I love that all the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies can be found in bulk! I use a classic recipe (halved), but opt for fair-trade chocolate chips. Child labor + slavery are common in the chocolate industry, so this is an arena where consumers can make a real difference. Fair-trade chocolate does cost more, so we choose to make it an occasional treat. Seems appropriate...rather than sacrifice.  :)

​Felt + indigo = inspiration for reviving thrifted or worn pieces of clothing.
​The power of empathy. Library hold promptly placed.
"Listening, and then taking what is heard/learned and using that to teach other white people, is the best thing white allies can do to help."
In case it was missed earlier in the week, listen. So important.
A few ways to let it go.
Now that's a uniform.
The minimal color palette in this small home achieves that cozy feeling simply. 

Have a lovely, relaxing weekend, friend!  :)

Love, 
Jane

​Be present. Make love. Make tea. Avoid small talk. Embrace conversation. Buy a plant, water it. Make your bed. Make someone else’s bed. Have a smart mouth and quick wit. Run. Make art. Create. Swim in the ocean. Swim in the rain. Take chances. Ask questions. Make mistakes. Learn. Know your worth. Love fiercely. Forgive quickly. Let go of what doesn’t make you happy. Grow.
- Paulo Coelho ​

In addition to enjoying fresh, organic flavors straight from our backyard, I've learned a few things about growing + trusting + letting go in the garden this summer. We've experienced repeated bouts of torrential rain interspersed with hot dry days. A few storms downed trees and the tomatoes. Floods evacuated neighborhoods more than once in the span of a few weeks. Warm days in March contrasted with a cooler than normal August. 

It took time + twine to rebalance the tomatoes. I hoped that their roots remained intact + that they would survive. And then it happened again. I don't think that tomatoes like extreme amounts of rain on repeat. Our harvest is usually at its peak in August + September, but this year it has almost quit. 

Radishes + strawberries did well early in the season. The snap peas that usually produce enough to preserve for months to come didn't do so well. I'm not sure exactly why.

Our potato plants looked different this year, so I just decided to hold my hopes for them lightly. I decided to be happy, if we had potatoes...and to be ok, if we didn't. Our harvest may be double what we planted, and for that I am grateful. It takes a lot of work to plant + dig potatoes however, so I'm not sure it was totally worth it. I'm just letting it be.

But the cucumbers...at first they trickled in. And then...they started coming in by the armload...every day! I think it's safe to say that cucumbers don't mind lots of rain.

Climate change is on full display in the garden. I'm mindful of the privilege of being able to observe its effects first hand. My humble gratitude goes out to the farmers whose knowledge + toil goes into growing the bulk of our food. They are my heroes. Sun + rain are necessary ingredients for growth, and their amounts matter. Yes, weather patterns ebb + flow...but the shifts are becoming ever more drastic. Whether or not we grow our own food, our food grows. Climate affects each and every one of us.

Love,
Jane

In our house, there is a place for my crafty stuff (a portion of a closet downstairs)...a place for my clothing (in the closet I share with Mr. Tribe)...and a place for Jo + Julia's clothes (in their respective closets). Clutter is not always visible stuff that needs to be cleared away to make room for a more tidy space (but sometimes it is).  :)

Clutter becomes clutter (even in organized spaces) (which ours is not always), when it is no longer serving a purpose. Clothing that we no longer choose to wear is clutter. Craft supplies that are not going to become finished projects in my home are clutter. Kitchen items that I no longer use are clutter.

About two or three times per year, I go through closets and cabinets. I check in with our stuff to see if it is still serving a purpose. Stacks of things usually form. Letting go is as easy as bagging it all up and dropping it at a charity shop...or as difficult as organizing a yard sale. The goal is simply to connect our outgoing stuff with new owners who will use it. I know that if my stuff goes directly into the thrift arena, it may not sell and may eventually clog the economy of another country...or simply end up in the landfill.

Obviously, my primary goal needs to be prevention. Unnecessary purchases are ill advised. Even with great vigilance, however, stuff does come and go. Clothes are outgrown by growing children. Well-intentioned purchases are sometimes unsuitable. Things outlive their usefulness in one place.

Here's what I did this time to connect my outgoing stuff with new owners:
-Tried to sell a few things on Ebay (brand name items), Etsy (vintage items + craft supplies), + Craigslist (bulky pieces). I set a time limit + if things don't sell in a couple of weeks, I donate them. I need to keep this stuff moving.
-Finished a few unearthed sewing projects. A pillow cover for Jo, a yoga bag for Julia, some pillow cases + a jumpsuit for me.
-Craft supplies that don't sell will be donated to a craft supply resale shop. Some were donated (mailed) to The Social Justice Sewing Academy.
-Made some useable bags out of scrap fabric instead of dumping it. Donated them. Added the tiny scraps to my rag bag of spent fabric (spent cleaning rags, threadbare sheets, holey intimates) + brought that bag to Goodwill to be donated for rags, insulation, etc.
-Tried to sell a few of last year's homeschool textbooks + other books on Amazon (checking to see if they are worth more than about $7) or Ebay. If they didn't sell in a few weeks, tried selling them to Half Price Books (best when you have a bag full) or donated them to the library book sale.
-Cleaned kitchen cupboards + made plans to use up lingering ingredients in the next week. I try to do this monthly.

If we had a lot of games, puzzles, or unused coloring books + supplies, I'd look for some to donate to Houston Emergency or equivalent Florida organization. Take a look at their list for other inspiration. This could be great motivation for children to look through their things while thinking of children who lost all of their books + toys due to flooding.

I recently read Carmella's twist on William Morris. William Morris said, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or beautiful." Carmella adds, "Is it useful or beautiful for our lives right now?" 

I don't need to hang on to that which could be useful or beautiful to someone else right now.

Love,
Jane

Maybe the greatest accomplishment pictured here is what this is not. This is not the new jeans that Everlane released that I was tempted by...but know I will not choose to wear daily. This is not that Ilana Kohn denim jumpsuit that I found on sale...but after catching a glimpse of the insides of...realized is simply a sewn garment...not the holy grail of the jumpsuit of happiness. (Yes, writing this makes me feel like a hypnotized sheep.)

This is a jumpsuit that I have imagined sewing for years...and have finally managed to bring into the realm of  good. Last autumn, I attempted it. Last winter, I tried to fix that attempt. In the spring, I bought a tank top pattern to combine with the bottom of the jumpsuit pattern...made a muslin of the top + decided that it didn't suit me. All summer, I couldn't bring myself to try again.

And then there was yesterday, the motivation came to me...I seized it...made a muslin...considered...adjusted...hoped...cut...and sewed...and sewed. I think I have finally made something that pretty much meets my expectations. It feels good.  :)

Fabric :: denim tencel from Blackbird Fabrics
Pattern :: a combination (Butterick 6312 + Bantam tank) + tweaks 
Fueled by :: Scene on Radio podcast series, Seeing White (so, so good + a must listen)

Love,
Jane

P.S. Yes, I was sitting on the couch next to a straw hat. This was right after Julia indulged me in a lengthy (at least 4 min.) photo shoot in which I struggled to not come across as a Telly Tubby + nearly decided that this whole jumpsuit thing is not for me. Oh well. A little more over there.  :)

Consumption is not the problem. Compulsory consumption is the problem. And we can change that by being more deliberate with the decisions we make every day.
​~Joshua Fields Millburn

We have only two or three cucumber plants this year, and yet cucumbers have been our most plentiful crop. I guess they like all the rain we've been getting. Today Julia brought in 19 (!) cucumbers, and tomorrow there will be more. Eek.

Now we're searching for ways to keep our cucumber consumption (+ donation) at pace with the haul. A dish filled with cucumber slices accompanies every meal...cucumber + mint flavor our water...(Julia calls it "party water")...and all the break room tables are full of fresh, organic cucumber freebies.  :)

Any surprises in your garden this year?
​
Love,
Jane

Black Crane is my most anticipated collection each season. Momo Suzuki + Alexander Yamaguchi create simple...yet interesting...often origami-like shapes that are just so wearable. Their clothing is made in the USA. This Fall/Winter Collection conjures thoughts of turmeric, indigo, and earth. The shapes I've chosen along with the beautiful model give a nod toward India as well. I am in love.

This season I am most drawn to these shapes:
-The easy, long tunics with generous slits at the sides.
-The full, flowy pants with loose elastic at the ankle.

I dream of layering the tunic over leggings, sarouelles, cropped jeans or pants, or even over my jumpsuit. The side slits would allow for comfortable movement and sitting. Ever since I saw a sneak peek of this combination, I've felt that the tunic could serve the function of a dress in my wardrobe. It would be easy to dress up or down for various occasions.

The pants look amazingly comfortable + about as far away from the feel of constricting jeans as possible. :) I like that the ankle elastic is loose, because when pants have elastic at the ankle, they usually get knee bubbles with sitting. This elastic also lends itself to defining a whole new shape, which I get excited about. I feel like I could recreate this shape quite easily, provided that I could find the right fabric. I'm guessing that these pants would work as well with a fitted t-shirt or denim jacket as they would with an oversized pullover or cardigan.

The first shipment of Black Crane's Fall/Winter '17 Collection is available now, + there are lots of pieces to love.

All lovely photos via Black Crane.

Love,
Jane

September is something like a second new year, as we start to move into autumn + a new school year starts. I feel a little renewed resolve towards my budget as things become a little more routine once again.

One step that I have taken over the past couple of years is to write down all of our purchases...from groceries to gas...monthly. I put off doing it for a long time, because I just didn't want to have to do it. Now, every few days or once per week, I just go through our purchases and note them under the corresponding category. My budget lists how much I have allotted to each category, so I can easily see how my purchases are adding up.

A further check is to go back at some point(s) (now is the perfect time) ;) to look over each of those purchases + to assess what I think of them months later. Have I realized that I really didn't need that thrifted button down shirt? It was a good price + it fit well + I really like it...but it doesn't really serve a need in my closet...and it's already in the donate pile. Since I'm trying to send as much money toward our mortgage as possible, those dollars would have served a more lasting purpose there.

It can be tough to forgo each + every "treat" along the way...and I really wouldn't want to do that...but some turn out to be better than others. Noticing that disappointing purchase helps train me mentally to avoid the next one.

Revisiting purchases...it's a good thing.

Love,
Jane

What I've checked out from the library + been reading lately:
Legendary Authors + the Clothes They Wore by Terry Newman
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
The Unsettlers by Mark Sundeen
A Year Between Friends by M. Vettesse + S. Barnes
The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell

​Social justice sewing academy + how we can help.
I've loved Jenny for years, so it was a pleasure to read her words regarding her small wardrobe.
Fashion Revolution podcast.
Julie Pointer Adam's lovely (small) home.
A great list of ways to help Houston. We've donated to World Relief's fund that will go directly to area churches helping victims locally. I think we may fill a box of useful bits to send this weekend.

Hope you have a safe + happy weekend, friends!

Love,
​Jane