i've always resisted labels.  shy, quiet, introverted, smart, prude, goody-goody…none of them were ever flattering, and none of them ever told the whole story.  i am shy until i'm not…i was "smart" because i spent a LOT of time studying…i am a goody-goody compared to some and quite the opposite compared to some others.

minimalist, zero-waste, locavore…more labels.  these labels are valuable in internet search boxes and for identifying ourselves with certain groups of people…but they still mean different things for different people in actual life application.  

bea johnson's home may look spartan and sterile to some, but to me it looks like heaven! some "minimalist's" homes look more visually cluttered than i want mine to look.  this is no surprise.  we are all different people with different desires and aesthetics.

i hesitate to type zero-waste every single time i do it.  almost nothing is truly zero-waste. everyone knows that the bulk oats traveled to the store in a plastic bag in a cardboard box. the point is that it involves less waste…not zero.  

when i pick strawberries, snap-peas and tomatoes from my garden, i am a locavore.  in comparison, the farmer's market involves food from miles away…and the "local" burger i consume at the overpriced farm-to-table restaurant involves ingredients trucked in from 5 separate farms.

labels are just labels.  i'm not sure what they actually mean in most cases.  they don't usually take exact measurements.  i'm not sure i deserve the label of minimalist, zero-waste, or locavore, but i look to my heroes and continue to do my personal best with each purchase…getting better each and every day (well, most days anyway).  :)   

love,
jane

"very few people who complain actually want to inconvenience themselves on the way to fixing the problem."

"earth stewardship, to my family, was not some cerebral thing that you recited in catechism class and threw out the window at the first mention of dominion.  if it meant anything, it meant living differently."  joel salatin in folks this ain't normal...  check it out at your local library

i cannot express how giddy i am to tell you about this video!!  it is beautifully done and invites us to follow bea johnson through part of her day while explaining her zero waste lifestyle.  she is an amazing inspiration and total game changer!!  also... her book and blog (her instagram is great too).  ok…go watch it already!  :)

love, 
biggest fangirl 

where does all the unsold thrift go?  and a wise view on beauty.  must watch!  via
love this reminder of the process of saying enough.
more on the true cost.  via

"i've always believed that every breath is a new chance to choose happiness.  it's been my rallying cry for most of my adult life.  happiness is a choice.  it isn't a place or a set of conditions. it is a fight that you take on again, every single day.  you can't let yourself forget to choose to be happy.  i mean, i let myself forget all the time, but that's not the point.  the point is to remember the fight and get back in it the second you can."  ~natalie holbrook, hey natalie jean (also here)

the point of sharing this idea here was to inspire you to make your own summer fun.  for parents:  older kids might need a few different ideas, although the beach, pool and sprinkler don't have age limits.  this can be a great way to get a taste of what they are listening to at the moment, and you get to share what makes you dance too.  

have everyone in your tribe- be that family and/or friends- make their own playlist, or compile them into one big festival playlist.  then settle in with some special treats and enjoy your homemade festival with bare feet and a couch.

if you'd like a listen to our tribe festival, you can find it here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjZqI2hQqsbpZMO0yT4wFHh0mYPiVt0Q6

the planning and the final event were laid-back fun.  we plan on doing another in july with a little bit different vibe.  it will be fun to look back at these and see what we were into at this point in time.

what are you doing for summer fun?

love,
j + j + j

with that, i spent some time deciding what to paint on the back of my jacket. i knew that i wanted a twenty one pilots quote and finally i settled on something really important to me: 'gifted with thought' from the song "holding onto you".
it's really straight forward from there.... a piece of cardboard in the jacket to keep it flat and easy to paint on, taping down the stencils, and dabbing away for a couple coats! i used white and then glow in the dark for the last few layers. i let it all dry and then carefully peeled up the stencils! yippee!

it's not quite done. i have a few patches to add and i'm deciding exactly what to paint in that extra space between 'with' and 'thought'. i'm happy with this jacket.
let us know if you try it out and what you paint!
xxx,
jo

when we dreamed about tribe festival, we knew we wanted it to be zero-waste.  amazing food is a given, so the aim is to make good food that involves as little waste as possible. here's what we'll be sipping + munching  during the event.

smoothies are some of our favorite summer treats and can be made so many different ways. just look around and see what you've got to throw in the blender.  these smoothies include peaches, strawberries, honey and almond milk.  yum!

…and this is one of our favorite things!  again- look around and add what you like.

tribe fest dip salad

choose some or all of the following:
pepper
tomato
corn
avocado
onion
cucumber
feta (from the salad bar in our own container)
black beans
salsa dressing: equal parts salsa + yogurt
lime
pepper flakes or spicy pepper
salt

mix + enjoy with chips, over salad greens, rice, or alone.  yum!

our strawberries may be winding down, but we are picking snap peas from our garden at the moment!  the best way to eat snap peas is straight off the vine, freshly washed with rain.  the loud >crunch< makes you smile, and the taste is the epitome of freshness.

here's how we ate them last night for dinner…with the colors of springtime!  all healthy and mostly zero-waste (the feta container will be recycled)…

snap pea + carrot quinoa

snap peas
carrots
onion
quinoa
chickpeas
feta
lemon
salt
pepper flakes

we used 1 cup of quinoa + 2 cups of water, cover, boil, reduce to simmer until all water absorbed.  stir fry onion, then add carrots and snap peas.  stir chickpeas (already cooked) into quinoa…then top this with stir fry vegetables, feta, salt, pepper flakes and lemon.  enjoy!

love,
jane

in the beginning, summer break feels like an enticing blank slate full of possibility.  it makes me think of gently swinging hammocks, warm, white sand, cool ocean breezes, juicy, ripe watermelon, poolside lounge chairs, indulgent magazines, ice-cold lemonade and cool, white linen.  while we hope to leisurely experience many of those things in the next few months, summer also calls for a few planned activities that we can anticipate.   

there are many lists of summer activities for small children.  as my girls grow older, however, we need some different ideas.  we will eventually enjoy a day spent away from the scorching heat in a cavernous museum filled with treasure, an unexpected visit to the shop with the exotic snow cone flavors, and an incredible music festival overloaded with all our favorite bands!  we've really been loving concerts as zero-waste gifts for birthdays, christmas, graduation and our anniversary.

the music festival isn't exactly in the plan for us this summer, although we have been enjoying watching them online.  i just thought a music festival would be a fun thing for us to organize as a tribe.   

so…this is the week of our first tribe festival…a solstice celebration…and we are inviting you along!  we have a week of simple things we're doing leading up to tribe festival, and then we hope you'll enjoy the show this weekend!  gather your tribe for food, fun, friends and…music.

rock on, 
jane