Two Week Paid Vacation by Joyce Schafer

I confess. I am a recovering workaholic. After going years without a paid vacation it was hard to get used to the idea of getting paid to do nothing.

In the past years I had spent the majority of my vacation catching up on those jobs that never get done the rest of the year. This year was different. I decided to do what I wanted to do and not what I needed to do.

I did not get off to a great start. The first day I had doctor and dentist appointments. Not exactly something I wanted to do but I did get a clean bill of health clearing the way to go forward with the fun stuff.

Tuesday I took my grandson, Riley, to Walmart. To a five year old Walmart is a wonderland. Then we got cheese pizza (his choice) and went to the park to eat and play.

Wednesday I took a "Me Day". I did some writing and went to the library and got some books. The afternoon I spent reading. Every time I started to feel guilty and jump up to work. I reminded myself "Hey, you are getting paid to do this."

The next day was A.J. and grandma day. He wanted to "do lunch" at Solid Grounds and play miniature golf.

I love doing one-on-one time with the grandkids but with twelve of them it gets harder and harder.

I did some backsliding on Friday and did some housecleaning and laundry. This was necessary so we could take off a few days and visit my brother in northern Wisconsin. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing the eagles fly over the lake. What a beautiful sight.


I love baking so I spent a day making cookies, muffins and cinnamon rolls. I spent the next day watching the grandkids eat them. Just in case any of their parents are reading this they also ate grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches and lots of other healthy stuff.

Spending time with all of my grandkids was the perfect way to end my vacation.

Psalms 23:1-3 The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters, he restores my soul.

My soul has been restored and I am ready to go back to work refreshed and energized. I am also looking forward to Labor day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day and all those other holidays I get paid for doing nothing. I think I am finally getting the hang of this.

Summer Blessings by Susan Shull

There are many things I love about teaching, but one of the best is a 90 day weekend (so named by Marvin Allison!) Here are 10 things I am loving about this summer:

1. Time….to read, think, piddle.

2. Swinging in our porch swing doing my “devotions.” I love having time to leisurely read my Bible, pray, journal, and take notes on whatever Bible help book I am making my way through. I love to take notes-odd, I know!

3. Freezing corn-if you disregard the biting flies and the feeling of having been dunked in a bottle of Elmer’s glue-all that sticky corn sugar, you know. We all gather at mom and dad’s house and spend the day working on it together. I enjoy the conversation, the yummy garden lunch mom always prepares, and the feeling of accomplishment when we are done. It is especially fun for me this year since I have two little granddaughters who are huge corn fans and who will be excited when I serve it to them this winter!

4. Speaking of granddaughters, we have had so much fun together seeing High School Musical at the Muny, the Cardinals, and just hanging out together. They are such a joy!

5. Sunday night-I love Sunday nights in the summer knowing that I don’t have to rush off on Monday morning unless I want to.

6. Nature-I love the smell of the corn as it is pollinating, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and the haze surrounding us in the early morning.

7. The food….ah, the food! If there is anything better than fresh green beans, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, even zucchini, I don’t know what it is. I feel so sorry for people who only eat food from a can or package.

8. Fabric-I get giggly inside when I have the chance to sit at my sewing machine and work with fabric.

9. Project Runway- I love this show. It is filled with drama and people who like to sew. I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much I enjoy this program-one of the few I watch on a regular basis.

10. Having Brock home for the summer-I feel so fortunate that he has an internship in Effingham. Since he will be a college senior this year, I know our nest is truly emptying and I will miss having him home for college breaks. He is delightful to be around.

I encourage you to take some time out of your busy schedule and make your own list of summer blessings. God is so good and I am thankful.