What We've Learned From Mom About Home

He passed through the dining room where, naturally, the table was already set. She’d used festive
plates, which meant she wasn’t going for elegant or drop-in casual. Tented linen napkins, tea lights in cobalt rounds, inside a centerpiece of winter berries.


Even during the worst time, even during the Seven, he could come here and there would be fresh
flowers artfully arranged, furniture free of dust and gleaming with polish, and intriguing little soaps in the dish in the downstairs powder room.

Even hell didn’t cause Frannie Hawkins to break stride.

Maybe, Cal thought as he wandered into the living room, that was part of the reason—even the
most important reason—he got through it himself. Because whatever else happened, his mother would  be maintaining her own brand of order and sanity.

Blood Brothers

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Houzzers recall the special traits, insights and habits of their mothers

 

What makes a house, a home? For many of us, our mother is intrinsically part of the answer. Whether it's the smell of lemon furniture polish when we walk through the door, new curtains in the kitchen for every season, crisp and clean laundry hanging on the clothesline, steaming food sitting on the kitchen table or simply the presence of loved ones, Mom is usually responsible for what we equate with "home." 

HOUZZ

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It was the same, Seth thought. It didn't matter what color the walls were painted or if the old sofa had been replaced, if a new lamp stood on the table. It was the same because it felt the same.
The dog snaked around his legs and made a beeline for the kitchen.
"I want you to sit down." She nodded to the kitchen table, under which Witless was sprawled, happily gnawing on a hunk of rope.

Chesapeake Blue

what your laugh says about you

Yet… she sighed when Shelby laughed that smoky careless laugh as she drew out various members of the group she'd joined. Yet Shelby was so vital, so bright. Perhaps she was worrying over nothing. Happiness was a very personal thing.

Alan watched the woman with flaming hair who was dressed like a wealthy Gypsy. He could hear her laugh float across the room, at once sensuous and innocent. 

All the Possibilities

MacGregors - Alan & Shelby

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Your laugh says more about you than you realise, 

body language expert Judi James reveals

 

 

 

We all have our own way of laughing and it seems it could say a lot more about us than we think.

New research into whether you giggle, wheeze or gulp when you laugh has been revealed as one of the best ways to tell what someone is really thinking.

 

YAHOO!

 

 

 

cinco de mayo

"… Oh. Cinco de Mayo. It's nearly the fifth of May.  Big family deal—you remember, you've come before."
"Biggest blast-out party of the year."

Bed of Roses

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Source: bhg.com via Teresa on Pinterest

If you are throwing a party or curious of what to eat on Cinco de Mayo, Better Homes and Gardens has an amazing Pinterest Board dedicated exclusively to this.

Source: bhg.com via Teresa on Pinterest

PINTEREST - BH&G - CINCO DE MAYO

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The Mexican and American Flags flew their proud colors as Emma’s Mexican mother and Yankee father combined cultures to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Every year the expansive grounds offered games, from lawn bowling and badminton to moon bounces and waterslides. Friends, relatives, and neighbors played and competed while others crowded at picnic tables, diving into platters of pork and chicken, warm tortillas, bowls of red beans or chilis, guacamole or salsa hot enough to scorch the throat.

There were gallons of lemonade, Negra Modelo, Corona, tequila, and frosty margaritas to put out the fire.

Whenever he’d managed to drop by on the fifth of May, Jack had always been amazed at the number of people the Grants managed to feed. And the choices of fajitas and burgers, black beans and rice or potato salad. Flan or apple pie.

He supposed the food was just a symbol of how completely Phillip and Lucia blended.

Bed of Roses

more guys than gals fall in Love at first sight

Then he shifted his gaze until it met hers. 

The tightening in his gut was unexpected-it was raw and purely sexual. 

The one fleeting instant when his mind was wiped clean as glass was more than unexpected. 

It was unprecedented. 

Power slapped against power. She took a step toward him. 

He let out the breath he'd just realized he was holding.

Nightshade

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When it comes to falling in love, a lot of guys fall hard: According to a new study of over 10,000 people, 48 percent of men say they've fallen in love at first sight, while only 28 percent of women said the same.

So are guys just more romantic than we are? I'm not so sure.

Maybe men are simply more apt to feel those fluttery butterflies right away because guys are more visual creatures while women typically take some time to get warmed up.

SHINE