[actual photo of me questioning my life choices yesterday]

I had planned to work yesterday, but then I hit myself in the head rather spectacularly while doing last-minute back-to-school shopping (note to self: when pulling down the hatchback door, make sure your head is NOT in the way) and then there was a lot of pain meds and napping. GO ME I AM SUPER GRACEFUL AND COORDINATED.

That's okay, though, because the short person went back to school today (I SURVIVED SUMMER Y'ALL) and my productivity is going to be AMAZING from here on out (I probably just jinxed myself) and also DID I MENTION THAT SCHOOL STARTED FINALLY?

...kiddo is slightly less excited about it than I am, as you can see.

• Despite the chaos that was the final week of summer vacation, last week was pretty productive! One of the Morning Wire Meditation pieces resulted in me developing a really interesting new technique/design, which I promptly spent several days exploring - after so many years of working with wire it's very exciting to stumble across something that feels this new and different to me, and I'm learning all kinds of new things about how wire can be manipulated from this design. 
  
  
• Today is my first day at the workbench in September, which means... TIME FOR ALL THE FALL-THEMED SHINIES! First up: a reprise of the Sundering Persephone series, because I found some aaaaaaamazing golden labradorite this summer and I have Many Ideas. And there will be leaves. And stuff in bronze and gold wire, and... well, you know how I get once the leaves start turning. 
  
  
• Also in the works for fall and winter: expect this year's sales to be spectacular, because guess who has two thumbs and a hundred-year-old house with twenty original windows and a bunch of estimates from contractors? That's right, THIS GIRL! Last winter I scraped up both hands and dislocated several joints and very nearly fell backwards out a window while trying (unsuccessfully) to wrestle one of the ancient storm windows into place, and after I patched up my wounds and took a handful of ibuprofen and calmed from the shock of almost finding myself head-first in a rosebush, I did a very credible imitation of Scarlet O'Hara's famous pre-intermission scene, only it was more along the lines of "as G-d is my witness, I'll never injure myself on one of these @#$^%!?&*#!! storm windows again!" Unlike Scarlett, though, I don't expect to have to lie, steal, cheat, or kill - working my butt off for the rest of the year should suffice. 
  
  

That's... pretty much it, I think? So if you'll excuse me, I need to go play with labradorite until it's time to retrieve the short person from school and see if we are going out to dinner and then to choir tonight or if the traditional first-day-of-school meltdown will result in us coming home and eating pizza in front of the tv. COULD GO EITHER WAY! I'll find out at 5!