This week the Barneys are on a dream trip with the whole Barney clan to Hawaii to celebrate Lawrence and Earlene's anniversary so we are helping out in the afternoons with the kids.  They are all good kids so it's no work, but I pray that there are no accidents on our watch!

After the kids are off to school we come home and do our own things.  I do laundry and prepare for ESL and Dad is currently working on getting us a mantel made!!  I'm so amazed and grateful for the talents of this man!  First he bolted a board to the bricks.

Then he constructed a neat little box and attached the supports we bought at Home Depot. Now today he is attaching a pretty molding.

When that's all together and the glue is dry we will paint and antique it and hang it on the board over the fireplace.  Then we will have a pretty mantel to put our Christmas stuff on and from which to hang the stockings when it's time.  :o)

He also got the fireplace gas fixed so it doesn't leak.  No fun having a fireplace if you can't use it.

While we were out getting the wood and so on for the mantel we also looked for a bougainvillea plant to put in our planter.  We got a healthy looking one and hope it will be happy there.  We still need to dig out the base dirt and put in all the stuff it wants for good drainage and nourishment, but this is eventually where it will live.   I really look forward to having it there and the reflecting ball beside it.  It has just the right colors to look great together with the plant.  I sit at the dining table where I can look out the glass door at them and feel happy.  :o)

It's supposed to like lots of drainage and lots of sun.  We can arrange the drainage, we think, but we will hope for enough sun.  Don't know yet if it will get what it needs.  If not, we can put it somewhere else and get another plant for here.

Lara also mentioned a fire pit which we thought was an excellent idea!  We went and looked at them at Home Depot and decided that this one would be suitable for us unless anyone else knows a better one.  We'll have it on the deck for cool evenings and for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and making s'mores.

The weather is tempering somewhat now and it's more pleasant to be out in it.  I guess it will get cooler and wetter yet, but that's all good too.