Author: hellosamanthadear

I thought it would be a fun idea to do a fall-themed post to kickoff the start of the early fall season!

Over here in California, it was a brutally hot summer overall, so for the first time in a long while, I actually was looking forward to summer being in the rear view mirror (that says a lot since I enjoy the heat!)

But time for a cool down. 😌 So let’s go!

I began by adding some faux paper leaves to my bedroom window, so it looks like they’re falling every time I look out my window! The pumpkin and candy corn jack o’ lanterns peek at me between the blinds. 🎃

Cozying up with my current read and drinking some homemade coffee is always a cozy thing to do (it feels cozier in the fall), and my mom made us CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN PANCAKES! Oh my gosh, they were so good. 🤩

🧡 Outfit time! 💛 I tried something a little different and opted for black leggings under my skirt and…wait for it…TENNIS SHOES.

This may not seem like a big deal, but for me it’s a huge deal! I’m used to wearing either boots or Mary Jane platforms. I decided to test the waters and try some tennis shoes…and wow! My feet are the happiest they’ve ever been (I have flat feet, like basically duck feet), so I’m over the moon with comfort.

And even though they’re more comfortable, I find them still very fashionable and sort of ironic with my fancy long skirts! 😍 This look gave me quirky fall vibes with the pumpkin purse:

Are you getting in the fall mood, too? Let me know in the comments! 💛🎃🧡

What’s new lately?! I’ve been enjoying the ending days of summer with…*drum roll* fashion fun and reading. So buckle up for some fashion goodies and diving into a new read!

Lately, I’ve been really loving to wear dark outfits paired with really bright accessories! These two skirts I’m wearing were both handed down to me by my mom, and I really love how they fit! 💗💙💚

💖 Fun side-note: This little notebook is something I’ve had since I was a kid, and I still use it nowadays as an adult to write my daily to-do lists for work-related stuff! The Ballerina Bunnies have always been my favorite Lisa Frank illustration! 🐰

I’ve always admired the idea of being in a book club. I’ve never been in one, and it’s always seemed like a really cute idea! What’s a gal to-do? Well, I sort of devised my own “sense” of a book club – it’s not a club per se, but I can view it as one!

I subscribe to Harvard University Press and Princeton University Press, and they’ll email me sometimes with new political science book releases. I can browse them and if I’m ready for a new book, I’ll pick one and order it! So, it feels like my own kind-of book club. 🥰

When I spotted The Chevron Doctrine: Its Rise and Fall and the Future of the Administrative State by Thomas W. Merrill in the new release list, I decided on that one. Boy was I in for a surprise when I received it and started reading it – it’s WAAAAAAAY beyond my intelligence level, LOL! (I also picked up a bargain book at Barnes & Noble for supplemental reference!)

I swear I started reading it and I heard…

…PING!!!

The last thread holding my brain in place. The ol’ gray matter couldn’t handle it. BUT!!! I kept going, and I still keep going, letting myself take the book in slowly. I have heard The Chevron Doctrine referenced in the news lately, so I wanted to understand what it was.

I won’t try to explain it because I can’t explain it sufficiently enough, but I’m hoping by the end of the book, I’ll have a better understanding! 🥰

Thomas W. Merrill, who is a law professor at Columbia University, definitely knows this subject matter inside and out and goes above and beyond in explanation and perspective. Good job, sir!!! I salute your intelligence and you inspire me to keep on truckin’ through this book, no matter how hard my brain gears are turning as I do so.

And shoutout to my brain for trying to keep up! You rock! 👉🏼🧠💕

I let my imagination wander and I came up with some great biographies for the two of them!! 💗

Eugene holds the spirit of an Ivy League student who had high hopes for his law studies at Yale back in the 1950s. Spending long evenings with his nose buried in books at the university library, he tragically met his end when he studied himself to death. 

Charlotte holds the spirit of a gossip-loving Southern belle from the 1930s who loved Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers flicks. A sassy Georgia peach, she met her demise when unrequited love drove her to drink one too many mint juleps. 

Because we all have a story, right? 😉 These two deserved their own!

I love butterflies, and always have!! 🦋 I wear them every single day in my hair. Lately, I’ve been pairing the butterfly hair clips with colorful snap clips for that ultra nostalgic feel! (Because even if I’m approaching my late thirties, my accessory choices will forever remain in my ’90s childhood).

Needless to say, this butterfly skirt from SHEIN was a must-have for me! I love, love, love it!

So!!! I thought I would show you guys a sample of a journal I keep, which I use to write down notes from books I read, new words I’ve learned, or quotes that have stuck with me. As of lately, the pages have been filled with lots of constitutional law jargon, since I’ve been reading books on that topic for fun!

As an artsy person, I can’t refrain from making it look pretty! 🦋

It’s nice to look back on my writing and get a pretty visual with it! 💜 Do you enjoy journaling and if so, what kind of journal(s) do you keep?

I layered my white skirt extender with this pale yellow skirt from SHEIN, and together, it sort of made me feel like a Disney princess or a character from a fairytale book, LOL!!

(I’m trying out new little graphics to organize my blog post…hope you like it! I find it fun!)

I chose purple hair clips because I love that it descends into a gradient (light to dark purple)! 💜 And I can’t resist a spiked choker!

The last book I read was How to Interpret the Constitution by Cass R. Sunstein, which I greatly enjoyed and it was my first toe-in-the-water of trying to understand what the Constitution’s all about. And now I’ve fallen into a rabbit hole of sorts, because now I’m reading this!

I picked this book because I thought: what better way to learn more about this topic than through the eyes of someone who actually SERVED on the U.S. Supreme Court?!?! It was a no-brainer; I bought the book immediately after finishing my previous read!

There are different ways to interpret the Constitution, which is how Supreme Court justices come to conclusions for their decisions! Stephen Breyer offers a very in-depth reflection and comparison on both pragmatic and textualist approaches to the Constitution, and he weighs in on his personal opinion of why he thinks the pragmatic approach works best. Breyer references many famous Supreme Court decisions within the book, which has inspired me for my next Barnes & Noble trip; I want to buy a small book I’ve seen there called The Supreme Court: Landmark Decisions as a supplemental reference!

Breyer’s easy-to-follow writing style, bite-sized chapters and extensive knowledge and experience makes for a book that I find myself looking forward to reading each day! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I know, I know; it seems like this rabbit hole I’ve fallen into of all things Constitution has come out of nowhere – but not necessarily! ✨Quick story time✨: I worked at a law firm for 11 years back in the day. I didn’t want to become an attorney or anything – I was (ironically!) working there while I studied Art in college. While working in the law library, I was never really interested in any of the law books I saw (I just had to organize them and update material). Except for one law book. One book in the entire law library always caught my attention, and I found myself flipping through it a few times. It was called Constitutional Law, and I still remember exactly what the book looked like! 💗

So, it’s an interest that remained dormant and inactive for a reeeeeally long time, and I’m just now diving into it! Is it weird that I feel like I’m falling in love with this subject matter…?! Have you ever found a topic or book genre that you just couldn’t get enough of? 📖☕️💕 Do tell!

Charlotte and I taking a photo op; I really liked my pink and purple hair clips I wore today! 🥰

I went to Barnes & Noble on Wednesday afternoon, buying myself an iced mocha in the café section and beginning my slow, leisurely stroll throughout the store. I love checking out all of the displays, no matter the genre, because they have cute little signs at each of the display setups that make it seem so cozy. Iced coffee in hand, I was ready for my lovely afternoon in the bookstore!

That evening, I wrote a journal entry about the experience of being in a bookstore. Here’s what I wrote, and I hope you enjoy and can relate to the feeling! 💓

“It was lovely to look around at the book displays and even just see all the fellow book lovers looking around. There really is something enchanting – almost romantic in a sense – about books, regardless of the genre. Different genres appeal to different people, and book choices are so personal. What calls out to us when we reach out to pick up a book? The texture and feel of a book is part of the reading experience, too. We crack open a book and are enabled to get lost in a new world filled with either lots of imagination or lots of knowledge, depending on the genre.
It’s also cute to see other people exploring books. I saw lots of people roaming throughout the store; I saw a woman in a summery white, off-the-shoulder dress with a fashionable hat looking at a book display near the front entrance, seeming to feel as pulled into the bookstore experience as I was. It’s a great place to feel at home amongst fellow bibliophiles!

– from my journal

I’m actually deep into a new book that I can’t seem to put down, which I’ll write about soon! Do you feel the same about bookstores?

Lastly, I’ve started creating a few new Halloween-themed necklaces for my Etsy shop (thought I’d start early – why not, right?) 🧡🖤💜 I love the vintage Halloween vibes!

Don’t mind the brown tarp behind my head in these outfit photos; it’s been put up to try to shade some of the sun from getting in the living room! I think it adds a visual flair, heh heh.

First off: I loved these two outfits I documented! 💙💗💜

I finally picked out my first book from Princeton University Press this summer! I decided on How to Interpret the Constitution by Cass R. Sunstein.

Looking at the reviews printed on the back of the book when I received it, I noticed that most of the reviews were from people who went to prestigious law schools. Like, Yale, Stanford, HARVARD. Wait – what?!?!

I realized that the book is geared towards those studying constitutional law. Yikes!!!!!! Could ol’ fine-arts-degree-me handle a book this intellectually advanced? I was a bit nervous until I started reading it – then I couldn’t put it down! The author writes in such a way that is pretty easy to understand! I didn’t think I’d be able to keep up, honestly.

I come off as air-headed and a bit derpy when you talk to me in person, and it’s made me feel intellectually inferior for much of my life because it makes me seem kind of immature, I guess? (My written communication is SO MUCH better!). So the fact that I’m trying to learn about such a complex topic as the constitution makes me feel smart. And that makes me feel like a million bucks!!! It’s exactly the confidence boost I needed, but didn’t know I needed.

I did not expect this book to boost my confidence. NOT AT ALL. But it has! And, it’s such a great read that has me learning a lot. I will very likely buy another book in the future from Princeton University Press! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So, cheers to summer reading and feeling good about yourself! 😎 How has your summer been? 👇🏼

Just a short post in honor of Mikhail Gorbachev, a world leader I’ve always had a lot of respect for and admire for bridging the gap between U.S. and USSR relations during the Cold War era. I’ve always loved reading his writings and feel fortunate to own these books he wrote! 💓 He will continue to inspire me. (I totally cried when they had an homage to him on World News Tonight with David Muir!)