Spring Trench Coats (and Shopbop’s Spring Sale!)

shopbop spring trench coat sale

One of the items I’m purchasing for my Spring capsule wardrobe is a trench coat. Sadly, my Martin + Osa (remember good ol’ M+O? Rest in peace, my former lover…) trench coat bit the dust after a good decade or so, but it definitely did its time. After a few non-budging stains and the loss of a couple buttons and a wrist strap buckle thingy, I knew the time had come.

Trench coats are such a classic staple, and therefore, I’m willing to pony up. Especially since I plan on wearing it until it literally falls off my body. Above are some lookers. (Also, that maternity trench is adorable. Where was Hatch Maternity when I was pregnant?)

left to right 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

To help take the sting out of a new purchase, Shopbop is holding their Spring sale event starting today through Sunday March 8th.

shopbop big event

Here’s how it breaks down.

Save 15% with purchase over $250

Save 20% with purchase over $500

Save 25% with purchase over $1000

The promotional code is BIGEVENT15. Good luck and good shopping!

Odds and Ends

red

1. These sunglasses are perfection. As is the hair and lips.

2. Finally got my act together and I’m posting daily outfit photos from my capsule wardrobe at a new Instagram account, whoorlscloset. The mirror shots I’m taking kind of make me want to puke, but a promise is a promise, folks. Maybe I’ll dust off my tripod next week, but hey, at least I’m documenting my steady commitment to the capsule wardrobe cause. #fistbumpemoji

3. You’ve probably already seen this, but Christina does a perfect impression of Britney. So good.

4. What did you think about Patricia Arquette’s comments at the Academy Awards? Here are two great posts on the subject.

5. I guess I’m glad I’m not watching The Bachelor this season. Too much saliva.

6. Did you feed your babies peanuts early on? I have always wondered about this.

7. This made me laugh. And send to my dad because I think his diet is quite similar.

8. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?! If I see this happen at Target, I’ll cry.

9. Seriously gorgeous photos. The one with the starry sky? Unreal.

10. Acro yoga is insane. I want to do it in my next life.

11. I guess Oklahoma is really down with gift shops. What’s your state’s favorite?

12. Finally, what do you think about the dress? Blue and black or white and gold? I see blue and black, but D says white and gold. You guys, we argued about it for 30 minutes last night, for real. What in the hell is going on here? What color do you see? If that dress is white and gold, MY ENTIRE LIFE HAS BEEN A LIE. (update – here’s the science behind the discrepancy. And I was right, ahem.)

Mindful Monday: Following Through

followthrough

image credit: christie zimmer

I have a confession to make. I struggle with following through on my goals. (THE HORROR.)

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, and had a really interesting conversation with my therapist last week that got me wondering about qualities we possess that can be both beneficial and detrimental to our psyche. For example, my resourcefulness and Love (yes, with a capital “l”) of research. I don’t think this blog would be celebrating its 10th birthday without the large amount of research I do to keep the content fresh and (hopefully) engaging. The capsule wardrobe, cleaning up my beauty and skincare, and Mindful Monday posts are a few recent examples. A lot goes into those posts – weeks of reading, studying, crowd-sourcing, etc, and I very much enjoy the entire process. I love taking a huge bite into a subject and figuring out how to make that translate to those of you who might not have the desire (or time) to do the work yourselves. It doesn’t feel like a job to me. (Well, 80% of the time.)

So, YAY for resourcefulness! Makes for interesting blog posts! Except, that, well, NO.

You see, the desire to know everything you possibly can about everything isn’t always beneficial. In fact, it can be downright paralyzing. It’s like what I wrote about in the capsule wardrobe post – too much knowledge and too many choices can actually backfire in your face, leading you to spin around aimlessly without actually doing anything. Walking into a crammed-full closet and declaring, “I have nothing to wear” is the exact same concept at play as purchasing a supplement or researching a new diet or deciding on a school or buying a new phone/car/home/insurance policy. SO MANY CHOICES. (Damn you, interwebs!) I witnessed this firsthand when I was diagnosed with Lyme – I saw so many different specialists and read the books and visited the websites and talked to others dealing with the disease…and ended up starting (and eventually stopping) so many different courses of treatment. That time in my life was when I wrote a lot of of last year’s Mindful Monday posts – I was trying to cut through all the mental and spiritual clutter, quiet the noise, and listen to my own intuition. It’s definitely a lifelong learning curve.

Now, I am learning to walk the fine line between my desire to eat All! Of! The! Information! alive and actually implement some of it.

How do you begin? Well, the above graphic has some fantastic points. For starters, the biggest issue for me is to STOP HAVING SO MANY GOALS AT ONCE. I know, I know. But goals are good! Be proactive! Do the work! Yes, all of that, but when you are drowning in goals and ideas and information, you aren’t going to achieve any of them. Give yourself a break – pick one or two measurable goals and go from there. Be gentle with yourselves – this isn’t a race, and it’s completely normal to move slowly and experience setbacks.

This is what I’ve come up with for 2015. I am going to work on two goals/ideas.

The two things I am focusing on this year are my quarterly capsule wardrobes (which, hello, larger concept – lots of research and planning involved), and the second, which I am unnaturally excited about, is a small, ultra-measurable goal that will thrill me beyond belief to complete. Like happy dances for days.

What is it?

To absolutely NOT buy a single book on my Kindle until I have finished the ones I already own. (Or at least attempt to get through them – if one is horrible, I can’t promise anything, people.)

My name is Sarah and I am an Impulsive Kindle Book Purchaser.

I consider this goal “small” due to the fact that I don’t need to research anything. I don’t need to bury myself in resources as to how to achieve said goal. I just need to read the books. That I bought. At some point because I wanted to read them.

How novel! (No pun intended.)

A very attainable goal, yet a much larger concept is at play. It’s giving me the chance to prove to myself that I can follow through, and I’m being smart about it. I didn’t choose some super involved, pie-in-the-sky dream that could send me spinning. It’s simple and straightforward…isn’t that what we all need at times?

A damn fine goal if I do say so myself. Do feel me following through already or what?

You want to know what the books are, don’t you? Okay, let’s do this.

books

1. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
2. Lessons From Madame Chic
3. The Year of Magical Thinking
4. All The Light We Cannot See
5. The Yamas & Niyamas
6. The Conscious Parent
7. Bringing Home The Dharma
8. Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself
9. The Book of Secrets
10. The Story of a Happy Marriage
11. Divergent
12. The Goldfinch (I CAN NOT GET THROUGH THIS BOOK. Everyone seems to adore it, though. What’s the deal?)
13. The Giver
14. Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning
15. What We Talk About When We Talk About God
16. The Last Letter From Your Lover

Okay, guys. I’m not buying any more books until these are all finished. #followingthroughlikeaboss

(But tell me what you’re reading. I swear I won’t buy it. Trust me! Consider it a challenge of my willpower!)

What are your thoughts on following through on goals? Do you get overwhelmed like yours truly? Have you considered setting a smaller goal for yourself in hopes to see it through to completion?

odds and ends

mandalas

1. How unique are those floral mandalas?

2. Beard oils, beard tonics, beard balms, oh my!

3. Three steps to profound healing. Written by a hot dude.

4. Why having a good diet isn’t the only answer to being healthy. Preach.

5. How many of these have you read? I’ve read 5. I suck.

6. Does this really work? Although, frankly, can we just ban telephone calls altogether?

7. Look at these dreamscapes created in a tiny studio. UNBELIEVABLE.

8. Resolutions after a trauma. One of the most beautiful and touching pieces I’ve read in a very long time.

9. Are you at a crossroads of “should” and “must?” Then, you simply must read this.

10. Short capsule wardrobe update – the week started off a little ho-hum, as looking at my stark closet was a bit sad, but I have to say that choosing outfits is a breeze. I did have a little edit though – I got cocky and included a pair of jeans that I actually hadn’t received yet, and they didn’t fit upon arrival. I also traded out one shirt right after I created the capsule image last week- so those two items (jeans and shirt) were switched out in the graphic. #firstworldproblems (The two items are this and this, if you are wondering. I’m in love with the Mother jeans – they fit like a dream.) Also, another observation – thank God for scarves. Hallelujah.

Happy weekend!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

It’s official – I can’t keep up with ze blogging over holiday break.

We had quite a scare with Wito last week – after 5 days of 103 to 105-degree fevers, he was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday – his lab work and symptoms raised suspicions of Kawasaki’s Disease (which, hey, NEVER google Kawasaki’s Disease while sitting in the ER with your child. Trust me.), but thankfully it was not, as this over achiever of mine somehow managed to contract TWO separate strains of the flu within the same week. Add in his first go-around with strep, and you have one sick boy. (His strep titer showed he’d never been exposed to strep in 8 years. Very rare!)

We were discharged on Christmas Eve, just in time to experience our first Christmas in our own home. (Up until this year, we had celebrated Christmas morning at my parents’ home while visiting from California.) Wito spent most of the day in bed, but he still got to open his presents and enjoy the day. Wita would like you to know she is now the proud owner of a karaoke machine. This is happening on a frequent basis. Also, the heart wants what it wants, you guys.

Wito is pretty much 95% at this point, and I am so happy he has another week to enjoy himself before returning back to school. As for me, my adrenaline was running the show last week, so I’m taking some deep breaths, practicing a little yoga, and well, let’s be honest, manically re-organizing my house. You see, that’s my stress release. Sad, but true. Just yesterday morning, I rearranged Wito’s clothing drawers, organized his armoire filled with hundreds of books, did 4 loads of laundry, combed through my beauty and skincare items AGAIN, rearranged my drawers of jewelry and clothing, and cleaned my closet out. Before 10:30am. Yikes.

Speaking of manic reorganization – I’m in the final stages of getting my capsule wardrobe ready for the next three months. I’m not sure I can want do this, peeps, but I am going to try. Have you tried a capsule wardrobe before? Basically, you can wear 37 or so items (including shoes) over a period of 3 months. The rest of your clothing must be stored away, donated or sold, so you aren’t tempted. (I sent most of mine to Goodwill, but I am listing a few items later today.) I’m also not allowed to buy anything new during that time period. I’ve been reading about it at Un-Fancy and I’m excited to try it. Anyone care to join me?

On the makeup and skincare cleanup front, I’m still thrilled with Beautycounter and Tarte. (Most of my makeup picks are here. Skincare post is coming next month.) I can’t tell you how nice it is to not be bombarded with hundreds of brands to choose from any longer. If it’s not safe for my face, it’s not going on my face. (psst – Tarte is doing 15% off all products through the end of the year with the code BYE2014.)

Also, we are planning a trip back to Newport Beach in mid-January. We will all be soaking up the sun something fierce – I’ve never seen my kids so pale in my life. Vitamin D, here we come.

I hope your holidays have been relaxing and full of happy moments. See you next week!