KristieSue... What are we talking about???

Domestic Abuse Isn't Always Physical...

2018-07-04T05:10:00.001-07:00

Some say I'm seeking revenge and that may be so but it's my belief that exposing bad behavior should not result in backlash toward the victim. I lived for four years with a man who abused me in every way possible. I lost everything I ever worked for by investing in a life that he promised me we would have but in the end I was cast out. First he made sure to strip me of every financial resource I had and then he destroyed my self worth and character and divorced me. I'm not satisfied with walking away and allowing this to happen without defending myself and exposing the truth. So happy YouTube watching. I'm sure I'll find many more clips like this. In the last year I recorded and documented everything I could because I knew my fate by then.

Quora Therapy...

2018-02-28T07:11:00.001-08:00

A narcissist will stay around as long as you never expose them.

You must also be willing to provide them with constant praise, accolades, attention, caring, kindness, generous gifts and always support them … emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially.

You must be willing to deny yourself of all of life's pleasures and hand them all over to the narcissist gleefully, making their life as exciting, interesting and fulfilled as possible.

You must be willing to live without intimacy, communication, honesty or trust.

You must be willing to be cheated on, lied to and manipulated constantly, without any hope of improvement.

You must be willing to be submissive and never have an opinion, desire, want, or need of your own. This is selfish behavior and not tolerated by your narcissist.

You must be willing to be devalued and discarded for being weak and not having the guts to stand up for yourself.

You must be willing to be devalued and discarded if you are strong and try to stand up for yourself.

You must be willing to live without security, self esteem, peace or comfort.

You must be willing to live with secrets, lies, betrayals, false truths, omissions, hypocrisies, slander or any other deceitful, manipulative action the narcissist chooses to impose on you.

You must be willing to live without boundaries, perimeters or any other self respecting goals or aspirations.

You must be willing to live your life knowing, that the person who you are giving everything to, will never, never, be there for you mentally, physically, spiritually, or financially. If you are diagnosed with an illness or have an accident, you are on your own, while your narcissist is out enjoying praise, accolades and attention from others, until you can be “back on duty".

You must be willing to feel genuinely sorry that your illness or injury has caused a huge inconvenience for the narcissist. How dare you not be available to serve their needs.

You must be willing to be treated as completely worthless, now that you have caused all of this “drama”.

You must be willing to have your coworkers, friends and family removed from your life until you are isolalated from the world.

You must be happily agreeable to giving up your career or your job should it ever interfere with your ability to be able to serve your narcissist’s desires.

You must be willing to leave a stable job that you love, in order to make more money at a job that you hate, so that you can accommodate your narcissist’s lifestyle.

You must be willing to live without love, respect, affection or attention from your children, because they also live to serve the narcissist, not you. They see no value in you because you don't see any value in yourself, or because they have been conditioned by the narcissist to believe that you are worthless and not worthy of such things.

You must be willing to wake up one day to discover that your narcissist has left you without understanding why they left, where they went, who they are with, or when they will be back, until they return (days, weeks, months) later, like nothing ever happened. And they will return!!!!

When they return, you must be willing to not ask questions. Do not speak of your feelings. Do not try to engage them in any “serious” conversation at all. Simply resume your position of loving them, caring for them, and being kind to them, making sure that they feel wonderful about themselves, no matter how confused and hurt you feel.

You must be willing to always be wrong, take full blame, apologize and beg for forgiveness for everything the narcissist imagines that you did to hurt them, whether you really did it or not is not relevant. Most often, it's them who hurt you, but this is unacceptable for you to think this way..… so, you must apologize profusely for not stopping them from making a bad decision. Their bad decision is your fault.

You must also never offer advice or suggestions that might prevent your narcissist from making a bad decision, because this is critiquing and you will be punished severely for any criticism. You will get the silent treatment or you will be attacked on such a personal level, it cuts you to the core, belittled, called names and falsely accused of things you may or may not have ever done.

You must be willing, when they come back to you, to be perfect in every way. If you fail, you will be punished, so apologize. Apologize and apologize again, beg for forgiveness, beg for mercy, for everything they did to you, accept full responsibility for their actions and yours, beg to be forgiven for everything they did to you, there are no exceptions. You must always take 100% responsibility for how they “feel".

Do not cry. Do not show sadness. Do not show any emotion that might challenge the narcissist’s self esteem. Do not express any emotion other than happiness that the they came back to you. It doesn't matter that the narcissist’s behavior is killing you. Do not express it, ever! That would be a huge mistake, as the narcissist might sense that you are unhappy in the relationship. This will force them to leave you again to go find someone who is more “positive” and “superior” to you. Someone who won't ask questions, feel hurt or abandoned. Someone who will listen to their stories of how horrible you have treated them and be willing give them what you can't or won't.

You must be willing to be abandoned, and left with no resources to take care of yourself, or your children with no explanation.

You must be willing to put your entire life on pause at any given moment, without warning, and be willing to wait patiently until your narcissist becomes bored with, or disenchanted by, their new person, or until that person displays feelings of “unhappiness” and becomes as worthless as you.

You must be willing to be patient and wait, do not feel sad, don't cry, don't react negatively, stay positive……they will come back to you when they feel like it.

You must be willing to allow this in and out behavior to happen multiple times, and never tire of it, you must never see it as an issue. You must be willing to embrace the revolving door.

You must be willing to appreciate the uncertainties, anxieties and insecurities of them leaving you for something “better” any time they feel bored or anxious with themselves.

You must be grateful, thankful and appreciative that you are special enough to the narcissist, for them to eventually return to you, whenever they choose to.

You must be satisfied with being weak enough to tolerate their abuse, yet strong enough to keep yourself from going completely insane, from all of the insanity of your day to day life with your beloved narcissist.

By now, hopefully you have learned your lesson and are ready to completely comply with the narcissist’s expectations of you, whatever those may be.

You must comply wholeheartedly (no faking it), with all expectations, even though you won't fully know what the expectation is, because they don't communicate their wants or needs to you. It's a fantasy conjured up in their own head, influenced by porn, envy of a friend, their boss or family member, which changes weekly, daily or hourly, but you should know what it is. If you really love them, you will KNOW what they want and need at all times, without them having to tell you, and you should be more than willing to provide it to them, happily.

You need to be willing to live every day of your life with the truth, that the person who you love so unconditionally so deeply, so intensely, is not capable of loving you, respecting you, or caring for you at all, not even with all of their expectations being met.

You need to be willing to accept the fact that the harder you try to please them, the more they despise you.

You should be willing to have your bank account emptied, your home foreclosed on and your car repossessed, resulting in you sleeping on the street, while they are sleeping in someone else's warm comfortable bed.

You should willing to become a shell of a human being, void of any feelings, emotions, identity or responses, other than to happily and joyfully serve the narcissist person's needs, wants, and desires, while completely denying yourself of all basic human needs.

So, yes…. If you are willing to do these few simple things. A narcissist will stay around for as long as you want them to, maybe even forever.

Note To ZackGCSO Domestic Abuse: It's not ok! Ever!

2018-02-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

Thank you Zack from the Green County Sheriff's Office for kindly lighting a fire under my ass this morning and helping me continue to do what is right.

ZackGCSO said...

I will start off by saying I am sorry for what you have been through! However I believe there are facts that you have left out of both of your recent posts. And I know Eric and I also have been around you and seen you in action. How many times were Deputies at your past residence when you Drunk had been drinking or appeared on a controlled substance? The reports show every time! What about the methamphetamine Charges against you at the local police department? As of dealing with people who abuse controlled substances you were not in your right state of mind most of the time and both of your post seem to relate to what normal people would do given that had to deal with your actions. Just for the future posts might write in there your wrongs before you try to ruin the face of someone else who put up with you over and over again trying to get you to quit abusing drugs and alcohol.

7:59 AM

My first post yesterday was a jumbled up mess of emotion spilling out through my keyboard and I sincerely apologize if I neglected to shine a brighter light on any wrongdoing on my part. As far as methamphetamine charges that are mentioned in Zack's comment, I didn't see the importance of focusing on that aspect as I had already publicly and humbly acknowledged that fact months ago in a Facebook post that you can freely view here.... Facebook Post You say you know Erich? Well I know him better. You also don't know me nor do you care to. Your focus is to defend an abuser and you sir are wrong.

The phone call I'm posting today is one from December 29th 2018. I was attempting to call my daughter and have her pick me up because I was once again being kicked out of my home. Erich felt it was acceptable to take any opportunity to snoop through my computers, phone, mail, possessions etc. I was happy to allow him access to anything he needed because I agree that when trust is broken it takes a whole of of patience and transparency to rebuild trust. However, I deserved the same respect and care which Erich refused to offer. His view was somehow that I should just be thankful I got to live in the house I helped pay for and maintain and follow his rules that only applied to me. I had nothing to hide so it didn't matter that he snooped but the principal still stands.

Erich and I have always drank together. We used to have fun together. Each time deputies were called to our residence I had not been the only one slurping beers... Even if I had been it's perfectly legal for me to drink as often as I choose and as much as I choose in my own home. One of the forms of control that I've endured over the last four years is the constant change in what is expected of me with no notice or compromise. It only became unacceptable for me to drink beer in the last few weeks.

On December 29th I was working in the basement trying to unpack and organize my mess of a life to hopefully restart doing what I enjoy, selling books and randomness online. I didn't have a car and I when I was allowed the use of Erich's truck it was only during certain hours of the day during hunting season. I had sent a message to my sons father on Facebook which was simple and basic. "I'll trade you a couple coupons if you bring me a six pack of beer on your way through Fair Grove." This is the conversation that was getting me kicked out of the house again. No one else was present to witness the raging monster that decided at that time I needed to be punished. No one was there to witness the hours of provoking, mocking, belittling, accusing and name calling that led up to what you hear in the phone call. After having him do all of this and I was trying to leave Erich took my phone from me. The phone call to my daughter didn't get disconnected. You can hear it all. I was trying to leave and I was a hysterical wreck. One minute I'm being kicked out and the next minute I'm not allowed to leave. No one has the right to keep me against my will that is abuse. No one has the right to take my phone and limit who I can communicate with, that is abuse. No one has the right to provoke me to the point of insanity and then blame me for reacting. THAT IS ALL ABUSE! Stop excusing it! I accept blame for my wrongs, blame me, hold me accountable, I accept that but stop thinking it is ok to hold me to a standard of measure that you refuse to hold Erich to as well.

Erich has the power to portray himself as innocent as if somehow one second I am normal and then for no reason at all I flip out. There has always been a reason and if you choose to focus on me being wrong in all things and excusing abusive behavior that's ok. Anyone who makes that choice has the freedom to make it. I have the freedom to finally stand up for myself and for others who endure the same thing. It isn't right and the fact that I finally have the courage to say what he's done to me isn't right doesn't mean I excuse or hide any bad behavior on my part. I fully acknowledge I also contributed to every fight. My biggest mistake has been to try to reason, beg, argue and hope that anything would ever change.

December 29th 2018

THE LAST DAY....

2018-02-21T08:22:00.001-08:00

CLICK TO LISTEN TO CALL RECORDINGS

(For the record Erich knew that all of our phone conversations were recorded.)

I am starting at the end. The last day that I submitted to the control and psychological, mental abuse was February 13th, 2018. I had asked Erich for permission to use his truck to drive to Springfield and cash a check and also visit and tend to my Flea Market booths. I had to ask permission to use his truck because we sold my car November 4th 2018 and so far Erich had not decided it was a priority to put money aside so I could replace my car. I had to drive to Springfield to cash the check because the bank it was written from was an Arvest bank and I can not open a personal checking account until I am able to financially recover from the damage of always making Erich my top priority and giving my money to him to manage as he saw fit. As of February 13th I had already contributed roughly $1200 to Erich's bank account. He was in control of making sure the money I contributed was applied to household bills and expenses. He claims that I spent every dime I deposited but refuses to provide a bank statement to substantiate that accusation. I save every receipt for every penny I spend and I disagree that I spend all I contribute. I didn't need a bank statement to check and see who was right or wrong. I asked for a statement knowing I would never receive one.

On this day I chose to rescue from guitar from the pawnshop it was in due to a previous need for money to give to Erich. I paid interest on other items I had in pawn as well as some of Erich's items. I then purchased a giant stuffed monkey for my son Logan to give to his sweetheart the next day on Valentines Day.

Over the course of the day I received communication from Erich through text messages and multiple phone calls. I don't feel the need to upload the text logs but if I'm questioned then I can happily do so. When I told Erich I had paid off the loan on my guitar he was angry. He asked me how I thought it was ok to do that and leave him to pay all the bills himself. I had already given him my portion of what was owed and when I told him so things got bad. It's always the way it would go if I thought for myself or stood up for myself. I knew that I was in trouble and he would be taking away my "truck privileges" to punish me. I had promised my son that I would have this giant monkey to him and I intended to fulfill my promise. I chose to drive to Buffalo and deliver the monkey. During my drive I was harassed and threatened that if I did not turn around and return home he was going to call to report the truck stolen. I delivered Logan's monkey and I returned home with Chris following to pick up Taylor because at this point I just wanted to leave. I have tried to move out multiple times and every attempt to do so has failed until this last one. Erich changed the door code as he always does to punish me for disobeying him.

Erich has claimed that I was driving drunk while doing all the things you hear me explaining to him in the phone calls. He has claimed that he made me leave because I "chose drugs over everything else." He has claimed that I blow all our money on booze and lottery tickets. I can disprove all of these claims. The phone call recordings from that day lean more towards Erich being drunk or on drugs because there was no reason for his behavior. I lived this life daily for the last 4 years. I never imagined in the beginning that this would be how it ended but I endured all I could. Putting my son who still lived with us through the pain of having to witness Erich treat me this way every single day was just selfish. I love Erich Higgins. I almost sent Taylor to live with his Dad. I was going to do this and just do my best to keep my mouth shut bear the daily verbal beatings, mind manipulation, isolation, fear and degradation. That isn't love though... And when I told Taylor he would be going back to his Dads he cried. He comforted me and told me he didn't care where we lived he just wanted to be with me.

I tried to make things work with Erich over and over again. It is not fair that I get to be shamed and looked down on and I won't stay quiet and accept it this time. Erich purposely coerced me back into a relationship with him over and over again so he could siphon off more and more resources that he had no right to take. I freely gave to him time and time again because everytime he made me promises I chose to believe that this time he would honor them. He has yet to honor any promise he ever made to me and my children.

THREE SIDES TO EVERY STORY....

2018-02-21T06:55:00.002-08:00

The saying goes there are three sides to every story, my interpretation, their interpretation and the truth. I accept that. I agree with it. I know that as an imperfect human being there are faults I have that I'm blind to. I believe I have always strived to allow others to open my eyes to my failures and work to improve. I am stubborn and it doesn't happen easily and I won't deny that I will argue and back you in a corner to try to prove my point and justify what I want but in the end I can admit to being wrong. I can admit when I finally accept a failure or a fault and I can acknowledge that I struggle.

Today I am no longer asking for permission to finally open up and reveal my interpretation of events that have led up to this day. I'm not seeking revenge so if that's your belief then don't bother reading any further or checking back in the future. I accept that there's a lot of people that will choose to believe someone else's judgement of my character no matter what is said or done. There are people who will freely allow themselves believe what is said about me and my character as fact without ever seeking to know me. I have lived my life for the last two years surrounded by people who do not know me and have made no effort to do so. Instead they believe the twisted reality shared with them by my ex-husband. My hope is that through sharing my interpretation of this reality I will be able to heal and rebuild my life. I also pray with my whole heart that someone or Erich himself will see something here that leads to healing for him also. Erich is abusive. Those words are harsh and I've restrained myself from exposing this fact publicly. I kept hoping things would get better. I hoped we could continue counseling. I hoped that setting healthy boundaries for myself would help Erich to do some self reflection of his own. I was wrong in it all. It hurts and I will carry the scars of the last four years for the rest of my life as will my children. On the bright side... I choose to take what is bad and try to work out all things for good. I am not standing on my word against his. I have recorded phone calls, saved text messages and save video clips from the surveillance system that Erich had installed in our home the day we moved in. I was allowed access to they system periodically if I behaved properly. I learned to use recordings as much as possible from the master himself, Chief Erich Higgins. The only difference there will be between his recordings and mine is that I share everything. There's no editing. There's no cutting out the bad behavior on my part. It's all there and it's all going to be available day by day because I am not accepting the shame of the picture he has painted of me to anyone who would listen.

I chose to try again to reconcile with Erich Higgins at the end of September 2017 because I love him. I was a mess and I have done so many things wrong because of the guilt, pain and regret that I have over the pain that I have caused others. For four years I went against my own heart and conscience and allowed myself to make decisions and act in a way that I knew was not right. I did this many times in an effort to make Erich the top priority in my life. I loved him and he was my husband and I believed he loved me. It should speak somewhat to my character that my first husband Chris Horn is still to this day one of my biggest supporters. He knows me. We were married for 15 years and he understands the heart of my intentions because he lived it in our marriage. Sadly, my behavior that contributed to the longevity of my first marriage allowed my second marriage to destroy my life.

I'm 37 years old and moved in with my Dad and Alice. I love my dad and I am so thankful for my family who love me and came to my aid on such short notice and in full force. I chose to leave Erich finally when I just accepted that no matter how much effort I put in, no matter how much I sacrificed, no matter how long I waited I was not going to be treated with the same love and respect by Erich. Not ever. I could also see that because I was not accepting the abuse any longer that me standing up for myself and setting healthy boundaries was causing so many fights and Erich was also unhappy. My children were all unhappy. My choice was to just shut my mouth and submit to whatever Erich laid out for me. Let Erich make the rules that only I had to follow and contribute to live in limbo silently. That was the only way for peace. He would've been satisfied with that. I would have been able to live that way had I just had the simple reassurance that what I was working for wasn't going to be taken from me. I financially and physically worked and gave to build a life in our home in Fair Grove. I was shocked when he was able to do as he has and completely rob me and my kids of everything but I trusted him. I gave him the power to do that to me. So I accept that. I knew the person he was and I knew better than to put myself at his mercy but I did it anyway.

So that's enough word therapy for today since I have mountains to climb. The rest of what is in this post is just copied and pasted from a different blog. I was going to start a new one but then I realized how much history I have here with this one. Erich has been able to demolish my life and lie about who I am and what he has done. This blog is me. It's my life, my history, who I am. I am not what he says I am and my goal isn't to convince one single person that believes otherwise. My goal is peace, healing and rebuilding a life my children can be part of. Taylor is 9 years old and the only one I have left living with me. He will have to change schools again and he sleeps in a room with his momma who cries a lot and still he smiles and loves and hugs and is just the most precious soul I could have been blessed to have with me now. It's time to rebuild and heal.

Starting Over....

I'm 36 years old.... (37 in November but who is counting?) I never imagined I would be starting over at this point in my life. Ten years ago I would have been horrified to see where I am today. However, as I type this post on Friday, October 13th 2017 I am not full of dread imagining the work I have ahead of me. Instead I have hope and faith.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I have hope that no matter what my future holds or the obstacles in my path that through Faith in powers beyond my comprehension, I will prevail. My goals are not to seek fortune or fame. I aim only for peace. Peace for my soul, for my children and my partner in this life. We don't always get to choose who walks the narrow road with us. I believe fate guides us to kindred spirits who will share the journey. Through good times and bad, those who are by my side are dear to my heart and I will move Heaven and Earth to see them happy and content.

Their happiness is my happiness. So, starting over isn't so awful. It will be a great adventure. I'm ready to work for it. I'm ready to battle. "For we know all things work together for good."

I'm ready to work for good, to strive for greatness, to promote love and peace.

Here I am... Starting Over.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

I wrote this April 7th, 2017. My son needed me during a time he was struggling and needed me. He had asked to come live with me and told me how unhappy his was and why. Those reasons do not matter now and they are not the point of why I am sharing this now. When my son came to me for help I should have put him above all other priorities. I wish I had been able to do that. Instead I left to Kansas with Erich so he could hunt turkey's. I had wanted to stay, asked to stay but I was not allowed to. I did not put up much fight over the issue because we had just gotten back from the hunting trip to Florida for a week that I had not wanted to go on. I spent a week in a one room hunting cabin while Erich hunted from sun up to sun down. I have always supported and encouraged Erich's passion for hunting so understand this is me shining a light on abusive control not bitching about his hunting. I didn't want to go on either hunting trip but I was forced to because Erich deemed me untrustworthy to remain home in OUR house.

So by leaving for 3 days I let my son down. I chose to again put Erich first and I spent 3 days cold, miserable and alone at a campsite in Kansas while Erich again hunted from sunup till sundown. When we returned home I returned to find that my son no longer treated me the same. He no longer opened up and reached out to me. I blamed my ex-husband and other circumstances but the honest truth is I had only myself to blame. I chose to please Erich instead of making the needs of my son a priority. I chose to again try to please a man that does not love or value me or my children. I wrote this afterwards...

April 7th, 2017

I lost him again... So many times, irritated I'd spit my words... "Logan go away! You're driving me crazy!" Now my soul screams for him to stay... Silently begging, praying my soul will somehow reach out to communicate with his... To let him know, to feel how much I love him. How much I miss him. How much I would give anything, everything... just to go back in time and choke down those words every time I let them fall from my lips.

He's my son. He's grown so tall, so handsome and so heartbreakingly distant. I helped shape him, create him... I am his mother. He grew inside me and I loved him from the start. I protected him, I nurtured him, I taught him... and I let him go.

Two years after I chose to find love, I lost my son. He was stolen from me. As I chased after my soul that was captured by a man I fail to please... The wolves crept in and stole my son. I wasn't watching... I didn't expect it... I'd been too trusting. Now I cannot win him back. No amount of begging or tears... nothing will win him back. If only I could undo all those words... all those times I shoved him away. If only...

I thought I had been a good mother before... It's only been these last few years that I have faltered... Or has it? Was I ever a good mother? Was I ever good? I used to believe I was. I used to want nothing more in this life than to do good... to do right. Yet I falter... I fail... I set out thinking with my whole heart that my latest venture of passion is just and true... But in the end... here I sit... alone... Forsaken.

In time my story will spill out here. I have to type it now. I cannot journal as I used to. My hands are sick and to hold a pen and scrawl across the page would mean numb hands and unending pain as I lay down to sleep.

All the sadness... the regret and worry... the anxiety... the pain... the anger... it all consumes me.

Is this really how a life of striving to do right ends? Is this really all there is left for me? Will all the joy and blessings I brought to this world be forever forgotten? Why does this world hold only me accountable as it also falters? Should we not all be condemned equally or pardoned the same? Why is my standard of measure so much higher than the standard of measure for those holding the ruler? Why?

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Standing Up For Yourself Is Not Selfish Revenge!

I have typed out several opening sentences, deleted them, stared into space for a while, typed another only to delete it as well. For the record I am stating right here and now that this blog is not to slander, attack or cause harm in any way to any person. This blog and everything in it is for my healing. If you are reading this now you either know me or you know him. For the past four years I have remained silent as far as publicly shaming my abuser. I am sure I have some Facebook posts here and there that I shared in times of frustration or desperation, but I have never gone as far as I intend to now.

My heart is broken and my life has been destroyed. I take responsibility for my part in the last four years that led to me sitting on a bed, in a room, in my Fathers house with only my youngest son Taylor clinging to his mother. He goes where I go no matter what and he has endured far too much heartache for a nine year old boy. My three other children are not far from me. They are living with their Father a few miles down the road. I get to see them daily. They come to see me willingly and stay and laugh, visit, eat dinner and just enjoy the togetherness of us again. The days of not seeing them for months and then having five minute pit stops to hug me when their Dad came to pick up Taylor.

I said hello to someone in the grocery store today who I thought was a (mutual) friend to me and Erich (my abuser.) I called out a cheerful hello but was not greeted quite so kindly. The man was not rude to me but I could tell it was not a genuine reply. I questioned him by messaging on Facebook and his reply told me all I feared that my abuser was continuing to do was true.

I chose to leave Erich. I chose to end the abuse by making the hardest choice I have ever had to make in my life so far. I chose to leave because continuing on was hurting everyone. No matter how much I gave or how hard I tried I could failed over and over to live up to Erichs ever changing standards. I scrambled around daily doing everything I felt he had communicated to me that was necessary to redeem myself for past mistakes and be worthy to be with him. I lived in fear daily that this might be the day I was again forced to leave our home. I say our home because it is OUR home. I sold my dream, my business and sacrificed all I had to achieve what we did together. The only reason Erich has the power to force me and my children out of OUR home is because I gave him that power. He communicated to me that our prior living situation in Buffalo didn't suit him and we discussed and planned how we would change things in the future, compromise and both be happy. I trusted Erich would keep his promises and I fully intended to keep mine.

Life with my abuser was terrorizing. I was questioned, accused, bullied and sometimes physically assaulted. The focus was always on me and what I was doing and for this last round I didn't even own a car for 3 months out of the 5 months we've been trying to reconcile after he succeeded in divorcing me and ensuring that legally I was at his mercy if I wanted the life and the dream he had promised me when we made the choice together to buy the home he took and live the life he is living. He didn't force me out this time. I chose to leave. I chose to end the constant unhappiness for myself, Erich and both our families.

I'm not going to be very organized in presenting my side of the story. I am not going to pour that much time and effort into explaining every tiny situation. I have to earn a living and time is precious. Everything you see here is my attempt to find healing and peace. I remember a conversation I had with Erich on June 30th 2015. He had moved out to live where his job dictated and he was at the house we lived in prior to moving so that we could throw a birthday party for his beautiful blue eyed daughter. We discussed our future and we made the choice that night sitting there talking that we loved each other and we would fight all the obstacles to be with each other. I shared something with Erich that night that I hadn't realized about myself prior to our conversation. I felt that we were both looking inside ourselves and sharing our thoughts, hopes, pain and fears. I felt that deeply and while talking I realized that one of the hardest and most painful thing for me to cope with was when I have been misunderstood or misrepresented and am not allowed the opportunity to explain myself. To know that someone has a view of me and my character that is based upon the misrepresentation of others or through gossip and lies is something that cripples my soul and ability to have hope.

I am afraid all of the time. Taylor and I live with my Dad and Alice. They rescued me and they love me. They sacrificed for me and they suffer through this with me as I struggle to live my life. To live my life I need peace. I need closure. I need to stop being afraid. I need to be confident in my decisions and not question every tiny thing I do. I need to accept and acknowledge that allowing someone to dictate my entire existence was damaging to myself and my children and all who know and love us. I have to admit that for four years I was the only one with the power to stop the suffering for everyone, including my abuser.

This may not ever be read by anyone. That is ok. There may never be one single soul who stands and says abuse is abuse whether it be physical, psychological or emotional. There may never be a single soul who sees any abuse in the goings on of my life for the past four years. If that is the case it is well with my soul. It is well because I am standing up. I am shouting loudly and I am not going to be silent and hang my head in shame and be accused and shunned. I am not what he says I am. I have never attempted to stand up and defend myself against his slander and lies. I shouldered all thew shame and filth he dished out. I knew the reason I became isolated in our home was because he couldn't be seen out with me being happy and in love, that would cause confusion and people might question his portrayal of my character. He couldn't consistently allow me to have a relationship with any of his family or friends because then they might see that I am not who he says I am.

The hardest thing for me to swallow is when people who know me and also know him choose to turn their back and refuse to acknowledge I have a right to speak. If he was worthy of respect enough to be heard when he told them I chose drugs or he kicked me out or I was lazy and did't contribute my fair share financially or that I was an alcoholic and a liar and a whore.... To those of you who allowed him to fill your mind with an image of me that is false I call you out. I fully accept that I have done wrong and I have publicly apologized for so many of my wrongs and I have always made an effort to make amends to those I hurt. I'm not perfect. I never claimed to be. But I am human. I have a soul and a heart and I have value.

When I met Erich I was at a point in my life where I was more successful, more confident and the most healthy mind body and soul. I owned a home with a husband of 15 years and 4 awesome kids. My first marriage was not a bad marriage and I thank God daily for Chris and the kindness he shows to me still after all the hurt I've allowed to enter our world and the lives of our children.

I cannot say that I regret loving as much as I loved. I gave all I gave and I ended up where I am now because I put the man I love above all things. When I left I was leaving for him. He does not love me. He does not love. He was more concerned over whether or not I was going to take the deep freezer than the fact that 40 friends and family members were there to move me out of his life.

Erich left me many times and each time he did I chased and begged and pleaded and was willing to do anything he asked of me to prove myself to him and nothing was ever enough. In the end I left knowing I would never get a true apology. I would never get the appreciation I craved from him and he would never put me first as his companion and partner above all other and all things. He would never make right the wrongs he inflicted to my life and my children also.

I have freely admitted and acknowledged my failures and wrongdoings. I have behaved badly as well. I have lashed out in anger, I have used substances to hide from reality. What would you do if you had just blindly given over your entire life to the person you love and helplessly had to endure the horror of watching them break every single promise and take for themselves what is not solely theirs to take. Before Erich my children had a safe home and I did as well. Before Erich I owned my own business that I loved and had poured my soul into. I handed those things over willingly entrusting that Erich was sincere in every plan we made and really wanted a life together with me as his one and only.

Erich has no shame in what he has done. He justifies it all. Selling my dream, my business is what provided the money to begin our dream together. He stole it. He is adamant and smug that it is his and I'm worthless and deserve to be where I am. So be it.... That's his version and he vomits it out to anyone and everyone. I trusted Erich and gave him the power to do this to me but I protected myself from being blamed and misrepresented when it was finally all over. When Erich left me the first time to move to Fair Grove he tormented me for a summer with an on again off again relationship. I was struggling and trying to do everything he demanded but I had begun to recognize his sickness and the pattern in it all. It was like a 500 pound boulder crashing into my chest the first time I discovered that he secretly recorded me sometimes. He would provoke me until I was just overwhelmed and my emotions took over and I had an emotional melt down. He would then record my hysterics and only share that and act as though I was that way for no reason at all or if there was a reason he had no idea why. Erich has forced me to end friendships, family relationships and if I ever requested the same reasurrance from him I was bullied and attacked or he would blatantly refuse and be sure to rub in my face the relationships he continued.

Now that I have painted a small picture of my truth I will proceed to share recorded phone calls, recorded conversations, surveillance camera video clips and anything else that I have saved in the last two years. Erich used his recording and shared our text messages out of context in an attempt to portray me in a horrible way to anyone who would listen. I haven't shared the recordings, text messages and video's until now because I had hoped that he truly intended to reconcile our relationship this time. I always believed whatever he told me just so I could be with him because I truly love him. I chose to leave an abusive man who does not love me and has made every effort to destroy my life as much as he can. There was no just reason for him to do what he has done to me. I am not deserving of this and anyone who can see the whole picture and still pat Erich on the back and excuse the selfishness, deceitfulness and outright evil behavior should hang their head in shame. What Erich has done to me, his wife, the woman he swore to cherish and protect and put above all others is wrong. He may one day say the words "I'm Sorry." He is not sorry and will never be. He feels just and right in all he has done.

Personally the way I see things... The people who work in emergency services are daily expected to save victims of danger or misfortune. As I have endured the abuse from Erich for two years he has manipulated his co-workers and police officers and others with the authority or ability to stand up to him and hold him accountable for his wrongdoing. He is the Fire Chief of Fair Grove. He should be a man of honest moral character who has empathy and protects people from harm. Erich has been allowed to hold his respectable position of authority as he ruthlessly played me for a gullible fool. Where are the men of God who attend church services and worship an almighty all powerful creator and have a duty to defend the defenseless? Law enforcement officers that see the truth and instead of honoring their duty and holding the abuser accountable they just turn their backs on me or try to intimidate me. Everywhere I turned seeking help I was greeted by a closed door. I did not deserve this end, my children did not deserve this end. So I do the only thing I feel I have left to do. Expose the abuser. Heal my mind, body and heart and guide my children in doing the same. So here I go... about to hit that publish button and then proceed to use all my available data to upload everything.

If no one ever cares or bothers with listening it won't matter. What matters is it's there. The truth is in the phone calls, text messages and video's. I won't edit any of them. No splicing and showing things our of context. This was my life. Daily accused and berated, put down and degraded, demeaned and taken for granted until the day I said no more and sacrificed for the last time. I shattered my heart and my hopes that the promised dream would be once again given back to me if I could just prove I was deserving and worthy. I left him. He didn't beg me to stay. He never loved me anyway.

Starting Over...

2017-10-13T06:20:00.001-07:00

Starting Over....

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Their happiness is my happiness. So, starting over isn't so awful. It will be a great adventure. I'm ready to work for it. I'm ready to battle. "For we know all things work together for good."

I'm ready to work for good, to strive for greatness, to promote love and peace.

Here I am... Starting Over.

2012-09-25T10:02:00.001-07:00

Buffalo Missouri Informed Citizens

Budget Ordinance Change Proposed By Mayors Assistant???

Do City Ordinances Really Matter???

Mayors Comments: Sometimes Ordinances Don't Matter...

City Raises Budget In Spite of Deficit Spending...

Pinto Bean...

2012-07-14T18:37:00.001-07:00

We found the perfect addition to our family. Meet Pinto Bean... Yes Emily has a unique taste in doggy names. She says, "We have Paco Taco Enchilada Horn and Pinto Bean Tortilla Horn... Put them together and they make a burrito." Haha. We still miss our little Guido and we will never forget her. Little Pinto has helped ease the sadness. We're blessed to have her.

From My Broken Heart...

2012-07-08T17:29:00.002-07:00

When I was a young child I had the ugliest black mutt name Crocket. I loved this dog. My mom would never let him come in the house because he was stinky and dirty. He would follow me all over town as I rode my bike here and there. He would wait for me at the pool and the library. He was the best. One day he just disappeared. I used to sit and imagine I could see him off in the distance and he'd run into my arms and we'd be together again but that never happened. My heart was broken that he had gone away... but over time my heart healed...

When I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada I had this awesome dog named Skippy. She wasn't quite the mutt Crocket was but she wasn't a special breed. I used to strap on my roller blades and put a leash on Skippy and she would haul me all over the neighborhood. That was so much fun. We moved to Pahrump and during my early teen years I was quite rebellious and ran away from home late one night. Unbeknownst to me... Skippy tried to follow me and I never saw her again. My heart was broken that I had lost such a friend... but my heart healed...

When I lived in Louisburg, Missouri we had a wonderful black lab named Duchess. She was amazing. She lived to fetch. She would chase anything, a rock, ball stick.... She would even dive into the water to retrieve whatever you threw for her. One afternoon while target practicing my brother and his friend accidentally shot her. She just came out of nowhere right as they were shooting their target. Once again I was so sad... but my heart healed...

A few years ago my lovely sister Misty gifted us with a beautiful little dappled dachshund we named Guido. She was absolutely the sweetest little dog you've ever seen. She was a perfect friend for our other dachshund Paco. She had the most beautiful big blue eyes and she was a special friend for my daughter Emily. That little dog would burrow under the covers with her at night. They were two peas in a pod...

Thursday afternoon we left the house to go to the library and the post office. We took both our little doggies and put them outside on their leashes to have some bathroom time while we were gone. We left about 3:00pm and came home about 3:30pm. I hollered for the kids to let the dogs in as I was getting out of the car and I heard my son Logan ask, "What is wrong with Guido??? She's just laying there..." I panicked... Instantly I thought "heat stroke." It has been unbelievably hot the last few days. Both of our dogs leashes are in an area where they have access to shade, water and their dog houses. Guido's leash had wrapped itself around a tuft of grass and she was in the sun. She was such a small dog that she wasn't strong enough to pull the loop off the grass it was caught on.

As I ran up to Guido the leash wrapped around the grass was the first thing I noticed. I looked at her and she was laying there, her eyes were open and her tongue was hanging out. I bent down and took her collar off and ran my hand down her side to see if she was breathing. She moved so I snatched her up and ran inside. She began to jerk around in my arms as I put her into the bathtub to get some cold water on her. I was rubbing her and crying and begging God to please not let this little dog die. All I could think about was my daughter I had to save this dog for my daughter. I kept yelling for Emily to get out of the bathroom because I just didn't want her to see Guido like this. I tried for about 5 minutes to breathe into Guido's mouth, rub her... I didn't know what to do... I just wanted her to live. Finally I realized she was gone. I sat there and just cried. My kids were all crying too.

As I sat holding Guido I noticed she had what appeared to be fresh bruises all down her left side. At this point there was a knock on our door and poor Bobby Heard from the parks department showed up to deliver my council packet. The kids and I were all crying and I came to the door holding my dead dog... just crying and telling him how sorry I was that we were all worked up right then... and asking him if he knew anything about dogs??? But she was already passed.... There was nothing we could do.

I felt awful thinking Guido could have died of heat stroke but I also couldn't imagine that it could happen so quickly. I got online and began to look up the signs of heat stroke and what happens when a dog suffers from it. I even called the vet and described her bruises and what had happened. The vet and the information I found online say she did not die from heat stroke and the bruises on her side were troubling me.

After many phone calls to anyone I could think of that might know something about dogs we ruled out heat stroke. We suspect someone did something to our little Guido to cause her death. She was not near the road and you would have had to pull a car practically into my back yard to run her over... and she would have been bleeding from that I would think... It's possible someone walking by may have kicked her but I can't fathom why someone would do such a thing. We will never know what happened.

So now I go back and forth in my mind wishing I had left our dogs inside when we left home. Feeling guilty that maybe it was heat stroke... and feeling sorrow for my daughter whose lost her best friend. Our other dog Paco is a lost soul as well. He wanders from room to room looking for his Guido and she is gone. My heart is broken. I'm praying for it to heal.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven... A time to be born and a time to die... a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted... A time to kill and a time to heal... a time to break down and a time to build up... A time to weep and a time to laugh... a time to mourn and a time to dance...

Parable of the minivan...

2012-06-21T15:57:00.003-07:00

Who are you?

Picture a city street on a hot summer day. The pavement is scorching hot, traffic is heavy. Suddenly you hear tires screeching and people screaming. From the sounds and panic you witness you can only assume there’s been an accident. It happened up ahead of you and you did not witness exactly what took place. You rush to the scene. As you arrive you witness a group of bystanders on the sidewalk. You assume it is safe to stand in this crowd to gather information about the scene in front of you. What you see is a sight to behold... A minivan with a family of four is overturned in the road. You see people gathered around the vehicle… they appear to be trying to lift it… Their faces are strained from the effort.

“What’s going on?” you question those standing nearby. From all the voices sharing information at once you gather that a speeding car ran the red light and struck the minivan so hard it flipped and now rests there in the road.

Still confused you ask another question. “Why are those people in the road trying to lift the van?” More than one person try’s to answer you at once. It is hard to gain a solid understanding of what they’re saying as they all try to speak at the same time. You come to the conclusion that the people in the road believe a small child is being crushed by the van. The bystanders are unsure of this but one of the people in the road says they witnessed the accident and is trying to persuade others to help lift the van. The bystanders on the sidewalk are unconvinced. Some say, “it’s hot… I’m too tired.” Some are busy taking pictures to post on Facebook. Some are complaining that they’re being made to stay to give a police statement since they witnessed the accident. You ask one of them if they also saw a child being crushed by this van. The response you get is horrifying. “Yes that is true but there’s nothing you can do about it… It’s too late to save the child and if it weren’t it would take too many people to lift that van. It can’t be done…”

You start to step out into the road to answer the calls for help from those who are lifting with all their might. Another person grabs your arm and distracts you with talk of there being no child under there… “Don’t get your clothes dirty, the police can take care of it… it’s their job not yours.” This sounds enticing… it is very hot… the work does look very tiring… Besides some say there is no child under there… Maybe they’re right.

What will you do?

The child pinned under the car is our country. The United States of America!
The van is our government crushing the life out of our country, out of the people.
The people in the road trying to lift the van are registered votes actively trying to make a difference.
Those standing on the sidewalk are all the rest… the ones who say one vote doesn’t matter… the one’s who don’t believe they can make a difference…

Do you want to live free? Why don’t you vote? Do you want to stop the socialist agenda of making everyone equally poor? Why don’t you vote? Do you want to preserve a country that is a place where your children can pursue their dreams? WHY DON’T YOU VOTE?

Social Services offices register their “clients” to vote. Millions of people cast their vote based on who is going to keep “giving” to them free what you and I work to earn. Take it back! Take it back with your vote. One vote DOES make a difference! One vote cancels out one from the other side. Please consider this and register to vote and then get out and vote. PLEASE join us in the road.

"Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days." Ecclesiastes 11:1

2012-06-01T07:02:00.001-07:00

"We must not expect to see an immediate reward for all the good we do; nor must we always confine our efforts to places and persons which seem likely to yield us a recompense for our labors. The Egyptian casts his seed upon the waters of the Nile, where it might seem a sheer waste of corn. But in due time the flood subsides, the rice or other grain sinks into the fertile mud, and rapidly a harvest is produced. Let us today do good to the unthankful and the evil. Let us teach the careless and the obstinate. Unlikely waters may cover hopeful soil. Nowhere shall our labor be in vain in the Lord.

It is ours to cast our bread upon the waters; it remains with God to fulfill the promise, "Thou shalt find it." He will not let His promise fail. His good word which we have spoken shall live, shall be found, shall be found by us. Perhaps not just yet, but some day we shall reap what we have sown. We must exercise our patience; for perhaps the Lord may exercise it. "After many days," says the Scripture, and in many instances those days run into months and years, and yet the Word stands true. God's promise will keep; let us mind that we keep the precept, and keep it this day."

~Charles H. Spurgeon

I was encouraged by these words. The Lord has given me work to do and I'm so very glad to roll up my sleeves and work! It feels good to be useful and to know that one day God will give the increase and I will be part of His harvest. :) Look around... there's lots or work to be done. Jump in and help.

Guilty Guido...

2012-05-01T19:07:00.003-07:00

I walked by my sweet daughters bedroom door this evening and thought it was odd that she would chain her dog up in her bedroom.

Upon further investigation I discovered this... Emily explained to me that she had set the chair there, outside her window... so that Guido could see inside when she was outside...

Have you ever seen a guiltier face?...

Dallas County Missouri Special Election April 3, 2012 Results

2012-04-03T19:27:00.002-07:00

Dallas County Emergency 9-1-1 at Large
Vote for 1
Jason Wendlandt 540
David Beltz 648
Write In 21

Dallas County Emergency 9-1-1 Northern
Vote for 1
Kathy Kesler-Strawsma 266
Barbara Elliott 299
Write In 15

Dallas County Emergency 9-1-1 Southern
Vote For 1
Lee Proctor 245
Brandon Kenall 228
James Salaki 107
Write In 8

Dallas County R-1 School District
Vote for 2
Leroy Laudenbach 297
John Maddux 485
Sonya Austin 284
Lesia Hessee 121
Wade Blake 350
Shannon Nicodemus 212
Write In 12
Write In 2

City of Buffalo Ward One Alderman
Vote for 1
James George 79
Kristie Horn 105
Write In 1

City of Buffalo Ward Two Alderman
Vote for 1
Jess Stafford 98
Write In 7

City of Buffalo Ward Three Alderman
Vote for 1
Larry Hicks 58
Write In 2

City of Urbana For Mayor
Vote for 1
Stephen R. Dyson 46
Donn Lancaster 8
Jamie L. Duncan 41
Write In 0

City of Urbana Alderman
Vote for 2
Phyllis Hood 49
Ronald A. Grice 47
Debra Jo Garrison Glass 32
Write In 15
Write In 1

Ozarks Technical Board of Trustees
Vote for 2
Greg Delong 2
Larry Snyder 2
Larry C. Gates 0
Write In 0
Write In 1

City of Buffalo Sales Tax Question
Vote for 1
Yes 208
No 187

Fair Grove Bond Election
Vote for 1
Yes 95
No 39

Chicken Tractor Built From Recycled Materials

2012-04-02T17:08:00.004-07:00

I have to brag on my hubby. Today I mentioned that I would really like to build a small chicken tractor for our growing baby chicks. They badly want to be outside during the day but they're babies and we're afraid they're going to get too close to the dog or wander off. SO... right after dinner my Christopher took 55 minutes and built the part that I couldn't do on my own. I still need to enclose it in chicken wire, which will be my project tomorrow. Chris is going to put some wheels from an old baby carriage on it for me when I get the wire in place. I will take more pictures when it's finished. The wood used to build it is just scrap lumber from a house tear down. It's warped but I think he did a great job of making it as straight as possible. He even built our little chickies a roost :) Thank you Chris!!!

The Beginning :)

Chris putting in the braces... These are important ;) Or at least that's what I'm told.

Almost finished

Now I can wrap it in chicken wire and then Chris will attach some old baby carriage wheels to it so I can move it around easily. :) Our chickies are going to have so much fun playing outside now!!!

Dallas County Missouri GOP Republican Caucus March 17th 2012

2012-03-17T18:16:00.004-07:00

I was pretty disappointed in the political process today. This was my first time attending a Caucus. I must say the Missouri GOP Republican Caucus in Dallas County was not all inclusive. A handful of "in the know" were ready and prepared with a slate of nominee's that were pushed through with no discussion. The requests from the audience were ignored and by the time those not "in the know" realized what was going on it was too late to do anything about it. I disagree that the average voter should have to attend monthly GOP Party meetings to be able to have their vote counted. As a voter I attended the Caucus today to have my voice count in voting on delegates to represent me. That's the whole point of a Caucus. There were many voters today who are average citizens that were cut out of the process by the few more active GOP Party members. The message seems to be your vote counts IF.... So now I'll add another task to my "to do" list. Time to start attending GOP monthly meetings....

Here is a link to an article written by another voter who had the same frustrating experience at this Caucus... Click Here

Doomsday Ready or Not? What Are You Trusting In???

2012-03-05T08:34:00.003-08:00

This morning I watched a news segment on NBC "Doomsday Preppers Ready For The Worst." I'm not completely freaked out about "the end of the world as we know it" but I am trying to prepare. I know how to grow a garden and preserve food. I still haven't mastered the art of raising enough food to provide for the needs of our family of 6, but I'm learning. I've also decided it might be wise to invest in some re-usable canning lids. I'm learning how to save my own seeds from the produce I raise. We even have some back yard chickens.

In the news segment people were stocking up 3 years supplies of food. They were prepared for nuclear war and other natural disasters. Gas masks, medical supplies and SPAM were main staples in their garage stock piles. Some people were stocking up on guns and ammunition to protect their stock piles when the doomsday arrives. One of the homes looked like it was in a subdivision with neighbors homes only 10 feet away... Good luck protecting your stock pile...

So if doomsday came today, tomorrow or in two months am I ready??? I don't have a stock pile of canned food, guns and ammo, water supply, medical equipment.... I'm not afraid. I am ready. "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness." I know where my soul will reside when I die. I don't think there is anything wrong with the desire to prepare for uncertain times BUT if that is what you're trusting in please rethink your strategy. Thieves will come and steal what you have. When lawlessness abounds there will be no 911 to call for protection. I want to survive but inevitably we all shall die. Even if it's in peace and comfort at some point everyone dies. Put your trust in the one who gives eternal life.

Save your spam and can your jam but first put your faith in the Great I AM.

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6)
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9)

Cream of Mushroom Soup Canning

2012-02-22T17:53:00.001-08:00

Mushrooms are on sale at ALDI's .79 for an 8 oz package. I've taken advantage of this awesome deal to try my hand at making some Cream of Mushroom Soup. I googled a recipe and dug out the pressure cooker and have about 20 pints of soup from the 8 packages of mushrooms and extra ingredients we used. This has been super easy and I can't wait to see how it tastes in some casseroles in the future :) I would like to have some home made chicken or beef stock on hand in the future so I don't have to use stuff with preservatives the next time I can soup.

The best part of the whole day has been finding Emily's (my daughter) two library books stashed away in my pressure cooker. Apparently the last time we used the cooker (around April or May) we brought our stash of UNO cards and her books home inside the cooker and I just put it away on the shelf until today. We've looked everywhere for those books and thankfully now can return them and pay a small fine... :p

Chicken Stock & Mushrooms Cookin'

Bottled Cream of Mushroom Soup Before Pressure Canning

The finished product :)

I pressure cooked this soup at 10 lbs of pressure for 40 minutes.
The recipe is...
1 lb of mushrooms chopped or sliced
2 quarts of meat stock
2 TB of salt
1 tsp of lemon juice
3/4 cup of flour
1/3 cup of butter

Chop the mushrooms and cook with the butter until brown.
Mix part of lemon stock with flour into a paste
Add all ingredients together and bring to a boil

Building A Cold Frame Garden Bed From Recycled Materials

2011-12-31T15:01:00.001-08:00

It's not unusual around this time of year for me to begin to really miss my garden. We've had some really nice sunny days this week and today I was able to take advantage of the warm day. With my husbands help we (mostly he) built an awesome cold frame garden bed.

Towards the end of the summer I found this great window frame at a yard sale. I was going to purchase it but lucky for me the owner decided I could have it. It's been sitting by the house waiting for me to make it into a cold frame. I was planning to just set it on top of my already built garden box, but there were gaps where the window didn't completely fit or sit down flush with the bed. My wonderful husband kicked into gear and helped make it perfect.

The first thing I did was take the original frame off the window panels. That was easy.

Chris has access to loads of scrap lumber so he went and dug up some pieces out of the scrap pile and cut them to make a new frame.

And put them together.

I think halfway through he decided to tweak his design just a bit...

We wanted the window frames to sit on top of the new frame so with a little help from his sidekick Chris took some new measurements, re-cut and then screwed it all together.

After all their hard work I figured I owed them a soda and some Cheeto's :)

The windows are attached with hinges so they're easy to open up and I've already planted some lettuce seeds.

Bzzzz on the COOKIE!

2011-11-14T15:02:00.001-08:00

I love the website Bzzagent.com. Today I got 2 boxes of cookies in the mail to sample. I probably wouldn't have purchased the Kroger brand cookies if I hadn't gotten to try these first. The process that a Bzz Agent gets to go through to sample and review products is lots of fun too. I love getting the surprise box of goodies in the mail. The kids really enjoyed these cookies. They were yummy with big chocolate chips :) I'm looking forward to the next campaign.

Farmers Are The Next Rich People...

2011-08-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

Coupon Blues

2011-08-22T16:12:00.001-07:00

God Saves Even The Meth Addict...

2011-08-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

When I was 15 years old my mother moved from Las Vegas Nevada to a little dinky town about 50 miles away... Pahrump... Oh how I despise Pahrump... It makes me think in grouch mode... Harumph... During my short 6 months or so living there my life was spiraling out of control.

I was separated from my boyfriend Eddie when we moved to Pahrump. I felt tricked into leaving him behind and was very unhappy about it. At one point my mother would drive me into Vegas where she worked and I would hang out at Eddie's house during the day and go home with her at night. It became more and more difficult to talk my mother into letting me do this so on the last trip I hid from her and had Eddie's mother tell my mother that I had not showed up at all that day. Three days later my mother found me and drug me back to Pahrump.

I spent the next few weeks stealing pot from my mothers boyfriend and going horseback riding... Yes an odd combination but that's what I did. I was alone with my mother gone to work all day, no friends, both of my brothers were staying with their father's and I had no friends. After a few weeks of being alone I left the house one night intent on riding a bicycle to Vegas... 50 miles away...

I rode less than one mile before I became exhausted so instead, ditched the bike, grabbed my back pack and began to walk... I didn't make it to the edge of town before a man stopped to offer me a ride. I accepted... By the grace of almighty God I am here to tell my tale.

I made it to my boyfriends house where I spent a few weeks or months I can't remember. I lied about my age to get a job at a Pizza shop where I rode the bus and worked for almost a month before they began to harass me to get a health card. I wasn't old enough to be working in the state of Nevada at the time so there was no way I was going to be able to get a health card. I waited until pay day and just never went back. It didn't take long for Eddie and I to break up and then I decided it'd be a good idea to call my mom and go back home.

When I went home my boyfriends sister came to live with me for a few weeks. We met some boys at the park one day and went to a party with them. I never went back home, which led to her having to move back home. I stayed with my new "friends" for while... I can't even remember how long.

During my stay I lived on beer for a while. I ate when they offered me food but never felt comfortable enough to ask for food. They didn't eat that much... I discovered why when they decided to use me for their personal amusement when they began feeding me methamphetamine's. They found me quite entertaining as I hallucinated, picked my scalp, cleaned their house etc. etc... I'll keep this part short and sweet. I asked my "friend" Alan to please take me home one night when I couldn't bear to be in a room with a light on because I was so sure my scalp was oozing liquid. I think I washed my hair 20 times in one day. I literally thought my head was opening up and releasing oils or something. It was terrifying.

Alan dropped me off at my mothers front door. It was locked. I thought for sure she was in there and was just not letting me in. I banged on the door until my hands were sore and then I slumped down on the porch to feel sorry for myself. Looking across the yard at my mothers boyfriends mothers house (yea I know it's confusing) I saw (or thought I saw) my mother, her boyfriend and his mother and brothers sitting on the back porch laughing at me. I was so angry I got up and took off running down the road. The brothers came after me and I wrestled free when they caught me and the next thing I remember I was in the parking lot of the local grocery store. I found someone who gave me a ride back to my mothers house.

When I arrived I once again knocked on the door. This time my mother answered in her pajama's... I cried and told her how mean they all were for laughing at me. She swore it never happened. I suppose I imagined the whole thing or maybe it did happen. In my mind... it happened.

My mother made me a sandwich that I almost couldn't eat. My mouth hurt so badly and I hadn't eaten in so long that it just wouldn't go down. Her boyfriend made fun of me the entire time... He said I was faking, lying etc. I'm not sure what he meant I was faking or lying about.

I spent the next few days either running off to find my "friends" or locked in the bathroom wishing I could die. My older brother was visiting from Missouri and he tried to be a friend to me but I was too far gone. I wouldn't listen to anyone. My mother couldn't deal with me anymore, so she bought me a plain ticket and sent me to Missouri to become my fathers problem.

I won't go into all the details right now of how much of a problem I was for my father. I'm only telling this story to show that God saved me. People laugh if I tell them I was a meth addict that got shipped off to Missouri to get away from the meth. Apparently Missouri was the Meth capital of the United States at the time I came here. It might still be, I don't know. The miracle of all this is that in spite of Meth being so popular here I was not able to continue my addiction when I moved. I did find a supply a time or two but it was never a consistent supply. I know that God kept me from it. I don't understand why He chose to save me but He did. I was worthless but He saved me.

I watched a National Geographic Documentary this morning. "World's Most Dangerous Drug." I have been struggling so much recently with a bunch of miscellaneous things in my life. It's all piddly stuff. Things that don't matter at all! This morning God reminded me where He brought me from. I saw myself and what I could have become in the poor souls portrayed in this film. God saved me. He plucked me out of the wretchedness that I was in and set me aside for a purpose. That purpose is to glorify Him. I'm praying I can put aside all these things that don't bring glory to God. I'm praying for all the lost souls in this world that they would hear Jesus. Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Daddy's Note...

2011-07-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Daddy left a note for his children before heading out the door to go to the grocery store. He announced his departure by telling one of the children that he'd left them a note with instructions for them to complete some chores while he was gone and if they did all that was required he would bring them home a treat.

After Daddy left the child decided to get right to work so as to be sure to finish her work before Daddy came home. She didn't think to tell her siblings about the note because she was so busy thinking of her own reward to come when Daddy got home.

Along came big brother and happened to notice the note on the table. Big brother gathered the rest of his siblings to tell them the news that if they completed all their chores Daddy would have a treat for them. Big brother began to give out jobs and his siblings gladly began their work.

Before long little brother and little sister began to argue over what exactly Daddy meant when he said... "wash the dishes." Big brother thought it meant they HAD to wash those dishes with their own two hands... Little sister thought it might be faster to put them in the dish washer... So time went on by as they discussed what Daddy meant in his note and... the dishes didn't get washed...

Big brother was busy coaching a few more siblings on the task Daddy left to "do the laundry." Big brother was a good leader and a hard worker. He didn't see a reason to argue if the towels should go into the dryer or on the line to dry. He let one of his brothers take the towels to the line to hang dry while sister put another load into the dryer to dry. They were getting double the work done!

Big brother went to check on some of the much younger children to make sure they didn't need his help with their chore. When he entered the bedroom he found two of the youngest children arguing over how in the world they were supposed to "pick up their room." The children knew they weren't strong enough to pick up the bedroom that was attached to their humongous house. They were very upset with Daddy that he would give them such an impossible task. Big brother took them onto his knee to explain what Daddy had meant in his note. The children were so happy to learn their Daddy hadn't been so mean as to tempt them with a treat and then give them a chore they couldn't accomplish.

When Big brother left the bedroom to check on the rest of the children he found the first child whom Daddy had originally told about his note, sitting in a chair reading a book. Big brother was concerned that this sister had not seen or heard of the note so he began to tell her and she stopped him. "Oh no brother Daddy himself told me about the note and I've done my part." Big brother tried to encourage sister to come along and help the rest of the children to ensure they would all receive a treat when Daddy came home but sister was unwilling... she'd done her part.

Big brother found some more children playing in the toy room. He tried to tell them about Daddy's note but they wouldn't listen... They were too busy playing...

When Daddy came home he was true to his word. Some received their treat and some did not... Those that argued and never completed their work blamed Daddy for not being specific enough in his request to "wash the dishes." They thought Daddy should have described how he wanted the dishes washed. Sister got her treat but was sad to see her younger siblings suffer without one... She wished she had done more to encourage them not to fight and do their work.

Joplin Missouri May 2011 Tornado

2011-05-25T12:32:00.001-07:00

This is a video and photograph's of the damage to the Wal-Mart store in Joplin. There was another survivor pulled from the rubble of the store the day this video was taken. Praise God for another survivor. Pray they find more.

Joplin Missouri May 22nd 2011 Tornado

2011-05-23T06:14:00.000-07:00

Joplin Missouri lay's in ruins after being struck by a fast moving, mile wide tornado. Pray for the people affected by this disaster. More storms are heading in their direction as I write this. My heart hurts.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30