Weekending

Had a pretty nice long weekend!

Friday, I didn't have to work which was wonderful! I slept in until 5:15 😀 (I didn't set an alarm, rather that's the time I woke up.) When Donnie woke up, he asked me why I didn't sleep in. I told him that 5:15 IS sleeping in for me during the work week! I'd not slept until 5:15 during the week since beginning work. In addition, I'd gone to bed at a decent hour on Thursday. To whit, I felt very well rested and it was a great way to start the day!

I did some blog reading until it was time to hang out with Donnie while he was getting ready for work. This is one part of the day that I miss the most about working. In the summer and before, on days that I didn't sub, I'd hang out with Donnie while he's getting ready for work. Now, on days that I work, I leave before Donnie does so we don't get a chance to chat much at all in the morning. Friday we did and I didn't take that for granted.

Almost as soon as Donnie left for work, I got to work in the kitchen- or I should say MY kitchen, as opposed to the school's :). We were having friends over for dinner that evening. I made two kinds of cookies, a pumpkin dessert, salad and I prepped the main course (copy cat Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti (though theirs is meatless, I wanted meat in mine so I cooked some chicken in olive oil and Italian spices and then cut it into thin slices to add to the pasta)). I was cautiously optimistic that these tasks would take no more than two hours. Aww, that was a cute thought. It was more like 3 1/2 hours by the time the counters, stove and stove top, floors, and appliances bore no visible manifestations of the chopping, measuring, pouring, boiling, simmering, opening with non clean hands that occurred during the process of the food being made.

I ran on the treadmill, showered, and then ran two short errands before completing cleaning up the house before our guests arrived. Two of our couple friends came over and we had a great time together. The weather was incredible- not even 80 degrees and overcast- so we sat at our outside table to eat. After we ate we watched a silly movie from the 80's. We had a really great time with our friends. I didn't take any pictures once friends were here. I took a few of the food before our guests came. 

I used pumpkin puree from a pumpkin that I grew last year (obviously I froze the puree!!) for the pumpkin dessert- so fun to use that which had grown in the garden.

This dessert's good taste is belied by its lack of looking good! It's just pumpkin, a yellow cake mix, eggs, spices and butter. (LOTS of butter :)). 

Between Thursday and Friday, I was able to make the house look fall festive as well...

And practically fall weather!

Saturday, I went NOWHERE all day! As in, I didn't leave the house. I really enjoyed my Saturday at home. I'd been out of town the previous two  Saturdays- they were for good reasons and I'm glad they happened- but I was happy to be home on Saturday. My brother planned on coming over later in the day to watch the Indiana U. football game. They were playing at 4:00 pm.

Donnie went to the gym in the morning and I went outside to enjoy the still fairly cool, overcast weather. 

I read outside while listening to the sound of the fountain. 

... I also did my Bible reading outside- Revelation!- and of course had my drink of choice. The fall like, idyllic setting would have been more idyllic looking if my drink of choice were a hot beverage in a twee, fall mug. BUT, my drink of choice is pop which is never going to look idyllic in the can but that's how I drink it.

I picked some veggies...

... chopped some veggies and made some hot pepper jelly 

I talked to Abby on the phone for about an hour, talked to Alyssa and lastly heard from my brother who said he didn't feel well enough to come over to watch the IU game. I was a little worried about him with the symptoms he told me he had. He told me he'd go to the ER if he felt worse. 

Donnie and I watched some college football and then watched a Netflix movie, Desire (It was cringy, dumb, and full of major plot holes- I don't recommend)

Sunday, Donnie and I went to church  and shortly after we returned home, I called my brother based on his text telling me that he was in the ER. He woke up feeling even worse so went to the ER. They had run several tests and he was worried he'd be in the ER for hours waiting for the results. I told him I could come up there to see him if he'd like me to and he said he would appreciate someone there with him. And so, my day pivoted. There was nothing I had to do on Sunday  (though I was planning on running a couple of errands and getting a couple of things accomplished). The hospital my brother was in is located about 2 1/2 hours from our house. I made it up there in good time and almost as soon as I arrived, my brother called me to tell me he'd been released (we were both worried that he'd be admitted based on his symptoms.) It was a relief to hear that he'd been released and was finished at the ER. He still wasn't feeling great but it was a relief that nothing worse was wrong (he does need to do a follow up test). We went back to his place and walked his dog and then got something to eat (he'd not eaten all day). We went to a pizza place in town that someone had recommended. It was... ok. Very saucy which is not how I like my pizza but it was fine, overall. We had to wait a while for the pizza as it was deep dish but that was ok. We got to spend more time together and chat before I left for home. 

Too saucy!

I got home in the evening and was getting ready to run (Donnie told me it had been sunny all day) and the tornado sirens went off! They stopped but then a severe thunderstorm rolled in. Goodness- more rain!

Linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday: