Super Simple Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup unsweetened peanut butter (or other nut butter)
3/4 cup sugar (make half of it brown sugar, if preferred)
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup oats 
(add 1/2 cup chocolate chips or unsweetened coconut, if desired)

Mix. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Enjoy.

This time I added the rest of the bulk unsweetened coconut I had (probably about 1/2 cup) + they are good!

Love,
Jane

This just might be the perfect time to go through the closets. We are in the thick of this season + know exactly what we are wearing + not wearing. We know what we need + what we don't need in this weather. The thrift stores are still carrying this season's clothing, so these treasures can be found + appreciated by others who need them (or try selling a few things first for a little cash).

Making a note of just what we are wearing + how that feels can help us not to overestimate our needs or overbuy next time this season rolls around.

And just like that...enough turns into generosity!  :)

Love,
Jane

Chai is my favorite during these cold winter days...but this zero-waste golden milk mix is making me happy right now too! Inspired by Naomi, I mixed bulk spices + put them into a jar. Now it's super easy to make golden milk any time.

Golden Milk Mix
2 parts turmeric
1 part ginger
1 part cinnamon
a few peppercorns or cracked pepper
Somewhere between 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of this mix stirred into warm milk along with a squeeze of honey is delicious!

​What I've been reading lately:
Sacred Acts: How Church's are Working to Protect Earth's Climate by Mallory McDuff :: Encouraging.
Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self by Manoush Zamorodi :: A good reminder to be mindful of how much time we spend with our devices.
Vintage Saints and Sinners by Karen Wright Marsh :: I ended up purchasing this to be part of the curriculum for Julia's junior year next year (so, yes, I like it!).

The art of gentle protest.
​"Winning slowly is the same as losing."
​A year of no shopping.
GOOP delves into zero-waste!

Hope you are keeping warm on this first weekend of 2018!

Love,
Jane

Is it vain that I want my life to look different? I think I really want my life to feel different to me. I want to be able to see my values by looking at my home...pulling back the curtain on my closet...opening my fridge...looking through my date book or checking account. I want all of those things to bear testimony to my inner life. I want those things to reflect beauty and light. I want them to reveal a devotion to something decidedly other than consumerism + worldly care. Love and acceptance and inclusion evident. 
​~excerpt from my 2017 journal

The new year is a great time to make a commitment to moving toward zero-waste! It's also a great time to renew our efforts, if we're already on this journey. I love fresh starts + am excited to make even further progress!

This is not rocket science. If we want to move toward zero-waste, we have to address our own waste. We need to look at our own trash. Reading about zero-waste online can be so inspiring, but it can also make us feel like there is a list of things we need in order to get started. Nope. We just need to go through our own trash.

There are a few ways to go about this...take inventory + address one...a few...or all of what's in there. Consider:
-Do I need to purchase this? First things first...often doing without is healthiest, cheapest, + knocks the waste out in one step. Now there are three reasons to stop buying french fries from the drive through.  ;)
-Freebies are often just garbage in disguise. Don't accept them. The charity shop doesn't want that key chain with your bank logo on it either. Accepting the goody bag just signals the "generous" party to make more.
-Brainstorm alternatives. Too many disposable coffee cups? Get in the habit of making coffee at home. Too many granola bar wrappers? Grab some bulk nuts + a clementine. Feta cheese wrapper? Try scooping some from the salad bar into a container from home or using a different cheese that can be put into your container at the cheese counter.
-Reconsider...could I do without? Because this always produces the least waste.  :) Rather than coming up with less wasteful alternatives for nail polish, nail polish remover + cotton balls, consider loving naked, natural nails.

Simply begin. Don't get hung up on the things that seem impossible...get going on the things that can be changed more easily. Celebrate along the way! Think about how making one or two or three habit shifts right now have a cumulative effect over a month or a year or a lifetime! 

And then look through the trash again. And make another change.

What's in your trash?

Love,
Jane

This might be just the time to dive in + take the fairdare! Take it for 3 months or 6...or go for it + make a year long commitment to consider farmers, garment workers + the environment before purchasing clothing all year long. 

We become activists exercising our compassion by wearing what we have, mending + repairing, exploring dressing with less, making some of our own clothing, thrifting, + purchasing fairly made pieces. Together we hope to influence the existing systems...encouraging swaps, supporting cobblers, tailors + local second hand shops, letting brands know what we want, + voting with our dollars. Rather than seeing our commitments as deprivation, we view them as power + joy.

Perfection or the fear of not being able to buy all fair pieces shouldn't stop us from trying. Each choice is a new opportunity for success! The choices we make about what to wear affect the environment + garment workers + farmers, whether we think about it or not. We can do better...one choice at a time.

I wear clothes.
I like fashion.
I love people.
You too?

​Take the fairdare!

Love,
Jane

Do you like to take stock, compile the data, look back, make plans, set goals, and map out the next steps? I'm not exactly sure how to answer that question in regards to "like"...but I do think that it can be quite useful.  :)

When I came across this little guide again this year, I jumped right in. I thought in light of the fact that I made a lot of plans at the beginning of 2017, it would probably be good to take an honest look at how it all turned out. I had actually forgotten about some of the accomplishments of 2017 + felt quite good about recognizing them. There were also a few spots that I could have stuck to plan a bit better + I had the chance to recognize that as well.

Now, 2018...I've got plans for you.

If this sort of thing appeals, here a few places to find a little guidance/inspriation for the journey:
​-YearCompass
-Unravel Your Year
-Find Your Word

Have fun.
Celebrate.
Offer grace.
Dream big.
Jump in.

Love,
​Jane

P.S. Let us know if you have favorite year end/beginning inspiration!  :)

Seize this very moment;
What you can do, 
Or dream you can, 
begin it;
Boldness has genius,
power,
and magic in it.
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


Happy New Year, friends!

Love,
Jane