Trying to do some financial planning for husband's job transition.

It appears we will be getting about $1,500 in "extra" money since his current job pays a check behind and also he is cashing in his retirement days.

Don't know exact numbers yet but we plan on paying off both of our monthly credit cards, putting back enough to pay the house & car insurance in full, go out to a nice celebratory dinner, and the rest will probably be put towards either the fence or one of the home credit cards.

We got his 401K numbers yesterday. He currently has $18,167 in his account. We will be rolling this over to the new employer's 401K plan. Both are held at Vanguard so hopefully it will be easy.

This weekend we went across the country for a friend's wedding. We went with couple of friends and their parents. I am very fortunate that the parents (my doctor, lol!) paid for the hotel rooms and we just pitched in a bit of money. They were also so sweet and paid for most all of everyone's food and gas all weekend. They said it was their treat. We would have not been able to go otherwise....

It was sort of a strange wedding. For one they have only been together a couple months. We've (including the groom's immediate family) only met her once for like 2 hours. One of the groom's sister met her for the first time at rehearsal dinner actually. The venue was in the middle of nowhere but counted as a "resort." The rooms were $250 a NIGHT. I almost choked when I heard that. You would think it would be the best hotel ever but the rooms were pretty standard rooms that you would find at any cheap hotel. There was not even a microwave in the room. All the amenities cost of course so we mostly sat around and chatted with old friends or played games.

The hotel had 3 restaurants and the standard dinner plate price was $30, breakfast was $20.

I expected the wedding to be very lavish because of the venue but it was actually one of the most odd/simple weddings I have been to.

The couple are very conservative and the long sermon was about women submitting and being gentle. It was very stern and sounded more like a business transaction than a celebration. No one hardly smiled. The bride wore a very simple dress that looks like it was off the rack from the mall. All of them wore flowered crowns and bare feet.

The reception was equally odd. The wedding started at 5 and then the dinner was around 6:30. (waited for pictures) The food was buffet style and you got a brownie with your meal. There was no cake! There were no decorations. Just white tablecloths and a couple tea lights on each table. Everyone was served water only. They had one pitcher of unsweet tea and lemonade way in the back but no one ever announced where it was or to go get some.

The entire thing seemed very rushed. As you finished your plate someone would come in the scoop it up asap. By 8pm they made everyone get up and the workers cleared all tables and put everything away.

No music, no dancing, etc. The couple left at 8pm sharp. We barely had anytime to enjoy dinner or friends before we were shooed out.

The entire thing just really had no joy or personalization. But for the wedding being so odd we did have a good time sitting around afterwards and catching up. Overall I'm glad we went and it was fun to "play rich" for a couple days.

I am happy to announce that husband has accepted a job offer.

He won't start for a few weeks yet, but this change should very positively affect our life. The pay is even better than expected. Not only does he get a 25% salary increase, he will get at least another $1 raise after his probationary period.

But most of all we will have access to very affordable and good health insurance. Worrying about getting insurance when I am kicked off mine next year was a huge stressing point for me. Now I feel secure that my expensive medicines and healthcare needs will be taken care of.

We have to decide if we want the HRA or HSA plan. We are leaning towards the HSA just so I can roll it over and save it up for the future.

The only downside to the new job is that husband may have to work nights for a while until a daytime position opens up. But hopefully it is only temporary.

We will also have to cancel our planned trip to Yellowstone next year since his vacation time won't kick in for 12 months.

Overall we are both excited and a little nervous but the thought of being much more comfortable financially sounds almost too good to be true. I am expecting a $400 a month increase after taxes and tithes, with good raises and growth in the future.

Until the end of the year we will use the extra money to "catch up." We have taxes, home and car insurance, and the fence repair all due in the next month or so.

Husband passed the first phone interview. Now he has an in person interview tomorrow evening. I would appreciate any prayers and good thoughts.

Starting pay is $3 an hour more than he is making now plus room for advancement. The biggest plus though is insurance! I need affordable health insurance badly, so this could be an answer to our prayers.

Trying not to get my hopes up too much in case it doesn't work out, but it's hard not to imagine the positive impact this would make on our life...

Hopefully we will know something soon.

Husband has been wanting a new used car for a while and we have saved for years but unfortunately it seems like his car fund is the first thing to get raided every time something comes up. We finally decided that he will make some repairs to his old car and continue to drive it as long as possible and hold off on a new car for now.

Since we are hoping to get a couple more years out of it we went ahead and did some minor repairs we have been putting off. Thankfully husband and his dad can do most repairs and so far we have only had a $50 charge from the mechanic and about $100 in materials, which is amazing. Father in law frequents junk yards and always finds the best sales online.

They have replaced the breaks, a wheel bearing, some old rusted tie rods, tracking bar, new door, spark plugs, and the fuel filter. Also going to get new headlights.

I paid the first installment of property taxes for the first time.

We have started working on the house again and just have a few more minor things until we are on to optional and fun projects only.

Husband has applied for another job. Fingers crossed.

This has been a busy week. We've been volunteering for vacation bible school at church nightly. We leave as soon as husband gets home from work and don't get home until after 9pm. Tonight is the last day thank goodness.

Yesterday I had to get a couple hundred bales of hay bought, picked up, and stored away. My parents usually assist with this (it's half theirs) but they are gone on vacation so I had to hire some help.

Tomorrow we are volunteering in the morning and then we have to go shopping, clean the house, and work on the new bathroom.

I am having a flare up with my lungs and any sort of physical exertion makes me very short of breath. I also feel exhausted. But unfortunately I have a TON of web design work to do which is quickly falling behind. Ugh. I feel like I could just curl up and sleep for a week. I tried to go to bed really early last night but as per usual I couldn't sleep. I toss and turn all night even with sleeping pills.

My birthday is next week and I am just not excited at all. I feel poorly, and have so much to do. I also have to work on my birthday so it's just another busy day to me.

As a side note: Husband did not get his dream job. He didn't even get an interview which is really disheartening. I think the position was probably filled by someone in the inside or a friend.

Paid my first house payment last week. Our new mortgage is now $115,449.32

We are keeping our payments a month ahead since I use my side income to pay for part of it and that income sometimes takes a couple weeks to come in.

Goats are going to their new homes. Very thankful to sell some and cut down on my numbers while making some income. Still have plenty more to get rid of.

My husband applied for a "dream job" yesterday. It would solve a LOT of our problems, and it is a lifetime career kind of job.

I would appreciate any prayers, well wishes, good mojo, etc. I'm sure a LOT of people are applying so it's a long shot but a girl can hope.

The new mortgage will completed today allowing me to finish one of my 2018 goals! Huzzah!

My new mortgage amount is $115,594.76.

Our new payment (counting escrow and some extra) is $750 which is actually lower than old mortgage and LOC. It ranged anywhere from $800 - $900 for interest ONLY on the LOC. It will be nice to see the numbers finally starting to go down albeit slowly.

The only thing I am upset about is that I am taking over the escrow for the insurance and taxes. Instead of asking me they just took all the escrow I had already built over the last year and used it to pay down the loan. Now my taxes are due in August and the insurance in November and I am going to have to start from scratch. Approximately $1,500, ugh. They took too long getting the papers together and too late to rewrite everything to give me the escrow. Oh well. I'll come up with it somehow. I put back $200 from this check already.

I paid both of my personal credit cards down to $0. Which is great considering I just got the statement today. Wednesday when I deposit my check I will also pay the monthly minimums of the house CCs.

Goats have started selling. I have over $1,000 put back for hay. (Need $1,500 total for the year.) Once I get the remaining $500 set aside, I will start applying the goat money towards fixing the fence. I am hoping if I can get all my kids sold I will have enough to pay for it out of pocket.

Besides that not much to report. Hoping for a relaxing and calm summer.

So a lot has happened.

#1 I booked a girls weekend trip to Florida on our remodel deadline as a push to finish and then celebrate... Maybe not the best idea, but I do get free housing and we are doing red eye flights for cheap.

#2 A brand new camaro missed the curve, ran through about 200 feet of my fence and then ramped over my dam and about 50 feet out into my pond. They must have been going over 100 MPH. The car sunk. The people managed to swim to safety. Driver and passenger were unharmed surprisingly, just cold and wet. They came inside to warm up and I gave them some clothes. Police, firemen, EMTs showed up.

Well they got the car out the next day. Which was fun to watch. But now I have 40 goats without a pasture to eat and no hay. No one has hay this time of year. Pond is likely unsafe due to antifreeze and other fluids leaking. Vet says wait at least 2 weeks. Fencing guy can't come for a while to replace fence. Had to go purchase $500 worth of supplies and had friends help me fence off part of the yard so they had somewhere to go temporarily.

Well today I find out they likely don't have any insurance.

It is going to cost me about $2,000 for the temporary fence and to replace the original. Not counting labor, stress, time, etc. There is tiny bits of glass and plastic all over my pasture to clean up. It is a disaster. I've been on the phone for hours trying to track the insurance down. No one will help me. Police doesn't care, my insurance doesn't care. I'm screwed. I'll have to take them to small claims court, but not sure if it is even worth it.

Our house deadline is just a couple weeks away and now I have to deal with all this. I have no money and no time. It's just been a horrible week.

Paid my mortgage today bringing the total to $43,627.40. I also paid my LOC.

Sold a goat this morning. Once my web design check gets here I will be able to pay off the remaining $600 on the credit card statement and I am hoping I might even be able to send $100 to the EF.

Now that I am caught up, if the overtime continues we will be able to save it or pay down extra debt.

I ended up falling short of my monthly 30 hour web design goal by just an hour, which isn't bad. This month I am already ahead of schedule, so hopefully I can stay on track.

We have continued to put money into the 401K and the truck fund but I need to check balances before I can update the sidebar.

Overall we are on an up swing right now. If we can keep this up it would be nice to pay down some of home CC debt to up our credit scores before we refinance in June.

I am sending the check today for the HVAC to be paid in full. Very happy the owner was willing to give me some time to come up with the money.

Have about $1,400 on CCs that need paid next month. Thankfully husband has been working 2 hours of overtime daily for the last 3 weeks. Still continuing for now. Long days for him but thankful for the extra cash. He isn't usually offered overtime so this is a special occurrence.

Today I paid all the credit card bills and utilities. This was on the first statement day for the March due dates, so now I'm "free" until April! Whoot whoot.

I love paying sooner rather than later. It means I'm caught up and not falling behind. Saturday we will be going shopping for a couple house items and clothing. I have some left over gift cards from Christmas so we will go out to a nice free dinner.

Goats will start kidding in two weeks. I can't believe spring is already just around the corner!

First the good news. My parents are receiving a very large tax return and have graciously decided to give us a gift large enough to cover the entire HVAC bill!

That means I only need to come up with $350 more to cover paying the drywall finisher. Which I will have in March from our "extra" paycheck. It will be so nice to be caught up and only have our normal bills.

Now for good (I guess?) but not so fun part. I've been working a lot of hours at my web design job. Yay for money! But I've also been trucking on the house every single day, and my secretary job is crazy busy. I'm getting really burnt/worn out with everything.

Here is my current schedule:
Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday I get up early and work on web design until noon. Then my dad comes over and we work on the house until 5. At which time my husband gets home and we cook dinner, feed animals, and then work on the house again until usually 10pm.

Wednesday I work all day at my secretary job until about 8pm except for a short break to run home and feed animals and then come home and work on the house until bed.

Friday's I work all day and then we go grocery shopping/run errands, get home around 9 after which is our "time off."

Saturday and Sunday we work on the house all day...

As you can see there isn't much time for sleeping, relaxing, friends, etc. Both jobs have been crazy busy, and I have been having to bring home secretary work to finish at night to keep up. And as if I didn't have enough to do my boss told me today I need to start working on Tuesdays again for a while. UGH!

I keep telling myself this is only temporary but goodness I can't do this much longer. I am driven to work hard on the house to finish. But I am getting quite sour about my real jobs. Especially my secretary job which contributes the most frustration/stress and rewards the least. I hope I can get through the next two months.

Husband's work still hasn't given out their Christmas bonus... It is normally deposited by now. No one knows what is going on, but the workers are starting to worry that there won't be a bonus this year. I hope not. So many people live check to check and husband said lots of people have already spent that money on Christmas presents, etc. (Including us!)

If it doesn't come we will manage. But the thought of a company not giving out a bonus (which they have given out for 75 years) makes me sick. How could they do that to their workers? They continue to get greedier and greedier, so it wouldn't be a huge surprise. Husband is saying people will strike if they withhold the bonus. I hope they are just taking longer than normal. *fingers crossed*

In other news, house is slowly going along. Still waiting on the mud/taper. He was supposed to start today but no word yet. :/ That is holding up a lot of progress.

Still trying to figure out goals for 2018. I will have to make another post for that.

Arg! It's almost time for the flurry of bills due all at the same time again. I was hoping to be in a better spot this month, but my owed check STILL hasn't come yet. Looks like I am going to be about $180 short if I don't scrape up some more hours or the check doesn't come. I really really don't want to pull from savings again. But I will if I have to. I'll be glad when our refinance is over and I can get better control over the finances again.

Not only that but it was a big spendy weekend. I got several things for the remodel we needed. (Thankfully we had money back for this.) I got most of my Christmas shopping done, and also bought a baby shower gift. Only spent $10 on myself, on some much needed undergarments.

All told I spent about $220 that wasn't previously saved for. Which isn't a huge amount to spend on Christmas, but is still money that will have to be paid by the statement.

Our remodel deadline is quickly approaching. I am happy to say the tile, and vanity has been ordered, and the drywall upstairs is complete! Now we are waiting on the mud and taper to finish so we can start painting, hooking up electric, etc.

The main big expenses left is paying for the plumbing hookup, and the flooring. After that we will be on the home stretch, thank goodness!

Husband should be getting a Christmas bonus in the next couple weeks. Planning on using about $200 for gifts. The rest will be put towards retirement or into paying down house bills. Not sure on the total he will get but in years past it has averaged about $700.

Well I did it. This was the week of all the large bills hitting at once. I paid everything today. I did end up transferring $300 from savings, but will pay it back as soon as I get the check I am waiting on (hopefully sometime next week).

Mortgage is down to $44,415.49

Now I have to be more careful in the future to make sure I have enough cash to cover expenses even if my design check is late.

I am hoping to do a little black Friday shopping for Christmas presents this year, and also there are a couple tools we could really use for the house. I will have to work extra or brainstorm ideas on how to come up with some extra money for this.

Some good news. I found out I am getting a $.50 raise and also another week of vacation next year at my office job. It only equates to about $25 a month, so not much, but everything helps.

Ugh. This is the first month where I've really had to be on top of bill dates and what order I am going to pay. Usually I just pay as they come in. But stupid me put $800 (home remodel stuff) on a credit card thinking I'd be able to pay if off before the due date no problem. Well I forgot we don't have as much wiggle room anymore to just cash flow such large expenses.

Money is coming in. I just never know which day I will get my design check. So in case it is late I need to pay bills carefully.

It's a pain, but I'm not too worried. I do have an EF I can pull from, but it's in a savings account so I would have to transfer and I just don't want to if I can help it.

In the future I need to be much more careful. I also realize I need to keep a bigger buffer in my checking account. I don't want to have to juggle things again.

In better news. I set a goal for working on design this month, and not only did I do all those hours, I set a bigger goal and did those too! Hurray! If I can keep that up our finances will be in much better shape.

Husband did not get the high paying job he applied for, which was expected.

No word yet on the job with good hours. It has been a couple months now and they still haven't hired anyone, so I am doubting they will.

Oh well. We are okay for now.

I have about a million trips planned the next couple months. Ugh! This month I will be gone for a weekend for a show. Then another 14 hour trip to deliver goats and visit a friend. Then next month we are going on a weekend road trip with some friends as a last hurrah before husband's friend leaves for the military. One of my friends is getting married a couple states over and I am in the wedding so I will be gone for a weekend for that. Then most likely we will go camping or something for our anniversary. Yikes!

Thankfully they are all cheap trips. But still a lot of driving, planning, etc.

Today is payday, and next payday is an "extra" one. We will likely use some of the funds for our weekend trips, and some to pay down our home loans.

Floating along. We haven't wracked up anymore house debt, but we have had several larger household expenses pop up such as doctors visits, vet visits, etc. Just trying to keep everything cash flowed.

Finally got some checks I have been owed since May. Yikes! That allowed me to pay the mortgage, LOC, and the minimums on both home CCs. All caught up for now.

Home addition is still going well. We are started putting up drywall! That makes such a large difference.

Friend is committed to the military and can't back out now. He signed up for 6 years. Oh well. I am just hoping that getting away from his family will help him. He is going to leave most of his stuff here where it will be safe.

Husband has gotten no word back on the two jobs he has applied for. Phewy. He will test for the two other jobs soon.

We got some sad news last week.

My husband's best friend is too nice. His family is lazy, has a lot of kids, and is dirt poor. They have always struggled badly. As the older brother he has always felt the need to help them out, and they take advantage of him. He moved back in with them to help. For some more back story they live in a shed they fixed up in someone's back yard. He shares a very small room with his two younger brothers...

He pays the bills, keeps the heat on, feeds the kids, loans them money, etc. He can not/will not say no. They have opened personal loans in his name and credit cards. He is naive and let them on their word of they will pay him back. They even convinced him to buy a house in his name for them this year. Thankfully it fell through.

He is not good with money, but he isn't bad. He works hard, and pays his bills. But he doesn't really understand interest rates, saving, etc. He is going to school full time, does an unpaid internship full time, and works full time. He is pulling 16 hour days. His mom has never worked, and his dad is a part time "handy man." (eye roll)

Well last week out of the blue he told us that his parents have so much debt in his name that he is drowning and can no longer keep up with the bills. His only option would be to drop out of school and the internship so he could pick up a second job which he doesn't want to do. I think he wants a quick fix. So he came up with his great idea that he would join the military and use the sign on bonus to pay off his debt, and they would pay for his school.

This guy is not cut out for the military. He is sensitive, quiet, and way too meek and kind. I think it would ruin him. He isn't excited about it or wants to do it but in his head it is the only way to get out of the mess.

He only has $20-$30k debt. We told him we would help him budget and if he got a better job he could pay it off. He says he will never get anywhere unless he gets away from his parents. Which I agree, but he has been unsuccessful finding a roommate and can't afford to live on his own. Husband's parents offered to let him live with them. (He is like family and has lived with them when he was younger.) But he refuses to pause school to pay down the debt.

He sprung this on us last week and said he was going to meet with a recruiter. Husband advised him to not sign up for anything and think about it for a while. We invited him over for the weekend so we could sit down and work out a solution for him. Well the next day he called back and said he signed up. Husband is ticked and says he has made up his mind and refuses to try and reason with him anymore. But I think he is making a horrible split second decision and is going to regret it.

I am so mad and sick about this. How DARE his parents use him, and take advantage, and feel no remorse about him having to join the military to pay for them. Oh BTW his mom is on vacation in Florida right now...

It is sad that he is making a life changing decision over $20k in debt. His parents are toxic, and once he gets out he is just going to get into the same mess again if he can't learn to tell them no and budget better.

Ugh. Just needed to rant. He has signed up but not sworn in yet. So I'm not sure if it is too late now. But I am still hoping he comes to his senses. Husband is being mad about it right now and doesn't want to talk about it, but I know he is upset and hurt. His friend stays at our house several times a month and even has a toothbrush here. Friend lived at his parents house during their teenage years (family couldn't afford their kids), so they are like brothers. I think he feels betrayed that his friend signed up without even talking to him about it first.

Pray that he makes the right decision.

To update on my husband's job situation:

He had finally decided to apply for a job with good pay / benefits but crappy work and hours. Before he could do that someone told him about a much better job that was hiring. He applied for that but they are saying they aren't going to start the hiring process until after July 15th. So we are still waiting.

Then another job came open which has GREAT pay and benefits but just okay hours. He applied for that (along with probably 100 other people, ugh). Well they called today to let him know he has made it to the final hiring process and he is scheduled for an interview on the 17th. Yay!

The original planned job is also now hiring. So husband will probably go ahead and apply for that as well. All this to say there are 3 good jobs in the running and we are hoping and praying that husband can manage to snag one of them. He is a great worker and has never called in sick or been late. Just wish someone would give him a chance to shine.

In recap 3 possible jobs.

#1 decent pay, awesome hours (days, no weekends or holidays)
#2 great pay, boring work
#3 good pay, swing shifts and evenings, boring work

Husband is still wishing for #1, although #2 would be great for us financially. He would be getting about a 50% raise. Which is equally to what I am currently making. All of them offer good benefits and retirement which is a major improvement over what we currently have.

Please keep us in your thoughts and pray that interviews go well. This could be a real life changer for us.

I got my estimate back for my new gutters. They came in about $500 less than budgeted. Score!

Then my oven stopped working... It is at least 30 years old and came with the house when we bought it. It has been going out/not working off and on for a couple years now. But if you wiggle/bang on it enough it will come on.

Everyday it gets a little harder to get it working. Finally a couple days ago I thought it finally gave up the ghost, then yesterday it magically started again. Today it is broke again. lol. It makes me crazy wondering when it is really going to be its last day.

Several stores are offering up to 40% off on ovens right now because of the holiday so it might be time to bite the bullet and buy a new one. We are going to go window shopping next week and see how good of a deal we can find. I worry if I don't get it now, it will die in a couple weeks and then we will have to wait months until the next sale. If we do purchase something we will use the $500 we saved on the gutters.

I did look on the local craigslist and sellers clubs but the used ones are only $50 - $100 cheaper than a brand new one on sale!

Last year we replaced our failing washer during a holiday sale and I am still super happy with my purchase. I consider myself a frugal person. But a purchase is definitely worth it if it improves your quality of life. And let me tell you I am so over having to fidget with my oven for 10 minutes every time I need to cook something. What a frustration and waste of time.

Just got back from a short weekend trip to the windy city. One of my friends travels for work and is currently living there, so a few of us got together for a girls weekend at her place.

I had a great time and only spent $40. (which I had saved over the last couple weeks) We of course wanted to experience Chicago living so we saw the giant bean, ate classic style pizza and hotdogs, had a picnic on lake Michigan, and toured the field museum. We would have liked to see the aquarium but it was closed for the day.

I am SO not a fan of crowds or traffic, but I kept my anxiety in check and we got there and back safely. It was nice to have a weekend away from the remodel and work.

I am all caught up on bills and credit cards besides the giant LOC and 0% cards for the house. It is nice to be able to have money in the check left over to pay more than the minimums. I am determined to pay down debt ASAP.

Well my husband did end up getting a raise this year. $.08... Yes you read that right. That is pretty much an insult. Not even enough for inflation.

Anyway, despite my husband not telling anyone he is starting to look for a different career, a neighbor contacted my father in law randomly about a job opening that he thinks would be a good fit for my husband. This job would be the same pay or more than he is currently working, only 4 days a week, no weekend/holidays, daytime, large yearly raises, and room for growth. And best of all it has awesome benefits, which is what we really need because of all my health issues. This job would be a God send for my husband. We are leaving for vacation TONIGHT! So I picked up an application on my way to work, we are going to fill it out and drop it off in the neighbors mailbox on our way to the airport. He said he will take it in for us!

Could really use some prayers that it works out. It sounds too good to be true. Husband has always wanted to work there but they rarely hire, and don't advertise so you have to know someone. It has been years since they have hired anyone, but one of their employees just retired.

Preparing for vacation is super stressful when I have to have all the animals ready, all my invoices for construction work taken care of, all my real work done, clean for the pet sitters to stay here, etc. Ugh. I'm glad it is about over.

See you all in 10 days!

Home addition is still going fine. It is exciting to see progress. We have a basement now.

Got my new $5 raise this paycheck so that was nice to help me catch up on some credit card bills. Another week or two and I will be caught up on everything and be able to start funneling to the remodel. In just a couple weeks it will be time to start working on the interior.

Vacation is only about a month away. Plane tickets, rental car, and home are all ordered and paid for. Just need to purchase/pay for whatever attractions we are going to, and food while there.

Purchased a few much needed clothing items such as a swim suit top. Can't go to the beach without a swim suit! I got a $50 top for only $17!

May have to go shopping once more because I couldn't find everything I needed but first I want to go through all my clothes and purge/inventory check.

My house is a major disaster. I think it is time for a spring cleaning / take everything out and organize. It is hard to keep up with when I work every day, milk/bottle feed goats (which takes 2+ hours a day), care for the rest of the animals, work on the home addition, and try to get some rest time in. House cleaning is definitely what gets slacked on. I need to do better.

Sweet little puppy did not make it. :'( She fought hard for 6 days, but in the end I think her injuries got the best of her. Despite her beginning to perk up, she started coughing blood and died within a day. Her punctured lung must have been too severe. Husband and I tearfully buried her last night.

I am horribly sad, but I know I did everything I could, and I am glad she is no longer suffering.

On to financial news:

I have all my W2's back and am ready to submit my taxes after double checking them again. I'm getting back $500.

Also, our loan was APPROVED! Our siding and windows are being ordered today, and there should be some actual construction going on within 2 weeks. I am super nervous about staying in budget. Additional things have already come up that need to be done such as a new front door... No extras unless we can pay cash! So let the scrimping begin.

Construction guys are very nice and are going to let us help with as much as we can to cut down on labor. I'll be shopping around for the best deals asap. We've already picked out our flooring (which is a bit of a splurge, but we are going to install ourselves) Saturday, we are going to go look at some home stores and window shop for tile, fixtures, lighting, etc. Just to start narrowing down prices. We are making a list of everything we need to save for, since we are trying to keep all finishes off the loan.

Guys I am so heartbroken. Late Wednesday night my favorite puppy started randomly squealing like someone was hurting it. Odd. But it was still eating and walking around.

First thing Thursday morning it's breathing was changed, and it was crying more often like it was in pain. I rushed it to the vet and he said it appears either the mom accidentally stepped on it, or it got squished under it's big siblings. :'( Broken ribs, possibly punctured lung, internal bleeding. He said it felt "squishy" inside. He gave her some pain meds, and antibiotics and sent me on my way with a good luck, but probably not going to make it.

She has no appetite, and no such reflex at all. So I have to dropper milk in every 3 hours around the clock. Poor thing just lets most of it dribble out though so she is skin and bones.

Every night I was sure she would pass, but I am surprised to see her still alive today. 5 days later! Last night she was so weak that I sat and cried over her for an hour and kissed her goodbye. But this morning she is actually slightly stronger.

She has stopped crying, and her breathing has improved. So I think we are past the danger zone with her injuries. But now I worry about aspiration, and starvation. If she doesn't start eating soon there is no way she can keep going on. I seen her rooting around mom this morning for the first time, of course if you stick a teat in her mouth she just sits there, but at least it's some progress.

I'm waiting on a call back from the vet to see if there is anything else he is willing to do, or if there is anything he can give her to help with appetite. I feel powerless and desperate. But I am doing all I can. I am so exhausted from feeding 24/7 that I actually fell asleep this morning after feeding at 7 and slept until 10. I never sleep that late!

So I would appreciate prayers for her, she is a fighter, but it's an uphill battle.

Well no more progress has been made on the house. It was 3 degrees last week, and now all this week it's flat line winds and raining. Yay.

We are going to try to clean out some room in the shed tonight so we can continue sanding and painting our bathroom trim. Got to hurry before the appraisal.

I put the last $150 in my animal fund so I can purchase the rest of my winter hay. No more worrying about that fund until I start selling kids again.

Also, we have puppies!! 8 adorable, fat, squeaking puppies.