spend time…not money.
chase the moon
explore nature
take a long wandering walk
stop at a new trailhead
look at the bugs
eat cookies outside
ride bikes
​read under the trees…or in a tree
stretch
camp out in the backyard
watch hawks soar
eat lunch by the lake
soak in the sunset 
play cards
​count butterflies
tell your funniest stories
go barefoot
roast marshmallows
turn up the tunes and dance wild
breathe deeply
live fully

​this post is one of a series originating here. 

did you watch the eclipse sunday night?  we were amazed that we could actually see it happen so spectacularly on the super moon.  i was also amazed that so many of our neighbors came out to see it as well!  neighbors we'd never talked to before were united by a common sight.  as i stood there in awe, i thought of how this moon could be seen around the world…from luxury hotels to refugee camps, people could look up and see the same thing we were seeing.

the next morning, i found that these pictures from so many different vantage points echoed those thoughts from the night before.

one earth with a common focus.  

​and then...this post brought me to the global goals and the challenge to work and pray…as one world standing together with one focus…rights and equality for all humans as citizens of one precious earth.  

here are the global goals:

1. 1. NO POVERTY: End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
   2. NO HUNGER: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 
   3. GOOD HEALTH: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 
   4. QUALITY EDUCATION: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
   5. GENDER EQUALITY: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
   6. CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
   7. MODERN ENERGY:Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 
   8. GOOD JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: Promote sustained inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 
   9. INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 
   10. REDUCED INEQUALITIES: Reduce inequalities within and among countries 
   11. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
   12. RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
   13. CLIMATE ACTION: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
   14. LIFE BELOW WATER: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
   15. LIFE ABOVE WATER: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 
   16. PEACE AND JUSTICE: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. 
   17. PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
   
   
   
   

what if we could visibly push the shadow of poverty, injustice, hunger, and oppression right off our planet with the light of love, mercy, justice and humility?  let's try.
 
here's my plan:
use the global goals as a prayer list (i'm excited to have a reminder and focus)
have conversations with my tribe and those outside of it
pray together
educate myself (global goals is full of great links)
focus on each area and determine what action i can take to tackle it

sounds like a lot of fun!

love,
jane

fifty pieces of clothing total for warmer + colder weather… a lot…a little…it's all relative…but it's right where i'm happy for now.  it's working for me…right now…in this climate…for my life…for my values.

i came to this number all backwards…and that's how i know it works.  i started with more and in time, arrived here.  just curious, i wrote every piece down and counted them up.  my fifty pieces do not include pajamas, workout clothing, coats, or accessories…but those things are minimalish as well.  

now that i've got a number to try to stick to…the way i am thinking i will approach my closet…is to keep a smaller number of pieces "out" and switch them up periodically with what is in storage (in my suitcase, in my closet).  i don't really want to look at all my clothes all the time, because i'll get sick of them sooner.  this method keeps things feeling fresh and allows me to enjoy my wardrobe, while keeping it small and non-disposable.

i don't really feel like i need anything new this season, but i'm reserving the right to buy something if i decide to.  that piece would have to be fairly made and would have to replace an existing piece in my closet.

just because i like when others post these sorts of things…here's a general list of my fifty at the moment.

lighter dresses- 4
warmer dresses- 3
sleeveless tops-2
short sleeved tops- 6
3/4 sleeved tops- 3
long sleeved tops- 8
lighter sweaters-2
warmer sweaters- 3
shorts- 2
jumpsuits- 2
trousers- 5
boots- 4
shoes- 6

total=50 pieces

how is your closet shaping up?

love,
​jane

rides on winding roads
windows rolled down
grass in your hair
bees buzzing
shadows dancing
tastes we dream of all year long
​
love,
j+j+j

zero waste and ready in less than 15 minutes.  it's a mexican bowl with tomatoes and peppers from the garden, avocado, lime, pepper jack cheese (grated by julia, while i chopped the veg), and black-eyed peas made in the same pot with some barley.  a big pot of bulk black-eyed peas/barley was made a few nights ago with some portions frozen in mason jars…ready to become today's fast food.  love that!

love,
jane

jane:  sometimes there is a good reason for 3 of the same band's t-shirts…so the whole tribe can wear one at the same time…or because it's your favorite band of all time…in this case, both good reasons.  :)

jo:  simple life makes for intensely wonderful experiences. dancing with twenty one pilots makes for a perfect night. we're happy to be alive.

what are you enjoying these days?

love,
jo + jane

as shown by what i wore on friday, my third seasonal switch was to put away this constellation tank and get out this block printed top.  both are handmade pieces that i really like.  i realized after making my switches that they brought a bit of deep red into my wardrobe…just perfect for the bit of autumn in the air!  last night we had pumpkin pie blended custard (for dinner), while wearing light layers…oh, autumn you make me smile!  :)

love,
jane

this is a scary post for me to put out there.  it's a point at which i can imagine people thinking i'm loony and irrelevant (if they haven't already thought that).  :)  i'm writing it anyway.  i am making no judgements.  i am simply putting an option out there that many feel no longer exists.

on the right is my phone.  it's a pay as you go phone.  it makes and receives calls.  it sends and receives texts.  it costs me less than $10/month.  i've had this phone for 8 or 9 years.  

on the left is the phone that jo uses.  it is an iPhone3 that a friend gave to mr. tribe.  jo put a free texting app on it, so now it sends and receives texts, functions as a music player and accesses the internet through public wi-fi connections (at school, work or home).  we are connected.  it is free. 

julia does not have a phone.  sometimes i give my phone to one of the girls, if we'd like them to have the ability to call from any location.  our phones are tools, and they do just what we need them to do…plus quite a bit extra.

this may not be for everyone, but since we're talking about fewer ends here…think of the thousands of dollars these phones have saved us.  i believe these decisions have gone a long way toward helping my family live the life we want to live.

one reason i like reading minimalist blogs is that i like to hear about the different choices people make about what is necessary to them.  whether fitting all their belongings into a backpack, living in a tiny house, or wearing a uniform every day…i find it inspiring.  i'm inspired to consider my needs/wants differently…and i like that.  

this post is meant to inspire thinking about choices.  i'm not judging, so i hope you extend that courtesy to me and my family.  being satisfied with less than the latest and fastest has helped us live the life we want and has also helped us break some of the chains of consumption.  

that is something that i long for for all of us…that consuming not consume us.

this post is one of a series originating here. 

love,
jane

grow your jeans
lovely process
beautiful new collection... minimalist/artisan made wardrobe inspiration

a little update on julia's simple, fair wardrobe for autumn and winter…

i mentioned that i had a short list of items i was looking for in order to round out julia's wardrobe for the coming months.  i want to find a few dresses, some leggings and a cardigan.  this journey involves some bumps, so i thought i'd share.  after fruitless trips to the resale shops and much searching of resale sites online, i found and purchased a used patagonia organic cotton dress, a used rayon dress, and a used crewcuts gray cardigan (to replace the one two sizes smaller that has been outgrown).  that was three weeks ago…and we are still no closer to crossing anything off the list.

when i asked where the two dresses were (since i hadn't heard from the sellers or received the dresses), i was refunded for one and sent a shipping notice for the other…no explanations.  the cardigan came and was tinier than the one we are trying to replace.  i'm guessing it had been machine washed and dried even though it was wool, so back it went.  now i've paid for two rounds of postage on the cardigan and have nothing but doubt in the process to show for it.

today the dress arrived with a v-shaped hole cut into it where the tag has been cut out.  i'm guessing it was a cheap fast fashion dress listed as vintage.  i'm hoping the seller will accept it as a return, so that i can recover some of the money spent on it.  uggh.

i'd originally considered sewing the dresses, but balked at the waste fabric i'd be left with and doubt in having them turn out as desired.  now sewing seems the best course of action, so a pattern arrived today, and some fabric is on the way.  i even have a plan for some of the leftover fabric.  we'll see how it all comes together!  hopefully julia will have some warmer dresses in her closet by the time she needs them!

learning from the journey,
jane