MYOB

I don't know when I started saying it, but I find myself saying it several times a week to my daughter. As a coworker of mine used to say in her East L.A. accent, "She's getting in the mix and she doesn't even know the flavor."

Mind Your Own Business.

It's probably not the nicest thing to say, but sometimes we all need a reminder to keep our nose out of other people's business. Especially our little brother's business. My daughter knows exactly what I mean when I say MYOB.

I try to follow my own advice and mind my own business, but sometimes other people's business is just so dang entertaining. For example, my fellow Freecycler's business; you can learn a lot about a person by what they offer and request on Freecycle. I've thought many times about unsubscribing, but then I read a really interesting Freecycle email, such as this one:

Wanted/ Teddies - Lingerie size 1X

Does anyone have even one teddy that they don't wear anymore? I gave mine all away when I swore off men though they were size L. Now I am engaged again and..., I have no preference what color, lace would be wonderful something that hooks up the back, looks a bit like an old fashioned corsette with straps to hold up stockings. Thank you very much!

That's some interesting business! It's practically a short story. And frankly, she made her business my business by asking if I had any unused lingerie, though it's really none of her business if I wear teddies anymore. My business time is my business, but I am dying to know if anyone responded to her request. I'm sure there's more to this story.

But MYOB is not just about business. It can also stand for Melt Your Own Beeswax, which is what we've been doing lately.

Hand dipped beeswax candles. They're a little bumpy (OK, almost obscene), but they sure were fun to make.



Beeswax acorns with real acorn caps. You might know by now that I adore acorns, and these beeswax versions are completely adorable. I used a real acorn to make a mold out of Play-Do, poured melted beeswax into the mold, and removed the acorn when the wax was dry. Pop the acorn cap on and it's done.

I've got a row of beeswax acorns waiting for caps, and I'm going to attach a string through the caps to make little gift tags. I'll cut an oak leaf from felted wool, and if I'm really motivated, I'll stitch the gift recipient's name on the tag. Or maybe just write it with a Sharpie.

If you want to MYOB too and need some beeswax, pop over to Natural Earth Farm. Tonya carries the cutest little blocks of beeswax, and I'm sure she'd love you to mind her business.

I actually stopped to write this post while I was in the middle of reading my friend Patricia's most recently published essay. Stopping part way through an essay says a lot about my attention span, but even more about Patricia. Reading her writing makes me want to write. Her essay is entitled "Be Your Own Best Teacher", but it was originally titled "Homeschooling My MFA".

MFA does not mean what you think it means, or should I say it doesn't mean what I thought it meant, but you'll just have to go read her essay to find out for yourself. Writing is definitely Patricia's business, and I'm glad she doesn't mind sharing it.

Now barring any further distractions, my MFA is off to finish reading the essay before I drag it out to find some more acorn caps.