September Saga — Monthly Wrap-up and a contest!
October 9, 2021
Cooler weather…what’s that? Been warm here in western South Dakota. The leaves started to change and we’ve had cooler nights, but we’re still warm or even hot during the day. Heck I still have my air conditioning on! Maybe it’s the hot flashes? haha
September brought some challenges. Everything turned out mostly good, but one thing on the personal front didn’t come to pass but I’ve accepted that it’s something unlikely to change. Anyway, the month was super busy with travel and a couple of events. Plus it’s canning season and that is fun and challenging.
So here’s Lorelei’s month in review 🙂 ***contest info at the bottom of the post***
WHERE I WAS
I hadn’t been on a plane for almost 2 years, so it was very weird being in airports and seeing everyone masked up. For the most part the travel was trouble free except for delays, and I can’t tell you how happy I was to see my friends for a long girls weekend! We ate, drank, relaxed, laughed and got to see some super cool stuff. Even a short trip reminded us of how much we love each other’s company and friendship 💖
Mr. James and I hiked a bit. We traversed a path we hadn’t been on before and it was easy enough that Copper got to come along.
Two trips to Denver meant I got to see this cutie TWICE 💛
BOOKS I READ
I started a couple of books on my kindle but didn’t finish them. I pawed through my hardcover pile of books and this is all I ended up reading for the month 👀😀
Vox, hardcover, Christina Dalcher — I’ve had this book for way longer than I want to admit. It’s a contemporary dystopian, where women are no longer allowed to work, nor are they allowed to speak more than 100 words a day. It was super freaky, especially when I look at what’s going on in the US right now, with the loss of women’s rights. It is super fucking scary to think it COULD happen if we think someone else will ensure our rights aren’t taken away and don’t fight for them outselves. I enjoyed it.
The Hunting Wives, hardcover, May Cobb — this book is a bit hard to describe. A married woman/mother moves to a Texas suburb and becomes involved with group of wild rich women who go shooting every Friday night. It wasn’t as much of a mystery as I’d expected and I really found myself scratching my head at the stupid, immature shit the main female character did. It was very much one of those “you get what you deserve” type of reads for me — I had ZERO sympathy for any characters.
Malibu Rising, hardcover, Taylor Jenkins Reid — I’ve enjoyed other books by this author and this one was getting huge buzz, so I bought the hardcover version with a BAM coupon that gave me 40% off. Normally, I pull my punches a bit when I’m sharing what I read, but parts of this book annoyed the piss out of me. Not the characters or the setting, but the actual WRITING.
RANT AHEAD — this author is a critical darling, her books are categorized as women’s fiction or sometimes even straight literary. So imagine my surprise when I noticed that the author JUMPED POINTS OF VIEW IN THE MIDDLE OF A DAMN SENTENCE. MORE THAN ONCE. Seriously. I read it twice and took a pic of the first incidence of this and sent the text to a writer friend just to ascertain that I wasn’t misreading it. Nope. Look, writing is a skill and it has RULES. When I first started writing, I had to teach myself NOT to head-hop (where you’re in one persons’ POV for one paragraph and then hop into the head of another character in the next paragraph and back and forth and so on) and it to made my writing and storytelling abilities so much stronger. I do not understand why this author is given a pass on what I consider lazy writing technique — trust me, if romance authors head hop we are CRUCIFIED in reviews — but this woman can do that repeatedly for no discernable reason and her book is on all the “best of” lists? Another annoyance is getting into the POV of a minor character that has a walk on role — they serve no purpose to further the plot or characterization of one of the main characters, so there’s no need to know what that character is wearing and why they came to the party. Those petty poor writing craft things ruined this read for me and I don’t know that I’ll ever believe any BUZZ about anything new she releases because the accolades were bogus. YMMV.
AUDIOBOOKS I LISTENED TO
Mary Jane, Audible deal of the day — This book is set in 1976 and the 14 year old girl is a nanny for a psychiatrist and his wife. One of his patients is a rock star who’s lying low after getting out of rehab, and he happens to be married to another singer/actress. It’s sort of a coming of age story, but it really crosses so many boundaries it’s hard to categorize. In my mind I saw Greg Allman and Cher as the famous couple. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I ADORED THIS BOOK! The narration was amazing and it is one of the best reads of 2021 and I cannot recommend it highly enough!
Hello Darling, Audible purchase — Kayley Loring continues to amuse me and I love that she gets such kick-ass narrators for her stories. British movie star and a small town girl tale that I enjoyed a lot 🙂
If We Were Villains, Chirp sale purchase — This book is set in an academy for Shakespearean actors. The students are college age and are prone to spout Shakespeare lyrics at one another. The premise was unique, but what really made this book was the narrator. Robert Petkoff turned this into an outstanding listen, with his immense voice acting abilities. I really loved this book and if you’re looking for an offbeat listen, this needs to be in your queue.
After The Climb, included in Audible Plus — I’d read this book a few years back and ADORED IT because…Kristen Ashley…but I wanted to listen to it to prep me for the release of the second book in this series. The narration was top notch. This is one of my favorite KA books, and if you’ve not read or listened I urge you to do so immediately!
Chasing Serenity, Audible Purchase — I loved this opposites attract story and that what you see on the surface isn’t necessarily what you find beneath. Once again KA knocked it out of the park with this sexy, family-centric story. Since Kit and I are friends, I basically sent her a joking “FUCK YOU for writing such a fantastic book” text 😆Highly recommend!
Spymaster’s Lady, Audible purchase — I was in the mood for an unusual historical to listen to. I’d read this book years ago and since it was on sale I picked it up. The narrator did a fantastic job with all the accents and it made me sad that the rest of this series isn’t in audio.
Bombshells, Audible purchase — I say it every time, but Sarina Bowen can’t write a bad book! I love that she’s decided to highligh female hockey players (like I did in WANT YOU TO WANT ME cough cough) and I loved every funny, sexy minute. Can'[[t wait for more in this series!
WHAT I CRAFTED
Slow month for me, with everything going on. And I still can’t share the pics of what I made for gifts, hopefully next month!
Like an idiot I didn’t get a pic of the finished project! Hopefully I can get her to take a pic for me because it turned out super cute 🙂
Still rockin’ on with my 70s throwback craft kits. I’ll figure out what to do with them once I’m finished with them…
This is the basket of goodies that Kim and I put together for the Women Behaving Badly event and it turned out super cute!
WHAT I COOKED
Okay, true confession time: I feel like most of what I made was a failure. My cherry jam turned into cherry sticky candy which forced me to redo the whole batch and add vinegar to make it a sour cherry jam. My bread? I let it rise for 3 days and it ended up like a damn brick. All 3 loaves. My pepper jam wasn’t nearly as hot or tasty as I’d hoped and I ended up redoing my batch of pickled blueberries. So I’ll post pics of the fails first 🙂
Pepper jam in 3 stages and I was seriously disappointed in the recipe I used so who knows if I’ll attempt it again?
Cherry stuff– I make pickled cherries and I also saw where the pits can be sugared to make cherry syrup. I haven’t actually sampled these yet to see it they’ve turned out 🙄
The pics are all over the place but here’s the various stages…
Ever had pickled blueberries? Neither had we, so naturally I bought a jar when we were in the Pacific Northwest. Then one night I made these: goat cheese on toasted french bread topped with the pickled blueberries and some of the juice
OMIGOD it was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted! I decided it they can’t be that hard to make, right? The recipe calls for bringing vinegar and spices to a boil, adding the blueberries but not allowing them to burst, then letting the blueberries marinate for 24 hours in the vinegar mixture. Then the berries are placed in the jars, the vinegar is drained, sugar added, recooked for 10 minutes and then the mixture is poured over the jarred berries and sealed. Again, I haven’t tasted these but they look pretty 🙂
I had pears so I attempted plain pear jam instead of pear marmalade like last year. As you can see it made quite a bit of jam. I’m not sold on this recipe either, because it called for the pears to be very firm and I feel like the jam is too gritty. Torn on what to do with all these jars…
My daughter planted these little bitty tomatoes, seriously they were the size of blueberries. I picked a huge bag at her house and brought them home. I added the last of my fresh basil, garlic and had enough to make Bon Appetit’s Burst cherry tomato sauce. It was every bit as good as it looked. It’s not one of those sauces you freeze, but requires same day use.
Ever had golden kiwi? They’re yellow. They were going bad so…voila — golden kiwi jam! Very sweet and very good.
I made a pan of the blondies from the Cowboy Bites cookbook for the Women Behaving Badly event and cut the 9 X 13 pan into 100 squares. I didn’t get a pic of that but here the pan is after baking. This recipe is to die for, so if you haven’t tried it, you won’t be disappointed.
WHAT I WATCHED
Didn’t seem like we spent much time in front of the TV, and these are the only shows I remember watching
LOVE LIFE series, HBO Max — I LOVED this clever, funny, sad, poignant series with Anna Kendrick.
Crime & Penalties Documentary — Netflix — a documentary on the Danbury Trashers — a hockey team rife with controversy. It was a great documentary about when mafia and sports mix 🙂
How To Be A Cowboy series — Netflix — Again, I LOVED this series…well, because…cowboys…but also because this guy is the real deal. It was super funny watching it with my friends when I yelled, OMIGOD JB MAUNEY is on this episode? And then OMIGOD TREVOR BRAZILE is on this episode? They seem surprised I immediately recognized bullriders and PRCA cowboys and I’m like….COME ON. This is what I do for a living 😆😆😆 You should all watch it because it is awesome!
AND THAT’S A WRAP!
CONTEST: You all know the drill — leave a comment telling me what you did in September and you’ll be entered in my monthly contest! Also, if I owe you a prize and you haven’t heard from me, email me lorelei@loreleijames.com and we’ll get the issue figured out. Probably it’s on my end, since I’ve mostly been offline…..
Have a safe and happy October 🎃🎃🎃
XOXO
L~
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Pamela said:
Wow!!! A busy month! The cooking looks incredible. Agree 100% about Malibu. I was just teaching my 6th graders about perspectives and points of view. I cringe when what you describe happens. And loved KA and MaryJane too. I have a girlfriend trip coming up soon. Can’t wait! Xoxo
Kathleen Sheehan said:
I was finally able to see my daughter, son in law and grandson. Hikes in the mountains.
Mary Preston said:
You did so much cooking. Just not my thing.
I watched LUPIN and SHADOW and BONE on Netflix. Love these.
Reading a lot of thrillers.
Julie Mayer said:
I turned 40 in September! Eek! 😬
Teri said:
I had three overnight trips in three weeks for work in September. My favorite was the last one – riding side by sides outside of Deadwood. The colors were just about peak & we had a blast. I, too, would be happier with cooler temps in the state!
Sam Hayman said:
I hate to correct people but if you are eating Kiwi then you are either a cannibal or need reporting to CITES because a Kiwi is either a person who comes from New Zealand or a small flightless endangered species of bird, what you are actually eating is a Kiwifruit.
Jenny B said:
Slow month for me. But my daughter turned 13, I have a teenager *gulp*. In reality she is a pretty awesome kid and all her teachers have nothing but good things to say about her.
With the help of friends I took said kid to the zoo with 3 of her friends for her birthday. Kind of a mistake because of one of the girls. But oh well. They had fun and that’s what matters.
Sandra said:
Re read lots of books with the McKays. They are my favorite
Only downer. I lost my son unexpectly
Just working through that
Jacey said:
I helped move my son to Fort Collins, Colorado which is a beautiful area! I also visited my baby grandson a couple times…he’s growing too fast!
Tambra Byrne said:
I finished radiation therapy on September 15th. That’s pretty much how my September went.
Debra Wolsleben said:
September was our annual vacation trip to the West Coast. The weather was great the whole time which is pretty amazing. I really enjoyed reading about your wins and losses in the kitchen. Kiwi jam sounds wonderful.
Mary C said:
I went to the theater to see a live performance – one had to show either proof of vaccination or a negative covid test taken in the past three days – no one had a problem with the guidelines. The only people in the theater unmasked were the performers.
Hope said:
I read a few mysteries, reread Shallow Grave, made a few pans of Special K bars, and spent a few hours volunteering at the local daycare rocking a little guy!
Caryn Bravos said:
I hit a big milestone in September, well two actually. I turned 65 and my youngest, my daughter turned 30. I stitched, sewed, and listened to many audiobooks.
Amanda Ralls said:
We celebrated my youngest birthday.
Jennifer Leigh said:
Hi! It’s always good to hear from you! I read several books last month, and spent time with family!
Teri said:
I had three overnight trips in three weeks for work in September. My favorite was the last one – riding side by sides outside of Deadwood. The leaves were nearly peak color & we had a blast! I wish the weather would be cooler as well!
Aly P said:
Wow, you were BUSY! In September I traveled with my mom to France and it was wonderful! We went to Lyon and I can’t recommend it enough, I will def go there again 🙂
K. A Bylsma said:
MT goodness, you’ve had a busy month!
Love your crafts. Never heard of pickled blueberries and I’m PNW born and reared….with Norwegian and German background!
Love KA but am not an Audible fan….”my” authors create voices in my mind’s ear….
My September was spent at doc’s offices, for me or the dog…also took a two and a half gainer down a flight of stairs…NOT recommended!! Unless you’re landing in a pool.
K. A Bylsma said:
Forgot to suggest you might wish to try adding brandy to the pears and use as a chutney… And whatever else you like in chutney. 😉
Janice said:
What a busy little beaver you are, Lorelei!
I’m still writing and doing some cooking on the side. Tomorrow we’ll be having our Thanksgiving here in Canada. So it’ll be an all day cook-fest and then way too much food, with tons of left-overs.
The weather is still warm for October, week after week of nice 70 F days. So, that’s one thing to be thankful for. And of course our health and the health of all our loved ones.
I always enjoy reading about your exploits. You lead such an interesting life.
Karen Lauterwasser said:
Hi! I spent September visiting my husband in the hospital and in his hospice room. He had his first surgery for cancer nine years ago, so this development is not a surprise. Still reading all the time I’m here!
Jennifer Beyer said:
I’m so intrigued by the cherry pit syrup that I’ve looked it up! I’d love to know how the blueberries turn out over time.
Ellen Bartel said:
Sounds like a busy month for you! I didn’t do much at all. I listened to The Woman in the Window, which was really good, so I decided to watch the movie with my husband…it was not so good. I watch the Handmaid’s tale.
Laura Larocca said:
I bought some ceramic pieces at a ceramic show in August that I started to paint,need to finish them before November because there’s an open house in a ceramic store I want to attend and I don’t want a collection of unfinished pieces.Also spent a lot of time training my baby parrotlet to come out of his cage and let me handle him,that was successful.
Sharon Bridwell said:
Traveled, traveled, and traveled some more was my September. Also LOVED Mary Jane, my absolute favorite book of 2021. Loved your wrap-up.
Annette Beacham said:
Worked, read a little, wish it was more fun 🙂
Diane Amato said:
In September my daughter, husband, daughter in law and I threw a surprise 30th birthday party for my son. It worked out great. He had no clue.
I really haven’t read much just one book and it was eh.
Caroline said:
I retired!! And we spent a week in Maine.
Shelly Wegand said:
September here was way too warm and the dang grass continued to grow at an accelerated rate. Othrrwise September was quite uneventful for me
Sarah Amos said:
I for one am glad to see September gone. Our son and grandson live with us and both were sick. Our grandson pretty much had a chest cold and ear infection the whole month. He is finally getting better. Our son ended up in the hospital for 5 days after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after his blood glucose was 1,071. He is doing much better now. With all of my health problems too, it was an exhausting month. I am ready for the leaves to change and for some cooler weather to show up! Happy fall everyone!
judy Cohen said:
After a vacation to Alaska at the end of August, I came home with Covid. I had my shots in February and March, but the variant managed to get me. So my September was pretty much isolating, sleeping and reading. I’m also looking forward to cooler weather. It’s still in the 70’s here in NJ.
Kaitlyn Hanberg said:
September was busy!! My daughter turned 4 and started pre school!! My mother in law travelled from Sweden to see us after almost 2 years! I sang and performed on stage again after many, many years. My husband started his new job as a hockey coach and his team has had their first games. And of course, along with being at home with my 2 kiddos I read and read a lot!!!
Sylvie Daigle said:
You’ve been a busy bee! I try to meal prep every Sunday for the week ahead. I have woken up early every Saturday and Sunday to go for a nice long walk. I also visited my brother and sister-in-law with my mom. We stayed there for a night and came home the following day. Trying to eat properly and lose more weight.
Debbie Rice said:
Well September here in Oklahoma just flew by we celebrated a couple of birthdays and had our Game night with some friends soo much fun played Crimes Against Humanity so much fun when you can just laugh and laugh!, now the season is turning so we welcome October. Thank you.
Amy Perrault said:
My September was fun. We had a great long weekend with a birthday party on my Dad’s birthday & also celebrated my Great niece’s 1st birthday which was a few days before. My daughter started home online school for Grade 11 on the 7th. My puppy’s birthday was the 10th & my daughter’s birthday was the 20th so we celebrated them & it was her sweet 16. We had a few parties for her. We enjoyed nights after dinner playing with RC cars to drive around.
Sylvain P said:
It was a busy month due to birthdays & partys. I brought my family shopping & out in fresh air to play with remote control cars. We visited my in-laws before the end of the month cause by Thanksgiving in October they all close up.
bn100 said:
cooked some new recipes
Lisa said:
September flew by. I worked, finally bought a riding lawnmower – they are almost extinct and I bought the last one I could find in three counties! Then while waiting to purchase it found three more of sale brand and they were all $2100 more, even for the exact same model#. We have a zero turn radius but I wanted a riding one. Anyway, read lots of books by audible. I even started some and didn’t finish them as I couldn’t get into them and I almost never quit a book. I might regret I couldn’t get back my time when finished but always think “it’s got to get better”. Reread some Kristen Ashley’s, Meghan March and Kylie Scott’s and some new reads I missed on kindle. I also read the The Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun. I love those and for something different… have reread them and sometimes forget who did it, and try to figure it out all over again. I reread some of your Blacktop and Rough Rider series. I can’t decide still who I like best😂. But have read a few more than others -out of sequence too. I love my kindle but I prefer audibles as I work and listen and drive and listen and cook etc. I don’t watch tv hardly ever-so audibles are great doing the latter and when mowing lawns . Anyway, just hot and sticky in southeast Texas and glad it’s finally cooler in October-70’s at night and mid 90’s in day with even a night or two of 60s and days of 80s. I cooked a lot of chicken dishes and froze them and then did ground beef dishes when it went on sale. I drive almost two hours a day to work and back and cook for lunches and quick dinner reheats. Love my crock pot as can cook in it and then on oven and stovetop at same time. Didn’t can or have a garden this year. ☹️ Sure love canned tomatoes and green beans. Have never done fruit, though my sister did fig ham and preserves before. Mom would do so much canning as we hardly ever bought vegetables at the store. Never ate green beans out of a metal can until I was in college and ate the last of my canned stash. Awful! I was a vegetarian so couldn’t add bacon to mask the flavor. So didn’t eat them for a few years until I graduated and could get home canned ones. Had tree cutters come and finally cut down a bunch of trees close to house but hubby didn’t have them cut enough down or grind the stumps so will have to call them or someone else out for more work done. We have 20 acres and with hurricanes here, I want trees cleared away from home. Hate it, but not worth the worry. We have plenty of them on the acreage as only a few acres are mowed areas and I want the oaks, magnolias and lone hickory tree to thrive. Can’t stand the sweet gum. Pretty boring compared to your fun trips and activities. Didn’t do anything creative besides cooking.
Kristie Galindo said:
Wow..you did so many wonderful things in September. I traveled to MN to spend a week with my kiddos and our new granddaughter! Helped our son and his girlfriend paint and put floors in their new house…so proud of them – they are 23 and purchased their first home. I’ve read 20 books this month! So many amazing authors and books!! Xoxo
Kim B said:
Didn’t do much in in September was sick for almost 3 weeks due to a bad cold and change of medications. October is already off to a better start. Celebrated my birthday with my family it was bittersweet since it was the first one without my big brother who always found funky gifts for me that he knew I’d love like socks that were Animal from the Muppets.
Judith Pape said:
Hi, September has been a very sad period in our lives. My father in law died of cancer after a long battle of 1,5 years. We are slowly picking up the pieces and support my mother in law to this new life she in.
The only way is up, si we will get there!
Michelle Holden said:
On August 31st I officially retired so September was a month of not waking up to an alarm, I do NOT miss waking up at 4:30am. My basset hound, Murphy has enjoyed me being home and now has serious separation anxiety if I even look at the front door. My son never did that.
I have also been watching Love Life with Anna Kendrick and catching up with a lot of the shows I have on my DVR and for some reason I have now become addicted to 2 shows on HGTV, Good Bones and Home Town–I loved this so much I actually looked online at some of the homes for sale in Laurel, Mississippi. Then I remembered how much I hate humidity, cold weather and #1 having to pay a State Income Tax. I’ll just stay in Las Vegas and enjoy my 110+ degree summer days and A/C.
I started a few crafting projects, some are half way done-waiting on some things to come in to finish them. Then I have 5 no sew blankets calling my name to be finished. I did complete 1 for my beloved little basshole, Murphy.
I have forced myself to read something other than another series reread of the RRC series and am currently reading Heroes With Heat and Heart- it’s a 9/11 Charity Anthology and it’s been really good and already plan on buying several of the author’s books when I finish.
Nicole said:
Congrats on the retirement, Michelle!!! So happy for you!
Terra Oenning said:
We went on vacation for a week long ride on the harley to Duluth Minnesota and lacrosse Wisconsin. It was absolutely beautiful.
Joy Avery said:
I wish I had talent in the kitchen.
Sandy Marlow said:
Wow, wish I were as busy as you! This last year has been difficult, mostly health-wise. Needed new meds, so pain in between, which is why I did not genealogy and no crocheting. Then two knee replacements, and the aftermath of those were better than I anticipated. Doing better now, but September was slow – only one house sitting gig the beginning of the month. Now maybe I can get back into the genealogy and crocheting.
Heidi said:
Sounds like a busy month! Glad the weather is cooperating so you can enjoy that beautiful scenery!
Krystan said:
Well September here in Australia marks the start of spring & now we are into October the weather is starting to warm up. This has led to lots of time out side in the garden, mowing lawns & enjoying not being freezing cold all the damn time. We have been in varying stages of pandemic lockdown for the last 2 months but today is freedom day in NSW & I have just 1 more week of home schooling left before I can send my boys back & have peace & quiet at home to be able to work.
Javiera said:
The food looks amazing! I need to start gardening so I can grow my own veggies. September felt like it flew by. I did a lot of rewatching of old shows and reread a lot of books. I actually reread the whole Rough Riders series. And besides all that just in school trying to get through this semester haha 😄 at least the holidays help my spirits a bit 👻
Audrey Gilliam said:
Well in a nutshell, I’ve been trying to find a place to stay, pack up and move. Take care of two kids with autism and keep sane all at once.
Barb Kiser said:
Nothing but watching my grandson while his parents worked.
Jami Dutcher said:
Sounds like you had an amazing month. I mostly read and worked. I work 6 days a week so my free time is very limited. I love your needle work and again it tempts me to get back to it myself. We had some health scares this month with my brother but hopefully we are on the right path to getting it resolved. That’s all from my neck of the woods. Have a great October.
Shelli Huelsmann said:
I recovered from Covid
Nicole W said:
I also attempted bread but I did the proofing in my InstaPot which worked out rather well. We are also (kind of) redoing the kitchen. Hubby bought a restaurant stove off FB without telling me so we have to completely rearrange the kitchen layout to use it.
Christina Boronkas said:
My office opened finally so Ive been busy get up and running with getting the word out about my office and the products we sell.
France said:
Busy month doing some renovations.
Dana Zamora said:
That blueberry jam looks great, not much doing for me, baking cookies and freezing for Christmas, deciding on fudge to make, your pictures are amazing even the ones that didn’t work out
Erin Dixon said:
Happy Fall
Everything looks amazing you fix.
Stacy Farris said:
My September was fairly low key, I headed up s couple of fundraisers for some local charities, caught with all 3 seasons of Yellowstone and worked on my cross stitch. I reread some of my favorites and started a new series. And cannot wait for cooler weather!
Zoua said:
My kids are back in school, so shuffling them to ballet practices and volleyball meets.
Perresa Brown said:
I enjoyed a long weekend beach getaway with a great group of boardgamer friends!
Sherry Fram said:
You were a busy bee! I spent a lot of September canning stuff my friend had a huge garden this year & generously shared her bounty with me. I taught her how to can. We canned pumpkin (a first for me), diced tomatoes, sweet pickles, dill pickles, bread/butter pickles, green beans, purple hull peas & last but not least homemade vegetable soup. We put corn, yellow squash, okra & English peas in the freezer. I love opening my pantry & seeing the jars full of the summer bounty. At the end of September my volunteer position at the nonprofit I volunteer at became a paying position. That’s thanks to the pandemic & it’s effect on the workforce. The nonprofit I work for helps with people who are low income or no income with utility bills & food. It’s been a busy year. Of course when I’m not canning or at the nonprofit I’m reading. I can’t go more than a day without reading. It’s what keeps me sane!
Kimberley King said:
Wow you did have a busy month! My hubby & I (and Daisy our elderly fur baby) drove out to Alberta to visit our son & his family (round trip 4200+kms) for our granddaughter Chloe’s 7th birthday (dunno where the time goes) and Benjamin (who’s 3) had lots of fun hanging out with Grandpa although he said no to scooping doggy 💩. We ended up buying a huge ass motorhome while we were there but couldn’t bring it home, waiting for a couple of parts, so it’s going to have to stay there until we can go back in the spring to pick it up (not worth the risk of running into snow in the mountains on the drive back to the Yukon). Rest of the month was a stressful shitshow between work & issues with my 89yr old mom who lives on the other side of the country. I ended up getting sick and didn’t even read felt so crappy but on medication now & feeling better every day.
It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in 🇨🇦 so I’ve got a turkey cooking in the oven (doesn’t matter that it’s just us still having turkey no matter what cause it’s all about the leftovers including turkey soup), now watching football & baseball and trying to relax but some teams not making that easy, haha! The Pats squeaked out a win earlier and I saw that your Vikings did too, were you wearing your Tarkenton jersey for luck?
Love hearing your updates! Stay safe!
xoxoxo
Theresa Zahoruiko said:
Great month,fun with family lots of golf, and to much food and drink. Weather was good for New England. Looking forward to my favorite month.
Anne said:
I feel your cooking fails. I’ve tried a lot of new recipes in the last year and a half, and while almost all were edible, I didn’t have a real winner in the bunch.
Sept. flew by mostly marked y the fact I had to start going back into work 3 days a week. They’re still allowing us to work 2 days from home, primarily because people really, really pushed them to it. hard to say no since the work was getting done just fine 100% from home for so long.
EJD said:
I am impressed with your many cooking and canning activities! My September was crazy! At 5:00 am one morning my husband woke me for help. He had severe radiating chest pain, across his back shoulder blade area, and down both arms. Luckily, I have nitroglycerin pills for my angina, so I quickly put one on his tongue and picked up the land phone to dial 911. The phone was dead! I ran and grabbed my cell and called. Long story short- on the way to the hospital via ambulance he was given 3 nitro pills and 4 baby aspirin. It is an hour drive–we finally arrive and the testing begins. The rest of that day and the next. We left the hospital without a diagnosis. He passed all of the heart tests! Thank God! But, should it ever happen again, I was advised to follow the same procedure with giving him one or two of my nitro pills. There were several more events during the month that kept us busy and on our toes, and I hope that October slows down!
Amanda Sorrasson said:
That cherry tomato sauce looks delicious.
In Sydney, Australia we spent September in lockdown so a lot of time at home working and trying to keep a 1 year old entertained.
After 15 weeks it’s “freedom day” today and I’m going to an ultrasound appointment to complete the scans on the twins we are expecting early next year. Little buggers wouldn’t turn around to get all the images needed last week 🙂
Elizabeth Adams said:
It has beem none stop busy since February. Tenants moved out of rental property doing $12,000 worth of damage to it. I believe in Karma. She isn’t nice at times. Once the house was repaired, it went on the market and sold in less than 24 hours. A bit of a bidding war too. Thank you God. Then I added a standby generator to the house I live in. Something I have needed for a while. The almost nect to last of this year’s projects was getting the house painted. It was finished last week. It looks great green with brown trim. The trim is very close to the roof color. My contractor has a great eye for color. New front door will be delivered Tues. The very last project is weed block and river rock around the generator. Hopefully we won’t have any hurricanes in Florida this year. We’ve been lucky so far. 2 1/2 months to go. Then the Holidays. Hope your year has been a good one.
Farah said:
Went to Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Night. Had a blast. Caught COVID (that really sucked) and spent two weeks in bed sick. Getting better now.
Andrea said:
September was a great month. Spent some time on the CT shoreline. crocheted a couple of pumpkins. Reread a couple of series that I like as I couldn’t fine any new reads that interested me.
MaryAnn Pacek said:
September was so warm and humid here still that it felt like an extension of summer. Was even too humid to do much of anything outside, even shopping for mums or pumpkins. Did a lot of reading and playing with the pup and tons of time wishing for cooler weather. Hoping October brings that and I get some more energy to get things done.
Heather Scully said:
Well, tbh I spent most of September and now into October sick with some sort of lung thing, which isn’t Covid, because I’ve been tested and came up negative. Other than that, mostly just been trying to get to the end of my 90 days write a book accountability course round, and we start again in November. FYI, i did not finish my my draft this time around, but hopefully I’ll finish in the next round. Otherwise just prepping for fall/winter. Getting small projects done, more decluttering. We just had a catered thanksgiving dinner (cause we’re in Canada 🍁) and now, I’m going to decide what cake to make for my mother’s birthday on the 26th.
Madison said:
If you didn’t or haven’t, make sure to read Kristen Ashley’s After the Climb Special Edition that came out in July. It has some additional chapters that definitely add to the story but also add to Chasing Serenity as well!!!
Catherine said:
Well I did quite a bit of canning as well.. peaches, peach cobbler, salsa, tomatoes. Starting to can meats as well, whatever I can find on sale. So far so good.. 🤞 Getting ready to start on apples.. mango applesauce, cinnamon applesauce, plain old applesauce, apple cobbler, and dehydrated apple slices ( some plain, others a cinnamon and sugar coating.) Taking a day to rest.. have a busy week my youngest turns 21 on Tuesday 😁 and that means PARTY!! 😃🙋♀️ Doesn’t feel like fall here in PA yet, supposed to be in the upper 70s and low 80s this week. 🤷♀️ oh well my tomatoes are still producing so I’m happy.
Katrina Dehart said:
Unfortunately, September wasn’t any fun. My car broke and have been stuck home. Been catching up on loads of emails . Also was sick a week and slept a lot. Hopefully October will bring some good luck and a car!
Amanda Trim said:
September has been bitter sweet for me. I first helped my first born, my daughter, move into her college dorm for her freshman year. And then I spent the month in an eating disorder clinic to get myself back on track and get my health back. It’s been hard but Im doing really good. I still have a month or two before I’m done.
Kristi Powell said:
Wowed!! You definitely had a busy month! I worked a lot! I have been working 68-72 hours per week!! Love being short staffed!! Any who ., I did get to visit my son at college. He goes to Temple University in Philadelphia Pa. we toured the city and enjoyed our time together! Now in October, I’m getting ready to for our girls trip to Vegas 🥳 so excited!! Hope you have a fabulous October!!
Annette said:
Wow did you have a month!! I had the covid thanks to hubby. I’m getting ready to sew my Christmas presents for the family . I make blankets and clothes for everyone. Then I start baking
Sue said:
I didn’t have an exciting September. I did go to an outdoor concert to see Little River Band. One song after another it took me back to good times. Our book club met and it was nice seeing member’s faces.
Stephanie Erickson said:
September was a busy month. The first weekend was a bowling birthday party for my 12 year old son. The second weekend we went to St. Louis for a family reunion. We were there for 5 minutes when my niece fell from the playground equipment and broke her arm. The third weekend was a father/daughter weekend. My father and I took in a St. Louis Cardinals game. We got VIP seats. We then spent time driving around where my parents grew up. Got to finally try the famous slaw burger at Gordon’s Stop Light drive in. We then headed to Kimmswick to have award winning desert that has been featured on the food network at the BLue Owl Restaurant. Our last weekend we headed to Kansas City to see Escape to Margaritaville Broadway musical. It was a busy but so amazing month.
Nina said:
What have I been doing in September? Recovering from a broken ankle and relistening to your books -which I haven’t done in a few years! I’ve gone through all of the Mastered Series – for the 3rd time – ( please write more in this series-they’re funny and sexy!) Finished the Black Top Cowboys series, for the 3rd time. Now on to the Rough Riders series which I haven’t read/listened to in a few years. Thanks for keeping me entertained through my l-o-n-g recovery!
Sonya said:
Loved your blog!!!
🛍🎉I went to an unusual bridal shower last weekend. The bride asked people to go through their pantries & other things & give her used items you don’t use anymore instead of buying her gifts. AWESOME IDEA!!!! We ended up taking a mix of kitchen, bathroom, & bedroom items & an antique chair. It turned out great!! She received more items than I’ve seen in a long time at a shower. Saw family & had a great time!!
I read a lot of books this month. Some good, some not so good. I’ll rate them 1-5.
5 The Wedding Gift Carolyn Brown
5 The Best for Less Maria Garcia
3 Cozumel Escape Cami Checketts
3 Butterface. Avery Flynn
5 About Tomorrow Abbi Glines (favorite)
5 Getting Played Emma Chase
**5 The Charm Bracelet. Viola Shipman
(Awesome read)
Reread- 5 Rockers Babies. T A Browning
Megan Smith Books
5 Made to Love
5 Stay for Me
5 Always love You
5 A Christmas to Love You
5 Need to love You
I really love Kylie Scott’s books but the following 2 left me confused. I didn’t like the first ending at all & the 2nd book didn’t leave me satisfied at all!!!
3 A Boy Like Me
A Girl Like Me
I made hamburgers this month, but I don’t cook much anymore.
Books & my granddaughter are my life these days!!!
Thanks for asking!
Cynthia Brown said:
Wow….you’ve had a busy month. I received 5 bushels of northern spy apples from my brother. So I’ve been busy canning and baking apple things. 16 apple pies, 5 double batches of applesauce, 3 batches of apple bbq sauce, 16 apple crisps, 5 batches of apple pie filling, 5 batches of apple butter and 5 batches of green tomato mincemeat. I shared all my baked goods and canning preserves with family and a couple close friends. Especially my brother who gave me the apples. I was sure to bake and can a bunch of stuff at his place for him and his family when I picked the bushels of apples up. I felt very blessed to receive them. Now I’m onto making pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread and pumpkin cheesecake from my pumpkin pie pumpkins in my garden. When I have down time I just love to read your books!!!!
Lynn Porter said:
Ended the month with covid. Bummer.
Tracy Urschler said:
Helped my oldest get settled in college out of state where she only knew a few people so we get daily phone calls 🙂
Kim Chase said:
We spent a week in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Well I live in South Dakota but we went out for the Black Hills Veterans March in Deadwood. Spent the week trab]veiling all over the area.
Heidi Reynolds said:
I did a lot of cooking and freezing myself. I have not tackled canning yet but frozen a bunch of produce and made casseroles, sauces, chili, and a lot of salsa. I also really enjoyed the nice weather.
Susan Graham said:
OMG! How many hours are in your day? You did all that in September? I’m more of a sloth; just hung out (not in a tree). My Kindle and my public library are among my very best friends, especially since the past 1 1/2 years. I want to travel, drive 5 or 6 hours to go somewhere different, but with all or most public restrooms closed, that’s not even a possibility (I have a teeny bladder, apparently). Anyway, I’ll just live vicariously thru you.
Jennifer D Lee said:
I love Colorado, it is beautiful there. It sure looks like you had a busy month!
Sandy McMahon said:
I worked mostly. My nephew and his girlfriend had a baby on the 24th – a little girl named Charlotte Rae (Baby Charlie).☘️
Dawn A said:
I was a busy bee this September. I babysat quite a few days, crafted some and read as much as I could.
April P said:
So it’s High School football season here in the south. So all things cheerleading has been goin on here. 😝
Latifa Morrisette said:
I haven’t really been doing much in September.
Lisa said:
We camped twice in September. Once on the lake and once at Lost Lagoon, where we celebrated freedom on 9/11 by partying with Kevin Fowler, The Emotions and Steel Country.
Joye said:
In September,I attended my Grandson’s wedding in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. It was a perfect setting for a lovely wedding and wonderful young people that tied the knot.
Cassie B said:
My oldest turned 13 in September. We went to Minnesota for her birthday and she got to have a fun shopping spree at the Mall of America. She can’t wait to go back but I’m ok never going again. Too many people for my liking. My youngest girl also turned 3 in September. She’s into dinosaurs so making a girlie dino cake was a blast. My youngest turned 5 months and is crawling, so I spend most of my time chasing him down.
Rita said:
My September was an amazing. Because of the covid I was not at home near 2 and half years. Now I met with my family and friends.
My husband had a birthday. I baked Minecraft cake to his.
Other things not important in September.
karen chappell said:
September was a big harvest month for me. Tomatoes, peppers and green beans. Been busy trying to can as much as possible, but the cherry Tomatoes kinda too, over! I have been looking for a fairly easy jalapeño jelly myself, but haven’t tried one yet. My peppers are thriving still!so with another batch picked ,maybe I will. I’ve been, paintingwalls, making witches costumes, ordering Christmas presents, going to our grandsons soccer games, pumpkin farms and just trying to keep up with the normal household stuff. All while hoping to complete projects and keeping sane in process! I have snuck in some reading in the early morning hours or listening to them while I paint. One day I’ll maybe finish my to do list but I’ll never finish my TBR !!
Deanna S said:
Mostly canning when not working. At the end of September while canning I managed to slice a big chunk off my middle finger while using a mandolin slicer! The chunk could not be sewn back on, so I have a definite “divot” on that finger. Wonder if I can get a deal on ColorStreet since I only need nine now?!
gloria nelson said:
I volunteered to drive my sister and brother- in-law to Salt Lake City to visit their friends. Beautiful scenery
I love road trips. I live in MN with oak trees so I’m now bagging leaves twice to three times a week.
Bobbie Sue Kearse said:
Let’s see what did I do, winterized some stuff and baked. Had to go into my office half time again. All and all it was amazing!
flchen1 said:
Love seeing your monthly wrap up, Lorelei! But I don’t feel I’ve accomplished much last month, LOL! I did get back to ballet class, and after a very painful first week, I’m back to just the regular level of sore, aside from a pulled muscle I’m trying to let heal, but am not doing too good a job of that!
I love that you had the chance to get a little girlfriend time in–there is no substitute for that incredible joy!
Peggy Haberberger said:
Love your blog. You make it seem like we are friends. I have been reading your books for years. I have over 53 of your books.
Heather Swanson said:
Your month was definitely more exciting than mine. I have decided to go back to school and get my bachelor degree in elementary education so in all my free time i have been trying to knock out classes, since july 3rd i have managed to pass 6 classes and i am going for two, hopefully three more before the term ends at the end of Decembe..
Karen Hrdlicka said:
You were extremely busy lol I finally got to get on a plane in September and go to Dallas for a book signing and visit one of my good friends. She built a new house almost two years ago and because of covid this was the first chance I got to see it. It was amazing to hang with book people again and we took in an immersive Van Gogh exhibit while we were in Dallas.
Maranda M Schroeder said:
I have not been to busy in September. I had hip surgery September 2nd, so I have been taking it easy and healing and I am so ready to get back to work.
Kara Marks said:
I’m retired and didn’t do anything very exciting. I did start learning Spanish though.
Moran said:
September was full of Jwish holidays so I had a lot of days off from work which was great sincce work is super busy and I really needed some time off.
I got to spend time with my family, rest, watched some tv and tried to catch up on my reading.
It’s been slow 2 months of reading for me since I’m not feeling so well but I’m hoping it will get better soon.
Bombshells is one of the best books I read this year, I read it on Kindle as soon as it came out and then bought the audiobook.
Martina Mitterer said:
It was a nice September here in Western Canada. We spent a lot of time in the garden and BBQed almost every 2nd day! Covid numbers are rising again but the majority are from unvaccinated. We are happy that restaurants remain open. Unfortunately, the end of September brought the rain. Oh well!
Lisa M Spofford said:
Well I wish I could claim that I was half as industrious as you last month! We visited our oldest in Lynchburg, VA over Labor Day weekend, seeing him for the first time since May when he picked up a car that the engine had blown on and immediately left again. My “baby” turned 24 on the first day of Autumn (9/22,) and we agreed to attend the REN Faire with him as part of the observance. It was too many people too close together not wearing masks for me. I am not surprised that there are still so many people getting sick! I made some plans to make dress-up clothes for my niece for Christmas, and we will have to see if I can get it done.
marta cox said:
We went to the coast for a week and just chilled out. Sounds like you had fun experimenting in the kitchen !
Melissa R said:
September Is the start of school in Wisconsin. I worked as a guest teacher. I learned I enjoy little tiny kids. Also my husband and I explored different places to eat and drink in our area. We also helped his sister move. We drove an hour there, spent the night and came back. Because school started I didn’t do a lot. My “sister” had a baby so I have a new “nephew.”
Heather Blitz said:
my dad passed away sept 11 2010. So I thought about him more than usual. I went to a new doctor and had an MRI. I also got scheduled to see an oncologist for Nov. 1st. All in all, not a lot of fun lolv
Ness said:
it’s great hearing all about your successes and fails…….makes us realize we all have things that don’t turn out….being retired I get read a lot and just hang out with friends…..it was a very warm Sept here in SW Ontario…..the colours are beautiful in the trees……it is Thanksgiving weekend so a holiday Monday!!
Sheila Fleming said:
Busy month for me also. We are moving from Louisiana to Maryland. House went on the market (much later than wanted due to Hurricane Ida), All that other lovely stuff you have to put up with to sell a house. Then came the packing, trying to find a place to live and coordinating all the move preparation. The time is now upon us. We have movers on Saturday and close in a week.
Susan Craig said:
I mostly worked in September – 2 big tax deadlines in the early autumn, so we are super busy. Here is my habanero jelly recipe – it is a keeper! https://food52.com/recipes/13548-habanero-pepper-jelly
ROSE TRESTKA said:
Since it is getting cooler here I have been pulling all the leftover plants from my garden and cleaning things out. I need to get manure to put nutrients back into the abused soil. I also got a free read that was very good, by Lexi Ryan, Every little piece of me.
Julie Smith said:
I like the look of the cookies
My September.
reading and crochet just like every month, I’m housebound and can only get out if a couple of friends take me , I nearly forgot I was given the all clear from cancer yep that was it.
Shelley said:
Oh you have been a busy lady as always!! Well I’ve done so much in September, where to start, read plenty of books too many to name would take the you hours 😆. Putting the finishing touch of planning for my daughter’s wedding ( rustic with a touch of class) she says!! Spending tons of time with my grand babies gosh that’s my favorite time spent. Oh yeah just a few books to mention I’ve re read books 0.5 through 14!! I love the McKay family 🥰🥰
Shaun Brinkhurst said:
September started off on a very sad note as we lost our “Mom” after surgery for her heart… but had a wonderful “Celebration of Life” to which many wonderfully touching stories were recounted. She’s deeply missed and was so loved!! The 13th of the month, my husband and I celebrated our “35th” wedding anniversary which was a wonderful quiet evening just the two of us. On the 18th we celebrated my son’s spouse’s “35th” birthday with the whole family. I treasure the time when all of the boys are home at the same time, as their work takes them out of town regularly. On the 25th we celebrated my “59th” birthday!! WHERE the heck did all those years go?? I’m sure not feeling like I’m that age, so will continue to enjoy my time riding my gelding “Tux” and enjoying the beautiful fall weather that we have had. I count my blessings every time I get to be on the back of my horse – just him and I enjoying the amazing colors and site – saw a Moose cow and half in our subdivision and then a Moose cow enjoying the apples still hanging on the trees. I’m hoping to not run into a Bull Moose, they’re very aggressive at this time of year “rutting”! So from great sadness of losing our Mom to birthdays and fall rides I’d say September ended with beauty and grace. My cup runs over!!
Magen Hyde said:
I slogged my way through 2 grad school classes, working full time, and being mom. I did get started on my crochet Christmas gift projects though!
Nancy Jones said:
I celebrated by 60th birthday and enjoyed my first month of retirement.
Pamela Gomes said:
September zipped by and we celebrated the grandson’s first birthday. What a fun time.
Glad you got away and looking forward to when author reader events come back.
Here’s to fall and October!
Shelley Gaddie said:
I spent September homebound due to being sick. Finally after being sick since the end of June they found out what was wrong with me. I had had 8 antibiotics and 2 rounds of steroids before we found out I had a bad bacterial infection in my lungs. All those antibiotics didn’t even touch it. I had to have IV antibiotics. My doctor wanted me to go in the hospital so we could clear this up. I was NOT going in to the hospital. Our numbers for Covid were very high and the hospitals were full of Covid patients. So we compromised and found a company that delivered home meds and had a home
health service. So what I am trying to say is that I spent 17 days doing IV antibiotic infusions from home. the nurse removed the PICC line last Monday and I finally feel a lot better. I read a lot of books during this time. LOL
Kellie R said:
I turned “60 years old” on August 31st so September was a month of celebration. A very busy month but full of celebration. I smoked 30 lbs. beef and chicken fajita meat, which I vacuum-sealed to prepare for our fajita party later this month. My husband and I love to cook, bake, grill, and use our smoker.
On September 21st, I was blessed with my third grandchild and my first granddaughter, Allison Jo-Ann. She is beautiful!!!! What can I say but I love my life!!!
October is going to be a beautiful month, too!!!!
Sharalyn Wilson said:
Sounds like you had a busy month! I got both my youngest kids moved off to college and deep cleaning their rooms!
Amy R said:
September was a month of organization for me as I redid my book shelves and cleaned out my filing cabinet.
Rose Marie Wright said:
September was a good month for me. Four year check up at M. D. Anderson and I have no evidence of disease. One more year to go before being released. I had a surprise birthday party and it was a very good surprise. With the Covid I don’t go anywhere so it was nice to see people and enjoy company. I never thought I would reach 76 but now looking forward to another good year.
Becky Lovell said:
Are your months longer than mine?! I wouldn’t get through one of these crafts, one of the cooking projects, or one of the books….OK, I probably would get through about half the books!
I feel like my entire month of September was spent watching my kids play soccer, either practices or games. And I only have two kids, I would go crazy if I had more! I totally understand now why my parents never encouraged me, the youngest of 4, to join sports, they didn’t discourage, but never offered unless I asked first. Except for piano lessons, why they insisted that I take 2 years of piano instead of something that got my lazy buns moving is beyond me!
Oh, I did do one super awesome thing, I went to Disney World with my mom and 3 sisters, no kids and no husbands! We had so much fun together!
Tiss Johnson said:
Haying, Have I mentioned we’ve been haying? Either putting it up or hauling it home. CRP hay had to be hauled by Sept 15th this year. So as soon as we were done putting it up, we were in the Semi hauling it home.
Feeding calves, we did something different this year and we weaned our Jan, Feb and March calves in June, put them in a feedlot style pen and gave them creep feed and hay and we had to be HOME all summer, to take care of animals. No vacation for me.
I started reading a few ebooks, but never got through them. That’s about it for me in Sept.
Peggy Henry said:
I worked, read a lot and my husband had a TIA (mini stroke) while driving on Sunday. So lots of hospital time and doctor appointments. Wish I had the energy you must have to craft and cook like you did!! October has got to be better. Hope you found time to write. Looking forward to your next book.
Amy Judkins said:
September was so busy for us, as I know it has been for so many. Our young adult son Jordan kept me busy with meetings and paperwork throughout the month and we still have not stopped. We are working on getting him into an educational program set up for individuals with different mental and emotional disabilities and we are so excited that Jordan was chosen as we have been waiting for what feels like forever. We are almost “there”, I hope anyways!
Thank you so much for such an amazing chance! Have a lovely evening,
Amy Judkins
Susan T. said:
My daughter is a 1st year at college, so excited for her. Started to go back to the office and spent some time with friends.
Michelle Ayers said:
September was pretty uneventful for me! I just did my usual stuff like take care of my dad!
Nan said:
September seems so long ago. But it’s only been 2 weeks? Since I can’t remember I guess I didn’t do anything exciting or memorable. LOL. I do know I’ve been busy around home. Making improvements. Inside and outside. Which is a good thing. Reading. Watching TV. Right now I’m watching the Doc Martin series since I didn’t see all of it when it was on TV. That’s about it.
Elisa A said:
Wow! You managed to cram a lot into a month!!!
In September, I was still tending to my fruit/veg and flower gardens. My figs were coming fast a furious! I’ve been trying to grow figs now for at least 8 yrs. After much $$, headache and heartache, I finally managed to over-winter 2 trees (2 different methods) and get fruit off both this summer. Yay! I canned more tomatoes in September. And I finally got to start harvesting my peppers.
My chrysanthemums are blooming. They look and smell wonderful!
We went to Quebec to visit my parents (I haven’t seen them since 2019!). It was a working visit, since we had planned to repair/replace their balcony in April 2020. It was super to finally see them again! I was sad to have missed their 85th birthday last year.
What I read:
– I finished your Julie Collins series. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!!!! And in Book 4, I love your homage to Sue Grafton. I realize that she was still alive when you wrote it, but I had to laugh. I’ve read all 25 of the Kinsey Millhone books. I loved that series! There were so many instances, while reading your books, that I thought to myself, “Ya, I get it. Julie and I would have been BFFs. ”
– I started reading the In Death series by JD Robb (Nora Roberts). I am really liking this series. I seem to have a thing for kickass female lead characters!
– I read a few ARC books
Audiobooks
I finally gave up on the Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life. I managed to get past the 15 hr mark and I just couldn’t listen any more.
I listened to some mindless Chick Lit books while gardening, nothing of significance.
Crafts
September is a big month for me for family member birthdays. I made 5 birthday cards.
Sheila Renner said:
I did some reading, decorated outside for fall/Halloween and also bought a butterfly 🦋 kit. We watched the caterpillars turn into cocoons and then the butterflies emerge. After a couple days we released them. It was fun to watch.
Michelle Lowe said:
September has been a bad month for me. I had a breast cancer scare that gave me a week of waiting for results that I wasted in bed afraid. I had to take my dog Bella for surgery and her recovery was really hard for her so that took up a little bit. I did try to make my own pasta with my new pasta maker and lol it was awful . I never realized how much they put into making noodles. I’ve read way to many books to name them all and watched every episode of the show “animal kingdom” which is about a crazy family of thieves and crooks. It’s a must see. I also became a great aunt for the 17th time to a lil girl named Haley who is adorable 💕 All in all I’m glad October’s here lol!
Brenda k Jewell said:
September was a bit overwhelming for me. My (pots) specialist said there are no more treatment options for me. So my cardiologist is taking over because o my arrhythmia treatment will help my (pots) issue. Postural orthostatic tachycardia is a nightmare to live with. I use reading to escape my reality. I look forward to more books coming out. I also look forward to reading about everyone’s adventures and activities.
Joyce Slostad said:
Wow – you had a busy month. I too took a trip with my H.S. girlfriends – we met in 1975 and have stayed friends all this time. We went to Savannah GA & Charleston SC and had a wonderful time together.
P.S.
Love your books!
Lisa Rounsley said:
September….where did it go???? Spent a lot of my time packing to move. Got some reading in though.
Angie Peterson said:
We spent most of September going to doctor appointments, drawing, and reading.
Thanks for the chance and for the amazing giveaway 💜
Good luck everyone 💜