Tuesday Ten - Summer Favorites

Summer is here and in full force! While there are some things that I am not crazy about (the heat for one!), there are still many things that I just love about summer time.

Top Ten Things I Love About Summer:

10: All of the summer blockbuster movies that come out (and the time to go see them!)

9. A light summer rain.

8. Time to catch up on my "to be read" pile

7. My husband wanted to ensure that I mentioned Olive Garden's annual Never Ending Pasta Bowl that will start soon. :)

6. Summer only TV shows - I love So You Think You Can Dance!

5. The nocturnal sleeping habits I so readily adapt to...I am such a night owl!

4. A viable excuse to have frozen treats. Hey, you gotta keep cool, right?! :)

3. A little break from students (and parents). I truly adore my job and am itching to get back into the swing of things by this time in the summer, but let's be honest: Summer is just as much for the teachers as it is the kids! heehee

2. Pool time!

1. Sleeping in! I truly hate alarm clocks! :)

So what about you? What are some of your favorite things of summer?

Ciao,
SB Jane

Tuesday Ten - Warm Fuzzes

I just love the 4th of July. It makes me feel so proud to be an American (where at least I know I'm free...sorry I ramble into song every now and then...just ask Vicki!). It never fails that while I'm watching those fireworks make the night sky sparkle, I am overcome with emotion. So as I sat down to write this week's Tuesday Ten, I started thinking about what other activities make me feel warm inside (a good glass of wine aside, of course!). I hope a few of them make you smile too...

10. Singing...as I said before I tend to break out in random song. I love singing and there isn't much I'd rather be doing than sitting around a couple of talented people singing in four part harmony.

9. Watching success stories on TV...I am such a sucker for the people on those reality talent shows who have come from such negative past experiences and are now showing how truly talented they are. Did you see the group of formerly homeless veterans on America's Got Talent this year? I get teary every time!

8. Cuddling up with a good book next to an open window as the rain falls steadily outside.

7. Sitting on my Aunt's deck. Everyone else has left for the night and it's just she and I, the moonlit water, and a couple of glasses of wine. Some of our best chats have happened out on that deck.

6. Making a difference in someone's life, no matter how great or small the action.

5. Watching the sunset. My personal favorite is watching it set behind mountains or the ocean. I can't help but marvel at how creative God is when I catch those perfect evenings.

4. Coming in the door and being greeted by what is arguably the cutest, most perfect dog in the world.

3. Having a student on their way to high school dedicate their final talent show performance to you because you always believed in and supported them...priceless. This is why I do what I do.

2. Once a year my mom comes to visit. It is without a doubt the week I look forward to all year, starting the moment I drop her off to fly back home. There's always once during that trip that we get into the most uncontrollable giggle-fest possible. I adore my mom and treasure the memories of us laughing until we can't breathe any more. I love you, mom. Our visit can't come soon enough!

1. Spending time with my wonderful husband and knowing he is my best friend.

What about you? What makes your heart smile? Have a great week everyone, and I'll see you next Tuesday!

SB Jane

Tuesday Ten - All About Twilight

Hey SB Jane - LKap and I wanted to welcome you to the blog for the summer series of Tuesday Ten. Just a little info about you for our readers. SB Jane teaches in a land far, far away...wait that's not right, that's sort of the beginning of Star Wars. But she is a teacher it's just the far, far away part we're not sure about. Could be SciFi, where the kids float about their chairs while she teaches through a computer monitor, or maybe it's in the Wild West with everyone sittin' around the campfire and branding cattle. A small exclusive school with the coolest and zaniest kids could be her classroom. Or it could be a normal everyday classroom where the kids use #2 pencils and have to take test and have homework. One thing we know for sure, where ever SB Jane teaches the kids are lucky to have her.

Here's SB Jane and her first Tuesday Ten:

Thanks Vicki and LKap for having me here this summer. I'm looking forward to sharing my Tuesday Ten's with you and hoping you'll share some of yours with me.

In honor of tomorrow's release of Eclipse, I had to do my first Top Ten all about the Twilight series! So without further adue...here are the Top 10 things I love about the Twilight Saga

10: The easy way to now sort your friends (Team Edward or Team Jacob?)
9: Jacob's fight for Bella's affection.

8: While we're on the subject of Jacob...oooh those ABS!!

7: The incredible job Stephenie Meyer did of drawing us into the Twilight world - how many hours of sleep did I lose because I just couldn't put it down?!

6: The Cullen family - There are so many small details I could do an entire 10 on them.

5: The scene in the first book when Edward and Bella are at dinner.

4: Alice - she is just all around adorable, incredibly stylish, and the kind of girl it would be a blast to be friends with.

3: SPOILER ALERT!!! Bella and Edward's honeymoon

2: Edward's devotion to all things Bella

1: The fact that at midnight tonight I will be watching Eclipse!! This book was my favorite of the four and I can not wait to watch it come to life on the big screen.

What's your favorite Twilight moment? I can't wait to read your comments and I'll see you next Tuesday! :)

Ciao,
SB Jane

Tuesday Ten - Favorite Lines

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite lines from my books.

1. Then it hit me.

2. A different shade of broken down everytime I see you.

3. He had one thing to decide today. Would he kill his father?

4. Talk is cheap.

5. Did daddy cut off your allowance again?

6. No problem I dress like a street walker all the time.

7. Mommy dearestw ould go all cardia arrest on us if you brought him home.

8. I. Am. A. Vampire.

9. What he needed was a flea dip and a good cut.

10. Yeah, side note here teenage witches can’t drink cola.

What about you? What are some of your favorite written lines or lines you've read in a book. If they're from a book, please tell us who wrote the book as well. Give props where due. :)


xoxoxo,
Vicki

Tuesday Ten - All About...Stuff, Just Stuff

Sorry I'm late posting today. The week is busy and it's only Tuesday. We have a new OVP starting this week, which means I'm setting her up, taking care of training, and making sure she's meeting the people she'll need to meet right off the bat.

So...in lieu of a regular post, how about a Tuesday Ten. Ten random things to share.

1. Reading a great book – you know, the one that you can’t put down even though it’s now 3:00AM and you’ve got to get ready for the day job in a few hours.

2. Before the rain – you walk outside and sniff the air. The sweat aroma of moisture tickles your senses as the clouds begin gathering from some distant place.

3. Watching the babies sleep – For me this is my dogs. After they’ve played, torn up the new toy we bought them and aggravated each other to no end. Now you watch as they curl up next to each other, the littlest ones head on the side of the other, sleeping without a care in the world.

4. Flowers on the dinning room table – the day jobs been rough, all you want is to go home and sulk. Then you walk into your house and there they are. Standing proud in your favorite vase. Greeting you with sunshine to your tired soul.

5. Surprises – You’re trying to figure out what to do with the mishmash of food you have left at the end of the week to make dinner. Standing with the freezer door open, you stare at the lone package of frozen chicken. The cool air washing over your face and still nothing comes to mind to cook. That’s when you hear his/her voice. “Honey, lets go out tonight.” The freezer door closes on its own accord and out the door you go. Fun!!!

6. The best scene in the book kind of writing – Your fingers fly across the keys, words hitting the screen so fast in front of you that you’re not truly sure if you’re doing it or some magical force is sending it through you. Gotta love those scenes. :)

7. The worst scene in the book kind of writing – You sit, stare at the blank page, and wait. Nothing. You knew the scene early in the day but didn’t have time to sit down. Now it’s become pulling words from your muse who’s decided she no longer likes this scene. (had to throw that one in since I had the best scene, they usually go hand in hand)

8. Birthdays – You either love them or hate them. Me, I love them. I figured out a long time ago that I couldn’t stop them. Besides the alternative is not so great. I celebrate them to the fullest. It may be simple or it may be huge but celebrate them nonetheless.

9. Spring cleaning – the time to throw away or give away the stuff you really don’t need. It’s also the time you revisit old memories as you open that box sitting in the back of the closest. The pictures you’ve not looked at in forever quickly take you back to the moment in time when they were taken. A part of your life frozen to remember with joy.

10. Sunrise, Sunsets, and Moonrises – Any of these works for me. The crisp morning air as the sun begins to peak its sleepy head, the late afternoon sun dipping off the horizon its warmth tucking away for the night, or the moon, bold and bright, shinning the way across the waters a beacon of light brighten the path for ships and giving the outer edges of the sea its nightglow for the rest of us.

There you have it. Ten things I like. What about you? Is there anything on the list above you like or how about something that's not there, but it's your favorite. And what about that picture? I love this artist work. It always makes me smile.

WW's and PD's,
Vicki

Tuesday Ten - Favorite TV Shows

1. America's Got Talent

2. American Idol

3. I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here (sort ashamed to admit that one)

4. TMZ

5. Corner Gas (WGN, Canadian show)

6. History Channel

7. DIY (Should be number one)

8. HGTV

9. Ruby and The Rockets

10. Shark (just watched it last night for the first time and loved it), so maybe I should add How It's Made. I love seeing how things are made. It must be my inner geek coming out.

We TIVO much of our programs, it makes it much easier to fast forward when it's boring and through commericals. And as you can see from the list, they're all pretty much easy watching.

What about you? What's some of your favorite shows on TV? Or do you watch TV? Do you watch them live or record them for later?

xoxoxo,
Vicki

So you remember when we were doing the Thursday Thirteen? Well, I decided (much to my daughter’s request) to do a Tuesday Ten. Besides ten things must be easier to come up with than thirteen, right?

Tuesday Ten


Favorite Moments - In no particular order:

1. Walking in the front door of our new home with Science Guy. – It was surreal to look around and know this was our house after the countless houses we’d looked at.

2. Becoming pet parents to Meisha and Sassy. – I picked up Meisha the day before we picked up Sassy. They were both so tiny, just two pounds. They immediately became the closes of sisters, even though they’re not the same breed.

3. My mom’s 70th birthday weekend. – Spending time with family and friends was wonderful. Watching my mom and dad dancing along with aunts, uncles, and cousins (who we never see), was cool. My sister went above and beyond with this party. She did almost all the work and it rocked.

4. Typing ‘The End’ to a manuscript. – The relief, joy, fear, omg now it’s time to major edit, I’m sort of sick of this book, I did it again, and I really love this book, all rolled into one is amazing.

5. Going to Niagara Falls with Science Guy – We had a blast and it was beautiful. Freezing cold, but beautiful. And of course, sharing it with him is the best.

6. Painting pottery for outside plants – I haven’t done this in a couple of years, but plan to do some for our new home. I love to paint, love how relaxed it makes me, and how the time flies by.

7. Sitting in the backyard with Science Guy, the chairs leaned back, watching the night sky for shooting stars. – Talking is optional during these times. It’s an amazing thing to be able to be with someone when words aren’t necessary and yet you can talk about anything at the same time.

8. Having my son move in with us. – I know, some of you may be saying, What, are you crazy? No, I’m not. We didn’t get to spend a lot of time together for the past 6 years, so having him around now is great.

9. Watching sunsets or sunrises on the beach. – I love the sound of the water and colors of the sky as our part of the world slowly open its eyes, or snuggles in and closes them for the night. Also, I have to add here, taking beach walks with my sister whenever we go to visit.

10. Visiting with my daughter – She lives way too far away which makes the in person time usually once a year. But the week I go to visit is always packed with love, laughter, and a little arguing (I did raise her to be her own thinker, and she’s Italian on her dad’s side, and French and Irish on my side). Some of the best moments are when we start giggling for no apparent reason and can’t stop.

What about you? What are some of your favorite moments?

xoxoxo,
Vicki