On My Way to White, 7.5.23

6 Months ago, I missed my monthly hair appointment. By the time I finally got an appointment, I was intrigued by the color of my roots. It looked as if my hair would be almost completely white, without the color. I always assumed it would be a drab, gray color, so I couldn't even imagine letting it go until I was much older. But my mom has, and my grandma had, beautiful, pure white hair and once I saw that might be what I've been genetically gifted, I had second thoughts about waiting. It helped a lot to have an awesome hairdresser who is especially good with color. She gave me a clear vision of how I could transition gracefully, from brown to white and began her creative pursuit with my hair at that first appointment, with the assurance that I could always go back to brown at any time. So, just more highlights for appointment one, even more highlights for appointment two and three (I was pretty much blonde at that point), strategically placed highlights and toner for appointment four, appointment five was totally skipped and I'll go in next week for her final, strategic touches. Since my hair is short, it didn't take nearly as long as I thought. 

I have to say, I never thought I would be this happy with it. My hair has never felt healthier than it feels right now and it is honestly the most liberating feeling knowing that I don't have to spend the money and time on my hair every month and that I don't have to worry about my roots showing. Basically, it just feels more authentically ME. This is who I am. This is me, aging. This is me, with nothing to hide. Wow! Right?!

Anyway, I hope my story and photos help someone else out there who is attempting the same thing. I googled and found so many blog posts from women who have already gone through this process and it helped me SO much. 

Last Fall, before deciding to ditch the 

haircolor.

A few more highlights, in February.

And... a few more highlights.

Even more highlights. I felt like a blonde at 

this point.

Even more highlights and toner.

Skipped appointment here, but more white

 coming in strong.

These last two photos were taken yesterday, in front

 of a window with lots of natural light 

pouring through. 

And there you have it! I actually think it looks more like a platinum blonde at this point, but the blonde ends are so close in value to the white that it's hard to tell. I may keep a beige toner on it every few months to keep it from looking drab, but that's all. Growing it a little longer has also helped because, although I'm losing the brown of my youth, I get healthier hair and more styling options.  

I know this post has nothing to do with yoga, reiki or art, but it has everything to do with self-care and self-esteem. If you are on this journey, I hope this helps you! It's a hard decision, but man is it worth it!

Until next time, 

Be Still. Be Strong. Be Happy. ~ Juli

Let's Talk Home Practice, 6.21.23

 

Another Intro!, 3.16.23

 Another quick introduction to our space, where we practice yoga, make art, receive relaxing reiki energy and gather with friends. We hope to see you here, soon!

Be still. Be strong. Be happy. ~ Juli

Capsule Update, 3.8.23

 I’m still in the process of curating my capsule wardrobe, but here's an update. I’ve been trying to weed out a few things each week and I’ve set a guideline for myself- for each item of clothing I bring home, I have to part with twice as many. I recently invested in 6 new Wool& items (4 tops, 1 wrap skirt and one black dress) so I had to part with 12 items from my closet. Since I’ve been weeding out for a while now, it’s definitely getting harder to make those choices. At the beginning, it was easy. I just asked myself, "Have I worn this item in the past year?". Then it was, " Have I worn it in the past 6 months or the current season?" It's now in the Marie Kondo phase, "Does it spark joy in me when I wear it?" But, what is getting easier...  deciding what to wear every day and having a dwindling laundry basket each week. 

My Wool& haul. Definitely an investment, but totally worth it. I bought Summer Midi Dress in black

, the Greta Denim Wrap Skirt, two Livia tank tops, and two Ari ruched v-neck tees. I use the size guide and information from the product reviews to determine my size in each and so far, everything has fit perfectly.

The twelve items I'm unloading.

Another huge bonus of downsizing my wardrobe is a much tidier closet. If you know me, you know I am not a neat freak, by any stretch of the imagination. This is the best, most organized my closet has ever looked. I'm hoping it only gets better.

I hope this information is helpful if you are wanting to downsize towards your own capsule wardrobe! 

Have a great rest-of-your-week! 

Simply, 
Juli

Our Simple Home, The Kitchen, 2.28.23

 What attracted us most about the home we have now was the location, the all brick exterior, the open, blank-canvas basement and the size. Contrary to popular opinion, the SMALL size was a huge plus for us. Barely 1,000 square feet was a great compromise for my desire for a truly tiny home and M's desire for a small, but efficient and functional home (and NOT a tiny home!). 

The entire house had to be remodeled to suit our needs, but we couldn't afford to do every, single thing we wanted and needed, so the kitchen and bathroom were left super simple. Even though we have no dishwasher, very limited counter space, and a layout that is far from seamless, I honestly love this quirky little space.

I think if you embrace what you have and consider the limitations as an opportunity for creativity, the space becomes a part of who you are and evolves into something that you love with each tiny change that you make- even if those changes are just adjusting shelves, rearranging dishes, or moving the table.

Here are some before, during and after photos of our simple, inexpensive kitchen re-do.

Left, the day we got the keys, after closing. Right, first coat of paint on base cabinets

First steps, and the most expensive- removing a wall between the kitchen and living room.

A before and after of the wall removal, from the other side.

Finished, closer view of the finished kitchen- New paint, curtain replacing lower cabinet doors, new hardware, upper cabinet doors removed, new sink, new faucet. We kept the original counter tops and backsplash tile, which keeps it looking a little bit "retro"!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more on our simple home and an update on my capsule wardrobe. 

Simply, Juli

Capsule Wardrobe, First Steps, 2.7. 23

My Wool& experience was such a positive one (their clothing quality and their online community is AWESOME!) that it led me down this path of creating and living with a very limited wardrobe.

The Wool& dress that started it all! 100 days in the Wool& Audrey in Black Heather.

My reward dress for the 100 day challenge- a Sierra Swing Dress in Vintage Blue. 

My evolving capsule wardrobe began with perusing through pinterest, looking for a sample wardrobe, because I had no clue where to begin. The one shown below is the one I found- it looked like my style and contained a lot of my colors, plus I already had many of the items, which will save some money. The things that I buy from this point on will be higher quality, but also higher priced, so I'll have to pace myself. I'm keeping this sample wardrobe in plain sight until my capsule is complete, so I'm less likely to buy something that doesn't fit into the overall plan. 

I've been on a "no spend" since Christmas, but I accidentally bought a Jane's House sweatshirt without thinking. Soon after, I bought a package of bobby pins, also without thinking. I know it seems like no big deal, but I love a challenge (especially with myself!) and I consider this year's "no spend" a fail. But...it was a lesson on how easy it is to buy completely out of habit. I was going to go for a 100 day "no spend" this year, but since I'm looking for capsule wardrobe items, I will allow myself just what is on the list and I will get rid of several items for each new item brought home. Just since beginning to plan my capsule wardrobe, I've given away almost 50 items of clothing. That, to me, is a win! 

 

Another big change I'm making this year is in my shoes. I donated these three pairs of boots, all very high quality, but with a narrow toe box that restricted my toes and hurt my feet- A LOT! So, one purchase, (made before Christmas!) was this pair of handmade moccasins from the Etsy seller SassyBrass . Seriously, one of the best purchases I have ever made. I have only worn these, along with two other pairs of shoes with wider toe boxes for the last six weeks and my feet haven't felt this good in years.

Meet me here next week for a peek at our very minimal home and my mission to downsize the stuff inside it! 

 Simply, 

Juli

 

Welcome!, 1.31.23

Well, here we go! Juli, here 😊 Welcome to a new blog space to share our family's journey towards minimalism and to document my personal journey towards financial freedom as I near retirement. 

Our background: 

I, Juli, am a wife, mom, Bibi (grandma), a high school art teacher, yoga teacher and Reiki practitioner. My goal is to retire in a couple of years and focus on teaching art and yoga from my home studio. I've dreamt of living a minimal life for years, but have never been able to put it into practice until recently. In 2019, my husband and I greatly downsized our home. We dabbled in tiny-house living as we lived in our RV while we renovated our home. That was a first big step. Recently, I completed a 100 day dress challenge via the clothing company Wool& . It was such a fun challenge, but what was even more important was the lesson it taught me in the way I dress, how many clothes I have (and don't need), how much laundry I have each week (and don't want to have!) and, finally, how much money I spend on what is termed "fast fashion" (clothes that are inexpensive, usually poor quality and many times, quickly discarded.) So, here I am. Ready for the next challenge with the help of the co-authors of this space, my son Colbey, his wife Carly, and my daughter Chelsi (hopefully her husband will be on board one day, too!) Each of them have their own special talents that will help us all simplify our lives. (I will let them introduce themselves as they begin to contribute, as I could go on and on, gushing about how awesome they all are, as I am a very proud momma!) 

Left to right: Chelsi, Carly, Colbey and Juli
Simply Schusters 😊

To begin, I'll share my 100 day dress challenge video (each day had to be documented). I wore the Wool& Audrey Dress in Black Heather, styled differently almost every day. In the next post, I'll share my capsule wardrobe progress, along with my Instagram inspiration!

Until next time! 

Simply, Juli