I'm Back.....

It's been a long couple of weeks but we have the internet back up and running for a few weeks anyway. I sure have missed you all! I haven't been able to keep up with your posts since we had been going to the library for our internet viewing : ( I hope to keep Kelly away from our computer long enough so I can read some back posts....

On the home front not much is new same old stuff just a different day! My son has NOT moved out so that has been a great blessing to me. It has been soooo hard to try and explain to him that taking on too much right now is not the way to go.

Kelly had been so depressed that we didn't have the internet working, I really felt for her because I understand that her computer friends are really her friends and she had missed them terribly, The one girl called Kelly and tried to stay in touch with her.

On the homeschool front, Not much going on.... It has been VERY hard to get back going since the holidays. I haven't been very organized with the lessons again which has added to the slowness of the progress. I do have to say our homeschool blogging angel sent many books to Kelly and she has actually ASKED to read during school time! It made my heart sing : ) It really has been a two sides to not have the computer - Kelly HAD to find things to do instead of sitting at the computer. I told her for the next few weeks that we have the internet she really has to try and do other things during her free time, but knowing that we probably will not have it long has made her even more crazy. *On another note: My local library is trying to raise their late books return fees and if you request an inter-library loan book it will cost $2.00 each! Yikes!!!!

My husband has worked a full week! This is the first time he actually got 40 hours in in a very very long time. If this could just continue for a few weeks we could get all caught up with our bills but he is very worried that there has been talk of laying the guys off.... We would get about $200.00 a week on unemployment - Yikes! I have been trying to rack my brain to see how we can live on that. I have changed the horses to the cheapest horse pellets I can find (Happy Horse) at $10.50 a 50 pound bag - We go through 2 bags a week to feed the horses, goats, chickens & turkeys. The hay is what is killing us, I used to struggle to fit a bale of hay in the back of my jeep now I can fit two : ( they have reduced the size of the bale by alot so we are using almost a bale a day at $7.25 a bale. I looked into getting a round bale but the run $75.00 a bale so I don't think that will be the cheaper route to go. I figure we are spending roughly $65.00 a week on those animals, then I have all my dogs I haven't found a cheap dog food that works for me yet since I need a good quality food for my girls when they get pregnant. I do have to say I have been getting alot of families interested in buying a puppy which is a great thing but I was worried with the bad economy so I didn't mate many of the girls in fear of having too many puppies and no homes.... Back to the bills, the car insurance is up to $145.00 a month with adding my son's car on - If need be I can take off my husbands van if he has no work. Then our cable/phone/internet bill runs $150.00 a month - The funny thing is that this past couple of weeks our cable company just shut off the internet but left the cable still on from the pole so we still had tv. so my husband and son didn't feel the pain of not paying that bill like Kelly & I did! But if worse comes to worse we could get rid of all that and just get basic phone service. We are looking forward to getting our taxes done for our refund - It is ear marked to pay some of our back property taxes that are past due (we owe two years). Then we have to tackle the money we owe my in-laws, We borrowed $40,000.00 from them to pay off our home. When my father-in-law broke his hip and was declining he and my mother-in-law said that we no longer need to pay them back that they didn't want to see us struggle but once my father-in-law rebounded and an knew he wasn't going to die he now says we have to pay them back the money again.... so it has been a see saw with that! We are supposta pay $125.00 a month to them, I really wished we could just pay them off and be done with it but it doesn't look like we will EVER be able to get another big loan again with the way things are and our credit being shot to heck! Then our food bill, I have been REALLY trying to lower that as much as possible. I think I have it down to about $150.00 (dog/cat food & paper goods ect. included)a week shopping mostly at the dollar store and Walmart. It is really and area I have to go over and over to see where I can cut costs. Bills they sure will wear you out!!!!!

You sure can tell I haven't been able to post lately I have talked your ear off : )
Hope everyone has a wonderful day today!