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October 01, 2019 A New Home Greetings, friends. After twelve years of blogging here at Beauty That Moves, it felt time for a new chapter, a new web home. I'd love for you to join me at North Ridge Farm. October 01, 2019 | Permalink | | | | January 11, 2019 New Beginning, New Direction The snow is above Scout’s head at this point but it doesn’t seem to phase him; he just figures he’s in the deep-end and swims anyway. I haven’t officially mentioned it here yet, so now is probably a good time to share that we have moved to Vermont. Most of you know this by now via our daily connections on Instagram, but such a change should be typed out on this page, too. I’ll share more details over time as life here unfolds, but for now, I just wanted to report our happy news. Through the busyness of moving and the holidays, I haven’t been able to write any sort of New Year’s post or end of year reflections. Something I typically do. And even now, with the dust settled a bit, I don’t have anything profound to say. Probably because I'm still reeling from the physical exhaustion that was 2018. It’s been two years since I’ve felt any sort of excitement about the new year. 2017 and 2018 were consumed with goodbyes and massive change within our family. In many ways those two years were defined by sheer survival, at least emotionally speaking. And while there was still the natural growth and progression that comes with being human, there were no grand plans or big ideas executed. I just sort of floated through and rode each wave as best I could. But finally, 2019 has me feeling excited for some new beginnings. Granted, I’m still very much in the honeymoon phase with the fulfillment of this life long dream of moving to Vermont, but while things are still brand new, I’m ridiculously optimistic and full of idealistic plans. In the spirit of January housekeeping, I’d like to share a few things pertaining to this blog as it relates to our new chapter in life. In 2018 I retired from creating and hosting online workshops. I felt like I had said most of what I’d like to say, and knew I'd be entering a phase of life that would benefit from bringing new ideas to fruition. But then I moved here, right on the cusp of winter, and couldn't imagine not hosting at least one last Hibernate. So I’ve put that together and we begin on Monday. It's going to be such a sweet spot for these wintry days. You should join us! For many years now I have felt disconnected from the name of this blog, but could not find a new name to replace it. I don’t like to force these things, rather, I like the idea to come and then create the work around the idea. Twelve years ago when I started this blog it was not, I’d like to start a blog what should I name it? It was, I need these words - this title - in my life, maybe I’ll create a blog so I can use them as the title . I know, that’s pretty backwards, but I’m still here twelve years later. Anyway, I finally have a new blog name! A new direction! A new vision for this deeply-entrenched-in-middle-age chapter of life. Out of the blue, the new name struck down like a lightening bolt and there was no room for discussion. It has claimed me and all I can do is fall in line and do the work. This new(ish) direction will not be for everyone (I’m no longer a thirty-something homeschool mom, for instance), but it will be genuine and it will be right for me, and that’s really all I can offer. I’m going to take a month or maybe two to develop this new blog/website, and will let you know when I’m ready for visitors. I’m not sure that I’ll be writing here between now and then, I think probably not. I’d like to devote any creative spark to the new space so if I’ve got some thoughts or stories to share, I’ll write them down over there and they’ll be ready for you when those doors open. And finally (this is a really boring “finally”), some of you have asked if I’m still sending out my newsletter and I am not. Here’s the thing: it stressed me out! Not the writing of it, but without fail every time I mailed an issue I’d receive dozens of emails from people saying they did not receive it and could I look into that. I am a one woman show and that got time consuming very quickly. To try and remedy what appeared to be a technical issue, I put a call out for folks to send me their email address if they’d not been receiving the newsletters they'd signed up for. Hundreds of people responded and I manually entered every single one of the addresses into my subscriber list on the host I use for my newsletter, and easily 99% of the addresses were already there and had in fact been mailed the newsletters (I kind of suspected this would be the case). So, I don’t know - spam filter, internet gremlins, a grand conspiracy? I’m not sure what went wrong for people but I didn’t have the energy or time to manage it, so I let it go. All of that is probably a lot more than you needed to know! I did write a newsletter, but I am not writing one now. (Much simpler.) I hope your 2019 is filled with great love, abundantly good health, and the means to live comfortably and give generously. Thank you for being here, and I hope you’ll continue to hang out with me in our new space, coming soon. (In the meantime, I’ll still visit Instagram most days. I’d love to see you there!) January 11, 2019 | Permalink | Comments (31) | | | | December 15, 2018 Hibernate :: Online Retreat "Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire." - Edith Sitwell Let's slow down and enjoy the season. Hibernate is a self-paced, four week, online retreat - a place to celebrate the pause and renewal that wintertime brings. We'll linger through the dark and quiet, welcome stillness, and allow for time to enjoy home and hearth. Nourish, gather, renew, create, and rest have long been the guiding themes for Hibernate. This workshop is held in our private website, with new content delivered each Monday-Friday in the form of beautiful ebooklets filled with wintry essays, handcraft tutorials, whole food recipes, and seasonal ideas to enhance your days. In addition, there will be an interactive community to share your photos, ideas, and experience. This is an optional element but quite fun! You will find the days in a single week thread together with projects and ideas that compliment each other. Starting where you are, and working with what you have, you will pick and choose the projects, prompts, recipes and inspiration that speak to you. There is no need to feel like you must "keep up" or complete all that is offered. Hibernate is filled with ideas to help you revel in the beauty of the season. As our bodies slow down, leaving the heightened activity of warmer months behind, our hands welcome meaningful work and our hearts open to the beauty of home. What to expect? Given the recent changes in my family's life (a move to northern Vermont), this workshop might feel a little more “real-time” than past Hibernates. I’m feeling really excited about this! This year, I am entering hibernation with some pretty deep intentions and ideas. To put it bluntly: Hibernate is much needed this year, and I am so ready to sink in. Maybe you feel the same? I plan to begin my own retreat fresh with the new year - sewing, knitting, journaling, cooking, hearth tending, candle making, life organizing, contemplating, getting outdoors, soap making, herbal medicine making, hosting, and all the things deep winter asks us to enjoy. I will be writing, filming, and photographing my way through, and turning it all into gorgeous videos and downloadable ebooks filled with recipes, tutorials, essays, and community offerings to share with you throughout our time together. You can also expect to feel inspired by an incredible community of women who are making it a point to create a little peace in their day. I look forward to hosting you this winter, welcoming you into my home and heart, sharing projects,...