september '25 postcard
well, i'm glad THAT'S over....
Hey, hi, hello it’s me! Your close personal friend, Sam, back with another monthly recap **~*~~*~*~~ !!
And for the first time ever I’m saying: THANK GOD THIS MONTH IS OVER. Yes, you heard that right. The girl who is always yearning for the moment that has just passed is saying she’d like to move on. It’s fine. You win some and you do, in fact, lose some (this month was rough, I cried while writing this recap I’m so sorry to say).
Is it just me or was there something in the air that made this month absolutely insane??? hAHAhshHahaupsrjgpasjgposij <3 But you know what they say, that’s just the epic highs and lows of high school football, or whatever.
Weirdly, even in the midst of the worst times, the world keeps spinning & life continues on. And this month was full of good things like: coffee at home, trying new things, baking, reading, farmer’s markets, snail mail, supporting friends, pursuing creativity, pizza <3, fostering connection, making coffee for friends, writing, STRESS HAHA~~*~**~*~** (not a good thing but this month was full of it), cooking, and finding little ways to add some joy to my life.
a couple of september standouts:
Look, if I just start this off with the Bad Thing then it’s fine and it’s out of the way and it isn’t looming over this post (hAHhah). Well, like I said, this month was hard. My dog got pneumonia. Did you know that pneumonia can be deadly for dogs, especially if not treated immediately?
My sweet Sunny girl had to be admitted to the vet hospital for 2 nights. It was brutal. And it all happened so fast. I haven’t felt so afraid and full of anguish in so long. I was a wreck. It’s hard to see someone you love hurting and sick. And I know for some, she’s just a dog, not a person. But to me, she is my girl. She’s been by my side for years and to think that could’ve been cut short… I’m happy to say that she is doing better. And she’s still cute as ever <3.
I got over 200 new subscribers this month?? Meaning that I now have 500+ people following along on my blog!!! This is truly the blog I always dreamed of having as a kid, so just know you’re making 13 year old Sam really, really happy. (Blink twice so I know ur not a bot!!!)
ALSO, 500 is a crazy number?! The idea of standing on a stage and presenting to 500 people is W I L D, not that this is even remotely the same. But WOW, 500 !!!!!!!!!!!!
I sent out my September snail mail letters <3 TO OVER 100 PEOPLE. I actually almost have 150 people signed up. I’ve decided that when I reach 150, I will be capping it! If you’ve been wanting to join, now is probably your last chance! Click here if you wanna sign up (link is also in my bio, yes the scary one that says forms).
I went to my friend Hannah’s Tiny Farmer’s Market. I met Hannah through Tik Tok (don’t tell my parents I’m meeting strangers on the internet!!) and she hosts a Tiny Farmer’s Market in her front yard. They had homemade jams, textile art, wine, coffee, jewelry, embroidery, live music, and a lot more. I got some Blueberry Lavender Jam from Hannah! If you’re in Austin, you should check it out :)
Oh, and a moment for the bagel we had after:
I got a new espresso machine. After many disappointing attempts to make my nespresso taste…good…we decided to go ahead and get this machine. Yes, I’m just like every other girl and I’m so glad about it. This machine (the Breville Barista Express!) is worth every single penny and worth the hype. I’ve made coffee at home every single day. <3
Sunny likes to sit and watch me make my coffee, btw. My real child The blueberry syrup I made this month deserves its own spot (I include the recipe at the end, btw):
Date night was at a new pizza place!!! All day pizza is actually right next to my favorite bookstore so it felt like fate <3. The pizza was pretty good and I liked that you can order slices to try different pies. And we have high standards after living in NYC (not true). We stopped by the bookstore after and it was lovely!
I felt a chill in the air (not true, it’s been like 90 here) so I decided to make my favorite holiday cookies: white chocolate chip & dried cranberry cookies. I don’t have an official name for them hahaha but it’s a crowd (me) favorite.
Sunny using her charm to get a cookie (didn't work) My birthday is next month and I thought why not get this party started this month?? Needed it, honestly. I ordered these two mugs off of Etsy and I am IN LOVE. :)
I’m all about trying new things and I’ve been seeing linocut art allllll over the place and thought I’d give it a go! It’s definitely not perfect, but I am really pleased with how it turned out. I’m thinking of using this stamp (or another??) for my next snail mail club :)
song of the month:
If you follow me on Tik Tok, then you know I used this song several times (hehehaha). The song of the month is: Cross The Street by Junior Varsity !!!
This song is great to listen to while you prep your Snail Mail letters, bake cookies, and make coffee with your new espresso machine by the way <3.
As always, here is my Apple Music playlist and Spotify playlist:
rose, thorn, bud:
Rose: I’m really proud of all the new things I tried this month like figuring out my espresso machine, trying new recipes, and picking up a new art medium (linocut). Anddddd for using all the skills in my box during the hard times this month.
Thorn: Sunny being sick. Yeahhhhhhh.
Bud: I’m looking forward to my birthday next month. It’s wild to think I am going to be 32!!! Time is flying.
books, poems, etc:
I read ✨12✨ books this month.
Yeah, I know, girl how. This is partly because my Libby holds decided to all come through at one time. I also requested a few ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies, btw) and got approved for all of them. So, all of the sudden, I had like 8 books on the docket!!! And my anxiety refused to let me let them slip away. Tick Tock !!!!
And in a stressful time, you can always count on me to dissociate in my favorite way, reading. I read:
Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth
Recognizing the Stranger by Isabella Hammad
Sleep by Honor Jones
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
Audition by Katie Kitamura
Cruelty Free by Caroline Glenn (ARC)
The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
There’s a lot of mystery/thriller here, but don’t be fooled. It’s not my favorite, but I have been looking for a book like The God of The Woods for so long… IF YOU HAVE A REC LIKE IT PLS LET ME KNOW <3.
affirmation/quote of the month:
⭐️ I can trust my intuition and listen when I feel like something isn’t right ⭐️
⭐️ I can give the people around me the opportunity to support me during a hard time ⭐️
I am an anxious person. I know this and have learned through therapy how to quell it as best as I can. So when my dog started acting strange, I was immediately concerned. And just as quick, I worked to debunk that anxiety. I assumed I was overreacting. She had gone to the vet the day before, so I was sure I was reading into things. But something wasn’t right, and despite my rebuttals and calling on facts (like the vet would’ve known if something was wrong…right?), my anxiety won out. Within the hour, my partner and I were at the vet ER. I thought for sure I was being dramatic as I watched her perk up in the back seat on the way. She loves the car. But I was wrong. Or, well, I was right. I was right to worry. The vet immediately recognized her symptoms as pneumonia and she was admitted to the hospital a few hours later.
I hate that I doubted myself. I hate that I wrote off my correct assessment as just my raging, out of control anxiety like omg here we go again. Learning to trust myself is hard. I often have to distinguish between anxiety and intuition, especially when they are both screaming. It scares me to think that if I had not listened to my gut, Sunny would be in a bad spot. I’m just glad that I did listen, and that she’s okay.
Something I’m always working on is letting people in during a tough time. I have a tendency to close myself off, retreat inward, until I have a handle on the situation. The last thing I need is to hold other people’s anxieties about my situation while I’m barely managing mine. But this time, I told a few friends about what was happening (major progress). And what do you know, I was met with understanding and compassion and support. AND IT FELT GOOD. I saw something recently that said something along the lines of “who are you to deny people the opportunity to show up for you”. And that’s true.
Baby steps. Baby steps. Baby steps.
recipe of the month:
As soon as I opened my espresso machine, I hit the ground running looking for fun coffee recipes to make. My friend, Sarah, shared her blueberry syrup recipe with me. So, the recipe of the month is blueberry syrup (Sarah’s version) <3:
This can definitely be used in coffee/matcha, but I imagine it would taste really good on pancakes/waffles (especially the stuff left over from straining it!).
The world is your oyster !!!!!!! <3
Okay, well September, you’re done. Get outta here!!! It’s been real, and it’s been fun, but it hasn’t been real fun (like seriously). October, here we come.
Time for fun spooky times, not like actual terrifying times.
See ya next month !! hAH
Sam <3
💚
have you read The Bee Sting by Paul Murray? that’s the most similar book to The God of the Woods that i’ve read!