Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - September 13, 2026: Planning, Planning, Planning

While I'm still not getting the month right on things that require dates, we're already half way through September! My son is definitely picking up my vibe lately - we have SO MUCH to look forward to! His first high school theatre production ended yesterday (well, except for strike on Monday), he and his dad are going to a hill climb event up north together next weekend, we're going to see Come From Away and visit the weekend after that, then it's his birthday! And for his birthday, he and I are going to a video game symphony performance the weekend after that. Then he's in driver's education classes for October! I'm also so happy that he is enjoying high school so far :)

I definitely meant to post a book review (hopefully in the next day or so?!), but I've got yet another back-to-back Sunday Salon and Sunday Post with Readerbuzz and Caffeinated Reviewer. Off on a tangent, I still remember the people who were on a writing site I was on leading up to  9/11/01. I don't think I had ever actually 'met' any of them in person, but the site was suddenly abuzz with checking in on all the other writers we knew there. The site disbanded later, and now the peeps from Sunday Salon & Sunday Post are my online family. Thanks to you all!

What I'm Reading This Week:

I'm between books a bit right now, I'll be starting a new print book tomorrow (I'm between Mystery Play by Elizabeth Kostova or Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. Your vote?

On my kindle, I'm reading A Spell for Midwinter's Heart by Morgan Lockhart, and on audiobook I've got The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

Three Good Things:

1. My daughter had callbacks from auditions for all of her university's holiday/spring shows! So she was completely exhausted last night (it all ended with headshots for the show she's currently in at like 8:30 last night!), but cast lists should be coming out next week. I'm excited to see the lists, as I've come to know or know of several of her friends at her home-away-from-home too.
2. I've decided to host a Quiet Reading Party next week! The boys are going up north, so I'll have the house to myself. For a few hours Saturday afternoon, I'm saying folks can bring an appetizer or dessert to share - or don't (if everyone brought something, it would be way too much), any books they want to pass along, and whatever they're reading (or pick from what other people are passing along!). We can hang out, read, just enjoy some time to ourselves, more or less. I was thinking about making some red/green coasters like they use at the Brazillian steakhouse? If you want conversation, flip it to green, or if you want to be left alone, display the red side. What do you think?
3. Since I already listed lots of things my family is looking forward to, I'm delighted to use this last 'good thing' to brag. Several people commented to me yesterday about how genuinely kind my son is as a friend of their child or someone they know through school or theater. Whether it's the boy-ness or just a different personality, I don't hear as much about his social relationships as I do from my daughter. It is heartwarming to hear that he has many people who also care about and appreciate his goodness.

Three Goals for This Week/Month/Whatever:

1. I did get the corner shelf that was in my plans - and it went awry from the start. LOL The shelf as it came in had apparently had a few mirror image photos in the post, so the short side was longer than I wanted. Hubby was gracious (and smart!) enough to help me modify it, but whatever we did still wasn't enough. We went to a lot of trouble with drills and such during assembly, and the 'short' side still covers part of the window frame. But life is an adventure, and it will be fine. He's getting a couple more supports today to give the shelves a bit more strength since they didn't line up with all the intended supports due to our modifications. This evening I can start moving from the old shelf and decorating that corner - yay!
2. Today's errands include getting black thread to stitch a button on to my son's cosplay robe, and sew up the unfortunate decayed seams on our couch. I'll be getting a new couch soon, but not before my party next weekend or my son's birthday celebrations. 
3. I also got some cute trinket and serving dishes from my mom last weekend, but they need a home. They've been on our kitchen island so far, but part of planning my party will include eliminating the clutter. Not an entire other item or anything, but I think I'll start getting out Halloween decorations too :)