Nurse Cookies for the Worlds Best Nurse......

Well today is my baby sister's birthday.  Seems like there's a lot of birthdays on this blog.

Keeps me busy......and baking.

There's so much I could tell you about my sister, but it would be so much better to talk about myself.  Sorry got off on the whole I'm a princess thing again.....oops.....ok my sister...yeah back to her and her birthday.

My sister and I are extremely close.  But, it's not always been that way. I mean it's a good thing she's even alive.  SERIOUSLY.

No she never was in a fatal accident, or attacked by some deranged mad man. Instead she had me, the princess for a sister.

I probably never wanted a sister when I was little. I mean after all, the attention was no longer all on me.  And I tend to be an attention hog a bit. Sorry, it comes with the title.

BUT.....for the record there was NEVER a time that I tried to kill her. No matter what story she gives you. She is delusional.  I promise.

Ok now that you know that I can tell you some stories.

As a very young child we had a tea party. Well gotta have liquid in the cups....perfume...yes perfume. I gave my baby sister a perfume tea party. I didn't make her drink it.  Look maybe her breath was bad, I don't know. All I know was that it required a stomach pumping on her birthday....no big sister awards here.

Then there was that time when I was practicing being Wonder Woman.....and was jumping from the kitchen set to the bed. I can't help it if she wanted to be like me. I could have warned her that she wasn't gonna come close to being me.....or making the leap to the bed.....but that was totally her fault.  Some stitches later and she was as good as new.  She bounced back well.

Over the years of injuries, she was always fine and it's no surprise that she became a nurse. That's right a nurse.  Surprised? Didn't think so.

I like to think I played a part in her great career. Don't you think so?

I've never been more proud as I was the day she graduated from Nursing school.  It was no easy task. During her schooling, she was going through a divorce (with six kids).....having six kids was hard enough with the schooling, but a divorce, even harder.  Then our mom died her last semester. She wanted to give up. I couldn't let her. She finished that last semester and graduated.

What an accomplishment huh?

I'm very proud.

It was no surprise that I made her cookies. She would have got a cake if we lived closer, but cookies are all I can mail.....So I made her Nurse Cookies.

She's a super awesome nurse....all my doing too.....So when you're in the ER bleeding to death and she saves you, just know that because of me, you're alive. If I wouldn't have tortured her so much as a kid she wouldn't be the fantastic nurse she is.

So here's to

Me

my sister....on her ? Birthday....you didn't think I was going to announce her age did you?  That just wouldn't be nice....besides then you would know my age.....see it's about me :)

Happy Birthday Baby Sister! Have a shot of

perfume

patron for me.

An Abusive Marriage.......

A few days ago I read Kristan's (

Confession of a Cookbook Queen

) story. Her 

story of abuse

 made me want to speak up and tell mine.  She helped give me the courage to do so.  I thought, maybe I could help someone by sharing my story as well.

I'm a very open person. I usually am a "tell all" kinda girl.  But when it came to this, I didn't tell too many people.  Now, I will speak up so that it may help others.

I got pregnant when I was just 17.  It wasn't your normally "oops" kinda pregnancy. It was one the boy that I loved and I planned. A few months into the pregnancy and he left.  All I wanted was to be loved and have a family, so when I started dating a guy I knew, it was what I expected.

I had known him a while and thought he was great. He was kind to my baby, who at the time was just about ten months old. We eventually moved in together and things quickly changed. He became a jealous, controlling man in no time.  He was jealous that I had a baby with someone else, so I decided to give him one of his own.

Pregnant with our first daughter he was furious that we were having a girl. To him it wasn't fair that he wasn't going to have a son. He would wake in the middle of the night in fits of rage and jealously. Accusing me of things and kicking me against the wall. I can't get into his accusations as they are too personal for young readers. They were sexual in nature. I assure you that I was a very faithful and did everything he asked.  Things just kept getting worse.

I left and went back home to my mothers.

Things got better as they usually did for a while and he promised to change. I went back to him and we married. Things weren't any different.  A few years later I was pregnant again....with another girl. Things didn't get better, things got worse.

I was required to have sex daily, keep the house perfect, and do as he told me.  When he came home from work the dryer was checked to be sure that there was no laundry left inside.

He called me lazy, called me a whore among other things. I wasn't allowed to have hobbies that interfered with doing anything for him.

I left him several times but always went back several months later.  I just didn't want to be a single mom. I felt like who would want me with three kids. After the birth of our second daughter I had my tubes tied so that another child wouldn't be born into this abuse.

My kids witnessed him calling me degrading names, throwing my stuff outside the door, and my son has attempted to save me from the physical abuse at a very young age.

One day he tried to choke me and I scratched his chest getting him off. My son jumped on his back trying to get him off of me. I had enough and called the police.  They wanted to arrest him, but the scratches meant I would get arrested too. I didn't care. I said arrest me too. But when I found out they wouldn't wait for my mother to come get my children and they would go to foster care, I declined pressing charges against him.

I felt helpless and I felt to blame.

In my eyes the abuse was directed toward me and my fault.  I felt I must not have been a good enough wife and that was why he treated me that way. There was always an excuse for the abuse, and it was always my fault.

I stayed for ten long years......that was when he started directing his hatefulness towards my son. My son came down with a stomach virus. His vomiting was disturbing my ex-husband sleep. He told me to keep him outside until 5 am when he gets up for work. That was it! It was the last straw! I would rather be alone, even if I was worthless and no one would want me with three kids. We would be happy and safe somewhere else. I left and never looked back.

And for the record, someone very much wanted me......took me a few years but I met a wonderful man. He told me I was a princess and should be treated like one. He meant what he said and treats me like every bit of one. We married a year after dating a year.  We had my tubes untied and had two beautiful baby girls, which he is very happy to have.

Every day that goes by I am so glad I got the strength and courage up to get my kids and I out of that situation.  It was a hard and scary thing to do, but we are safe. We are in a kind loving home and we don't have to be afraid or sad anymore.