Cara Brookins was left emotionally broken when her second abusive marriage ended. She got well by building her own house, which she did after seeing YouTube videos on how to do it.
The mother of four started looking for a new house in 2007 after being forced to sell the Bryant, Arkansas, home she and her soon-to-be ex shared. At the moment, though, anything the computer programmer analyst could afford was too tiny. Brookins too felt obliged to take action to bring her family back together. She admits, “But I had no idea what that should be.”
Brookins, therefore, came up with the idea to build her own house from the ground up. According to Brookins, 45, “If anyone was in our situation, they wouldn’t do this.” “No one else viewed it this way, and now that I think about it, I understand it sounds crazy.”
One acre of property cost Brookins $20,000, and she obtained a building credit for about $150,000. She then started watching YouTube tutorials to learn how to do things like run a gas line, build a wall, lay a foundation, and install plumbing.
Her children, ages 2 to 17, helped her throughout the nine-month construction of the 3,500-square-foot home. At the time, Drew, who was 15 years old, helped Brookins make the preparations. Jada, who was 11 at the time, transported water from a neighbor’s pond using buckets because there was no running water on the property. She then combined the water with 80-pound sacks of concrete to create the mortar for the foundation.
It felt impossible the entire time, according to Brookins, who worked when the kids were in school. After school, Brookins drove her family to the five-mile-away construction site where she worked late into the night on the new house.
YouTube videos previously were vague and provided numerous solutions to a task. Brookins employed a part-time firefighter with building experience for $25 per hour to help with some of the more challenging tasks. She remembers, “He was a step ahead of us in knowledge.”
On March 31, 2009, Brookins and her kids moved into the five-bedroom home. She gave it the name Inkwell Manor in recognition of her desire to become a writer.
In the years afterwards, Brookins has written numerous middle grade and young adult books. She has also written a biography titled Rise: How a House Built a Family, which will be released on January 24.
Building the house helped Brookins emerge from her depression. We were ashamed that our best option was to construct our own shelter, Brookins adds. “We weren’t really proud of it,” In the end, it proved to be the best thing I could have done for myself.
She says, “You can do anything you set your mind to if I, a 110 pound computer programmer, can build a complete house.” Choose one goal and stay with it. Find the big thing you want to do, move slowly in that direction, and take those who also need healing with you. That has a lot of influence.
Travis Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, responds to online attacks from Taylor Swift fans, saying, “You’ll never make me hate myself.”
She’s had enough.
Travis Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, fired back at Taylor Swift fans who have been criticizing her looks online because of the singer’s relationship with the NFL star. A fan page posted unedited pictures of Kayla without makeup, getting her hair done. The person who shared the photos commented sarcastically, saying “Very pretty,” and added a puking emoji.
Travis Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole, responded to Taylor Swift fans who have been criticizing her looks online.
A fan page shared unfiltered photos of Kayla Nicole getting her hair done without makeup. She responded by retweeting the post and writing, “YOU WILL NEVER MAKE ME HATE ME. Hang it upppppppp bookie.”
Other fans quickly supported her on X, with one saying, “You’re beautiful…this is so weird??!” and another adding, “I’m confused.. because you look gorgeous here.. true flops all around.”
“YOU WILL NEVER MAKE ME HATE ME. Hang it upppppppp bookie,” she tweeted the hater.
Many fans defended Kayla Nicole, telling her she’s “gorgeous” with or without makeup. One person tweeted, “Not them making a fan page just to hate on you. It’s getting weird.” Another fan said, “Girl, you are absolutely gorgeous. Forget the haters. ”
Kayla has been facing online hate ever since Travis Kelce started dating Taylor Swift last September.
She has been dealing with online hate since her ex Kelce went public with Swift last September.
In October 2023, Kayla Nicole, founder of Tribe Therepe, wrote an open letter to “Black women specifically,” responding to the criticism and embarrassment she’s faced since her ex, Travis Kelce, started dating Taylor Swift.
In her letter, Kayla urged her followers not to get involved in the drama, saying, “Don’t engage in this difficult and often unfair situation.” She added, “Protect your heart, even when others judge you or push your limits. You don’t have to respond because there’s power in staying silent.”
In April, she addressed the Swifties ahead of the release of the “Cruel Summer” singer’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Kayla Nicole tweeted, “Just know everyone has a breaking point & would love for ‘yall’ (because you know who you are) to leave me alone.”
In January, she seemed to call out Taylor Swift’s fans in a TikTok video, saying, “Fake page, s–t talking, cult following, keyboard warriors – maybe take the year off babe?”
A few months later, before Swift’s new album “The Tortured Poets Department” came out, Kayla addressed the Swifties again, tweeting on April 18, “I’m unproblematic. Mind my business. Never respond to the constant hate.”
Nicole dated the tight end on-and-off from 2017 to 2022.
Kayla Nicole dated Travis Kelce on and off from 2017 to 2022. Over a year after their final breakup in May 2022, Kelce went public with his relationship with Taylor Swift.
Kayla, frustrated by the situation, said, “I’m strong and don’t need recognition for it, but everyone has a breaking point. I’d love for ‘yall’ (you know who you are) to leave me alone.”
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