" Knowledge isn't just a defense. Knowledge is power."

 

"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?

 

 

 

Key of Knowledge

________________________

Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Bites Of Nourishing Trivia

MSN

Words Dogs Love to Hear the Most

 

"Hey, Moe!" Dana shouted. "Cookie!"

That did the trick.

Key of Light

___________________

MichaelMcPhee, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Hint: you already say them all the time.

 

Oh, the things dog parents do to elicit a tail wag!  

Southern Living

This was private, fun and different 💍

 

"Fine. Here and now, then." He picked up his pants, dug the jeweler's box out of the pocket. He held it out to her, flipped up the lid with his thumb.

"Oh, my Jesus Christ," she said and sat down heavily on the lid of the toilet.

"Yeah, that's romance."

Key of Knowledge

_____________

Juliescribbles, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Jodie Kidd has divulged that she was in the bath when her fiancé Joseph Bates popped the question in Paris. 

 The former model, 43, revealed details of last November's proposal and described it as 'private, fun and different.' 

DAILYMAIL

_____________

She grabbed Dana's hand again to admire the ruby. "It's gorgeous. So perfect for you."

"So's he. Wait until I tell you how he asked me."

“I can top it," Malory claimed.

"Were you naked?"

"No."

Dana licked a finger, swiped it down an imaginary Scoreboard. "I win."

Key of Knowledge

📖 New Book 🔑

 

Dear husband is starting a new book today; series in fact - The Key Trilogy.

And we've just shared a laugh when I told him (again 😉) that it is one of my favorite. It is. And I know it will be his too.

Quoting Nora

Still not sure what to feel about Hideaway? Relax...

...Netflix got you covered:

I watched NETFLIX Sweet Magnolias'1st Season and enjoyed it so much.

It reminds me of Nora's KEY TRILOGY (which is A Favourite💓) 

and the standalone THE LIAR (which doesn't make, for me, the top 50 💔, 

but might return to it now and give it another chance). ~

I even "found" some CiCi  (from SHELTER in PLACE) vibes.

Give it a try if you can 💙

Quoting Nora

❄️ Stay Warm 🌨️ Stay Safe 🧤

"Getting cold."

"Maybe it'll snow. Maybe it'll snow six feet and there won't be any school."

"We can always dream." He picked up the ball and winged it in a way Simon desperately admired.

"If it snows six feet, can you stay home from work?"

"If it snows six feet, I'll make a point of staying home from work."

"And we can have hot chocolate and play ten million video games."

"That's a deal."

Key of Valor

______________________

You can thank the polar vortex for this beastly blast of winter

Dangerously cold temperatures will hit much of the Midwest and bring a deep freeze to parts of the U.S. — and the weather term we can't stop talking about is to blame. Raise your snow shovel to the polar vortex.

The National Weather Service warned that wind chills will drop to their lowest readings since the mid-1990s across the Upper Midwest.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa, said “this is the coldest air many of us will have ever experienced”

mother nature network

______________________

“How much are they calling for?”

“About three feet.” Cal dropped down beside him, mirrored his pose. “Used to be we liked nothing better. No school, haul out the sleds. Snowball wars.”

“Those were the days, my friend.”

“Now we’re priming the generator, loading in firewood, buying extra batteries and toilet paper.”

“Sucks to be grown up.”

Blood Brothers

Holding a grudge can be surprisingly healthy

"Will I have tea?"

She slanted him a look, and a smile. "I suppose."

"There, I told you." He gave her hand a little squeeze. 

"You don't know how to hold a grudge."

"I just need practice," she said and made him laugh.

Enchanted

_______________________

By Graham Crumb/Imagicity.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25283824

Self-reflection is just one of 4 ways it can be good for you.

You hear a lot of talk about how to let go of grudges — how to forgive and forget using a psychological technique or a spiritual process.

And I get it; I've been actively working on letting go of those frustrations in life that are ultimately unimportant or out of my control.

But sometimes holding on is healthy, too.

mother nature network

_______________________

Sensing movement in the doorway behind her, she stiffened. 

"And unlike some, I keep my promises."

"And hold a grudge with equal fervor," 

Jordan commented.

Key of Light

Find Your Spirit Colors

"This is the color?" Jordan rubbed his chin as he studied her list. "Island? What

kind of color is Island?"

"Greeny blue. Sort of." She handed over the paint chip. "See? What's wrong with

it?"

"I didn't say anything was wrong with it. It's just not something that makes me

think bookstore."

"It's not just a bookstore, it's ... Damn it." She held the sample up, she held it

down. She crossed her eyes and still couldn't envision it on the walls of her space.

"Malory picked it out. I was going to go with this off-white, and she and Zoe

jumped all over me."

"White always works."

She hissed out a breath. "See, they said I was thinking like a man. Men won't pick

color. They're scared of color."

"We are not."

"What color's your living room in New York?"

He shot her a bland look. "That's entirely beside the point."

Key of Knowledge

_________________________

Photo by Peruri Design Company - More living room photos

Dressing your home in colors that embody your personality calls for reflection, inspiration and a readiness for risks

HOUZZ

Should you ever get back together with an ex?

"He loves me." When Dana's eyes filled, Malory whipped the kerchief

off her head and rushed over to offer it. "Thanks. He said things to me he didn't

say before. Couldn't say, or wouldn't. I don't guess it matters.

He wasn't ready, and if I'm going to be honest about it, we weren't ready. I loved him, but that wasn't enough 

to let me see what he was going through, what he

needed. What I needed, for that matter. It was blinding, so all I could see was 'I

want Jordan.' Period. I never thought about what we'd do together, or be together,

what either of us needed to do separately to make it strong. It was all just right that

minute."

"You were young, and in love." Malory took the kerchief back and dried her own

eyes.

"Yeah, I was. I loved him with everything I had. But I have more now. And it's so

amazing, really, to be able to take one step back and look at the man he is, the man

he's made of himself and realize he's more. To know it was worth the wait."

Key of Knowledge

____________________

By Sweet Ice Cream Photography sweeticecreamphotography - 

https://unsplash.com/photos/pWxbyRM4ARU, CC0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61707742

So what happens if you go through a breakup, you date a bunch and you wind up feeling emptier than ever? What happens if you think someone you left years before is actually the person you’re supposed to be with? Honestly, that might happen. There’s something about our early, formative relationships — something that’s hard to forget. 

YAHOO!

____________________

“Second chances are scarier than first chances, because the second time you know how much you’re risking.”


The Collector

Jewelry

“Earrings are like orgasms. You can never have too many."
"I never thought about it quite that way."
"Well, you're a man." She gave his knee a friendly pat.

Daring to Dream

__________________

By Jamie - Candy Corn Earrings and Bright Red Hair, CC BY-SA 2.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57818107

Pieces of Jewelry Every Woman Should Have

LIFEHACK

__________________

Should she go with
the big silver hoops, sort of carefree sexy, or the little marcasite drops she'd
splurged on last summer, more demure and sophisticated?
These were the details that set the tone for a woman's mood, her outlook, her
intentions for an event. 
A man might miss them, she thought as she held one of
each pair up to her ears, but a woman knew why she was wearing a particular pair
of earrings.

Key of Valor

Enchanted By Fairytale Castle As A Child Buys It 20 Years Later

"Where one goddess walks, another waits, and dreams are only memories yet to come."

Key of Knowledge

_______________________

By HARTLEPOOLMARINA2014 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36230768

Everyone remembers somewhere they hung out as a kid, whether a favourite park or a cafe where you'd all lounge about all day, pretending to be the cast of Friends.

Well, it seems that this doctor had a retreat of his own - as a schoolboy, he would play around this fairytale castle's six-mile walls and ultimately fell under its spell.

LAD BIBLE

_______________________

And he saw the woman standing on the parapet under a gleaming moon with her dark cloak billowing in the wind.

"It was you. All those years ago, I saw you."

"I saw you." She touched a hand, very gently, to his cheek. "A young, handsome boy, so troubled, so full of thoughts. I wondered when you'd remember me."

"Why did I see you? Why didn't they?"

"They didn't need to." 

Key of Knowledge

How to Survive Mother’s Day Without Your Mother

He'd had the marker replaced a few years before with smooth white granite. She'd

have considered that a foolish expense, but he'd needed to do something.

It held her name. Susan Lee Hawke. And the span of her life, that short forty-six

years. Beneath, in script, was the line he'd paraphrased from Emily Dickinson.

Hope perches in the soul

She'd never lost hope. She'd lived her life believing in the power of hope, and

faith, leavened with good, hard work. Even when the sickness had eaten away her

beauty, had whittled her down to brittle bones she'd had hope.

For him, Jordan thought now. She'd had hope for him, believed in him, and had

loved him without qualification.

He crouched down to lay the flowers on her grave.

"I miss you, Mom. I miss talking to you, and hearing you laugh. I miss seeing that

look in your eye that told me I was in trouble. And even when I was, you were

there for me. You were always there for me."

Key of Knowledge

_____________

By Lupus in Saxonia - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50750390

Remember that mother-child relationships are complicated—and any way you feel about the day is totally appropriate

_____________

He closed his eyes a moment. "It hurts to be here. I guess it's supposed to." He

touched his fingers to his lips, then pressed his fingers to the stone. "I love you. I'll

come back."

Key of Knowledge

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.

ManTelligence

Valentine’s Day Wedding?

"Valentine's Day." 

"What?" 

There was something wonderful about watching her big blue eyes go blank.

"February fourteenth." Inspired now, he grabbed her hand, kissed it. "Marry me, Malory. Be my valentine."

"Valentine's Day." 

Everything inside Malory melted. 

"Oh, that's so perfect. That's so beautiful. Yes!" 

She scooted around in her chair to throw her arms around his neck. 

"And you'll never have any excuse to forget our anniversary." 

"Always a catch."

Key of Valor

___________________

By Gary Bridgman - Own work, CC BY 2.5, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2096996

Should You Have a Valentine’s Day Wedding? 

Valentine’s Day is one of the most romantic days of the year. It only makes sense to make it your official wedding date!

However, just like with any holiday wedding there are some serious caveats to a Valentine’s Day wedding. Before you make the official decision, weigh the pros and cons.

MY WEDDING FAVORS

___________________

“I need to know if you’ll marry me.”

The conversations around them stopped. For several long seconds there was no sound as he stared at her. “Okay. Now?”

“Fox.”

“Because I was thinking more like February. You know what a crappy month February is? Why

shouldn’t there be something really great to look forward to in the mostly crappy month of February?” 

He took a slug of his Coke, then set it down as she stared back at him. 

“Plus, it was February when I saw you for the first time. But not Valentine’s Day because, you know, complete cliché and way too traditional.”

The Pagan Stone

Host a DIY Spa Party

Zoe rubbed the exfoliating cream over Dana's calf and grinned as her friend let out a long, heartfelt moan. 

"I really appreciate the two of you giving up your Sunday afternoon to be my guinea pigs." 

This time Dana grunted. 

Malory sat on a stool in the treatment room and rubbed her fingers over her newly scrubbed and polished skin. 

"I can't get over how good it feels." 

"I wasn't worried about the results—these products are great. But I want to be sure the whole experience works." 

"Works for me," said Dana's slurred and muffled voice. 

Key of Valor

____________________

It's time to treat yourself and pamper your favorite pals.

Host a DIY spa party and get ready to relax.

We've got light snacks, fun projects, and easy ideas for the most aaah-inducing party you've ever thrown.

BETTER HOMES & GARDENS

____________________

Zoe glanced around, scanning the shelves of products, the glowing candles, the neat stack of mint-green towels on the counter, the clear crystal she'd hung from the ceiling over the padded table. 

It was, she thought, exactly right. 

"Of course, when we're doing this for real there won't be three people in here talking. You want us to be quiet, Dana?" 

"You don't even exist in my little world." 

Key of Valor

Host a Friendsgiving to Remember ♥

"I wondered if you'd like it if we, all seven of us, had Thanksgiving together at your house. Malory's dining room isn't ready yet, and yours is bigger anyway. I could handle the cooking, and-"

"Yes." He reached over, touched a hand to hers. "I'd like that very much. If you're handling the cooking, I'll take the gathering. Make me a shopping list."

"That'll help. There's not much time."

He looked at her, understanding perfectly. "There's time enough."

Key of Valor

__________________

Giving thanks with friends is an excellent way to celebrate the holiday season. BETTER HOMES & GARDENS

__________________

"So I'm going to make Thanksgiving dinner, a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. 
Because I do belong. 
I do belong with all of you, and I'm thankful for it."

Key of Valor

Fashionable Masterpieces

"I spent a lot of time studying that face. Then you walked into the room that day,

and I was staggered. She woke up, and she walked out of the painting, and there she is."

"But it isn't me in the painting."

"Ssh. I couldn't think."

Key of Valor

_________________

Artistic Masterpieces Behind Modern Fashion

MY MODERN MET

How To Decorate With Your S.O. & Not Go Insane

So they would enjoy each other, and the meal she'd prepared in the awkward, homely kitchen with fresh flowers arranged in a plastic pitcher.

As beginnings went, this one had elements of both of them. Wasn't it interesting how one managed to complement the other?

"You know, if you made me a list of stuff I should have in here, I could pick it up."

She arched her brows, took the wine he offered, then pulled a little notepad out of her apron pocket.

"This is already half full. I was planning to wait until you were lulled into complacency by meat and potatoes."

He flipped through the notebook and noted that items were listed under specific headings. Foodstuffs, Cleaning Supplies—with subheadings Kitchen, Bathroom, Laundry—Household Necessities. Jesus, the woman was irresistible.

"Am I going to need to take out a loan?"

“Think of it as an investment." Taking the notebook from him, she tucked it into his shirt pocket, then concentrated on the potatoes. "Oh, by the way, I really like the art in your office upstairs."

"Art?" It took him a minute. "Oh, my girls. Really?"

"Clever, nostalgic, sexy, stylish. It's a great room altogether, which I admit was something of a relief to me, considering the rest of the house."

Key of Light

_____________________

By Daniel G. Wells III - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46112112

Moving in together is a big step — decorating should not be taken lightly. 

Deciding to move in with your S.O. is a big step. But, not just for the reasons you may think. 

What we really care about is how to seamlessly decorate with your S.O. Do you throw out your stuff in lieu of all new décor? Do you deal with his or her penchant for dusty collectables? 

Well, we tapped Oakland-based jewelry designer Marisa Mason and husband and furniture designer Dave Bell of Jacob May Design to get the scoop

LONNY

_____________________

" It's a kitchen. An actual kitchen."

He was getting it now, and the charge of watching her revel. She'd switched from the rhumba to... he wasn't sure 'what. But she looked really cute. "What was it before?"

"There is no name for what it was before. I'm so happy. I'm so grateful. You're the most wonderful man in the world." She caught his face in her hands and kissed him. "And I'm a terrible person."

"Why? Not the 'I'm wonderful' part, because, hey. But why are you a terrible person?"

"Because I wouldn't move in with you before you did this. I made the kitchen a kind of exchange. Remodel the kitchen and I'll live with you. It was selfish. It worked," she added, raining kisses over his face. "But it was selfish. You're doing this for me. I know I said I wouldn't move in until it was finished, and I even made snarky comments about the lamps up in the bedroom."

"Something about not being fit to light a cave inhabited by bats and blind spiders."

"Yes, that was one of them. Anyway, forgive me?"

"Okay."

"I know it's not quite finished. There's still the counters and the backsplash and, oh, a few more things, but I don't want to wait anymore. I'll move in tomorrow, and we can start, officially, living together."

Key of Knowledge