where does your mind go?

i’m reading an interesting book that my friend annie recommended called change your brain change your life. it talks about brain function and how it can affect your thought patterns, your personality and of course, your life.  it’s fascinating!  one of the little nuggets of self-awareness i’ve taken with it is a realization that my first reaction to things is often a worst-case scenario one. for instance- a man in a truck driving slowly down the street- HE’S TRYING TO ABDUCT ME!  a mysterious lump or pain anywhere in my body- IT’S CANCER, I’M DYING!  a tiny rumble of an earthquake- THE BIG ONE, ANY SECOND NOW! it seems funny, now that i’m writing it, but it’s not funny as it’s happening. my body, mind and spirit all immediately react with panic. just a little overdramatic, at best. 

and currently, of course, we’re loading up on all the necessary grown-up insurance plans…life, disability, homeowners,etc.  that really gets my worst case scenario juices flowing!  i’m an insurance agent’s DREAM! i’ve already listed the top twenty five catastrophes that could happen to us and asked for an insane amount of insurance before she’s even started in on her sales pitch. ahhhhhhhhhh!

what the book discusses regarding this, which is helpful for me to know, is that my brain might be sort of wired for this- my formative years were unstable and there’s certainly reason my mind might immediately start preparing for trauma with even the slightest hint of it.  but more importantly- there are ways to counteract it (and awareness is most certainly step one).  this book recommends meditations, an activity called “squashing the ANTS” (automatic negative thoughts), and as a last resort: medications.  at the very least i’m now aware of this tendency and that it’s important for me to challenge these little thoughts that pop up into my head before i go down the mental path of DOOM AND GLOOM!

anyway, all of that to get to the fact that i think you might really enjoy the book. i think most anyone could pull something out of it that might help them!  

lastly can we talk about that gorgeous girl and those irish wolfhounds?  i just about fell off my chair when i saw that photo, it’s so beautiful.  and this is what it reminds me of: “Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to.” -Joe Gores

have a fantastic weekend my friends! xx sarah

photo: truls bakken via a well traveled woman

ASK SARAH: quick and easy tips for mixing brights into a wardrobe

Q: I’m trying to wear more vibrant colors.  I tend to lean toward earthy and pale tones.  I recently bought a pair of orange shorts by J crew and I have absolutely no idea how to best pair them with other colors.  I meant to up my style quotient a bit and resist the urge to wear them with a plain white shirt.  Can you help?

A: Holy wow it’s been a while since I did one of these posts, so I’m sorry for keeping you in suspense. The answer is heck yes I have some ideas for you!  Bright colors are fun, playful and there are lots of options to keep you out of the white shirt pairing rut. And depending on just how bold you want to be, i have some ideas for you below.

A BRIGHT PINK TOP! (options: 1 2 3 4) I have a sneaking suspicion those shorts you’re talking about might be a tangerine color, in which case pink is my favorite statement color to mix with them.  something like this tank top, with a tan or gold sandal , a simple necklace, a chunky watch, your hair blowing in the breeze and you my dear are hot to trot! but it’s a color explosion, and if you’re not comfortable with that i have other ideas…

like, for instance, a chambray shirt! (Options:1 2 3 4) it’s more mellow, casual, and might be a great transitional piece to get you used to being BRIGHT!  slip on some boat shoes, throw your hair into a pony, add some red lips (and maybe glasses?) and you’re on your way! * you can also sub out this chambray for anything nude, beige or cream and be equally lovely! 

and last but not least, might i recommend a pattern: a plaid, a stripe, a dot or a floral- all are great options for breaking in your brights! (options: 1 2 3 4 )  tuck it in, throw on a belt, a watch, necklace and some bensimons or converse and you’re effortlessly, casually styled. 

I hope that helps!  There are a million and one ways to style brights, you just need to figure out what makes the most sense with your style, the things you already have in your closet and what you’d like to say to the world on any given day. Most importantly, have fun with it!  xx- sarah

snoop lion

so how do you feel about snoop’s name change?  read about it here if you’re interested.  i know, this is completely random. but i’m tickled by it and thought you might be too.  do you think it’s weird to change your name (celebrities aside)?

when i was 13 i wanted to change my name to marilyn barrett.  (combining my middle name- barrett with my teenage obsession with marilyn monroe).  god, how awful.  i’m turning pink just thinking about it!  but although i love my name now, there were times when i definitely thought it was THE WORST.  when you change your name i imagine you feel like you have a clean slate- a chance to become someone new and different. at awkward 13, that was definitely what i was looking for.  what do you think? have you thought about changing your name? would you ever do it?  

wallpaper decisions!

i’m starting to dive into decorating (or at least fantasizing about it) and we’ve landed on two wallpapers for our master bedroom!  since we’ll be decorating this house piece by piece, wallpaper is a good way for us to get a lot of proverbial bang for our buck and some instant gratification. the idea behind this wallpaper is that we want something to balance out that big wall of built ins and frame the view of the pool (see pictures of the room here).  we like the idea of monochromatic and graphic, so these two amazing papers were an obvious choice. so tell me, which would you choose?!  i’m leaning towards the second one and lou is leaning towards the first.  it may or may not be a decorating standoff.  

image credits and wallpaper sources: seascape wallpaper  & a stone’s throw away