Flying Trees and Mantelscapes at Heart and Home

Welcome back. I hope you all had a great weekend. We experienced quite a dramatic change here this weekend, and a subtle one too.  For both I'm linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. Thanks, Susan for hosting.

First, the dramatic:  We had an interesting time, watching as our old oak tree got turned into logs and then flew over our house by gigantic crane! It was sad, but also a bit of a relief when most of the big pieces were moved from out back, and there was no additional damage to our home or property. I could envision tree limbs falling and hitting the roof...thankfully that wasn't the case and all went as planned. The crane operator really knew what he was doing, and it was exciting for the neighborhood, that's for sure. Everyone wanted to see what was going on, and to check out the equipment! I'm glad that part of the saga (read all about it here) is behind us now, and we can move on with plans for a new, improved back yard!

First the guys had to cut the tree into manageable lengths.

Then the crane lifted each piece up and over our house,

and set them down in the side yard. Tomorrow they'll be back to chip and split wood, and remove the rest of the debris, which includes my beloved, squashed flat gazebo. I've decided to save one nice, big oak log and have it milled into boards to make a new mantel for the family room. (Thanks, Denise Marie, for the great idea!) But there is nothing salvageable from the gazebo, and I'm researching replacements. Does anyone have any recommendations?

And now, on to the the subtle change:  Last week I refreshed the living room for spring. I redid the mantel as well, and thought I'd share that with you too. 

Here's the room, freshened up for spring: (you can see more, here)

and here's the mantel's new, simple spring look:

I left plenty of room for the Easter decor,  I'll add that to the mantle and the room tomorrow. That snuck up on me! It's hard to believe that Easter is just next weekend!

My favorite candle sticks, all twisty and beaded, came from Pottery Barn about 12 years ago.

These orbs are what I'd call purely decorative, non-functional thingamabobs! But I like them.

And I love the glass cloche, especially with these big shells inside it.

This weekend I also managed to accomplish a couple of fun projects that I'll be sharing with you in a few days. I'm so glad to have them done, and scratched off my list.  I hope you'll want to come back and have a look! Thanks for visiting, remember to leave a comment. Remember, Wednesday is Gratitude day. I hope you'll join us! MckLinky will be up by 6:00 PM on Tuesday. See you soon!

Until next time,

XO

Heidi

I'm also linking to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land. Thanks, Kimba!