Summer has officially begun! We lucked out here a couple of weeks ago and had beautiful, mild weather, but now the humidity is in force (don’t you love the Midwest?) and shorts are out, sundresses are everywhere, and sleeves have all but disappeared. It’s no secret that kimonos and sleeveless vests are everywhere at the moment, and perfect for summer: they’re colorful, lightweight, and an easy way to take a plain outfit up a few notches. I own a half dozen of them. And, well, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t talk about jewelry. I love accessories; I don’t leave the house without a few pieces. For this post,…
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My Life with Two Faces
The photo at the beginning of this post was taken back in 2015. At the time, there were two distinct Saras: the one who was always made up with eyeshadow, mascara, winged eyeliner so sharp it could kill a man, her hair perfectly in place. There was also the Sara I never let anyone see, aside from a few family members. The one who didn’t fill in her eyebrows and who (I thought) was a mess. I had been awkward as a kid and never thought of myself as attractive while in school. I was envious of the thin, popular girls with their false eyelashes and bronzed skin acquired from…
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Why I Needed to Let Go (Shopping Addiction)
On this blog, I have written several articles about being, as I put it, a “Half-Assed” minimalist. And, while I have briefly touched on some of my background, I didn’t really get into the meat of the issue. I am doing that today. It will be uncomfortable, but if I can help even one person, it will be worth it. I was raised as a child of the upper-middle class. My family had a huge, beautiful house, a swimming pool, a fireplace, Jacuzzi tub, plus I had a big room of my own and all the toys you could possibly want. My dad was the primary breadwinner, and valued money…
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Hush. Rest.
No one could accuse me of lacking a work ethic, but I also greatly enjoy my down time. Recently, events in my life have, as they say, “lit a fire” under my butt, and I have moved into action in a way similar to a bull barreling down a hill. This happens to me occasionally, when I have decided on a course of action which has made me very confident. My body also enjoys down time, and it has a nifty knack for forcing me to stop when I’m going at a project with too much fervor. It does this the same way many other bodies do, by a little…
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Thoughts on a Tuesday: Ego
“Not everything is about you.” I tell myself, cursing the person in front of me, who is keeping their car a firm ten miles below the speed limit, at least. They seem to be overly cautious, I want to get home quickly, and our conflict of interest has left me feeling like they’re doing it on purpose. Ego is, I believe, the number one enemy for many of us. Ego is the reason I was insulted when I felt my ex was cheating on me with someone who wasn’t as “pretty” as me; the cause of my annoyance in my previous jobs dealing with John Q. Public. Ego is the…
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Items That Add Value to My Life
This is part of my Half-Assed Minimalism series, in which I share tips that have helped me curb my shopping addiction. I believe in not being bossy or preachy, but rather giving people the tools to take steps to improve their lives. I hope you will join me, and be inspired to find your own ways of embracing minimalism, whether that means being extreme or moderate. Good luck! Note: I have included some links to particular products that I personally own. They are shown in bold/italic font below. These are NOT affiliate links. I do NOT earn any money from them. I will always disclose if I use affiliate links…
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Beat Your Triggers (Half-Assed Minimalist Series)
This is part of my Half-Assed Minimalism series, in which I share tips that have helped me curb my shopping addiction. I believe in not being bossy or preachy, but rather giving people the tools to take small steps to improve their lives. I hope you will join me, and be inspired to find your own ways of embracing minimalism, whether that means being extreme or moderate. Good luck! Trigger. It’s a word that has taken on very poignant meaning in recent times, whether it’s meant seriously: “Trigger warning: this book has drug use.”, or to mock others: “She was so offended at my joke. Talk about triggered!” Triggers, however,…
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My Life as a Half-Assed Minimalist (No-Buy Year Attempt)
“Babe”, I announced to my husband, Mike, as he sat on the couch, “this no-buy year is proving to be a wash.” I had gone into it with the best of intentions last fall. I was inspired and riding the high of the minimalism blogs and podcasts I follow. This would be the answer! I would clean out every single superfluous thing. Our home would be tasteful and sterile like the magazines. I might even lose another fifteen pounds—-maybe shedding material possessions would coax my body to follow suit. I was like a woman possessed. I tackled my books, and what I couldn’t sell, I donated. My shelves went from…
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How to Curate a Capsule Jewelry Wardrobe
As someone who knows all too well how easy it is to fall into the consumerism that plagues our society, I admit I have not always made the best choices when it comes to my purchases. When I embarked on my “moderate minimalist” journey, one of the first things I cleaned out was my collection of cheap jewelry. I was over buying $5 necklaces that tarnished within a month, and decided that instead of buying ten cheap pieces, I would buy a few higher quality pieces I could wear all the time, a.k.a a capsule jewelry wardrobe. I became frustrated with other articles I found online when I was researching…
