Welcome to Barbed Belle. Pull up a chair. Bring your sense of humor.
Well, hello there.
I’m a Southern woman in my 50s with a sarcastic streak, a creative mind, and a growing suspicion that adulthood is just one expensive problem after another.
I started Barbed Belle because I have things to say, stories to tell, and apparently not enough people around me willing to listen to all of them.
Some days I’m a sweet grandmother. Other days I’m wondering how many times a person can say what the actual hell before breakfast.
Usually, I’m both.
So, what’s this place about?
A little bit of everything, actually.
I’m a grandmother who babysits her grandson, which means my days can involve baby giggles, mysterious grunting noises, and the occasional screech loud enough to summon wildlife.
I’m also a digital creator and online seller. I design and sell digital products on Etsy and print-on-demand products on Zazzle. Clipart, printable designs, artwork, and whatever creative idea decides to move into my brain and refuse to pay rent.
I’ve spent years learning design software, figuring out online marketplaces, experimenting with AI, and trying to convince the internet to give me money in exchange for things I’ve made.
Some days it works.
Other days I make forty cents and consider whether I should list my remaining patience for sale.
And somewhere in between all that, there’s life.
I’m also happiest when I’ve got something growing, something creative in the works, or something mysterious to ponder. I love indoor hydroponics, growing and preserving herbs, and exploring everyday spirituality in my own way. Sometimes that means paying attention to the moon, wondering why a particular animal keeps showing up, or thinking about a dream that won’t leave me alone. I’m no guru, and I’m certainly not here to tell anybody what to believe. I just enjoy exploring life’s little mysteries and sharing what I discover.
Aging. Marriage. Family. Homeownership. Technology. Money. The little indignities of getting older and the absolutely ridiculous situations nobody warned us about.
That’s what I write about here.
Not because I’ve figured everything out.
Good Lord, no.
But because sometimes the only reasonable response to life’s nonsense is to laugh, pour yourself something cold, and tell somebody what happened.
New here? Start with these stories.
Another Day, Another Dollar I Didn’t Make
A day of babysitting, creative disasters, artificial intelligence behaving like it was raised by wolves, and an online income that wouldn’t buy a decent candy bar.
I’m 55. Keep Your Damn Senior Discount.
A perfectly innocent waitress, an unexpected question about my age, and the realization that apparently I’m old enough to be offered discounts I don’t even qualify for.
The Baby Went Home. Apparently, My Brain Didn’t.
The house finally gets quiet, the baby goes home, and my grandmother brain keeps hearing noises that aren’t there. Apparently, nobody told my nervous system the babysitting shift was over.
I Bought a House. The Plumbing Wants $26,000 I Don’t Have.
Two plumbers, two pictures, a whole lot of cast iron, and a repair estimate that might as well have been delivered by the federal government.
What you won’t find here
I’m not a life coach.
I’m not going to tell you to wake up at 5 a.m., drink lemon water, manifest abundance, and become the best version of yourself before the sun comes up.
Hell, some mornings I’m just trying to find my glasses.
I don’t have a perfect house, a perfect business, or a magical formula for making life easier.
What I do have is a sense of humor, a tendency to say the quiet part out loud, and enough stories to keep this little corner of the internet occupied for a while.
Stay awhile.
If you enjoy Southern humor, honest stories, creative chaos, grandmother adventures, and women over 50 who haven’t completely lost their minds (yet), you might feel right at home.
Subscribe if you’d like the next story delivered to your inbox. It’s free to come along for the ride.
And if something I write makes you laugh, leave a comment. I’d love to hear your stories, too.
Welcome to Barbed Belle.
Sweet enough to offer you a glass of tea. Sharp enough to tell you exactly what I think.