beauty that moves

health consultation... if you are interested.

A bit of school and work related talk tonight...

Many of you know I am studying to be a Holistic Health Coach. In the very near future I will begin seeing clients, which I am so looking forward to! My vision for this work is defining itself more and more each day with whole foods instruction, lifestyle support, and cooking classes being the foundation.

My approach will be one of simplicity, compassion, and education.

There will be a few ways in which clients will be able to work with me, I'll share one example with you tonight. 

6 Month Holistic Wellness Program

Your 6 Month Program will Include:

• We'll have 2 amazing one hour, one on one, phone sessions per month, where we'll discuss your progress, as well as your successes and challenges in looking after your whole self.
• Manual/binder set up for you to organize monthly lessons/handout materials
• Unlimited Email support with 48 hour turnaround
• Whole food and lifestyle recommendations, specific to your needs
• Recipes and Monthly menus
• A variety of valuable handouts, exercises, resources, and articles relevant to your specific areas of interest or concern
• Monthly cooking class video
• Monthly gifts such as herbal tea, art prints, journal, incense, books, etc.
• Motivational and emotional support
• Free (year long) wellness magazine subscription upon completion of your program.

Would you like to speak with me and learn more?

I'd love to invite you to join me for a complimentary health consultation.

How it works:

You'll contact me with interest, then I'll send you a  form full of thoughtful questions regarding your health and lifestyle. Our one hour (my dime) phone conversation will be scheduled for shortly after that.

Our initial talk will not be an appropriate time for me to offer "advice" (though I will happily make a few recommendations if you'd like, based on our conversation). Instead, our consultation will be a gathering of information and ideas, both on your part and mine. I look forward to talking to as many people about healthy, balanced living as I can right now. You will have a unique opportunity to ask me questions and learn more details about my practice if you wish.

Please know that all communication between us is confidential.

Interested?

Contact me via email (if you feel comfortable, please share just a bit about yourself and/or why you are interested in a health consultation with me), and I will be in touch within the week. I look forward to hearing from you.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be well.

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

a coloring page for you (and an art anniversary for me!)

I don't think I've shown you this colorful lady. I imagine she lived in Paris in the 1930's. Such a hair do.

This is the first thing I drew, one year ago, when I took up drawing and painting. (Remember I gave myself a two week at home art retreat? Goodness, that idea was a moment of brilliance. I highly recommend an at home retreat of any kind to anyone.) So, this lady. She was deeply inspired by a drawing I had seen on Etsy (and cannot seem to find the artist now to link to). I sat staring at a similar image on my computer screen, pencil in hand, and attempted to recall everything I had been taught in my drawing classes from years ago. Look at the shapes, not the image. Negative space... draw what you don't see. Way back then, I didn't have much success with those concepts, age 37 was the age of discovery for me.

I couldn't believe it when she appeared on my page. Immediately, I went down to the art store and proceeded to lose myself in a world of prismacolor pens, buying only eight or so to work with at first. I sat in the car after my purchase, sketch pad in hand, while my husband ran into another store for something quick. I colored my first leaf green and felt it was the most beautiful color I'd ever seen. The way the ink gently pooled into the edges of the leaf nearly hypnotized me.

I've been drawing ever since. Painting has found it's way into my exploration as well. It's crazy to think only one year ago this discovery was made, it's such a part of who I am now, life without it seems so far away.

I've gone on to offer many of my drawings and paintings to the world, and they have been kindly received by many. Thank you.

Over the last several months, I have read numerous emails asking if I'd ever make "coloring pages" available... my drawings, black ink only, you fill in the rest. How fun! Well, today that is exactly what I have in store for you! A FREE printable coloring page that you may use to your heart's content...  

Wouldn't this make a wonderful holiday gift? Colored by you, placed in a frame... art for a loved one... or five loved ones! I should warn you though, you'll want to pull out your pencil sharpener and tune up your colored pencils - I am rather fond of tiny, intricate designs.

I recommended printing this on high quality paper if you have it, cardstock or something similar.

I hope you enjoy this coloring page...

I read these words recently on the t-shirt of Emily's friend at her poetry group. They made me smile.

To print your own click here - Download Everything will be okay

I have no way of knowing how many people will download such a thing as a coloring page - but I'm so curious!

Take your time coloring this page, enjoy the process, make it beautiful.

would you like a cookie?

I have something fun planned for you all in the next day or two. You've been such a tolerant group as I wrote my way through September and most of October with one homeschool post after another... I just really want to show my appreciation for you, stay tuned.

But for now, to hold you over, how about a fabulous cookie recipe? Great!

 Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup flour (I have successfully substituted Pamela's Gluten Free Pancake/Baking Mix)
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped pecans (or sunflower seeds, or walnuts, or...?)
• rounded 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine the oats, flour, salt, cinnamon and coconut in a bowl. In another bowl, combine and whisk together oil, vanilla and syrup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until all is moistened. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips. At this point, if I have the time, I like to cover the dough and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes, but it isn't essential.

Form dough into equal-size balls, place on cookie sheet, gently press down balls (but don't flatten), bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, then remove from pan, let cool on a cooling rack

I know what you're thinking...

Yes, go ahead and serve these for a quick breakfast (with a piece of fruit).

I'm lookin' out for ya.

how i found 30 extra minutes in my week

I stopped ironing the napkins.

Please tell me, why have I always ironed the napkins? Why has nobody ever told me it is not essential to iron the napkins? Neatly pressed or otherwise, they still fold up for stacking, they still unfold for using, and they still are able to remove butter from your fingers. Their function remains the same, ironed or not!

I actually don't mind the task of ironing napkins, it's rather meditative. But my days are about prioritizing lately, and letting go of a few non-essential uses of my time makes sense. The need to have perectly pressed napkins has been outweighed by my desire to do too many other things...

Heading over to the library book sale with Emily, for instance. A small amount of time (and $5) well spent. We have a pile of new books to enjoy, and low and behold, we still have napkins to use.

So nice to have those 30 extra minutes in my week...