END OF SUMMER FIREPLACE MANTEL

I'm happy to be back in a new frame of mind, happy again and just letting the good times roll. After I wrote my pity party post the other day, I got to work organizing and cleaning my house. The Husband came home and asked if the cleaning ladies were here that day {I have 2 girls come twice a month}. I guess I did a thorough job, especially in his Man Cave Corner...think laptop, Nook, notepad, coffee cups, cigars and ashtray, and basket of Fantasy Baseball magazines. I did everything but the laundry, but as some of you said...it'll still be here tomorrow. Thanks so much for your support and if you took the opportunity to vent as well, I hope you feel good now.

My camera is still MIA. I hope I find it at the lakehouse tomorrow. If not, maybe it's time for an upgrade. ;-D. I was able to get some good shots with my cellphone and I thought I'd share the recent rearrangement of my summer mantel. Given that I am a total summer girl, I haven't hauled out the fall stuff. Not just yet.
I took away some beach pictures I had up here and added some mercury glass votive holders to give a little sparkle. It's definitely candle time with all those juicy berry and apple pie smelling candles out now. And the flickering light looks so pretty early in the evening now that it gets dark so much sooner.
I've had these dried hydrangeas for months and they have faded from pale green to pink. Since I don't grow hydrangeas myself, I ordered them dried from a farm through eBay. It's pretty cool, you can get lavender, peonies, whatever you'd like. In a few more weeks I will add some fall decorations. I've been getting so many ideas from blogs and magazines. My biggest love has been burlap pumpkins that I have seen in Etsy shops, and lighted branches, which I hear Kirkland's has on sale.
My reading frenzy continues. I finished Maine. It had an ending that wrapped things up pretty well, but still left you hanging a bit. I liked that, sort of made me think. This is the author's second book and since I liked it so well, I ordered her first book, Commencement, from Amazon. In the meantime, I picked up this book at Target and I am really loving it. It's a beach read but really well written and it moves along fast. This weather just makes me want to curl up at night and read, sort of the way it motivates some to bake. At least I don't get the calories, although this story is set in a bistro and the food is outstanding.

After reading Maine, I suggested to The Husband that we check out the upper east coast on our springtime vacation. He countered with Quebec City. I think I need to brush up on my French.

The temps are in the mid 50's today. I am wearing my heaviest sweatshirt since it seems just crazy to turn on the heat when I had the A/C on earlier in the week. After my shower this morning I put cocoa butter oil on and it sucked right in. My skin is the first sign that colder weather is on the way.

Tonight we are going to look at stone for the counter tops. We received our first quote on the kitchen reno and it left us speechless to say the least. We have another estimate scheduled for Monday. I really dislike this whole process, it frustrates me and I don't like that. Hopefully all the decisions will be made in the next week or two.

Thanks for stopping by and I will see you next week! :-)