Winter Mantel

Here’s my new-year winter mantel, completed just in time for winter. I haven't done a winter mantel in a few years, but I enjoyed putting this one together. I had no idea that finding a "winter" picture to hang would be next to impossible. I searched high and low to no avail. Refusing to give up, I swung by Goodwill and found this 3-panel picture of barren trees in the snow for $9.00. Sold!

To those of you who live in my neck of the woods and are already whining about the cold snap, I love you, but your pitiful whines are falling on deaf ears. I mean, we get months and months of scorching hot weather in SE Texas. Months and months! A few nights of freezing temperatures won’t kill you… unless you’re sleeping outside in the doghouse, and then maybe so, but here’s my advice for you: Instead of wasting your energy on whining, snuggle up with somebody you love, bundle up alone, blink a few times and it’ll be warm again. If you need to borrow a sweater, a sweater cap, a wooly scarf, some long johns, an afghan, some gloves, socks, a heater, or a real coat, I can help. In the meantime, dear friends, I’m unapologetically enjoying this wintry evening. The fire is popping, the coffee is brewing, and I’m feeling thoroughly alive.