Elements of an Inspiring Home Gym

 

“What gym do you use, Legs?”

She opened the bottle. “My own.”

Bed of Roses

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Photo by TNHometour.com - Browse home gym photos

It’s not so much the size of your workout area that matters — whether you have a corner devoted to yoga or an entire home gym. Finding the motivation to use your workout space is often the hardest part. Here are 10 elements to give your workout space (and you) a jolt of inspiration.

HOUZZ

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Two treadmills, an elliptical, a recumbent bike, Bowflex, free weights, a bench press—not to mention the huge flat-screen and the glass-fronted fridge holding bottles of water and juice.Towels, he noted, neatly folded, alcohol wipes, killer view.

“Convenient,” he said, “and efficient.”

Happy Ever After

"Anyway, We're Married Now"

 

“Yeah, Emma mentioned it. You’re here stag?”

“Yeah.” Del smiled slowly. “You never know, do you? Check out the blonde in the blue dress. Those are some nice pins she’s got.”

“Yeah. I always thought Laurel had great legs.”

Del choked on his beer. “That’s not … Oh,” he managed when she turned, laughed, and he got a better look. “Not used to seeing her in a dress, I guess.”

Bed of Roses

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Rachel Samanyi from Seattle.WA, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

People Are Sharing The Exact Moment Their Friend Accidentally Turned Them On, And What Happened Next

BuzzFeed via YAHOO!

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Earlier Jack and I were standing around, and I was scoping the crowd, the way you do.”

“The way you do.”

“Okay. I spot this blue dress with a great pair of legs and …” He made a vague gesture that gave her a clear picture of the and. “I thought, nice, very nice indeed, and made some mention of same to Jack. He pointed out that the legs and the rest I happened to be scoping were yours. It gave me a hell of a jolt, I admit.” He gauged her reaction, judged surprise led the way. “In the interest of full disclosure, I also admit it wasn’t the first time. So whether or not it was the right thing to say, it was accurate.”

Savor the Moment

Kitchen Sink Soup

“It can’t be more or less. It’s not like cooking up a kitchen-sink soup.”

Blood Magick

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 At home I often make a variation called Kitchen Sink Soup, where everything but the kitchen sink goes into the pot to simmer away. What doesn’t seem like much to begin with can add up to something quite satisfying.

Healthy Families BC

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On impulse, she got out a pot. Then minced, chopped, poured, tossed in cubes of herbs

she’d frozen the summer before. With a kettle of soup simmering, she went back up to

finish her orders.

An hour later, she came down to stir, then glanced toward the window as she heard a

car. Surprised, pleased, she hurried to the door to greet Jack.

“Well, hi.”

“I had a meeting, and managed to wrap it up early. I left my jacket here again, so I

thought I’d swing by on my way … You’re cooking?”

“I took a walk, and it started cooling off, which put me in the mood for kitchen sink

soup. There’s plenty, if you’re interested.”

Bed of Roses

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

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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."

POPULAR MECHANICS

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“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

To fall asleep

She fell asleep like a stone dropped in a pond. Up and moving one minute,

submerged the next. He was a drifter, with the movie reel of the day’s events 

and the previews of the next running through his mind 

as his body settled down. 

Bed of Roses

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Evelyn De Morgan [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

How do you fall asleep? It might happen to us every night 

- and maybe sometimes more often - 

but it's still a deeply mysterious process.

BBC

Just Give Me A Reason

"I think, to get the light back, you have to give her a reason. What you say is
one part, but what you do, that's the big one. I think."


Bed of Roses

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Just give me a reason
Just a little bit's enough
Just a second we're not broken just bent
And we can learn to love again
It's in the stars

Best Relationships Start as Friendships

"I don't know. I need to think. It's complicated. He's a friend. Our friend. And he's Del's best friend. Del's your brother," she said to Parker, "and the next thing to a brother to the rest of us. And we're all friends, and business partners. Del's our lawyer, and Jack helps out when we need him. Plus he's designing the remodeling. We have all these connections, and they're all tangled up."

"And nothing tangles up the tangles like sex," Mac put in.

"Exactly. What if we end up having this thing, then the thing goes south. Then we're awkward with each other, and that makes the rest of us awkward with the rest of us. We have a kind of balance, don't we? Sex isn't worth upsetting the balance."

"You wouldn't be doing it right then," Mrs. Grady commented, and shook her head. "Youth thinks

too damn much. I'm going to start the wash."

Emma sulked over her pancakes. "She thinks I'm being an idiot, but I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Then set the ground rules going in. What you each expect from each other, and how you'll handle any complications."

"What kind of ground rules?"

Parker shrugged. "That's for you to decide, Em."

Bed of Roses

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By Nina from Australia (Friendship) [CC BY 2.0 

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The big fear about falling in love with a friend is that if the relationship goes bad, you're down both a boyfriend and a friend who might have comforted you through the breakup. It's a big risk, but when it goes right, it pays off big time. Falling in love with a best friend can be the best thing in the world. We all know the best boyfriends are the ones that feel like best friends you get to kiss, anyway.

YAHOO!

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Resigned, Emma let out a sigh and decided she wouldn't wait for Jack to have a glass of wine. The trouble with friends, she thought as she went to the kitchen, was they knew you too well. Sex date, foreplay music, sexing underwear. No secrets among…
She stopped with the bottle in hand. Jack was a friend. Jack knew her very well. Wouldn't he…?
What if he…? "Oh, shit!"
She poured a very large glass of wine. Before she could take the first sip, she heard the knock on her door.
"Too late," she murmured. "Too late to change a thing. Time to see what happens, and deal with it."
She set the wine down, went to the door.
He'd changed, too, she noted. Khakis instead of jeans, a crisp shirt instead of a chambray. He carried a large take-out bag from her favorite Chinese restaurant, and a bottle of her preferred cabernet.
Sweet, Emma thought. And certainly another advantage of being friends.


Bed of Roses

conqueror

Mal glanced at Jack. "No, the other one did. Ms. Brown."

He took a hit of his beer.

"The one who says 'excuse me' and means 'fuck you'."

"That would be Parker," Del confirmed.

Bed of Roses

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I'd rather stand tall

Than live on my knees,

'Cause I am a conqueror,

And I won't accept defeat!

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But it wasn't fear, that familiar burn in her throat: it wasn't panic, with its sharp, fluttering wings in her belly. It was rage she felt, the hot, bubbling gush of it pumping through her blood.
She wouldn't lie helpless this time, not this time, while someone she loved was taken from her. Not this time, not ever again.
She heard Rick shouting her name, and forced back the tears that wanted to blur her eyes. Brody hadn't stopped him.
So she stopped, closed her eyes and ordered herself to think. She couldn't go running back to the cabin.
He'd hear her, see her. And he would end it. He might very well end up killing Lo and Linda-gail as well.
Circle around, she decided. She could do that. He'd think she was still running, or just hiding. He
wouldn't expect her to come back to fight.


Angels Fall

Cinco de Mayo

He sipped his beer and watched some of the guests dance to the trio of guitars and marimbas.

Beside him, Del took a pull on his own beer. "Hell of a party."

"They pull out all the stops."

Bed of Roses

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Exotic, Elegant Dinner Party

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in style with a table scheme that goes south of the border

TRADITIONAL HOME

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"Negra Modelo, right?" Phillip offered one.

"Yeah, thanks. Great party, as always."

"My favorite of the year."

Bed of Roses

Make the Mood Magical At Your Wedding

Miranda was right, she thought as she keyed in all the details. She was going to have the most amazing wedding. 

An abundance of flowers, a contemporary look with romantic touches.

Candles and the sheen and shimmer of ribbons and gauze. Pinks and whites with pops of bold blues and greens for contrast and interest. Sleek silver and clear glass for accents. Long lines, and the whimsy of fairy lights.

Bed of Roses

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By domdomegg (Own work) [CC BY 4.0 

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to designing your wedding, it’s just as important to discuss how your event designer or florist will light the ceremony and reception as it is to talk about what flowers will adorn each dinner table. 

Celebrity planner Colin Cowie tells Yahoo Style that lighting can totally transform the space. 

“This year, brides are paying extra attention to this décor element, and the results are illuminating,” he says.

So what are your options? 

YAHOO!

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“Fairy lights. Acres and miles and rivers of tiny white fairy lights, all through the gardens, in the willows, on the arbors, the pergola.” 

Laurel blinked, yawned. “Huh?” 

“Your wedding. Romantic, elegant, abundance without fuss.”

Happy Ever After

Sportswear

"Why?" From her prone position, Emma threw up her hands. 

"Who says? Who decided that people all of a sudden have to do miles every damn day, or that twisting themselves into unnatural shapes is good for them? I think it's the people who sell this hideous equipment, and the ones who design all the cute little outfits like the one you're wearing."

Emma narrowed her eyes at Parker's slate-colored cropped pants and perky pink and gray top. 

"How many of those cute little outfits do you own?"

"Thousands," Parker said dryly.

"See? And if they hadn't convinced you to do miles and twist yourself into unnatural shapes—and

look good doing it—you wouldn't have spent all that money on those cute little outfits. You could've donated it to a worthy cause instead."

"But these yoga pants make my ass look great."

"They really do. But nobody's seeing your ass but me, so what's the point?"

"Personal satisfaction."

Bed of Roses

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By Kennguru - Own work, CC BY 3.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25222217

Sportswear  to get you moving

WOMAN AND HOME

What Your Coffee Order Says About You

He glanced up at the waitress. “Morphine. A double.”
“Ha-ha,” she said.
“Try the tea,” Carter suggested.
“I’m not quite that bad. Yet. Coffee, regular.”

Bed of Roses

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 CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=689573



Are you searing hot with a dollop of syrup?
Or are you more on the frothy side with lots of whip?

We're talking coffee orders, naturally. 

Coffee-shop stops are a must when anyone goes on the road, so we got a little curious about what kinds of signals you give out when you order your freshly ground with Haribo peach gummy (yes, it's a thing).

YAHOO!

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 “I didn’t ask how you take your coffee.”

 “Oh. I don’t suppose you have two percent milk.”

 “I often wonder why anybody does.”

 With an easy laugh that shot straight to his bloodstream, she wandered over to study the view outside the glass doors that led—as she’d suspected—to the rear portion of the circling deck. “Which also means you probably don’t have any fake sugar. Those little pink, blue, or yellow packets?”

 “Fresh out. I could offer you actual milk and actual sugar.”

Blood Brothers

RIP Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard actor, dies aged 69

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"What I do is…" She poured bubbling wine into his glass. "First, I'll take a big glass of wine up to

my bedroom, then I'll light candles. I'll put on something soft and comfortable, something that makes me feel relaxed. Feel… female. Then I get into bed with all the pillows arranged just so, because I'm about to take a journey just for myself. And when I'm ready… When I'm just sinking in… I watch my DVD of Truly, Madly, Deeply."

"You watch porn?"

"It's not porn." Laughing, she gave his arm a quick slap. "It's an amazing love story. Juliet Stevenson is devastated when the man she loves, Alan Rickman, dies. She's overwhelmed with grief. Oh, it's painful to watch." Eyes radiating emotion, she laid a hand just under her throat. "I cry buckets. Then he comes back as a ghost. He loves her so much. It rips your heart out, and it makes you laugh."

"Rips out your heart and makes you laugh?"

"Yes. Men never get that. I'm not going to tell you the whole thing, just that it's wrenching and

charming and sad and affirming. It's unspeakably romantic."

"And that's what you do, secretly, in your bed at night, when you're alone."

"It is. Hundreds of times. I've had to replace the DVD twice."

Obviously baffled, he studied her as he drank champagne. "A dead guy's romantic?"

"Hello? Alan Rickman"

Bed of Roses