Death Calls Me Home

The Wolfe once declared that you can't go home again, but I've found that to be painfully untrue. Here, in the early dusk of Life, Loved Ones continue to fade away ... like leaves and first loves and morning glories under the setting sun. Each sad and grateful passing beckons my beleaguered bones back to the bittersweet haunts of my very first Grand Adventures.…

File this under “Good to Know”

One of the ugliest phrases in the English language is "Rumor has it..." Rumors can kill friendships, careers, and reputations. In fact, rumors can kill the human spirit; unfortunately, we females usually tend to be on the fuzzy end of this particular lollipop. If ever you have the opportunity to be the person who stops…

That Kid!

Gabbi, my thirteen year old who had the unenviable blessing of falling smack dab in the middle of the birthing order of Clan Allen and who landed as my "middle child" has always been my most ... shall we say, headstrong kidlen. She's the sort that makes grownups smack their forehead and sigh, "That kid!" Oh,…

10 Reasons I Love My Sex

As you know, it's International Women's Month and I've been ponderin' on the subject of my fellow females quite a bit lately. It's occurred to me that women can be seriously awesome. Here are just a few reasons why. Feel free to add your own reasons. Women have wombs. They can grow other humans in their own bodies. And…

It’s just endearment, Darlin’.

I don't know why; maybe it's because I'm from the South where dur'near everybody calls each other Darlin', Honey, Buddy or some other such term of endearment, but I'm constantly taken aback by people* who get their knickers in a twist when I call them Sweetpea or Punkinshell or what-have-you. What's wrong with showin' a lil' love?…

Happy Independence, Tejas!

Today  marks the 180th anniversary of Texas independence. On this date in 1836, 59 delegates crowded into the lil' Brazos-river town of Washington and unanimously passed a declaration (penned by George Campbell Childress) that proclaimed Texas a republic independent from Mexico. Check out the The Unanimous Declaration of Independence made by the Delegates of the People of Texas in General Convention at…

My Faery Child

I caught this candid of my sweet Rose as she was brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, and I thought it was rather a dramatic and beautiful catch. She'd been playing in her sister's makeup and had just gone outside to play in the Texas "Winter" weather with the little girl who lives…

Things Kids Say Thursday: Busted

Anxious Mom over t' That's What Anxious Mom Said gets it! Like most kids nowadays, Little Man has an iPad Mini that he uses to play games, make videos, and send everyone messages. Usually he’s pretty good about putting it away when I tell him to, ev… Source: Things Kids Say Thursday: Busted

Parenthood: Prognosis Shitstorm

When I was a little girl, my family and I were caught in the midst of Hurricane Alicia which killed 21 people and caused over 2 billion dollars in damage. It was terrifying to be sure; but I was a naive kid, so it was also very exciting. The grownups were absolutely horrified, but my cousins…

iDeath

Death is ugly no matter how it's delivered. And the entire notion of  "death with dignity" completely baffles me. I can find nothing dignified about it. It's awful. It's tragic. And it hurts like hell. Death is totally FUBAR regardless of its setting, reasons, or duration. Even martyrdom and the noblest of sacrifices are hideous and…