Tag: Without

October 2026 Wrap-Up

Personal Highlights from this month:

  • For the week of September 28th through October 3rd:
    • Miss R’s birthday is this week. She turns 13!! We had a party for her on Sunday with her best friends and family.
    • I also took Miss R to an orthopedic doctor this week. I don’t remember if I mentioned it in last month’s post, but she had injured her knee while getting off a ride at a carnival. Three weeks later, it was still hurting her, and I took her to Urgent Care, and they referred her to the orthopedic doctor. He is almost certain that she tore her meniscus (or partially tore it) and has referred her for an MRI. She is also on complete rest, which means: no riding, no climbing stairs, no running until after the MRI.
    • Miss B’s car broke down while she was driving to work in SC (she travels all over GA, SC, NC, and part of TN). BK and I drove 2 hours to help her install a part.
    • Miss B’s car kept breaking down, even though what we installed should have fixed it. She took it to Miss J’s grandfather (who works on cars), and it turned out to be her water pump. He replaced it for her, and just in time, she has a 4-hour drive to Georgia (just outside Atlanta) for this week’s job.
    • I ended up getting sick with an awful head cold.
  • For the week of October 4th through October 10th:
    • And the school fundraiser starts. Miss R brought one home for chorus (puff pastry). The teacher has a goal of $3,000 for supplies, and she told the kids that they need 16 sales each (which realistically won’t happen). So far, 3 people bought from her (her dad and two neighbors). Maybe 3 more people will buy, so we probably did a little better than most… lol.
    • Also, school-related: Miss R was chosen to go to a chorus competition with two other girls. She is thrilled.
  • For the week of October 11th through October 17th:
    • BK went to Texas for a work meeting. Since moving up in the company, he doesn’t travel that much. At one point, he was traveling every week (Tues-Thursday).
    • I went to IKEA with my bestie, Mrs. H, on the 11th. It was a blast, and I found a kitchen table that I am going to buy before Christmas.
    • During the same trip, we also hit up World Market (which I had never been in before), TJ Maxx, and Marshalls.
    • Miss R also went to the barn this week, and it didn’t go as she expected. Her knee was killing her by the time we got home (so we elevated it, alternated ice and heat, and she put her brace on). She also got very sad that she couldn’t ride with her friends.
    • Miss B and Miss J’s apartment ceiling was having issues (it was soft and bulging after an intense rainstorm thanks to Isasias). So, they brought their cats here, and we are keeping them while repairs are made. Their landlord doesn’t know when the drywall or roof people will be there, so we might have them a while. My cats were not happy (lots of hissing, growling, and hiding the first three days).
    • I ended up with a migraine for most of this week. They are getting more common, and I think I need to bring it up with my Dr.
    • First-quarter grades ended this week, and Miss R is on the A/B honor roll.
    • They also gave the kids their first good-grades/good-behavior reward this week. To attend, kids need a grade above a C and no trouble on the bus or at school that resulted in ISS or OSS. Miss R said it was boring, just hanging out in the gym.
  • For the week of October 18th through October 24th:
    • Miss R had her MRI. There was no tear to her meniscus!! We still don’t know whether she’ll need to go to PT or continue with the brace a little longer. But it was very good news!!
    • I took one of my brown tabbies, Vinnie, to the vet on Friday. It was his yearly appointment, and I also wanted advice on some behavioral issues he was having. He got his 3-year rabies shot and had a bad reaction to it. He threw up continuously for 30 minutes (about 20 times) after we got home and then continued puking off/on for the rest of the day. I did let my vet know, and she is making a note in his chart about the reaction. I have never had an animal (cat or dog) react to the rabies shot before.

Week of October 25th through October 31st will be on the November post

Books I Read:

  • The Without series by Aubrey Bondurant: Another quick turnaround with my reading. I went from Regency England to present-day Texas. I have the entire series (3 books) downloaded and cannot wait to read them!!
  • The Emergence series by JT Sawyer: Another quick turnaround. I went from romance to post-apocalyptic zombie horror. So, sorry for the whiplash. I got almost all the books on KU (two free). And talk about perfect timing because I started this series on October 1st!!
  • The Gesa’s Menagerie series by Kaye Draper: And yet another quick turn to a different genre, paranormal romance. I got the first book for free, but I need to buy the rest. So I’m waiting for them to either go on KU or become free.
  • The Night Drop: Resistance in the Wetland by Ian D. Wright: This book takes us back to WWII France and 1960s France in the same area. I haven’t been reading much WWII fiction. Update: I got stuck on this book for a week. Because I was reading it for a challenge, I refused to DNF it. But man, it was very dry and a little boring.
  • Above All Things by Deborah Raney: Another reading-challenge book, and another book I didn’t love. This was a Christian contemporary fiction book. It wasn’t overtly preachy. I also didn’t get closure at the end. Part of the storyline was left unanswered.
  • The Unnaturals series by Jessica Meigs: And we switch to paranormal. I mean, who doesn’t read a paranormal urban fantasy right after a Christian contemporary book… lol. I got the first book in the series (not the prequel, but book 1) for free. I was fortunate that the other 4 books were on KU. I am also reading one of the books for a reading challenge.

Monthly Playlist

Featured Song(s) of the Month