I breathe in and I remind myself, you are here- exactly where you are meant to be. I breathe out and I remind myself, you are ok, you will always be ok. I’m practicing being present: fully, wholly, exactly where I am. And in doing so, the simplest things- colorful radishes cooked in the best quality butter I can get my hands on with thyme picked from my neighbor’s garden and chunky flakes of Maldon salt- remind me that I’m in heaven. We’ve already arrived my friends, we just have to open our eyes, our hearts and enjoy it. Life is full of beauty, full of wonder, and around every corner is the opportunity for happiness and love. It’s yours for the taking. Slow down my beautiful radishes, slow down. xx- Sarah
I’ve never been good at pretending to be someone I’m not. The conundrum is, I’ve also never really known who I am. {photos: Lou Mora}
When I started this blog at the end of 2011 I was looking to create something that would push me to have more fun, to explore the creative sides of myself that I wanted to spend time on, to hopefully eventually share some of it with whoever might be interested. I hoped to be authentic, to be inspiring, to serve others, to feed my creative spirit. I was starting the blog and leaving behind a business that had sucked the very life out of me. But then, I turned the blog into a business. I’m great at business, it’s my thing. I’m less good at fun. So A House in the Hills fulfilled my initial desires, and then became, in some ways, a burden. The pressure to keep up, the pressure to look good, the pressure to be this person that I’d created- this appearance. It fed the deeply insecure little girl inside of me who is terrified that she’s not lovable- each achievement, each press feature, each comment of reassurance became something that I not only enjoyed, but defined me. My very self worth depended on it.
This is not to say that what I’ve shared hasn’t been authentic. It 100% has- it was all that I knew. But this year, in the midst of the darkest days of my life, I’ve realized that I’m just now starting to explore who I truly AM. I’ve always identified myself by the way I look, the people I love, the life I’ve created, my creative endeavors, my successes, my failures, the things that I’ve survived. But I’ve never really spent the time doing the work of figuring out WHO I am. I’m just now meeting myself, I’m just now getting to know myself. I’m just now starting to believe that I’m lovable- and all of the reasons why have nothing to do with any of the things I thought they did. As always, I’m sharing with you the best way I can, the only way I can. Things are changing around here- inside me, 0utside me, on the site- because I’m committed to being honest. I’m committed to revealing my true self as I discover who she is. I have a feeling she is wildly better than the girl who I’ve thought I was. I’m becoming the woman I’m meant to be.
Happy Tuesday everyone! After I shared my most recent health update last week I read through all of the comments and emails- I was struck by how many of you are going through or have gone through something similar! So today I want to share some of the ways that I’m coping. I know that there are times where life can get very dark- loss, health struggles, the end of a friendship or relationship, work stress- really there are a million things that can weigh us down. Which always brings me back to the idea that it’s not a matter of what adversity you face- we all face it- but how you get to the other side of it. It’s been a struggle for me this go-round to find the light, to learn how to be gentle with myself, really- to figure out how to dust myself off and keep moving forward. I’ve hit some all time lows with this one. But I’m thankful for them because they’ve provided me the greatest possible opportunity to learn and grow, I know that at the other side of this I’m a better version of myself. I’m stronger, I’m learning so much about life, myself, and how to love myself and be ok in the world even in the darkest moments. More below… {image via}
Hello my friends! I’m so happy you liked the last kitchen update post! In the last of my 4 part series with True Value I decided to share how we transformed this corner of the kitchen in a separate post since it involved removing cabinets, tile and doing some pretty major patching. This part of the kitchen was extra exciting for me because I was able to see at least some of what I don’t love (the tile) not just transformed, but GONE! And removing it myself was so, so satisfying. I’d consider becoming a professional kitchen demo-er after this project! HA! Taking out the cabinets was also exciting, and it did just what we hoped it would! It opened up the space, created a place to display some of our favorite things and made the kitchen feel much larger and brighter. I’m a huge proponent of making small updates that have a big impact, and love that we’re learning how to do these projects ourselves. This update should hold us over and keep us happy until we tear down walls and completely reimagine the space! Hope you love! Click through for instructions on removing cabinets/tile, repairing a wall and hanging open shelves! Happy DIY’ing! xx- Sarah
Thank you all so much for the support, the emails, the comments, and the prayers about my health- they mean the world to me. I never feel alone, even in the moments when I am, because of you and all of the other people who surround me with love in this world! I’m so grateful.
I’ve been mentioning tidbits about what’s going on with my health here and there but have been waiting to be closer to answers so I could share with you. Since I started this blog I’ve been committed to sharing the struggles in my life right alongside all that is good, to remain authentic in telling my story in between the inspiration I share. So today I’m going to give you all the nitty gritty details. It’s wild to think about writing this for the interweb but if reading about my path to health can help even one other person find their light at the end of the tunnel or feel less alone in their own struggles I will lay it all out there!!! Sit down with a cup of tea if you’re interested, this is a long one…
Happy Monday my friends! I hope the weekend was good to you! Ours was mellow- we saw 3 movies and spent some good QT with friends. Not too much to report there. Ok, on to today’s post! I never tire of denim and denim, or denim with chambray, and all the variations thereof. I’ve probably worn this very outfit (or very similar) at least 3 times in the past 15 days. For me it’s the epitome of comfortable, effortless style. My favorite kind. Also, I’ve had my eye on these jeans since January. After ruthlessly weeding through my denim collection recently I decided that I needed to revisit them- and lo and behold- they were on sale during the SHOPBOP friends and family event- majorly! And in my size, the last pair! Quicker than you can snap your fingers they were in my cart and on their way! Thank you denim gods, thank you kindly. xx- Sarah
