Winter Soups To Warm The Soul

Saying nothing, he ladled out the soup, then brought both it and the coffee to her. 
"It's an old family recipe. My mother always says a bowl of soup cures anything."


Mind Over Matter

____________________

By stu_spivack - butter lettuce soup, CC BY-SA 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35194584

Warm your body and soothe your spirit with a steaming bowl of soup or stew. From Thai Chicken and Rice Noodle Soup to Pasta e Fagioli, these recipes will have you satisfied and snug as a bug on the coldest winter days.

HUFFINGTON POST

____________________

She cooked. Cooking was her teddy bear when upset, so she comforted herself by experimenting with a ham and potato soup and a smoked tomato bisque. She used her laptop in the kitchen to note down her tweaks.

It calmed her, soothed her, settled her enough so she sat awhile, soups simmering on the

stove...

The Last Boyfriend

The red revolution

'Titian knew what he was doing when he painted that color.'  

Blue Dahlia

_________________

New book celebrates all things ginger and what it really means to have crimson locks

A new book, Ginger Pride – A Red-Headed History Of The World, examines what makes red hair so special – and confirms they really are a unique breed.

The Sunday Post

Hug . Love . Kiss . your loved ones. Everyday.

Theo and Maddy sprang from opposite doors of the limo. The rush of emotion had him dropping his briefcase as he lunged toward them. He grabbed Maddy with his good arm, then had a line of pain spurting through his shoulder as he tried to hug Theo. "Sorry, bad wing."

When Theo kissed him, surprise and pleasure flustered him. He couldn't remember the last time this boy, this young man, had done so. "God, I'm glad to see you." He pressed his lips to his daughter's hair, leaned into his son. "So glad to see you."

"Don't ever do that again." Maddy kept her face pressed against his chest. She could smell him, feel his heart beat. "Not ever again."

"That's a deal. Don't cry, baby. Everything's okay now."

Afraid he was going to blubber as well, Theo pulled himself back, cleared his throat. 

The Villa

__________________

By Frankie Fouganthin (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

“Him and I had never really connected and now it’s like a whole new relationship,” Sam Zeif said. “I have this unreal appreciation for him that I never felt before and it’s amazing because I never realized how life could take him away from me. I never thought we could be in a situation where we would have to worry about that.”

YAHOO!

__________________

Nearly blind with terror and relief, David bolted out of the house. Even as the police car braked, he scooped Maddy out, held her cradled in his arms as he would a baby.

"You're okay." He pressed his lips to her cheeks, her hair. Breathed her in, as the shakes he'd held off since the call took over. 

"You're okay." He said it a half dozen times as she curled into him.

"I'm all right. I'm not hurt or anything." But when she wrapped her arms around his neck, her world came all the way right again. "Sophie drove like one of those guys you and Theo like to watch on the raceway. It was kinda cool."

"Kinda cool. Yeah." Rocking now, calming himself, he kept his face buried in the curve of her throat while Theo awkwardly patted her back.

"Bet it was some ride." Theo manfully swallowed the prickly lump in his throat. There was a jittering inside his chest that came as much from seeing his father break apart as from anxiety over Maddy. 

The Villa

Women

He started to tell his kids to stand up, but he didn't have to bother. 

When Tereza Giambelli walked into a room, people got to their feet.

He'd forgotten she was so petite. They'd had two meetings in New York, face-to-face. Two long, involved meetings. And still he'd walked away from them with the image of a statuesque Amazon rather than the fine-boned, slim woman who walked toward him now. 

The hand she offered him was small and strong.

The Villa

________________

By Mauro Cateb - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18781082

Women in Their 60s on the Secret to Living Your Best Life

In today's youth-obsessed world, just walking out the door, flicking on the TV, or checking your Instagram feed can be a veritable minefield for your self-esteem. Even when you know deep down that you're scrolling through someone's highlight reel, it still impacts you IRL.

Thankfully, a slew of insanely stylish and savvy femmes in their 60s are breaking the mold with authenticity, honesty, and a zero–face-lift policy. These women are proud of their unconventional looks, disregard trends for personal style, eschew gender conformity for feminism, and exercise their sharp wits, all while they perfect the art of aging gracefully. 

MY DOMAINE

________________

The minute the door closed behind her, she did a high-stepping dance in the bold purple peek-toe pumps she’d bought that afternoon.

On a foolish giggle, she walked to the sink, studied her giddy face in the mirror. “Let the adventure begin,” she said, then took out her lipstick.

A few years before, she’d wondered, worried, all but assumed her life was essentially over. In a way, it had been, had needed to be to push her to start again.

So far, the new life of Ella Frazier brimmed with interesting possibilities. 

Chasing Fire

"I am enough."

Pilar let out a moaning laugh. "I hate where I am, and I don't know how to get someplace else. I didn't even fight back, Helen."

"So you're not a warrior." Helen rose to sit on the arm of the chair, wrapped an arm around Pilar's shoulder. "You're a beautiful, intelligent, kind woman who got a raw deal. And damn, honey, if this door finally closing isn't the best thing for you."

"God, now you sound like Tony."

"No need to be insulting. Besides, he didn't mean that, and I do."

"Maybe, maybe. I can't see clearly now. I can't see through the next hour much less the next year. God, I didn't even make him pay. Didn't have the guts to make him pay."

"Don't worry, she will." Helen leaned over, kissed the top of Pilar's head. 

No man like Tony should slip through life without paying, she thought.

"And if you want to scald him a bit, I'll help you outline a divorce settlement that will leave him with permanent scars and one shriveled testicle."

Pilar smiled a little. She could always count on Helen. "As entertaining as that might be, it'd just drag things out, and make it more difficult for Sophie. Helen, what the hell am I going to do with the new life that's been dumped in my lap?"

"We'll think of something."

The Villa

_____________________

By SebCon (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Life-Changing Lesson I Learned Through the Pain of Infidelity

Then one night, in the midst of a late night conversation, a friend finally said just the thing I needed to hear to shatter my feelings of inadequacy. No flattery or comparison this time. He simply told me that in a relationship “Whatever issues that other person has, they have no bearing on your own validity. You eventually just realize it’s not all about you.”

HUFFINGTON POST

_____________________

"I suppose. In any case, you're all but living with the family, so you'll hear things. My husband and I have been separated for a number of years. He informed me recently, very recently, that we are getting divorced. His bride-to-be is very young. Beautiful, sharp-edged. And… very young," she said again with a half-laugh. 

"It's ridiculous, I suppose, how much that part bothers me. In any case, it's an awkward and difficult situation."

"It'll be more awkward and difficult for him if he ever takes a good look at what he let go."

It took her a moment to adjust to the compliment. "That's very kind of you."

"No, it's not. You're beautiful, elegant and interesting."

And not used to hearing it, he realized as she simply stared at him. That, too, was interesting. "That's a lot for a man to let go. Divorce is tough," he added. "A kind of death, especially if you took it seriously to begin with. Even when all you've got left of it is the illusion, it's a hell of a shock to watch it shatter."

"Yes." She felt comforted.

The Villa

Successful Women Who Were Late Bloomers

"I'm tired. Sick and tired of being made to feel as if I have nothing to offer. No skills, no talents, no brains."

"Then you weren't listening."

"Oh, I heard you." She yanked off her gloves, tossed them down as well. "I'm to be charming and elegant. Like some well-tailored doll that can be plunked down at the right time and the right place, and tucked away in the closet the rest of the time. Well, no thanks. I've been tucked away quite long enough."

She started to push by him, yanked her arm when he closed his hand over it. Then stared in shock as he simply took her other arm and held her in place. No one handled her. It simply wasn't done.

"Just hold on."

"Take your hands off me."

"In a minute. First, charm is a talent. Elegance is a skill. And it takes brains to know the right thing to say at the right time, and to make people feel welcome. You're good at those things, so why not use them? Second, if you think handling tourists and accounts at tastings and tours is fluff work, you'll find out different if you work up the guts to try it."

"I don't need you to tell me—"

"Apparently you do."

The Villa

________________________

By Peter Flaherty - Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2230750

Wildly Successful Women Who Were Late Bloomers

Is there a set age you should expect success to happen in your life? At what age should you stop trying and realize the dream is over? Just like there isn’t a one-fits-all doctrine for the right age to start a business, there is no set timeline for when success will strike either. For most of us, our 20s are a blur of job-hopping and career mistakes, and while it certainly doesn’t feel like it at the time, these are crucial career building blocks.

MY DOMAINE


________________________


"I haven't come in before during your tours. Didn't want you to think I was checking up on you." 

He lifted her pearls, let them run through his fingers. "You, Ms. Giambelli, are a natural."

"You know what? You're right," she agreed, delighted with herself. "Just as you were right to push me into this. It gives me something tangible to do."

"I didn't push you. The fact that no one does is one of your secrets. You figured out a long time ago how to live your life the way that made sense to you at the time. Times changed. I opened a door, but you're the one who walked through it."

"That's very interesting." Amused at both of them, she cocked her head. "I'm not sure my family would agree with you. I'm not sure I do."


The Villa

Romance After Becoming Parents

With his own sandwich, David slid across from him. “It is good you came to me, young student, for I am the master.”

“I know. I thought about just walking over one night, maybe with a bottle of wine, knock on her terrace door. The direct approach.”

“It’s a classic for a reason.”

“But she’s nervous about Amelia, about having any sort of, you know, encounter, in the house. At least that’s my take.”

“Is encounter code for hot sex?”

“Damn you, you’re too clever for my pitiful ruses. Anyway, I could have her and Lily over for dinner, and after the baby was asleep—a little wine, a little music.” He shrugged and felt he was riding around the same circle again.

“There’s also a reason why fine hotels have room service and Do Not Disturb signs.”

“Room service?”

“Work with me, Harp. You take her out to dinner—fancy dinner. Let’s try the Peabody. They have lovely rooms, lovely service, fine food—in-room dining.”

Chewing thoughtfully, Harper played it out in his head. “I take her out to dinner—in a hotel room? Don’t you think that’s a little . . . brilliant,” he decided after a moment.

“Yes, I do. Wine, candles, music, the works, all in the elegant privacy of a hotel suite. You’ll be bringing her breakfast in bed the next morning.”

Red Lily

______________________

"24062012-Son pied entre mes doigts (7438753628)" by WiLPrZ from Rabat, Maroc - 

24062012-Son pied entre mes doigts. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:24062012-

Son_pied_entre_mes_doigts_(7438753628).jpg#/media/File:24062012-

Son_pied_entre_mes_doigts_(7438753628).jpg

A major challenge for parents, especially new parents, is finding the time to be together in ways that foster romance in their relationship. 

HUFFINGTON POST

______________________

He laughed and drew her to face him again. "About that fantasy…"

"I'll meet you at midnight," she whispered. "Right here."

"You bring the wine, I'll bring the wood."

"It's a deal."

Tonight and Always