Where do I even start this post? I'm not really sure, so let's just do a wordvomit explanation without the gory details! But first, all the content warnings because this post is a journey. Mental Health Crisis, suicide attempt, self-harm, etc.
I totally lost my shit this year! Between COVID and the new civil rights movement we've had going on, I've also been spiralling between manic and depressive states and I've tried comitting suicide a couple times this summer. I relapsed with my self-harm and it was just really bad all around. I've even thought of shutting down this blog permanently this year. Just a lot of negative headspace. In the midst of lockdown, I also got messaged that the breeder that I'd been talking to about a service dog prospect had a puppy that could be a good match for me in the new litter they'd had at the beginning of the COVID debacle and was I still interested? Yes, I was. So I bought a Great Dane puppy and started puppy-proofing the house in preparation of picking her up in a month! Then my birthday rolled around and my best friend flew down to surprise me. And it was a surprise. We last saw each other shortly after my 16th birthday when she moved away. So it had been 15 years, obviously we grew up. But we also had a lot of differences. Which was hard to see with a country between us. Now there's a lot between us and it hurts to think about. Then I nearly ended everything the weekend after she left. Oop. The next weekend, in the middle of recovery, I had to go across the state to pick up my new puppy. And that was actually really good for me because it's given me something positive to focus on while putting my head back together. Fast forward to the end of August and everything seems to be settling down and my oldest girl who's been declining healthwise for a while has been having to be carried to go outside for bathroom time and won't eat or drink anymore. And we had to say goodbye to Nikita. I'm glad we could give her more time with the help of our vet and a nice house with a yard but I wish she could have seen the house at the end of next month when we put up all the Christmas decorations we've been buying throughout the year for her to enjoy because she really did love going for rides to see all the Christmas decorations on houses and around Orlando. Then my mom had to be checked into the hospital for emergency care or lose her hand. And it has been a year.

While I've been dealing with all of this, I've been raising and training my Great Dane puppy. She's currently (as of 28 September 2020) 63lbs, 25" standing at the shoulders, and 28" chest girth. Her name is Andromeda Trance Gemini, I call her Rommie and RomCom for short. And yes. I am that geeky. Extra points if y'all understand the name reference. Rommie is amazing at her training and I'm going to post updates about her and our training as we go. I'm also hoping to provide a little guidance for others out there who have been trying to find resources for legitimate service animals in the US as well as explain the differences between service animals (miniature horses and dogs per ADA, cats as permitted by local legislature), therapy dogs, and emotional support animals. Because there's a lot of misinformation out there and a lot of predatory schemes as well. And, there was once a time when my mom struggled to find information to get me a service dog and not even the doctor prescribing me one knew how to get that information. That needs to change.
I'm not sure what the future holds right now blogwise. It's going to take a bit of time to get back into things. And I'm going to be switching things up *gasp*. I want to make the site more accessible for screen readers and such. I've also been thinking of some new post serials and want to do more tag posts. And I'm going to be finally getting product reviews onto the site regularly.

The past few months, I've had blue hair. But this month, I've dyed my hair purple in memory of my friend, Ashley, and to help raise awareness for Rett Syndrome. Ashley, my brother, and myself grew up together. Our moms were friends and my brother and Ashley went to the same special needs daycare and we wound up in the same class together as kids. She was my friend and we lost her last year. October is Rett Syndrome Awareness Month and I wanted to drop the link for Reverse Rett an UK foundation dedicated to reversing Rett Syndrome if I don't get anything else posted for this month.
I'm determined to keep this site going, so I'm going to move on to new posts for you. I'll end this post with this cute little song that's been my theme song for the past month or so since I heard it on tiktok.

Until next time, have a happily ever after!

Ten Things to Do in Quarantine

Are you bored in the house and in the house bored whilst avoiding COVID-19? Same. So, I have a new list for you!

Ten Things to Do in Quarantine

♥ Make use of our postal system and send #smilemail around the globe to let others know that they're not alone during quarantine! Am I doing that? Yes, yes, I am! (message me your address on Twitter, Instagram, or my personal facebook- because my blog's facebook and I have a healthy dislike of each other.)
♥ send a card to your local grocery store, hospital, post office, etc. let them know that their work is appreciated. *shrug* My momma always taught me to appreciate people. And I don't people well.
♥ chalk up the neighbourhood! I've seen a lot of sidewalks on social media being decorated with games for people to play as they take their daily constitutional about their neighbourhoods and I have an entire basket of chalk. I'm just really self-conscious and worry about people thinking I'm weird and I might do this one night when I'm bored.

♥ Take your pet for an adventure! I've seen a lot of different pets being taken for walks this year. Ferrets, pigs, a capuchin monkey (they're a thing in Florida), lizards, dogs, cats. Even if it's just a 15-minute walk to start with, it's still an adventure.
♥ Learn a new craft. I've finally gotten around to unpacking my various crafting boxes. I'm tatting earrings to go with my freshly re-pierced ears and I've ordered some thread for a new doily! Just think of the bookstagram photos... I'm knitting new mitred squares for my blanket that I found while moving in. And I've decided to try my hand at sewing some book sleeves in addition to masks for the family (because deities know, I have the material).
♥ buy some DIY birdfeeders you can decorate and put them up on your patio or in your yard!
♥ download TikTok if you haven't already and just start making weird videos. It doesn't matter if they go viral, have fun making them. Dance, joke, tell stories (in 60 seconds or less) of weird or funny or stupid things that have happened to you, cosplay, sing, do skits, whatever. Just have fun with it. Also, tag me (@SkittlesWarlord) in a comment of one of your videos so I can hype you up. Because I have insomnia and loads of free time.
♥ read a book or two, maybe even three! (This is still a book blog...)

♥ Have a Disney marathon. I've been binging my childhood favourites all through quarantine. What's playing now? 10 Things I Hate About You. Kat was an icon for me as a kid, y'all.

♥ Bake. I love baking and now my neighbours know it too. And, I finally, for the first time in my entire life, managed to bake chocolate chip cookies without them turning into goop. (It was a thing that haunted me, moving on) I'm currently trying to create a new cookie recipe. Much to my family's mixed dismay-delight. It's a toss-up. One of my favourite baker bloggers to follow is Michelle, the Brown-Eyed Baker. I've been a follower of Michelle for well over a decade (let's not age me) and her recipes always make me want to run to my kitchen. Considering the scarcity of bread items at the moment, here's Michelle's recipe for bread.

That's Ten Things to Do During Quarantine, folks! I have an amazing birthday surprise happening next month so I'm going to be putting together all of my June posts and scheduling them while I'm also posting my May posts so that I can have my birthday week completely clear. Are you confused? So am I. My poor planner is having apoplexy over the amount of work I'm putting into it. I just have no idea what this birthday extravaganza week is going to consist of with the whole plague thing. Until next time, stay safe and have a happily ever after, duckies!

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She's Got the Quarantine Blues

COVID-19 has had my family on essential lockdown for 30 days as of today. Because of our family's collective health issues and my grandmother's age, we've been limiting our social interactions since 13 March. Aside from essential shopping trips and two pharmacy runs, total isolation. And y'all. We are not okay. We are not a "the family that plays together stays together" sort, we're four people, cohabitating and interacting in small amounts and never all four together. Monopoly was banned in our house when my brother and I were little because I owned the property my brother landed on and wouldn't sell it to him. There was a first aid kit involved.
I'm not putting my blog on pause for the duration of this pandemic, I've been putting together posts for y'all's entertainment, just not reviews because reviews are hard to put together for me recently. My ADHD and anxiety are going off and everything going on here is making for tense times obviously so things keep being forgotten. I keep forgetting what day it is and I am not comfortable with this!
I think that I won't be sticking to a set schedule aside from my tours and will be posting Top Ten Tuesdays, Book Lists, Book Tags, and random bookish and non-bookish posts. With occasional reviews perhaps. I'll be putting together reviews for future dates but for now, schedules and time construct is not here.
I hope y'all are staying safe and for random weirdness, find me on my tiktok.
Until next time, have a happily ever and keep 6ft apart and wash those hands!

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