The candles (on the mantle)? One of my favorite purchases eva!

Here’s the deal. We were visiting our very dear friends in Wisconsin last summer, kids in tow. The live in a lovely town, with an unbelievably low crime rate, where kids roam free more often than not. Our boys loved the chance to head out without us! One day, after they returned from their adventures, we sat down to a lovely dinner. (‘We’ meaning the grown-ups. I think we fed the kids pizza in some other room.) Around 11 or so we decided to get the kids into sleeping bags and beds, and as we turned the lights out I noticed that my friend’s candle was still burning. I was worried about it burning through the night & asked her if she’d like me to blow it out.

“Sure,” she smiled, “go ahead.”

And when I bent over the wick, I saw this:

Although that may appear to be a flame, it is, in fact, a tiny little light bulb. With a timer! I’m tellin’ ya. Did I grow up in a corn field? I’d never heard of such innovation. Of course, I wanted one for myself.

Being a bit more frugal than my dear friend, I didn’t purchase right away. And the frugality gods smiled upon me and sent the lovely candles to Costco, who put them on their shelves so I could buy them and all would be right with my fall decor.

And with that little purchase, a dreary, cold, rainy morning became a lovely, warm, cozy day.

(If you simply must have these candles, too, and can’t find them at Costco, check Restoration Hardware (currently on sale) or Amazon.)