September's Here

And it means I'll have a teenager (!!)

It’s odd to be writing a September update that needs to cover the remainder of the summer. We’re in school mode now, finishing the first week, so summer seems farther away than it really was. We had a great time down the shore for a week, playing in the ocean, flying kites, eating seafood, and snacking on fudge. We ended the summer with a trip to a water park/amusement park and the older kids rode some for-real roller coasters. The oldest of those kiddos is about to be a teenager, and I’m still processing that. Still, it’s such a joy to watch these young people of ours grow up.

1. Some updates

I’ve started a new semester at UST, and my class is “The Art of the Novel,” where it’s all Georges Bernanos, all the time. Our professor–a brilliant and profoundly faithful man–just got some difficult health news, which he has shared publicly. Can you please say a prayer for him and his family today?

2. What I’m reading

Apart from my school reading, I’m finally reading Confessions by St. Augustine and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Both such wonderful reads to spend time with. 

3. What my kids are reading

My older kids discovered Super Smash Bros. in the box of Wii games John’s had since something like 2006. They are reading the manual cover to cover to be ready to play the next time they have the chance.

My daughter’s also reading Heidi, in a beautiful edition given to her by her godparents. 

4. Something I love

Meal planning is so hard, but it’s also so, so helpful. Midway through summer, I asked the younger kids to help me name just five meals that most of us liked. A few minutes later we had twenty. Twenty! I posted that list inside the cabinet that holds the cookbooks, and making a schedule the last two weeks has been a breeze. Creating that list when we didn’t feel so on the spot–I wasn’t planning a week right then; I wasn’t grocery shopping right then–made all the difference. There’s probably a life lesson in there, too.

5. What I’m creating (knitting, lettering, embroidery, etc.)

I knit some doll clothes for my goddaughter’s birthday, and I love how they came out! I didn’t know it, but the trim on the dress ended up matching the bows in the doll’s hair when our girl opened her gift. 

6. Where my work is

I contributed to a piece on fall reads at Verily.

I’d hoped to have a link to a story published at The Windhover, but we’ll have to wait a little longer for that. 

7. What I’m working on

I’m hoping my new novel project will turn into my MFA thesis for Spring 2025. Between the kids being back in school, the course I’m taking, and the encouragement of my critique group, it’s possible that I’ll have a draft before Christmas. Not likely, maybe, but possible!

8. A quote to sit and sip with

Instead of one, how about sixty-five quotes this time? Check out the Instagram account for my podcast, Quote Me with Lindsay Schlegel, currently on extended hiatus, for the quotes we’ve featured. And if you want to listen in , you can find all the episodes here.

Until next month!

Lindsay