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When Lupine was five, she saw a picture of the pre

When Lupine was five, she saw a picture of the presidents and vice presidents of the United States hanging on the wall at our public library. Confused, she stared at it for a long time, then looked at me and asked, "Mama, where are all of the women?"

Just like the adults who answered the same question from my own lips as a child, I didn't have an adequate answer. Because there wasn't one. And in that moment, as I saw that pre-Obama era poster through the eyes of my daughter, I also imagined seeing that same line-up through the eyes of a Black or Brown child.

Today, we joyously flip the script. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, today is a beautiful day for girls and women, and Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color, and all of us. It's long overdue, and I'm giddy at last.

Today, we celebrate!

Some of you saw this in my stories last week, but

Some of you saw this in my stories last week, but I wanted to share here as well, along with a little more backstory.

I designed a knitting pattern this winter. It features Vegvisir, the Icelandic/Old Norse symbol for finding your way safely home through the storm.

The idea was inspired by a both our love of Norse history and a sweater we saw while visiting the Westfjords (spotted in the wilds of Icelandic on a man in a grocery store 🤪). Sage and I were equally obsessed, and wanted to follow the poor fellow around the store, ogling his sweater.

Back home, I searched the interwebs for a Vegvisir knitting pattern or chart, but came up empty handed. So I printed out some graph paper and set to work designing my own.

The hat shown is my test knit, made of fingering weight yarn. I knitted another in worsted for Sage for Winter Solstice, which he loves.

As a person who is mostly Norwegian, it’s been healing to explore my roots, and learn more about the history, traditions, and mythology of my ancestors.

Now, to block these babies (and work a bit more on my stranding technique)...

#knittersofinstagram
#knitting
#vegvisir

The past week has been a roller coaster of anxiety

The past week has been a roller coaster of anxiety, overwhelm, worry, and adrenal fatigue. Anyone else? It all seems to come in waves, and this week’s were of the particularly robust, knock you on your ass sort. But then I came here and read your most uplifting, encouraging, & beautiful comments & DMs regarding my recent post, and dang if you didn’t turn a rough week around. Thanks for that.

This weekend I plan to take it s l o w . Lots of tulsi (Holy Basil) tea is on the agenda (it does wonders for my overwhelm & sense of dread), plus some sewing, painting, cleaning, and organizing. And so much sleep. Next week will likely be a rough one, too, so let’s all carve out a moment of quiet, just looking at the stars, the trees, or any sliver of peace we can find. Does that sound like a plan?

Take care, friend. And remember: kindness wins. 💫

Hey, friend. Yesterday I shared a post on my small

Hey, friend. Yesterday I shared a post on my small business page that I want to share here as well. Important, long-overdue clarity of who I am and what I believe in. While it’s written from a business perspective, it goes equally for me as a person, a parent, and a writer. Here goes.

✨At LüSa Organics we stand for kindness. If it's behavior our kindergarten teacher would get behind, we're in.
✨We stand for true, long-overdue equality–of race, sexuality, religion, gender, ability, economy, and all the rest. Smash the patriarchy, bring on equality.
✨We are unequivocally and unapologetically anti-racist and anti-bigotry. Basically, if it's something that nazis would get behind, we're out. It’s long past time to raise everyone up so that all are safe and able to chase their highest dreams. With this in mind, we will continue to raise our voices, use our privilege, do our work, and advocate fiercely for those who have less agency in the world.
✨We love the Earth and will always put planet before profits. That means that sometimes we won't sell a product that you love if we don't feel it meets our sustainability goals. No liquid soap, no sketchy ingredients (even if they would make an epic conditioning bar).
✨We stand for honesty and integrity. We believe in the power of kindness and the importance of taking care of one another. Because that's how you build the kind of world we want to live in. And day by day we're doing our small part.
✨And finally, we’re also imperfect, flawed, human beings who sometimes get things wrong. It's part of being human. When we do, we'll do our very best to own our mistakes, and make them right.

Does this sound like something you can get behind? Will you stand beside us as we stand up for a kinder, gentler, more caring world? I sure hope so. Because we truly believe that if humans lead with love, work for equality, and take care of one another, there’s nothing we can’t do. We're all in this together.

With love (and kindness),
Rachel, and the rest of team @lusa_organics

P.S. Add a note of "Kindness Wins" to any order this week and we'll throw you a Kindness is Contagious bumper sticker Because kindness does win! You just watch.

I know a lot of folx are getting back to posting t

I know a lot of folx are getting back to posting their usual content this week. But I’m not quite there yet.

It still all feels like so much—what’s happened and what’s happening still in our country. I’m processing everything that has unfolded in recent days, if not the history of America as a whole right now, and I can’t bring myself to post about sourdough bread or herbal remedies, knitting or home improvement.

I hope you understand.

So what are we up to this week that might serve as some sort of meaningful inspiration? I’m trying to practice good self care, so that I might show up fully in the world. I’m limiting screen time (with mixed results) and getting good sleep. I’m going outside everyday and moving my body in nature, which calms my nerves and soothes my heart. And I’m trying to focus on points of light I can see in the darkness.

Also of note, the kids and I are diving into our second homeschooling anti-racism book. We finished This Book is Anti-Racist (by @tiffanymjewell) a couple weeks back, and have moved on to Stamped ( by @ibramxk and @jasonreynolds83). It feels like a very small step, this work, but it also feels important and timely. And seeing my kids navigate the world and the reality of white supremacy in America with better tools than I had as a teen gives me hope.

And that’s something we all could use right now. Hope.

Take good care out there, friends. Stay safe, be kind, and look out for one another.

A PSA follow-up to my previous post: if you can ta

A PSA follow-up to my previous post: if you can take a break, do. Over here, we've decided to take the day off from our usual homeschooling rhythm. Because we engaged yesterday until 9:30 PM, reading + listening; discussing politics + democracy, systemic racism + sedition. And we're drained–for so many reasons.

And so today we rest. Instead of spelling and Spanish, we're making nettle chai and baking bread. Instead of history and writing, we're making art, tinkering in the workshop and the forge, and heading out for a ski. Today we rest.

For those of you with the flexibility to do so, don't be afraid to call off the day and recharge. Yesterday was unprecedented. Make space if you can.

Yesterday was hard. I wrote a long post this mor

It’s socially acceptable to spam you with winter

It’s socially acceptable to spam you with winter fairyland pictures, yes?

This week we’ve had deep cold and unseasonable w

This week we’ve had deep cold and unseasonable warmth; a fairyland of hoar frost that hung on for days, before giving way to rime ice that took shape from within the frozen mists. We’ve had ski trips and woods walks and even a bike ride—plus one spontaneous snowball fight, to which I may or may not have worn my slippers. Dang, is this world a beautiful place—if only we remember to pause, to breathe in, and look up.

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Fermented Fruit Chutney Recipe
The Winter Simple Living Collection
Rosemary & Lemon or Ginger & Cardamom Soda Syrup Recipes
We can do hard things
Homemade Fire Cider Recipe

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