Freelance Monday + Slow moments, a rare selfie and an exciting trip coming up

Hi darling ones. Perhaps you've noticed the absence of blog posts over the last week and a half. I think I just needed to slow down for a bit and focus on what I had in front of me. I've been completely absorbed in working with the new blog design (launching next week!) and it's been really good for me to eliminate distractions and allow myself to work with one thing only. There is something so rewarding in that kind of work, don't you think?Aside from that, days have been moving slow over here. I notice myself needing a lot more sleep lately, so I've quit setting an alarm in the morning and instead slept until I woke up by myself. Some days I wake up so late that it totally stresses me out, but then I remind myself that my body is dealing with some shit right now and the extra sleep is absolutely essential for my recovery.But don't worry, I'm just going through a good ol' inflammatory phase, which happens to me from time to time when things are unusually stressful/uncertain. You know, aching muscles, low energy, poor digestion and worry over the future.A jar of freshly grated turmeric root, black pepper and coconut oil is sitting in our fridge, waiting for daily golden milk moments, and some well selected supplements are keeping me on my feet.I have brought my camera with me almost every day for walks along the beach and in the forest. This gloomy, in between season is showing surprising beauty. Since we are surrounded my exclusively pine trees, the forest is green all year around. The mild weather melted all the snow away; what's left are damp grassy patches, water pools and glowing ice crystals catching the late afternoon sun.On Saturday afternoon we sat for a long time faced towards the low sun barely visible between the trees, sipping coffee and talking about different possibilities for housing, come April when we need to move out of this beloved house. Pending between frustration over "there always being something" keeping us up at night, and gratefulness over truly knowing how it is to be young, broke and trying to make a living in a country that isn't yours. Let alone trying to live outside of the norm. We swore to never forget these challenges, even when we are older and things like a permanent home or the ability to pay our bills are taken for granted.And yes, Hannah spikes her coffee with copious amounts of honey. She is the only person I know who does that.Last week I also forced myself out of my comfort zone and snapped some selfies! I realize I must seem like such a private/mysterious person since I never appear on pictures, but considering I open up completely in my writing I have managed to convince myself that selfies are not all that important... But from now on I promise to practice appearing in front of the camera more! I know I would find it super boring reading a blog where I never got to see the face of the author...

Planning, week 5

• On Monday I have a full office day of answering emails, fixing technical details with the new blog and doing a little bit of this and that. Boring but satisfying work (once it's done). I also have to buy a new suitcase while I'm in town...
• On Tuesday I'll be staying out here in the forest, continuing to work on the blog design and photographing. I also wanna do a full yoga session.
• Wednesday is office day again! I have two blog posts in the pipeline that I'm gonna write and schedule.
• On Thursday I'm planning to launch the new blog!! If everything goes according to plan... So I will park myself in front of the computer all day, fixing everything with the move and making sure nothing goes wrong.
• On Friday I'll be writing this week's Cashew Kitchen Letter + doing some planning and packing --->
• Because on Saturday I'm going to Florens! For a 4 day workshop/retreat with a handful of other awesome bloggers. The retreat is organized by Tania & Maria behind EaTravel, and together with Villa La Quercia they have invited us to a long weekend full of good food, workshops and hang outs in the Italian countryside. I'm really excited to meet the other participants: Ingrid, Zaïra, Valentina & Carolina, as I've been following most of these guys blogs since always <3 Will of course photograph like crazy while I'm there.

What are your plans for the week? :-)

I hope your Monday is filled with inspiration and energy!Take care,xx AgnesAll photographs, recipes and content are Cashew Kitchen originals, unless otherwise indicated. Feel free to go wild on pinning, but always link back here and credit Cashew Kitchen. Republishing of recipes is not allowed without the author’s consent. Thanks!