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

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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

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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

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!

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


The Collector

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

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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

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“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

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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

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

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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

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" 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

Activity That Instantly Relieves Stress

But the paintings, large and abstract, were explosions of bold and

restless color. Violent works, Kelsey thought, sated with passion and anger. And signed, she saw with a jolt, with a blood red N C.

Naomi’s work? she wondered. No one had mentioned that her mother painted. No amateurish works these, Kelsey decided, but skilled and capable and disturbing.

They should have unbalanced the steady dignity of the room, she thought as she turned away. Yet they humanized it.

True Betrayals

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By Pedro Ribeiro Simões from Lisboa, Portugal [CC BY 2.0 

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

Have you ever watched in pure wonder at artists in full creative mode? It's as though they're channeling another force through their physical body. Their eyes, while fixated on the canvas in front of them, are merely vessels for translating the energy from within into a creative format we can all digest and enjoy. It's a beautiful thing to witness and, according to science, something we should all be doing too.

MY DOMAINE

___________________

She walked to the canvas waiting on an easel, picked up her palette, and began to mix her paints.

Sun streamed through her windows. Several were open for the practical purpose of cross-ventilation, and for the simple pleasure of feeling the breeze. Music pumped passionately out of the stereo. What she intended to paint today required passion.

She could already see it in her mind, feel the power of it gathering in her like a storm.

She raised her brush, swirled it in color for the first stroke.

Her heart lifted. The magnitude of the joy was almost unbearable. She might burst from it if she didn't transfer it onto canvas.

The image was burned in her mind, like a scene etched on glass. With stroke after stroke, color blended on color, she began to bring it to life.

"You know this was always my deepest dream." She spoke conversationally as she worked. "For as long as I can remember I wanted to paint. To have the talent, the vision, the skill to be an important artist."

"Now you have it."

She switched brushes, glancing at Kane before she faced the canvas again. "Yes, I do."

Key of Light

What Your Dog Says About You

The dog tried to nose in but was elbowed back.

"You lie down, you big sloppy idiot. Not you," he added with a quick, charming grin as he brushed Malory's hair back from her face. "I'm sorry. He's harmless, just clumsy and stupid."
"What… what is it?"
"Moe's a dog, or that's the rumor. We think he's a cross between a cocker spaniel and a woolly mammoth. I'm really sorry. My fault. I wasn't paying enough attention, and he got away from me."

She slid her gaze to the right, where the dog, if it was a dog, was hunkered down, thumping a tail as thick
as her arm and looking as innocent as anything that homely could manage.

Key of Light

______________

If you are single and own a dog, your dog’s breed just may give you a boost in the dating department, according to a survey by the pet social network Klooff.

Klooff surveyed 1,000 people to find out the top 5 breeds that make single men and women more desirable to date. Read on to find out which breeds can help (and hurt) you on the dating scene.

BOSTON

___________________________

“Where’s the dog?”
“In the truck.”
She looked past him, cocked her head. She saw the pup through the window now. A Lab-retriever mix, she judged—and currently very busy.
“Your dog’s eating your truck.”
“What?” He spun around. “Fuck!”
As he made the dash, Fiona signaled her newly alerted dogs to stay and sauntered after him. The best way to get a gauge on the man, the dog and their current dynamic was to watch how he handled the situation.

The Search