Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things That Make Up My Perfect Day and Tell Me Something Tuesday: If You Could Have Any Office Supply in Unlimited Quantities, What Would It Be?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Happy Tuesday! Hope you are having a good week. I am tired, but it is all good stuff. This week's Top Ten Tuesday asks us to share the things that would make up our perfect day. I am eager to read everyone's answers. Here are mine:

1. Waking up rested. I've always struggled with sleeping. When I was younger, I could have five hours of rest and function. Not these days. Since I am a night owl, on my perfect day, I don't rise before 9 am. 
2. A slow morning routine. I would love to ease into my day instead of getting up, getting dressed, and rushing off to my desk or out the door to work. Spend time in prayer and maybe journal a bit.
3. A few minutes in the garden. I've promised myself I will get outside at least once a day (driving in my car does not count). I would love to spend a few minutes pulling weeds or harvesting fruits first thing in the morning. 
4. Late morning writing time. After a cup of tea and a bite, I feel productive, so I would sit and write for an hour.
5. Take a walk. Then it would be time to walk the dog, preferably along the shore. Not realistic at home, but it is great on the Outer Banks. 
6. Light lunch while reading. I love snacking while I read, so sitting in my reading room--which I still need to design--or on the front porch with a light lunch will make a good book even better.
7. Afternoon of writing and/or crafting. I need more writing time if I plan to finish my works in progress and secure an agent. I also want to get back to crafting. I am not great at it, but I can always learn.
8. Time in the kitchen. I truly enjoy time in the kitchen, whether it be baking or cooking. Feeding my family makes me feel wonderful and inspired.
9. Game time. I grew up with board games and card games. I wish we did this more often. 
10. Put the house to rest and plan for the next day. There is something wonderful about having everything in its place before you turn in for the night. Planning for the next day, which I often do anyway, creates a more peaceful morning. 

Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is hosted by Jen Twimom at That's What I'm Talking About. TMST is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics, from books and blogging to life in general. Participation is optional, and you can leave your comments in the weekly post when you participate. Check it out if you're interested in joining.

This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday prompt asks: If you could have any office supply in unlimited quantities, what would it be?

I would have to say notecards. I send them out to people regularly. They are also one of the things I often buy at gift stores and bookstores while on vacation. I love me a good notecard. 

That's it for me today. Enjoy your day!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books That Make Me Think of Summer & Tell Me Something Tuesday: Do you have any summer plans? If not, what would you like to do?

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Dropping in to say hi and attempt to participate in this week's Top Ten Tuesday. Though we are supposed to share books on our summer to-read lists, I have been in such a reading lull that there seemed to be no value in talking about the same books again. However, I would love to share something I heard while listening to a book yesterday that will forever change how I approach reading. 

While listening to Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman in my car, my ears immediately perked up when he said that instead of seeing the unread books in our TBR piles as sitting in some collection bucket to be emptied, we should treat our TBR piles like a river-- a flowing stream of possibilities you can dip into and choose what you feel like reading, letting the rest float on by. Why have I not thought of this before? Just think how freeing that would be. 

In honor of this new enlightenment, I am simply sharing books that make me think of summer, because vacation is inching closer to reality, and these books make me want to embrace summer even more than I did a week ago.

Top Ten Books That Make Me Think of Summer

1. The Beach Trees by Karen White

2. Sunset on Moonlight Beach by Sheila Roberts

3. Summer of Secrets by Charlotte Hubbard

4. Beach Read by Emily Henry

5. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

6. A Summer to Remember by Mary Balogh

7. The Summer of Lost and Found by Mary Alice Monroe

8. The Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman

9. The Bookshop by the Shore by Jenny Colgan

10. The Secret Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams

Photo credit to articular on Magnific (formerly FreePik)

Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is hosted by Jen Twimom at That's What I'm Talking About. TMST is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Participation is optional, and you can leave your comments in the weekly post when you participate. Check it out if you're interested in joining.

Tell Me Something Tuesday asks: Do you have any summer plans? If not, what would you like to do?

My goal this first week of summer is to stay out of jail if someone’s chewing is so loud I might commit a felony. Do I sound stressed? 

In all seriousness, I am looking forward to our annual family trip to the Outer Banks. We leave Friday evening, will stay in a hotel, and then finish the trip to the OBX Saturday. That is the joy of taking two weeks off--well, as off as a totally connected real estate agent can pretend to be. But working from the beach house is definitely different. Now, if I learn how to carry back home some of those vacation boundaries and implement them here, I will be much better off. 

How about you? Any plans this summer? Any day trips? Those can't be overrated. They can often be just what we need. Any family reunions in the plans? Inquiring minds want to know.