Apr 30, 2018

How to Attract Butterflies to Your Yard



“You must’ve worked half the day putting that bed in.”
“Not quite that long, but it took some time. I want butterflies.”
“You’re going to get them. It’s pretty as it can be, Abigail.”


The Witness




__________________________





By © Derek Ramsey / derekramsey.com, GFDL 1.2, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1612827






Create an inviting habitat for butterflies with careful plant selection and placement.







Apr 27, 2018

The Benefits of Answering Trivia Questions





"You know who that was? That was Mr. Hertz. You may not be acquainted with
Mr. Hertz or Mr. Foy, who are involved in the longest-running trivia contest in our
fine county. Apparently, the contestants assumed yours truly was on vacation and
therefore unable to play master of ceremonies in my usual fashion."



Key of Knowledge



"Anyway, I've got to go online and find out when Chef Boy-Ar-Dee manufactured its first box of pizza mix." 
She headed off, coffee in hand, to her desktop. 
"Where do they think up these things?" 





______________






By Staff Sgt. Kali Gradishar - https://www.dvidshub.net/image/576011, 
Public Domain, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38709556






Everyone knows the expression, “a trivia question a day keeps the doctor away.”
You don’t know that one? Alright while the expression might be made up, its meaning is still true.
Regularly answering trivia questions provides your brain with some very positive benefits.
How?
Your brain is a muscle.
Just as you exercise your body by lifting weights, you can exercise your brain by doing brain exercises. Trivia is one of the best mental exercises you can do.







Apr 26, 2018

TESS





"I always feel so cut off here, more so than when I'm in the field hundreds of miles away. 
I imagine we could establish a colony on Mars and I wouldn't hear about it until it was all over."
"A colony on Mars," he murmured, feeling his stomach sink as he glanced at the paper again. "I think you've got about a hundred years to go."
"Sorry I'll miss it."


Time Was



_______________






By ESO/S. Brunier - http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0932a/, CC BY 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9559670





"I have been blessed to have been a professional astronomer during the period of time that started with—'well there probably are planets around other stars, but boy, they're just too hard to find and we'll never know'—to where we are today, which is we know there are planets around almost every star," says Paul Hertz, the Director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA. "In just 25 years, this field of science has gone from theoretical to very, very applied and very, very data-driven."








_______________




"Sure. I probably would have gone on being happy here, but I discovered the world. 
What do you think of the world, J.T.?"
"Which one?"
With a laugh, she gave the popper an extra shake. "I should have known better 
than to ask an astro-whatever. Your mind's probably in space half the time."


Times Change




Apr 25, 2018

Let no man steal away your thyme




Come all ye maidens young and fair / All you that are
blooming in your prime / Always beware and keep your
garden fair / Let no man steal away your thyme.




Connor picked up the melody, flushing a bit when she winked at him and served his soft drink. 
She served the others as well, singing as she did a song of regret and the loss of innocence.
Conversations hushed, and more than a few hearts sighed.


Heart of The Sea





________________________














Apr 24, 2018

The 1-minute sex fix





When he drew away, she fought off a shudder, forced a
smile to her lips. "Well, now, good morning to you."
"Just shut up a minute." He pulled her back, but this time
simply rested his cheek on top of her head.
She wanted to step back.
 This embrace was more
intimate than the kiss, 
and just as stirring. Just, she
realized as she relaxed 
against him, as irresistible.


Heart of the Sea








_____________________





By Christiana Rivers christiana - https://unsplash.com/photos/itQV5w_Ishw, CC0,
 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61708510






It's 7:30 a.m. and a man is about to leave the house to go to work. Kissing his wife goodbye, he buries his face in her hair to inhale her scent. His arms circle her waist to pull her closer. Her body molds to his and they breathe together for a moment, both feeling excited. Then he looks at his watch and hurries off, waving goodbye.
What is this couple doing?

MSN




Apr 23, 2018

Feeling depressed after reaching a big goal?





For a moment she could only kneel where she was, the key still in her hand. 
All of her life she'd been driven toward this moment.
Now that it was here, she couldn't move.
"Addy?"
"It's a little like dying, you know? 
To finally accomplish the most important goal in your life. 
To know that when it's done, it's done, and nothing else 
you ever do will have the same impact." 



Sweet Revenge





_________________





By N 3 14 15 92 65 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59330459





Our society is goal-oriented, from Olympic athletes' competing to bring home the gold to entry-level employees seeking to earn a promotion. But why would achieving those goals leave someone feeling empty rather than elated, and how can that let down be avoided?







Apr 21, 2018

Tackling your garden makes you happier





She trundled her wheelbarrow back to the greenhouse, wandered through the
smell of rich, moist earth; burgeoning flowers; sharp, strong greens, selecting the
plants she’d nurtured for this particular project.
Good, steady physical labor in the warm afternoon. That made her happy, too.
Who knew she had such a capacity for happy?


The Witness





________________





By Si Griffiths - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24430196






'The repetitive nature of a lot of gardening jobs allows you to really be in the moment and forget your worries. It may sound corny but the way it clears your mind helps you notice the beauty around you, and in our busy, hectic lives we have filtered out a lot of that, so just getting back to nature can be a real tonic.'











________________





An hour later, she stepped back and checked her progress before going inside for ice to add to the tea she’d left steeping in the sun.
“It’s going to be beautiful,” she told Bert. “And we’ll be able to sit on the porch and watch the butterflies. I think we’ll draw hummingbirds, too. 
I’ll love seeing all this grow and bloom, the butterflies and birds. We’re putting down roots, Bert. The deeper they go, the more I want them.”
She closed her eyes, lifted her face to the sun.
Oh, she loved the way the air sounded, loved the way it smelled.


The Witness






Apr 20, 2018

Home Happiness test








Professionally, her life was besieged by problems, pain, frustrations. 
To compensate, she kept her private world organized and simple. 
Because she’d grown up with the cushion of
wealth and education, she took the Matisse print on her wall and the Baccarat crystal on
the table as a matter of course. 
She preferred clean lines and pastels, but now and again
found herself drawn to something jarring, like the abstract oil in vivid strokes and
arrogant colors over her table. 
She understood her need for the harsh as well as the soft,
and was content. One of her top priorities was to remain content.



Sacred Sins








_____________________






By Alan Light - Living room, CC BY 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42075785





Are you a ‘home wrestler’ or a ‘home warrior’? 



Take Sarah's test to see how much you love your home and what you could do to it to make you happier!







Apr 19, 2018

Smelling Your Partner’s Stinky Shirt Makes You Feel Better







But he started to hold her back when she would have moved into him. 
“Let me rinse some of this sweat off first.”
“I don’t mind it. It’s basic and natural, and …” 
She pressed her lips to the side of his throat. “Salty.”





The Witness






_________________________





By Pablo Heimplatz pabloheimplatz - 
https://unsplash.com/photos/M1doNY5gdZs, CC0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61706844








Researchers out of the University of British Columbia say that smelling your partner’s scent can help lower stress levels 













_________________________






Twilight deepened, cooling the air, but she felt only the heat from his body 
as she pressed against him. He smelled of horses and leather. 
Dazed, she thought that the scent must be part of some deeply buried fantasy.







The Name of the Game 















Apr 18, 2018

A Fulfilling Career






The story Nora Roberts likes to tell of her transformation from harried homemaker to 
published novelist reads like something from one of her novels: 
Stuck at home with her two young sons during a 1979 snowstorm, 
the Silver Spring native started writing longhand, 
and the epiphany hit: 
“ ‘This is it . This is the thing I am meant to do.’ 


Nora Roberts @ WP




________________





By Melchisedek ABAKA [CC BY-SA 4.0 
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons47



Why Having a Fulfilling Career Makes Me a Better Mother



Before I became a mother, I was a woman with my own dreams, ambitions, and creative desires, just like anyone else. Then when my son was born, the role of motherhood was thrust upon me and all of a sudden I had two new identities to cater to, but how would I manage both without sacrificing one for the other? 






________________





She needed this job. 
Not just for the salary—and it was generous—but for the structure, 
for the challenge, for the doing. Doing more, she knew, than circling the wheel
she'd fallen into back home.
She needed a life, something more than clocking time, drawing a paycheck 
that would be soaked up by bills. 
She needed, however self-help-book it sounded, 
something that fulfilled and challenged her.


Blue Dahlia





Apr 17, 2018

Easy Outdoor Chairs You Can Build






“No. You could use a new rocker for your porch. The one you have is ugly.”
“It’s not ugly. It’s serviceable. And it needs repainting.”
“The left arm is warped.”
She opened her mouth to deny it, then realized she wasn’t sure either way.


The Search





__________________________






By Moritz Poll - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63525929





These amazing outdoor chair projects may look difficult to build, but they're actually really easy—even for a beginner! We've got the step-by-step plans for each project, so all you need to do is decide which one will look best in your backyard; then get started!









Apr 16, 2018

Helpful Infographics Visualize Complex Branches






“Wait. Wait. Mackensie? The redhead you had a crush on in high school?”
Defeated, Carter rubbed the spot between his eyebrows again. “I should never have told you about that. This is why I rarely drink.”
“But, Cart, this is like kismet.” Excitement rushed through the words. “It’s like return of the nerd. It’s the big chance to follow up on a lost opportunity.”
“It’s coffee,” Carter muttered.
Flushed with enthusiasm, Bob jumped up, grabbed a piece of chalk. On the board he drew a circle. “Obvious, the circle. You’re completing one, and completing it just means taking point A and point B—” Within the circle he made two dots, connected them horizontally. “Up to point C.” He drew another dot at the apex, then joined it with the other points with two diagonal lines. “See?”
“Yes, I see a triangle inside a circle. I’ve got to go.”
“It’s the triangle of fate inside the circle of life!”
Carter hefted his briefcase. “Go home, Bob.”
“You can’t argue with math, Carter. You’ll always lose.”





Vision in White






__________________


















Apr 14, 2018

Theft-Proof Your Home










Most people had no idea how vulnerable they were while they dreamed in their beds.





Laura @ TheMacGregorBrides






_______________________






By Jjw [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons




Tips to make your home more burglar resistant without spending a fortune.







Apr 13, 2018

10 Powerful Reasons People Have Gotten Tattoos







"You've got a tattoo on your incredibly perfect bottom."
She laughed then, and tossed her hair back. "I didn't think you'd noticed."
"I noticed. Why do you have a tattoo of a winged horse on your butt, Grace?"
"It was an impulse, one of those wild-girl things I dragged M.J. and Bailey into."
"They have winged horses on their—"
"No, and what they do have is their little secret. I wanted the winged horse because it was free. You couldn't catch it unless it wanted to be caught." She lifted a hand to his face, changed the mood subtly. "I never wanted to be caught. Before."







Secret Star







__________________




By chris_natt (Angelina Jolie) [CC BY 2.0 
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons








"This tattoo reminds me to turn the page and that *I* get to write my story - no one else."








Apr 12, 2018

17-Year-Old Teen








Parker cocked an eyebrow as the girl walked off.
“She’s got a crush on you.”
He leaned back, leather jacket open, a day’s scruff on his face, green eyes lit with cocky humor. “What can I say? Women flock to me.”
“She’d like to break the carafe of Cab over my head.”
“Maybe.” He leaned forward again.“She’s seventeen, just started her first year at community
college. She wants to be a fashion designer. Or a songwriter. Or.”
“There should always be ors at seventeen. And crushes on older men.”


Happy Ever After






_____________________






By MarnieP 29 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50281875






Emotional and Social Development of Your 17-Year-Old Teen


Here's what you can expect from your 17-year-old









Apr 11, 2018

What Car Mechanics Really Think of You






“When’s the last time you had this serviced?”
“I don’t know. Some time.”
He glanced back at her, a dry look out of smoky gray eyes. “Some time looks to have been the other side of never. Your battery cables are corroded.” 



Bed of Roses





_____________________





Public Domain, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2740201







"People will come in here bent all out of shape, angry at the car instead of themselves. They won’t be honest about what happened."












_____________________






“You think all it takes is a key and a driver’s license?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Your battery cables were covered with corrosion, your oil was sludge. Your tires were low and your brake pads damn near shot. I bet you slather yourself with some fancy cream every day of your life.”
“Excuse me?”
“But you can’t bother to get your car serviced. Lady, this car was a disgrace. You probably spent more on those shoes than you have on maintaining it.” 



Bed of Roses




Apr 10, 2018

In praise of curiosity







“What Sylbie said about curiosity’s true. It’s a natural thing.”


The Witness





__________________





By ☻☺ - Flickr: smelling the roses, CC BY-SA 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29962572







Einstein even went so far as to say, 
"I have no special talents. 
I am only passionately curious."








__________________





“You ask too many questions. Answering them is annoying and tiresome.”
“Damn that curiosity. Jesus, Abigail, did you smile?”


The Witness