Alabama Coat Dress In Pink Shimmer Tweed~

And the sudoku and the little sweet treat just before bed. And actually turning down the bed. And closing down the house at the end of the day, and also soup.

you can make fun of old people all you want but then you'll be knitting with a good album on and a cup of tea and you'll be like this is excellent actually. the old ladies were right about this one. about the crosswords too, by the way

There are very very few instances where the sex of an animal matters and in cats it doesn't matter unless you're breeding and occasionally if you're managing samesex or intersex aggression between cats, and if you invest in the relationship with your pets you're going to find that they're going to express affection and love in fairly obvious ways. Too many people aren't approaching their pets as individuals and don't pay attention to the cues of their animals. The breeding/temperament genetics and the individual relationship work you've done with an animal are what determine how, how much, and how often they're affectionate.

My adolescent male cat is very clingy but playful. He prefers offering and asking for play, sucking on fingers while not being pet, and following you around and playing hide and seek over settling in for a cuddle. My older adult female used to be the same way, now she prefers lounging on the porch bird watching while I read or a dry groom or curling up under the covers on cold nights. My male prefers to be at the other end of the bed on one of my sheepskins or his shark plushie. My male is a nibbler and barber my female gives kisses.

The reason I went for a male malinois as a working dog was because of him and his 2 sisters, he was the most handler sensitive and he was the best fit personality wise. His one sister was too laid back for what I wanted, shes thriving now as a diabetic alert dog, his other sister had more aggression than he did, and if I had been looking for a straight PPD or bite Sports dog, I honestly would have chosen her, but since I was looking for a dual purpose dog, I took him, and the more aggressive sister is now a suspect apprehension K9 in florida because of the 3 in his litter that just weren't quite right for bomb work (2 of the 5 that they imported were) one was better suited for strict service work with her soft mouth, one could have gone either way and been okay, or both and be truly fulfilled as long as he had his person, and the other was destined to either be destroyed or have a job where her desire to sink her teeth into something was an asset rather than a liability. His 2 sisters were also significantly more dominant with other dogs than he was, and since I was living with my ex at the time, I needed to think about how he would integrate into our existing 1 cat, 2 dog household.

This recent obsession with boys vs girls in dogs is such fucking BS, like... the only things that determine sex choice for me is how my current pet pack exists.

My female cat doesn't tolerate other female cats in her space, my male mal likes male dogs that are 10-15 lbs but feels pressured by males that are his size or larger, and gets along with females all around. So, realistically, I'll probably be adding a female dog next to the pack since, again, realistically, my older terrier male is in the worst health of my pets. I also may not be adding another dog to my pack for a while too, so that I have more travel flexibility.

The whole "boy cat" thing is so annoyingggggg your cats gender has nothing to do with how they feel about you i literally cannot imagine being so brain rotted by patriarchy that you somehow think your neutered male cat has special male love for you that female cats don't have the capacity for. Is there something wrong with you

Primal Chic Beauty Part Two: Beauty From Food... No, Really!

I was planning on doing this post a little later, after my introduction to my Paleo-based, but not strictly paleo diet and what I regularly have stocked in my fridge and pantry. However, I've gotten a few more asks recently about skincare, and this post got moved up in the content planner to now!

In this post, you'll learn about some pantry staples that can be utilized for skin care, a few basic recipes for skin care products, long-lasting tools that compliment homemade & natural skincare, and why making the switch can benefit you and the environment. I'll cover some at-home-created makeup at a later date, but you should know, it doesn't last very well and it's often easier to simply buy clean, natural makeup from a company specializing in it.

Something you need to know for this to make sense is that I consider my own diet Paleo-based, but it's not strictly paleo. This means I largely am eating unprocessed foods, I'm not playing with artificial sweeteners and using natural sweeteners sparingly (usually Honey or whole sugar cane), and have cut out unfermented dairy, and most grains & grain foods, with occasional rice & oat consumption & my weekly communion at Church. I personally advise anyone who's dealing with food and gut issues to start with an elimination diet such as FODMAP or a strict Paleo, and then gradually reintroduce foods & food groups to figure out what works for YOU! Whole30 is a great introduction to this concept.

So, with that out of the way, let's talk about making your own skincare and some things to keep in stock for skin care.

Stocking Up

Pantry Staples for DIY At-Home Skincare & Haircare:

𓃠 Avocados & Avocado Oil

𓃠 Coconut Oil

𓃠 Almond Oil

𓃠 Honey

𓃠 Unsweetened Greek Yogurt

𓃠 Cocoa Butter

𓃠 Eggs

𓃠 Lemons and/or Lemon Juice

𓃠 Jojoba Oil

𓃠 Shea Butter

𓃠 Oats

𓃠 Rice

𓃠 Milk (Goat or Whole Cow Milk)

𓃠 Beef Tallow

𓃠 Ghee

𓃠 Baking Soda

𓃠 Apple Cider Vinegar

𓃠 Dried Rose/Rose Hips

𓃠 Cacao Nibs

𓃠 Mugwort

𓃠 Green & Black Tea

𓃠 Orange Peels

𓃠 Calendula Flowers

𓃠 Catnip

𓃠 Dried Witch Hazel

𓃠 An Aloe Vera Plant

𓃠 Table Salt or Himalayan Salt

𓃠 Unrefined Sugar

Non-Food Ingredients:

𓃠 Aztec Clay

𓃠 Castile Soap (in liquid or bar form)

𓃠 Epsom Salts/ Magnesium Salts

𓃠 Essential Oils in your favorite scents, I recommend Lavender, Lemongrass, & Mint, if you don't have pets you can also do Tea Tree & Eucalyptus but they are Nephrotoxic (toxic to the kidneys) for Cats, Dogs, and some small animals such as ferrets.

There are some things I still recommend you purchase commercially such as:

𓃠 Toothpaste (I'm not here to talk the fluoride vs MI paste vs Ozone vs hydroxyapatite vs charcoal vs no anti-cavity measure debate, if it's requested I can do a breakdown on the pros and cons of all of them, but it's really not my area of expertise and I'd recommend talking to your doctor, dentist, and local complimentary or holistic dentist or doctor about your individual needs)

𓃠 Floss (if you can, opt for silk rather than plasticized floss, and rolls of floss over single-use floss picks, if you're dedicated to floss picks, aim for a bamboo or wooden handle instead of plastic)

𓃠 Mouthwash (I've found the homemade varieties of this do not sufficiently treat dry mouth or gum issues)

𓃠 Deodorant or Antiperspirant (Thai Crystal deodorant works very well as a non-antiperspirant option, and I recommend solid stick antiperspirants over aerosolized ones for your indoor air quality and lung health)

𓃠 Sunscreen (I have never found an effective DIY Sunscreen)

Tools:

𓃠 A Mortar and Pestle

𓃠 Boar or horse hair fan brush with wooden handle

𓃠 Glass bowls in multiple sizes (from a small spice bowl to a large bowl for doing facial steams)

𓃠 Measuring Cups (You can use your food ones, just make sure to wash them well)

𓃠 A stone roller and Gua Sha

𓃠 A small skincare spatula in stainless steel

𓃠 2 Small Spoons (spare stainless steal teaspoons work well)

𓃠 Wood & Boar Hair dry brush

𓃠 Undyed, untreated Cotton Washcloths & Hand Towels

𓃠 Mesh Tea Infuser Ball

𓃠 A small spice wisk

Recipes:

A Sample Routine:

𓃠 Start with a Coconut & Almond Oil Cleanse (about 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil & Almond Oil to desired texture) apply to dampened skin with hands, rinse with lukewarm to hot water

Tip: Utilize a reusable cotton round moistened with a bit more of the above oil cleanser to wipe away stubborn eye makeup

𓃠 Soak a cotton hand towel with water that is as hot as you can tolerate, wring it out, and wrap around the face, leaving the nostrils exposed, leave on until towel has cooled.

𓃠 Combine 3 drops of Liquid castile soap with 1-2 tablespoons of warm water into a small glass dish, work into a foam with a fan brush or whisk, then apply to face with either hands or a reusable face scrub sponge or applicator. Rinse with Warm water

𓃠 If dealing with redness, puffiness, or inflamed skin, prepare a large glass bowl with ice and cold water, dip face for as long as tolerable 2-5 times.

𓃠 Dry the face, and utilize a small boar bristle dry brush to gently exfoliate the skin with light pressure, working away from the nose towards the outside of the face.

𓃠 Utilize a Rose & Witch Hazel Green Tea toner for the face (Steep Green Tea, dried rose petals, & witch hazel in distilled water for 3-5 minutes, allow to cool, and store in an amber colored glass spray bottle or dropper top bottle, store in the refrigerator for longer shelf life & a more cooling effect)

𓃠 Apply 2-4 drops of a preferred liquid oil such as almond or jojoba to the face, the amount should be enough to provide glide for a Gua Sha to run across the face

𓃠 Do a gua sha massage, paying attention to the forehead, the hollows of the cheeks/cheekbones, and the jawline, and any areas of tension, you can also utilize a mushroom shaped stone to work tension out of the temples or TMJ.

𓃠 Moisturize with a preferred semisolid fat such as Ghee, Tallow, Coconut Oil, and utilize a facial roller until absorbed, for the eyes, gently heat your preferred semisolid fat until it is liquid or near liquid between your finger tips, and apply gently with the ring fingers.

𓃠 Utilize a face roller to assist in absorption of your semisolid fat moisturizer

Avocado, & Oat Hydration Mask

𓃠 Materials: 1/2 Avocado, 1/4 cup of rolled oats, 1/8 cup goats milk or yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey, a mortar and pestle

𓃠 Remove the skin of the 1/2 avocado and Mash thoroughly with food processor or mortar and pestle, once thoroughly mashed, add honey, & milk or yogurt, whisk together until thoroughly combined, and add oats, folding gently to combine, apply to face excluding the eye area and let sit for 15-30 minutes. Avocado and honey can also be utilized as an under eye pack for a similar duration to help with dry, tired under eyes.

Inflamed Skin Honey Helper (I use this for acne and post-sun burn relief)

𓃠 Combine equal parts honey, goat's milk, and aloe vera and mix until thoroughly incorporated, apply to dry, itchy areas of the skin, and leave on for up to an hour

Body Scrub

Combine 1/2 cup of Epsom salts with 1/4 cup unrefined sugar & 1/4 cup of Himalayan salt and mix well, add 1/4 cup of preferred carrier oil such as jojoba, almond, or avocado oil, 1 tablespoon of Mugwort, and 10-20 drops of Lemongrass or Lavender Essential Oil, store in a sealable glass jar (such as a mason jar or a bale wire jar) in a cool, dark place until ready to use.

Apply with light pressure using the hands to exfoliate the body or as a pre-shave scrub

This also works very well on sore joints as a sort of pre-bath pack or wet-bandage by slathering it on thick to a dampened joint and surrounding the affected joint with a hot towel for 20-30 minutes to draw out heat and inflammation from arthritic joints.

There will be videos for these coming out as I hit the point of needing to remake them and I'll keep you all updated on how to watch those once I figure out some new platforms post tiktok ban and my leaving meta.

PA Rennisance Faire was so much fun this weekend. There was a ton of thought and design put into the shows and storyline. BoyToy and I had tons of fun goofing off together and trying out new swords, eating turkey legs, jerkeys, kettle corn, and pickles. We ended up not drinking this year (which is admittedly a bit unusual for both of us) and instead opted for lemonades and waters. My POTS did act up with the warm weather, but between Phobos and BoyToy helping me manage it, it didn't put too much of a damper on the day. We didn't get a ton of photos, mostly just too caught up in it all. Overall, a very very good day, and "One of the best dates I've ever been on" according to BoyToy.

(pics from Pinterest)

Toaster oven/ air fryer for 3-5 minutes and then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream is my secret to crispy ooey gooey balance

Manifesting 🤎🧸

Meat processing done it before I'd do it again

You are paid $15/hr (40 hrs/week) for all except going to jail. Assume you will be hired and cannot be fired. Pick a sentencing:

Work in a meat processing plant (12 months)

Work in a coal mine (10 months)

Work on an oil rig (8 months)

Be Jailed (18 months)

(No results button please 🙏 )