Toaster Oven/ Air Fryer For 3-5 Minutes And Then Add A Scoop Of Vanilla Ice Cream Is My Secret To Crispy

I'd add one more to make this the perfect list: separate volunteering from one to evolve your mindset.

One to Give Back:

Finding a cause or local group in your area (not online) refuels your larger activism, offers networking opportunities with like-minded and morally aligned individuals, and fosters community engagement and your emotional investment in your community.

Examples: your local women's shelter, student government, your local animal shelter or rescue, soup kitchens, your local YWCA, your local Junior League, volunteering at the old folks home, joining the breakfast/meal team at your religious institution, getting involved with a community garden, or park cleanups.

five hobbies you should have 🎧

hobbies play a significant role in enriching our lives. they provide inspiration and make good use of your time and energy. here’s 5 types of hobbies that you should include in your daily life:

one to keep you creative. having a creative hobby is like giving your brain a delightful playground where it can roam free and explore new ideas. these types of hobbies provide stress relief and self expression, as well as growing in your skills and confidence. suggestions include: drawing or sketching, painting, baking or cooking, editing, creative writing or scripting, gardening, & crafting projects like sewing, making jewelry, knitting.

one to build knowledge. having a hobby that builds knowledge is incredibly valuable and helpful. hobbies of this type keep your mind active and focused. it is rewarding to reap the benefits of engaging in these hobbies, benefits like enjoyment, fulfillment, success, and problem solving skills. suggestions include: reading books, articles or journals, watching inspirational YouTube videos, learning a new language, studying history or subjects, & blogging.

one to evolve mindset. having a hobby that evolves your mindset is key to carrying out a successful life. these hobbies broaden your perspective, give you confidence in challenges, and make you more open to experience. suggestions include: traveling and exploring, volunteering or helping others, reading self help books, listening to a daily podcast, & time alone in meditation.

one to keep you in shape. hobbies that involve physical activity are helpful for staying healthy and maintaining a clear mind. they are fun ways to stay active, boost your energy levels, and improve your mood. suggestions include: yoga and pilates exercises, running or taking a light jog daily, dancing to your favorite tunes, cycling, & sports like tennis and swimming. weekly meal prepping is also a fun hobby!

one to make money. hobbies that make you money provide many benefits like financial security, turning your skills and passions into a source of income, and give you personal fulfillment. these hobbies also give you valuable experience and attract opportunities for expansion. suggestions include: running a blog, setting up an online store for products or services, selling handmade items, content creation for social media, reading financial literacy books, & working a job you enjoy.

if you desire to have less stress, improved mental health and better confidence, i encourage you to consider these 5 hobbies and make time for one of each type every day. they all provide a positive outlet to escape from daily pressures, ultimately contributing to a more fulfilling life. anything is possible! 🌱

Image Description: White background with serif text stating "The energy for 2025 is: Remembering that being healthy is much more than what you eat and how much you exercise. It's also about being around good people, giving love to others, having joy, being your authentic self, embracing gratitude, and maintaining your growth.

Cute cakes appreciation post

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.

My first degree is in cabinetmaking, and I was featured in our alumni magazine, college advertising, and an article for the paper of the city the school was in for my work as president of the Women In Trades and Technology Club on campus. This is what I wore for a professional photoshoot as a cabinetmaker:

Cargo pants, polished leather boots, and a fishing shirt. There's still makeup there. You could *still* advertise makeup, have a feminine look, and yet be dressed appropriately for the task at hand. To that point, I was offered multiple modeling jobs because of this feature.

One of the most common bits of feedback I got from the college's public relations and marketing teams when they wanted me to do women's interests events, interviews, q&a panels, and outreach was the fact that I was always chic, appropriate, and safe while doing my work, while also being tactful, professional, and realistic about the challenges women face in the trades workforce.

Every time I see these women on Tiktok dressed in peasant dresses with their hair down and earrings that aren't studs to do DIY I shudder. You can do a pretty up-do, still be performing femininity, and then be safe while utilizing power tools. You can wear stud earrings, then still be wearing earrings and be safe. You can wear your rings around your neck on a short chain (16" or so, falling just at the clavical, not drooping down into a dangerous territory) or wear a silicone ring in a feminine style (vine engraved, blush plain, whatever) while doing this kind of work, and still have a wedding ring on your person with significantly lower risk.

When I was working in the shop, my rings would be in my right coin pocket at all times, I'd wear my safety glasses for all power tool work (I admittedly don't tend to wear them when doing finishing work or manual hand tool work) and there are some super cute safety glasses designs these days!

There are women's cut fishing shirts these days, or pocket tees with cute sayings on the Pockets and backs, you can wear fashionable jeans that look good and be safe as long as they aren't the kind with fashion rips in them. There are so many great women's workwear brands out there now, and if you're building your brand off of DIY stuff and you market yourself as fashionable and safe, you can then get brand deals with these companies.

I genuinely cannot think of any kind of reason that you would need to dress like this for DIY to obtain brand deals, even with makeup companies. You can be chic, fashionable, & feminine while still keeping safety a priority. I promise you, you do not need to be wearing a sundress and flip-flops to do DIY content that is successful.

For anyone reading this: If you aren't ready to give up makeup, or sacrifice style for functionality, I'm more than happy to discuss how to incorporate both form and function into your DIY outfits. If you're interested in what to do or wear to be safe around power tools or you have an interest in the trades as a woman I am also more than happy to answer questions on it.

This is an actual Maybelline ad trying to disguise itself as an empowering International Women's Day post. This person wants you to think makeup is empowering and it's actually super cool and feminist of you to wear it. Even at times when it's flat out ridiculous to wear it, like when doing manual labor (you're not convincing me Maybelline, I'd sweat that right off).

Makeup is a waste of women's money, time, and energy. It does nothing to build self-confidence. It is anything but empowering.

padmé wearing THIS outfit to tell an unbelievably hormonal teenage anakin skywalker that they can’t be in love with each other is objectively one of the funniest things that’s happened in star wars 😭😭

My answer to this, and I've just figured this out in the past 6 months or so, is being largely apolitical on social media. There's a few reasons for this:

Social media is built on engagement metrics, so the most ragebaity, sensationalist accounts covering current events get the most engagement and therefore end up in your feed the most.

Social media is the least effective method of praxis

Social media also has the most room for misinformation, disinformation, and propoaganda.

Social Media also has a habit of engaging with news, politics, and political discourse in the worst possible bad faith.

What I do instead:

During my morning coffee I listen to my local NPR station.

I have a few select news podcasts from a variety of leans and angles, (The New Yorker, NPR, BBC, The Wall Street Journal, The American Conservative) that I rotate throughout the week, so that I have a bit of background on what all positions of the media are saying about certain issues.

Using Allsides for big issues, find them here. They present articles from across the political spectrum on current events issues, primarily for US politics.

CSPAN is your friend. It is... quite literally just the facts, with opinion lines for both liberals and conservatives, and it's where most of the livestreams of congress and political events are done.

I’ve seen quite a few people this past week ask something along the lines of ‘how to be up-to-date and properly informed about current events and politics and also not get super depressed?’

While most of these were phrased in a joking matter, it actually is a really good question. Being able to balance awareness of the shitty things happening in the world, but not letting that shittiness destroy you is a skill.

Being well informed is vital. However, if you become so informed that it’s starting to effect your life, you’ve gone too far.

The point of being aware of current events, especially bad ones, is so you can do something about it. Read about it, post about it, donate to charity, volunteer, etc. Something you can’t do if your overwhelmed with (rightful) anger and sadness.

So the answer to the original question is that you become informed enough that you want to do something about it, but do not overload yourself to the point where you feel too depressed to take any action.

Burying your head in the sand isn’t good. But neither is doomscrolling into oblivion. Find that middle where you are actively interested in what is happening in the world, but not to the point where it becomes a hinderance to regular life.

Being aware of the world around you is super interesting, but don’t spiral. Misery loves company. Stay informed, stay active, stay hopeful.

Praying for Appalachia

Hurricane Helene lost much of her wind speed after making landfall in Florida, then as a post-tropical cyclone got stalled on the mountains in the Tennessee Valley. This caused massive devastation for an area that rarely and almost never is affected by hurricanes as a landlocked state and the typical evacuation area within a hurricane affected state. Lap Lake Dam held overnight, but many are still displaced due to concerns about dam failure after she was overtopped yesterday. Chimney Rock NC was washed away. These are the high ground areas that are supposed to be the safe places to go during these storms for the coastal communities. However, because it's Appalachia, the public that does know about it is mocking them as stupid, poor, white, conservative, southerners, and the national media isn't covering the devastation. I split my childhood between South Eastern Pennsylvania and the mountains of Virginia. Appalachia and The Rust Belt are my home.

Having grown up next to a very real sundown town, and having dealt with these people for 20+ years as a result of it, after about age 12 or 13, most people who can be "saved" from that ideology start saving themselves because they recognize it's fucked. The ones who can't be saved start justifying and rationalizing it, first in their own heads, then outloud to others. Having watched Klan marches while just trying to go to the dentist, having been spat on for being a "race traitor" having had to physically defend friends from attempted hate crimes, having had to help put out a burning cross on a friend's yard, fuck the mentality that we have to coddle them. The ones who need coddling still hold those same ideologies. The ones who have truly reformed don't ask for forgiveness, just to be allowed to fight back alongside us, and they shut the fuck up, keep their heads down, and sure as shit don't glorify their old ideology or try to dismiss it as "haha I was so quirky when I had that little Nazi phase" they are genuinely remorseful, accept how bad the shit they did was, don't play it off, and work their asses off to dismantle the groups they were in.

There is something revealing here and in other notes of that post. I'm trying to put my finger on it...it's as if there is an acceptance that White Supremacy, while wrong, is a privilege people are allowed to indulge in, and so other people need to endlessly be patient and rehabilitate them. Like it's a White Right, like of course they get to explore their evil legacy a bit, in order to discover it's wrong. And/or that fascism/white supremacy/ideological racism is something anyone could fall "victim" to if they were exposed to the same "magical" radicalization material, and not that people who "fall into" hate groups already have a fundamental world view that is precedent...they start from a place where the natural logical progression is an all powerful ethno-state.

It's also revealing that a hypothetical reformed neo-nazi must needs constant validation and forgiveness lest they fall back. Presumably someone who has exited a hate group like this, truly reformed, would not seek validation, they would have the wherewithal. They would self-actualize, and understand why. But it's revealing isn't, that they can forgive a "nazi phase" because the risk is that they could return to a "nazi phase"...so what are these people imagining they are forgiving? They aren't imagining forgiveness, they are imagining some sort of mutual sycophantic theater where politics is just...the posts you make on the internet I guess. Idk, lots to think of here. I don't think these people have met real creeps, the kind that make your skin prickle. I don't think these people have engaged at any level what neo-nazi material looks like.