Vignette: Battle of the Mantle

 I have finally won The Battle of the Mantle. In our five years of marriage Ben and I have attempted to balance his desire for practicality and my desire for decor. Ben views a mantle as a great speaker mount, and a place to drop guitar picks and loose change. I look at a mantle and see a vignette waiting to happen. My first strategy to win back my mantle was to put a little bit of greenery on display. Next we went on a beach vacation and I dragged home a driftwood keepsake. Naturally, it ended up on the mantle. Then one day I disappeared to the thrift store and returned with a shelve's worth of knick knacks. Shortly after Ben came home and his little speakers were discreetly placed out of sight. The great man that he is, he only made a passing comment and relented to the aesthetic appeal of my vignette. He was even happy that his picks had a new home in the brass apple. 

I think another plant is still in order but my desire for decor is satisfied.