Hello! My name is Courtney. I'm mama to Silas and wife of Steve. The three of us (along with three cats and a dog) make our home on the flat plains of Iowa. I started blogging in 2004 (in this space in 2009). I started A Life Sustained as part of my Master's thesis project in art. I wrote about the intersection of artistic practice and green living as well as my personal efforts to live a sustainable and low impact life.
Several months later, with M.A. in hand and no local job prospects in my field, I found myself in a boring office job. After a bit of retooling, I decided to make this space a place where I could go to reflect and to hold myself accountable. There were so many skills that I wanted to learn -- knitting, sewing, cooking, baking, canning, meditation, and on and on -- but it was so easy to put it all off until "tomorrow." But, by making a commitment to write in this space daily I was also making a commitment to try new things in way that was productive, yet mindful.
When I gave birth to my son in the winter of 2011, my focus widened to include him, my new life as a stay-at-home-mother, and my journey into natural and attachment parenting. So far, it's been a wonderful ride. If you'd like to follow along you can do so on Facebook, Twitter, or by Email. Thanks for joining me!
