#they found the recipe online and didn’t even really have to alter it much aside from adding seasoning touches

[foldingfittedsheets]

Instead of Donuts and Dogs today we went to hang out with some friends. One of them stayed in our home to watch over and medicate Sprinkles when we had to travel and to show our appreciation my betrothed made homemade cinnamon rolls. These are not a casual bake, and need to be shared.

I can confidently tell you that these cinnamon rolls could win competitions. There’s butter in every stage from dough, to filling, to frosting. Cream gets poured over them before they bake. The cream cheese icing is rich and has added vanilla. They added orange zest and cardamom to the cinnamon filling. I go to sleep tonight only to pass the time until my stomach empties enough to permit me to eat another.

[ckneal]

Now, I’ve been around fanfiction long enough to know that in any angel-turns-human AU story, there is one question that burns brighter than all the rest: What about their first sick day?

Well, I’ll tell you this: That first year after the rapture, out of the two of them, Adam is actually the first one to get sick. He picks up a really, truly nasty, slowburn of cold about a month after bringing Michael home. And, aware that he had just taken a huge chunk of time off (convincing Sam and Dean to help bring Michael out of the Empty was not an overnight task, nor teaching Jack how to make a new human body from scratch), Adam initially tried to smother the growing ailment with over-the-counter remedies and sheer willpower, while this bug steadily asserted dominance, laying waste to his sinuses, building up pressure inside his head, and settling into his chest and making itself heard in his throat. Three days in, his boss finally sent him home because everyone knew, even if he was refusing to say that he was sick. Michael, of course, was relieved to see Adam finally resign himself to bedrest, even though the entire situation is a sharp reminder of the fact that Michael is no longer a divine being, capable of healing with a touch. He feels all the more useless when Adam, well-meaning but also speaking through a haze of cold medicine and the beginnings of a fever, tells Michael he should keep his distance, because who knows how badly his cold would hit someone with virtually no antibodies.

Adam then passed out for the majority of the day, while Michael proceeded to mope in the living room, feeling like he’d been banished, pretending to have something to do but really just moving things around the room that were perfectly fine as they were before. He’d given up, gone online, and scrolled past the third post on his favorite Supernatural site that he normally would have jumped to correct on their misinterpretation of lore had he not been so preoccupied (never mind that he still hasn’t actually read his father’s books), before it struck him that he does know what to do in this situation.

Adam had shared a lot of memories in the cage, particularly during the years right after Lucifer’s departure, when they were first alone together and Michael was more guarded when it came to participating in conversation. Many of those memories had been from Adam’s childhood that he had deemed “harmless.” And as such, while Michael was new to the practice of being around sickness, Michael actually did know how to take care of someone. At least, he knew how Kate would have taken care of Adam. While never having met Kate Milligan, Michael was aware that she had been very young when she had Adam and that she had raised him alone, that she worked often, and that as Adam got older, it became increasingly difficult for her to take time off from work to care for him when he became ill. But she would do what she could in her off hours.

One of those things was preparing meals in advance that Adam could pick from as needed. Michael wasn’t overly acquainted with cooking at that point, but luckily, Kate hadn’t been either. She would buy premade items from the grocery store and alter them at home. Adam’s favorite had been half and half peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, which had been made by purchasing dough for both confections and simply meshing them together before baking. Oddly, the more difficult item to find was the soup. It was canned, but Kate had stuck to a specific brand, because it had been Adam’s favorite brand during a brief period of pickiness when he was eight. It didn’t appear to be as common in the city where Adam and Michael had settled as it had been in Minnesota during the 90s. Fortunately, Michael had stolen Adam’s phone before going shopping, and a stranger he came across in the greeting cards section at the drug store showed him how to use the map function to locate various stores nearby.

Adam managed to sleep through the racket that ensued from Michael coming home and fumbling his way through what, make no mistake, could only very loosely have been called cooking--Michael managing to unsettle a tower of stacked mixing bowls and burn himself on both the stovetop and interior of the oven--Adam only finally waking up when his nose cleared long enough for the smells to reach him. Michael was standing by, and Adam very quickly found himself being pushed onto his back when he opted to sit up.

“Michael? Get out of here, you’re going to get sick.”

“Not if you don’t breathe on me,” Michael said, quoting a memory from when Adam was nine that he knew wasn’t strictly true, but did not particularly care. He had a jar of Vicks Vaporub in hand and was pulling Adam’s shirt out of the way.

“What’s that smell?”

“Dinner. Hold still.”

“Since when do you cook?”

“Since a half hour ago, hold still.”

Despite twice repeating the instruction, it’s only when Michael straddles Adam that Adam actually lays still. He continues to press for details though, because Adam does recognize the aroma drifting in from the kitchen, and while he doesn’t particularly remember sharing those memories, he isn’t so much surprised that Michael does (Michael’s recall verges on obsessive), as he is by the fact that Michael actually did something with it. In the month since leaving Kansas, Michael only very rarely left their apartment, and never on his own.

Had it not been for the fact that he was determined to wait for Michael to decide when they would be back on those terms, Adam might have forgotten he was contagious and kissed Michael right then.

“You didn’t have to do all that.”

“I wanted to.”

Michael only looked up from Adam’s chest and noticed the way Adam was looking at him when Adam’s hand settled on top of his. That was, additionally, the moment when it struck Michael he was straddling Adam, and that the last time one of them had done that to the other, one of them hadn’t actually been physically real, and that they hadn’t done what they’d been doing then in a fairly long time. Of course, it hadn’t seemed strange to him to get into this position a second ago, as, in terms of Michael’s projections, they had done a lot more than kiss, and their relationship with one another hadn’t changed at its core since, but in terms of Michael being a physically present being in a body of his own, they hadn’t actually. . .

“Michael?”

“Yes, Adam?”

“I’m pretty sure I smell smoke.”

And then all at once, Michael was scrambling off the bed, the moment hastily pushed aside in his rush to save the cookies (which were burnt, but a benefit of Kate’s “recipe” was that there was plenty of dough leftover for new batches). By the time that Michael came back, Adam had remembered that he was a breathing germ farm and subsequently put his bedroom eyes away, and Michael suggested they relocate to the couch and watch the obnoxious devil show that Adam liked (Lucifer) while they ate.

Of course, despite Adam’s gradually flagging efforts to keep Michael at a distance for the sake of his health, Michael wound up catching the cold and would spend the next two weeks buried under every blanket they owned while Adam returned the favor of taking care of him. Because Adam was right, he had no antibodies, of course he was going to get sick.

[akysi]

Always wanted to do one of these, and now I have. :D 8 years of improvement, wow! I’m also really bad at picking things so I don’t know if I picked the ones that best represent my progress, but eh. I did some edits, but the original base for this can still be found here. Extended thoughts about each year below, it’s a lot! Here’s to bigger and better things in 2019 (please ;_;)

2010: I started drawing digitally in 2006, though regrettably I didn’t save any of the art I did back then. 2010 was when I joined DeviantART, and thus when I started uploading art online. I had frequented DA well before that though (from about 2007 I think), and influence from the artists I followed are pretty evident. A few notable ones were ShaloneSK, Fourth-Star (now SeaSaltShrimp), and thazumi, all primarily dragon artists. Though none of my traditional art is showcased here, this was still a time when I did it often, usually via doodles in class when I was bored. The digital art you see here was made with my first tablet, a Wacom Graphire 3, and Photoshop Elements 3 that came with it. I had little knowledge of file quality, layering, colouring, and other mainstays in using Photoshop properly. Humble beginnings are these! My art education at this point was limited at best, but art was always something I did in my spare time. And like all of the art years leading up to 2010, I drew almost entirely dragons. Aside from practicing foxes for a story I had at the time, I wasn’t interested in drawing much else. I didn’t draw people at all until college, but we’ll get to that. 2011: Christmas 2010 / New Year’s 2011 marked the time I got Photoshop CS5, a version of PS I still use today. For a while I was obsessed with the idea of PS’s Pen Tool, as I saw it could give me much cleaner line art than what I could achieve on my own. I was finally able to test that when getting CS5, and while it worked well for the time, I soon learned the tenets of line weight and tapering, something I would have to practice myself. Up to this point all of my lines were either shaky or fabricated via the Pen Tool, and it shows. This was also a year of trying to mimic Fourth-Star’s dynamic perspective...without any knowledge of how it actually worked. Not a lot of improvement happened here outside of that. 2012: This was the year I bought my Bamboo Create tablet, something I still use with my laptop nowadays. I remember trying it out at my friend’s house before I bought my own, and really loving how I was able to do the line tapering without the pen tool. It still took a lot more practice, but looking back now it was easy to see I was on the way to making line art one of my art’s strongest qualities; something that stays true today. I find it ironic that line art used to be one of the weakest aspects of my digital art, but I suppose that speaks to how far I’ve come. I did more fanart this year, oddly enough. I’d always done it before but I guess I felt shy about sharing it. Notable fandoms were Danny Phantom and Sonic. I didn’t grow up with either, but ended up liking them both a lot, and would doodle them as much as my dragons. 2013: I graduated high school and started my first year of art college, specifically Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College. At this point, everyone I knew pointed to that school (and only that school) for anything related to what I wanted to do; if it wasn’t fine art, go to Sheridan. So I went into college with a bit of tunnel vision at first, but I knew from the start that I would be gunning for animation. Not to animate specifically, but to do character design / concept art for animation. I would learn later on what having this tunnel vision would mean for me, but we’ll get to that later too. This is about the point where more expansion of design and subject matter occurs, albeit slowly. The art featured here doesn’t include my schoolwork, but the much needed increase of anatomy, structure drawing and other college level art courses started me on a path to better things. I still had a long way to go though, and Fundies could only do so much. Unlike most people I actually got decent practice from it given my limited art background, but I still can’t say it was at peak efficiency. This was the first year I actually started drawing people, and it certainly didn’t come without its growing pains.

2014: Surprising no one, I didn’t get into Sheridan after my first year, though that didn’t stop me from being disappointed at the time. I took what was effectively the second year of Fundies, called Visual and Creative Arts (VCA). This was the year that sparked my interest in graphic / logo design, an interesting turn of events all things considered, and that would stick with me a lot more than I expected. This year also featured a few smatterings of character designs, or more specifically design sheets with multiple views, costumes, etc. Character design was a required segment of the animation portfolio, so this is likely what spurred my practice in it, aside from my pre-existing interest. That does not mean I knew how to rotate a character though, yikes! At this point I’d gotten pretty good at clean line art in Photoshop with my current tablet, as well as the merits of high quality imagery. There was a lot of purple in this year and 2015, though that’s nothing really new for me.

2015: This was easily the busiest (and most path altering) year. Second semester of VCA happened during this time, but also what would be new beginnings for me. If I didn’t get into Sheridan animation, I had a choice to make for a plan B: Either stay at Sheridan for VCA Year 3 and try again for animation, or try to get into animation at another school. My buddy Amelia then dropped Seneca’s name in one of my elective classes, and I had no idea how much of a fateful conversation that would be. She mentioned it was considered a second to or even better than Sheridan, and that at least provided a clearer answer for me. A lot of trepidation followed: I didn’t get into Sheridan animation for the third time, and thus applied to Seneca (and a few other places). I was pretty scared of being a first year again at a new school with new people, and while my art definitely reflected the time I spent at Sheridan, I had no confidence in it being good enough for a portfolio given my track record. But low and behold, I got in! I was on my way to a three year rollercoaster of all-nighters, amazing ride-or-die classmates, and relentless, rigorous training. The art from this year does reflect this, both in quantity and quality of uploads, though in more of a “transition period” kind of way. This was the year I really started to draw human characters, most notably with the creation of my first comic project: Starglass Zodiac. This was the first time I had a story idea with a primarily human cast, much less a comic idea, though the designs for them didn’t start appearing in my uploads until the following year. As you might expect I didn’t have a lot of confidence in drawing people. Ironically, my first year of animation taught me all the skills I initially needed for the portfolios!

2016: When I mentioned a path altering year for 2015, I was referring specifically to the path in my art education. 2016 was a path altering year for everything else, and a polarizing one at that. 2016 was a year that was kind to no one, and while the details of what happened to me are not really relevant to this post, there’s no denying what effect it had behind the scenes. This was the year that I fully realized I’d developed symptoms of depression, and with my increasing anxiety to match, this didn’t (and still doesn’t) go so well. I don’t think that’s really reflected in my art, however. Regardless of my mental state, the outside view of my art still features the colourful characters that they always had. By this point I was in my finishing first year / starting second year, and this was easily the best time for me. My time to shine, if you will, at least when it came to character design class. We had an overarching story project that was perfect for SGZ, so I used that time to develop the characters. The double-edged sword of troubled times is my escapism is cranked to 11, so this was probably the year that spurred the most story ideas out of me. This year (and part of the next) started both Id Pariah and Feather Knights. I got my iPad Pro for Christmas this year too, and that proved to be a game changer in the amount of art I could make. I was already used to the Cintiqs at my school, and I was lucky to finally have a screen tablet of my own. 2017: The end of my second year and the beginning of my third and final year of animation. Classes split, streams chosen and a world of missed opportunities began. I didn’t do a lot of art at the beginning of the year, aside from the beginning of my Feather Knights stuff. On top of that, my college had a 5-week long teacher’s strike that literally no one wanted to be a part of, effectively derailing all hope for a good semester. Attempting to do a short film project with this happening was a recipe for disaster. During this strike was the start of my first month long challenge though: Huevember. It was an uncertain time, and most of us were not compelled to get much school work done. Completing Huevember did feel like an accomplishment though, as I was actually able to keep up with it even when school started again. I’d say this art year focused a lot on colour for this reason. What art I was able to complete outside of my schoolwork saw a lot of expansion in that area. In all honesty 2016-2018 tends to blend together for me, for better or worse. 2018: My graduating year. The strike did its damage to my final semester too, but ultimately I survived. Despite completing 5 years of college, my path became the most unclear. Third year taught me a lot of things about myself and how I approach art, but most were not positive revelations. The expectations set out for me are ones that I cannot achieve. However, I have more time than ever to do art, making this year the most art I’ve made to date. I also participated in Inktober, which reminded me how far I’ve come as an artist, despite not doing traditional art for what felt like a century. My illustrative work for Inktober ended up being some of my best art this year, and the prompts made me get creative in more ways than one. The dark cloud hanging over my head has not disappeared since 2016 however, and the toll that has taken shows more everyday. As far as my art was concerned I did more of what I loved, mostly in the form of character sheets and designs. It’s all I can do, for now. 2019, I have one thing to say: Don’t you DARE.

[whosays420]

The Facts & The Most Important Regimens You Need To Conquer PCOS

Yeeeeeesss Queeens. follow my facebook group for more womens health and upliftment @ Pretty Nail N Yoga Lifestyle

https://www.facebook.com/groups/594058141070850/

 I finished my PCOS Info Packet...More to add when it comes.. 5 to 10 minutes of reading up on how your reproductive system and PCOS plants seeds for a better tomorrow.

The Facts & The Most Important Regimens You Need To Conquer PCOS

Mini Menstrual Lesson

Your reproductive system is made up of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, and uterus. Ur ovaries have a lifetime supply of eggs. These eggs r immature and are stored inside tiny fluid filled structures called follicles. Ur pituitary gland (aka ur third eye) produces hormones that direct the function of ur ovaries. Each month, ur pituitary gland (third eye) stows away & then releases FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (lutenizing hormone) into the bloodstream. After the LH & FSH hormones reach the ovaries, several hundred eggs began to mature expanding the size of the follicles. As the eggs mature, the follicles stow away & then release estrogen (the main female sex hormone). once the estrogen in the blood reaches a certain level, the third eye (pituitary gland) sends a surge of LH to the ovaries causing the most mature follicle to open up and release its egg in a process called ovulation. The free egg then travels through the fallopian tube where it awaits fertilization. The remaining immature follicles and eggs dissolve away. If the egg is not fertilized, the egg and the lining of the uterus are shed during the next menstrual cycle.

For 3d video of your reproductive system, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsNKyKS7M_s&t=158s

What is PCOS?

In-Depth Understanding

PCOS is determined by two main factors: an imbalance of the sex hormones and high insulin levels . The pituitary gland releases abnormally high amounts of LH into your bloodstream, disrupting your normal period. As a result, ur follicles do not mature and ovulation does not occur. Some follicles do not dissolve and remain as fluid filled sacs called cysts. In addition, having high levels of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, combined with high levels of LH can lead to excess production of a male hormone called testosterone in your ovaries. Abnormally high levels of testosterone prevent ovulation which can lead to infertility. And there you have it, The scientific facts about PCOS in a nutshell!

General Understanding

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age.

Was there something I could have done to prevent my PCOS?

Sure! There's plenty of thing we could've done to prevent our PCOS. However, the key to prevention is knowledge + action. So if u didn’t have the knowledge in the past to actively prevent a dis ease of the body, how could you have stopped it in the 1st place, right? So, to those that say we 'could have done this" A 'pretty nails N Yoga' type lifestyle recommends you respond with a simple, "ehh… couldve, should've!" and move on!

So What Can I do to Start Actively Treating Myself?

Inform yourself

there's no way to win a battle if you don't know what you're up against. Hashtags # are a part of our world now, so use them wisely in your new found search for healing.

#pcos

#naturalhealing

@womenshealth @prettynailsNyogaLifestyle ;). Get creative in your search. Don't be ashamed of any questions you may have. We are all out here looking for what customs fits our healing process.

Conscious eating

when u become aware of the foods you are intaking, it heeds the question, "is this alkaline to my body or is this acidic to my body?" Remember, bacteria, virus' and fungus thrive in an acidic body. An alkaline body forces all this nasty shit to commit suicide

○ Goddess, You Need Sum Whole Foods!

§ Whole foods are foods sourced straight from the earth that have not been altered or compromised in any way. That does not necessarily mean that your diet needs to be fully plant-based or vegan. However you are an adult now so think back to when you were a child… and the same way you were supplied with a proper amount of meats and veggies/fruits before dessert, is minimum the same way you want to take action if you're serious about taking control of your PCOS. And remember, most likely, the foods we were eating earlier in life is what contributes to minimum 50% of the problem

○ Start Actively Getting rid of the pre-packaged processed foods ) over the next 30-90 days.

§ Our bodies thrive on foods rich in nutrients, especially when managing disorders like PCOS. That means avoiding processed foods like white flour, corn syrup, processed meats, pasta, and other foods that may contain medium to high levels of sugar. At first, this change was hard when I realized some of my go-to snacks were highly processed. It took some time, but once my body adjusted to this new way of eating, I no longer craved the same foods. Go for the stuff that doesn't really bother you to remove out of your life 1st then move to the big dawgs. Remember it took some time to create this condition in our bodies; so we must give our beautiful hard working bodies time to heal.

○ Focus on Iron Rich Alkaline Foods.

§ We tend to associate iron with red meat, but there are also high levels of iron in many vegetables and plant-based foods, including spinach, kale, goji berries, lentils, chickpeas, and more. Start with eating at least one vegetable a day that contains high levels of iron

○ Dump the dairy and get free of gluten.

§ Women with PCOS have specific dietary needs. In order to get your hormones and insulin levels back on track, you must eat mindfully. Work to eliminate inflammatory foods such as dairy and gluten. For women with PCOS, these two categories of foods cause inflammation that triggers many of your symptoms from acne to insulin imbalance. Need help with your meals? Check out our dairy-free and gluten-free recipes.

Add in supplements, now!

Ensuring your body has the proper vitamins is vital to healing. Supplements can help your body build its immune system, restore energy levels, balance hormones, and promote healthy blood flow.

Time for a low-impact Exercise Routine

Working out does not to be hard and complex. Start incorporating 15 to 45 minutes of

#watevergetsyoumovin

#dancin

#

#yoga

#twerkin

#walkinthedog

#differentsexpositions

#pilates

(u get the point) 3 days per week and the universe will meet you and take you to the winning circle from there. Seriously though, Years later living with PCOS, I started coming into my womanhood (this was no easy task.) I was more renewed and had a better sense and understanding of who i was as a wise spiritual woman through many teachings, obstacles & encounters. I stopped doing the high-intensity, stress-inducing workouts I was so used to (and hated btw) and chose more low-impact but, joyful and passion-driven workouts instead. The best advice I can give a woman in any lifetime is to Do! Only! The! Things! You! Enjoy! That includes the activities that makes you sweat & detox.

Make a plan.

This is one of my most important tips. Plan your meals, exercise and self-care ahead of time. You are bound to make destructive food choices when your hunger drives your food choices as you rush home from work and eat anything you can find. Exercise and self-care will be pushed aside if you don’t assign time for this. Plan and thrive!

De-stress.

We all lead busy and stressful lives. The way we approach the stress can make all the difference. Healthy women have learned coping mechanisms (like meditation, yoga or deep breathing) to take on less stress, as well as to effectively manage and have a positive perspective on the stress they do have. Stress triggers the production of cortisol in our bodies, which wreaks havoc on our hormonal system and PCOS symptoms and gives you belly fat! Who needs that?!

Seek a support Group.

Studies show that you are more likely to stick with a lifestyle change if you have a supportive community. First, educate your loved ones so that they can offer support as you make important changes. Next, find a community of like-minded women that will help cheer you on now and in the future, whether they’re online or in person (or both!). You may even want to buddy up with a walking or grocery shopping partner with whom you can share your journey.

Make time for self-care.

The need for self-care is the fine line between your sanity insanity. Taking care of your mind, body and spirit is not selfish. You are more able to give your friends, family and co-workers your whole self when you have taken the time to refresh. Self-care means eating well and exercising, but just as importantly, it means taking a few minutes to yourself every day to recenter and relax. You may choose to meditate, take an Epsom salt bath or write in a journal. Whatever you choose, give yourself over to the experience wholly and see the difference it makes in your life.

Be kind to yourself.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. The diet and lifestyle changes will improve your quality of life more than you could have imagined, but you have to be kind to yourself while you do it. Take baby steps and eliminate/change one thing at a time. If you make a mistake, remember that you are only one choice away from being back on track. Try to spend a little time each day doing something just for you. You must be your own top priority.

Distract The Mind

Sometimes doing all of the above, threw me so much deeper into my own mind, it was simply too much. I was overanalysing and self-diagnosising every statement, action and step I took. In these moments, I just had to do things that normalised my nervous system again and distracted my mind from over thinking! Whether that was reading a book, getting to a class, going to the movies, enjoying a walk, listening to podcasts or cooking...once I focused my mind on something other than myself, I was able to regulate my nervous system and bring back down the levels of anxiety or emotional overwhelm I was experiencing.