these are the days when our sungold tomatoes start pouring in from the garden, and we love to eat them straight out of the bowl!  i also like to use them in our meals and thought i might share a few ways we've been doing that this week.  i would normally make this with basil, but we had chives from the garden, yum.

this one was our simple, easy lunch- the only kind we eat around here.  i only oven roasted these at 280 degrees for about 30 minutes, because our stomaches couldn't stand to wait any longer... but they were still good!

how do you like to eat these sweet little tomatoes?

love, jane

jane: more or less by jeff shinabarger… honestly, this is not my favorite book on this topic.  it did remind me  that while many of us focus on being in the "middle class" category in our parts of the world, we are actually in the top 7 % of wage earners in the world if we make $30,000/year.  we are in the top 1 % of wage earners in the world if we make $50,000/year.  this book is a good starting point for someone looking to be challenged about the way they think about possessions, money and generosity.

jo:  emily of deep valley by maud hart lovelace… this book is so sweet and lovely! written in the early 1900's, emily of deep valley is startlingly modern in its characters and their emotions. in its beginning, i felt rather depressed as emily was blue with longing to go to college, thinking the winter would be wasted as she remained at home to look after her war vet grandfather. as i read more pages, however, i fell in love with it, as emily discovered herself and the incredible things she had the potential to create. from a literature club to dancing, from making friends with unique and fun people to pursuing everything she loves, emily of deep valley was an incredibly relatable, inspiring, and fun book.

julia:  charlotte in giverny by joan macphail knight…  i really like this book.  I've read it before.  it's about a young girl named charlotte who is staying in giverny, france. her father is an artist and is going to study impressionist art.  the book takes place in the 1890's.  it is like the journal of the year charlotte stays in giverny.  charlotte and her story are not real, but it is based on what could have happened to a girl.  i also like all of the art, old pictures, and the book has a lot of the famous impressionistist paintings... like a few monets in it.  you also learn a few french words.  the book has lots of pictures and is not super long to read.                   i think it's a cute and sweet story that girls might enjoy.
    
extra goodness:  julia, child by kyo maclear… we can never resist a good picture book!  the story takes a dash of julia child + a dollop of imagination + a generous helping of divine artwork and ends up with an inspiring, delightful story.

check these out at your local library!

what are you reading?

love, jane + jo + julia

this summer i was ecstatic to find myself not only on a road trip, but also in a lot of amazing independent shops. the stores in which i bought clothing were buffalo exchange denver and a beautiful little shop in yucca valley, just outside of joshua tree national park. i am so incredibly happy with my finds, all of which are second hand (buffalo exchange) or fair trade (yucca valley shop). fair dare win!!!  not only this, but also they are all very versatile... 

two ways to wear a really cute peek-a-boo top!

i bought this (most versatile) dress and hat from buffalo exchange- the denim jacket is my own from several years ago and the t shirt that you can't see is from that cool little shop in yucca valley. it was fun to hear from the owner about his friend who makes the t shirts and who is starting his own organic veggie farm! 

i am beyond happy with my items from my main summer shopping trip. everything blends perfectly with the rest of my wardrobe, as well as with each other. they make me feel content… i'm happy that i bought them and i don't feel much need to buy anything else this summer! 

if you have a buffalo exchange near you, please take advantage of it, at least for all of us who don't have one near by (tears). also seek out independent shops… they can be so incredibly cool and friendly!!

what are your favorite thrifty finds and how do you wear them?

xxx,
jo 

today's sungold tomatoes fresh from the garden.

my quest for a simple wardrobe began with a kick in the pants:
-two moves overseas
-a family of four + two dogs
-no storage units or shipping crates
-in two and a half years
i'm not sure, but that might qualify as 4 kicks in the pants at least.  funny thing is, i kind of liked it!

in order to follow our clear call overseas, i had to find new homes for most of our things.   we decided not to indulge in a storage unit, because we wanted to be able to clearly hear what God wanted for our future without obligation to our stuff back in the states.  i had to look at every singe item and decide if we needed it. we kept relatively little.  when we got to our new home, we had a car and mattresses and school uniforms to buy.  essentials took priority over just-for-fun clothing purchases.  i was learning that i could be happy with less in all areas, but especially with my clothing.

i do love fashion.  i bought my first bazaar magazine when i was twelve.  i like to express myself with my clothing.  i just found out that i don't need a lot of pieces to do that.  

at this same time i was learning and becoming passionate about:
-the working conditions of the people who make the clothing i buy and wear
-the chemicals involved in cotton growth, fabric manufacture, dying, etc.
-the emissions created by the process of moving the pieces of the clothing from field to shop rack

the combination of being happy with less and concern about my clothing's history really changed the way i looked at my wardrobe.  my desire for clothing lessened and i was able to step back and see the bounty i already possessed instead of the holes i needed to fill with more.

and that's the beginning!

what's your story?

love, jane

jane:  so, julia, do you like to go shopping for clothes?

julia: i'm not so into shopping for clothes yet, but i'm not really against it either.  i don't mind trying clothes on and sometimes i do have fun.  some times i'm not in the mood for dress up but usually i don't mind.

jane:  could you explain what thredup is?

julia:   threadup is a clothes company.  you can only order the clothes online and all of their clothes are used. it was a nice way for my mom to order my new fall wardrobe without making me have go shopping, and you can get clothes that are cute and earth friendly.

jane:  do you think thredup is a good idea?  why?

julia:  i think thredup is a great idea because you can find super cute clothes that look totally new.  it also helps good clothes from being dumped into the landfill.

jane:  do you like what came in your box?  

julia:  i love the clothes i got.  they're super comfy, cute and warm.  the leopard print sweater is different than my usual taste maybe, but i actually really like it, and think i'd wear it a lot.  i love the dress and it's the kind of dress i like.  pants aren't usually my favorite usually either.  i prefer leggings, but my mom got me these pants that are stretchy and feel like leggings.  another thing i like about the clothes is that they're all neutral colors, so they would mix and match nicely and go with almost everything.

jane:  do you think you will get a lot of use out of these pieces?  what is one way you will wear one of the pieces?

julia:  i am going to wear the clothes a lot.  i'd wear the dress with either black or my dark grey leggings,with either my sparkly pink shoes or my denim toms shoes.

jane:  that sounds cute, julia!  i'm glad we found some fun basic pieces at thredup that you like and will enjoy wearing this autumn!  this is an unsponsored post.  we just liked this online thrift store and thought it was a fun way to have a bit more choice than our local thrift for girls julia's age.

what have you found thrifting lately?

love,
​jane+ julia

hello!
one of my favorite things to look at or read is a zine. for those of you who are wondering what the heck i'm talking about, a zine is an independently made booklet-slash-magazine containing anything from comics to memoir haikus. anyone- including you!- can make a zine and fill it with anything(!) you like!
anyway, yesterday i opened my mailbox to a very exciting little envelope! i had ordered thrive, a zine, on alyssa's etsy several days before...

not only was the envelope adorable (colorful animals on a majestic mountain, anyone?), but alyssa had also included several super cute freebie's. i'm really digging the quirkiness of her artwork. 

featuring adorable monsters and talking food, quick funky musings (applesauce, tandem bicycles, the future...), and bits of cut and paste, thrive is a super fun twenty-two page zine!

i found thrive very inspiring in it's simplicity and variety. in making my own zines, i sometimes feel like i should be writing long and beautiful prose, with many artistic photos or stunning works of art (neither of which i can do very well...). thrive reminded me that a zine can still be very rad when it's full of little tidbits of awesome-ness. without that pressure, it's freeing and still fun to read and look at- + the girl's got talent, i gotta say!

off to read more zines with stan the owl mug... 

stay rad,
jo xxx




(this review is in no way affiliated with anyone, including alyssa- who has no idea i am writing this.)

we are a tiny tribe of girls who wander together. 

come along?

love jane+jo+julia