Single on Valentine's Day?

 

Now her eyeroll was absolutely sincere. “Cal, no woman wants to tag along 

with a couple to a dance on Valentine’s Day. It paints a big L for loser 

in the middle of her forehead, and they’re so damn hard to wash off.”

Blood Brothers

_____________________

By Banej - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20114709

 

30 fun, positive things to do if you're single on Valentine's Day

—either alone or with your Galentines—

all of which are better than an overpriced dinner.

The Oprah Magazine

Best Pressure Points to Treat Headaches

 

“Pay attention. Pay attention to the points I’m pressing. I need you to do this for me when I’m

done. Are you hearing me?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He could hear her, nagging at him, while his head fucking exploded. Like

drilling holes in the back of his neck with her fingers was going to . . .

The pain eased from hot, stabbing knives to a dull misery. 

And when she took his hand, pressing,

pressing on the web between his thumb and forefinger, 

the misery downshifted to annoying ache.

The Pagan Stone

____________________

By Jose Navarro - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonavi/37509663536/in/photolist-Z9AQ9Q-XKWMmC-oX6s8F-m5bt3s-7n4MH9-6chpd-XKWMvq-7Swvfb-9ef5n1-24GAJut-c3Gm4o-dsFSCq-ogyP8L-nX1W7y-21YTgZU-2hYy4TM-54cb7f-2hiTBHE-JQXMXq-2gTmtuG-2h5RvAM-chnocy-uh4B5-SCRAWH-4mtmNu-24mW3Eo-8gRm8b-229B8Ch-8daNqn-4FVobe-JEeqx-cmVtij-6z9EJA-poEku-q7WzHc-2nrCDM-dkH41d-2sCRX3-fobWwC-2nw2db-2syuz4-d3X8cN-8py4hy-bvFPKQ-5sSPHp-574kYr-bEsvgJ-5mtDYG-KvNaa-a51GCe, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87274666

Experiencing the pain and discomfort of a headache is incredibly common. If you’re looking for a more natural way to treat your headache, you may want to think about acupressure and pressure points.

Pressure points are parts of the body believed to be extra sensitive, able to stimulate relief in the body. Practitioners of reflexology, a discipline of Chinese medicine, believe that touching pressure points in a certain way can:

 

• improve your health
• ease pain
• restore balance in the body

healthline

Yoga vs. Gym

She opened the refrigerator, got out the water. “Either. But thanks. 

I’m going over to the gym. I want some cardio. 

I assume that’s where Quinn is?”

“Noises were made. Why don’t you stick with the Gumby routine?”

“It’s not what I’m after. Yoga relaxes me. I need to pump.”

The Pagan Stone

______________________

By Victor Tondee - https://www.flickr.com/photos/115887883@N05/16781930910, 

CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41605463

Which Is Really a Workout?

“Is yoga really a workout?” When I typed that into Google I was pretty astonished at the contrast of dead set opinions and recommendations that are floating around out there.

Huffington Post 

The secret to staying safe while hiking is preparation

“You set?”

Noah took another bite of his tractor wheel. “Yeah.”

“Let’s see.” She stood back, skimmed her measuring glance up, then down, then up

again. “How long have those boots been out of the box, ace?”

Less than an hour, Noah thought, as he’d bought them in San Francisco. “So I

haven’t been hiking in a few years. Unless we’re planning on climbing the

Matterhorn, I’m up for it. I’m in shape.”

“Health-club shape.” She pressed a finger against his flat belly. “Fancy health club,

too. This won’t be like your Stair-Master. Where’s your water bottle?”

Already irritated with her, he held out a hand, cupped it and let rain pool in his palm.

Olivia only shook her head. “Hold on a minute.” She turned on her heel and headed

back into the lodge.

“Is it just me,” Noah asked Shirley, “or does she browbeat everyone?” When the

dog merely sat, shot the doughnut a hopeful look, Noah broke what was left in half,

tossed it. Shirley caught it on the fly, gulped it whole, then belched cheerfully.

Noah was still grinning when Olivia jogged back out with a plastic water bottle and

belt loop. “You always take your own water,” Olivia began and to Noah’s surprise

began to nimbly hook the bottle to his belt.

River's End

________________

Whenever you head outdoors for an adventure, preparation is the key. Make sure you pack more than a water bottle and a snack. Whether you're planning a short nature walk or a major overnight camping trip, it's important to pack properly for outdoor excursions of any length.

Mother Nature Network

________________

Cal was waiting for her when she drove up.

He stepped out, started down the steps, the dog

wandering behind him, as she got out of the car. 

He took a scan, starting with her feet.

Good, sturdy hiking boots that showed some scars and wear, f

aded jeans, tough jacket in I’m-Not-a-Deer red, and a multistriped scarf 

that matched the cloche-style cap on her

head. Silly hat, he mused, that was unaccountably appealing on her.

In any case, he decided she knew what to wear on a hike through the winter woods.

“Do I pass muster, Sergeant?”

Blood Brothers

Life After Sexual Assault

"So I didn't say anything, because there was nothing to say and no one to say it to. He raped me twice more over the next month, before I got the nerve to run away again. Of course, they caught me. Maybe I'd wanted them to that time. I stayed in the home until I was eighteen. And when I got out, I knew no one was ever going to have that kind of control over me again. No one was ever going to make me feel like I was nothing ever again."

Unsure what to do, Colt reached up tentatively to brush a tear from her cheek. "You made your life into something, Althea."

"I made it into mine." She let out a breath, then briskly rubbed the tears from her cheeks. "I don't like to dwell on before, Colt."

"But it's there."

"It's there," she agreed. "Trying to make it go away only brings it closer to the surface. I learned that, too. Once you accept it's simply a part of what makes you what you are, it doesn't become as vital. It didn't make me hate men, it didn't make me hate myself. It did make me understand what it is to be a victim."

Nightshade 

_________________

By Jason clendenen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76284275

What It's Like to Reclaim Your Sex Life After Sexual Assault

That focus on a better future, many survivors say, is part of what helps them form bonds with potential partners with whom they can have healthy relationships—and repair their relationships with themselves. “There is hope,” says Lindsay. “The physical pain, the emotional pain—all that stuff is passing clouds. Joy is the sky. It’s always there.”

YAHOO!

_________________

He plunged his hand into her hair, got a good grip to jerk her face up to his. “Pay up,” he

demanded, then closed his mouth over hers.

There it was, she thought, outrageously grateful. There was the instant thrill, the response, 

the need. It had taken nothing from her. His body moved wet and hard 

against hers, his mouth took from hers, and there was nothing, nothing but pleasure.

“Touch me.” She demanded it, using her teeth, her nails. Nothing fragile here, 

nothing damaged or in need of tending. Touch me, she thought, take me. 

Make me feel utterly, utterly human.

The Pagan Stone

♡ Happy Valentine's Day... On Your Own ♡

“She can come, too—to the dance.”

Now her eyeroll was absolutely sincere. “Cal, no woman wants to tag along with a

couple to a dance on Valentine’s Day. It paints a big L for loser in the middle of her

forehead, and they’re so damn hard to wash off.”

Blood Brothers

__________________________

Brooke Cagle brookecagle [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

Being alone on Valentine's Day may leave you feeling like the only person without a partner. It's easy to let the media, advertising, and shopping malls make you feel like something is missing if you are not in a relationship on this particular day.

There are many reasons why you may find yourself alone on Valentine's day, both of your own choice and due to circumstances outside your control.

Very Well Mind

❄️ 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

📖 Is it July already?! 📅

“This July,” Layla finished. “Another cheery thought.”

Blood Brothers

_______________________

UNDER CURRENTS

Laura - at Fall Into The Story - published and excerpt of Nora Roberts' next stand alone. 

Go there, Read  the Excerpt and brace yourself for thoughts that July can't get here soon enough 😏

"Within the walls of a tasteful, 
perfectly kept house in 
North Carolina’s 
Blue Ridge Mountains, 
young Zane Bigelow..."

Beautiful Snowy Scenes

It sat like it belonged there, content and well-settled in the woods.

Blood Brothers

____________________

Photo by MossCreek - Browse home design photos

Photo by THV COLLECTION - Look for exterior home design inspiration

Whether the holiday season brings sunshine or rain where you live, we hope these 100 snowy scenes will bring warmth and cheer this holiday season. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy some winter armchair travel with these modern, traditional and contemporary-style exteriors shown in all their snowy splendor. 

HOUZZ

____________________

“It’s a beautiful spot, Cal.” Layla took the first out of his hands. 
“Currier and Ives for

the twenty-first century.”

Blood Brothers

The Crying Game

Tears came along with the breath, so she pressed her face to the wood.

“You want me on my knees, that’s the way to do it.” 
Rubbing his hands over his face, Brooks dug for composure.

The Witness

_________________

By RIA Novosti archive, image #346 / Ozersky / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15579375

Women’s Tears Dial Down Testosterone

Men tend to hate it when women cry — for reasons that they often have difficulty articulating. Now, new research suggests why — men may be biologically primed to react to a woman’s tears. 

TIME

_________________

Now her eyes glimmered with tears, and Fox quite simply wanted to step into the

street into the path of a passing truck.

Blood Brothers

Quoting Nora

Friendships That Have Stood the Test of Time

For old friends

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

--PROVERBS 29:18

(as in The Pagan Stone)

_________________

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

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60483362

It’s often believed that long-lasting relationships and friendships are almost impossible in Hollywood. Actors and singers have one thing in common: they’re all creative personalities, and there is always an endless struggle for popularity.
However, at Bright Side have found 11 celebrity friendships that have stood the test of time and are characterized by true devotion and sincerity.

Bright Side

_________________

“We should do this every year on our birthday,” Cal decided. “Even when we’re old.

Like thirty or something. The three of us should come here.”

“Drink beer and look at pictures of naked girls,” Fox added. “I call for—”

“Don’t.” Gage spoke sharply. “I can’t swear. I don’t know where I’m going to go, but

it’ll be somewhere else. I don’t know if I’ll ever come back.”

“Then we’ll go where you are, when we can. We’re always going to be best friends.”

Nothing would change that, Cal thought, and took his own, personal oath on it. 

Blood Brothers

🌸 Happy Mother's Day

Cal had let out his first shocked cry in the delivery room of Washington County Hospital
while his mother panted and his father wept. 

Fox had shoved his way into the world and into his laughing father’s 
waiting hands in the bedroom of the odd little farmhouse 
while Bob Dylan sang “Lay, Lady, Lay” 
on the record player, and lavender-scented candles burned. 

And Gage had struggled out of his terrified mother in an ambulance
racing up Maryland Route 65.

Blood Brothers

_________________

From silent births to delivering in a lobby, these are the most dramatic celebrity birth stories

Keep reading to find about the most unusual celebrity childbirth stories.

INSIDER

By Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA - To all the Mothers, CC BY 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24321824

The most amazing birth photos we've ever seen

Leilani Rogers is a birth photographer who loves what she does - and she has been kind enough to share some of her favourite images with us. Be prepared to have your breath taken away.

More info at http://www.photosbylei.com/

BIRTH

Touches to Feel Connected and Loved

She went to Cal first. Her long blond hair swung forward as she leaned over his chair to kiss him. “Hi.”

When she straightened, her hands stayed on his shoulders. 
Fox wasn’t sure the gesture was purely out of affection or to soothe. But he knew
 when Cal’s hand came up to cover one of hers, it meant they were united.

The Hollow

___________________

CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=103428

A touch can convey a lot more love and affection than words. 

Use these 16 non-sexual touches to feel more connected 

and loved in your relationship.

Love Panky

Mentions in Nora's Books

“I like that better. Everyone’s connected. It’s not just Kevin Bacon. 
If you work at it, you can put a handful of degrees between 
almost any two people.”

Blood Brothers 

_________

____________

"Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a parlour game based on the "six degrees of separation" concept, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. Movie buffs challenge each other to find the shortest path between an arbitrary actor and prolific actor Kevin Bacon. It rests on the assumption that anyone involved in the Hollywood film industry can be linked through their film roles to Bacon within six steps. The game requires a group of players to try to connect any such individual to Kevin Bacon as quickly as possible and in as few links as possible." in wikipedia

😊   I find this so much fun  💗

By Joan Garvin - https://www.flickr.com/photos/garvinj/126525074/, CC BY-SA 2.5, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1675539

Find the Bacon Number

The Bacon number of an actor or actress is the number of degrees of separation they have from the actor Kevin Bacon.
This is an application of the Erdős number to the Hollywood movie industry.
The higher the Bacon number, the farther away from Kevin Bacon the actor is.

SIX DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON

Doggy Sleeping

They both glanced over to where Snickers lay, snoring on his back, feet in the air.

The Liar 

___________________

By BrokenSphere (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or 

GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Sleeping Positions That Will Tell You A Lot About Your Beloved Pup

Because our pets can’t directly tell us things about them, sometimes we as pet owners have to take it upon ourselves to do some digging, while paying attention to key clues. And those clues can sometimes come from some pretty unlikely places.

Take, for instance, the position that your dog sleeps in. 

LITTLE THINGS

___________________

She glanced back to the dog who’d snored lightly the entire time they’d talked.

“See you later, Lump. Don’t work so hard.”

Blood Brothers

You’re Welcome

She dipped into the bag and pulled out a gold foiled candy box. "For Mom."

"Oh." Rachel's eyes took on the glow a woman's get when she looks at a lover—or a five-pound box of exclusive chocolates. "I think you just became my best friend."

Chuckling, Bess dug into the bags again. "Well, I know that people tend to drop by with baby gifts." She held out a box wrapped in snowy white with bright red lollipops scattered over it. "And, though I couldn't resist the tradition, I figured you deserved something really

sinful for yourself."

"I do." 

Convincing Alex

___________________

By Shinji - Amazonのギフト包装, CC BY 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48809791

11 Utterly Perfect Thank-You Gift Ideas For Every Occasion

You can never go wrong with these.

MSN

___________________

Gage considered a minute. “You guys are idiots. The appropriate Glad You Didn’t Die token is a hooker and a bottle of Jack.”

“We couldn’t find a hooker.” Fox shrugged. “Our time was limited.”

“You could give him an IOU,” Layla suggested.

Gage grinned at her. “All markers cheerfully accepted.”

The Pagan Stone