They say that if life hands you lemons, make lemonade. We all know that this is easier said than done, yet nothing is truly impossible if we set our minds to something and put in a lot of effort to achieve it.
Cara Brookins ended up in a vioIent marriage. She left her husband, took her kids with her, and started over in a new house since she was a mother of five and understood she had to protect her kids from the toxic environment they were made to live in. How was it accomplished by her? by creating her own construction blueprints and viewing YouTube videos that demonstrated various building skiIIs, such as installing plumbing, running a gas line, laying a foundation, and erecting walls. It sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
Now that she’s thinking about it, she acknowledges that it has been impossible the entire time.
Cara, a computer programmer analyst, came up with the idea to build her family’s new home from the ground up because she couldn’t afford to buy a house big enough for all of her children at the time she started building it in 2007.
Cara described the feeling as being that “if anyone were in our situation, they would do this.” “I know it sounds crazy now, but no one else saw it likе this.”
She borrowed about $150,000 for construction and paid $20,000 for an acre of land.
Her children helped build their 3,500-square-foot home; the eldest was only two years old at the time and the youngest was seventeen.
Since there was no running water on the property, her 11-year-old daughter Jada had to use buckets to carry water from the neighbor’s pond. Her son Drew assisted her in creating the plans. After that, she combined it with concrete bags weighing eighty pounds to create the foundation mortar.
The children would visit the site and assist every day after school. This tenacious mother paid $25 per hour to a part-time firefighter with building experience to complete the most difficult tasks. He was “a step ahead of us in terms of knowledge,” she recalled.
The family finally moved into Inkwell Manor on March 31, 2009, which was named in honor of Cara’s aspiration to become a writer.
“We felt ashamed that the only option available to us was to construct our own shelter,” Cara remarked. “We weren’t particularly proud of it, but it ended up being the best thing I could have done for myself.”
“Anything is possible for you if I, a 110-pound computer programmer, can build a whole house,” she exclaimed.
She continued, stating, “Select one goal and stick to it. Choose a big project you’ve always wanted to do, start small, and take the others who also need to recover with you. That has a great deal of power.
This isn’t it one of the most amazing tales you’ve heard recently?
If this family’s tenacity inspires you as much as it does, please SHARE their amazing tale on Facebook with your loved ones!
I Love This Bar by Toby Keith
If you are a fan of country music, you might be familiar with the song “I Love This Bar” by Toby Keith. It is one of his most popular and successful songs, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 2003. But do you know the story behind the song and what inspired Keith to write it?
According to Wikipedia, Keith wrote this song with his friend and fellow songwriter Scotty Emerick. They were inspired by a bar they visited in Syracuse, New York, where they saw a diverse crowd of people having fun and enjoying themselves. They decided to write a song that celebrates the bar culture and the sense of community it creates.
The song describes various characters that frequent the bar, such as bikers, yuppies, college kids, soldiers, and farmers. Keith sings about how he loves the bar for its atmosphere, music, drinks, and friendly staff. He also mentions some of the features of the bar, such as a jukebox, a dance floor, a pool table, and a big TV screen.
The song’s title also inspired a chain of restaurants owned by Keith named Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill. The restaurants feature live music, memorabilia, and southern-style food. The first one opened in 2005 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and since then more than 20 locations have been opened across the US.
You can listen to the song on Spotify or watch the official music video on YouTube. You can also read more about the meaning behind the song on this website. If you love this song as much as Toby Keith loves this bar, you might want to check out his other hits from his album Shock’n Y’all, such as “American Soldier” and “Beer for My Horses”.
See alsoAnnie’s Song by John Denver
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