Hi friends—

A quick update on my fall ritual practice. The first few nights were magic — I lit my candle, brushed my teeth, and did a short stretching video (Julie Repel on YouTube has been my go-to). My sleep score even hit an all-time high that first night.

Then, real life crept back in. Candle season means late-night emails and order packing, whispering to myself, you should be stretching while answering messages instead. Still, I’m trying to stay intentional — choosing how I end my day instead of collapsing into bed.

Some nights it’s tea, candlelight, and a few stretches. Other nights, it’s grace and exhaustion. But even that small act of lighting a candle feels like a promise to myself — that I matter, too.

Has anything opened up for you this fall? Any rituals or moments that are grounding you?

Dani

READING AND CRAFTING

• This article on how creative and mindful hobbies as a replacement to doomscrolling can reduce stress and anxiety levels. I find I struggle the most with this when I have a few extra minutes and I “should” be walking my dog. I will scroll right through those 15 minutes and ugh, that’s so upsetting, to be honest. So the easy hobby to replace doom scrolling with is walking my dog… fresh air, clearing my head, and taking care of my pet… it’s a no-brainer… kind of like doom scrolling.

• If you’re looking for an easy something to go to for a hobby with your hands, I just remembered my friend Anne’s beautiful company, Flax and Twine. She has pre-made kits to make the most amazing things with your hands. The feeling of learning something new on my own feels a little overwhelming at the moment.

RECIPES I’M MAKING

• Let’s talk about Margaret (Soup Witch), she used to make candles at Old Pine (miss you!!), but now I dream about buying her soup as soon as there’s delivery to Evergreen! I’ve built a cart 10 times so far… one can dream!

• This is one of our favorite soup recipes. We don’t eat much dairy, so I substitute cream for full-fat coconut milk (perfect for cozier months) and keep the parmesan sprinkling on the top only

COMMUNITY EVENTS

• Hops Drops is this Saturday, October 25th! You can snag a ticket here!

• Downtown Evergreen’s Halloween Walk on Monday October 31st from 4-6 pm!

• Western Exposure Fine Art is having their gallery grand opening Friday, October 24th from 4-8 pm and Saturday, October 25th from 2-8pm!

• Evergreen’s Haunted Halloween Trail this Friday October 24th from 5-8:30 pm!

OLD PINE THINGS TO NOTE

• Winter Fir will be back in stock on November 1st!

• Be on the lookout for a ‘build your own trio’ gift set next month!

Can't wait to keep connecting with you! xx

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