The farm and farmhouse

Whew! I have so many checks to mail today.

$540 for my two goats, and their transport. (3 checks)
$200 for my kitten deposit.
$119 for electric bill.
$45 for water bill.

Trash bill still hasn't arrived. I called them and they sent it out Friday, so it should be here anytime.


Have a meeting today for lunch, then I have to teach a class this evening at my old school. So I'm going to just have to hang around the city all day, because it's too far to drive. I will probably just go work at bosses house.

FINALLY stained half of my top of my desk. Hopefully I'll get the other half done tomorrow. I just want to get it done, so I can have my own workspace!

Wednesday - 5/13
- Attended niece's graduation
- Went out to eat with family
- Worked & meeting
- Completed late night mock-up for project
- Went out to lunch with boss

Thursday - 5/14
- Meeting
- Making chicken and dumplings for dinner
- Balanced checkbook
- Washed dishes
- Grocery shopping

I sent $250 to my Roth IRA, also put $45 in the fencing fund.

Been very hectic here. Crazy busy every day, and just exhausted. Can't wait for the weekend.

I am borrowing HouseHopeful's 5 things idea.

I think this is a great way to keep me motivated, and also tell myself I AM getting stuff done. Even if it is only 5 things. Setting a small goal like this can go a long way. I'm constantly stressed out and crazy busy. Hopefully this will help me prioritize things.

Monday - 5/11
- Worked
- Wormed mama Goats
- Gave vaccines to baby goats
- Went to counseling appointment
- Picked up new goat medicine

Tuesday - 5/12
- Disbudded baby goats
- Burned old hay
- Cleaned barn aisle & fertilized pasture
- Worked & meeting
- Cashed checks, returned DVD rentals
- Making taco pie for dinner

Got our settlement check.

Finished the goat fund, and added to the vacation and fence fund.

Have $500 for Juno's future treatments. That will relieve some stress.

Moving on up. Really hoping to add to the Roth IRA with my paycheck this week. It's been a while since I've contributed.

Payment brings mortgage total down to $48,797.49.

Might get down to the $47k's this year, that would be sweet!

Can't wait until one day when I can make large lump payments, and the balance will drop more quickly.

Still hoping to refinance this year, and will probably change it to a 15 year loan rather than a 30.

Also put $100 into the vacation fund.

Got Juno's pre-treatment antibiotics and 3 months of heartworm prevention pills for $85. That is not included in the original $500 estimated cost for heartworm treatment. Ouch.

Paid the neighbor $85 to fertilize my hay field today. Well worth it. The land has set empty for 25 years, and it was really lacking. I only got 10 bales off an area last week where I've gotten nearly 100 in previous years.

Added $175 to my goat fund.

My $1,000 settlement check should be arriving any day. Currently planning on putting back $500 for Juno, $240 to top off my goat fund, and the rest will probably go towards my credit card or possibly the fence fund.

Well I got the dogs shots. They ended up not being able to get the 3 year, since this is their first rabies shot, and they need the smaller dosage once to work as a booster.

Now for the bad news.

Juno the one year old puppy tested positive for heartworms. I don't even know how that is possible. 6 months ago would have been winter, which means she must have caught it when she was a tiny little puppy.

The vet says it is going to cost a minimum of $500. But the main problem is that she needs to be kept calm and quiet for up to 6 weeks after treatment. Yeah right. If she even sees you she is jumping up and down, running in circles, barking, etc. Walking on a leash is no better. She does not hold still ever. Not for petting, not for brushing. She is a huge bundle of energy.

I have no idea how it is going to be possible to get her down. I'm guessing I will have to purchase a crate that is too short for her to jump. And she is probably going to have to be sedated for a month. I'll talk to the vet about options.

So upset. We still have a $1,000 check coming soon. So I will be using that for vet bills, and either the fence or paying for the goats I reserved.


The gun is no longer a priority at this time.

Added $100 to vacation, and $60 to the gun fund. Also I just started a new savings fund for fencing. Husband wants it up ASAP, so if I don't save for it, then he wants to put it on the LOC. I'm putting all my goat money there for now.

We got some trim up, and my desk is slowly coming along. Progress is progress. Garden is growing.

This weekend the dogs are getting their shots. It's going to cost $250! Ouch! But it's 3 year shots, which is good because they are 100 pounds each, and never been around other dogs, or rode in the car... So that's going to be fun. Also they are getting heart worm tested so they can begin going on prevention. I do have the money put back for this.

Goodness, I have a lot of buckets going. Seriously considering condensing them all, and just working on one at a time. But they all have different time frames. I'm not even sure which are the most important at this point. I'm not too worried about vacation since I've got a budgeted amount going to is and it will be completed before the trip. Anyone else have a lot of separate saving buckets?

Thanks so much for all the well wishes.

I'm doing okay. Very lonely. I held that cat for 8 hours a day, and working from home is very quiet and lonely without him.

Husband is determined to find me a new companion, and I've always wanted a ragdoll cat. I started looking for kittens but they were $800 and up!? I seen some that were $1,800... For a cat. Yikes.

I was about to give up, but I finally found a small breeder that breeds only for pets, and her kittens are significantly cheaper. $400. Still more than I would think of spending on a cat, since you can get free ones. But my mom has pledged $150 to buy me a new friend. I called the breeder and she was so sweet and nice, and I've made my decision. I'm going to go for it.



This is what a ragdoll kitten looks like. Have you ever seen anything cuter in your whole life?

She has some due in the next two weeks, and then at the end of May. So I'll be able to wait and see which one I like. They won't be ready for pickup until July, so it's going to be hard to wait that long.

She is about 5 hours away, but I have a wedding to go to nearby, in June. So I'll be able to stop by, and play with the kitties, and maybe pick mine!

I'm very excited, just hoping I can make it a couple months alone. :/

My cat passed away in his sleep last night.

He was my best buddy, and 12 short years were not enough.

He has been very sick since Christmas, so I'm glad his suffering is over. But last night he was acting his chipper self, eating, walking, using the litter box, etc. So it was a bit of a shock. I wish I had more warning, I expected him to slowly go down hill, and I would be able to be there with him until the end.

I guess this way is better. He's had a very good week, and was happily purring and snuggling right up until last night. Which is better than him loosing his ability to eat and walk, and slowly suffering for days.

I held him for a couple hours last night, and then put him to bed. I wish I had held him just a little longer. I wish I had been there to comfort his passing. Despite him acting pretty normally the last few days, he has been meowing more, and been more clingy. I guess I now know why. He wanted someone to be near him.

I'm going to be so lonely working from home now. Everyday he sat on my lap or my feet, and I would hold him and talk to him for hours. I'm glad I got to stay home and spend so much time with him these last few months.

I already miss him. Even my tough husband was crying this morning. I've only seen him cry a couple of times in the past 12 years.

I'll never forget the wonderful time I shared with my cat. He was the best pet anyone could ask for, and I will miss him terribly. I don't even know what I am going to do with myself. I feel lost.

Been so busy and stressed out recently, my health has not been taking it well. Things are finally starting to smooth out.

All my goats are reserved except for 3 wethers. So that is great news. They will go to their new homes starting at the end of May. I still have 2 does left to kid. One this weekend, and one in May.

I've pretty much finalized goat buying plans, and I have 3 that will be joining my herd. I will get them in May/June.

After talking with husband we have decided we really would like to finish the pasture fencing this year. That would give my boy goats, and Juno a lot more room to run. That cost will be $1,500. Goat money will cover it. But I still need to build up my $1,000 buffer as well.

Tomorrow is husband's "extra" paycheck. I'm going to use it to pay off my credit card. Which frees up my entire paycheck to save next week.

Saturday I have my award's banquet, and then we are going to go mini golfing and do some clothes shopping. We really need the date night, especially since life has been so crazy lately.

Been raining a lot so desk and trim have been on hold. I'd love to finish them this weekend.

So, we got a good surprise yesterday.

We received a letter from husband's work that they have a Profit Sharing plan.

It said as of December 31st 2014 that his account balance is $2,600 and that he is 20% vested.

That means if he quit today he would be given 20% or $520 right? That's pretty cool!

That just doubled our current retirement money! I like free money!

I'll have to do some more reading on profit sharing, I don't really understand it.

The desk is coming along great. The pipe is all put together, now I just have to build the top.



Here is what it currently looks like. The board is just set on top for demonstration. Don't judge my floors! They aren't dirty, just need refinished.

I'm facing a dilemma though. I had planned on staining the top the same color as our floor and trim. But I'm worried that will be too much of the same color.

What do you guys think? Too matchy, or do you think it would help it blend and fit in? I'm torn. I love the stain color, I just don't know if too much will look ridiculous. The desk will have wall built shelving as well, so part of me thinks it might look good to have the same color and go for a "built in" look?

I also stained the next part of our trim. Yay for progress.

Been a very busy week, and the stress has flared up my lung disease. Ugh. Feeling pretty poorly. Hope things slow down, and my health returns soon.

Next week is an "extra paycheck" for husband. Should have about $350 to put towards something... I'm not sure what yet. Possibly the IRA or my gun.

Also I posted some pictures of my new baby goats, and within the day someone had decided to purchase two of the bucklings! It is nearly unheard of for a person to just buy bucklings. So I'm pretty stoked.

Proposal is over, and now it's time to catch up with everything... Work, cleaning, fun.

I paid all my bills, and have almost all the materials purchased for the desk. I went to 3 different hardware stores yesterday, and still have another to go to. They don't keep enough in stock.

Also, I think I have located 2 goats that I will be able to purchase. Not exactly what I wanted, but still good. And each one is $100 less than the ones I had reserved. So that will save me $200.

The goat kids are a joy to watch. They are so full of energy, and love running in a big herd and jumping and playing. Too cute!

We got our 3rd garden box filled, and got all our garden planted. Ideally we still have 2 more boxes to build, but I think they can wait until next year.

More goats were born. Two single bucklings. I had two girls reserved. So that stinks. Only one goat left to kid.

The lady who was suppose to transport my new goats keeps changing her mind about the route she wants to take. So I had to back out of my purchases. I guess I will be skipping goat buying this year. Bummer. I already had the money taken out of the LOC. So I just paid it back.

I bought part of the materials for my desk. My husband convinced me to change my design at the last minute, so I wasn't sure what I needed to purchase. I just had to guess. I think I may have bought some pieces that I won't need, and they are non returnable. Oh well. I'll only lose about $10-$20, and maybe I can find a way to use them. I'll have to sit down and figure out what I still need.

Got our next trim cut and sanded. Can't wait to stain, but it's pouring rain here.

Very busy at work. Have a big proposal tomorrow, but hopefully after that it will calm down.

Well it just so happens that one of husband's co-workers was selling a very nice saw that was practically brand new. So we bought it for $200.

I can't wait to use it! This weekend we are having a friend over, and going to the Zoo. But hopefully next week we will knock out the next bit of trim. Our house will look so much better once that's done!

I have purchased 2 goats which I have to pay for now, and also we would like to get my desk built. So we may be putting some money on the LOC for the short term.

Savings are on hold for the time being, but I'm okay with it. We've both been working hard, and it's for some reward.

More goats due today!

After some discussion with husband, we have decided to hold up our savings for at least a check or two.

There are some things we need, that we can't keep putting off.

Firstly, we need a miter saw to do all of trim. We have been borrowing one from father-in-laws work, but I think it's time to buy our own. I'm pretty sure he isn't suppose to be loaning out tools, and we use it a LOT.

I can get a very nice basic new one for $250, or I can try to find a used fancier one for $350ish. We need it ASAP, so we might have to go with new.

We also need the materials for 2 more garden boxes, and my desk, the gun, and we need all the plants for the garden as well.

Next paycheck if I don't save I will have the money to purchase one of the things on our list... Just not sure which one is most important. Probably the saw, since it is holding up any progress on the house.

I received a letter from my college stating I was picked by the faculty to receive this year's Outstanding Web Designer award.

Cool! Oddly I'm not enrolled in any classes this semester, so I'm not sure why they picked me. I guess just from my overall performance. 4.0 GPA.

They are having a little awar breakfast, and I talked my husband into going with me. I don't usually go to things like that, but I think the award would be good for my job credibility.

I'll be officially graduated in May since I missed the fall deadline.

Also, this weekend I purchased the materials for a garden box and the next two pieces of trim.

Yesterday we actually built the box! Yay! I love checking stuff off our to do list. It still has to be filled with manure and dirt, but that's a job for another day.

Now hopefully we will be as productive and get the trim finished this week too.

New employment is going well. We have some lulls, and then we get extremely busy. Which is expected with this type of work.

If a couple of deals go through, employer said I could be looking at a raise in May or June.

So fingers crossed everything goes as planned. That would probably boost my income $500+ a month! Nearly doubling my amount of savings. That would be so awesome.

Also I've picked a desk! I'm going to build the darn thing myself. lol. I love building, and I can't find one I like that I can afford, so seems like a good plan.



This is similar to what I'm envisioning. But I want a shelf underneath on one side to hold the tower.

Husband thinks I'm crazy, but he likes it.

Of course this will have to wait until after we get some trim done. Hopefully we are going to get the materials Saturday, and will start working on getting the dining room knocked out.

Does anyone else get "the itch?"

I'm doing well on my financial goals, I fully funded my EF, and paid off my debts. Overall things are going great...

But I'm starting to get the itch to buy things I want/need.

For example the gun. I'm saving for it sloooowly, but part of me wants to buy it now and pay myself back later, or put it on a 0% credit card.

I need a desk. Right now I work full time on the kitchen table and my crap is everywhere. Husband hates having to clear my giant stack of papers every night to eat, and I'll admit it's a mess.

Also I've been waiting several years to buy myself a desktop. I promised myself I would for a graduation present, but I never did. When I started my job my employer gave me a laptop to use, but it's not mine. If I quit I have to give it back, and I'm not suppose to use it for personal use such as games or pictures.

I need a printer too. I never needed one because I could use my employer's, but now that I've switched jobs, I quickly realized how often I used one.

I just don't know how to curb the craving of wanting to buy something. Especially if rationally it's something I could really use, and would make my life better.

Do you ever give in?

Wanted to keep a list of everything that needs done before we can refinance our house. I'd really like to get this done this year. But it's pretty intimidating, so we'll see.

Must Do:

Outdoor

Build Permanent Goat Ramp
Paint Sunroom Windows
Side Bathroom

Livingroom

Refinish or Polish Floors
Trim Baseboards

Bedroom

Refinish or Polish Floors

Diningroom

Patch Outer Wall
Prime Outer Wall
Paint Outer Wall
Trim Doors
Floors
Trim Baseboards
Install Closet Door

Bathroom

Repaint Walls
Caulk Tub
Replace Window
Install Door
Finish Trim

Kitchen

Paint Door
Trim Doors
Trim Window
Crown Molding
Trim Baseboards

Hallway

Patch Holes
Paint Wall
Install Trim

Upstairs

Replace 2 Broken Windows

Would Be Nice:

Figure Out Solution for Roof
Build 2 More Garden Boxes
Build Berry Box
Build New Goat Manger
Fence Front Pasture

Payday finally! (I hate being paid every other week. lol)


I paid off my huge credit card, which was from the plane tickets.

Put $180 in our vacation fund to bring the total to $700. Slowly getting there.

Also put back $150 for the purchase of a gun.

I passed my concealed carry class with flying colors. Out of 45 people I was in the top ten, which I think is pretty good considering I've only shot a hand gun once before.

I beat out my husband pretty badly, and people are calling me Annie Oakley. Haha.

The instructor said I was naturally gifted. I'd love to take some more classes and really improve. But shooting is an expensive sport.

Mortgage payment hit bringing my balance to $48,848.28.

Hello, $48ks!

More baby goats were born. They sure are cute.

I just ordered our airplane tickets for our summer vacation.

Unfortunately the flight we wanted went up $25 since I checked last, so I had to book a 30 minute earlier flight. Yuck. Oh well. I'm glad it's done and paid for.

Everything is reserved and ready to go, we just have to show up!

Also, just realized my state refund was finally deposited. So I went ahead and paid $225 to the Roth. Only $2,000 for my goal.

Got a letter saying our house escrow is going up this month $7. Boo.

Went to the chiro again this morning. They used ultrasound and some briofreeze on me, and whew it felt good. I was hurting pretty bad, so I hope this will help. Another appointment Wednesday, and husband is going then as well.

My favorite goat had an emergency Friday. She started kidding but they got stuck, and I could not get them turned. Got her to the vet an miraculously they got them out. The first baby was half sticking out for 1.5 hours, and it lived! I couldn't believe it. Momma and all 3 babies are doing fine. All boys. Yuck. The vet charges $50 but it is well worth it to save over $1,000 in goats! I also picked up medicine for the cat, and some vaccines, so the bill was $100.




So cute!

I sold 2 goats. Originally it was suppose to be one, but the lady loved another one so much she talked me into selling her as well. I won't lie, I'm a little sad and do miss both of them A bit of regret.

I used that money to pay my license plate renewal, pay the vet bill, and pay for another load of hay.

This morning another goat kidded 2 babies. And another is due in 2 days. I'm loving it!

I feel much better already. She says it might take a while to fully heal. My muscles and ligaments are very tight and damaged. Worse than I thought. So I have another appointment set up for next week.

Glad I went.

Selling my goat tonight, I'll be happy to have the money. My license plate sticker is due, and I'm going to be having some recurring medical bills coming in soon that are necessary. Boo.

Hopefully this won't detour me from my goals too much.

My goats should start kidding any time now. How exciting!

Finally got word back from the wreck we were in last month.

They want us to settle for $1,000 and 60 days of medical treatments if needed.

I was not expecting any money, so part of me was like woo hoo!

BUT, both my back and my husband's are still hurting. So I worry we may have more than soft tissue damage. If that is the case, I hate to settle and then a couple months down the road find out we need more treatment.

We are both planning on going to the chiropractor soon. I have been advised to wait until after that and see how our backs are feeling.

What would you do? I don't want to try to milk any money. But I don't want to be stuck with medical bills either. Should I be happy with what they offered and settle now? Or wait a couple more weeks until our backs are healed?

ETA: They gave husband's brother full amount for his car thankfully, and he has since bought a new car he likes better.

Put $250 in the Roth, $100 in vacation, put back $120 for a class I'm taking next week, and paid off the credit card.

Also sold a goat that is getting picked up on Sunday. Not sure what I'm doing with that $200 yet. Maybe Animal Fund.

I was in a 4 car accident Saturday.

Myself, my husband, his brother "R", and two of our friends went shopping. About 30 minutes before we headed home it started snowing really hard. We lived an hour and a half away on a good day, but we weren't sliding or anything, so we just slowed down and was fine.

We were in the left lane on the interstate, a blue car was behind us, and a tan car diagonally behind us. I guess the blue car tried to pass us on the right and didn't see the tan car, so he went into her lane and barely hit her.

She tried to swerve out of the way and went off the road. We witnessed this in the rear view mirror and "R" said, "Oh my gosh! We just missed a major accident." Not 2 seconds later she over corrected and slid on the snow sideways (drivers side) in front of us. R hit the brakes and missed her, but she hit the guard rail, spun around, and came back across sideways facing the other way now. We T-Boned her, and it brought us to a dead stop. The crash was so loud, my ears were ringing and I was disoriented. About 3 seconds later, another white car that was behind us couldn't stop and hit us in the side and then bounced off and hit the rail. My husband screamed for us to get down, and threw his body over me and my friend. We thought for sure that there would be more cars, or a semi that would run us over. (The crash completely blocked all lanes) Thankfully there was no one else was close behind us.

Myself and my friend happened to see her coming in a split second and braced ourselves. My husband was behind the driver and his view was blocked, so he whip lashed and hit the seat. The two in front had airbags go off.



I was so proud of my husband. Before I could even become oriented again he was already on the phone with 911.

The guy in the white car was only 17, and he was so nice. He was out checking everyone, he even gave me his gloves. Very mature.

The guy in the blue car must have braked after her hit her, because he was behind and pulled past us after the wreck and parked his car. He got out, looked at his bumper and screamed to someone on the phone that "it is drivable." Then he got back in his car and took off, without even looking back or checking on the lady he could have just killed.

The guy in the white car had friends in a different car behind us, so they jumped in their car and took off after him.

Everyone is okay besides just minor seat belt burn, soreness, small bruises. The lady in the tan car was hit on 3 sides, and was trapped in until rescue came. It was a miracle that we were all in such good shape. Praise God!

The worst part was, that we had to stand on the side of the interstate in the snow for close to 2 hours. It took over 30 minutes just for the police to arrive. All of us only had light jackets on. (It was a nice day when we left.) I don't know if I've ever been so cold and wet. Not a single police officer or medic offered us blankets, or to warm up in their car!

Then when they cleaned everything up, they asked us if we had a ride. We were like, uh, no, we live an hour and a half away. So they flagged down the tow truck, they they took us back to their shop. We waited there for a couple more hours until my father and father-in-law picked us up.

I was so terrified on the way home. By then the snow was much worse, and trailer trucks were passing us going 60 mph, and coming in our lane. I thought we would never make it home.

But we did, and we are all safe and sound. All of us are pretty sore, but we will recover. I do feel really bad for "R" because he hasn't had the car for long, and he won't get what he paid for it back from the insurance.

The police called and told us that they caught the guy that caused it and ran, and that he got several citations. I really hope he gets slammed. I can't believe how selfish he was, and careless about someone's life.

I hope I never have to be in another wreck again, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be scared to drive in snow anymore. You might be a safe driver, but you never know when some idiot is going to do something stupid.

PS: Kitty is holding his own. He hasn't went back to being unresponsive. But he still can't walk around much. He seems content to lay around.

Payday today!

Sent mortgage payment bringing the balance to $49,008.37. I'm very tempted to send an extra payment to bring it down to the $48ks.

Paid off the credit cards, put $100 in vacation fund and sent $25 to my IRA.

Best of all I finished topping off the EF! Another big goal completed. Now all that is left is my smaller goals. 2/5 done before March isn't bad.