Beat the Post-Holiday Blues

 

She wanted to slow the clock down-just for this day, just this one day-but it sped by, from dawn and the excitement of opening gifts, to the candlelight and the lavish meal David prepared and served on her best china.

Before she knew it, the house was quiet once more.

She wandered down to take a last look at the tree, to sit alone in the parlor with her coffee and her memories of the day, and all the Christmases before.

Black Rose

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Nenad Stojkovic from Srbija, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Bring light back into your life after the holidays have passed

 

This weekend, the holidays are officially over. For many people, Wednesday was the last day of children being home from school, and Monday resumes the full regular workweek.

Today, though, instead of happily resettling into “normal” life and enjoying the weekend, you may be feeling some post-activity depression that so many descend into.

PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

🦅 Happy Birthday Griffin 🦁

"Happy birthday, baby."

Blue Dahlia

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FALL INTO THE STORY of GRIFFIN ENTRANCE

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Wild One First Birthday Party Theme

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Eagle mini cheese balls

Hallmark

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"A griffin."

"Good eye."

"Symbol of strength—and vigilance."

She turned her head, cocked it so that she could see his face. 

"You know the

oddest things, Jack. But yeah, that's why I chose it."

Captive Star

Brad Pitt ‘Removed’ His ‘Drinking Privileges’

"It's easy to delude yourself that you're entitled, that you're just fine when you're in a haze most of the time. Easy to ignore the fact that you're letting your wife and child down in a dozen ways, every single day. Forgetting dinner parties or birthdays, slipping out of bed-where you are useless to her in any case- to have just one more drink, dozing off when you're supposed to be watching your own baby. Just not being there, not completely there. Ever."

"It's a hard thing to go through, I imagine. For everyone involved."

"Harder for the ones you shipwreck with you, believe me. I wouldn't go to counseling with her, refused to attend meetings, to talk to anyone about what she saw as my problem. Even when she told me she was leaving me, when she packed her things, and Josh's

things, and walked out. I barely noticed they were gone."

Black Rose

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By SpreePiX from Budapest, HU - IMG_8724_1 Brad Pitt, CC BY 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10776545

Brad Pitt is known to be one of the most dedicated actors in Hollywood — 

and he used that quality to get sober following his split from ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star detailed his journey in a new profile 

The New York Times published on Wednesday, September 4.

MSN

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"That was tremendously brave of her."

"Yes, it was." His gaze sharpened on Roz's face. 

"Yes, it was, and I suppose a woman like you would understand just how brave it

was. It took me another full year to hit the bottom, to look around at my life and see nothing. 

To realize I'd lost what was most precious,

and that it was too late to ever get it back. I went to meetings."

"That takes courage, too."

"My first meeting?" He took another bite of his sandwich. "Scared to death. 

I sat in the back of the room, in the basement of this tiny

church, and shook like a child."

"A lot of courage."

Black Rose

Ways your parents' behaviors shaped who you are today

When she'd run out of steam, Stella rubbed her hands over her face. "Goddamn it."

"That's a lot of bitching, whining, and venom to pack into a quarter of an hour. 

She sounds like a very talented woman."

It took Stella a minute—a minute where she let her hands slide into her lap 

so she could stare into Roz's face. Then she let her own head fall back 

with a peal of laughter.

"Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, she's loaded with talent. Thanks."

"No problem. My mama spent most of her time—at least the time 

we were on earth together—sighing wistfully over her health. Not 

that she meant to complain, so she said. I very nearly put that on her 

tombstone. 'Not That I Mean to Complain.'"

"I could put 'I Don't Ask for Much' on my mother's."

"There you go. Mine made such an impression on me that I went 

hell-bent in the opposite direction. I could probably cut off a limb, 

and you wouldn't hear a whimper out of me."

"God, I guess I've done the same with mine. 

I'll have to think about that later." 

Blue Dahlia

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By Humyra khandoker - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76617469

Whether your parents were your best friends or you barely knew them, 

your relationship with Mom and Dad had an impact on who you are today.

MSN

Oh 👶

“Can we say baby shower? A double-the-fun theme,” Hope decided. 

“Or what comes

in pairs, sets of two. Something like that. 

I’ll work on it. We should schedule it in early

October, just to be safe.”

“Baby shower.” Clare sighed. “More and more real.” 

The Perfect Hope

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Host a Baby Shower Everyone Will Love

A baby shower  is all about celebrating the mama-to-be,
and what better way to do that than with a fat slice of cake and
a cup of baby shower punch?

30 Adorable Baby Shower Cakes

Baby Shower Etiquette

Easy Appetizers

Creative Baby Shower Themes

The Best Games to Play During a Baby Shower

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"Mrs. Haggerty? Our Mrs. Haggerty was there?"

"Not only, but she won the song title game. You have to write down the most song titles with 'baby' in it.

You'll never guess one she wrote down."

"Okay. I give."

"'Baby Got Back.'"

Now he grinned. "Get out. Mrs. Haggerty wrote down a rap song?"

"Then rapped it."

"Now you're lying."

"She did. Or at least a couple lines. I nearly peed my pants."

Blue Dahlia

4 Easy DIY Structures to Accentuate the Garden

"But I've got to build me an arbor tomorrow, out in my yard. I could

use a couple of Saturday slaves."

"We can be slaves." Luke tugged on Logan's pant leg.

"I know what an arbor is, too. It's a thing stuff grows on."

"There you go, then, I've got a couple of expert slaves.

We'll see what your mama says."

Blue Dahlia

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Build a Sturdy Arbor

A weekend’s work and a few pieces of lumber yield a handsome home for vines

Build A Copper Pipe Trellis

Simple techniques transform plumbing pipes into functional garden structures

Build a Rustic Tuteur

Branches, glue, screws, and string are all it takes to put an informal spin on this classic structure

Build a Bamboo Trellis

Ten dollars and two hours later you’ll be wishing you had more vines

Patio Designs to Get You Thinking About Summer

"I've been toying with redoing the patio."

"First I've heard of it," Jolene muttered.

"I saw them putting on one of those herringbone patterns out of bricks 

on one of the home shows. I liked the look of it. You know how to handle that sort of thing?"

"Done a few like it. I can take a look at what you've got now if you want."

"That'd be just fine." Will pushed back from the table.

Blue Dahlia

_________________

You won’t want to go back inside after seeing these patios.

Family Handyman

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"What are you doing planting oleander for my father?"

"My job. Putting in a new patio, too. Your stepmama's already talking about getting new furniture for out there. And a fountain. Seems to me a woman can't see a flat surface without wanting to buy something to put on it. They were still talking about it when I left the other night."

Blue Dahlia

'Your taste is questionable!'

"What kind of kitchen is it 
that doesn't have any Fritos?"

"In the pantry, top shelf," Roz said from the doorway. 
"I'm surprised you'd think I'd forget your childish addiction to corn chips."

Black Rose

____________________

'Human Dorito' Chris Evans sparks a FURIOUS 

debate on Twitter after ranking his 

favorite chip options in a snack pack

DAILYMAIL

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"You want something to eat? I want something to eat."

He turned, opened another cupboard and pulled out a bag of Doritos.

"That's not actual food."

"That's what makes it good."

Tribute

Post-Thanksgiving Game Plan

"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

Ford Resurrects a Legend

She stepped out with him, then studied the black Mustang. "You own a car."

"This is not merely a car, and to call it such is very female."

"And to say that is very sexist. Okay, if it's not a car, what is it?"

"It's a machine."

"I stand corrected."

Blue Dahlia

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By Stahlkocher - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=308499

Steve McQueen's speed machine gets a muscle-y 480hp upgrade.

The Mustang Bullitt is cool. But it would be cool whether it was called the Bullitt or the 5.0 SVO or the GT Dark Green Edition. Its coolness is innate and not tied to the time Steve McQueen ripped up the streets of San Francisco in a mean green Mustang back in 1968.

Popular Mechanics

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"So, you're into classic cars."

He settled behind the wheel. The minute he turned the key the radio exploded with Marvin Gaye. Byron turned it down to a murmur before cruising through the lot.

"Sixty-five Mustang with a 289 V-8. A car like this isn't just a mode of transportation. It's a commitment."

"Really?" She liked the creamy white bucket seats, the trained-panther ride, but couldn't think of anything more impractical than owning a car older than she was. "Don't you have to spend a lot of time babying it, finding parts?''

"That's the commitment. Runs like a dream," he added with an affectionate stroke to the dash as he merged into traffic.

Holding the Dream