Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Dr HaHa]

Good Morning Everyone! BCC you always find and share cool cards! Thanks! Raiquee we all vent on here and understand your situation. A lot of us have been through hard times. Sometimes you have to count your blessings to see that things are not as bad as they seem. You've just hit a rough patch is all trust me you will get through it.

Things always look darkest just before it goes completely black

bl4 beef barley is one of my absolute fav's!

Bigz laughed at the redhead comment. Good thing L isn't a typical red. I freaked out yesterday we got 7 eggs out 10 hens. The slw's are really coming around. Glad to hear your buckeyes are working out too! Big list today better get going. Have a great one!

 

[Terri O]

Good morning all! WOW--lots to read on here to catch up. Raiquee---keep the faith! Apply for all the assistance you can; we all know you will be good for it when you both are back to work. We all pay in and that is what those programs are for--swallow the pride, get in some good programs and before you know it you will be back on your feet!
DanAcres--make sure you dont put your African Frogs on gravel! We grew some as tadpoles (DDs Christmas gift) and one got gravel all in his belly and died. Rock poisoning I guess...

DrH I really like how you change around sayings! You make me crack up every time! WiChCh--I need to do a test run with my 'bator and I was wondering what in the world I would do with chicks at this time....now I know, I will call you! THanks for the Christmas card BCC! I kept waiting for that sleigh to turn over or something. My DH always finds a chicken card to send to me on my birthday...who would think there are so many chicken cards out there?
BigZ--the buckeyes sound fantastic! You guys are lucky with your eggs...8 out of 10 is pretty good I say...mine are now down to 13 out of 48! Hmmmm--something wrong with my chicken math me thinks!

On a sad note I lost Mr Buffo yesterday...he was very uncomfortable in his sling and didnt eat. I let him down to rest and then he laid his head down and was gone by the time I got home from work.

A very sad thing but I am glad that I didnt have to actually do him in myself...it is so different when they are in the house or one of a kind. Didnt have any problems with the meaties that year we did them. (plus they were GROSS!)

Today begins the mass exodus of college kids to the house...I am going to Madison to get my daughter and then to Milwaukee tomorrow for my son. My life is about to become a lot more hectic for a month or so...now I have to cook every day! (but at least dd18 will do the chores!

) Speakinf of: guess I'd better get out there...the weather was nice yesterday...really got all sweated up in my coveralls for sure! Have a fantastic day everyone

Terri O

 

[beckyschicks]

Hi all! Sounds like everyone is enjoying the snow. Life here has been crazy!!! I have been trying to keep up but you guys are so talkitive.

Everyday there is something going on. But nothing today! I'm going to clean the house and then the girls are home at 1. So we are going to the store and finish their shopping and then I'm taking them out to dinner. Haven't really seen DH in a couple of days. He is working like a mad man. Trying to finish up a job before Friday. Then he is taking a week off between Xmas and New years. Maybe then I will remember what he looks like. With him working, its been like I'm a single parent. Doesn't help that I am the girls bball coach. We have 3 games so far and so far we have won! That's pretty good, since we are such a small school and it is the 6th grade team with 5th and 4th graders on it to make a full team with subs. We played our "rivals" yesterday and won. Thats my girls! I have a hard time coaching though, because I am so competitive. But the girls seem to like me, so I mustin yell to much.
My chickens will venture into the snow, but only because I throw their scratch in it.

I'm an evil mom. I hate that they have to cooped up all the time. The horses are going alittle stir crazy too, so today I let them run before I fed them. I love watching them run like idiots through the snow. Even my old little pony was kicking her heals up. Last week was a sad week though, I lost two goats. One to the weather and one to the horses. I don't know why people say to put horses and goats/sheep together. We always tell people it's not a good idea. We have fainters though so it they get scared they cant move. She must have been in the stall and one of the horses went in there too and got scared and stepped on her. I found her with blood from her nose. Didn't tell the kids the details, just that she was gone. I hate that part of parenting. I told DH that we are not letting the goats out until spring. See they wont go into the snow, so even though we have a huge concrete area for them to go on, they won't leave the barn half the time. I forgot to close that stall door, so I guess I feel extra guilty. Hopefully the rest of winter will be better. On a high note Im done with school until the 12th.

One thing off my plate. I start clinicals and then my externship and then I'm done! Soooo happy!
Raiquee-You would quailify for WIC. I did with my first when I was prego. DH's X did just a year ago, when she was prego. Her husband, went alittle crazy and took off. (cant say I blame him though

) So she made it by herself, with alittle help. And don't be ashamed. Everyone goes through tough times and everyone SHOULD understand. That is what these programs are for and why we pay taxes. When you guys get back on your feet, then you will just be helping someone else out when you work again. That's how I justified it when I had to. I'm just thankful we live in a state that has these great programs to help people.
BBC-great card! Thanks
Well everyone have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! Enjoy your family and friends. Be thankful for all that you have and love the ones you with. Oh and remember to kiss your chickens. Take care everyone!

 

[Dr HaHa]

TO So sorry to hear about Mr. Buffo!

All animals touch our hearts! My oldest DD sent me a web site that sells chicken diapers. Told L about it this morning she looked at me and said you would love to have a house chicken wouldn't you? I said just think of it dear you'd wake up in the middle of the night to look over and gaze at me lovingly and there would a chicken sharing your pillow. Glad you understand my sense of humor. Not everyone does I'm sure, but I only mean the best for everyone! I do it in hopes that it might change peoples perspectives. One of the greatest oxy-morons that I've ever come across was when I was in the Army. Imagine that. During our medical training we were taught that if you came upon a fallen brother and his condition was without a doubt terminal that you were to take care of them as best you could and give them as much comfort as possible. Then you were to tell them that everything was going to be all right. The problem with that is that they tell everyone to say that. So I figured if I was laying there and my guts were over there and other body parts were over there and someone came up to me and said those very words I was gonna use every last bit of energy left in my body to kick his A$$! We used it as a running joke. If one was facing a seemingly impossible task we would look at him and say. Your going to be all right!

So Raiquee Like everyone says swallow your pride [I know it's hard] those programs are put there for just such situations. Your a good person and you've helped pay for those programs! NOW USE THEM! And your gonna be alright!

Seriously there will always be times in your life that you'll think your not going to make through but you will, you are a survivor! And better times are ahead just hang in there baby! Working on my spanish rice it's getting there. When that's close enough heading out to play on the tractor.

 

[Raiquee]

Thanks guys for all the

and kind words. Sometimes I just need someone else to talk to than my hubby. I do actually count a lot of things as a blessing (like how they keep extending unemployment and that DH sold his crappy truck for a decent amount so we could do christmas gifts.) Hubby tells me that all the time. "We could be living on the side of the road!" He says. Which is very true. I just got some troubling news during my prenatal visit, and then found out my gma slipped and fell and broke her collarbone and had a stroke. Sometimes I just want to look up and say "WHY US?!?" but I don't want to pull a Bruce Almighty now

I have a feeling spring will be very good for us, because I will at least have a job/ hopefully us both. My goal is to get those two bills I mentioned earlier paid off with hubby's first check, and get either my dental bill payed off or my car with his remaining checks. Then, we will be in a good spot. I hate having bills we can't pay off, like the internet bill, insurance bill, etc. Ya know? Those we are always going to have! lol. That's frustrating in itself. I like when I pay things off.

I think my hopes will perk up come spring, when I can get outside, grow our food and lower our grocery bill

Have other things to keep my mind busy.

Believe it or not, I was declined WIC. Both this time, and also last time with my first son (when I was technically a single mom!). How frustrating! They say we make too much on unemployment to get WIC. Which I believe is also why we get so low food stamps. I think in the city (Milwaukee) they pay out more for that stuff, but not out here in Waukesha.

I think we were able to get heat assistance, which can really help! Heating this house (and this is with having fires to help keep down electricity) can get up to $350/month on the nights it drops down really low! Thats a lot of green!

TO-- Sorry to hear about Mr. Buffo

You treated him well though. He probably just went right to sleep, was his time to go.

Becky) Sorry to hear about your goats! It's never fun to have to find animals that have passed, and even worse to explain it to the kids! When our dog died of cancer It took me forever to tell DS that he was gone, he was a baby so all he did was look around for "puppy". He didn't understand. One day he just stopped asking

It's harder when the kids are older and have a grasp on what happened. They take it harder.

 

[bigzio]

Balmy almost noontime all... Nice card BCC. The chook driving the sleigh and the one on the back crack me up!
Sorry to hear about the losses, becky and Terri It truly is the hardest part of raising critters.
Keep the faith Raiquee, things will get better for you guys soon. I can just feel it.
Way to go Coach. keep those wins comin. Maybe you have another calling?
The snow is dripping pretty good off the roof today. Today it was suprising to have waterers in the coop that weren't frozen this mornin....first time in weeks I think. The flock is extra spunky today too! Enjoy the mild day. Stay Safe... ~ bigzio

 

[BigBadCryBaby]

Quote:
Raiquee My prayers are with you...I've been through hard times myself, and it's still not easy. Keep the faith, keep pressing on. Remember that the worm will turn and things will come around, they always do. I'm old enough to be able to say that!

TO Sorry To hear about Mr. Buffo. If anyone could have brought him around, it would have been you. Now off to chicken heaven for him.

 

[Amyable]

Well, guys it is one gorgeous day - sunny and downright tropical!

Cp, that is one adorable pup! I just saw a Newfie the other day, they are so cool. You could lose a small child in all that fur.

Terri and Becky,

on the losses. Never fun to deal with. DrH, thanks for the blood and guts story, I think?! LOL

Raiquee, hang in there, I know how you feel. Going thru that now too, except we can't get unemployment because DH is self-employed. So things have to lapse, there is no other choice, gotta eat. Just hoping to catch up come spring. We have always been frugal, lately that principle has been stretched to the max. I know it gets really old, like when a chocolate bar is a major treat, (gasp!) We got to spend about $10 on Christmas this year, which is a downer, but I know it won't always be this way. One way we saved serious money with the new baby was by going with a midwife instead of the hospital. We had the option of delivering at the birth center, but we chose a home birth; both cost less than 1/5 of a hospital birth, and better care, IMO. just another option.

I feel down about being broke, until I watched the Operation Smile program they've been playing on TV . Seeing all those kids with cleft lip/palate, and no hope except depending on the kindness of strangers to donate...

My kids are healthy and happy, we have a home and good families, we are blessed!

BCC, great card, thanks! Here's ours. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!!

 

[Dr HaHa]

Wasn't gonna clog things up anymore but when I scrolled down I laughed till I cried Amyable. Thasa sad ugly baby!

Quite the pair of cuties you have there!

 

[Hurley]

Back and work (after being off 2 weeks post-op) and busy. Got the Christmas presents wrapped and shipped or under the tree, good to go. Off work for the weekend after tomorrow. Let it snow, let it snow..though I don't think any is expected before Christmas.

Sorry to hear about Mr. Buffo, but sounds like it was for the best and he took the decision out of your hands. Rest in peace, big man.

Need to pick up another incubator for hatching as I have 2 different "ages" of eggs in there (and it's always good to have a spare). First eggs due NYD, so eggcited for my first peeps!

Stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy the holiday with the families! I love Christmas.