DIY: Romantic Valentine’s Gift

DIY 1 Minute

I saw this DIY tutorial for a birch log candle holder and I fell in love!  It does take a little bit of skill with a drill (my husband will handle that part), but it really is a clever, romantic Valentine’s gift.

Items you‘ll need:

Birch pillar from the craft store OR a piece of birch log you cut yourself

Tealight candle

Colored pencil – light brown

Pencil

Knife

Drill

Drill bit – 1 3/8″ spade bit or slightly larger

Start by marking out the size of your candle and drilling a hole in the top of your birch pillar. Trace the bottom of the tealight in the center of the birch log, then place the bit down in the middle of it.

With this kind of bit, you might need to rock the drill back and forth a little while drilling to get a good hole.

Sketch the design you want on the front of your birch pillar.  It doesn’t need to be perfect. You want it to look like it was carved spontaneously into the side of a tree.

Carve your design with an old, dirty pocket knife. You know, to make it as authentic as possible. But really, if you have some kind of special carving knife, that would probably be even better.

I wanted the design to “pop” a little bit more from far away, so I shaded it in with a light brown (hazel) colored pencil. Not 100% necessary, but I think it made it look better.

Put a tealight candle in the top of your birch candle holder and you’re done!

SOURCE: DIYCANDY.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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89 thoughts on “DIY: Romantic Valentine’s Gift”

    1. Good morning, Pat! 34 here this morning and foggy – possible snow showers today but they’ll melt on the way down! Mid-to-high 50’s predicted for tomorrow. IMO, this winter is one for the history books! Wheezer hasn’t eaten anything overnight – his dish is still full.

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  4. EXCERPT: “…..In New York City specifically, however, Mamdani enjoyed a 68% approval rating and a 20% unfavorable rating. The NYC suburbs, however, awarded him a 35% approval rating and a 47% unfavorable rating. Conducted Jan. 26-28, the survey questioned 802 registered voters in New York state and has a margin of error of +/- 4.3%.

    His own supporters plead for help: “Being homeless shouldn’t be a death sentence”

    Members of Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America, including existing city lawmakers, have highlighted the situation and taken to social media to urge concrete action from the mayor.

    “[Mayor Mamdani] we need your help in finding temporary placement for residents who have been impacted by Sunday’s snowstorm caused blackout,” posted city councilmember Chi Ossé.

    Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, moreover, fumed over the death toll, openly breaking with Mamdani over his refusal to relocate the homeless population ahead of severe weather. “Being homeless shouldn’t be a death sentence,” he said, adding that “[y]ou can’t let the people stay out there. These are people in crisis.”

    His opposition blames Mandani’s lack of planning and experience

    The death toll, moreover, hit 16 by Monday, Mamdani announced. Thirteen of those deaths came from hypothermia while a further three were the result of overdoses. Mamdani’s political opposition directly attributed those deaths to a change in policy the mayor implemented to end the relocation of homeless people off the streets ahead of severe weather.

    “New York City has just experienced what it means to have a Democrat-Communist mayor,” posted former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani. “The policy of NYC before, during, and after I was Mayor was to remove homeless people from the streets when it approached freezing. The incumbent mayor has changed that policy. During the recent storm, at least ten people were found dead on the streets. Isn’t this tantamount to—at minimum—reckless disregard for human life? Will there be any accountability?”

    Republican city councilwoman Vickie Paladino, for her part, could not feign surprise at the response.

    “Did anyone think he had any plan for any of this?” she asked, referring to Mamdani. “He’s a 33-year-old rich kid with zero work experience and even less life experience. He has no idea how anything works. He was a member of the assembly for a few years and barely even showed up. The people he surrounds himself with are just like him. He got elected on vibes by transplants. What did you honestly think was going to happen?”

    Famous residents: “The streets are a disaster”

    “Yes, there’s always snow in NYC. It’s never been perfect. We get it,” posted comedian Michael Rapaport, an NYC local. “But you Zoron the Moron campaigned on ‘change’ and ‘new ideas.’ Eight days after the storm we still got dog shit, piss piles, and dirty snowbergs on every corner. So what exactly is new?”

    “Will & Grace” actress Debra Messing, for her part, appeared to take a dig at Mamdani on Saturday, referencing the failure of the city to properly plow the streets…..”

    https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/wedmamdani-mystique-melts-while-nyc-freezes-over

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  5. Hmmm….seems to me this woman should have had a live-in caretaker if she couldn’t walk 50 yards on her own! They said on Fox this morning that blood droplets were found outside the door and on the walkway.

    Just The News: “The Pima County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona confirmed Tuesday that it is aware of reports of ransom notes related to the disappearance of “TODAY” show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother, and said it is investigating all leads.

    The update occurred shortly after TMZ reported that it received an unverified ransom note related to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance and possible kidnapping, which demanded a “substantial amount” of Bitcoin cryptocurrency for her return.

    Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen Saturday night in her home outside Tucson, according to a missing persons flyer, NBC News reported. Her family reported her missing around noon Sunday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Monday. “We are aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie,” officials wrote in a statement. “We are taking all tips and leads very seriously. Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI.”

    Nanos said during a press briefing Monday that aspects of the scene at the home caused “grave concern,” and that authorities believe Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home instead of wandering out because she could not walk more than 50 yards on her own due to mobility issues. 

    The sheriff said Tuesday that investigators have completed their investigation of Nancy Guthrie’s house and did not find any footprints or tire tracks around the house or property. He also noted that investigators have sent in “all kinds of” DNA samples and have “gotten some back, but nothing to indicate any suspects.”

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  6. Just The News: “President Donald Trump’s approval rating remains steady, despite an avalanche of negative press targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a recent poll has revealed.

    In the latest McLaughlin survey, Trump approval stood at 50%, while 47% disapproved of his performance. His approval remained constant from the survey’s December iteration.

    Driving that steadiness, however, is a near-zero change in support from his base. Republicans approve of Trump by an 88% to 11% margin, while his 2024 voters do so by an 89% to 9% margin.

    Deportations, specifically, remain a popular policy, with 87% supporting the deportation of known criminals while 10% opposed such a move. A further 62% supported deporting all illegal aliens, regardless of their criminal history, compared to 32% who opposed such a move.

    Conducted Jan. 21-27, the survey questioned 1,000 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.”

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  7. Just The News: “Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was hospitalized out of an “abundance of caution,” Monday night, after experiencing “flu-like symptoms” over the weekend, his office said Tuesday. 

    The Kentucky senator’s office did not provide details on the hospitalization but assured the public that the Republican’s prognosis “is positive.” The hospitalization comes as the 83-year-old is set to leave office next January.

    “In abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night,” spokesman David Popp said in a statement to NBC News. “He is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving. He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.” 

    The hospitalization is just the latest health issue for the senator in recent years, who also became the longest-serving Senate leader in American history. The former leader has fallen multiple times in recent years, including in 2024 when he sustained a concussion.”

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  8. To anyone who claims this isn’t gerrymandered I say: KISS MY ASS!!! Clear as day!

    EXCERPT: “Dozens of lawmakers split with their respective parties Tuesday in order to pass a funding package that reopens the federal government and funds the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks. 

    A total of 42 House lawmakers broke with their parties, with 21 Republicans voting against the spending package and 21 Democrats voting in favor. The funding package, which passed the Senate last week, passed in a 217-214 split….”

    Lists: https://justthenews.com/government/congress/here-are-lawmakers-who-broke-their-parties-order-reopen-government

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          1. One of the places HB and I lived was on a horse farm in VA owned by a single guy who worked in MD and was gone a lot. We had the entire basement, where the wood stove was located – had to use the kitchen upstairs, tho – and I got discounted rent for keeping the stove going. It was always toasty warm!

            But sometimes I got it too hot. One day (thankfully, when Ray was home), I was stoking the fire and glanced at the ceiling where the chimney pipe entered the 2nd floor…..the top couple of inches of the pipe were glowing red, it was so hot! I immediately yelled for Ray and pulled as much wood as I could out of the stove onto the cement floor. He got a hose, went up on the roof, and ran cold water over the pipe! Learned a lesson on that one! LOL

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      1. I’m good with a light layer of snow, thank you! Brrrrr!!!! It has dropped to 32 now, which is warm compared to you! Wheezer showed up, ate some dry food and was sleeping on the chair when I checked. So I took out some tuna – he jumped down and rubbed against my hand as I was spooning some tuna into his dish. That’s a first! He scarfed the tuna and is back on the chair sleeping.

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  16. “Accountability Is the Price of Liberty”

    Michael T. Flynn LTG USA (RET), Feb 04, 2026

    “The failure to hold to account those who, in the judgment of millions of Americans, conspired to subvert a duly elected magistrate is no trifling dispute of party or passion; it is a trial of the Republic itself.

    When the instruments of intelligence are perverted from their lawful purpose, when false narratives are contrived to deceive the public mind, and when the powers of the state are abused without consequence, such acts do not perish with the moment. They stand as precedent. They teach future officeholders that ambition may supplant law, and that power, rather than truth, may govern outcomes. From such precedents flow corruption, faction, and the slow dissolution of the rule of law upon which free government rests.

    It is for this reason that I have held, without wavering, that the year 2026 must be a Year of Accountability—not in the spirit of vengeance, but of restoration. A nation cannot long endure when transgressions committed in high office pass unanswered, while the law bears only upon those below. Equal justice under the law is not an ornament of liberty; it is its very foundation.

    For many years, I have warned that abuses of power, when left unresolved, erode the confidence of the people and render national strength a mere appearance without substance. Public records now laid bare, contemporaneous memoranda, sworn testimony, and the disclosures of conscientious witnesses have raised grave and unavoidable questions regarding deliberate manipulation within the highest councils of government. The principle at stake admits no exception and no compromise. No citizen, however exalted, stands above the law.

    The present moment admits no ambiguity. If accountability is postponed, weakened, or denied, the consequences will not remain theoretical. Confidence in elections, in lawful governance, and in the impartial administration of justice will further decay. Distrust will harden into resentment, and the nation may find itself drawn into contests of faction where disputes are settled not by law, but by force and intrigue.

    Accountability, pursued lawfully and with full transparency, is the only honorable and safe course.

    The American people, numbering in the tens of millions, do not seek retaliation. They seek the restoration of constitutional order. They ask only that the system prove itself capable of self-correction. Whether through indictments, trials, or the full disclosure of truth to the public, the measure is plain and enduring. Does justice apply equally, even when it is inconvenient to the powerful?

    I shall remain steadfast in the pursuit of truth, for history instructs us that republics rarely perish in a single hour. They decay when citizens are urged to forget, to acquiesce, and to accept that certain men are beyond reach.

    Such a doctrine is false, dangerous, and unworthy of a free people. It is a lie Americans should neither accept nor ever will.”

    Upcoming Events

    Election Integrity Reception, Washington, D.C.

    Thursday, February 19, 2026, 5:30 pm Election Integrity Public Reception

    “Speakers from the election integrity summit, along with their guests and the media, are invited to drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Leaders from the Election Integrity Roundtable will present results.”

    https://donorbox.org/events/903549/steps/choose_tickets

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    1. Just imagine how much of this could be stopped going forward if they just wipe out the Soros swamp alone??? Probably 75% or more of this fraud is funded by some arm of their worldwide apparatus!

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  19. “Texas Dad Sues California Abortion Pill Supplier For Death Of His Unborn Babies — The Texas legislature designed the law to combat abortion drug traffickers who illegally mail mifepristone to pro-life states.”

    By: Jordan Boyd, February 03, 2026

    sonogram

    EXCERPT: “A Texas father is suing a California doctor for alleging aiding and abetting the murder of two of his unborn babies by illegally mailing mifepristone to the estranged husband of the man’s girlfriend.

    Jerry Rodriguez is the first Texan to take advantage of the Lone Star State’s new law, which permits residents to sue out-of-state mifepristone prescribers, manufacturers, and distributors, such as pharmacies, for “an amount of not less than $100,000” for each violation of the Texas’ ban on abortion drugs.

    The Texas legislature designed the law, which passed in September and went into effect in December, to combat the influx of Democrat states shielding abortion drug traffickers who use radically expanded mail-order mifepristone allowances to illegally ship abortion pills to people in pro-life states.

    Enforcement of the statute is modeled after Texas’ successful 2021 heartbeat bill, which virtually eliminated abortion in the state by allowing anyone outside of the government to bring a civil action against anyone who performs or aids and abets ending a life in the womb.

    In his suit, Rodriguez alleged California Dr. Remy Coeytaux illicitly mailed the mifepristone that ended his unborn babies’ lives on two separate occasions.

    “Coeytaux directly committed murder under section 19.02(b)(1) because he ‘intentionally and knowingly caused the death’ of Mr. Rodriguez’s unborn child by delivering abortion pills that he knew would be used in an illegal self-managed abortion,” the complaint states…..”

    https://thefederalist.com/2026/02/03/texas-dad-sues-california-abortion-pill-supplier-for-death-of-his-unborn-babies/

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    1. that’s just it. how many people could stop someone else’s pregnancy without the woman actually knowing? it’s not right. thru the mail is bullshit. if and i don’t think there’s ever a reason, a woman wants to terminate her pregnancy–she should HAVE to go see a doctor and be administered the pill there and then under a doctor’s care.

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    1. Good Afternoon Vero!
      I thought so! and easily done. I want to look at some birch trees we have on the property–I was thinking if the wood was a soft wood–I might be able to chip out the area for the votive holder. (instead of asking hubby to do it) It might look more rustic, but that’s okay.

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  22. Richard Ahnert – The Other Side, 2025 – Oil on canvas – Wow! Looks like a photograph to me!!!

    Stairs in Scotland

    SheDoo

    At first glance I thought that lake was snow

    One Huge Engine. Imagine how much that weighs.

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  24. X Freeze
    @XFreeze
    Tim Walz explicitly rigged the system and architected election fraud

    First, he signed a bill giving driver’s licenses to every illegal immigrant in the state, erasing the line between citizens and non-citizens

    Then, his own administration admitted the truth in a committee hearing: that EXACT same driver’s license can be used to “clear a challenge” at the polling station and allow someone to vote

    He systematically dismantled the barrier between illegal entry and the voting booth

    He created the loophole on purpose

    It is a calculated exploitation of the law to dilute the vote of actual citizens

    Caught on tape and undeniable

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  25. EXCERPT: “….This ad is from months ago, but is just going viral now. Good thing there’s no crime in Philadelphia, so all the police and sheriff’s deputies have time to pursue other interests and hobbies?Oh, wait…

    In the last five years, there’s been an average of one murder every 22 hours in the city.

    To be fair, Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal is NOT affiliated with the Philadelphia Police Department. The sheriff is an elected position and the sheriff’s department is ONLY responsible for court security and judicial enforcement, not policing the streets.

    In fact, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel recently distanced his department from Bilal after she hosted a press conference pledging to impede federal immigration officers.

    But still, I’m starting to understand the “defund the police” crowd a little bit. If this is what the police are presenting themselves as, I don’t see any point paying taxes for it…..”

    https://notthebee.com/article/this-is-a-real-philly-sheriffs-recruitment-ad

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  27. why are we letting these “students” IN?????

    FTA

    Chinese students and scientists who are members of the Chinese Communist Party, attended schools tied to the Chinese military or worked with companies connected to Beijing’s theft of U.S. technology have “infiltrated” several top American universities, according to a watchdog group report that raises fresh concerns about America’s vulnerabilities to its most fierce adversary.

    A conservative non-profit oversight group, the American Accountability Foundation, reported that it found nearly two dozen Chinese academics working at elite U.S. schools and labs “who because of the dual-use threat of their research, close ties to the military research sector in China, and/or clear ties to the Chinese Communist Party should be expelled from the United States or never be re-admitted.”

    The research document— titled “Chinese Scientist Infiltration Threat Assessments ” — says that Chinese students working at some of America’s top colleges, often receiving U.S. federal funding (some of it from the Pentagon) to conduct research into advanced technologies have troubling backgrounds which could pose a risk to U.S. national security.Many Chinese scientists at U.S. institutions have CCP connections

    The concerns raised by AAF’s new report include the fact that some of the Chinese scientists ensconced inside American academia and at cutting-edge U.S. labs appear to be members of the CCP and are affiliated with the CCP’s projects aimed at stealing U.S. technological know-how or military secrets, and worked with or for companies which serve the Chinese defense industry.

    Some of these Chinese academics have clear links to problematic Chinese firms like Huawei or to China’s notorious Thousand Talents program, of which the FBI said “American businesses, universities, and laboratories should understand the potential risks and illegal conduct incentivized by Chinese talent plans and take steps to safeguard their trade secrets and intellectual property.” At least one of the Chinese scientists appeared to have been employed by the Chinese government while in the U.S.

    The schools employing the Chinese scientists named in the AAF report include Harvard University, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell University, Brown University, Purdue University, the University of Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, the University of Florida, the University of Michigan, University of Florida, Penn State University, the Stevens Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, Indiana University, and the University of Southern California, as well as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

    The research areas focused on by these Chinese students — many of whom are receiving U.S. government funding for the lab research they are doing in the U.S. — include unmanned aerial drones, robotics, exoskeletons, artificial intelligence, large language models, viral research into highly-infectious pathogens, advanced materials research, next-gen semiconductors, advanced laser welding, quantum sensing, nuclear materials research, thermal-resilient electronics, electrical grid technologies, pharmaceuticals, applied mathematics, condensed matter physics, and other key areas which could have dual-use military applications.

    https://justthenews.com/government/security/chinese-students-ccp-membership-military-links-theft-concerns-infiltrate-us

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  36. Just The News: “The U.S. House of Representatives will vote next week on a new bill that would require all states to check both citizenship and photo identification before allowing voters to cast ballots, combining two widely popular election integrity provisions and ramping up pressure on a Senate that has been unwilling to consider either mandate.

    House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, confirmed in an interview Wednesday evening with Just the News that the vote will be held next week for the Save America Act, which combines the two requirements that have passed the House individually but not received a vote in the GOP-controlled Senate.

    Roy is the chief sponsor of the legislation in the House, joined by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, in the Senate.

    “I’m announcing that we are bringing Chip’s bill, the SAVE America Act, to the House floor next week,” Scalise said in an interview on the John Solomon Reports podcast. “So it’s on the floor, and everybody’s got to pick a side: do you want to make sure that only American citizens vote in elections and that you have to show an ID to vote? 

    “You can’t get into a bar, you can’t get on an airplane without an ID and if we want to make sure the franchise of America’s democracy is in place, let’s do this as well,” Scalise added.

    Roy credited Trump for coming up with the new name for the bill and said he expects the president to pressure senators and Democrats in swing states to vote for it.

    “Look, everybody wants this,” Roy said. “People say, and Democrats are going to say, ‘Oh, it’s racist.’ ‘This is Jim Crow.’ That’s nonsense. You look at the polling. CNN had polling that 80% of people, regardless of skin color, believe that we should have voter ID.

    “You got to have real ID to get on a plane. You got to have ID to go to baseball games. You can certainly have an identification to go vote in elections to defend the sovereignty of our country,” he added.

    Roy called on Senate Leader John Thune to change the filibuster rules in that chamber — making Democrats stand and talk until they tire to keep a filibuster blockade going — to give Republicans a chance to eventually get the legislation passed over Democrat opposition before the 2026 election.

    “I just hope, once we move it through the House next week, that leader soon will force a talking filibuster to get us to have a real fight over in the Senate. But right now, our first job is to get it through the House,” he said.

    The House passed Roy’s SAVE Act in April, which would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act to ensure states require documentation of a person’s U.S. citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections. However, the legislation did not require voters to present photo identification.

    Although non-citizens are already prohibited from voting in federal, state, and most local elections, municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont, and Washington, D.C., allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.”

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