#sibling spouses gc

[heterosexistly]

musical or b&w noir mystery episode for 911??? debate in the tags @gayhoediaz @girldiaz

[bridgertonbabe]

With the spouse groupchat I’m guessing the Pictionary Incident was Sophie’s first experience at game night? I’m wondering if she and Benedict may have had an advantage on everyone else given Benedict’s artistic skills. Or if his siblings were prepared for this and it (as expected) lead to more chaos.

BSSG Group Chat

Simon has added Sophie to the chat.

Simon: Welcome Sophie.

Kate: Hey 🙋🏾

Sophie: Hi?

Kate: You're now the newest member of the Bridgerton Spouses Support Group GC!

Sophie: But I'm not a spouse?

Simon: Yeah but you will be soon enough and after what happened last night you've essentially earned your place here.

Kate: Exactly! And congrats on the engagement! 🤗

Sophie: Wait what?

Simon: We figured you guys were keeping it quiet but Ben let the cat out of the bag by referring to you as his fiancee when we were sitting with him. I'm sure you wanted to do a proper announcement and everything but don't worry we'll keep it under wraps for now.

Kate: Yeah we promise, I haven't breathed a word of it to Anthony.

Simon: Same with Daph, your secret's safe with us.

Simon: And congratulations, of course

Sophie: So the thing is Ben and I aren't engaged. He probably only called me his fiancee because of all the morphine he was on, I'm sure he's just confused and delirious.

Kate: Oh shit are you serious?

Sophie: Well I'd think I'd know if I was engaged, it's not something that happens very often.

Sophie: So sorry for the misunderstanding x

Sophie has left the chat.

Simon has added Sophie to the chat.

Simon: Hey just because you're not engaged right this second doesn't mean you can't be in the chat!

Kate: Yeah I mean it's definitely going to happen sooner or later.

Simon: And like I said after last night you've cemented your place not just in this chat but in the family too.

Kate: How's Ben doing? Are you still at the hospital with him?

Sophie: He's ok, he's asleep at the moment. Hopefully by the time he comes round he won't be in as much pain.

Simon: Well that's good to hear.

Sophie: Is Anthony ok?

Kate: Lol yeah he'll be just fine don't you worry.

Sophie: Look guys as kind as you've been there's not really much point in having me in the chat. Once Ben wakes up and he's not so high on the morphine I'm going to end things. It's been really nice knowing you both, you're both so lovely and I wish you all the best x

Sophie has left the chat.

Simon: WHAT THE FUCK

Kate has added Sophie to the chat.

Kate: Sophie wtf are you talking about?!?!!

Simon: What do you mean you're ending things with Ben?

Kate: You're perfect for each other I don't understand?!?!?!

Sophie: Because of everything that happened last night?

Kate: Yeah what about it?

Sophie: ...

Sophie: I punched Anthony and gave him a black eye?

Simon: So?

Sophie: ...

Sophie: So????? What do you mean so? Why the hell would Ben want to stay with me after I punched Anthony and slapped Colin?

Kate: Sophie are you serious? That was hands down the most iconic thing that's ever happened at a Bridgerton game night.

Simon: I honestly thought Ben had proposed to you as a direct result from you putting those idiots in their places.

Sophie: Look even if Ben was for some reason won over by my behaviour, I don't see Violet welcoming me into the fold after hurting two of her sons and I don't see the rest of the family being impressed by what I did.

Simon: But Violet was completely on your side! We all were!

Kate sent a photo

Kate: That's a still from the video Hy took of you bitch slapping Colin.

Kate sent a photo

Kate: And that's the still Eloise has already had printed and framed that's now sitting proudly on the mantlepiece.

Simon: Sophie the rest of them would throw a parade for you if they could. They're completely enamoured by you.

Kate: More so than they already were.

Sophie: That's... ok I don't really know how to take that. That's not a normal response from witnessing violence.

Simon: No it's a perfectly normal response from witnessing justified violence.

Kate: And Sophie speaking as Anthony's wife; he did deserve it.

Sophie: I just don't think Anthony or Colin would want me to keep dating Ben.

Simon: Sophie let me assure you now they won't hold it against you. If anything they'll have gained respect for you.

Sophie: I severely doubt that.

Kate: Look Sophie you taught them a very valuable lesson that it's not ok to intentionally slam a mini keg of beer down on Ben's hand just because he was thrashing them at Pictionary.

Simon: And just like you and Violet were screaming at them, they could have genuinely done lasting damage and Ben would have been buggered from ever doing his art again. They had to be told and hand on heart physically assaulting them was truly the only way to get that through their thick skulls.

Kate: Plus it doubled as a valuable teaching lesson for them and the rest to never mess with Ben and especially never to fucking mess with you.

Sophie: Look even that aside I don't think it's going to work out between Ben and I. I really wound him up even before the keg incident and when he wakes up and the painkillers have worn off I expect he won't want to keep things going either so we may as well just cut our losses. Again I really appreciate all your kind words, it's been nice knowing you x

Sophie has left the chat.

Kate: Oh for fuck's sake.

Simon has added Penelope to the chat.

Simon has added Sophie to the chat.

Simon: Sophie don't leave this chat again, you got that?

Kate: Yes just please stay fucking put.

Sophie: Ok?

Penelope: Hello? 👀

Simon: Hey Pen welcome to the Bridgerton Spouses Support Group GC. Seeing as you've known them the longest we need your expert insight to assure Sophie that nothing should be taken to heart from the family during game nights.

Penelope: omg Sophie please don't let last night scare you off!

Penelope: yes they all go batshit but it's only game nights that set them off I swear!

Simon: And Pall Mall.

Penelope: well yeah basically anything competitive they turn into a bunch of crazy nutzos, it runs in the family

Penelope: and I totally get that Daphne and Eloise getting into a spitting fight would have been very off-putting to witness and Hy chucking her drink over Fran and Greg was uncalled for but they're truly only at their collective worst when they're competing against each other

Sophie: Oh don't worry I very much got the picture that they're all unhinged when it comes to playing games 😩

Sophie: It's just that after Ben got so mad at me and shouted at me in front of everyone, I don't know if I'm what he wants any more.

Kate: Omg Sophie it was only in the heat of the moment of the game, it's not that deep.

Sophie: Kate my own boyfriend dumped me from his team and recruited you instead because my drawings were "abominably shit". He literally couldn't even look at me from that point on, he was that frustrated with me.

Kate: Yeah but in his defence Soph your drawings were particularly abysmal. I still don't know how you managed to fuck up a starfish the way that you managed to. Honestly I was going to yell at you for that one but Ben beat me to it.

Simon: Soph please pay no mind to Kate, she's not much better than the family when it comes to game nights.

Kate: Hey! I'm just being honest with her!

Penelope: Sophie please don't take how Ben reacted to heart! I swear he's actually one of the milder Bridgertons during game nights, it's only because Pictionary is his game to lose that he lost his cool last night otherwise he wouldn't have ever spoken to you like that

Sophie: I get where you guys are coming from and I don't want to be so overly sensitive but he's never once raised his voice to me and I never thought he would.

Penelope: the last time we played Pictionary do you know who Ben snapped at and ditched from his team because they weren't meeting his impossibly high standards?

Penelope: his own mum

Kate: Omfg

Simon: Holy shit

Penelope: I never thought he'd ever talk to Violet like that since he's such a mummy's boy but Pictionary ignites something very ugly in him that nobody's safe from, even those he loves most

Simon: See Soph! Don't let Ben being a psychotic competitive Bridgerton get to you! It's not worth ending your relationship over!

Penelope: WHAT?!?!?!?!?

Penelope: omg you're not seriously thinking of breaking up with him are you??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Kate: Seriously you can't Sophie!

Penelope: you make him so happy Sophie, he's been on cloud 9 ever since you've been together

Simon: You're part of the family now Soph. Even if you wanted to leave they wouldn't let you.

Kate: We wouldn't let you.

Penelope: Sophie they all adore you, I hear nothing but them singing your praises. El says you're the best thing that's ever happened to Ben - I seriously don't know what he'd do if you broke up with him, I don't think he'd recover

Simon: Violet's been foaming at the mouth for months now for Ben to propose

Simon: In fact Violet was the one who picked Pictionary to play because she wanted you to be super impressed by Ben at your first game night

Simon: And yes admittedly it might have massively backfired but it just proves how desperately Violet doesn't want Ben to lose a partner like you!

Kate: He has a ring!!!!!!!!!!

Kate: Why'd you think we didn't even question him calling you his fiancee?!?!?!?! We thought he had finally popped the question!!!!!!!!

Sophie: Wait

Sophie: He's got a ring?

Simon: Kate

Kate: I had to tell her Simon!!!! We can't let her sucking at Pictionary be the reason she breaks things off when he's literally about to propose!!!!!!!!

Sophie: You're not just saying that are you?

Kate: I was literally there when he asked Violet for his grandmother's ring! And remember the other week when we had a girls night and Fran asked to try on one of your rings? That was how we figured out your ring size and Fran went with Ben to the jewellers to get his grandmother's ring resized so it'd be a perfect fit for you!

Simon: Way to ruin the surprise.

Kate: Hey Ben will thank me for saving his relationship instead of letting her dump him because she hasn't got a thick enough skin for game nights!

Penelope: just for the record it doesn't matter how thick a skin you have - a Bridgerton game night will unsettle and unnerve just about anyone from outside the fam who takes part

Penelope: (not including Kate obvs)

Sophie: I can't believe it, he wants to marry me? He really wants to marry me?

Kate: Yes!!!!!!!!!!

Sophie: And you think he still would after last night?

Simon: Sophie he'd want to marry you even more after last night. I'm pretty sure in spite of the pain he was enduring from his hand being crushed that he was also quite turned on from you beating up his brothers and berating them.

Penelope: it definitely turned me on

Kate: Same here.

Simon: So please swear you won't end things with him when he wakes up

Sophie: Don't worry I won't.

Kate: Also I'd greatly appreciate if you didn't spoil your own engagement or let slip that I gave you the heads up about it

Sophie: Rest assured I won't ruin the element of surprise.

Simon: And also don't you dare try leaving this chat again. You're here now and for the forseeable, you got that?

Sophie: I promise 😇 x

Penelope: well it looks like my work here is done 👐

Penelope has left the chat.

Sophie: Oh that's a shame. I thought Pen would stay as well considering she'll marry in too.

Simon: Ah I know but I understand her not feeling comfortable staying in considering Colin's too dumb to even realise he's in love with her and ask her out.

Sophie: Wait

Sophie: Colin and Penelope aren't actually a couple???????

Kate: Soph don't even get us started.

[missjanjie]

10, 12, 25 ❣️

10: do you get flustered when someone is flirting with you?

no because i never have the slightest fucking idea when im being flirted with

12: how do you show affection?

i definitely communicate in a ‘quality time’ love language. like let me just sit with u in silence im happy

25: vague about someone you like romantically or platonically

i dont really like anyone romantically lol, but i do love my gc/sibling-spouses (which sounds so much worse than sister-wives but)

[ffxiv-angora]

Looking for RP FC/Contacts - Angora Khilo

Name: Angora Khilo

Age: 27

Race: Miqo’te (Sunseeker)

Gender: Female

Server: Balmung

Angora is a mage/archer who is constantly on the move and loves to study all matters involving aether, the void, and just about anything out of the ordinary. She is very secretive, but will open up if given time. Her goal as of now is to simply see and experience everything Eorzea and neighboring areas have to offer, usually getting herself into trouble in one way or another.

The majority of this post will be under the cut, but I am going to go ahead and include the art credits here above it:

@tiergan-vashir​ @ferai-caolann​ @drgriswaldandco​ @chocographs​ @udon-doodles​

I’ll be making one of these posts for Wyra’to as well ASAP

Physical Appearance

Hair: White mixed with some grey. The length varies from very short to just under her shoulders. 

Eyes: A bright yellow in color with the Sunseeker slitted pupils

Height: 4’ 11”

Build: Fairly muscular, but has a leaner form due to her strength coming from years of running, climbing, and archery.

Distinguishing Marks: She has yellow face paint on her cheeks that partially cover her red Miqo’te markings. There are a few scars on her face, the largest being over the bridge of her nose. Her whole body is covered in scars but those are usually covered. There are scars around her wrists from shackles and fading burn scars covering her hands due to some magic mishaps.

Common Accessories:

Mask:  It varies now a days since her beloved one was shattered. She will always be seen with it on while out in public. Though it may be off if she feels comfortable removing it.

Necklace: She also wears a bone necklace around her neck that is the only remaining memory she has of her parents.

Claw gloves: Given to her as a gift from her adoptive sister, Lurial. The metal and leather are etched with various symbols to help her with casting her magic. They were made so she could use them as a focus for her magic and cast with her hands should she lose her staff. They also are helpful with tearing someone’s face to shreds.

Staff and Bow: Both were created and covered in elegant carvings for her by her deceased fiance. She refused to use them for the longest time so they would not get ruined, but she has since decided that he would have wanted her to make use of them defending herself instead of letting them just gather dust.

Relationships

Spouse: None. She once had a Moonkeeper fiance named Rhaj'ir who died suddenly while away from home.

Children: None.

Parents: Both deceased. They died when she was only 5 years old when Garleans invaded their tribe. When she first made her way into Eorzea at 20, two Elezen took her in and she saw them as her mother and father figures.  

Siblings: None, by blood. She has two older adoptive siblings named Tiergan and Lurial. 

Other Relatives: None, that she knows of. (Always up for creating some more lost/adoptive family connections and such!) 

Pets: Aster the chocobo. She rescued the white feathered bird from a raided caravan where he’d been left to die. The two have a very close bond and she never goes anywhere without him.

Traits

Profession: Angora does a variety of things. She mostly get hired to collect information, but has also been hired to steal and kill. She used to help out in a workshop as their weaver as well.

Magic: Angora has studied thaumaturgy for years and used it alongside archery. With the rise of red magic, she has started to study it as well. She has always been partial to fire magic over thunder and ice. 

Hobbies: Angora loves to read and research. She often studies aether, the void, and field medicine. Music has become a newer hobby of hers and she has started to pick up both violin and piano. She sings as well, but usually only to herself or her siblings. Angora can sometimes be found playing music in small, quiet inns. 

Location: Angora doesn’t stay in one place for long. She does have an apartment in the Goblet though and also visits her brother who also lives in the area.

Fears: Tight spaces, Morbols, Garleans (though it’s more of a hatred), Mines

Fighting style: Angora mostly fights from a distance via bow or magic. But she also can get up close and personal if needed. With close combat, she’ll usually use the metal claws she wears or her sword. She is still a bit new to the sword though. When using a bow, Angora remains hidden up high and takes on more of a sniper role.

Tag: http://ffxiv-angora.tumblr.com/tagged/angora

Another post with some more IC info: http://ffxiv-angora.tumblr.com/post/162693967331/looking-for-rp-contacts

Pictures

Mask (Now broken): https://imgur.com/pgx1tvb

Outfits**: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

Various pieces of art of Angora: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

**The Angora I have on Balmung right now isn’t the original one I played with, so I’m missing most/all of the clothes. I’m working on getting them back though! In the meantime, I’ll be creative and come up with some other stuff.

Hooks

Angora can be just about anywhere since she wanders around, so your character could have spotted her in passing

Your character could have run into here while she’s on a job. Be it stealing, sneaking, or killing. Maybe your character had a mark put on them and she was the one who got the job.

She has a tendency to stop and offer aid via field medicine or punching, which usually leads her into trouble of some kind.

If you character visits small inns or pubs, it’s possible Angora was there resting or playing music.

She can be spotted fairly often in the Thaumaturgy guild or various libraries. If you character studies/is involved with the void, they might run into her in various spooky places.

Angora is very attuned with aether and can usually sense if something is off, especially if the void is involved.

She can sometimes be found sleeping in random places in Gyr Abania and that is where her current main hiding spot is.

Angora has an apartment in the Goblet and hangs around the apartment building fairly often. ( I still need to deal with leveling GC stuff so I can get my apartment back. I’m not currently in an FC so I don’t have a room either )

OOC info

About Me: Hello! You can call me Lavi or Angora, I don’t mind either. I currently live in Arizona, which is on PST at the moment. I work in retail, so my available days/times shifts around a lot. I have quite a bit of free time still, though. Feel free to give me a poke on Tumblr, Discord, etc. any time. I’m always up to chat. I left the RP scene almost 2 years ago at this point and have lost most/all of my RP contacts so I’d love to meet some new people and get involved with some plots! Maybe even join a RP FC again. I’m still working on regaining my writing motivation and I’m a bit rusty, so bare with me.

Contact me Via:

Tumblr: @ffxiv-angora

Discord: Lavi#1396

In Game: Angora Khilo or Wyra’to Polaali

[andresenbutt40-blog]

How To Gain Weight And Build Mass possessing Fat

Keto GC

The problem with diets is because though they assist in losing weight, hair luster, skin glow and energy is also lost additionally. Indeed one seems to be caught the particular vicious circle; diet, if you want to lose weight and look good, but this very dieting allows look drained and old and wrinkly. What we must realize typically there is probably going a pounds reduction product or weight loss plan on the internet that will work for us, definitely may stop being the same one our friends or co-workers utilised. To find the best weight reducing process for us, we absolutely must realize that one size does unsuitable all. What worked for our sibling or spouse will not work for us, exactly what works for all of us may perform for associated with them. Coffee is not a sweet drink, occasionally taste bitter if no sugar occurs in this tool. Many people prefer taking normal coffee combined in hot water and some want to taste a delicious coffee mixed with cream. To provide a wonderful taste produced coming from the mixture of cream inside coffee. However, would such as to maximize your fat with consumption of fatty serum? There are associated with severe health problems with the daily intake of coffee mixed with cream. Fat produces many heart sickness. Then the stress, frustrations and tensions will arise. All of these produce good amount of problems in system if not taken care from starting point. Researchers have proved how the ordinary coffee mixed with ordinary fat containing cream have caused heart ailments in human bodies. For example, in the morning for breakfast, utilizing my serving of some kinds of cheese and egg whites, I'd personally eat about a quarter bowl of raw oatmeal with butter, heavy cream, coconut oil and the few terrific for your heart. This combination within the fat while using carbohydrates would slow down by body's absorption rate and keep my glucose levels from spiking. Lead you to would keep my insulin levels from spiking and creating a Hypoglycemic episode. The low-carb diet been recently called the lasting "fad" in the news media. With so many variations to the low carb diet, it would appear that this eating system will forever experience the news. Whether you are a football coach, administrative assistant or high school teacher, a person looking to turn fat into something else, namely muscle, the reduced carb cyclical ketogenic diet is perfect you. There has grown to be a new set of bars called Crunch pubs. These will be reformulated MedifastBars which have now much closer ketogenic Diet to your other nutritional supplements and they were now interchangeable with the shakes and also other products. So you should crunch as high as five bars a life! They contain either 12g or 13g each select depending on what bar you. Many full studies are usually made of these diet, imagine consistently produces lower triglycerides, lower hypotension and lower blood sugar and carbohydrates. And it always shows decreased ketogenic weight loss risk getting diabetic period. Without a doubt, helps make is the most important type of the puzzle and the most effective way to achieve rapid decline. Exercise is the safest way in order to permanent fat loss, also using the combined by using a sound diet and nutrition program the body is was a virtual fat-burning furnace!

[joemez]

Get To Know Khaya Dladla Who Plays 'GC' on UZalo

Get To Know Khaya Dladla Who Plays ‘GC’ on UZalo

Khaya Dladla Wiki, Age, Biography, Son, Wedding, Marriage, Husband, Net Worth, Family, Instagram, Dating, Family, Spouse, Siblings, Wealth, Personal Life & Facts.

Get to know more on Khaya Dladla – GC on Uzalo Biography Age Son Wedding Marriage Husband. Get to Know Khaya Dladla Who Plays ‘GC’ on UZalo. 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Uzalo’s Khaya Dladla [GC]. 7 Facts You Didn’t Know About Actor…

[realestate63141]

Mom Uses YouTube Videos to Build Her Own House—Is She Nuts?

Cara Brookins

Cara Brookins was in a bind: After fleeing an abusive marriage with her four kids, the computer analyst settled in a small house in Little Rock, AK. Her family craved more space, but they couldn’t afford a bigger place.

Then one day shortly after a tornado swept through the area, Brookins drove by a ravaged house. She pulled over for a closer look, examined the ruins, and came to a life-changing realization: Beneath the surface, the home’s basic construction appeared much simpler than she’d imagined.

“Looking at those two-by-fours and nails, I thought, ‘I could put this wall up if I really tried,'” she says. “That’s when I wondered whether I could build my own house from scratch.”

To find out, Brookins logged on to the one site she thought might show her the ropes: YouTube.

‘People thought I was crazy’

YouTube is a boon to DIY homeowners eager to learn about all kinds of renovations, from building a fire pit to repairing stucco and beyond. But can videos actually teach a neophyte how to build a whole house? Brookins decided to find out in 2008—a challenge that resulted not only in her erecting a 3,500-square-foot, five-bedroom dream home, but also writing a book about her experiences, “Rise: How a House Built a Family.”

In the hazy, crazy days of 2008, YouTube was still the Wild West, relatively speaking. Nonetheless, Brookins found a hodgepodge of videos on how to pour foundation, raise walls, and obtain the proper permits for her work. So she sketched blueprints and took out a loan to pay $20,000 for an acre of land and about $130,000 for tools and supplies.

“Once I was staring at that stack of two-by-fours, I realized there was no turning back,” she says. “I had no choice but to finish.”

Her kids happily volunteered to help after school and on the weekends.Hope, 17, did the measuring and marking. Drew, 15, wielded the nail gun and handled the music, blasting Bob Marley on a tinny CD player. Jada, 11, poured the cement, while all three siblings took turns making sure 2-year-old Roman remained out of harm’s way.

Drew Brookins, 15, with nail gun

Cara Brookins

They were an unlikely construction crew, including Brookins, who weighed 110 pounds and worked weekdays at her computer gig. “It was unbelievably hard,” she says. “By the end of the weekend, every single joint and muscle hurt. Sadly, Mondays were our favorite day, since we could finally sit down. I lived in guilt and fear of my kids throwing in the towel. But they were as determined as I was.”

Jada, 11, working on the foundation

Cara Brookins

‘Where’s your contractor?’

When she wasn’t trawling YouTube for guidance, Brookins peppered local city officials with questions on how to bring her construction up to code. She learned that she’d be required by law to hire professionals at certain crucial junctions—like to hook up to the city water line, gas, and electrical systems. So she set aside some money for this purpose, also paying a handy firefighter she met at Home Depot $25 an hour to help with some of the more technical aspects, like leveling the foundation.

Roman, 2, was under careful watch by his siblings.

Cara Brookins

“This firefighter had built a couple of homes and was the only person who didn’t bat an eye when I told him my plans,” Brookins says. “Everyone else asked, ‘who’s your contractor?’ and were incredulous when I said I was doing it myself. They’d say, ‘oh, that’s nice, little lady.'”

Yet month by month, the house slowly took shape.

“The two months we spent on the foundation were frustrating because you could barely see any progress,” Brookins says. “On so many nights we’d leave the construction site and not want to look back. But once we started raising the walls, we could drive off, park, then look back and see a three-dimensional structure. That was exciting.”

Hope, 17, working on the walls

Cara Brookins

All told, the house took nine long months to build. Then came the day of reckoning, when an inspector stopped by to examine the house and issue a Certificate of Occupancy—that is, if the house passed muster.

“It was scary. We didn’t know if we were going to pass,” Brookins admits.

Yet after scrutinizing the house top to bottom, the inspector signed off. Brookins’ family moved in on March 31, 2009—and they’ve been living there happily ever since.

“People are always asking me if the house is still standing,” Brookins jokes. “And it is.”

Building your own home: What are the risks?

Brookins’ story is actually not as rare as many might think. While touring to promote her book, she says, “I’m always shocked how, wherever I go, at least one person will come up to me and say, ‘my mom built our house.’ Often it’s more of a cabin style, or they built part of it. But I’m still shocked that I’m not the only person crazy enough to try this.”

“There is a definite trend of homeowners being more involved with the building process,” says Michelle Nelson, founder of Build Your House Yourself University. “Although most don’t want to take part in doing the labor, lots of people these days want more input about the place they call home.”

But this extreme form of DIY also raises concerns among real estate professionals who think it’s too dangerous. As Atlanta-based real estate agent Bruce Ailion explains, “I suspect you could pull your spouse’s tooth, maybe even take out an appendix from YouTube videos to save money. But I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Washington, DC–based real estate agent Rachel Valentino adds that Brookins is lucky none of her kids got hurt. “Even non-helicopter parents can reasonably expect what could go wrong when you have children around a construction site.”

Still, if you’re curious about being a bit more hands-on when building your own home, one compromise worth considering is to act as your own general contractor.

“That way, you can save money—GCs typically charge 10% to 25% of the cost of the house,” says Nelson. “Plus you retain maximum control of the project and benefit from the experience of professionals like electricians and plumbers.”

Brookins, for one, readily admits, “If someone came up to me and said, ‘I want to build my own house,’ I wouldn’t say, ‘Yay go do that.’ I don’t plan to build one from scratch ever again. The only reason I was able to complete it is because there was no way out.”

And ultimately, the rewards for her family weren’t just financial.

“It’s not just about saving money,” says Brookins. “Building a home builds character. My kids are so confident and self-reliant. That was probably the best part of this experience. I watched my kids grow along with the house.”

Cara Brookins’ home, sweet home

Cara Brookins

The post Mom Uses YouTube Videos to Build Her Own House—Is She Nuts? appeared first on Real Estate News & Advice | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2jiVxcN

[gillespialfredoe01806ld]

Mom Uses YouTube Videos to Build Her Own House—Is She Nuts?

Cara Brookins

Cara Brookins was in a bind: After fleeing an abusive marriage with her four kids, the computer analyst settled in a small house in Little Rock, AK. Her family craved more space, but they couldn’t afford a bigger place.

Then one day shortly after a tornado swept through the area, Brookins drove by a ravaged house. She pulled over for a closer look, examined the ruins, and came to a life-changing realization: Beneath the surface, the home’s basic construction appeared much simpler than she’d imagined.

“Looking at those two-by-fours and nails, I thought, ‘I could put this wall up if I really tried,'” she says. “That’s when I wondered whether I could build my own house from scratch.”

To find out, Brookins logged on to the one site she thought might show her the ropes: YouTube.

‘People thought I was crazy’

YouTube is a boon to DIY homeowners eager to learn about all kinds of renovations, from building a fire pit to repairing stucco and beyond. But can videos actually teach a neophyte how to build a whole house? Brookins decided to find out in 2008—a challenge that resulted not only in her erecting a 3,500-square-foot, five-bedroom dream home, but also writing a book about her experiences, “Rise: How a House Built a Family.”

In the hazy, crazy days of 2008, YouTube was still the Wild West, relatively speaking. Nonetheless, Brookins found a hodgepodge of videos on how to pour foundation, raise walls, and obtain the proper permits for her work. So she sketched blueprints and took out a loan to pay $20,000 for an acre of land and about $130,000 for tools and supplies.

“Once I was staring at that stack of two-by-fours, I realized there was no turning back,” she says. “I had no choice but to finish.”

Her kids happily volunteered to help after school and on the weekends.Hope, 17, did the measuring and marking. Drew, 15, wielded the nail gun and handled the music, blasting Bob Marley on a tinny CD player. Jada, 11, poured the cement, while all three siblings took turns making sure 2-year-old Roman remained out of harm’s way.

Drew Brookins, 15, with nail gun

Cara Brookins

They were an unlikely construction crew, including Brookins, who weighed 110 pounds and worked weekdays at her computer gig. “It was unbelievably hard,” she says. “By the end of the weekend, every single joint and muscle hurt. Sadly, Mondays were our favorite day, since we could finally sit down. I lived in guilt and fear of my kids throwing in the towel. But they were as determined as I was.”

Jada, 11, working on the foundation

Cara Brookins

‘Where’s your contractor?’

When she wasn’t trawling YouTube for guidance, Brookins peppered local city officials with questions on how to bring her construction up to code. She learned that she’d be required by law to hire professionals at certain crucial junctions—like to hook up to the city water line, gas, and electrical systems. So she set aside some money for this purpose, also paying a handy firefighter she met at Home Depot $25 an hour to help with some of the more technical aspects, like leveling the foundation.

Roman, 2, was under careful watch by his siblings.

Cara Brookins

“This firefighter had built a couple of homes and was the only person who didn’t bat an eye when I told him my plans,” Brookins says. “Everyone else asked, ‘who’s your contractor?’ and were incredulous when I said I was doing it myself. They’d say, ‘oh, that’s nice, little lady.'”

Yet month by month, the house slowly took shape.

“The two months we spent on the foundation were frustrating because you could barely see any progress,” Brookins says. “On so many nights we’d leave the construction site and not want to look back. But once we started raising the walls, we could drive off, park, then look back and see a three-dimensional structure. That was exciting.”

Hope, 17, working on the walls

Cara Brookins

All told, the house took nine long months to build. Then came the day of reckoning, when an inspector stopped by to examine the house and issue a Certificate of Occupancy—that is, if the house passed muster.

“It was scary. We didn’t know if we were going to pass,” Brookins admits.

Yet after scrutinizing the house top to bottom, the inspector signed off. Brookins’ family moved in on March 31, 2009—and they’ve been living there happily ever since.

“People are always asking me if the house is still standing,” Brookins jokes. “And it is.”

Building your own home: What are the risks?

Brookins’ story is actually not as rare as many might think. While touring to promote her book, she says, “I’m always shocked how, wherever I go, at least one person will come up to me and say, ‘my mom built our house.’ Often it’s more of a cabin style, or they built part of it. But I’m still shocked that I’m not the only person crazy enough to try this.”

“There is a definite trend of homeowners being more involved with the building process,” says Michelle Nelson, founder of Build Your House Yourself University. “Although most don’t want to take part in doing the labor, lots of people these days want more input about the place they call home.”

But this extreme form of DIY also raises concerns among real estate professionals who think it’s too dangerous. As Atlanta-based real estate agent Bruce Ailion explains, “I suspect you could pull your spouse’s tooth, maybe even take out an appendix from YouTube videos to save money. But I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Washington, DC–based real estate agent Rachel Valentino adds that Brookins is lucky none of her kids got hurt. “Even non-helicopter parents can reasonably expect what could go wrong when you have children around a construction site.”

Still, if you’re curious about being a bit more hands-on when building your own home, one compromise worth considering is to act as your own general contractor.

“That way, you can save money—GCs typically charge 10% to 25% of the cost of the house,” says Nelson. “Plus you retain maximum control of the project and benefit from the experience of professionals like electricians and plumbers.”

Brookins, for one, readily admits, “If someone came up to me and said, ‘I want to build my own house,’ I wouldn’t say, ‘Yay go do that.’ I don’t plan to build one from scratch ever again. The only reason I was able to complete it is because there was no way out.”

And ultimately, the rewards for her family weren’t just financial.

“It’s not just about saving money,” says Brookins. “Building a home builds character. My kids are so confident and self-reliant. That was probably the best part of this experience. I watched my kids grow along with the house.”

Cara Brookins’ home, sweet home

Cara Brookins

The post Mom Uses YouTube Videos to Build Her Own House—Is She Nuts? appeared first on Real Estate News & Advice | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2jiVxcN

[heterosexistly]

Flirting right in front of me 😭😭😭😭

@halosdiaz @gayhoediaz

[bridgertonbabe]

Re: the spouses pulling a Lysistrata: I just KNOW Eloise would be gloating to her blue-balled siblings about how much action she’s getting 😂

Bridgerton Sisters GC

Eloise: hey

Eloise: guess where Phil is right now

Francesca: where?

Eloise: in me 😎

Francesca has removed Eloise from the chat.

Daphne: Ewwwww she messaged that while it was actually happening???

Hyacinth:

[realtor10036]

Mom Uses YouTube Videos to Build Her Own House—Is She Nuts?

Cara Brookins

Cara Brookins was in a bind: After fleeing an abusive marriage with her four kids, the computer analyst settled in a small house in Little Rock, AK. Her family craved more space, but they couldn’t afford a bigger place.

Then one day shortly after a tornado swept through the area, Brookins drove by a ravaged house. She pulled over for a closer look, examined the ruins, and came to a life-changing realization: Beneath the surface, the home’s basic construction appeared much simpler than she’d imagined.

“Looking at those two-by-fours and nails, I thought, ‘I could put this wall up if I really tried,'” she says. “That’s when I wondered whether I could build my own house from scratch.”

To find out, Brookins logged on to the one site she thought might show her the ropes: YouTube.

‘People thought I was crazy’

YouTube is a boon to DIY homeowners eager to learn about all kinds of renovations, from building a fire pit to repairing stucco and beyond. But can videos actually teach a neophyte how to build a whole house? Brookins decided to find out in 2008—a challenge that resulted not only in her erecting a 3,500-square-foot, five-bedroom dream home, but also writing a book about her experiences, “Rise: How a House Built a Family.”

In the hazy, crazy days of 2008, YouTube was still the Wild West, relatively speaking. Nonetheless, Brookins found a hodgepodge of videos on how to pour foundation, raise walls, and obtain the proper permits for her work. So she sketched blueprints and took out a loan to pay $20,000 for an acre of land and about $130,000 for tools and supplies.

“Once I was staring at that stack of two-by-fours, I realized there was no turning back,” she says. “I had no choice but to finish.”

Her kids happily volunteered to help after school and on the weekends.Hope, 17, did the measuring and marking. Drew, 15, wielded the nail gun and handled the music, blasting Bob Marley on a tinny CD player. Jada, 11, poured the cement, while all three siblings took turns making sure 2-year-old Roman remained out of harm’s way.

Drew Brookins, 15, with nail gun

Cara Brookins

They were an unlikely construction crew, including Brookins, who weighed 110 pounds and worked weekdays at her computer gig. “It was unbelievably hard,” she says. “By the end of the weekend, every single joint and muscle hurt. Sadly, Mondays were our favorite day, since we could finally sit down. I lived in guilt and fear of my kids throwing in the towel. But they were as determined as I was.”

Jada, 11, working on the foundation

Cara Brookins

‘Where’s your contractor?’

When she wasn’t trawling YouTube for guidance, Brookins peppered local city officials with questions on how to bring her construction up to code. She learned that she’d be required by law to hire professionals at certain crucial junctions—like to hook up to the city water line, gas, and electrical systems. So she set aside some money for this purpose, also paying a handy firefighter she met at Home Depot $25 an hour to help with some of the more technical aspects, like leveling the foundation.

Roman, 2, was under careful watch by his siblings.

Cara Brookins

“This firefighter had built a couple of homes and was the only person who didn’t bat an eye when I told him my plans,” Brookins says. “Everyone else asked, ‘who’s your contractor?’ and were incredulous when I said I was doing it myself. They’d say, ‘oh, that’s nice, little lady.'”

Yet month by month, the house slowly took shape.

“The two months we spent on the foundation were frustrating because you could barely see any progress,” Brookins says. “On so many nights we’d leave the construction site and not want to look back. But once we started raising the walls, we could drive off, park, then look back and see a three-dimensional structure. That was exciting.”

Hope, 17, working on the walls

Cara Brookins

All told, the house took nine long months to build. Then came the day of reckoning, when an inspector stopped by to examine the house and issue a Certificate of Occupancy—that is, if the house passed muster.

“It was scary. We didn’t know if we were going to pass,” Brookins admits.

Yet after scrutinizing the house top to bottom, the inspector signed off. Brookins’ family moved in on March 31, 2009—and they’ve been living there happily ever since.

“People are always asking me if the house is still standing,” Brookins jokes. “And it is.”

Building your own home: What are the risks?

Brookins’ story is actually not as rare as many might think. While touring to promote her book, she says, “I’m always shocked how, wherever I go, at least one person will come up to me and say, ‘my mom built our house.’ Often it’s more of a cabin style, or they built part of it. But I’m still shocked that I’m not the only person crazy enough to try this.”

“There is a definite trend of homeowners being more involved with the building process,” says Michelle Nelson, founder of Build Your House Yourself University. “Although most don’t want to take part in doing the labor, lots of people these days want more input about the place they call home.”

But this extreme form of DIY also raises concerns among real estate professionals who think it’s too dangerous. As Atlanta-based real estate agent Bruce Ailion explains, “I suspect you could pull your spouse’s tooth, maybe even take out an appendix from YouTube videos to save money. But I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Washington, DC–based real estate agent Rachel Valentino adds that Brookins is lucky none of her kids got hurt. “Even non-helicopter parents can reasonably expect what could go wrong when you have children around a construction site.”

Still, if you’re curious about being a bit more hands-on when building your own home, one compromise worth considering is to act as your own general contractor.

“That way, you can save money—GCs typically charge 10% to 25% of the cost of the house,” says Nelson. “Plus you retain maximum control of the project and benefit from the experience of professionals like electricians and plumbers.”

Brookins, for one, readily admits, “If someone came up to me and said, ‘I want to build my own house,’ I wouldn’t say, ‘Yay go do that.’ I don’t plan to build one from scratch ever again. The only reason I was able to complete it is because there was no way out.”

And ultimately, the rewards for her family weren’t just financial.

“It’s not just about saving money,” says Brookins. “Building a home builds character. My kids are so confident and self-reliant. That was probably the best part of this experience. I watched my kids grow along with the house.”

Cara Brookins’ home, sweet home

Cara Brookins

The post Mom Uses YouTube Videos to Build Her Own House—Is She Nuts? appeared first on Real Estate News & Advice | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2jiVxcN