Field Notes

  • Living by the Seasons
My Equinox Reset Ritual

    Living by the Seasons My Equinox Reset Ritual

    Living by the Seasons: My Equinox Reset Ritual How I mark the shifting light with rhythm, rest, and beautiful intention Every equinox, my son comes home from school buzzing with excitement about their seasonal celebration—stories of balance experiments, nature crafts, and the magic of equal day and night. As I listen to his animated…

  • Connection Before Collection: Why Relationships Are Your First Emergency Kit

    Connection Before Collection: Why Relationships Are Your First Emergency Kit

    When most people think about emergency preparedness, they immediately envision stockpiles: rows of water bottles, shelves lined with canned goods, flashlights tucked into every corner. But here’s what I’ve learned through years in emergency medicine and my own journey through unexpected disruptions—your relationships are more valuable than any supply kit. This is the heart…

  • Building Beautiful Home Emergency Preparedness: A Room by Room Guide

    Building Beautiful Home Emergency Preparedness: A Room by Room Guide

    Why Your Emergency Preparedness Should Spark Joy, Not Anxiety When I first heard about 72-hour kits, the advice was always the same: grab a duffel bag, stuff it with survival basics, and shove it in a closet. But with a family of five, the reality quickly became apparent – packing 15 gallons of water…

  • The Pantry Sanctuary: 
A Feminine Take on Food Storage

    The Pantry Sanctuary: A Feminine Take on Food Storage

    Have you ever noticed how traditional emergency food storage always looks so… well, emergency-like? Stacks of identical cans. Plastic buckets labeled with permanent marker. Military-style MREs. Everything screaming “DISASTER PREP” instead of “welcome home.” I’ve always found it strange that we’re told to prepare for emergencies in ways that make our homes feel less…

  • Ritual Over Reaction | How I Learned to Respond, Not Panic

    Ritual Over Reaction | How I Learned to Respond, Not Panic

    The Power Went Out. Then Everything Changed. It was a planned winter power outage in Santa Barbara. My twins were just 2 months old, my toddler was 2, and I was about to learn one of the most important lessons of my parenting journey. I had received a notification some days before about a…

  • The Gentle Art of Soft Prepping: Beautiful Readiness Without Fear

    The Gentle Art of Soft Prepping: Beautiful Readiness Without Fear

    What Is Soft Prepping? And Why I’m Not a Doomsday Prepper Hello lovely! I’m Carri, creator of Ready Pretty Living, where beautiful design meets practical preparedness. My journey to Soft Prepping began in the emergency room. As a nurse practitioner with years of experience as an ER nurse and EMT, I’ve spent my career…