Saturday 9- Cheeseburger in Paradise

 

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Cheeseburger in Paradise (1978)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

From the archives; Repeated in memory of Jimmy Buffett, who died on September 1.

1) In this song, Jimmy Buffett briefly attempts a healthier diet, which included sunflower seeds, carrot juice, zucchini and bulgur wheat. Do you pay attention to your daily consumption of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc.?  no, I know, I know.  I need to.

2) Jimmy sings that he'd like french fries with his burger. Do you prefer to dip your fries or drizzle the ketchup over them? dip

3) Which cheese would make yours a cheeseburger in paradise: American, cheddar, Swiss, bleu, Muenster, or Monterrey Jack?  I enjoy Colby Jack, Cheddar or American

 
4) Buffett fans call themselves Parrotheads. Concert attire for a well-dressed Parrothead often includes a Hawaiian shirt and a foam fin hat. What will you be wearing tonight?  Probably just yoga pants and a t-shirt.

 

5) For someone with such an easygoing and laidback vibe, Jimmy is a very busy man. His business ventures include liquors, restaurants and hotels. He's also published eight books. All this in addition to making music! On a scale of 1 to 10 -- with 1 being lazy and 10 being highly motivated -- how would you rate yourself this morning?  I am filling this out on Thursday night.  I am guessing on Saturday I will be feeling middle around a 5 since I have to be 10 during the week.

6) Jimmy has some very famous fans. Paul McCartney asked him to play at one of his parties, and Barack Obama invited him to perform at a fundraiser. If you could invite anyone -- anyone at all! -- to play at your party, who would you ask?  I am not sure.  My son could answer this easy.  I will say Taylor Swift.  I am not a huge fan, but I know a lot of people are and I do enjoy some of her songs.  I am not a huge concert goer.  

7) Jimmy was born on Christmas Day. Does your birthday fall on a major holiday? If yes, do you mind "sharing" your special day?  no, I was not born on a holiday, but today is my birthday!  September 9th.  My mom was born on Thanksgiving Day when it falls on the November 25th.

8) In 1978, the year this song was popular, the Susan B. Anthony Dollar was first minted. The initial design was not a hit with the public because vending machines could not accept it. What's the last thing you bought from a vending machine?  It was probably a soda a few years ago.

9) Random question -- If today's your birthday, your zodiac sign is Virgo. When did you last check your horoscope?  I never check my horoscope.

Tuesday 4 Meme- Planning

 

Planning

Seeing ahead

Welcome back friends!

A wise man once said that most people fall into their lives.   They don't plan and carry out what they would like to do, they just fall into things through circumstances.      Others plan and prepare for life.  They know the kind of person they want to spend their life with, the kind of family, home  or job they wish to have and make a concerted effort to follow through.  

So what about you?

1. Did you plan to be where you are right now in life or did you just end up where you are?  I went to college wanting to go into medical technology.  Then I changed my major and wanted to be a social worker.  I quickly realized that was not for me.  I spent several years working with the mentally handicapped.  Caring for them and taking them out to do things.  When I got married the hours were not great, so I got a job at a school as a paraprofessional helping out in a sped room.  I took off for several years to be at home with my son (SAHM)....some of the best years of my life.  When Josh went into 1st grade I got a job subbing at a special education preschool and went to college again for education this time and became the teacher.  I love my job.  It has been a crazy road, but I made it.  I was an early childhood special education teacher for years and now I teach regular education pre-K.  

2. What plans did you make for your future and what plans do you have for the future now or are you just marking time?  I have never been one to make long term plans for my life, but at this point, I pray I can stay where I am at teaching pre-K where I went to school until I can retire.

3.  Do you live where you want to live or would you have done things differently when planning where to live?  Karl had already bought this house when we got married.  I never really wanted to live here, but it has been a nice quiet life in a small town.  I wish we had a little bigger house.  I would like to have had some say in where we live.

4.  What is planned for this coming Autumn?   

• the building where I teach is almost finished.  We have been told we will get to go see it on September 11th to start being able to make plans for moving.  We are being told as of today that we will be back in our classrooms by October 3rd with students.  It is an understatement to say that I am beyond excited.  I just want to be in my own classroom again.  I am so tired of sharing a classroom.  It is highly stressful for the kids and adults.  We will be working on that this month, so those are my plans.  I have not made any other plans yet.

Thank you for joining in to make Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 a success.   

Tuesday 4 Meme- Toys

 

Toys

 Hello. It's time for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  I hope you are enjoying them.  I welcome ideas for questions or themes, so feel free to let me know.

Could we talk about toys?  Toys are important to children and sometimes to adults as well.   There are memories tied up with toys we loved, toys we miss having in our lives.  We found comfort in them, excitement with them and just fun times over all.

1. What was your favorite all time toy?  Barbie and my doll house my Granpa made.

2. What kind of toys did you enjoy growing up?  Barbie, Raggedy Ann and Andy

3.  I think certain bric a brac in the home could be a kind of grown up's toy.  What is in your home just purely to make you happy?  Ceramic items my Granie made.  

4.What games were your favorites and do you still play any games?  We played Trivial Pursuit when we first got married and Monopoly with Josh and some other games like Uno.  When I was little I enjoyed Monopoly, Battleship, checkers, cards, Yahtzee, Operation and Life.  Now we mostly just play computer games.  Josh had some games we would all play...Family Feud and Match Game.  They weren't computer games, but we played on our tv and they were on CD.

Tuesday 4 Meme- Summertime Easy Living?

 

Summertime Easy Living?

 Hey! Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask just 4 questions each week to give you something to blog about, something to think about and a reason to visit other blogs!

♫Summer time and the living is easy says the song.  So how is summer going for you? Let's talk about it.....

1. How has it been so far?  Not the best.

2. What have you been doing this summer?  My mom was sick all of July, so I was taking care of her.  I was so worried.  She is fine now and back at her house.

3. What are you going to do? Any plans?  My summer is actually over.  School starts today (Tuesday).

4. It's been hot in most of the country but here on the Jersey coast it's been perfect so far. Not too hot, not too cool but just right with breezes.   How are you weathering the heat. Any tips on staying  cool on hot, humid days?  Clothing, food, drinks, fans, air conditioning? Let us know your secrets to keeping cooler.  We are having an excessive heat warning this week here in Missouri with temperatures up at 100º and feels like at 115º. The humidity is really high, so no recess at school will be hard for little learners.  I usually stay inside and drink lots of water.  I wear cool clothes and my ceiling fans run with my A/C.

Saturday 9: Diana

 

Diana

Saturday 9: Diana (1957)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Legend has it that Paul Anka wrote this song about his favorite babysitter. In your younger days, did you make a little extra money as a sitter?  I did.  I watched a boy and girl.  We are still family friends.

2) Paul sings he doesn't care what "they" say about his love for an older girl. Have you ever had a romantic relationship that your friends or family didn't approve of?  Yes, I dated this guy in college that my friends hated and my mom loved.  I was actually scared of him.  I was afraid to break up with him, but I finally did.  My mom was mad and my friends were very happy.  They knew more what was going on (he hit me).   My mom had no clue, I told her later.

3) Paul was once a choirboy, singing with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir in Ontario. Have you ever performed with your church choir?  Yes, I was in our church choir for a while before Josh was born.  It was a big choir.

4) When Paul was 15, he left Ontario to find fame and fortune in New York. He had $100 in his pocket, a gift from his uncle. Tell us about someone in your life who who believed in you and encouraged you.  My dad.  He always believed in me.  He always told me to do the best I could do and that is all people can ask of me.  I try always to do that.

5) Paul seldom gets credit for one of his most familiar compositions: the theme to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Since Johnny retired in 1992, The Tonight Show has been hosted by Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon. Which of these Tonight Show hosts is your favorite?  I preferred Johnny.  I watched all of them when they were on.  I don't think I really have a favorite of those.

6) In 1978, Paul Anka hired Las Vegas' first female bartender for his restaurant, Jubilation. Where did you most recently dine out?  We had Chinese last night at a place called China House.

7) In 1957, when "Diana" was a hit, Wham-O began producing Frisbees. The toy was a massive success, even outselling the hula hoop. Do you enjoy tossing a Frisbee?  Not really.  

8) Also in 1957, the book Peyton Place was made into a blockbuster film. Book lovers often say that, no matter what, the movie is never as good as the book. Do you think that's true?  I do.  I always remember quiet thoughts from a person in the book that often get left out of movies and it loses it's meaning.  I also have my own idea from the authors words how things should "look".

9) Random question: This Saturday, the treat's on Sam. Will you have buttered popcorn, caramel corn or cheese popcorn?  Right now as I type this I feel like buttered popcorn please. ♥

I worked in my classroom yesterday.  We are still combined with the two preschool classes.  Hopefully we will be in our new building soon.  Hopefully just a couple of months.  This week coming up we start training and meetings at school and have Open House on Thursday.  I am excited to meet my kids and families!

Saturday 9- Linda

 

Linda

Our theme for August is "girls' names."

 

Linda (1946)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Buddy Clark sings that when he can't sleep he doesn't count sheep, he enumerates Linda's charms. Did you sleep well last night?  I have not been sleeping well for the last week or so. I think it is just too hot.  We are close to 100º and high humidity.

2) In addition to singing with big bands, Buddy sang commercial jingles live on radio programs and was the voice of Carnation Milk. Can you think of a jingle that's stayed in your head?  The thing with me is a jingle from my childhood or any other time really can pop out of my mouth at any minute.  I get theme songs stuck in my head all of the time.  Thank-Goodness for St. Joseph's is going through my head right now.  Wasn't that aspirin?  I don't even know if they make that anymore.  This is the stuff I deal with all of the time.  I bet everyone does. 

3) For "Linda," Buddy Clark performed with bandleader Ray Noble. Ray was classically trained at London's Royal Academy of Music, but much preferred big band music to that of Mozart, Beethoven or Chopin. When did you last listen to classical music?  It has been a year or so.  Josh found a classical station and we were listening to it.  I love classical music.

 

4) Composer Jack Lawrence named this song after a particular little girl, the daughter of his lawyer, Lee Eastman. Without looking it up, do you know what became of Lee Eastman's daughter Linda?  no

5) According to the Social Security Administration Linda was long one of the most popular names for American baby girls. It was #2 in the 1940s and 1950s (second only to Mary). By the 1960s it slipped to #7 and by the 1970s it fell to #68. Are there many Lindas in your life?  My mom's cousin is named Linda.  She visited my mom in April or so.

6) 1946, the year this record was released, is regarded as the first year of the Baby Boom, which lasted until 1964. Are you a Boomer, a Gen-Xer, a Gen-Yer, or a Milllennial?  Generation X

7) In the summer of '46, hats were a standard part of any woman's outfit. Hats for day, hats for evening, hats for rainy days ... The 1946 Sears Spring-Summer catalog devoted nine pages to women's hats. Do you own many hats? If yes, for what occasions do you wear them?  I have several hats.  I mostly wear them to baseball games and hat days at school.  I also have some Christmas hats I wear at Christmas and Halloween ones too for Halloween.  Pre-K thing.

8) Also in 1946, the Mensa Society was created. The only qualification to join was an IQ in the top 98th percentile. Do you know your IQ?  I do know my IQ, I am not in the Mensa Society.  Hahahaha

9) Random question: Tell us something you admire about your best friend.  I have a friend that never says a bad thing about anyone.  I think she is absolutely awesome.

I have been MIA, end of June my mom got a BAD UTI.  She was out of her mind.  She had to stay in the hospital for a week.  Then she went to a rehab facility around the 4th of July and they sent her home the 5th.  She was still out of her mind, so she was staying with us at our house.  I was able to take her home last Wednesday, but I am still going to set up her medications for her and take her grocery shopping.  I think her doctor appointments are done for a bit.  She is doing so much better though.

ALSO-  Happy birthday to Josh!  He had his birthday yesterday August 4th.  This picture was taken in June right before my mom got sick.  We went to St. Louis and did some fun stuff.  This was taken outside the art museum.

Tuesday 4 Meme- Rainy Days and Mondays

 

Rainy Days and Mondays

 

Welcome to  Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask just 4 questions each week to get you blogging and thinking and meeting other bloggers!

1. Do Mondays get you down or did they ever? How about a rainy day? What makes it better?  Yes, when I have to work on Monday I hate it.  The school I teach at does a 4 day school week, so we have Monday off or it is a PD day.  Monday is hard for me because I am usually tired. 

 Getting a good night's sleep makes it better or the sun being out can make it better.

2. How do you like to spend rainy days?  I like to be at home reading a book.

3.Do you like to take a walk in the rain?  not really.

4.What is your weather like this summer so far? What would make it better or worse?  What is your ideal summer weather?  It hasn't been too bad.  We have had some 100º days in June and then we would have a cool down into the 80's and low humidity.  It is August now though and it is back in the 100's with humidity.  I try to stay in as much as possible.  June can be nice here in Missouri with temperatures in the upper 80's and low 90's.  It is almost always high humidity here, but this summer hasn't been awful.

MOM UPDATE-  I was able to get a urine test done last Monday just to make sure her UTI was fully gone and it was.  Her memory started getting better last week as well and I was able to take her home on Wednesday.  She seems to be doing good so far.  Thank-you for your prayers!

Tuesday 4 Meme- Book Worms

Book Worms

 

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we try and challenge you to think , discover and make new friends through blogging.

1.  Did any book besides the bible have an impact on your life or beliefs?  I read a book this summer that I wouldn't say it had an impact so much as it made me think about things.  I still think about that book.  Believe it or not it was Matthew McConaughey's book called Greenlights.  He talked about life as a series of red lights, yellow lights and greenlights.  He talked about many different times in his life where he had red lights and something did not happen the way he wanted.  He also had green lights such as his career and his wife and children.  The lesson was how we all get red and yellow lights in our lives we have to deal with, but to be ready for the greenlights.  I really loved his book.  I highly recommend it.  There is so much more to it than what I described.  He also narrates the audio book version and I really enjoyed that.

2.  What books influenced you as a young person.?  The Grapes of Wrath, Fahrenheit 451, The Great Gatsby, To Kill A Mockingbird.

3.  Do you continue educating yourself by reading books or listening to podcasts or lectures?  I read all of the time, mostly for entertainment, but I do enjoy educating myself.  My job helps me do that too.  I like to listen to podcasts too, but mostly for entertainment on those also.

4.  Have you ever sat in a coffee shop/restaurant/cafe  reading a book?  What is your preferred place to read?  no, I like to read at home or listen while I am driving.

I think some of you that do this meme are friends with me on facebook and you know I have been taking care of my mom.  If not...she had a BAD urinary tract infection and was in the hospital for almost a week.  She has been staying at my house ever since.  The doctors say memory loss is part of having that bad of an infection and she still does not quite have it all back.  She is on the mend though.  That is why I have not been here at my blog, but I thought I could answer 4 questions and let everyone what was going on.  Also...we had to buy a new refrigerator (our other one went out) and our A/C went out over the weekend but is fixed now just in time for the 100º weather.  I hope we are done with the breakdown of appliances.  I need my mom to be comfortable.

Sunday Stealing

 

Sunday Stealing

1. Would you rather ride a bike, ride a horse, or drive a car? drive a car

2. Who is your favorite author? Colleen Hoover

3. Would you rather vacation in Hawaii or Alaska, and why?  Hawaii, I like to layout at the beach.

4. If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to?  I would go to 1999 and be at my

Grandparent's house with my parents too.  My Grandparents and my dad have passed, so I

would be able to see them again and Josh was a baby.  I was still in my 20's.

5.  What's your favorite zoo animal?  all of them

6.  What's the tallest building you've been to the top of?  I'm not sure.

7. How often do you buy clothes?  I buy a few things every year so I do not feel like I am wearing

the exact same thing all of the time.

8. What was the last thing you recorded on TV?  Blacklist

9.  What was the last book you read?  Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, it was cute.

10. What's your favorite type of foreign food?  Mexican

11. What kitchen appliance do you use every day?  microwave

12. How old were you when you learned Santa wasn't real? How did you find out?  I don't 

remember how old I was, but I heard my mom telling my dad to put out my gift from Santa. :(

13.  What was your favorite subject in school?  science and foreign languages

14. What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?  pumpkin soup

15. What's your favorite family recipe?  cheesy burritos

Saturday 9: Beautiful Boy

 

Beautiful Boy

Saturday 9: Beautiful Boy (1980)

This song was chosen in honor of Father's Day. Hear it here.

1) Paul McCartney has said that "Beautiful Boy" is one of his favorite John Lennon solo songs. What's yours? (This link will take you to his greatest hits.)  Imagine

2) Lennon wrote this for his son, Sean. Father and son share an October 9 birthday. Does anyone in your life share your birthday?  I had a student last school year that shared my birthday (September 9).

3) John asks Sean to take his hand before they cross the street. Name another song that references holding hands. I want to hold your hand.

4) Today Sean Lennon is in his late 40s. He lives in Greenwich Village, creating art and music from his elaborate home-based music and film studio. Are you into the latest in electronics?  I usually am, it seems AI (artificial intelligence) is the latest thing.  I am not really interested in that at the moment.

5) In Thailand, Father's Day is observed on the birthday of the current King. Are you celebrating any birthdays this month?  My husband's birthday is the 29th.

6) Crazy Sam vividly remembers her long-ago high school days when her father gave her driving lessons. Do you consider yourself a good driver?  I think I am a very good driver.

7) Sam's dad is a stickler about car maintenance and reminds Sam to change her air filter regularly so her a/c and heater can run efficiently. Share a car maintenance tip.  Have your oil changed every 5000 miles or whatever your mechanic says.

 
8) When he fills up the car, Sam's father also stocks up on his favorite candy: Life Savers. He always has a bag in the glove compartment. What's something you don't leave home without?  My purse which has my wallet and cell phone.  I usually have a drink too.

9) Random Question: How long can you go without checking your phone?  I can go a long time.  Sometimes I silent it and put it away.  It can take up so much of your time if you are not careful.  I usually check it every so many hours though just in case.