Got the lawn mowed. I only mow the orchard every 2nd or 3rd mowing, so skipped it this time. That reduced my mowing time to slightly under 6 hours. I didn't mow too close to the hay fields, as tomorrow we are cutting hay. I used 8 gallons of fuel at $3.39 a gallon (last weeks price, which is when we bought it--then it rained, so today was the first I could get out and mow)so todays mowing cost us $27.12. I also trimmed up some of the low branches that always hit me in the face when I mow.

After I mowed, I ran the tiller thru the garden. I can't see where the fuel level even went down in the tiller.

Fixed fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and yeast rolls for supper. Figure I needed my energy after all I did today.

I think I have decided not to buy the girls math books at this time. We are home schooling. I have found enough free worksheets and lessons off the internet that seem just as good or better than the workbooks I have looked at that are big bucks. Plus by using worksheets in this manner, we can move forward and slow down as needed to match their strenghts and weaknesses. I spent several hours tonight printing off worksheets. They sould probably last us thru the end of this month. I also got a bunch of free CD and DVD's and other info that I ordered on line. A lot of it is from big companies and various government offices. We have videos now on all kinds of subjects, from how paper is made to fish speicies, money management, women in science, space, planets, conservation, lewis & clark,...even some spanish CD's.

We bought some mango's from the store that were 28 cents a peice. So, we made a lesson out of mangos. Did you know the mango tree is related to poison ivy? The tree and leaves are poison, but the fruit is not. The tree looks like an evergreen tree. We studied where they are grown, how to use them...got about 15 minutes for home ec cooking and 30 minutes for social studies. Of course I was asked, if they could do more eating lessons... We had tocos and talked about Mexico earlier in the week. I don't think it will be too hard to add more "eating lessons"

We rented a machine and cleaned carpets today. For what we did, it would have cost close to $125 to have someone come out and do it. They cleaned up so well, that I think we are going to buy our own machine, so we can do it more often. I used to have one (lost it in a house fire several years ago) that I paid under $150 for. If we used it only 2 times, it would pay for itself. Before, I used it at least once a month for spot treatments, and I did each carpet at least 2 times a year. DH has allergies, and we live off a gravel road, so I can see it getting plenty of use. I also cleaned the dining room chair pads and the office chairs as well.

The garden needs tilling, but it is too wet out. It stormed all night and there are puddles. But, I did notice some more plants are coming up.

I took the recycling in, (comes to our area the first Saturday of the month). Since we burn our trash, and have to dump the barrel, I do the recycling. Its free, and saves all the glass and metal that normally we would put in the trash. That just leaves ash in the barrel which we can dump in low spots on the farm, as it is not hazzardous. We recycle all the paper, plastic, tin, pop cans, glass...leaves very little to burn. Rumor has it that next month they may start taking styrofoam as well (as in meat packaging and peanuts).

Well, didn't get done yesterday what I wanted to do, and I am not even going to try it for today, afraid it will end up the same way.

Yesterday morning I did manage to get into the ground 15 trees, 3 lilac bushes, all the lambs ears, the rodella?? (forgot what its called), the tiger lillys, and the iris bulbs.

I still have to go more lilac and lots more trees. However, I can't plant them until the utilities get their locates done, and so far none have shown up. they have till 8 tomorrow morning to get it done. So, the rest are soaking in a bucket of water.

Dad gave us several huge logs to use as seats around our bonfire area. I got the 2 out of the truck that I could budge, the rest will need to wait for some man muscle.

Yesterday and today we have had really weird rain. I started to mow. It downpoured. I brought the mower in, and the rain stopped. It only lasted 3 minutes at the most. I started to till. Same thing happened. I tried to water the garden and wash my car. Each time, it would downpour, only to last less than 3 minutes. None of it did any good. Their are still cracks in the ground. We had (still have) weird lighting and thunder also, but the rain just isn't doing any good.

So, my big project for yesterday was to clean out the garage. Got it done. This afternoon I will work in the basement.

While I was cleaning out the garage, I found 3 dozen canning jars (which I needed and had on my list to buy). So, the task paid for itself.

We went to my parents house for the day yesterday. It was for my birthday dinner (a month late, but since we moved away and with everyones schedules, had no choice on that one).
Anyway, it rained most of the day. We had taken the pick up as we were going to bring back some chicken nesting boxes from mom and dads chicken coup. But, when we went down to get it, we discovered poision ivy was everywhere. So, dad is going to spray it, and we will get them next trip. My new hens won't start laying for another 6 weeks anyway.

Anyway, since we had the truck, I took advantage of it. I brought back part of my moms lilac bush--about 30 little ones. Her bush is huge-I mean the size of a small parking lot. When we were kids it was little bitty. She is always compaining of its size and giving people starts, so I cleared out some of it. Today I get to plant it here.

I also got some tiger lillys, that are family plants. They came from my grandparents farm and the story is her mom gave them to her. So, I have those to plant today.

Then my sister in law gave me some lambs ear. Seems these plants are intent on taking over her front garden. She also gave me a rhodundia plant.

Dad had just cut down a big big big tree, and gave us huge chucks of wood from that. I think he thought we could burn it, but after looking it over, most of it we will use as seats and stools around our fire ring. Some of the logs are big enough that 2 smaller people could sit on them. The smaller logs we will split to burn.

Dad also gave me several tree seedlings. I think I got walnut, oak, ash and pine.

All in all, I think I got around $300 in plants free. I was going to get some lilac at the garden store, but the price stopped me, knowing mom wanted hers thinned out and it would be cheaper and helps us both out.

The garden has a few rows popping up in the newer section. I need to till it badly, but couldn't till stuff started to come up so I could see where to till and where not to till. I think I can get 3 rows safely tilled today without destroying plants.

Yesterday I cleaned out and reorganized the office. Since Thursday was the last day of school, I had brought home all teaching materials I had at school, so I got that all put away. The girls got to bring home all their text books to keep, so I organized that as well. We will be using them for home schooling. DD#3's 5th grade materials we will put away for DD#4 and #5 for next year.

What they used this year we will be reviewing during June, July and August. If that goes well, we will start with new material Sept 1. If it goes very well, we will start with new material earlier.

One of the girls struggles with spelling, and another is starting to struggle with math. So the review will be good. The one who is struggling with math should not be. She used to be an A student in math. After I got her grade card, I then found out that the teacher was leaving the room during math and letting another student teach it for the last quarter. I discussed this with the principal and he denied it was happening, but since then several other parents in the class are saying their child says the same thing, and 2 other students told me it was happening also, so I think the principal was just unaware of it.

I also downloaded a FREE home school program that tracks grades, assignments, reports, reading logs, attendance, time spent...everything.

Eventually we will be doing our schooling in the basement--but until it is done we are upstairs using the office and the dining room. When the basement is completed, we will have our own bathroom (complete except for the door-which is currently a shower curtain, and the sheetrock on the ceiling), kitchen (will be good for home ec), living room and a large area which has cabinets and counter tops and a work table for sewing or doing activities on.

The basement is also being set up so that when we have company they can stay down their & have their own private area.

So much to do, so little time......

It is humid out today, so I have to do the laundry in the dryer. It will mildew if I hang it out. But, stuff is popping up in the garden from the last 3 days of rain.

Yesterday the girls got out of school at noon. Last day. Yee Ha. Now we start summer school. This summer we will be reviewing what they learned last year (esp math and spelling), doing some reading, and working on our home ec skills. I am putting them in charge of lunch everyday. They have to check the food on hand, and plan their lunch menu around what we have. They are not allowed to serve the same thing twice in a week. (That will avoid PB&J every day). Also, they will be rotating chores. We have chore list A, B and C.
Each list will have some common chores-such as pick up your room and bathroom, making their own bed, and each list will also have some unique jobs such as empty dishwasher, feed chickens, feed dogs, feed rabbits, feed steer, gather eggs, vacumme, dust, gather laundry, wash whites, wash towels, restock wood pile, sweep floor, water plants, work garden.....

Also, we will be starting some beginning sewing--first up is each girl will learn how to sew on a button.

Its been raining off and on today. I have a chicken on to boil. I haven't decided yet if I am going to add veggies, or make noodles, or do both. Also, I need to make a pineapple upside down cake-I owe DH one.

Today I got the last of the sweet corn in, and the sunflower seeds. I also went ahead and planted some seeds left over from last year. They should still be ok.

I have more seeds left from this year (I kind of over bought on a few things), so, I will try to add more: cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, pumpkins, butternut squash, watermelon, canteloup, and zuchinni.

I will be doing some more flowers also.

The cheapest gas around now is $3.29 a gallon. Yuck.

Got a tetnes shot yesterday. I got the new kind for adults over 45--it has the whooping cough vac in it too--since we fell into that gap where we didn't get vac against it.
About the pitchfork--it wasn't even mine!! This part of the garden had not been used before, so it was buried from years ago. We doubled (or more) the garden from last summer. This farm used to be a sod farm years ago, so I am assuming it is from those days. It is an older fork. Guess its good I stepped on it and not a kid. I'm surprised though that we didn't hit it with the plow or disc--although that could have broke the pto if it were hit just right.
So far, I have dug up several old interesting things--an old glass doorknob, old fork, old brush, pottery, old bricks. I wonder if the garden spot may have been the site of a house or the outhouse. (for you city people, out houses not only were an outside toilet, but also were the garbage dump site as well. The house was built over a dug pit, and when the pit was full, a new pit was dug and the outhouse moved to it. Its a good place to dig to find old bottles, broken dishes and such. Fire departments weren't around then, so people were afraid to burn their trash in case the fire got out of hand).
So, I am going to hobble out and try to get a few more rows planted today.

because I stepped on a pitch fork yesterday. So, in about 45 minutes I have an appt at the county health office to get a tetnus shot. It got right in the ball of my foot, hurts to stand on it, but the worse is driving, as it is my clutch foot.
So far, I have in the ground--
tomatoes 40
peppers 38
okra
radishes
lettuce
cabbage
red cabbage
carrots
onions
califlaur
tons of flowers
watermelon
canteloup
cucumbers
zuchinni
brocolli (that probably wont make it-due to the freeze & flood)
lima beans
I still have to go:
corn
green beans
peas
squash
and a few other veggies
hopefully tomorrow I can put more weight on my foot and get back out there and play in the dirt.
I already have tomatoes coming on, caulifloaur coming on, and my peppers are blooming

But, the air is not on. Our house has the tall windows and if we open them from the top, it stays much cooler than the outside.

I ran out of yeast today. I need to find a bulk Amish store that will send it to me. The nearest one is a couple hours away, and gas in this area is now $3.11 a gallon. To buy yeast at our local store is about $3 for a strip of 3 packs. Before I moved here, I got 2 lbs at a time for $8. If anyone knows of an Amish store that #1 takes credit cards and #2 does mail orders and #3 has a phone so I can order it, let me know-please! I usually bake 5-7 loaves a week.

Got ready to leave for church this morning to find out some baby chickens had managed to break out of the coup or pen and get loose. They were running around frantic because they couldn't get back in. So, we had to take them back inside and get them resettled.


The flood seems to have got the goose nest. She had several eggs that she was sitting on and the whole nest is gone.


The steer bought 2 more weeks of time. He was supposed to go to the butcher Wed, but the feedlot was too wet to get the truck and trailer backed into it. So, will try it again in a few weeks if it doesn't rain anymore. The Liberty park by the River on 291 is still closed. Where the girls played at last week is all under water.

The garden is a wreck. If it doesn't rain for the rest of today, I am hoping tomorrow I can get the tiller into it. 7 inches of rain in 3 days, followed by several days of 80 degrees, has sprouted weeds and grass where I had not planted yet.

I mowed some Friday, but there are still parts of the yard with 6 inches of water standing, so I can't get the mower thru it all. I even got it stuck a few times. But, the ducks love it!!

Just had a lady come by and pick up some books I had advertised for $10 (a sack of 50 romance paperbacks). now I am at $123.

I got part of my seeds. So far I have:
wildflowers
green beans
peas
peaches & cream corn
pickling cucumbers
burpless cucumbers
watermelon
pumpkin
3 lbs white potato eyes
3 lbs red potato eyes
white onion sets
red onion sets
leaf lettuce
zucchini
cantaloupe
okra
dill
turnips
radish
carrots
head lettuce

I still need:
lima beans
brocolli
cauliflaur (SP)
tomatoes
peppers
garlic
horse radish
large bulb onions
egg plant
navy beans
pole beans
kidney beans

My beans I like to dry for soup. The rest we eat fresh, freeze or can

For the orchard I want to add about 4 more fruit trees and about 3 more concord grapes

I started the watermelon inside, and some cucumbers.

This week we are going to pick up the chicken house I got off of craigs list. I am doing chickens and the girls are also doing them for 4H. We also hope to sell some of the eggs as well.

I have been behind. The monitor went out on my computer. I posted a need for one on freecycle, and got 4 of them. I kept one, and gave the other 3 to school. So, now I can get back on line. It really put a damper on my ebay, so I need to get caught up there as well.
Had another calf born, for a total of 3 little ones now. Actually we had 4, but the neighbors dogs killed one.
Garden is plowed, and seeds are going inside.
Getting ready to start chickens. I advertised looking for a chicken coup to buy, and a farmer is giving me his. Its huge-8 x 12. The girls also are doing chickens for 4H, so this will work out well. We will also sell some eggs. In 2 weeks the hogs come in, so we will be back in full farm production by Easter.
my Dave Ramsey class is going very well, Our church members who are taking it are joining forces with another local group that is taking it and we are having a big garage sale together next month. That should get rid of a lot of boxes around here.

I have 2 more auctions ending on ebay tonight. It would be nice if they would paypal the payment tonight, or early in the morning. I have to go to town tomorrow and would like to combine trips since its 8 miles to the post office. I won't count it in my challenge though till they pay it.

I sub taught today. Had first grade again. They behaved pretty good. I have been at this school enough now that they are learning I don't mess around. One little guy told me his brother "warned him about me" Hummmm. I'm not mean, but I do want them to be quiet and listen. They are also learning that sometimes I reward them for good behavior, when they are not expecting it. So, that is going in my favor big time.

Cash 4 books still has not received the box I sent them....guess I am getting impatient. But, with my auctions and the books, if it all came in as paid, it would equal the water bill. For now, I am leaving the money in paypal to get a penney or two of interest. (penney saved is a penney earned...of course when Ben Franklin said that, a penney was worth a lot more than it is now)

I had today off, got caught up on some housework and took a much needed nap .

I subbed 2 days last week and am teaching 4 days this week. Yesterdays teaching job was different--I got mooned by a kindergartner. He went to the office and came back later with a different attitude.

We had a calf born yesterday morning. All went well.

My books still have not arrived at cash4books.net that I mailed over a week ago. But, since they go media mail, it will take awhile.

I listed some brand new jeans-washed, never worn on ebay, that don't fit me anymore. I found them in a box in the basement-I forgot I even got them.

I also got another 2 boxes unpacked from the basement as well. They were mainly kitchen items.

My tenants still have not mailed me their rent that was due last week. So, today I typed them up a letter to mail to them reminding them they now owe a late fee.

Spent $3.50 for milk today on the way home from church. Had a potluck dinner at church and did the Dave Ramsey thing this afternoon so the guys could watch the superbowl tonight.

Got to see DH for about 20 minutes when we got home, then he left for work. This week he is nights, so I won't see him again until Tuesday evening, due to my sub teaching this week. He works 12 hr shifts, and has an hour commute, so he gets home after I leave, and sleeps, then is gone before I get home. Since we haven't been married but 7 months, he probably thinks he is single again.

Since I got married and moved in this house in June, there has been a pile of brand new looking jeans on the floor of the bedroom in the corner.

I asked DH #1, why where his jeans on the floor, and #2 when did he intend to pick them up??

He gave me a blank look--says they are not his pants, he thought they were mine!!!

Well, one pair does fit me, so I grabbed it.

The other 5 pairs won't fit him or me.

No one in this house wears that size-actually, they are all sized different. All are brand new, but no tags-they look like they were washed 1 time, maybe worn 1 time.
So, I am listing them on ebay.

The way they are sized, looks to me like 6 people left their pants in our room!!! 6 different sizes!

Spent $25 today getting deisel in the truck. Ate lunch at a friends house, no money spent there.

I took some stuff to the Ministers Alliance today. (donations-clothing, boots, coats & some plates--its a place for low income or fire/robbery victims to replenish). I was telling one of the volunteers there that I was planning on doing some childcare at my home-up to 4 kids.

Her idea was, since I live on a farm, advertise it as a "farm daycamp" during the summer months. Kids can learn about farm animals & help feed them, get to ride in the tractor (its safe-enclosed cab with-2 seats) meals and snacks provided, let them each have a section in the garden, and to do my lessons all around farm life.. Would you pay $125 a week for a 2-3 year old or $90 for a kid 4-12 to do this?? Would your kid enjoy it?

I had already planned some nearby field trips this summer that would fit right it, such as to the zoo, the local dairy and bottling plant, a local potato & pumpkin farm.

So, parents--would this appeal to you as a parent??

It was wonderful. No one wanted to leave! 12 couples are in it. Did you know that once you are in one, you are always in one? The fee is paid one time. Anytime I want to go to another 12 week class, I can-no fee-anytime-forever. All of the website is free. I just have to enter our class code.

I have already read way ahead in the book.

Stayed home today from work. 3 youngest are sick with high fevers. Having to keep a close eye on them all. I don't like fevers.

Cooked up 2 deer steaks (free) and cubed them. Threw the peices in the crockpot. Added 2 cans of tomatoes from Aldis @ 30 cents each. Added 1/3 bag of carrots-about 50 cents, the last of the potatoes from the garden and a couple of store bought ones, 2 stalks of celery and 2 onions. Salt and pepper added. It completely filled the crockpot. DH is on his 2nd bowl since we got back from the BB game, so must not be too bad. It will be the girls lunch tomorrow at school.

Spent money tonight. The 3 younger daughters are cheerleaders, and its basketball tournament week. So, after I got off from school, we went directly to game 1, then game 2. I forgot and didn't take sandwhiches, so spent $5 getting 5 of us a hotdog, and $2 for DH and I to get into the game (cheerleaders were free). Tomorrows games I will have sandwhiches for us to eat on the way. Saturday is the last game, but eating won't be an issue as we are going from home, not from school.

I am starting to look for another PT job, as mine will end the end of May.

I'd like to work from home if possible, and be able to control my hours during the summer, as I am already committed to being dorm mom at camp 2 weeks.

I put an ad in the local paper (its a weekly deal) offering to do some childcare in my home. I also posted it on Craigs list.

Last night I faxed my resume off to a local comapny that is looking for people to work PT doing medical billing, from their home.

I don't want selling, need the flexability of taking DD#4 to her frequent dr appointments, need to stay by home due to the farming operation.

I don't have DSL-can't get high speed here, and can not have another phone line either (lines are full, phone company has a waiting list).

I don't want anything that is real physical either, so that rules out house cleaning, plus, there is the issue that after school ends, we will be home schooling, and I will have my children with me to be taken care of.

My girls will be in summer school in June at the local public school, so I have my name in for sub teaching for the month already.

Any ideas???

Snow is trying to melt off. Parts of yard are down to just a few inches, others are still 8 inches deep. Some of the drifts are still 3 feet high, but sinking. It all has a layer of ice on top.

I called Cingular today. I think we are going to drop my cell # (still with my old town and area code) and upgrade his then add me on as a $9.99 plan. To do that would be 3 phones for $99.98 before taxes. Right now he is paying $106 for 2, and I pay $36.98. My name is not on his account, so she could not tell me if he was still under a contract or not, but my contract is over.

DH wanted to go to nextel, but when I called them, they don't offer service in our area.

Bad thing is, I will have to change phone numbers. I've had this number for 10 years. But, I live in a different area code now, so can't keep it.

I finally figured out how to add in excell. So, I made a chart and did all the childcare expenses for 2006 for taxes on it. Next I will hit up all the medical expenses, then all the volunteer and donating. Can't forget the milage either to and from drs, hospitals and for field trips I drove on.

Still debating on my moving expenses. I think I can count them. I did get my new job before I quit my old one, so I did move for the job. Had I not gotten the job at school, we would have postphone the wedding till I did get one, or we would have gotten married and I would have stayed at the old house and we would have done a lot of driving back and forth between the 2 houses. New job isn't much, but I had to have something.

Actually, I should say postphoned. 2nd weekend in a row that our Dave Ramsey class has been iced or snowed out. But, guess I am saving money??spent no gas getting there--22 miles 1 way to go.

This is a cow in KS, caught in our little storm. National Guard is having to drop hay from coptors for them.

Started snowing yesterday at exactly 4 pm. Weather station said it would start at 6, so they were off by 2 hrs. Snowed until 11 this morning. We got 6-8 inches. We are supposed to get more later today. But, its 44 degrees out now, so its melting, which is good, because in some spots we have drifts that are 3 foot.
Yesterday evening we went out for steak dinner, but it was a work function for DH, so it was a no spend deal. Had steak, potatoes, green beans, jumbo shrimp, cheesecake from heaven, a real yummy spinish and artichoje cheese dip with nonleaven bread, and peach tea. I brought home a good part of my steak (I ate too much shrimp to finish it). I figure DH can have it for dinner tonight at work. It snowed all the way to the dinner and back, went slow, and we did ok.
Some of the schools around here have already cancelled for tomorrow. Haven't heard from ours yet.
Tonight was supposed to be the first night of the Dave Ramsey thing (was postponed from last weekends storm). Don't know if it will be on or not. I'll have to call around later and see.

Ran some errands today. Oldest twin, 19 (we have 2 sets of twins)is getting ready to go to Paris in March for a class in college. She had to have a copy of her immunizations by 3pm today. Couldn't find hers anywhere. Found 4 daughters, but not all 5. So, had to call the county health, the faxed what they had, but some were still missing. So, I ran into town to the high school there, and luckly they still had them on the computer. They made me a copy, so I scanned and sent to her. While I was in town, I thought I'd go check out the local paper. Since my job ends at the end of May, I am kind of looking for something part time. I put an ad in the paper for childcare in my home, for any hours. I have heard that there is a big need for some of the families at the county fire department where both husband and wife work nights. Maybe I can pick up a couple. I also put in the ad part time and snow days as well. The paper comes out once a week. I about never found the paper office-I could see the sign, but couldn't find their door. Then I figured it out-they are located inside the reality company-go in that door, to the left is the license place, straight ahead is the newspaper desk, and to the right is the realty desk. Same people run all three desk. And, its got an interconnecting door to the next store as well. What really cracks me up, is the man changed hats when we went from the license desk to the paper desk. Left one hat where he was sitting, came over to the paper desk and put on a hat advertising the paper!! Then, he asked how I wanted to pay for it. I told him cash. But, I guess I had other options--he pointed to a sign-needing eggs and wanting some beef. So, if I ever run another ad, maybe I'll pay with eggs....
DH has ordered his spring hogs and sows, and I have ordered my eggs for chickens. I will take the eggs to school and my aftercare kids will hatch them out-I have an incubator reserved from the county extension office. We will make a project out of it. Then they will live in my garage for about 2 weeks, then they will be big enought to be in the pen on their own. I will also get a couple of older layers to have a few eggs. Then next winter, they will go to the buther shop. I get to keep 70% off them in exchange for the buther doing his part, and he keeps the rest for his meat counter (I just can't bear to do it myself after I have fed them all spring, summer and fall). We do the same thing with the pigs. The winters are just too harsh for us to keep them over the winter. If we had one more barn it would be different, but that is a long range goal.
The ice maker in the refrigerator upstairs suddenly started working late last night.??? weird, but saved a service call. We use a lot of ice. My other freezers are too full right now to put trays in, since my last trip to Aldi's and the fact we just put in a deer and I baked a bunch last week. So, I had been keeping the drinks in the garage to keep them cold. Now I can bring them back in. I think we may have a goose or two coming also. We let a neighbor hunt in exchange for a couple every year, and I think he got some. But, he usually waits several weeks before he brings them over. which is fine, no place to keep them now. Last nights mystery brisket turned out very very well. In fact, there was only a little left, but enought for DH to take to work for lunch today. I have been working on our budget on a spread sheet,had to reload excel off my recovery disk, then downloaded a free budget. But, it only shows money going out-no place to put money coming in. But, since thats the same most months, that wont be hard to figure. OK, this is long enough, I can't put off watering the stock any longer. (its up to 27 now-probably wont get any warmer today)

So much for a no spend day.
$450 to fix my vehicle (dashboard controls all quit due to a short in wiring-was lucking it did not catch on fire)
Renters called--HUGE leak in roof. Called a friend of mines DH who does repairs for a living, he went right over, just called me. $250 to repair. Wasnt the roof, but ice/water got into the window, leaked down the casing and inbetween the walls. Good news is he got it in time, only a little stuff to be replaced. Much longer and it would have been sheetrock, carpet and plywood as well. Ugh. I wish that house would sell. But, at least its rented out. If it were empty, I'd be in a pickle-no income to off set it, plus it would have gone unnoticed.

My goal is to use up everything in the chest deepfreeze, then move on to the upright. So, last yesterday I pulled out a package of meat. Its marked brisket. We have no idea where it came from or how long its been there. I thawd it out--it looks & smells perfectly fine, so its in the oven now. But, I still don't know if its beef or deer. One side looks like beef, the other side looks like deer. At the worse, its 2 years old. But, the freezer has never been off, so I'm not too worried about it.
I don't have excell, and my quicken seems to have dropped off my PC. I have searched online for a free budget sheet I could download, but can't find one. So, I am making my own in word. I will also get my laptop fired up. I can't remember if it has quicken on it or not. Last year I had a virus, and had to take the computers in to get repaired. When I got them back, half the stuff was gone. Worse of all, my PC no longer has guinene windows on it, so I can not get updates anymore. That stinks. I am waiting for it to warm up a couple more degrees, (at least to teh double digits)then I am off to water stock, shower and go to town. I have decided to put an ad in the paper to babysit from home part time. My meger income will be ending at the end of May (after school care at school). So, if I could get a couple babysitting jobs starting now, it would help offset that. I earn after taxes, $275 a month-which covers my gas to take the girls to and from school. Since I have to pick them up anyway, this job is no extra gas. But, on the other side, when school is out, we won't be driving back and forth to school, so I won't have as big of a gasoline expense.