marianallen

Thursday Doors: Around and About

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

I was driving in Louisville the other day, something I seldom do, and the GPS lady and I were not getting along. I knew where I was, and I knew where I was going, but GPS and I were just not on the same page.…

One-Liner Wednesday: Mom’s Book Review in Three Parts

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

My mother used to crack me up. In fact, we cracked each other up. My grandpa used to say, I never know what you two are talking about, but I love to hear you laugh. Take Mom’s review of a book, not THE LAST UNICORN,…

Food: Russian Gnocchi — Say What Now?

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

Sara says all it takes to make a dish Russian is sour cream and dill, so maybe I made this gnocchi Russian. On the other hand, I also used paprika, so maybe it’s Hungarian? ANYWAY, it was good. Fry the mushrooms in a dry pan,…

Monday Recommends and Nail Art: Dangerously Cute and Mildly Pretty

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

#4 Daughter, the amazing Sara Marian, sent me an Instagram video of cuteness aggression, which she and her cat seem to have co-dependently. So OF COURSE I had to see if it was a real thing. It is. “When people feel this way, it’s with…

Sunday Snapshot: Mermaid Up Close

Sun, 26 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

Close-up of the cats’ fish-tail toy. A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: Something fabulous up close and personal. MA

Caturday: Adi’s Cuteness Overload

Sat, 25 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

Hewwo. Um, I’m Adi, okay? I been playing inna TV room, where the toys are. I mostly just sleep inna front room so I can cover all the company chairs in nice fluffy fur, but I play sometimes, too. I play inna mermaid, mostly. An…

Truer Words Were Never Spoken: Fridays For Future, Climate Strike Online

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

Thursday Doors: Belvoir Winery, Liberty, Missouri

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

#4 Daughter, the amazing Sara Marian, went to visit my future son-in-law, the equally amazing Michael Ignacio. Naturally, she was on the lookout for doors for me. One of the places they visited was a haunted orphanage-turned-winery, the Belvoir Winery in Liberty, Missouri. HISTORY OF…

One-Liner Wednesday: The Price of Restraint

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

You know how somebody says or does something that almost demands a sharply worded response or a cautionary speech you know will be useless, but you manage to restrain yourself? When my mother would come home and tell me one of these incidents in which…

Food: I’m In The Sheet Pan Club, Y’all

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

The interwebs are alive with sheet pan recipes. I’ve seen a few of these, and I’m fully in favor. For one thing, I can put the sheet together in advance on nail night and just shove it in the oven with no danger to my…

Monday Recommends and Nail Art: Elementary, My Dear St. Patrick

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

#1 Daughter got me hooked on Abbott Elementary. I’m not certain if it’s an Office-like “documentary” in progress or if the characters just break the fourth wall a lot, but I enjoy the side-eyes and the back-pedaling when a character realizes what they just said…

Sunday Snapshot: This Guy Again

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

I’ve been told what this plant is, but I can never remember. It stays green pretty much all winter. He looks very happy in the company of the English Ivy. A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: Something — or someone — that never grows…

Caturday: Chickie — SO Helpful

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

HELLO! My name is CHICKIE! Mommy needed a lot of help the past few weeks, and I was right there. She wanted me to be on her lap, so she lifted me up and put me there and said, “Hello, Kitty.” See? I’m on her…

Together — Fridays For Future, Climate Strike Online

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

Thursday Doors: Past Present

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

As others in the Thursday Doors group sometimes do, I went scrounging for doors in my old picture files. Some of these may have been posted before and some not, but they’re doorish, so here they are: A friend of mine used to live in…

One-Liner Wednesday: Don’t

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

My friend Turtle said this, explaining how they stand in the way of their own success by beating themself up with their own expectations and demands. Sara says she doesn’t know if this is original to Turtle, but it’s brilliant, whoever originated it. I keep…

Food: A Vegan Failure — Or Is It?

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

This morning, I got a craving for an egg McBiscuit or whatever, so I tried making one. I began with these fixin’s: Oh, and cheese, because of course: I mixed a little baking mix and a little milk and cooked one biscuit. Meanwhile, I heated…

Monday Recommends and Nail Art: The Evil and the Butterfly

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

I did hardly anything on Saturday. Because why? Because I was finishing WHEN EVIL CHOOSES YOU, Book 3 of Dan Antion’s Dreamer’s Alliance Series. Having read Book 3, I can see why Dan Antion’s beta readers encouraged him to write KNUCKLEHEADS, which is both Book…

Sunday Snapshot: Apeeling

Sun, 12 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0200

From the Kingwood Center Gardens greenhouse. A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: Something gets peeled. MA

Caturday: Tipper’s Window Lounge

Sat, 11 Mar 2023 14:00:00 +0200

Hi there! I’m Tipper Allen, and guess what? Clover is back! Clover is the groundhog/woodchuck/whistlepig who lives under the back porch. I don’t know if her name is really Clover or if Clover is a she, but Momma and #4 Hooman Sister call this groundhog…