SimplyKyra Monthly Overview: October 2026

Despite fall starting last month it's been feeling more like it this month with the cooler temperatures, fog, rain, and especially the colors in the trees. I'm loving it all.

Welcome to the October Monthly Overview.

I know inboxes can get crowded, so this one stays intentionally low-key. If you ever prefer only these monthly summaries (or want to adjust your subscriptions), you can update your settings at the bottom of this email.

🏡 This Month with Me

This month started with dressing up as a Tech Witch for a business meetup and is now ending with Halloween... both my kids chose Minecraft and since they haven't chosen a themed costume in years I knew I had to join in. And so I got back into my crafting by attempting to make axolotl ears and a tail. Hoping it holds up trick-or-treating with the kids in the potential rain.

Between the two I took time to photograph nature I saw, smile again at the flying pig sign in Olympia, and break out of our routine by taking the kids to check out a pier after dark with the Puget Sound Estuarium. Overall a successful month.

📱 App Updates

Back in September the simulator for the iPhone Duo was released and after looking my apps over and making fixes I came out with updates for each, all released that first week. To not spam you all I quietly published each as they were released before emailing out a single Duo umbrella post.

Simply TBR

Your reading list, organized and visible so you always know what's next.

After the Duo update, which also touched on refining Lucky Spin and Source Settings, I made some minor fixes before paying particular attention to Author Watch in NetGalley resulting in a second update.

Simply Remember It

When did you last…? Now you know with no second-guessing required.

This month was just the iPhone Duo update.

Simply Customize It

Make your reMarkable truly yours with custom templates and screens.

Before pushing the Duo update I checked for any submitted crash reports and so this update also included the fix for the two I found.

Simply Match It

A fast-paced, multiplayer race to spot the match before your friends do.

Like Simply Remember It this app only had a Duo-related update.

Simply Uncover It

A calm, intuitive twist on the classic Minesweeper puzzle.

Previously my kids found a spot on the board that looked more button-like. They were taught well and took a screenshot for me but I was unable to replicate it. Despite that I did fix what may have caused it along with other Duo-related interface fixes.

🎃 On the Blog

Before developing apps SimplyKyra was a mom blog sharing lots of sensory play (check out the collection of oobleck and playdough) and sewing. Halloween costumes became a yearly occurrence sharing the previous year's costume since some parts were too last-minute to edit properly in time to share.

I didn't want to end this so after sharing this year's Tech Witch costume for a business meetup I later shared last year's family costume consisting of Rumi, an Angel Cat, T-rex rider, and spiders in my hair. If you're looking for a las- minute costume idea I highly recommend a pipe cleaner spider in your hair although I also updated our costume roundup if you want more ideas.

💻 Coming Up Next

Since releasing the earlier update Apple has now opened up app previews for the Duo and I've heard you need them if you want people to know your app is Duo-ready. As such, along with looking into Spotlight to find your Simply TBR books and adding simpler drag and drop for Simply Customize It, I'm about to give all my apps another look through before creating the new Duo screenshots and maybe updating the other devices too.

Beyond that, once done, I’m close to having Simply Customize It ready for Android... but I'm more excited about a new app idea to track your hobby ideas and kits. I'm not sure which one I should focus on so if you have a preference between Android app releases, new Apple app, or something else feel free to reach out.

🌿 Something Extra

Despite loving my nature reels and recording a few more this month I've put off editing them so only released the one... though it's a good one showing a moose we spotted while up in Jasper back in August.

💌 A Note on Preferences

You’re receiving this email because you signed up for Monthly Overview a once-a-month roundup that highlights what’s new, what I’ve been working on, and a little extra behind-the-scenes.

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Thanks for being here. 💕

I hope your Halloween goes well, the time change doesn't disrupt your plans too much, and I’m so incredibly grateful for your support as I keep building, learning, and sharing.

Until next month,

— Kyra