Being Nora Bound

"I've got the wrong equipment to be Nell's girlfriend, Rip.  Just… just see if you can spend some time with her.  Go out on the boat, or go shopping or…" He gestured vaguely.  "Paint each other's toenails." "Excuse me?" "Give me a break. I don't know what you  people do in your mysterious caves when men aren't around." "We have pillow fights in our underwear." He brightened because she wanted him to.  "Really? I was afraid that was a myth. So, be a friend, okay?" 


Dance Upon the Air




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By Michael Vincent Photography for Bride's Night Out, Inc. -  Contact us/Photo submission, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4483329





In the newsletter Dolly Mail, London-based writer Violet Hudson made the case for lady-only gatherings. “There are covens all over this city,” she says. “The libations we make are spilled red wine. The spells we cast are conversation. And the potions we brew are …

“Oh, it’s a little puppy! She’s like a little toy.” “He. This is Earl Grey. I hope you don’t mind, but I didn’t want to leave him home alone.” “Oh, oh, he’s precious. Just precious.” “Would you like to hold him?” “I’d love it.” Miranda gathered the dog in her hands, immediately lapsed into lisping baby talk. Lila just slanted a look toward Ash, and smiled. “Is there anywhere I could take him for a little walk outside?” “Oh, of course! I’ll show you. Want to go for a walkie?” Miranda cooed, rubbing noses with Earl Grey, then giggling when he lapped his tiny tongue on her face.

The Collector




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By maxintosh / Max Talbot-Minkin -  https://www.flickr.com/photos/maxtm/311263959/, CC BY 2.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5724965





You can't help it. You see that sweet little face and immediately begin to blabber in a sing-song voice, "Hello, sweetie pie! Who's a good boy?!" We tend to talk to puppies as we do to babies, speaking slowly in a high-pitched…

“Clare,” Avery said as Clare walked to the door. “Saturday, I’ll bring a second bottle of wine, something gooey for dessert. And my pj’s.”
“Even better. Who needs a man when you’ve got a best girl pal?”
Clare laughed as Avery shot a hand in the air.

The Next Always





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Slip into holiday PJs and enjoy a relaxing night with friends


By Purple Sherbet Photography from Worldwide! -  Sharing love and happiness makes life more beautiful (CC), CC BY 2.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34945117





Lifetime 14 New Christmas Movies Lifetime just announced their official holiday movie schedule and we can’t wait to watch them all. See the official schedule and start planning your Christmas movie marathons!
Better Homes & Gardens


Hallmark Just Announced All 36 New Holiday Films  Get your coziest blankets and most festive cocoa mugs ready because Hallmark just announced the official schedule of all 36 new Christmas movie premieres (a record-breaking number of new flicks!) and…

"I don't see how I could, I'm just worn out . The holidays just about did me in this year.  Every time you turned around, there was another party.  I don't think I've caught my breath since Thanksgiving."





Black Rose



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Photo by Surrey Lane - Search home design pictures


Once you’ve recovered from the big day,  take these steps to make welcoming  the next round of holiday guests easier.



HOUZZ


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Of course, she'd had the house full only a couple weeks earlier,  with all her boys home for Thanksgiving and her birthday.  Austin and Mason would be back for Christmas. A mother of grown sons  couldn't ask for better.
God knew there'd been plenty of times when they were growing up  that she'd yearned for some quiet. Just an hour of absolute peace  where she had nothing more exciting to do than soak in a hot tub. Then she'd had too much time on her hands, hadn't she?  Too much quiet, too much empty space.




Black Rose

"I went for a run." "A run?" he repeated, distracted from trying to place the vague accent. "Yes, I'm into running." She lifted her face and studied the perfect sky. "Actually, I was into running before it was something to get into. Even though I resent being part of a trend, I can't stop. Do you swim every morning?" "Whenever I can." "Maybe I'll try that instead. Swimming uses more muscles, and you don't sweat." "I never thought about it quite that way."


Tonight and Always




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By Ed Yourdon, CC BY-SA 2.0,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37742133






Take 30 seconds to dash through the 13 quick questions in our sports quiz and we'll have our best stab at suggesting which events from the Commonwealth Games could match your physical and mental abilities.



BBC

When he sang to her, it was as if he told her there wasn't anyone else, had never been anyone else. It was more moving than a kiss, more sexual than a touch. When they finished, their voices hung a moment, locked together.

Once More With Feeling




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She handed him a plate to dry. "Did your father do dishes?" "Only on Thanksgiving." Rafe polished off the plate, set it aside. "Buck MacKade was a man's man."


The Return of Rafe MacKade 




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By A1C Kyle Gese - h ttp://www.defenseimagery.mil/imageRetrieve.action?guid=5d01193ee49c132dc03465377c8f0934d389153b&t=2,  Public Domain,  https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30114537




My father was a couch potato. My husband makes the whipped potatoes.



In her exploration of gender roles at Thanksgiving, author Linda Lowen asked:

“Could a holiday so clearly rooted in patriarchal traditions ever evolve into a more gender equitable celebration?”



The Good Men Project


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“The pie looks great. Did you make it, Ma K?”“I did. If Maureen’s in the kitchen, I’ll take it back to her.”“We’ve got the women in the kitchen wh

He flipped it open, took out a snapshot.  "I can't give it to you," he said. "It's the only one I've got.  But I thought you might like to see it. Wedding photo. Sort of.  We drove out to Vegas and got it done in one of those  get-hitched-quick places. In fact, we looked for the tackiest  one we could find. We had some guy take this for us outside, right after."

Birthright





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The image shared by Eugenia Martínez de Irujo in her Instagram profile has set off alarms. Has the Duchess of Montoro married Narcis Rebollo in Las Vegas? The daughter of the Duchess of Alba and her current partner, the President of Universal Music in Spain and Portugal, appear dressed as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.

ELMUNDO



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"You look terribly in love," Suzanne managed. 
"Stupid with it." 


Birthright

“I might do that. So, how did you go from doing stunt work in LA to owning a garage in Greenwich?” “Is this small talk, or are you interested?” “It can be both.”

Happy Ever After




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When I was single and dating, my friends made fun of me for jumping into deep  conversations with guys I just met. I've never been interested in small talk, or its cousin, flirting. I'm genuinely curious to get to know people, and I'd rather not talk if it's going to be about nonsense. Turns out, I have something in common with the "silent Finns" who are also known for not talking small, but diving into meaningful conversation — or none at all.
Mother Nature Network

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He’d expect conversation, and she wasn’t sure she had any more.  Between him and his mother, she was out of what struck her  as appropriate small talk.
The Witness

“Let me be the first. And I picked this up at the bakery. 
Have you had their brookies?” “No. What are they?”

The Perfect Hope




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I’m going to cut right to the chase – this right here is literally the most amazing brookie
 recipe EVER! As is usually the case with my recipes, it’s seriously simple to make. 
But the good stuff doesn’t just stop there, oh no. 
This beauty starts with a luxuriously buttery cookie base that’s 
packed to the rafters with chocolate chips and is topped off 
with an intensely rich and gooey chocolate brownie. 
I’m telling you now, life does not get much better than this! 






Kitchen Mason

Snow buried the East Coast and caused school-age children to dance with joy.  Hard winds blew down from Canada and brought bitter cold.  Pipes burst, cars stalled, and streets turned to ice rings. The brave or the determined crowded the shopping centers and malls to  hunt for Christmas presents, to ponder bright wrappings and ribbons.  Holiday cards arrived in the mail, and kitchens smelled of baking. Boston shivered, shoveled out, and watched another six inches of snow fall. Bundled in layers against the cold and armed with a snow shovel, Laura  trooped out to clear the driveway. The sunlight bounced off the white ground  and stung the eyes, so she tumbled a pair of sunglasses out of her pocket.  The chill air bit her cheeks, burned her throat. She couldn't have been happier.



Laura @ MacGregor Brides








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It could happen in October or it may happen in January. Depending on where you live, the season’s first big snowstorm could be just days or weeks away. But no matter where you l…

The world her mother told her of from time to time was nothing more than a fairy tale to her. Snow was just something that danced inside a little glass ball.


Sweet Revenge




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Footage of two Eritrean children enjoying their first snowfall in Canada has been viewed millions of times on social media.  The 42-second clip, taken by Rebecca Davies, shows the boy and girl jumping in their oversized jackets as the snowflakes come down. Dancing around the back garden of their Toronto home, the appear to marvel at the sight. 

INDEPENDENT

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Adrianne thought of the little glass ball and her brother.  All at once she wanted to lay her head in her mother's  lap and weep. She wanted to go home, to see her  grandmother and her aunts,to smell the smells of the harem.  But there was no going back. "Will it snow?" she asked. "Sooner or later."

Sweet Revenge

“Hey, Swede.” Gibbons, acting as fire boss, hailed her over the din.  Ash blackened his face, and the smoke he’d hiked through  reddened his eyes. “I’m taking you, Matt and Yangtree off the saw line.  The head’s shifted on us. It’s moving up the ridge to the south and building.  We got spots frigging everywhere. We need to turn her while we can.” He pulled out his map to show her positions. “We got hotshots working here,  and Janis, Trigger, two of the rooks, flanking it here.  We’ve got another load coming in, and they’ll take the saw line, chase down spots. We’ve got repellent on the way,  should dump on the head in about ten, so make sure you’re clear.” “Roger that.” “Take them up. Watch your ass.” She grabbed her gear, pulled in her teammates and began the  half-mile climb through smoke and heat. In her mind she plotted  escape routes, the distance and direction to the safe zone.

Chasing Fire



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