A Stich in Time

Ann Rinaldi's A Stich in Time is a good read! I found it heartwarming and very touching. As I am a crafter, I came across these books in the library the other day. The Chelmsford family finds itself torn into pieces after the War of Independence. Hannah finds herself at the forefront of her father's animosity and anger towards the British, his son and daughters, and the ones who love them the most. Isn't that the way life usually goes. The ones we are the hardest on are the ones we love the most. Oftentimes, we put too much pressure on someone to be perfect and that is what the father of this story does to his children. But Hannah is determined to put her family back together by piecing a quilt. Each block of the quilt is a fabric piece given by someone with whom Hannah finds trustworthy. Trust as we all know is something that must be earned. I am not a quilter but I love any kind of craft and this book helped me finish the afghan that I have been working so feverishly to finish the last month. It was donated to a chaity auction this morning. I hope it gives someone warmth and comfort and they enjoy it as much as I did making it. See my blog To Knit or Crochet for more on the afghan. Happy reading, blogging, and Whatever!

Good Books Make Good Reflections on My Life

I have just finished two of the most intriguing and mesmerizing books. The first one I have finished is India Coghill's Delilah. It is loosely based on the actual Biblical figures Samson and Delilah and tells the tale of how these two might possibly have met. It gives a wonderful viewpoint of how Samson may have fallen in love and what transpired for this young girl to bring about her lover's demise. Although Samson was married, as with many Biblical stories of love, these two must have known each other for quite some time for in the Bible it states that he loved her. Delilah pressured Samson for one simple question; What was responsible for making him so strong. Most women I know, me included, will put some pressure on a man! Please! Please! That drives me crazy to a point too. But, nonetheless, I am guilty of doing it to the point that I have gotten my way. I can see Delilah saying this to Samson over and over until he can't stand it anymore and gives in. Which is what brought him down and resulted in his death but not before he took the Phillistines with him on that fateful day.
This is a very good story and the author gives her take on how these two met, fell in love, and how their romance may have ended.The names Samson (Day) and Delilah (Night) have some significance in their love story. You've heard it said many times; they are as different as night and day. Very good story that I highly recommend reading.



The next story I read this past week was the true story of Jaycee Lee Dugard. This story touched my heart. With each sentence I read, I could reflect on my own life. I thought back to where I was each time she was enduring torture and torment for 18 years at the hands of a very sick, twisted couple. Her story was heart-wrenching and I thought of my own 16 year-old daughter and how devastated I would be if anything like what Jaycee went through happened to my Elizabeth. Unfortunately, this stuff happens in our world and society everyday. Thousands of children go missing and are exploited everyday. Jaycee's story is a hard and difficult journey for a young girl to recollect on but she does it with style and grace as can only be told by the one who endured it the way she does. Many times throughout the telling of her story, I thought to myself how could she not get away after she became stronger each day and became a young woman. I imagined that I would have fought back in some way but thats not true. I was a victim of domestic assault for almost four years and one does not easily leave that kind of abuse. The type of brainwashing you go through is something no one understands until they've gone through it themselves.
So if you find yourself bored, pick up a good book this week and read! Which reminds me, I've got others to read! Bye for now! Happy Reading! Happy Reflecting! Happy Scrapbooking!

April Fools Day and Other not so Important Days

Well, anything that could go wrong did go wrong on April Fools Day for me! I work part-time at a fitness center as a manager. We have some pretty sophisticated equipment for members and that includes a high-tech security system that allows them 24/7 entrance to the facility with just a simple touch to a keypad by placing their finger on the mechanism and allowing it to read their print. Then voila! Entrance! Easy enough, right? Well, you would think so as many times as I have done it myself. Not on April Fools Day!
At about quitting time, which is 5pm Central for me, a dozen little old ladies in their mid-60s or older came in to open memberships. They had decided they would begin working out. Afterall, they were "sisters". They had all attended church together for quite a few years and wanted to firm and tone up; to stay active in their senior years. We all know what thats like. If you stop moving, then old Arthur tends to set up. No one wants that!
After filling out the proper paperwork, getting identifications and payments, then it came time for fingerprinting. Once fingerprints are done and accepted on the computer, then its necessary to step outside and scan the finger on the keypad. Some worked, others did not. As is necessary, it is customary to enter fingerprints outside on the keypad if for some reason the system is not recognizing fingerprints. One at a time the ladies lined up and we went through the necessary steps to make fingerpints again. Then BAM! I am not sure what happened but something went terribly wrong.
After one nice lady insisted she had to be somewhere in ten minutes, it became chaotic. No one's fingerprints were working correctly because I had inadvertently deleted the SUPER passcode that went to the entire security system! Sometimes I have days where everything gets on my nerves and this was one of those days. The ladies were all excited about becoming members and now they could not even gain access to the building! Including me! Luckily there were others working out. Well, I could not get their attention to let us come back in. My daughter had decided to come with me on spur of the moment on this April Fools Day because of spring break and she was bored at home. She noticed we were having trouble on the monitor and came to our rescue. Needless to say, we were back inside the building and I called the owner and he came and fixed everything.
What is the point of all this? Everything happens for a reason, right? This blog is about what? Scrapbooking! Yes, its moments like this that stress us out but then we see the humor in it. As I have done. And its worth mentioning in a scrapbook layout which I intend to do. I have a career scrapbook that I have been working on for some time. I think its nice to remember things we like to think about and things we don't particulary want to remember. The good and the bad. There are some jobs I have had that I loved while others I simply liked or merely out and out hated. Well, to me, they're worth scrapbooking about. I figure when I'm no longer breathing and my daughter gets bored she can take a look at my scrapbooks from time to time and remember how I was. Afterall, isn't that the reason why we make scrapbooks. To capture moments of our lives for others. Any day is a good day to scrapbook. Even on our worst days!

New Day

They say in Tennessee, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change." That is so true. Today was such a beautiful day with warm sunshine beaming down. Nice change from the dreary, cold days we have experienced for the past several months. But that could change once again. Afterall, I live in Tennessee. As I drove to work today, I took my time. Normally I drive the 65 mph or 70 mph speeds I am permitted to drive. But today, I drove the old-fashioned speed of 55 mph. The day was so nice I felt like slowing down for a change. It was delightful; such a joy. This was not a day for sitting inside working on scapbooks, knitting, or crocheting. It's not even a day for working on anything inside. Forget the indoor treadmill! Today is the day for walking and enjoying the outdoors. Those living in Tennessee can truly appreciate a day like today. Enjoy!

Domestic Violence

Well for the past three years, I must say my life has been hectic. Partly because I made it that way. This lovely lady met a fellow and romance bloomed. But be careful who you allow to come into your life. God sends His angels but Satan sends out his demons as well. This man should have been my best friend. Unfortunately, he was not. Yeah, I like to call him a friend. But he isn't a good one. His jealousy consumed him and ate him alive. It drained me of my self-esteem and almost my Spirit. I put off doing the things I loved doing because he didn't like them. Needless to say, I dropped my hobbies as well because to him they were a mere waste of one's time. I should have been solely focused on him and for a long time I was. I was madly in love for a long time-or so I thought. Love is not verbal and emotional abuse. Love is not domestic violence. And that's where this relationship went. I could be driving in my car (he lost his license to drive) and suddenly I would be bleeding or almost lose control of the car because he decided I needed "a good ole smacking". I was pushed, shoved, chased, stalked, phone harassed, smacked, punched, replaced three pairs of glasses, pulled off the bed, had my hair ripped from my scalp, kicked, had food crammed down my throat. All in the name of love. Like I stated earlier, I thought I was in love. In the beginning he told me I had a beautiful smile and I was a very pretty woman. He told me how much he loved me and how I was his "queen". Those days were short-lived. He had a gentle touch and would caress me constantly. We made love quite often. Those days came and went. We hung out with mostly his friends. They were mostly red-neck jerks who drank and smoke; did drugs. I didn't do any of those things. I was the "good girl". The one who was going to help him get his life on track. I was the one who survived over all the other girls he had in the past. Most of them never lasted with him over a couple of days or months. His alcohol consumed him and he let his chemical imbalance take over and hurt the ones who loved him the most. If it wasn't me taking his abuse, it was his siblings, his mother and step-father, aunts, cousins, neighbors, and even law enforcement. There are so many who have been hurt by him that they are too numerous to count or even mention in this blog post. When did the tide turn? When did the games begin? They were there in the beginning, I was just too naive or knew it was a bad relationship from the get-go. Suppose I was in denial. This bad boy and this good girl were doomed. No one, no matter how much they try can change another's habits or cure them. That's where I am now. I walked away from his alcohol and drug abuse. I walked away from domestic violence, the hurt and the pain. I begged him to get help for over three years. I begged God to intervene on his behalf, and I still do. I always told him I just wanted to live a normal life. His normal was spending every dime we made on alcohol and getting violent. If he wasn't drinking (which was very few days out of a month), he would want me to drive him around looking for weed or pills for other people. That's not my life. Those things for me are a mere waste of one's time. So one day, a few month's ago, I decided I was taking back control of my life. No longer am I the victim. I will always love him (I have for over twenty years). I hope to consider him a friend but only if he can stop placing blame on others and accept ownership of his abusiveness. I am a peacemaker, not a fighter. I am a lover, not a hater. I am a friend, not a foe. If you read this post and are being abused. Find the courage and the strength to leave before its too late. Don't let someone else dictate to you who you are. Many times I could have been seriously hurt. I never thought I would ever let someone abuse me the way I have been treated over the past three and a half years, but I allowed it to happen. Yes, police intervened on my behalf in the court system, but not behind closed doors. Get out before you are killed. You cannot cure the problem .

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Playing Catch-Up!

I have been so busy lately that I totally forgot about blogging. Actually, I didn't forget, time has a way of catching up to us and we soon forget to prioritize our responsibilities. The month of June crept by and before I knew it here comes July. Now here we are in August with school about to start! My daughter's birthday is on the 17th of August. What better way to catch up now than to celebrate her birthday! She has changed so much over the summer; new hair style, new clothes, back to school supplies, playing with friends, and becoming a more mature and responsible young lady.