This week’s topic is in direct response to my current situation. I’m looking for things to make me happy and so our list today is 10 Ways to Lighten Your Mood.

1. Watch a funny movie. One of my favorites is Young Frankenstein – it always makes me laugh. You could also watch a sitcom or two. Reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond are great and Modern Family (which one a bunch of emmy awards, yay for them!) is my new favorite.
2. Spend time participating in your favorite hobby. In my case that’s knitting mostly but I also indulge in photography and spinning. A hobby makes for a great distraction when you’re feeling blue.
3. Talk to a friend. I received an amazingly well-timed phone call from The Knitigator Sunday night and it really helped a lot.
4. Email a friend. It’s almost as good as a phone call and it really helps.
5. Volunteer. Nothing like seeing those less fortunate to help you put things in perspective.
6. Go for a walk. Okay, I probably won’t do this but I’m told that exercise is a great mood elevator.
7. Go for a bike ride. This is more likely to happen and since riding my bike always make me feel like a kid, well, you can’t beat that for lightening the mood.
8. Eat something delicious. I try hard not to comfort myself with food (okay, I fail but I try) but sometimes a bowl of ice cream or some mashed potatoes and gravy is just the thing.
9. Tackle a project. Paint a room or organize a closet or weed the garden. Throwing yourself into mindless work is bound to make you feel better.
10. Just let it out. Sometimes a good cry is the best thing in the world. Ask me how I know!

The topic for this week is a timely one and inspired by the Hannah’s upcoming departure for college. That’s right, my friends, my baby girl is leaving the next on Sunday. I’m holding it together okay but we’ll see how I do when the moment actually arrives. In the meantime, let’s discuss 10 Things You Wish You Had Known When You Started College.

I wish I had known:

1. That you don’t have to be best friends with your roommate. I tried and I failed at it. It’s good to be friendly but it’s not necessary to be friends.
2. That it’s okay to eat a meal by yourself. I was completely paranoid about entering the dining room and having no one to sit with while I ate. At this time in my life that sounds great!
3. That being homesick isn’t the end of the world. I got over it in a relatively short time but those first few weeks were incredibly lonely for me.
4. How to relax and enjoy myself more. I had a wonderful college experience but I was pretty uptight about a lot of stuff back then.
5. That it’s okay to change your mind. Drop a class. Change your major. Reinvent yourself. This is the time to experiment.
6. How to live on a budget. I did pretty well with this but mostly because I got lucky. It’s a really important lesson.
7. That the stuff that’s stressing you out or bothering you or seems like a huge deal just – isn’t that important. Let it go, it will be fine.
8. That not having your driver’s license doesn’t make you a loser. I didn’t get mine until after graduation and I turned out just fine. Sometimes it’s better to wait.
9. That the friends you make now will be your friends for life. I got lucky with this one, too, and came out of my college years with 2 wonderful friends that I still have today. This means you need to pick your friends wisely.
10. That reaching out is better than sitting in your room alone. Being vulnerable is a gift.

I am going to make Hannah read all these lists today. I bet we will both learn a lot.

This week’s topic is near and dear to my heart. 10 Reasons to Love Bacon. And really, who doesn’t love bacon? Frankly, I’ll tell you who – Hannah. Can you believe it? So today’s post is all about great ways to eat bacon in the hopes that it will change my baby girl’s mind.

1. Bacon and eggs. The original and why mess with it?
2. Bacon Jalapeno thingies. They disappear faster than I can make them.
3. Scallops wrapped in bacon. This hors d’oeuvres was an essential back in the 80s when I worked for a chi-chi caterer.
4. Pasta Carbonara. Basically it’s bacon and eggs with pasta. Mmmm.
5. Bacon Cheeseburgers. Dale likes his without the cheese. Go figure.
6. Bacon and Chocolate. You think I’m kidding? Try a Mo’s Bacon Bar and you will see the beauty of this combination.
7. Hot bacon dressing. Pour it over a spinach salad and bacon is almost healthy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
8. Bacon dip. There are many variations of this but I like mine with ranch dressing and cream cheese.
9. Bacon wrapped venison bites. These are a special treat around here at Christmas time. So delicious and tender.
10. Finally, a BLT Sandwich. Turkey club sandwich. Cheeseburger club sandwich. There are so many variations on this theme for a very good reason. It’s simple and delicious.

Let’s all go have some bacon!

I know we just did 10 Things to Bring on a Camping Trip and some might say that this week’s topic, 10 Things To Bring on Vacation, is similar but this is the chance for all those people who didn’t want to go camping to write a vacation list. Here we go:

10 Things To Bring on Vacation

1. Beach Stuff. I like to vacation at the beach so that means I need a bathing suit and sunscreen and a beach towel and a comfortable chair.
2. Knitting. I can’t leave the house to go anywhere without my knitting so of course I bring it on vacation.
3. Spinning Wheel. This is a toss up. I usually bring my wheel and it usually sits in the corner of the living room of the beach house. But I feel better knowing it’s there – just in case I want to spin.
4. Camera. You have to be able to capture all those great vacation moments!
5. iPhone. There’s no internet at the beach house we rent so the iPhone is a must. I try not to check my email but I usually can’t help myself.
6. Dog and Cat. One of the main reasons we love the house we rent is because we get to bring Mason and Dixie. I can’t imagine leaving them for a week!
7. Games. We really try to keep the TV watching to a minimum so games are a must. A great family game is Apples to Apples.
8. Kindle. Load it up with books and it’s ready for a week or more.
9. Booze. Seriously, a martini on the deck after a day at the beach – it doesn’t get better than that.
10. Yummy Food. We like to eat out some and eat in some so when we do eat in we treat ourselves to things like steamers and lobster, steak, special hors d’oeuvres and other yummy stuff.  No dieting on vacation!

Writing this list has really made me excited about my upcoming vacation. 12 more sleeps!

Sometimes I watch too much TV. Now granted, it’s very rare that I’m just watching TV as I’m usually also knitting or spinning or flipping through a magazine. But still. It’s a lot of TV at times. And I bet those of you with kids at home for the summer are getting tired of the TV being on all day.  I’m hoping we will all be inspired by this week’s topic: 10 Things to Do Instead of Watching TV.

1. Knit something complicated. Sock knitting is perfect for watching TV but shawl knitting or a complex cabled sweater pattern or some color work would be entertaining enough without the TV on as background noise.
2. Read a book. Duh.
3. Go outside and water the plants. Or pull some weeds. Or sit on the deck. Just go outside!
4. Go for a bike ride. Dale just got a snazzy new bike (pictures coming soon) and he’s chomping at the bit for me to ride with him.
5. Bake. Sure, it’s hot this time of year but some home baked goodies would be a welcome treat. And it takes less than an hour to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
6. Play a game. We always do this on vacation but we should really do it more at home, too. Cards, Apples to Apples, Catch Phrase are just some of our favorites.
7. Grab your camera and take some photos. You never know what will inspire you once you have the camera in your hand.
8. Go to the library. This goes hand in hand with #2 but there may be things going on at your library like lectures and book clubs and special events. Take advantage of this stuff because it’s free!
9. Write. It can be a diary entry or a blog post or a letter or a list but whatever it is, writing is good for your brain.
10. Participate in an adult activity with your partner. Yeah, that one. Doing it yourself is way better than watching other people do it on TV.

So let’s turn off those TVs and have some fun!

We spent some time hanging around a campground last weekend and hope to do it again this weekend. Hence, the inspiration for this week’s topic: 10 Things To Bring On A Camping Trip.

1. A tent. Or shelter of some sort. We used to have a camper but those days are over, at least for now.
2. Bedding. We have a self-inflating mattress that’s pretty comfortable once you throw some padding (i.e. sleeping bags) on top of it.
3. Your bathing suit. I have no interest in camping somewhere if there isn’t a body of water.
4. A fishing rod. See #3.
5. Beer. Duh.
6. Food. This should include things you made ahead of time at home, like potato salad or macaroni salad. It is also imperative that there be hot dogs and the ingredients for s’mores.
7. Games. We’re big on cards but other games like Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples are fun,too.
8. Books. My Kindle is perfect for camping – I never have to worry about not having something to read.
9. Knitting, spinning or other craft projects. I think this is pretty self-explanatory.
10. Your sense of adventure! Camping is fun and relaxing – so long as you go with the flow.

I can’t wait to go camping again!

The topic for this week’s Ten on Tuesday is 10 Things You Like About Where You Live. I think this is a pretty broad topic and I am looking forward to reading all the posts – and we do have a lot of posts coming in each week. Thanks to all who are participating! Here’s my list:

1. I like that the seasons change. As much as I love summer, I enjoy the cool days of fall and the warming days of spring. I’m not so crazy about winter, and certainly wish it were a much shorter season, but I think I might even miss that if I didn’t live somewhere with 4 distinct seasons.
2. I like that I am close to Plymouth.
3. And Cape Cod.
4. And Boston. I’ve got history and beaches and a city all within 30 minutes from home.
5. I like that Massachusetts is a socially liberal state. I fit in well and I’m proud of my state for leading the charge on so many social issues.
6. I like my small town. We don’t have a grocery store but we do have a lovely New England style town common, a pretty library, and a great group of residents.
7. I  like that I can drive to visit many of my fiber-y friends. There are a lot of us in this area and I’m so grateful for that.
8. I like my house and my neighborhood. We have family close by and that’s important to me.
9. I like that every town in Massachusetts has it’s own public library. I know this isn’t the case in many places but here in New England it’s a big deal.
10. I like that I have always lived here. I’m proud to be from Massachusetts – it’s a great place to live!

Don’t forget to add your link below. And please feel free to offer suggestions for future Ten on Tuesday topics.

This week is the first full week of July and it’s officially summer here in Massachusetts. It’s hot, it’s humid and it’s glorious! I think it’s a great opportunity to talk about 10 Ways to Celebrate Summer.

1. Go to the beach. Duh.
2. Go to a fair and go on some rides. Hannah may be off this for a while since she threw up last week after going on a few too many rides.
3. Eat summertime foods like lobster and corn.
4. Relax outside. My deck is my favorite spot to be this time of year, especially in the late afternoon when the sun has gone down but the mosquitoes haven’t come out yet.
5. Go to a cook out. Burgers with all the fixins and hot dogs with mustard and relish are a great way to enjoy a summer day.
6. Go to a ball game. We are cheap and go to the local Rox but Hannah went to her first Red Sox game last weekend and she may never settle for the Rox again.
7. Sleep late. No one has to get up for school and that means I get to sleep past 5 am on the week days. Hooray!
8. Ride around in a convertible. My Jeep is great this time of year. I take the roof down and the doors off and ride around with the wind in my hair. I love it!
9. Get an ice cream. An ice cream cone on a hot summer night brings back such memories of my childhood.
10. Run through the sprinkler. I haven’t done this since I was a kid and I’m not even sure if we have a sprinkler but I’m going to check and if we do – I’m running through it.

You all know that I love summer so you can bet that I will be celebrating hard for the next 8 weeks!

A mojito goes nicely with this week’s topic . . .

The topic for this week’s Ten on Tuesday came from my dear friend The Knitigator. It’s quite appropriate as our summer reading program starts at the library this week, too. Here we go with 10 Books on Your Summer Reading List.

1. The Girl Who Play With Fire by Stieg Larsson. Having just finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I’m anxious to read the 2nd novel in the series.
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson. I’m sure I’ll want to read this as soon as I finish with #1.
3. The Things That Matter: What 7 Classic Novels Have to Say About the Stages of Life by Edward Mendelson. I read about this on my book lover’s Page-a-Day calendar and I’m intrigued.
4. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich. There’s nothing quite like reading a Stephanie Plum book while on vacation.
5. A Touch of Dead: Sookie Stackhouse, the Complete Stories by Charlaine Harris. I just can’t get enough of Sookie.
6. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. Dale read the Abraham Lincoln one and said it was pretty good and I think it’s high time I read this version of my favorite novel.
7. Women, Food and God by Geneen Roth. This one is on my nigh stand right now. I’ll admit I’m a bit afraid to read it.
8. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Because it’s been 50 years since it was published and it’s a book that can be read over and over again.
9. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. I read about this one when I was skimming some book reviews and I think the idea behind it – the main character can literally taste the emotions of whoever prepares her food – is really interesting.
10. Innocent by Scott Turow. Summer is a great time for a legal thriller.

I am looking forward to reading everyone else’s lists – I’m always looking for something good to read! Don’t forget to add your link below.

Our kids are visiting from Florida this week and Ambrynn (if you can believe it) is now 5 years old. Hence the inspiration for this week’s theme: 10 Ways to Entertain a Child.

1. Read a story together. I wouldn’t be much of a librarian if this wasn’t first on my list.
2. Cook something. This is not that easy for me as I prefer to be alone in the kitchen but it can be fun to cook or bake together.
3. Play a game. You could play a board game or make up a game – either way this is sure to be entertaining.
4. Go to the beach. Lots of stuff to do while at the beach!
5. Go to the zoo. We did this last year when the kids visited and we all had a great time.
6. Do something crafty together. A little knitting, crocheting or sewing – if they learn to do it on their own you might even get some quiet time.
7. Go for a bike ride.
8. Sit in the back yard and watch for birds. This is a favorite for our family.
9. Take a walk. A little exercise, a little scenery, a little entertaining.
10. Just hang out and talk. You’ll be amazed at the things they will say!

I had lots of people sign up for the new email notification thing. If you missed it last week and want to join us, go here. And don’t forget to add the link to your post by clicking the Add Your Link button below.