These will make up the outside of the candle. Take the smallest shell you can find, tie it to the wick and put it in the center bottom.

Melt the wax in a tin can. This is a parent only activity! Tin coffee cans work well, as well as soup cans. Make sure you don't put too much wax in the can, though, because you don't want it to overflow. The easiest way to melt the wax is by placing the tin in a saucepan filled about one-fourth of the way with water. That way the water will boil without the wax boiling, and the tin can won't be as hot. You do need to use caution when handling the tin can, however, and should only do so with oven mitts.

Next, pour the wax into the sand mold while holding the wick up enough to keep it straight. Hold the wick there for about a minute or until the wax has hardened enough for the wick to stand on its own and not fall over.

Let the candle cool in the sand. When the wax is hard and cold, dig a trench about an inch away from the candle and to the bottom of the pan. Gently pull the candle out. This is a very tricky part. The longer you can let the candle cool, the better.

Place the candle on a decorative place or in a see-through bowl. Make a few at a time, and you can make a wonderful centerpiece for a special dinner. Your children will delight in lighting the candle they created and decorated.

In addition, sand candles make great Christmas presents. Just make sure to use a see-through bowl as a decorative base. These candles are a great way to share part of our beautiful island with those who are not fortunate enough to be here in

December. I