What's been going on?

We've moved to post wedding mode and I don't know about anyone else here, but my thoughts are turning towards Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I'm actually excited about the holidays this year.   My daughter and I went last weekend and hit a fantastic sale at JoAnn fabrics on polar fleece and my daughter is going to be making some of the gifts this year.   It feels good to have something started in that area.  I have some other Christmas ideas too, so that's part of it.

Give a high five to Mr. Miller, our stray-turned-permanent resident.  He's so cute.  

I've been working a lot.  My co-worker, bless her heart, has been having a very difficult time so I've been doing her job.  I hate it, but I'll do it for her.   I guess.  It's kind of killing me.  I feel like the child in the edge of the pool, quietly drowning with nobody noticing, but I'm trying to keep my head above water and hang in there and hold the fort.  (All the metaphors or analogies, or whatever).  Anyway, I should have a decent-sized nest egg for Christmas and hopefully, post-Christmas home improvements.  :-)  My husband says he'll do 1 major home project once a year and a new year is coming!  I have a lot of plans.  Now we need to (again) renegotiate just how big a "major" home project is.   This year, he only replaced the upper boards on the back deck.  There is some question in my mind if that is "major", but not in his.  He says it is.  (It only took 2 days and cost not a lot, so I'm saying it doesn't count!). 

I did get the day off on Tuesday, went with my daughter to her migraine doctor appointment (still no changes in the migraines, despite all the things we've tried.  :-(    )   and got some cupcakes, as is our tradition.  These are all gluten-free and amazing.   Chocolate, carrot, lemon, and chocolate-strawberry.  

Last night was a fun night for all of us in 3 separate areas.  I met a friend and went to a fantastic Micah Tyler, David Crowder, Mercy Me concert, my husband went to guys night at a local barbeque restaurant and the young people had some friends over for a day/night of hiking in the beautiful fall woods, eating chili, making smores and playing video games.  I don't know about everyone else, but I had a fantastic time.  Those artists really, really bring their A-game to their concerts.  I feel uplifted and on a high even though I ingested no substances and I am exhausted from all the working (8 hours) and then walking and stair climbing and concert dancing.  It's a very, very good tired.  

Today I'm watching Youtube with plans to play the Sims later and maybe take a nap. 

The Wedding.

My brother's wedding was such a wonderful time!  The groom was handsome, the bride was beautiful, her/their grandchildren made the cutest ring bearer and flower girl.  :-)   We had such a great time and she is such a fabulous addition to our family.  The song I had to sing went well, even though I had a cold.  Actually 3 of the members of my family in attendance had colds and the other 3 will probably have it next week because my youngest 2 kids went and babysat their 4 young cousins last weekend and picked up some virus.  We didn't let it ruin our time.  We took cold medicine and carried around hand sanitizer and celebrated big!

Today, though, after church, I'm going to lie about doing nothing and get some rest.  Tomorrow I have to be at work at 6:00 a.m. and it's an hour and 10 minute drive.  So that's great.

The wonderful whirlwind weekend of celebrating and having my son and daughter-in-law here is over and now we're prepping to get back into real life starting tomorrow.  It's kind of a let down, but I have concert tickets for a couple of weeks from now, so I'll start looking forward to that.  And Christmas, which is just around the corner!!

The Zombie-Like State.

I'm still working all the time and the end, which was in sight, may have moved, so I may not be getting any time off in the near future.  I'm frustrated by it, but I don't know what to do about it.  I haven't gotten any work done on my book about kids and homeschooling and I haven't been able to do any pre-studying for my coding class that starts on November 1.  I'm just working and coming home and being sort of in a zombie like state.  It's so much fun.

Speaking of fun, this time, not sarcastically, my brother is getting married on Friday!  We're all excited.   We've been shopping and getting our outfits ready to go and I think we mostly have everything.  I need to contact the pianist today and see if she can get together with me to practice.  I'm singing the recessional.   It's going to be fun.  I'm so happy for my brother and his future wife!

I've been decorating my notebook at work, with my work pens and highlighters.   

Nothing much has changed around here.  We're kind of in a holding pattern it seems like.  Youngest son hasn't found a job, daughter is still studying coding and doing a good job disciplining herself to study. I'm proud of her.   It doesn't make for an exciting blog post though.    They are still playing D&D and board games with their friends several nights a week, shattering the myth that homeschoolers don't have any friends. 

It's silly, but it helps me get through the day to take tiny little drawing breaks.

Fall seems to have arrived here at last with temperatures dropping this week from 98 into the 60s.  It's glorious.  I love it.  I am going to make some coffee and sit outside on my porch and drink it. I'm just trying to savor my off day today.  I desperately need the break.   I won't have another one until Tuesday after next and that is IF my co-worker's medical tests come back good and she's back to work.  It's very iffy.  Please pray for her if you're a praying person.

I feel spend a lot of time these days in the car, but sometimes the sky is really pretty in the early, early morning.  My phone doesn't take good pictures though.  

Still, here are a couple.