Early cozy reading time tonight. 📚🥱📚 #BookSky

I looked at my Baking Adventures to see how long they’ve been on my list. The oldest is from 2020 (the James Hoffmann coffee cake)! The most recent is sourdough, which I decided I wanted to make in December. 7 of the Adventures are from October, November, and December of 2025! So many #baking ideas!

I finished the orange helenium flowers’ petals today! I feel like my satin stitch is improving quite a lot. I’m excited for the next step- the French knot centers! 🪡🐌🧡🍂🍄🌾🤎🌸🪡 #embroidery #SatinStitch I spy a kitty cat! 🐈‍⬛

My cat is snoring. 🐈‍⬛💜🐈‍⬛ #cat #CatSky #CatsOfBlueSky

Thank you everyone for participating in February's book club! It's time to start picking a book for March. Respond to this post with any book you want us to read! Voting will start March 2nd. 💙📚 #booksky 📚💙

This week is going to be a fun one for baking! I’ll make the kolaches tomorrow and cakes on Friday! I’m especially excited that I have a new dessert to bake in my fancy new ramekins I bought for the chocolate soufflés a few weeks ago! youtu.be/kZWbPOH9nDw?... youtu.be/RPGAtfj4oto?... 👩‍🍳 #Baking

Juniper seeing what I was up to as I got cozy for my meditation session. 🐈‍⬛💜🐈‍⬛ It’s been nice to work meditation back into my routine. I hadn’t done it regularly for a while and I really enjoy its benefits.

I sat down to do this meditation and my body was uncomfortable after about a minute because of yesterday’s skiing. I decided to lie down. It was a great decision and resulted in a peaceful and relaxed session. youtu.be/fNLPZnUE1rg?...

I am merely a collection of stardust molded into a semiconscious bag of goo forced to make meaning out of existence while remembering to hydrate.

This is Wiley. He has never seen snow before and wants to make sure he gets a real good look at it. For science. 12/10 (IG: smileywileydog)

Loosely tied pigtails are perfect for a soft, cozy day.

Planning a possible DOUBLE Baking Adventure this week for Baking Adventures 9 and 10 (out of 18) for 2026! These have both been on my Baking Adventures list since June of 2023! I’m not sure if I’m going to enjoy a seriously underbaked cake, but I’m willing to try it! #baking

A red, orange, and persimmon hued color scheme happened today coincidentally! I’ll be stitching orange flower petals later on so I think I’ll wear my peach-toned sweater to lean into the theme. It’s raining! The perfect weather for reading. 🎃🕯️🍄🪡📚🕯️🧡 #BookSky #embroidery #coffee #candle

Goodnight my friends! A little reading before bed is always nice. 📚💜📚 #BookSky

Andy sounds like a really great, amazing person. useyourdamnskills.com/2026/02/24/a...

🤦‍♀️ typo… I’ve. Not mice!

Mice had innumerable rough nights with as many tomorrows. “On a rough night we need to remember that there is no rule that says we MUST feel good or better. We’re not going to be in trouble for having a rough night.” @drdoylesays.bsky.social useyourdamnskills.com/2026/02/24/o...

My cat is snoring. 🐈‍⬛💜🐈‍⬛ #cat #CatSky #CatsOfBlueSky

Even though the snow was alternately sticky and icy, we had a great time! I did cry because my feet hurt so much. We saw a bluebird! I found my groove about 4 miles in and got so relaxed and chill. We did 5 miles total. Nothing hurt, not even my wrist (or my butt)! Pizza at Lulu’s was scrumptious.

I love making baked goodies from scratch but I also love boxed brownies! We added the peanut butter baking chips for extra yumminess. Tillamook French Vanilla ice cream made it decadent!

Molly- “Do people say ‘Good work!’ and ‘Way to go!’ to you when we ski or do they just say that to me because I breathe like a rhinoceros, my face is red and I’m a bit of a big girl?” Ross- “Probably a little of that.” Exercise-induced #asthma tries to kick my butt but I LOVE cross country skiing!

Spending part of our day cross country skiing was wonderful! Time to make some tasty brownies and play video games.

I’m so happy that today is a ski day! Usually by this time in the season we have gone skiing anywhere from 4 to 10 times. This is our first cross country ski day and I’m so thankful it has come! And to start the day, Little Women, coffee and my Bayberry Cinnamon Spruce candle. ❄️⛷️📚🎃☕️🌲🕯️🤎 #BookSky

This storm is wicked and he’s just watching it go by.

That people pleasing reflex isn't you being "weak," or even a "choice" per se. It's the tip of the iceberg of the "fawn" trauma response, which has its roots deep in our sympathetic nervous system-- but which can LOOK like a "choice," or even a manifestation of our "personality."

Be careful that in managing fear, you don't slip into denying or ignoring it. Fear, realistically & compassionately understood, is our friend. Sustainable trauma recovery doesn't want us to ignore or belittle ANY emotion-- including fear (or sadness, or anger, for that matter).

Yes!!!

"Control" tends to f*ck w/ trauma survivors' heads. Not only were we often harmed by people & institutions who controlled us instead of nurturing us once upon a time, but we can get overwhelmingly anxious when we feel out of "control"...OR when we're expected to be IN control.

You deserve the same support, understanding, & forgiveness you'd extend to a person or pet you love-- & that goes for both the big, existential things, but also for the little moments of cringe & regret we all stumble over daily.

The voice in your head telling you that you are "the exception" to the truth that humans deserve safety, support, & grace, is wrong. Not just wrong, actually-- it's lying to you, to make you feel like garbage. That's what CPTSD does most: lie to us, about us.

Nobody reading this needs-- or wants-- to feel "no fear." Fear, properly understood & realistically managed, can keep us from doing stupid things. We don't need or want to HATE fear. We want to compassionately understand it as the ally & advisor evolution designed it to be.

“We’re just not going to recover on autopilot.” Well said, @drdoylesays.bsky.social! useyourdamnskills.com/2026/02/23/t...

I love when my nails match my book. ✨ Time to dive back in for a bit of the ever so wonderful Little Women! 📚🤎📚 #BookSky

My hands get pretty cold sometimes, especially when I paint my nails. Raynauds makes them feel like icicles. Tonight I got an idea and Ross and I compared our hands’ temperatures with the infrared thermometer. Mine were 80 and 81 degrees and his were 91 and 92. A HUGE difference. 🥶

With the drywall repair I worked on last week and lots of baking of doughy delights (sticky buns and bagels!), I hadn’t painted my nails in almost three weeks. It feels good to be sparkly!! 💅✨💅

cookie Sunday 5/52: brown butter brookies

I embroidered the orange petals of some of the helenium flowers today! 🪡🐌🧡🍂🍄🌾🤎🌸🪡 #embroidery #SatinStitch

A girl and her cat. I love her so much! 🐈‍⬛💜🐈‍⬛ #cat #CatSky #CatsOfBlueSky

After finishing Hollow Knight for my second time recently, I decided to retry Silk Song. I’d put it down because it was too hard and had become unfun. With the similar techniques from Hollow Knight fresh in my mind and hands, I’m doing so much better at Silk Song! #SilkSong #VideoGames #HollowKnight

TMI? My #trauma history and my #autism join together to make it hard to do things like shave my legs (which I want to do), care for my skin in dry Winter months, etc. Therefore, I’m super proud of myself for finally shaving my legs after wanting to for 3 weeks and putting lotion on my whole body!

Thinking about how annoying, irritating, discouraging, and maddening it is when all you are trying to do is have snuggley time with your person and then your trauma comes barreling through trying to ruin the moment (or the aftermath of the moment). Trauma is a butt head. #TraumaRecovery

I decree that this popcorn was not worth buying. The butterbeer flavor was okay but not great and the popcorn was dry, stale, and flavorless. Granted, I make popcorn on the stove at home often, with lots of fun spice blends so maybe I have spoiled myself like I did with home-made croissants. 🧈 🍻 🍿

Ross took tomorrow off so we can go cross country skiing! With all of the storms coming through the valley this last week, the mountains finally have enough snow for a wintery adventure! Hooray!!!! ❄️ 🏔️ ⛷️

I can brush my hair with my usual wrist curl! I can fluff the pillows and reposition the couch cushions! No pain in my wrist yet! I AM still wary about pushing the shopping cart with equal effort with both hands, but I’ll give it a try! I really hope my wrist is all healed in time for gardening!

Can you guess what kind of morning I’m having? COZY! 🧜‍♀️☕️📚🏕️🕯️🥮🌱🤎 #BookSky #coffee #candle

A few years ago, I went to a nature center and stood against a wall that had different lengths of wingspans painted on it. I stretched out my arms to see which bird I was and my wingspan was that of a...turkey vulture. Yeah, my coolness factor went up that day, my friends. 😎 🙄

“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully, that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.” #BookSky

This is beautiful!! 🍄🍄🍄

What you need or create in your own trauma recovery will be specific to you, but I can tell you one thing that is NOT part of ANY survivor's recovery: perfection. If you're giving yourself sh*t for not being "perfect," you're responding to an old wound w/ an unrealistic goal.

Our nervous system, our endocrine system, our "parts," our inner child-- they're all doing their best w/ the words they happen to have. They need us to acknowledge that-- for our relationship w/ them to be safe & supportive, even (especially!) when they're struggling.