The May Files
Things I love, with love — from me to you
Welcome to The Files. My monthly roundup of everything from the Scripture I’m loving to the shows I’m binging. Think of it as a coffee date with a friend, chatting through it all. Per usual: definitely pretty, mostly prompt, and always worth the read.
From My Corner
June!!! It’s June. The month that is a breath of fresh air, the mid point of the year. To evaluate how far we’ve come, and where we’re aiming to be for the rest of the year. Consider this your official mid year audit.
Hi sweet friends, welcome to this month’s Files. May was the perfect appetizer to a Summer I look forward to. It was a month filled with budding creative ideas, lots of time with friends, quality time with hubs, faithful mornings, and a lot of job searches.
Moments spent journaling, brain storming for Substack, lots of quality time, reading friends articles, new boards on Pinterest, diamond art, and challenging myself to branch out and “get out of my comfort zone!” (Dakota McClanahan)
Before we jump in, I want to take a moment to ask for my sweet readers to briefly take a moment to fill out the following survey to help me understand what you want to see from Candidly Samantha going forward. Don’t worry, I promise to keep the yaps, but would love some guidance. If you do take the time? Thank you a million in advance.
This month was kicked off at Neyland Stadium for date night seeing Luke Combs, followed by a lovely Mother’s Day with my husband’s side. I saw Devil Wears Prada 2, and went to a Nashville Sounds game with a new friend I made on Bumble BFF, yes….Bumble. If you’re wondering about that, I vouch for it in this prior post.
The downer of the month surely wasn't the poolside 'office' I indulged in for job hunt sessions, rather more dental news. I have a dental consult scheduled with an oral surgeon on June 3rd for my back molar which got infected and yup! Is getting extracted. I totally could’ve opted for a root canal, but frankly? This tooth has had its fair share of horror stories, so, time to remove the issue. I vowed for transparency, so you get all the yaps, even tooth extraction news.
Remember how I shared my love for the book of Ruth last month? Well! I want to share a tidbit that I find so beautifully faithful to hear, and has helped guide me through the month of May: consistency and obedience.
Ruth 2:17 "So she gathered in the field until evening. Then she threshed what she had gathered, and it was about twenty six quarts of barley."
SO, she did it. Not necessarily because she wanted to, but she did.
This verse has been the quiet undercurrent of my whole month. Just showing up. Even when I didn't feel like it. Allowing myself to understand I was woken up with air in my lungs for a purpose, so to use the day fruitfully. Show up, the Lord will carve a path. Even in the mundane.
What I can't control is how a day makes me feel. What I can control is whether I'm honoring the person I'm trying to become.
Here's what I've learned: when my routine is consistent, everything else seems to follow. Dedicated prayer time, Bible reading…it fills me in a way that spills over. I tune out the outside world, focus on what needs tending, and I come out the other side a happier person.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”
In June I pray for the goodness to continue, for me to continue to look inward and upward in times of need. I want more of the good…farmers markets, and bonfires. Late night drives, with warm air pouring through the windows and a darn good song on the radio. Puppy kisses, and dances in the kitchen, and a lot more of the dopamine the sun provides.
The Monthly Round Up
Scripture: I didn’t have a specific scripture that I was reading this month, in full transparency. Yet, I was gravitating towards the overall theme of consistency, and obedience as chatted above. In a perfect summary of this theme is Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." How beautiful is it that we have a Lord that guides us, and protects us!!! So long as we are not complacent and moving with Him, not against Him. We are blessed children.
Learning: Homemaking is always something I loved. When it was just me, I enjoyed cleaning my studio apartment. The space, the things, and the living creatures I'm now responsible for have doubled, but there is something so satisfying about stewarding a home. So I’ve taken it upon myself to indulge in comfort home shows to hone more of that skillset. Rather than feeling swallowed by a home, I'm learning to utilize systems. Honorable mention to Martha Stewart channel.
Habit: I’ve been chasing perfecting my routine throughout the last six months of the year. Probably similar to most of us who try tailoring routines catered to the perfect one we saw from our favorite influencer. Just when I felt like I had a good rhythm, I got laid off. Shocker…life threw a curve ball! While I’m very much a type A person who loves checking something off a to do list, or writing out my day to day plan, I’ve found myself allotting far more grace. So, sure, quiet time first thing before your phone is ideal, but some mornings I wake up and love hearing my husband’s voice, so I’ll call to yap before my feet even hit the floor. I love a clean home first thing before my day gets wild, but quite frankly some days I just need some fresh air first before the dishes are unloaded. Adaption, I suppose.
Grateful For: I have waited over a year to be able to finally say my medical debt has been sorted, and I no longer have the impending doom of wondering what was to come from it. I went back and forth with the hospital for over a year, trying to sort out billing post miscarriage, and it was daunting. Both time wise and mentally. I was relieving a trauma every time I had to explain why I went into the hospital to begin with. Yet, this month, after an appeal to financial aid, and by the grace of God, a charity grant, with approval for over 81% of the overall balance, leaving a much more manageable balance with a favorable payment plan for our current situation. The Lord provides, and goodness!!! This was good. Very good this month.
Reading: So I read a few books this month, and as always you can connect with me on Goodreads to follow along with all books throughout the month. Yet the book I wanted to highlight was the book I ended the month with (and honorably a check off my May 10) Strangers, by Belle Burden. It was such a gripping read (okay, I listened on Audible, guilty), and something I found myself constantly wanting to learn more about as the web kept expanding. I am extremely happy I stepped out of my thriller bubble.
Thinking About: Candidly Samantha. Truly. I started this as a smorgasbord of whatever was on my heart, and honestly? That will never fully go away, it suits me. But my type A brain has been craving more structure lately. A consistent weekly series, peppered in standalone posts, and of course The Files continuing on the first of every month. I want this little corner to feel intentional, not just for you, but for me too. If you have thoughts on what you’d love to see more of, the survey above is the place. Either way, I’m grateful you’re here.
Watching: Nurse Jackie. I’ve been looking for a show to rewatch whilst purging/cleaning our home. I needed something low maintence/not too serious/comical. I landed back on Nurse Jackie. I haven’t watched it in years, but goodness, it’s gold. Aside from Nurse Jackie, a lot of what I’ve been watching is on YouTube…guilty!
Drinking: Ginger Ale. Nothing fancy to this. Typically my midday treat…crisp, over ice.
Favorite Product: Eye patches, by a long shot. First off, allergy season has left my eyes feeling like a weight is on them almost every morning, but aside from that, it feels so utterly refreshing to have cold, and hydration under your eyes first thing in the morning. Here’s my preferred eye patches (thanks Amazon affiliate)
I also should mention, I finally set up my Amazon Storefront, which is exciting because I loved putting curations together of what I genuinely love/use. So I’ll link it here if you’re interested.
Monthly Moment: In no specific pinned down moment, but rather back in routine of daily walks. For awhile, in my funk, I justified not getting steps in. When in reality, once I get myself outside with a good audiobook + nature…it takes me a few laps around our pond before coming back home. My head is always clearer, often whatever I went in with worry about eases, sometimes melting all together. With warmer weather, available time, and an able body, walks have worked themselves in to be a staple of my mornings again. Nothing beats a morning coffee, audiobook, and sights like above.
Monthly Ten.
If you missed my introduction of Monthly Ten, take a look back at April’s Files. Each month forward, I’ll include a screenshot of what I was able to accomplish on my list from the prior month, and what is on it for the month to come. I’ll recap what each “checkmark” truly sparked joy within me, and hold myself accountable, with some cool stories along the way.
What I enjoyed about May’s 10s:
I stayed after church, asking a member of our prayer team to pray over my job searches, and for me during this season. Opening any doors that Jesus sees fit, and ensuring what isn’t for me stays closed
Me and Dakota enjoyed some evening pool nights, along with evening walks…definitely more to come once Tennessee simmers down with all this rain
Digital purge and inventory!!! I want to make a post about this if people are interested, but clearing digital clutter is just as essential as physical. The less noise digitally, the more intentional we are with our time. This included contacts, photos, files, etc.
Many times this month And Yet I Smile had coffee on FaceTime, and it was always a joy to my mornings
Reading Strangers was something that seemed way out of my wheelhouse, but by far was my favorite read of the month. Proving, popping out of your comfort zone every once in a blue moon does pan out
While I didn’t go to a cleaning, I did schedule the appointment for my extraction consult, which is more pressing due to the infection. So I’ll consider it a win I scheduled something dental related
I indeed finished my diamond magnet geese, my favorite silly nervous system calming hobby
As I pen the end to May, I’m wrapping up knowing I spent it joyfully. Circling back to my introduction however, if May was the appetizer, I cannot wait to see what June’s main course is.
See you then my sweet friends.
awww yay to coffee dates with Chloe <3 so sweet. absolutely loved these may files!!!
I need to do my June 10s! So inspired!! Love you and our coffee dates!!