Despite our perceived powerlessness,
we are the ones with full bellies 
who can shoulder 
the weight of hope.
~Meg McElwee

This lovely library at the Lincolnville Motel in Maine had me imagining the collection of books I'd still have, if I'd never let any go. It really did feel quite cozy paging through book after book listening to Johnny Cash on the record player with a mug of hot tea in hand. Also...those white floors.

Foster by Claire Keegan is a book I picked up in a different vacation spot library. I chose it, because I thought it would be short enough to finish during our stay. I read it in one sitting + it lingered in my thoughts for days. I'd be so curious to hear how others receive it. My advice is not to read what it's about before diving in.

I've been studying Enneagram in Real Life by Stephanie Barron Hall like a text book. I really like how Stephanie engages with the enneagram as a guide for transformation towards our truest selves. She says that our truest selves are grounded, connected, compassionate + possess inner-knowing. Yes, please.

Rebel Stylist by Iain Webb caught my eye in a bookstore + held it as soon as I realized that the subject, Caroline Baker, styled my favorite 80's Benetton ads. I found it interesting think through the statements that were being made with fashion then + how they could be interpreted differently now through our current cultural lens.

I started All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall the same day that it rained eight inches in a couple of hours at our house. It hits pretty close to home, but is beautifully + thoughtfully written.

Patrice is on my I'd-like-to-watch list.
​An inspiring watch.

I hope your summer offers periods of spacious time + the appetite for savoring what is quiet + juicy.  :)

Loads of love,
Jane

This one has me more excited than I have been about a new brand in a while. The fabrics look to be quality + the shapes are a bit unique (that seersucker set!). These pieces look comfy + wearable...minimal yet interesting. I'm still loving sets that can be worn together or as separates. I just really feel like they give us so many different looks out of not many pieces. The color palette feels made for me...down to the brown bandana. Any of these pieces would mix into my wardrobe seamlessly.

Neranese is designed + made in Los Angeles in small batches from locally sourced, natural fabrics.

All lovely photos via Neranese. Find this + so many other ethical brands on our ethical brands page, when you need them.

Minimalism has been a valuable tool for us as we've made frequent moves + prioritized raising a family on one income. I keep a list of how I'd like our home to function along with the fewest items that help serve those functions. A living room, for me, is a place for connection + relaxation. I prioritize places to sit + light.

When we moved here from London without any furniture, I was able to imagine finding comfort if we could prioritize a rug + a lamp in the living room. We'd be able to be together sitting + reading, playing games + having picnics, doing cartwheels + grand jetés. The girls would probably like it more than having a couch!

Imagining what we could happily live without made for a much less stressful move. Seeing the beauty in minimalism + simplicity allowed me to deeply feel the goodness in my patiently collected secondhand pieces. 

That is not to say that I did not have visions of how our home could eventually function + look...or that I was always patient with waiting. I am, however, really appreciative of the ability to find happiness in each iteration of this space that has always welcomed connection + relaxation. It's not "finished", but it is good.

Love,
​Jane

These pieces from So Elly seem to have a handmade quality (in the best of ways). Each piece in this small, Brooklyn-based collection is sewn in a woman owned + operated sewing studio in Manhattan. The pieces feature both classic shapes + interesting details like a slightly longer hem on the back of a dress or squared off, deep slit sides on an oversized button up.

My favorite piece is that vest that could be worn so many ways over many seasons. These small batch, natural fiber beauties would surely earn their place in many a well-curated, ethical wardrobe.

All beautiful photos via So Elly.

Wonder speaks in a whisper.
Only those willing to be quiet can hear it.
~Rainier Wylde

We're in the midst of planning a future trip + I've thought (just a little) about what clothing I'll be packing. I LOVE traveling with no more than a backpack to keep track of, so that limit has me thinking of having room for only my favorites. 

I love this kind of thinking, because in the same way spending lots of time shopping + scrolling other's outfits informs my thought patterns...this sort of thinking influences my thoughts. Thinking about how wearing just a few of my favorites all week long will make me happy + will feel like enough is SO exciting to me. It might sound silly, but really...after spending weeks fruitlessly searching for a pair of shorts that will satisfy a particular longing or a top that will add a little fun to my work outfits...well, coming home to the goodness that already exists in my wardrobe feels like sweet relief.

I wish I could say that I am dialed in to "enough" + trust it with total peace in my heart...but I don't...not all of the time anyway. I visit that elusory place periodically + somewhat unpredictably...so when I get there or glimpse it momentarily, I take note + celebrate.

So...here I am...feeling good about wearing a pair of linen shorts with my swim suit, a sweatshirt, a tank top +/or a button up. Those same tops will pair well with linen pants or overalls (two really good options). My trusty windbreaker, my bandana + baseball cap will round out my collection of favorites, and I will be smiling in all the selfies we take. The End.  :)

Wishing you all first class tickets stamped with the destination: "Enough". Enjoy your visit + make lots of memories!

Love,
Jane

Craft books seem to come in waves...not just the publishing month waves, but in waves that seem to signal trend spikes. As people interested in craft, it's kind of silly to watch. We know that interest in craft isn't driven by trend. It is something that resides deep in the soul. It is tactile + compelling, expansive + vital.

For whatever reason, I have read some truly exceptional books about craft lately:

• Handbuilt by Lilly Maetzig (above) :: This book is was the one that, after reading the library copy, I knew would earn its spot on my bookshelf. I'm not quite ready to invest in a ceramics set-up of my own, but when I am this book will be my instructor. It's beautiful + so generous in the practical knowledge it shares.

• Finding Form with Fibre by Ruth Woods :: The artists highlighted in the first half of this book are incredibly inspiring. This book has me thinking about creating small woven works as a sort of home exhibit installation.
• Cloth by Lena Corwin :: I've just checked this out from the library + I'm so excited to dig in. My mind goes racing with lines like, "From swaddling blankets to burial shrouds, people live with cloth daily and for the entirety of their lives." 
• Clay by Amber Creswell Bell :: Gosh, I just love all the things you can do with clay!
• Thrown by Lilly Maetzig :: This book, like Handbuilt above, is full of instruction that you just won't always get from a class. Lilly is the teacher who remembers what she didn't know when she started doing ceramics. Such an incredible (and beautiful) resource.

I'm sitting down with iced coffee + listening to the rain. Sunflowers + hollyhocks sway in the garden outside the window. Goldfinches swoop + chipmunks bound through the tall grass. I've just returned from the library with a new book (Cloth). It's a good Sunday. Wishing you something similarly lovely.

Love,
Jane

Using natural fibers that get better with wear, Ashli designs key pieces for Mamene that will be in style for many seasons + through all stages of life. In her words, "that is the true test of sustainability."
​
This is an approach to ethical clothing that seems to get less attention. Many of us talk about wearing pieces forever, but when actually faced with wearing what we have year after year...it's harder than it sounds. We are programmed to enjoy newness. 

As I get older, this is no less true. What is also true, however, is that I've seen the same styles come + go a time or two now. I know that some just aren't for me + my body type. I know what stands the test of time. I know that there are ways to wear certain pieces across time in different ways. These Mamene pieces are those pieces, I think.
​
All lovely photos via Mamene.

Eat food.
Mostly plants.
Not too much.

Michael Pollen's Food Rules seem simple enough, but the fact that books had to be written about them at all shows how challenging it can be to nourish our bodies while doing all the other things we have to do in a day.

The pattern we'd fallen into was that we ate a good breakfast and then not much during the day. Our jobs have us arriving home later in the evenings, and we were often going to bed with aching stomachs after eating too much too close to bedtime. 

I've always thought that eating the bigger meal in the middle of the day made sense. So, we decided to try it out.

:: Goals ::

• fill up on whole foods in order to knock out cravings for processed food
• focus on getting enough (or at least more) protein + calcium throughout the day
• eat more in the middle of the day + less closer to bedtime 
• spend little time meal planning + cooking
• enjoy what we're eating

:: Thinking it through ::

Before we began, I made lists of how many grams of protein + calcium are recommended for each of us. I listed out foods + amounts that could realistically help us meet those recommendations. (It's hard to meet those recommendations.) My first priority was to focus on nourishment + quitting processed food apart from a focus on weight.

After a couple weeks of eating this way, I counted the calories + added them up too. We both feel like we'd feel better if we were a few pounds lighter. I feel like it's very important that this be secondary, however. Long term wellness is the real goal.


:: What we're eating ::

I decided to pack a good lunch that we could eat over the course of the afternoon, if we feel that it's too much or don't have time to eat it all at once. I hoped that this would curb the craving for other snacks + keep our energy going.

This meal consists of: 

• greens
• grain (quinoa for the protein + fiber)
• vegetables
• protein (chickpeas, beans, tofu, eggs, chicken, salmon, tuna)
• flavor (current faves: hummus, chimichurri, cowboy salsa, tamari, tahini, lemon, za'atar...)

Flavors can shift significantly with changes to any or all of these elements. We are currently using these 24 oz. Le Parfait Jars in order to have a wide mouth to eat over + a little extra room for stirring. 


:: Meal Prep ::

Once a week, we shop. Back home, he mows the lawn + I:

• roast a couple of sheet pans full of veg + then put them in a glass dish
• make the whole container of grains (2 cups dry) + put them in containers, freezing what I don't think we'll eat in a week
• drain chickpeas/beans + putting them in jars
• make a sauce, if necessary

Along with a big container of greens + any premade sauces I may have bought...I have the makings of all our main meals for the week. 

I make our lunches each morning while he makes our coffee.  :)

We've been eating this way for a few weeks now + we LOVE it!

:: Feedback ::​

• I feel so liberated from the stress of thinking about different things to eat or if we're getting enough nutrients- we may not be getting the total recommended grams of everything, but we're doing so much better than we were
• we have more consistent energy throughout the day
• our stomachs don't hurt when we go to bed
• we're better at saying no to processed food

I love doing experiments like this! I think this one is actually a system that works now, and I couldn't be happier!

Love,
Jane