artwork by the amazing Bodil Jane

It has been a heart wrenching two weeks. The immense weight of grief + anger over what the community at Marjory Stillman Douglas High School is enduring looms large in our thoughts + conversation. The fear, helplessness, + determination that is felt by children, teens, young adults, teachers, + parents as students walk into school every day in this country is a disgusting reality. We've witnessed the emergence of a new progression of the stages of grief...terror, helplessness, sorrow, questioning, anger, resolve, action. 

This is a whole new form of clean power. From ashes to action in a matter of hours. Innocence + brokenness demanding more from those tainted by greed, compromise, corruption, + dishonesty...demanding more than complacency.

There is just so much to be sad about these days...so much to be rightly angry about. I'm feeling it seep into every pore + quiet space between thoughts. I carry it + my girls do too. I do not want them to live in a suspended state of fear or helplessness + I do not want to either. I want to convert anger into action. I want to see the rise of clean power, + I want to be a part of it. 

So our art supplies become protest sign supplies + we march + shout at the sides of buildings in the biting wind. I research + attend meetings + strategize + organize. We make postcards + phone calls + my voice shakes with nerves + feelings that bubble in my throat. I want my girls to know that we are not helpless. I want to know that I am not hopeless.

For anyone who might be looking for a way or two to join the fight:

Everytown is taking action against gun violence. Let's help make it a force to match the NRA. Ask companies to shed their support of the NRA. It's working. Get ready to march. Find out how much influence your representatives are under from the NRA. Let them know how you feel. Demand action. Hold them accountable. Vote accordingly.

Much more quietly, Trump + our current Administrator of the "Environmental Protection Agency", Scott Pruitt, are in the process of repealing the Clean Power Plan which set goals for reducing the amount of carbon emissions power plants release. Two more listening sessions are coming right up + comments are open now. 350.org + the Sierra Club are working to demand clean power for all of us.

It's been a heart wrenching couple of weeks...but there are glimpses of hope there too. Let's be part of the clean power at work for change. 

Love,
Jane

Strong back
Soft front
Wild heart
~Brene Brown

Soup is a delicious + simple zero-waste meal! Packed with loose vegetable, bulk rice, garbanzo beans, and spices...this is one of our favorite meals. This meal was filling in the best of ways at the end of a long, cold day. Use up those lingering vegetables...especially these.  :) If any can be saved, it's an amazing lunch the day after!

Simple Zero-waste Soup
about 1/4 red onion, chopped 
olive oil
6 cups water
4 organic carrots, sliced not peeled
2 organic potatoes, sliced not peeled
1 1/2 c. chickpeas, cooked
3/4 c. rice, uncooked
1 Tbsp. boullion (much cheaper in store)(I use these glass jars for bulk spices)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper flakes (ours are potent)

Measurements are approximate. Use what you have. Experiment. Heat just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot over medium heat. Add onion + cook until translucent. Add water and all the rest to taste. Bring to boil, turn down heat + simmer until rice is cooked...stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

Love,
Jane

Last week, I received two emails about supply chain issues. One came from Imogene + Willie. They wanted their customers to know that their denim supplier, Cone Mills denim factory, has closed. This came as a surprise, because I'm aware that I have been hearing more about Cone Mills Denim in the last decade than I had before. Imogene + Willie proudly used USA-manufactured Cone Mill denim to make their jeans, as did many other more "conscious" labels. When jeans sewing became a trend, sewists felt quite proud of the fact that they could sew with Cone Mills denim. Cone Mills White Oak plant has produced denim for more than a century in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was the last selvedge denim mill in the United States. They cited decreased demand for their product as buyers seek cheaper denim made overseas as the reason for the closure.

The second supply chain issue that I heard about this week was from Alabama Chanin. They have experienced increased demand for their organic cotton fabric, but have been able to obtain less of it because of the weather conditions experienced by the farmers who supply the organic cotton. Inconsistent temperatures and unpredictable weather on these Texas farms has yielded smaller than usual crops of cotton.

One of the articles linked in Saturday's reads stated that in 2012 alone, Uzbekistan set one million of their citizens, including children, to work harvesting cotton in abusive conditions. We know that it is possible to see what color the textile factories are dyeing by looking at the surrounding water ways. Refugees, including children, are used + abused in the textile industry.

Volatile weather resulting from climate change + a market that settles for cheap materials from unknown sources is at its best disheartening + otherwise disgusting. The positive side of this that there are a few companies educating consumers and connecting the weather, farmers, crops, and garment workers to the clothes on our backs. Supply chains are not just boring technicalities. They are the very products themselves.

Love,
Jane

I've really been enjoying Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver. She spends a little bit more time dealing with inner issues rather than just the outer clutter. 

Vending machines for the homeless.
"The third largest criminal industry in the world".
A dreamy collaboration.
Non-plastic athletic wear. 
​Looking forward to seeing this (because I loved the book + that cast!)

Have a fantastic weekend, friends!!
Love,
Jane

Am I part of the cure
or part of the disease?
~Coldplay

Winter dressing is not my forte. Real winter only really lasts for about 4 months where we live, but we do experience stretches of days with temperatures in the single digits (F) + some snow. I guess I can't really just deny the existence of winter or my need to dress for it. In theory, I like the idea of cozy layers...but in reality, I am not entirely good at it. I haven't perfected the whole socks + boots thing (even though I grew up in Michigan)...like the sock weight has to be consistent + the boots need to be a just-the-right-amount bigger than my normal shoe size. I like my pant length to be a bit cropped...and that creates a bit too much bare skin to cover without a taller boot (or sock). I finally gave in to the fact that the boots I thrifted this summer (while wearing no socks) are too small to wear with socks after a lengthy search for well-fitting, thin, warm (not ugly) socks. Now that I'm looking for them, the boots that I might like to own are all sold out in my size. So...that's my confession right up front.  :)

I have been staying warm (staying inside + wearing thick wool socks helps).  :) Here are the pieces that I'm wearing now + have been since late November. 

tops ::
-cream sweatshirt
-black sweatshirt
-grey cashmere pullover
-black wool zip-up 
​-tan wool cardigan

under layers ::
-long-sleeved tees (2 black + 2 white)
-tanks (1 black + 1 white)

bottoms ::
-leggings
-vintage army pants
​-black jumpsuit

footwear ::
-trainers

outerwear ::
-blanket coat
-puffer
-gloves
-wellies

Seeing the pieces all laid out above actually invigorates my resolve. It has honestly been flagging a tiny bit of late + has me dreaming of a little something new. I think that a good pair of suitable boots would help, but since I can't find what I'm looking for (thrifted or fair, affordable, my size, my style), I'll do without for now. Trading out one sweatshirt for a tan cashmere sweater (because...warmer) is also a note for next year. For now, I always have something that I like + is appropriate to wear. 

My current favorite combinations are:

at home ::
-cashmere sweater + long-sleeved white tee + leggings + wool socks
-wool zip-up + long-sleeved black tee + leggings + wool socks

out + about ::
-sweatshirt + tank + army pants + trainers + blanket coat
-black long-sleeved tee + leggings + trainers (or wellies, if it's wet) + puffer
-cream sweatshirt + jumpsuit + blanket coat + trainers

dressier ::
-black long-sleeved tee + jumpsuit + blanket coat + flats

Stay warm. Spring is on its way.  :)

Lots of love,
Jane
 
All photos via links.

P.S. If anyone is interested, my sweet, vintage boots might be just the right size for you!  ;)

In trying to clean up the landing zone in my closet this week, I decided to put a bracelet that I really only wear in the summer in with the rest of my jewelry. A small box of jewelry resides in the box of off-season clothing on the top shelf of my closet. I don't wear that jewelry every day...or very often at all. Mostly it is a box of pieces that trigger memories of certain periods in my life or of money spent.

I'm not one of those people who minimizes all at once. I've gone through my jewelry many times, letting a few pieces go each time. This time felt a little different. I haven't accessorized much for quite a few years. This feels like quite an established preference (though of course, I can change always my mind).  :) Curently, I wear three rings + glasses + (rarely) a watch. 

Here's what happened this time:
-A small selection of the sweet pieces that my girls made + gave me over the years were placed into the memory boxes that I keep next to that box of off-season clothes. I keep notes + drawings they've made me, books they've written, + special little bits from over the years there...one for each of them.
-I put a watch that I bought when I was 17 + want to keep (because it does still work + I like it) into the keepsake box that I have for things from my pre-marriage years.
-Lots of pieces were tarnished. They can surely be cleaned, but the tarnish made me realize that these things hold little value or immediate wearability, if I do not wear them often or spend time caring for them. I'm going to let someone else find joy in doing both.
-Some pieces are no longer my style + hanging onto them is simply unnecessary.
-I offered the things I'd purged to my girls, pointing out a couple of special pieces that I thought they might like. Each accepted a silver ring. I didn't want to obligate them to keeping anything by placing my own meaning onto the pieces...that would just pass the burden on to them. If they liked or wanted something...great! If not, that's great too!
-This reminded Julia about the tiny collection of jewelry she has + to consider wearing it. It sparked Jo to go through her collection in order to see if she had anything to pass on. Jo mentioned feeling a little sad about letting a necklace go that she distinctly remembers receiving when she was in first grade (she's a senior in college now). She knows she will never wear it again. We mentioned putting it away as a memory or taking a picture of it before letting it go...but in the end she decided to keep the chain + let the charm go.

I don't have any experience reselling jewelry, but did find this article that seems helpful + reliable. I don't feel that any of my pieces are worth the effort, so they will simply be donated.

All of my pieces were lovely + good, but I don't need to own everything that is lovely + good. This realization goes a long way into recognizing enough + being able to stop over-purchasing as well. I am perpetually enrolled in "enough" training.  :)

My little collection is really quite small now...a pair of earrings, a couple of hair clips, a necklace that symbolizes the preciousness of our little tribe, the leather bracelet that set off this cleanse, + two colorful, handmade bracelets. Along with the pieces I wear every day...the volume of this collection feels authentic + offers the possibility of dressing up just enough. And my overall feeling? Relief.  :)

Love,
Jane

Minimalism is most often talked about as a choice made after we've over-consumed. We embark on a journey toward minimalism by purging our belongings + taking the resulting carloads full of bulging trash bags to the charity shop.

I've been interested, however, in the concept of minimalism in regards to resettling refugees or our homeless neighbors. How can we use what we've learned about minimalism + the contentment found therein to satisfy needs...rather than overburdening or setting these friends up to be vulnerable to the snares of greed + mindless consumption. I once helped set up a residence for a missionary family returning to the States on furlough. The amount of things that were brought into that house was crazy! Yes, there was well-intended generosity behind all of it, but I could see how it could breed discontent in a family with young children who planned on returning to the mission field.

There is a sweet spot that exists at the intersection of "enough" + contentment. How do we recognize it, stay there, + ultimately rest in it?

A time I keep coming back to is when we unexpectedly found ourselves moving back to the States from London with only the boxes we were allowed on the plane. We had very little money + we needed to spend all of it on housing...either a very small downpayment on a house...or first/last month's rent + deposit on an apartment. Our single vehicle was purchased on a credit card, + there was no money for furniture.

I made drawings + lists of what we would need to function as a family of four. Here is what I came up with:
-In the living room: lamp (it was January) + rug (if there was no carpet). We could do homework + eat dinner there. We could sit + read or play. We could grab our pillows + watch movies on a laptop. We could check out books from the library + stack them by the wall. 
-In the bedrooms: mattresses, pillows + bottom sheets (mattresses are different sizes in the UK). Our clothes would go in closets. The girls' books + toys could go on the floor or in the closet. The laundry could pile on the floor.
-In the bathroom: shower curtain, bath mat, + towels (they took up too much precious space to pack).
-In the kitchen: we would make do with the plates, silverware, few utensils, tea towel, washcloth + pots that we brought.
-Also: stocking up on food, cleaning supplies, shampoo, soap, toilet paper, etc...all adds up too.

After having lived for three months in complete limbo at extremely generous relatives' house...not knowing day by day when we would get to go "home"...or where our home was...finally living in a space, all on our own, felt amazing! It was "enough".

Slowly accumulating the pieces on the round two list made it even better! Round two needs:
-In the living room: seating
-In the bedrooms: mattress pads, hangers, laundry baskets, a bit of storage for the girls
-In the kitchen: table + chairs, skillet, measuring cup, cutting board
-Also: washing machine, drying racks
(Craigslist was our source for furniture.)

Revisiting this knowledge of what we truly need is incredibly useful for me. Everything else is extra + I stay vigilant about recognizing the tipping point that leads me away from contentment + toward too much. I am happy to have some seating that is not on the floor now.  :) I'm happy to have built in shelving, but just because it's there doesn't mean that I have to fill it. We don't need three side tables, because our drinks are fine on the floor. I love that the library stores all of our books.  :) We are living in the sweet spot + I want to be aware of that!

I use this memory of starting (almost) from scratch as a reference point for recalibrating my current outlook toward gratitude + contentment. I consider the experience an incredibly empowering gift to my girls. In the same way, I think it's possible that our resettled neighbors could experience relief, "enough", and contentment in minimalism...not an imposed minimalism, of course, but an offered minimalism. We need to be aware of the possibility of overburdening them with things to "need". There is great kindness in "enough".

Love,
​Jane