I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes I feel like I have to wake up to seeing things again. I can get to a place where I just don't see a few things on the counter...or the build up in the junk drawer. So I'm trying to shake myself awake + seeing again in a few areas...starting with my linen closet.

A linen closet is a luxury. I've lived in enough houses to know.  :) This house has a narrow closet in the hallway that I have luxuriously claimed as a linen closet. In the only previous home where we had a linen closet, Mr. Tribe required it as overflow for his half of the closet for t-shirts + athletic wear. In this house he has our coat closet for such. Not everyone around here has gone full-on minimalist.  :) These concessions require shuffling of the things that are meant to be housed in these designated spots...but that's a story for another day.

The thing that woke me up to seeing my linen closet again was the fact that I was moving our light blanket back and forth from chair to bed every morning + night...folded all the while (never in use). I needed to make space for it in the linen closet. The process didn't take long or require much from me. I just needed to remove the excess. 

Here is what I removed:
-3 feather pillow forms
-a spare hand towel
-a twin sized duvet cover
-a few textiles
-an underbed storage bag

-The pillow forms took up a lot of space + I can imagine uses for them...but these imagined scenarios have not happened yet. Use it or lose it.
-The hand towel has replaced the embarrassing one downstairs...which joined the rags.
-The twin sized duvet cover can be replaced by using her summer blanket in its place. She doesn't like constantly adjusting it (+ didn't use it last winter) anyway.
-The textiles are under consideration for projects + were moved in with my craft supplies.
-The storage bag was kept because we have tended to move often + I might need it in a different home. It's being donated.

This process took me about ten minutes. That blanket found its place in the linen closet + I'm left wondering what took me so long.  :)

Love, 
​Jane

Living room master list:

Seating :: Enough for the people who live here. (Extras can be brought from other rooms.) 
Place for feet :: For comfort + also to perch a computer on for collective watching.
Lighting :: Enough to read by.
Curtains :: Only for privacy, because...sunlight!
Blankets :: During cold weather, we keep the heat lowered in order to save gas + money. 
Clock :: A small one helps me stay on schedule.

also:
A few things that lend themselves toward style :: A little goes a long way. Currently I have about ten small things spaced out on shelves + hung above the mantle that communicate a vibe I love.
Candle :: The flicker + scent add so much joy + coziness in the colder months.
Ceiling fan :: An essential (if possible) for me. It cools so much in the summer allowing us to keep the air conditioning lower (saving both electricity + money).
Books :: A few of my favorites + a spot for a few library books = enough for me. Mr. Tribe + Jo each have a shelf full of books here.

optional:
Rug :: I sold our Craigslist, wool rug six months ago + am still considering whether we want to replacement it.

It may seem like I'd add a bookshelf to our master list, but I don't think it's a necessity. In our last home, we stacked our books on the floor in a nonfunctioning fireplace. We had a small mantle for candles + small objects. Since I don't have a lot of books anymore, I would think creatively before purchasing bookshelves.

Honorable mention: versatility...the pictures above were taken last month (on a good library day!). Here is what our living room looks like today.  :)

This is a controversial topic, and I'm pretty sure that my opinion will not line up with popular thought.  :) We wash all of our dishes by hand. A few reasons:
-We don't have a lot of dishes.
-Pots + pans + collander + wooden spoons + my grandma's milk glass mixing bowl have to be hand-washed anyway.
-Pre-washing dishes + then having to inspect + scrub them after they come out of the dishwasher uses time + water (+ is annoying).
-Might as well just wipe a washcloth over it + be done, if pre-washing/rinsing food off of it anyway.
-Each one in our tribe washes her/his own plate + utensil + one pot or bowl directly after eating + it's all done...quickly + painlessly. 
-Washing dishes right away takes less water than waiting until the food is dried on.

We've been doing dishes this way since Julia, our younger daughter, was seven...and only waited that long, because that's when the idea came to us. Jo encountered this method at a friend's house + we've done it the same way ever since! Thank you, Anushka!  :)

In pursuit of a zero-waste soap option, I've tried making my own liquid soap (with poor results). I've tried castile soap as well (which also comes in plastic bottles- whether bought in bulk or not), but don't like it because it's oily, expensive + doesn't lather. I don't like it for my hair (same reasons), and I find no need for it in my cleaning solution. 

I buy the biggest jug of dish soap that I can find at the grocery store + consider it bulk. I then refill a smaller soap dispenser about 1/4 full at a time, because I find that a full bottle dispenses too much soap + we go through it faster. This one bottle of soap works for dishes, hands, and hand washing intimates too. One drop is all it takes.

Love,
Jane

Bobby + Steven Clark's beautiful + simple home via

Less means I'm using less resources.
Letting go means that someone else can get some use out of some of my things.
I only have the ability to wear one outfit...sit in one chair...eat off one plate...at a time.
Creativity can be even more challenged with less...and good things can happen.
There is enough for everybody's need, but some are still in need.
Keeping things until they are way past out-of-style helps no one, especially not the earth.
Having less makes it more likely that my pieces will get used up.
Thrift shops allow a community to share + have access to quite a variety of items.
Making use of second hand (buying/selling/donating) means less new resources are used.
Buying less means less waste.
Less is lovely.
Less makes it easier to clean + care for my stuff.
Less is all I need.
​Less is enough.

I think, for me, my commitment to "less" mainly comes down to preference, but also to resources, waste + need. An even more concise way to explain the second part of this commitment might be...compassion...compassion for other humans + for the planet we share. I choose to keep my hands open...consuming thoughtfully with concern for farmers, garment workers, and the environment...caring for my things mindfully...but not holding on too tight. 

A closet full of blankets might provide warmth for a whole family in a shelter. An extra dress in my closet might empower another mama to show up for that job interview or to face her child's teacher. That second set of dishes in the pantry might provide a family with a sense of home once resettled.

My home + my wardrobe tell different stories now, and I'm ok with that. 

Love,
Jane

​All lovely photos via link.

Recycle ::
-unusable bedding + clothing- Bring them to Goodwill + they will get them to places that reuse the fibers in carpet padding, insulation, + rags.
-unwearable athletic shoes- Get them to Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program + they will be made into sports surfaces.
-cardboard shoeboxes
-dry cleaner hangers- return to the dry cleaner for re-use

Rot ::
-pillow feathers
-natural fiber sweater pills or lint (including dryer lint)
-hair
​-fallen plant leaves

Enjoy the uncluttered, restful space...or take a nap.  :)

Love,
​Jane

Minimalism is most often talked about as a choice made after we've over-consumed. We embark on a journey toward minimalism by purging our belongings + taking the resulting carloads full of bulging trash bags to the charity shop.

I've been interested, however, in the concept of minimalism in regards to resettling refugees or our homeless neighbors. How can we use what we've learned about minimalism + the contentment found therein to satisfy needs...rather than overburdening or setting these friends up to be vulnerable to the snares of greed + mindless consumption. I once helped set up a residence for a missionary family returning to the States on furlough. The amount of things that were brought into that house was crazy! Yes, there was well-intended generosity behind all of it, but I could see how it could breed discontent in a family with young children who planned on returning to the mission field.

There is a sweet spot that exists at the intersection of "enough" + contentment. How do we recognize it, stay there, + ultimately rest in it?

A time I keep coming back to is when we unexpectedly found ourselves moving back to the States from London with only the boxes we were allowed on the plane. We had very little money + we needed to spend all of it on housing...either a very small downpayment on a house...or first/last month's rent + deposit on an apartment. Our single vehicle was purchased on a credit card, + there was no money for furniture.

I made drawings + lists of what we would need to function as a family of four. Here is what I came up with:
-In the living room: lamp (it was January) + rug (if there was no carpet). We could do homework + eat dinner there. We could sit + read or play. We could grab our pillows + watch movies on a laptop. We could check out books from the library + stack them by the wall. 
-In the bedrooms: mattresses, pillows + bottom sheets (mattresses are different sizes in the UK). Our clothes would go in closets. The girls' books + toys could go on the floor or in the closet. The laundry could pile on the floor.
-In the bathroom: shower curtain, bath mat, + towels (they took up too much precious space to pack).
-In the kitchen: we would make do with the plates, silverware, few utensils, tea towel, washcloth + pots that we brought.
-Also: stocking up on food, cleaning supplies, shampoo, soap, toilet paper, etc...all adds up too.

After having lived for three months in complete limbo at extremely generous relatives' house...not knowing day by day when we would get to go "home"...or where our home was...finally living in a space, all on our own, felt amazing! It was "enough".

Slowly accumulating the pieces on the round two list made it even better! Round two needs:
-In the living room: seating
-In the bedrooms: mattress pads, hangers, laundry baskets, a bit of storage for the girls
-In the kitchen: table + chairs, skillet, measuring cup, cutting board
-Also: washing machine, drying racks
(Craigslist was our source for furniture.)

Revisiting this knowledge of what we truly need is incredibly useful for me. Everything else is extra + I stay vigilant about recognizing the tipping point that leads me away from contentment + toward too much. I am happy to have some seating that is not on the floor now.  :) I'm happy to have built in shelving, but just because it's there doesn't mean that I have to fill it. We don't need three side tables, because our drinks are fine on the floor. I love that the library stores all of our books.  :) We are living in the sweet spot + I want to be aware of that!

I use this memory of starting (almost) from scratch as a reference point for recalibrating my current outlook toward gratitude + contentment. I consider the experience an incredibly empowering gift to my girls. In the same way, I think it's possible that our resettled neighbors could experience relief, "enough", and contentment in minimalism...not an imposed minimalism, of course, but an offered minimalism. We need to be aware of the possibility of overburdening them with things to "need". There is great kindness in "enough".

Love,
​Jane

"If you have to buy stuff to store your stuff, maybe you have too much stuff."
​~Courtney Carver

Is it vain that I want my life to look different? I think I really want my life to feel different to me. I want to be able to see my values by looking at my home...pulling back the curtain on my closet...opening my fridge...looking through my date book or checking account. I want all of those things to bear testimony to my inner life. I want those things to reflect beauty and light. I want them to reveal a devotion to something decidedly other than consumerism + worldly care. Love and acceptance and inclusion evident. 
​~excerpt from my 2017 journal

In an effort to keep things simple + to reduce my spending, I committed to purchasing only replacements this year. The replacements I was talking about were the things that needed to be replaced. Things like batteries + lightbulbs...kitchen towels + intimates...working plumbing and such.  :) It's a bit surprising to me, but there were actually some significant lessons to be learned from the focus on replacements only:

-In a simple home, this is a great way to live. Period. Since we've moved quite a few times (+ twice overseas...without a shipping container), I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what we truly need to live comfortably. Once we have these necessities, there is really nothing left to do...but live...and replace as necessary.
-This is a great way to slowly + thoughtfully convert to fair. I don't mean that we just replace good, functional pieces with fair pieces. That would be wasteful in most cases. But as things wear out or cease to work over time, we can replace them with sustainable, fairly made pieces...that, yes, may cost a little bit more.
-Replacements often feel like boring purchases, but when we buy less...they just might become exciting. Maybe replacing worn, cream towels with white towels sounds boring...but when the new, white towels are fair-trade certified + organic cotton + dry faster + can be bleached + you've waited and saved...it is sort of exciting. Drying off with that new towel is a notable experience each morning + they look so nice and bright hanging there.
-Not everything needs to be replaced. If the item is not necessary, take this chance to realize that... + don't replace it. Try living without it for a while. Empty space is often a valid + desirable replacement.  :)
-Replacements often make the best gifts. Mr. Tribe received replacement (+ upgraded) headphones for his birthday. Jo received a replacement (+ handmade) bathrobe for Christmas. Julia received that replacement, wooden comb in her stocking. All were genuinely appreciated, happy makers.  :)

I'm definitely carrying this habit through to 2018!

Love,
Jane