Decorating Is Fun

Where to start...we've got a retro 50's "I Love Lucy" theme which transitions to John Wayne (there's nothing that says "romantic hideaway" like The Duke decoupaged to a wooden box lid), which naturally progresses to a hand-carved wooden Rwandan plaque finally landing on a stunning montage of all 5 Star Trek Captains in a tastefully understated floating glass frame. Oh yeah, the orange decanter sort of anchors everything down with a splash of my favorite color. Yes, you're right - this is the fireplace mantel in the lodge, aka our temporary Master Bedroom. Our bed is directly opposite this beautiful collage. There's plenty more "wood" paneling to go around. And of course our King size bed frame with the queen size bed fools the eye and makes the room look much more spacious. To the left of the mantel is our lovely assortment of camping supplies cleverly half-hidden by our dresser which is dead center in the middle of the room. There's a wooden bench right in front of the hearth which is just the right size to hold our TV - this works out great because the wires which connect the TV to the 6 foot tall antenna on top of our house are just long enough to reach the back of the TV. To the right of the mantel is our chrome floor to ceiling shelving unit replete with tax files in banker boxes, extra blankets for those cold Phoenix winters, shoes, beach towels, a DVD player, a combo DVD/VCR (only the VCR works - how convenient), and the extra movies that don't fit on the shelves in the office. But with all this "chaos" it's really nice to have the mantel complete. I don't have to worry about shopping for tiresome accessories like vases, candles, picture frames, candlesticks - you know - all that typical, overrated mantel attire. I just get to go into our bedroom, kick off my shoes, relax in a camping chair, and watch "Coach" with the family.