q as in cucumber

I am not well. I have to put on a brave face for my kiddos, especially with everything going on in my country these days. But it is always harder at this time of year, and this year, in particular.

Every January I crash out because I can feel not only time but my life slipping away. Munchkin is going to be a teenager this year. My parents are getting old and sickly. My forties are not far off. When old people tell me you to enjoy your youth, they don’t mean being young. They mean having time.

Well, I ended the year without a working cell phone, so none of my Happy New Year texts went through. If you see this, consider it your wish for a bright and beautiful New Year - and my apology. 😅

Part two.

Holiday baking, night one. 🎄🍪

Wishing a bright and blessed Hanukkah to all who celebrate! 🕎

Please share and consider helping out if you can! Thank you, and happy holidays!

www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...

Please share and consider helping out if you can! Thank you, and happy holidays!

www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/...

I’ll have a blue, blue Christmas. 💙🎄

Life goes on.

Christmas jellies.

Anyway, I’m just kind of venting. I don’t really have anyone outside my household or family that I can really reach out to that isn’t ALSO dealing with something similar. I feel frustrated and isolated and just… not very Christmassy.

We make enough that our bills are paid, even if it’s occasionally late, etc. I am so proud of T getting us to where we are on his income. We should be finally sitting back, able to breathe. Yet here we are at the holidays, with our budget stretched tighter than it has been in years.

I love my family so incredibly much. We started unofficially fostering an extra kiddo this year and my foster sister has brought her family back here to KY, & it has been so cozy and full of love. But protecting the kiddos from the worst of the world - especially when they are all ND - is hard.

This year has been the biggest train wreck. So much has gone wrong, but I know our family is one of the luckiest in this backsliding democracy we’re wading through. My biggest concern amidst it all is trying to keep things fun, low stress, and comfortable for my kiddos.

Diabolical decor by the local movie theater, tbh.

I’ve now been cleaning and decorating for over a week, so tomorrow starts the three day cooking extravaganza. This year’s crowd is an extended family of nearly 30 people so 😅😅😅

looks around room at the party

Nobody knows I’ve been quietly doing NaNoWriMo to survive an incredibly stressful season of life.

A fake Bluesky suspension DM. "Bluesky @blueskyguard3453.bsky.social We regret to inform you that your Bluesky account has been temporarily suspended due to security-related restrictions. To prevent the permanent termination of your account, it is imperative that you complete the verification process within the next 24 hours by using the following link: (REDACTED) If the link does not open directly, please copy and paste it into your browser's address bar. ▲ Important: Failure to complete the required verification within the specified time frame will result in the irreversible and permanent ban of your account. We appreciate your immediate attention and cooperation in this matter. Sincerely, Bluesky Support Team 10:49 PM"

Head's up there is a Bluesky ban scam going around. This account just joined 40 mins ago and send me this DM.

DO NOT CLICK THE LINK.

Bluesky would NEVER send a DM like this and make you scared. This would come through email and would have a more professional email than this.

Stay safe!

Currently spiraling because we have 5 days to come up with $1,500 or they’ll turn off our electricity. The price hikes here in Eastern KY have been murderous for those of us without big money.

Please vote for the calf my kiddos have adopted this homeschool year! Her name is Pinky and we love her!

www.discoverdairy.com/vote/?vote=t...

Title: Trans People Take on the World, Nov 1-15 in Itchio 32 Book covers, background a sunset photo by Elise Carlson. The Strangers Sanctuary, S.E. Robertson What Lies Within, Issy Waldon Synthetic Sea, Franklyn S. Newton Non-Player Character, Veo Corva A Life in Too Many Margins, S.E. Thomson Like Salt and Whi Sky, Merlina Garance A Memory of Blood and Magic, K.N. Brindle My Personal Trainer Cracked My Egg, Fern V. Bedek Enemies to Enemies, Ash Kreider The Poison Fruits, E.M. Haegar The Thread That Binds, Cedar McCloud The Wings of Ashtaroth, Steve Hugh Westenra The Elysium Proposal, A.E. Bross Structural Integrity, Tabitha O'Connell Songs of Broken Bells, Lilly Lockwood Echo Sight, Cian Verath The Uncontinented Stars, Haden Cross Between You, Me and the Moonlit Sea, Linn Silver Secondhand Origin Storie, Lee Brontide Blood On The Snow, Finn McLellan Manipulators War, Elise Carlson Powder & Feathers, Johannes T. Evans Our Simulated Selves, Nikki Null All Roads Lead to This, Kay Claire 1000Lotuses, Lotuscarp.com First Rose, Jake Vanguard A Demon to Save Me, H.S. Kallinger Dragons Soul, J.F.R. Coates Garden of Rotten Roses, Nicole Hidalgo Name Her Holy, Aubrey Ennis Baker Thief, Claudie Arsenault Illusory, M.X. Misfits

I'd like to kick off Trans Awareness Month with 32 stories of Trans People Taking On The World, by mainly trans authors

Your heroes may tackle; love, friendship, magic &war, self discovery, trauma & healing, demons (literal or metaphorical 😉) & or the world itself!

🌈📚💙💕📚🪐📚♿ itch.io/b/3352/trans...

a woman in a santa claus outfit is standing in the snow and says `` it 's time '' . ALT: a woman in a santa claus outfit is standing in the snow and says `` it 's time '' .

Hope everyone had an excellent Halloween, but now…

My 11-year-old sitting with her pile of Halloween candy, sorting it into a bar graph

We have progressed from data collection to data analysis.

Within just the family I am part of, there are people who are wealthy enough to travel multiple times this holiday season and people who are so food insecure that they routinely skip days of eating. Both those households voted red. Neither seem to see anything wrong with the current state of things.

if you see this post, your actions are:
- if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this
- if you don't have a spare buck, just repost

your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive

Had a dream last night I was talking to and loving on my childhood dog. Woke up so confused and distraught. Found out it’s the day pets arrive for Día de los Muertos and now I feel like maybe I actually did get to see him.

Munchkin and Spare Kid serving face.

Little Red, Grandma, & Big Bad. Halloween party time! (Munchkin sold separately.)

I am so frustrated by social media these days. I know nothing will ever be what Twitter was in 2015-2020, but man, I miss having a social circle. I feel cut off from everyone and everything lately.

💙