iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Couldn't get 'Autumn Hair' until Saturday but it was sunny, not too hot day, I had a huge seafood lunch and bought a whole new bedroom set! Overall, not a bad birthday!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I've done a lot of brave things that required dedication and perseverance. This might be one of my greatest achievements: 8 hours of my life armed with only an old, cheesy rechargeable screwdriver that conked out after 45 minutes then a Dollar Tree manual screwdriver! Voilá!

A counter-height, rolling kitchen storage island with 2 drawers, 2 shelves, a spice rack, a towel bar and expandable countertop

All the shelves and drawers are smooth-rolling and sturdy.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Frenetic and rushed, sweaty and tired, mind racing in all directions with all that had to be done before Working A Shift on moving day! But I'm in the new place!

Sugabelle with lighter brown curls and funky glasses on moving day!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Holiday Market, Royal Oak, Michigan is the best! The smoked BBQ ribs & wings, jalapeño cheddar grits and the only collards made with smoked turkey I can stand! Special & Made to order salads, cold prepared entrees like Cajun salmon, broccolini and twice baked potatoes, gourmet house-baked sweets!

Smoked BBQ wings, jalapeño cheddar grits and collard greens with the best smoked turkey, $19.50

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Soooo, you haven't seen him with Nicole Kidman being slutty (again, right?!) in...

Pic of cover art for the 2012 movie The Paperboy with Zac Efron and starring Nicole Kidman pictured riding in an old red car.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Not the prettiest Sunday breakfast but tasty! Thick brioche bread dipped in egg & Walmart finds: Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cake coffee creamer & European vanilla sugar, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg, fried in butter & topped with more vanilla sugar (no syrup for me), smoky bacon! #foodsky

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

And to use up any leftover Vernor's and make vanilla ice cream tasty, The Boston Cooler! Named for Boston Avenue, near the original Vernor's plant in Detroit, not the racist other place! Even McD's knows what's up!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

All Detroit grandmas, Black and whit, have this on hand for every over-eating holiday, for every sickness and especially for those with morning sickness! regnant

Michigan drinks Vernor's ginger ale! A green, gold and white Vernor's ginger ale can.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

When it's Hurry Up & Eat time: Chicken breast with Montreal seasoning, quickly wilting Spring Mix, that half a beautiful apple, walnuts and a gorgeous Aloha red&orange sweet pepper before discovering you're out of Champagne Vinaigrette! So sub in Strawberry aaannd DONE! #foodsky

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

📣 Detroit Young Men: The Just Ask Foundation's FREE. FREE. FREE. FREE Clothing Giveaway has the Designer Drip your wardrobe needs like Brand new Guess gear #detroitsky Thurs, Jan 22 1 - until 8904 Woodward, Detroit

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

📣 Detroiters In Need: Free clothes to anyone who needs them! Considine Center, 8904 Woodward, Detroit Men: We have suits, ties, dress & athletic shoes, jeans & casual even Big&Tall Ladies: Sparkly suits, coats, dresses, sweaters, jeans, blouses, even intimates! Size 0 to Plus #DetroitSky

Considine Center, 8904 Woodward, Thursday, January 22 @ 1 - 5 pm

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

You'd probably plant these seeds, eh? (I took this pic 7 years ago for a former boss who grows veggies and makes hybrids of them; glad to be able to send it to someone else!)

A seed packet for a gourd of some kind with a very recognizable look - found in España.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

When I said these red kidney beans over dirty rice were good, I was really being too modest. They hit even harder the second day!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Detroit, Alabama, New Orleans by way of Mexico: Red kidney beans with smoked ham & hot sausage over a dirty rice mix made with leftover ground turkey (who knew?!) and homemade Colby cheese & jalapeño cornbread (a little cakey but good). So satisfying for an arctic night, y'all! #foodsky #detroitsky

A boxed Dirty Rice mix I added bay leaf, cumin and substituted leftover seasoned ground turkey for beef and this former Certified Ground Turkey Hater couldn't taste any difference!

I deviated from my memorized recipe and used the 'back of the corn meal box' recipe and it turned out more cakey than cornbread-like. I KNEW the proportion of meal-to-flour was off! Or, it could have been because I used a half cup of the only cheese I had (Colby) instead of the standard cheddar. In any case, I added chopped jalapeños. The flavor was great & it went so well with the meal!

Sweating down the garlic, celery and green pepper for the beans.

The almost-finished product: dried red kidney beans (quick soaked) with 1/4 cup smoked ham cubes celery, green pepper, garlic, cumin, chicken bouillon cubes, 1/4 cup Bob Evans' Hot ground sausage added as an afterthought.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Quick, easy and cheap: Buldak noodles, half a cheap steak, shred a few cabbage leaves and add ginger paste & soy sauce! Dinner in 15! Oh, and only 1/4 the too spicy sauce packet! #foodsky

A pic of the red 2x Spicy Buldak ramen noodles above a white bowl of cooked noodles, steak strips, cabbage and scallion with very little broth in a white table.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

Ohhhh, this tickles me! I think if there's anything non-American Blacks hate more than being labeled 'Black' it's being called a Slave! Being called a Slave on the statewide and national front page has gotta sting extra hard!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

Oh, I know about the Smoked Gouda! Making my second plate in a few...

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

I feel sorry for you, son. I got 99 Bananas and being ready ain't one!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

DONE! Most critical entries in my Holiday Hall of Must Be Absolutely Perfect: #1 Dressing with tons of chicken & sage for days!!! #2 Four Cheese (must incl Smoked Gouda) BAKED (not creamy!) Macaroni & Cheese. #3 Candied yams w/cinnamon, nutmeg, smidges of ginger. Now I can visit folk! #foodsky

Top left: Black Lady Baked (not creamy!) 4 Cheese (must include Smoked Gouda) Mac& Cheese. Bottom Right: Cornbread & Bread Dressing with (6) roasted chicken thighs inside and tons of sage - my absolute fav tastes even better the next day (so good that gravy just distracts!), candied yams with cinnamon/nutmeg/vanilla with smidges of fresh ginger and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. The Greens with smoked ham will be done tomorrow (forgot 'em).

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Experimental Dessert of the season: Boozy Banana Parfait (A riff on banana pudding with 99 Bananas liqueur) I can report the parfait is much better the next day when the cookies have softened! I promise, you won't get drunk! Shout out to @chefericfeltman.bsky.social for the inspiration! #foodsky

Just one box banana creme pudding mix, Cool Whip, over-ripe bananas, lactose-free milk, Nilla Wafers and (2) shots of 99 Bananas liqueur

Banana Creme pudding with 1 shot of 99 Bananas is the first layer in 6 oz cocktail cups

Here's the (3) over-ripe bananas puréed then mixed with (1) shot 99 Bananas liqueur and 3 big heaps of Cool Whip. I feel the Cool Whip sorta blanded out the banana taste so next time I'll just use half the box of banana creme pudding mix with the liqueur to keep it 100% banana-ey

The finished parfait made (5) 6 oz cocktail cups which was the perfect sized dessert!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Well, I got my tasteless curry spice refund coupons in the mail today. Not a bad turn around of ~12 days from complaint! #foodsky

The refund (in the form of coupons) from Thai Kitchen for the tasteless green curry spice. ~12 day turnaround isn't bad. The Thai Green Curry I made with the entire jar wasn't either but it had no flavor but the jar of coconut milk I added, either!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Carpetbaggers know equating Detroit with urban decay and ruin by always posting abandoned buildings is racist and anti-Black. They see gems like The Fisher Building's Art Deco(?) style and pretend Black people aren't keeping it alive! I'll always love this Motown gorgeousness! #detroitsky #detroit

The ornate ceiling, light fixture and pillar at Detroit's Fisher Theatre Building

The gorgeous ceiling, sconce, wall and light fixtures of the Fisher Theatre Building in Detroit.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Thick As Thieves (1999) Michael Jai White as Pointy is the funniest gangster ever!

Michael Jai White is the real breakout star with the best bits and one-liners! See it on Tubi

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Find my fav B movie set in Detroit that's better than you'd think on Tubi 'Thick As Thieves'! Michael Jai White's Pointy has so many good one-liners spit with such precision including, "You can take a bitch out' the 'hood but you just can't TAKE a bitch out' the 'hood!"

Cover art for the 1999 movie Thick as Thieves with Michael Jai White, Alec Baldwin & Rebecca DeMornay

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Such a good night at Friendsgiving: looked cute (despite weight gain), ate well (good libation assortment too), cute kids I wasn't responsible for, impromptu karaoke & honest & relatable family stories that ran late!

My absolute favorite color (if not my favorite waistline)!

Friendsgiving instructions met: Garlic Roast Beef with dark gravy, Garlic & Chive Smashed Potatoes and St. Julian Sweet Revenge red wine (that family's fav)!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

Just finished my take-with for tonight's Friendsgiving: Garlic, Chive & Gruyere Smashed Potatoes (no cream), Garlic & Scallion Beef Chuck Roast and gravy (beef gravy-holic here!) and the host's very sweet fav: Michigan's own St. Julian Winery's Sweet Revenge red wine. #foodsky #blacksky

Pic of Garlic, Chive & Gruyere Smashed potatoes and Garlic Scallion Beef Chuck Roast in dark beef gravy in aluminum serving pans with a bottle of St. Julian Winery's Sweet Revenge red wine in the middle.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

📣 New bean/pea variety unlocked & tested: Apparently, I like lentils, people! When roasted red peppers are the first ingredient, and big chunks of ham are added, this soup was absolutely delish! The sweetness of the peppers would even have been enjoyable meatless! 😳 #foodsky

Pic of Kroger Simple Truth Protein Meatless Roasted Red Pepper & Lentil soup jar.

A pic of Red Pepper & Lentil soup in the pot.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Spain has some gorgeous train stations! This one in Toledo, Spain reflects the city's Muslim and Christian inhabitants' influence on architecture. I loved visiting this city, it had the narrow, bricked streets and the small European town-feel I had always imagined!

Inside a train station in Toledo Spain shows five Arabic- and Spanish-influenced decorative arched windows.

The exterior facade of a train station in Toledo, Spain shows lighted arches windows influenced by Arabic & Spanish styles with palm trees in front against a darkening blue sky.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

One more way to hone my writing skills and engage civically by training to become a Documenter of local government meetings with @documenters.org and @outliermedia.org in Detroit tonight. Words and I go together real cute! #detroitsky

A photo of SugabelleWrites aka NatalieDocuments attends Documenters.org training class showing a brown-skinned, middle-aged Black woman with black hair with red highlights, black cat's eye glasses and red lipstick smiling wearing a black sweater while holding up a yellow sticker that says Documenters.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

I've never had authentic green curry but another home sauce pouch I made years ago tasted THAI!! Today's dish tastes VERY subtly of lemongrass but mostly just coconut milk! Recipe: Sophieeats.com/thai-green-curry-chicken-recipe/ Is the mild blandness correct? Mild must be Elmer's glue!

My Thai Green Curry Chicken follows the recipe only subbing a WHOLE JAR of green curry paste for only 2T and 1T soy sauce for 1T fish sauce (peppers just added to pot, not warmed thru yet). Why isn't the dish distinctly Thai-tasting?!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

📣Chefs & Cooks: Before I write to the co, shouldn't Thai Green Curry Paste be "FLAVORFUL-spicy" if not "HOT-spicy"?! Recipe says 2T Green Curry Paste and 13.5 oz can of coconut milk. I used the ENTIRE new jar of paste. Result? Creamy, slightly sweet sauced chicken! Whuh?! #foodsky

Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste jar, note the 3 chili pepper icon top right denotes SPICY HOT!

Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste doesn't expire until May 2027, so why wasn't it even tasty and certainly not the least bit HOT?!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Pantry-clearing: boxed Devil's Food cake mix (flavor-deepened with coffee) iced with vanilla canned frosting and topped with sugared fresh raspberries. It ain't the prettiest on Saturday night but it was quick & good eatin' for tv watching! #foodsky

Devil's food boxes cake mix (coffee added for flavor), canned vanilla frosting and sugared fresh raspberries in a square pyrex dish.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

The calf to ankle ratio in my fav hosiery!

and a shapely leg covered in fishnet lace hosiery on ugly greige shag carpet.

Pic showing off black patent leather oxford shoes with a beige twine and white foam soles and a closer look at the fishnet and lace-patterned hosiery on both legs.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

So, did my broccoli & gruyere soup (with bits of smoked ham) fail because I used lactose-free milk only (no cream) or because I used the pre-shredded gruyere (with that powdered cellulose non-stick coating) & added it too early? Was still tasty but never thickened enough. #foodsky

Broccoli & gruyere soup with bits of smoked ham in a blue bowl with a spoon. The cheese in the broth has the appearance of being broken or curd-ish.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

In keeping with you, when I was around 10 my father surprised me, for no reason, with a cream-colored Starter-style jacket with thin red stripes around the shoulders and cuffs with a cream-colored hat to coordinate. You couldn't tell me I was the cutest Daddy's Girl walking!!!

A cute little Black girl, facetiously sticking out her tongue while smiling and pushing her hair behind her ear! She knows YOU KNOW she's cute, but thanx for the compliment anyway!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

Got it on audiobook! My guilty pleasure read is Lee Child's Jack Reacher series so his cover recommendation means I'll start this tonight! Thanx for the recommendation! #booksky #blacksky

Screenshot of the Libby Library book-borrowing app showing the book cover for Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby (an audiobook) due in 21 days. On the cover is an author recommendation "Sensationally Good" from best-selling author of the Jack Reacher series Lee Child.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Since you and your mom were on the subject, I need you to read this book (doctoral thesis) from a Wayne State prof on why Rosa Parks got shafted & should be known for her intrepid, fearless investigations of the somehow UNKNOWN systematic rapes of Black women in the South!

Amazon entry for the book At The Dark End of the Street by Danielle L. McGuire, a Wayne State University professor, on how Rosa Parks' true greatness comes from her fearless investigation of the prevalence of white men raping Black women in the South. Her work & writing resulted in some of the first prosecutions of white men & drew such acclaim & empathy from white America that others used the attention it drew to shift focus to Black men's lynchings and other topics of the nascent Civil Rights movement. This is a fascinating read with interviews of people still alive to tell their own tales of Black resilience and willingness to fight and defend their own.

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Ehhhhh...ok. I'm choking because so many shots come to mind that I can't choose one. And...I still wanna debate to jog my memory!

A cutie pie little Black girl with her hair pressed daintily tucking it behind her ear while smiling and sticking her tongue out, coquettishly!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

A good little palate cleanser of Revenge Fantasy after this dumb week: Freaky Tales on HBOMax or AmazonPrime Jay Ellis, Too$hort, Pedro Pascal and a bunch of other Oakland, Cali folk. #blacksky

Freaky Tales, starting Jay Ellis from Insecure with cameos by Too$hort, Marshawn Lynch, Pedro Pascal and a bunch of other Oakland, Cali folk on HBOMax or AmazonPrime

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Y'all! These Black Diamond watermelons are The TRUTH! Sweet all the way down to the rind! Am I the last to know about these? Kroger $4.99 #foodsky

Kroger Private Selection Black Diamond watermelons are sweeeeetttt!!

This only the first 1/3 of it! Red and sweet all the way down to the white pith.

Gonna chill the rest. Eating the other end in the morning and saving the middle section for tomorrow night!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Aww, you're definitely gonna have sinus trouble coming to The D!

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SugabelleWrites @sugabellewrites.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

My first fried eggplant! Inside is soft to the tooth and almost gooey. But the egg, breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan and onion & garlic powders are doing the heavy lifting flavor-wise. These would be an excellent side to wings, mozzarella sticks or other fried appetizers and a sweet wine! #foodsky

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