Enjoying our Avocado Organic Mattress while the sheets are in the laundry. Organic cotton...wool (vegan option available)...natural latex...recycled steel springs...made in the USA to order. We've been sleeping on it for a couple of months now + love it! 

This morning's reading involved these words. 

Scrap exchange program.
​A podcast about love.
Wanna make some Birkenstocks?
A simple, lovely wedding.
​On fountain pens.
Happy tiny house family.
The visuals are just so lovely.
Art x motherhood.

Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend!
Love,
Jane

The strawberries are rolling in from our garden!

I've been letting my girls choose (at least part of) my reading list this summer + I'm getting to read some good books that I wouldn't have chosen otherwise...and we're getting to have some good conversations too.  :) My first two books were Ready to Fall by Marcella Pixley + Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (along with something substantial to blow my nose on).

"It wasn't lack of space for stuff, it was out of respect for the stuff we say is important enough to have in our lives."
​
"I think I use recycled materials, because it doesn't make sense not to do it."

"Because this should always be our response to life- a celebration."

A connection between female-run indie fashion labels + moves toward sustainability?

hedonic adaptation

600 square feet + a place for everything (including lots of fun!)

​"just need permission from themselves"

Have a glorious weekend, friends!!

Love,
Jane

This week brought our first CSA box of the year...and our first taste of nettle tea. (Julia called it refreshing + I agree!)  Our farmer friend is a big fan of nettles + has told me about cooking with them for years. I've been a bit turned off, since my girls chased a ball into a bush of stinging nettles in London + received terrible itchy welts. Luckily our neighbor, a biology teacher, went with them to look for a plant that often grows near nettles + sure enough found some dock leaves that when rubbed on the rash soothed it right away. Oh nature, you are so amazing!

Nettles are a real powerhouse, rich in vitamins A, C, D, iron, potassium, manganese + calcium...and are also packed with protein. Once nettles are boiled they are no longer stinging...so I boiled them...kept the water as tea...and used the nettles in an omelet along with some other greens. Yum!

​Zero-waste + the beauty industry.
Another step in the right direction for plastic packaging.
​"Prisoners of their own clutter".
​Looking forward to this new book!
"Once you get over the initial fear of looking like a weirdo, it's simple."

Hope you are enjoying some sunshine + a warm breeze this weekend!

Love,
​Jane

The following is Julia's book review that fits right in with this week of remembering the tragedy of Rana Plaza, five years ago today. The similarities between these two disasters is shocking + sobering. The book up for review is Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Uprising is a beautiful story about three girls who grow up during the early 1900's.  This is the time of the workers strike at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and the fire that sets the building to flames not long after. Bella is an Italian girl who is one of the many immigrants who work in New York for the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Yetta is a Russian Jew who works alongside Bella, and who goes on strike against the horrible working conditions each factory worker faces each day. Privileged Jane discovers the strike of the factory workers, and she becomes a part of the fight for better work conditions and women's rights. Despite their differences, the three girls form a strong friendship and they fight together until the fire in the Shirtwaist Factory occurs on March 25, 1911, changing the lives of many people forever.

Uprising is realistic, powerful, and full of amazing girls who fought to make a difference. It also hit me hard to read about girls who were my age who had to work under such harsh conditions in order to support themselves and their families. Uprising was a wonderful page turner that was also inspirational, unforgettable, and an important story everyone should read. 

-Julia

Next week marks five years since the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse claimed the lives of 1134 people. Another 2500 people were injured, many of them losing limbs. Cracks were seen in the building the day before + an inspector had judged it unsafe, but wary workers were forced inside anyway. This tragedy sparked enhanced awareness of the working conditions + treatment of the people who make our clothing. Clothing bound for store shelves around the world was found in the Bangladeshi rubble. 

Compassion for garment workers is one of the main motivators for the fairdare + many others' commitments to purchase clothing thoughtfully. Education about what garment workers face in terms of working conditions, safety, hours, access to healthcare, wages, rights, and freedom can provide powerful motivation to maintain our commitments. It can also help us to kindly explain our choices to friends + family. It's not necessary to read every book on the topic, but one or two will probably prove helpful (+ The True Cost movie is fantastic). See which ones can be found at the library.

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

Love,
Jane

The following is Julia's(!) book review of Thoreau at Walden, a graphic novel by John Porcellino ::


"My greatest skill has been to want but little."

I love that quote by Henry David Thoreau. It reminds me to find enjoyment in the small things and to think more about the simple things I really need rather than everything I think I have to have. 

Thoreau was a smart and educated man who was unhappy working in business or teaching before he became a writer. He eventually built a small cabin in the woods on the shore of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau planned on living alone in his cabin as an experiment. He would write full time with only a large vegetable garden to support him. During his time living in the woods, Thoreau took hikes and observed the beauty of nature around him. Every once in a while, Thoreau would visit the village a mile away to visit family or to buy something. Thoreau loved waking up to birds singing and spending long hours in the sun. He finally found happiness living a life in nature's glory with little need for money. 

Thoreau wrote beautiful ideas about discovering joy in simple living and nature's beauty that still inspire people up to this day. 

-Julia 

P.S. From Jane: I too enjoy this lighter take on Thoreau's Walden...lots of the great quotes + concepts without all of the dense language.  :) Though graphic novels aren't our usual mode of education, it can be nice to throw a little variety into the mix on occasion. Graphic novels are never substitutes for primary sources, but can lend a little perspective to the spirit of some of these literary giants + historical periods. My girls + I move through history + literature from ancient to modern times three times from kindergarten through twelfth grade. One time we'll read the novel itself, and one time we might read a graphic novel as an introduction or review. A few more educational graphic novels we've included in our mix along the way: 
-Lies in the Dust: A Tale of Remorse from the Salem Witch Trials by Jakob Crane
-Poe: Stories and Poems by Gareth Hinds
-(Gareth Hinds has also written graphic novels on ancient literature + Shakespeare plays.)
-In the younger years, we found the Shakespeare Can be Fun books helpful.

We love the library!

Zero-waste, plant-based, tiny living.
We raise our hands. We raise our voices. We raise the next generation.
We went to Black Panther last weekend + loved it! I noticed some gorgeous knits + found that the costume designer who knit Nakia's scarf released a free pattern for it.
"If happiness is on the opposite side of success, your brain never gets there." This is so good! 
Why are we making our children be braver than our politicians? Take a stand.

Have a lovely weekend, friends! 
​
Love,
Jane

Check out the updated fair athletic wear post. There are some new resources, like Tasc + Mission Workshop. As always, look for these brands on ebay or other resale sites for used items at lower prices.

Speaking of athletic wear, these shoes are made from plastic bottles.
Climate friendly farming to fiber we can use.
This brought back memories of those transportive fashion catalogs.
I was too late this time (8 minutes in!), but this collaboration is just that good.
Garment worker interactive reports.
"Do you agree there's a monster at the front door?"

I believe that this monster can finally be tamed
Deep in the hearts of the hearts of the youth
There is a magical flower blooming parachutes
Plenty to go around 
~Trevor Hall

Have an amazing + hopeful weekend, friends! 
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

I've been rereading Freedom of Simplicity by Richard J. Foster this month. It's my favorite book on Christian simplicity. 
​I preordered Fashion Revolution's zine as a Christmas gift for Jo, but then realized that it was more about my interests than Jo's. I bought her The Best American Non-required Reading instead (since she liked last year's edition so much). We can always share.  :)

Two incredible announcements!
Beyond the label.
Another reason to do less recycling rather than more. (That means buying less that needs to be recycled.)
Quilt box.
The first major city to run out of water.
​Repair is a radical act.
"The garbage we generate creates opportunities for everyone."

Hope you are having a productive/relaxing weekend, depending on your intent!  :)

Love,
​Jane