Domestic Violence

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse,
child abuse or intimate partner violence (IPV),
can be broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one
or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage,
dating, family, friends or cohabitation. Domestic violence has
many forms including physical aggression (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving,
restraining, throwing objects), or threats thereof; sexual abuse;
emotional abuse; controlling or domineering; intimidation;
stalking; passive/covert abuse (e.g., neglect); and economic
deprivation. Domestic violence may or may not constitute a crime,
depending on local statues, severity and duration of specific acts,
and other variables. Alcohol consumption and mental illness have
frequently been associated with abuse.

Any form of domestic violence is not ok. It happened to some one
close to me. This is her story. Shes a young mother in her early 20's.
Shes married, now in the process of getting a divorce. She has 2 boys
aged 4 and 2. She has custody of her boys. Their father
doesnt want any thing to do with the boys.

The boys father abused their mother in front of them. He was choking
her. He abused the 4 year old by hitting him in the face and leaving a
huge bruise covering most of his little cheek.

He kept her and the boys away from her family and friends for 3 months.
He cheated on her. This is the only time that I am aware of him abusing
them. It could or could not of happened before. People who are abused
become good at hiding it. They are ashamed, they fear being abused again if any one finds out.

She had finally had enough when he choked her in front of her mother and
her mothers friends. The police were called. He was charged, ordered to leave
the home. She went to a place for domestic violence here in town. She stayed
with her mother for a while then went back home with the boys, once the police told her he was out of the house and it was safe for her and the kids to go home.
The locks at their house has been changed, hes not allowed to be around them
or thier house. Some of his family is her neighbors.

I do not know if he was abused as a child, but was told that abuse runs in his
family. I dont know if that is true or not. I dont know him as well as I know
her.

They have been to court, she had a lawyer, he didnt. The judge told him to get
one because he was in a lot of trouble. He has to give back most of the things
he took out of their house.

Shes moving on with her life. Taking classes to better herself, looking for a job so she can support herself and her kids.

To get help call your local domestic violence hotline or the National Domestic
Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224

Hotline services include
crisis intervention, safety planning, information about domestic violence and
referrals to local service providers.

Direct connection to domestic violence resources available in the callers area
provided by a Hotline advocare.

Assistance in English and Spanish with Hotline advocates having access to more
than 170 different languages through interpreter services.

Assistance through email

Informational materials on such topics as domestic violence, sexual assult,
battering intervention and prevention programs, working through the
criminal justice system and related issues. There is help out there for those who have been abused.

No matter what the abuser tells you it is not your fault. They will tell you that your are
worthless. That no one else would have you. That your fat, ugly, worthless. They beat down
your self esteem so that you wont try to leave them. They control you this way. Some stay because
they think they have no place to go, no one to help them. But there is help, no matter who you are,
or where you live. Please dont wait until its to late.

Until next time, I hope all is well for you and yours in your own little piece of the world.

Do You Ever

Do You Ever

Have one of those kinds of days where you have some thing
you have to do but dont want to do it? You know its the right
thing to do and you know it will bring you down? Well that
is the kind of day I am going to have.

My best friends uncle passed away and the viewing is today
with the funeral right after. I am going, but I dont really want to.
I dont like funerals. But I need to be there for my best friend.
Her uncle was more like a father to her than an uncle. I know she will
have family there but yesterday when we spent time together she
ask me to come and I told her I would.

I am going to hate it when she leaves, because then I cant be there
for her. She now lives in another state and its a long drive home for
her.

Dale and I have \known her uncle for years. We will miss him.
Gone but not forgotten Bubby.

Until next time I hope things are going well for you and yours in
your own little piece of the world.

Its going to be one of those days

Its going to be one of those days where there is no peace and quiet. The upstairs neighbor has her daughter and 2 young grandsons staying with her and they are loud. Running across the floor screaming at the top of their lungs, banging things. I understand you cant keep kids quiet all the time. They know Dale works nights and sleeps during the day. If things dont quieten down I am going up there and tell them to keep the noise down. What makes me mad she tells me its not them making any noise that it it the people in the other apartment. Excuse me its her bedroom over ours and if its not them at 1:30 in the morning making nose I sure would like to know who is in her apartment making noise at that time in the morning. Only suppose to be one person living there and now there is 5 people staying there.

I dont like to complain about the noise but I will if they keep it up.

Until next time, I hope all is well with you and yours in your own little piece of the world.

Is It Spring Yet?

I know its not Spring yet but for the last couple of days we have had Spring like weather. I love it! Not to hot and not to cold. Just right to be outside doing things. The early morning hours is still a little cold. Like this morning when I walked home from my daughter's at a little after 6 it was 22 degrees out. Its now 8:21 and 25 out. The sun isn't up yet but it is supposed to be another Spring like day.

I started a new blog this week for my own original creations. You can see them or down load them here.

This week on Wednesday, I went shopping and out to lunch with my sister and daughter. Thursday morning I went out to breakfast with my daughter and youngest grandson. Friday morning I went out to breakfast with my daughter and youngest grandson and then we ran around town. As for today, I had a pop tart for breakfast and will be staying home unless something comes up until time to go baby sit tonight. Tomorrow (Sunday) starts a week of being home. The boys will be going to their dads for the coming week tomorrow. And that's what's been happening in my world this week.

Until next time, I hope things are going well for you and yours in your own little piece of the world.

My New Blog

I started a new blog last night. Its called Becca's Unique Attic Treasures.
Are you curious about the kind of treasures found there? Well, they are/will be my own orginal creations. Either drawn with my mouse or sketches I have done and scanned into paint shop pro to colorize them or play with them.

A lot of my orginal creations, I open a canvas and fill it with a color, add a new layer and then chose a coordinating color and just scribble or doodle on it. I use the effects that come with psp or I use a plugin or filter on the scribbles or doodles. Mostly I play around with the kaleidoscope effect. I even use the smudge or mesh warp brush on it. I play around with it until I see something I think would make a good bow, wings, butterfly, etc. All the creations on my new blog will always be freebies.

Right now there is only one freebie there. It is 4 bow templates. You can visit my new blog here.

Grief

Its never easy when we lose a loved one. I cant imagine the pain of losing a child.

There's no right or wrong way to grieve. Each person has their own way of dealing with death and grieving. Me I cry, I get quiet and go off by myself. There is no set amount of time to grieve. For some it could be a day, a week, a month or years. I dont think the pain of a loved one passing on ever goes away. It just lessens with time. The loved one will always be with us in our hearts. Gone but not forgotten. We have our memories of time spent with them. Even if some of those memories are bad.

My thoughts and prayers are with my nephew and his family at this time.
Evin was here for only a short time but he touched the hearts of many people.
May you rest in peace little one.

Until next time I hope that all is well for you and yours in your own little piece of the world.

Just My Thoughts

A lot has happened since I last posted here. Enough to write more than a few chapters in a book if I were writing one.

Friends, new ones made. Some left for various reasons.

I am now co-editor of the Cancer Moon Creations Newsletter. The first edition came out this month. In March we are going to try to get 2 editions of it sent out. This will be a trial run to see how it goes.

Family wise things are good. The boys are with their dad this week. I missed them soon as I left yesterday to come home. I always miss them when I dont get to see them every day.

My tag making is going good. I started doing quick pages. I want to learn how to make my own blog layouts. Thats a goal that I will be working on very soon.

The weather has been strange this winter. We have got more snow this winter than in the last decade. Last week the temps were in the single digits. Yesterday and today the temp has been in the low 50's. Today it rained off and on all day.

I am so ready for Spring to get here so that I can be outside more with the boys. Plant some flowers and tomato plants. Take nature walks with the boys. What is a nature walk you ask? Its where the boys and I go for a walk and look at things in peoples yards or along the street that has to do with nature. On day while walking
we saw a walnut tree. Walnuts in the hulls covered the side of the road and there were a few in the road that had been smashed by traffic. We stopped to look at one of the smashed walnuts. I told the boys about the hull, how you have to remove the green hull to get to the nut inside. I told them that the juice from the inside once smashed stains your hands and any thing that it gets on. I also told them once the walnuts are hulled you have to spread the nuts out and let them dry before you crack them to eat. This also brought back memories of how Momma used to use walnuts in cakes, make black walnut fudge and how we would all just sit around Momma and crack the walnuts and eat them. Black walnuts are best after the first frost.

I am tired and not feeling well so until next time I hope things are going well for you and yours in your own little piece of the world.