Saying Goodbye To Summer

Hello friends!  Are you enjoying the last days of summer?  Maybe I should say "official last days of summer."  Chances are, it could be hot in parts of North Carolina into October.  Nevertheless, summer is waning, and fall is just around the corner.      

        

   

Time to swap out the seashells and rabbits for something more autumnal.          

    

         

I love the paperweight on the front of this table.  When my in-laws downsized last year, my mother-in-law asked us to come over and pick out some things we'd like to have.  My husband picked out three paperweights from her collection, some of which belonged to his maternal grandmother.  I'm so glad he picked this one because I love purple violets.  Hal's parents got this particular one in Caithness, Scotland, when they toured the glass factory where these were being made.  On the bottom of the paperweight is inscribed, Caithness, Scotland, "Flower in the Rain."  The dots certainly look like rain, don't they?                

    

   

I found a bunch of these little seashells at the beach back in the summer.  I've always called them angel wings because that's what they look like to me.  When I Googled these, I found they are actually Coquina shells.  I was excited to find these because I had not seen any in a while.    

Such pretty little shells...     

It's also time to put some fall things on the den bookshelves.  Giving the house a freshen-up and changing little things out makes me enjoy the seasons even more.  One of the bloggers that I read recently wrote about finding (or making) a home that can be a peaceful place -- an oasis in the storms of life.  Oh, how I agree with that sentiment.  You don't have to own a fine mansion full of costly furniture and artwork (not that those things aren't nice) to have an oasis.  Cozy really speaks to me when looking at people's homes, and I try to achieve that in our home.  In these crazy, disturbing times we live in now, I really want my home to feel comforting.      

Seasonal throw pillows will also get switched out.     One thing that I love about fall is the changing light.  The quality of sunlight becomes different this time of the year; it has a softer, more golden quality.  Today while sitting at the kitchen table eating my lunch, I looked up to see this shadow on the dining room wall.   

  I thought this was so pretty.  It's the plantation blinds in the window, and the etched-looking pattern is actually the pattern of my lace curtains.  I'm not sure why little things like this can bring me so much pleasure, but I'm thankful that it's so.  What are some of the small things about autumn that bring you pleasure?      Thank you so much for visiting here today.  I hope you have a lovely weekend!