Broken Record

 I know I am starting to sound like a broken record but it is HOT! I know it is summer and it is supposed to be hot but I mean really HOT!

A friend sent me this yesterday morning as I was fully invested in getting something done outside or bust! Lol It should have stopped me in my tracks but all it really did was to send me into the pool with all of my clothes on and then to refill my huge cup of my "munchable" ice. I actually spent the whole day outside and got so many things off of my list that I was pretty proud of myself. The old fence pile is dwindling and I actually cut up the rest of the 2x4s with my miter saw so I can fit more into the trash. I'm thinking maybe just another week or so and it will be gone! Towanda!!!

Once I was done and had cleaned up all of my messes, I poured myself a glass of wine, grabbed a book and headed out to the pool-this time to rest and enjoy. The flowers are getting big enough in the garden that there were many bees and butterflies to watch and a beautiful little hummingbird also paid a visit and was so close that I think I held my breath for "minutes" so I didn't scare him away.

I really got a lot done-including a bed over by the side door of the sunroom that is so pretty when it is blooming with Gerbera daisies and rain lilies. Lately, moss rose plants have been appearing EVERYWHERE in my yard-even coming up between bricks and stones-and blooming! They are so pretty and must be being spread by the birds? I have been trying diligently not to pull them where they are growing between weeds but it is no easy task. The same with the rain lily bulbs. They pull right out of the ground so easily as the weed roots are coming up. I replanted a boat load of those bulbs yesterday but they pretty much self propagate so I'm sure that bed will be looking good again before long-and, for now, it is weed-less!

So now it is Sunday. I have already moved a hydrangea bush from  a spot where it was not happy to one where it will hopefully prosper. Lol I've done a bit more weeding on the other side of the pool but still have lots of trimming and edging to do there so I think I will wait until after lunch-but, I also have LOTS of veggies I want to get ready to roast so we shall see.

On a recent trip to $Tree, I remembered an autumn lantern that I saw that I thought I might try. It used the large gold lantern that I have here. Of course, at this moment I only have one of them but I have two of the others smaller ones with the glass cylinder.

Notice that little red sticker on the styrofoam. Usually that denotes a sale price but not here. That is $Tree covering the original price of $1.25 so you don't get upset when it rings up at $1.75 now. That is still a good price for many things but I'm not sure it is for a styrofoam round. The only problem is that the only other place I can get one would mean a drive and I wasn't ready to spend my Friday fighting traffic all day so this worked fine for me.

The lantern I saw used a wood candle holder-which I don't have and would have to buy. If I was doing this for Halloween-which I actually might do as well-I would use black candle holders which I DO already have and the black lanterns which I also have. But, for autumn I wanted to stay in the autumn tones. I thought I would shelve this project until I found the candle holders when I remembered my Southern Living "lanterns". These bases came with a tall glass cylinder and a pretty top piece. I LOVED those things and used them on the ends of a mantle, a chest, a dresser...all sorts of places and filled them with all sorts of seasonal things or just a pretty candle. Unfortunately, I broke one of the cylinders and try as I might, I could not find a replacement the right size. And so, I went on to use just one or to use just the bases as candle holders. And so, I had my base...and my styrofoam and maybe my lantern(s) so I got to playing. This was my inspiration. I like that it had the roses in the mix as well because I do use the pretty blush colored roses in my autumn decor.

Unfortunately, I don't have all of the fall foliage that I will need to stick into the foam at the base of the lantern so I really can't decide if the lantern with the glass has enough presence or if I will have to wait until I can find another of the larger of the two. I played around with the fall candle rings I bought the other day just to help me try to decide. There will be much more foliage coming out from the foam rounds-unless I skip that and just put the lanterns on the holders??? As you can see, this is clear as mud right now so I will stop. Also, it would help if I knew where I wanted to use them-maybe I just need one.?! This one might not be big enough? Maybe I need two of the larger lanterns? Help!! This is pretty but it really isn't what I am going for.

Sorry. I never got this posted yesterday so here I am again. I'm going to put the lanterns away for a bit and maybe I can come to some sort of conclusion soon. I just got in from a big edging project and some more trimming and my phone is saying "heat advisory starting soon" so I think I am inside for a bit. I have that sunflower napkin and a clear glass plate so that may be my next project...I'll let you know. Stay safe and stay tuned.