Happy Monday Everyone!
I know we’re due for a Short & Sweet or an Oh Susanna (though I can’t for the life of me remember which right now since the Jingle Contest disrupted the schedule.)
But you know what? We’re taking the day off today.
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| these two totally have the hang of it 🙂 |
Fill up your water bottle with ice water and slice or two of lemon, or whatever you like.
Pack a little snack (may I suggest some fresh strawberries and homemade banana bread?)
Put on some sunblock.
Grab that paperback you’ve been dying to indulge in but haven’t found the time, or your pad and a pen if you’ve been struggling to get into your writing groove lately and been foiled by distractions and/or obligations.
Now head out onto the back porch where the bees are humming in the lilacs…
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| yeah… these are rhododendrons because I don’t have a picture of our lilacs 🙂 |
… or the hammock swinging gently beneath the new leaves.
A park bench under the apple blossoms is always nice…
… or a blanket on the wave-lapped sand if you’re lucky enough to be near a beach.
A small table at an outdoor cafe would be lovely…
… or a meadow dotted with wildflowers… or the slow glide of a canoe on a still pond.
Get comfy.
Soak up the sunshine.
Breathe in the fresh air.
And enjoy doing something just for you.
Feel free to share your choice of day off (real or imaginary :)) in the comments below.
And have a lovely day 🙂
(And forgive me – I spent my weekend driving to and from Vermont to fetch half a dorm room’s worth of stuff so #3 has room for the rest in her car when she comes home this week, spending some quality time with #5, and seeing #4 off to his senior prom *sniff* I may need a hanky 🙂 As a result, I ran out of time to prepare a Short & Sweet or an Oh Susanna. But I do truly want you all to have a lovely day off! :))
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Sitting in a yard, crosslegged, the Good-Book-Choose-anator handing me good books… Sun on my back… Ahhhhhhh… 🙂
Whoa, Susanna, that was one busy Sunday! You deserve to take Monday off. This is my first Monday off from my part time teaching jobs, so I plan to be very very selfish and do whatever I want.
A day off you say? No husband? I'll spend 24 hours in a nice hotel with a couple of books and a few of my favourite shows and no one to interrupt me. I'll have my meals prepared for me and no dishes to wash. I'll have a pleasant nights sleep and no bed to make. Ah…a little slice of heaven right here on earth.
Ahh….what a lovely day. Thanks for letting us indulge!
Good for you, Susanna! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed myself, today.
That sounds wonderful! Have a great day! 🙂
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Well enjoy every minute of your day off, Linda! 🙂
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That sounds idyllic, Delores! Have a wonderful day! 🙂
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It's important to pamper yourself from time to time 🙂
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You too, Iza! Maybe a ramble with Jambo 🙂
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ENJOY!! 🙂
Excellent suggestion! Have a wonderful, relaxing day, Susanna.
You too, Coleen! 🙂 Perhaps a butt-less banana split and a good book 🙂 Which reminds me, I finished your book this weekend and it was really terrific! Great job! 🙂
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You too, Heather! Lovely to see you 🙂 I will have a relaxing day as soon as I unload the car, catch up on about 500 emails from the weekend, finish a critique that has to get done and just a few other details… but soon 🙂
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What a refreshing post. I hope after unpacking the car and replying to emails, you can have a few moments of respite, too!
If only, haha. 🙂
I'm kinda hoping that too 🙂 We'll see…. 🙂 Have a lovely day, Joanna!
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I know, Alicia! But we can dream, right? 🙂
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Seize the day with two hands
Squeeze it dry.
aah . . . that's better!
Make sure you get every last drop! 🙂
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Lovely images. Thanks for the idea, but I'm afraid this Monday won't allow the relaxation. (sigh)
Not for me either today, Rosi, but it's fun to pretend 🙂
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Well, sheesh, Susanna, you deserve a break. Just sit back today and watch your hair grow.
Too soon? 🙂
Your dogs have the right idea! I'm following their lead!
I'm actually not taking the day off myself – I've got WAY too much to do! – but you totally made me laugh with the hair comment. My friend kindly told me on Thursday though that it was growing 🙂 So maybe there's hope 🙂
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Lovely! I think they would like to meet you and play, Rhythm! 🙂 They're a barrel of fun when they're awake 🙂
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You totally need and deserve a day off, Susanna! I spent the entire morning breathing in pollen outside and on the screened-in porch that I was cleaning/decluttering, so I'm going to spend the rest of the day inside (maybe lying on the kitchen floor like your doggies), thankyouverymuch! 😉 What a crazy, but wonderful, weekend you had!
It was a wonderful weekend! And I am not actually taking the day off – too much to do – but I can imagine 🙂 I have a good imagination 🙂 Enjoy your kitchen floor 🙂
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So happy you took a break today. And, I hope you don't look at your blog posts at all. I took 12 days off a few weeks ago and it was glorious. I didn't even miss it. Read, walked by the beach morning and evening, and had a wonderful time with my husband doing some things together.
I love this, Susanna! We all deserve a day off. 🙂 We are actually having friends from Pennsylvania stop in this afternoon for a couple of hours…then I have to pick up my Singapore dollars at the bank and go food shopping so I can cook stuff for my husband to eat while I am away. But, I did finish my presentation for the conference and the two panel presentations are in the hands of the other ladies. I plan to get to bed early (do I keep saying that?) for the next three nights…so that will be my R&R. It rained here this morning (unusual for Colorado Springs) and now the sun is bright and the air smells delish! Enjoy your family…and some rest. 🙂
You sound like you need a hammock. Day off for sure for us Cannucks. What an awesome weekend!
Oh that sounds glorious, Pat! I'm not actually taking the day off – too much work – but I certainly didn't get around to writing a proper post for today. Still, sometimes it's fun to just do something different!
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Good luck getting everything done! What a wonderful trip you have ahead! I already took my time this weekend, but it was wonderful and worth every minute! So I'm working today, but thinking back happily to all the lovely moments with my kids this weekend that prevented me from writing a proper post for today 🙂
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It really was! How often do you get to see your son dressed in a white tux with a top hat? 🙂
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Thank you, Susanna! 🙂
Thank YOU for a great read 🙂
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I love Erik's idea of a Good-Book-Choose-anator! And just reading your description of the possibilities inherent in a day off was relaxing.
In imagination, I would be by the ocean. I'd go for a walk in the early morning, then settle on my porch to read or write or just let the day go by.
In reality, yesterday I was working on revisions, and looking online at vacation rentals in LA — for one of my characters!
Yeah… I worked all day yesterday too, Beth, but isn't it fun even to imagine a lovely day off? 🙂
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Ooh I want to stare at that last bit of scenery all day… 😀
It's from Long Pond on Nantucket 🙂
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Just love the names you picked out for your kids. And if you have two more you'll be all caught up to me. Three and you're the winner! Go, go, go! Love the pics. Tomorrow we're going fishing. We will have school on a picnic table and they will fish with Pa as Ma writes. Sounds heavenly. xoxo
We dogs are relaxation experts. Keep an eye on us. There's a lot to learn.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
It's too windy here today to read outside. 😦 I'm going over to your place, Susanna, and hang out with the lilacs. Ours haven't bloomed yet, so all I can do is light a lilac-scented candle.
Do dogs count? And the pony? That would get me up to 8 altogether 🙂 Your day sounds heavenly – have a lovely, lovely time!!! 🙂
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Golly! You are out in the hinterland! Ours just came out, and I thought we were slow up here on the mountain! But yes, by all means, do come over! I will join you and read Forbidden (which I have just started and it is very good so far!)
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So true! Dogs have it down! Of course, they don't have to worry about earning a living, putting their kids through college, vacuuming, or going to the grocery store 🙂 Yeah. They REALLY have it down! 🙂
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