Out of Commission

I just wanted to inform you that Ms. Carole Barker and that old duffer she lives with will be off the internet for a couple of days. We're in the process of moving and I have no idea when we'll get hooked up again. But keep checking and I'll let you know as things develop. Thanks for reading!
C.B.

Good For You!

Wow Readers--I'm SO PROUD OF YOU! On my poll regarding sociopaths and the #1 way to tell if you're dating one, you got 100%! That means you're paying attention. And for your reward I have provided you with a game to play. (Actually, I just figured out how to do this so ENJOY!)

BTW: Nothing new on that battlefront. However, we hear that Patty thinks she's going to get custody of Steven when she has him for spring break in March. Wouldn't it be great if somebody ended up in jail? We can only hope!

C.B.

Deprived!

I think Patty must have felt she was "deprived" as a child. I highly doubt that she was; but she seems to equate buying all that "stuff" with good parenting. I'm sure she feels that her parents didn't do right by her so she's not going to make the same mistake with Steven. He's only 10. How full will the house be by the time he's 18?

It's only Valentine's Day!

Ok CRUSH fans--here's another update. As you know, we just celebrated another major holiday here in the U.S. And it was??? Yep--Valentine's Day. If you're lucky you got a card from you sweetie. OR if you were extra sweet this year maybe you got to go out to dinner OR even somewhere for an overnight get-away. OR, if you happen to be 10 and have a CRAZY mother--you get STUFF! If you enjoyed the Christmas photos, here are the lastest gifts Steven received from his "mommy" for Valentine's Day. And of course, she left the price tags on everything. For her own amusement, Sweet Beth counted up the number of $$$ spent of this collection of JUNK! It totalled over $460.00. I know! I know! It's just junk--it can't have added up to all of that. But this isn't regular junk. Most of it was "special delivery" junk--delivered by the local florist. Three different trips to be exact. Lucky Steven you may be thinking! But when you were a 10-year-old boy, did you really want your mommy delivering a large stuffed penguin (with 12 attached balloons) to you at your school in front of your friends? Didn't think so! And, that dollar amount didn't take into consideration the amount of money spent on shipping. Steven got three big boxes last week alone, not to mention cards, cards, and more cards coming in the mail.

On to the next question you have forming in your mind? Nope, they haven't received one cent of child support. But Steven . . . Steven thinks he's got the best "mommy" in the world. A decent guy just can't win!

C.B.

(Be sure to click on the images to see what all those treasures really are. You'll see macaroni and cheese, kleenex, pop, Campbell's soup, magazines, and several of those little milar balloons on sticks. Now, what are Keith and Beth to tell their girls about "gift giving"? Kind of makes you sick, doesn't it?)

My Review of CRUSH

Chaos.com

When Mormon missionary Keith Barker meets Patty Jenkins, he is unaware that one step inside her home will catapult him into the life of an accomplished sociopath. Patty's life story includes rape, abuse, abandonment and alcoholic parents. She is in desperate need of a good friend. Keith's e...

CRUSH

Captivating--a must read!

mbpbuster northeast USA 2/15/2009

 

5 5

Pros: Deeply Informative, Well Written, Innovative Ideas, Rich Resource, Easy To Understand

Best Uses: Educational, Older Readers

Describe Yourself: Everyday Reader

I thought I'd read a few pages and before I knew it, I had read the whole book. Easy reading, informative, entertaining, insightful, and educational. The writer posts updates to the story on her website at www.carolebarker.com. You can also check her blog http://carolescorner-crush.blogspot.com/

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False Alarm

Well, this girl just keeps us guessing. Once again Patty is playing mind games with the entire Barker family. She kept dropping hints to everyone that something big was going to happen. She told Steven that he was going to be "so happy". She had requested that she get one weekend in February with Steven. So the Barker family was gearing up for a surprise visit . . . and it never happened. She just loves to push our buttons. I can't tell you how unnerving it is. While we're relieved that she didn't come, she still had the ability to set us all on edge. I'm sure that was her intention all along. It will never end. I guarantee she'll show up when we least expect it. She's nuts!

www.carolebarker.com

Surprise Visit???

Hold onto your hats . . . indications are that we may be getting a surprise visit from the ever-lovely Ms. Patty Barker. The hair on the back of my neck is standing straight up and I have a knot in the pit of my stomach. Seriously, the Barker family is half-way expecting a surprise visit from their own personal crazy this weekend. She's not told anyone specifically that she's coming but she keeps sending out these little hints that she may just show up. Naturally, I told Keith and Beth they should just take off for the weekend but Keith refuses to be "ousted" from his own home. Keep checking in for updates! If no updates are forthcoming, check the "obits" for the name Barker (not to be dramatic or anything, but you never can tell what's coming when dealing with this one). I'll keep you posted as soon as I know anything! Thanks for reading!

C.B.

His Own Identity

A few weeks before Christmas Beth was surprised to see Steven coming out of the bathroom with his head dripping wet. "Steven, how come your head is wet?" she asked. "I want a different hairstyle," was the answer. Beth tried to help, but Steven's hair was uncompromising. At Christmas time Steven found hair gel and a new comb in his stocking and he's been working on a new "do" ever since. Seeing pictures of Steven, Patty would ask him over the phone, "Do you want mommy to send you money for a haircut? It seems like Daddy Keith isn't taking good care of you." "No mom. I just want different hair." "But mommy thinks you need a haircut. Let mommy send you money for a haircut." "No mom, I'm O.K." After letting Steven's hair grow for a short time, Keith got out the clippers and gave him a brand new look. Steven was grinning from ear to ear.

Now this may not sound "blog-worthy", but for us it's a very positive sign. For the first time in his life Steven is being allowed to create his own identity. He's gradually getting strong enough to say "no" to his mother, and he's deciding who Steven really is. Isn't it wonderful? I love it!

All in a Day's Work!

The Keith Barker family had a visitor this weekend. Now this wasn't a social visit; it was a "fact-finding" visit. Ms. Gloria Winston (the Guardian ad Litem for Steven) flew across the country to do a home study on Steven while in Utah. Keith was anxious for this visit to take place as he wanted Ms. Winston to observe Steven's demeanor while in the custody of his father. Ms.Winston scheduled an appointment at the school to meet with Steven's teachers. She also spent a couple of hours with the family physician discussing Steven's health care. (As mentioned previously, Steven is now off of all SIX medications that he was taking when he arrived here.) She then visited the Barker household for most of the day on Saturday. Keith said it was a pleasant visit and he had no concerns whatsoever regarding the findings.

Now if I were to hire an attorney for myself, I believe I would hire Ms. Winston. She really ought to be playing in Poker Tournaments around the world. She'd make a killing. She has the ability to talk with you for hours and not once will you be able to guess what she's thinking. We won't know her thoughts and recommendations until they're made public at the custody hearing in June.

http://www.carolebarker.com/