Things are starting to come around for sure. Which is really good. I got hired at the Maytag Dairy. I will be working full time there. Then I will be part time at Wal-Mart. It will add up to more then when I worked at Prairie Meadows, plus there will be no huge gas bill and I get a discount. The only down side is I am not sure about if I get benefits or not. If I do it won't be until next year, which isn't too far off. Justin and I have already started some Christmas shopping. I think we are going out to Prairie Meadows for Halloween. I am going to dress up and enter the costume contest. I am the happiest I have ever been since I found Justin, he is just wonderful to me. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. We finally got the house appraised, and I turned into the paper work to my bank. The other place I was going through was a scam I think. They wanted me to pay before I was approved. Which I can't come out of pocket for that kind of crap. I am trying to get extra for the refinance so we can combine our bills and lower all our monthly payments.

Yesterday WalMart had pumpkins for only a dollar, so I went and bought three of them so that Mickey and Holden each had one to carve and then Justin and I are going to share one to carve. I think is will be a lot of fun. We have been spending a lot of time over at my moms house. She and I have been doing a lot of swap-bot stuff together. I have been having so much fun with the stuff I do on there. I get so excited to see what I am getting in the mail next. I mailed out three packages for two swaps today. I haven't been home yet to check my mail, because they are tearing up the road in front of my house. I guess they are hoping the road doesn't fall apart again this winter.

How Could You?

I saw this posted on craigslist.com and I knew I had to share it. I own four dogs, and three cats, in a little two bedroom house, and I wouldn't give them up for the world. This story really moved me.

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, an despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad,"you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" - but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub. My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day. Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love." As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog ," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?" They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?" Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself -- a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty. If "How Could You?" brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine , it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly "owned" pets who die each year in American & Canadian animal shelters. Tell everyone you know that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious. Please do your part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay & neuter campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals. Please pass this on to everyone, not to hurt them or make them sad, but it could save maybe, even one, unwanted pet. Remember...They love UNCONDITIONALLY

Stuff

Well, I thought I would throw it out all at once. I am posting stuff I have to trade or sell, stuff I need or want.
Things I have to Sell or Trade:
Full size mattress set with a frame
two smaller working tv's
bathroom sink
two lamp shades
sewing machine table with machine in it, older
a dorm fridge(like a mini one)
a recliner, a living room chair
two end stands for like in a lving room(wood)
small computer desk on wheels
a kitten(well, we are trying to find spooky a new home, lol)
paint ball gun(with some extras)
nice poker chip set in a wood case

Stuff I want or need:
dog food
cat food
cat litter
welcome mat for my front door
plastic storage containers
canned food
halloween decor
gravel(anything I can put in my driveway!)
bricks
surround sound speakers for a tv(I have a tv with no sound and that will fix it)
baking pans and cookie sheets
tupperware(doesnt have to be name brand, just need stuff with lids!)
queen size bed sheets
cat or small dog collars

Today was a pretty good day all together. I got the house appraised first thing this morning. Then I took a bog box of stuff over to my moms. It was so big and heavy that I had Jeremy come over and help me load it up. Then we both went over to moms and hung out there for a little bit. She needed me to run a box to the post office for her, for one of her swap-bot swaps. She is really getting into that. I am glad too. I left a bunch of my stuff over there and I need to bring it back so I can actually get my swap stuff done. I need to get more of my ATC's done. I did a cute Halloween one tonight. I still have to do another, and I also need to to do a red themed post card. Then I am also doing breast cancer awareness ATC's. I got some cute little patches to use for one ATC I am doing that is pink punk rocker girl themed. I am really excited about that one. I think when we moved to the new house I am going to get a large bulletin board and put all my ATC's that I get in trade up there. So I can display them. The ones I have gotten so far are really cute and I really like them. I have been sending extras, but I don't think I am up to par yet with other swappers. I don't get rated as much as I would like. Not that I get bad ratings or anything. I just want that extra heart. But I am still enjoying it, I can't remember the last time I was this creative. Then me and my mom are thinking about selling ATC and scrap booking kits. I was working on punching out little kitties, hearts, and party hats today. My thumbs hurt really bad. Justin and Jeremy were nice enough to help me though, which was really helpful. I even brought Mickey over to the house today. Holden was being bad and she wasn't so I thought I would treat her by taking her with me for a few hours. She played on rock band and actually finished a song! I was pretty proud of her. She played it several times to get better at it. Which is really awesome she worked hard to get better at some thing like that. She is only six. I am so lucky to have a great little sister. I am pretty sure that we are going to find Spooky a better home. I can't seem to get her litter trained and I am already having a hard enough time with the dogs and such. I have enough animals as it is. I will make sure she goes to a nice place, where she won't get abandoned or hurt. She is a good cat, but I need to focus on the animals already in my life. I don't think it will be hard to find her a good home. I would have to say over all today was a pretty good day. Jeremy ended up treating us to dinner at Perkins. Which was nice and actually pretty fun. I think Justin and I actually embarrassed him because we kept talking about sex and stuff. I don't think anyone heard us, but who knows. It was fun though. We came home watched a few episodes of Ghost Hunt. That is a new anime we are watching and it is pretty cool. It is basically what the title says, and each episode I watch gets me a little more interested.

I worked again tonight. I enjoyed it. After work I bought a new shirt they had marked down. I got a lot of things done today. I got a load of laundry ran, did dishes, made two postcards, addressed eight postcards and got them mailed off, I bought three new shirts for work, I gave Jeremy the outfit for his mom, and I fed the cat. So I was fairly busy until Justin got off work. Me and Jeremy picked him up from work today. I love being around him. He is so good to me. He did a bunch of house work while I was at work today too. Which makes me really proud of him. I was talking to a lady today about going back to cosmetology school. We work together as cashiers. She said there were grants and stuff I would be able to get. So I am anxious to see what might happen. I think it would be good for me to finish and have that as a part time job. I am starting a change jar to raise money to get Zoe declawed and a change jar to get Garth fixed. Zoe clawed Asia in the eye today. Which really makes me mad. Asia is in love with that cat. She looks ok, but I want to wait and see how she is the next few days before I know for sure if she messed up her vision or something. Oh, I was so mad when it happened too. Zoe was lucky I had to go to work. I don't mind Zoe clawing Asia, because she does try to play with her and stuff, but she didn't need to claw her face like that. Then with Garth, I really don't need him humping Asia and I don't want Coco to have another litter yet. Spooky is the weirdest cat I have ever had. I think she went to the bathroom on the living room vent. But she is also the most loving cat I have ever had. Oh and it turns out Chris was right, Zoe's kitten is a boy. He is so cute too. I started calling him tater tot today because he is almost the right color for that. Krystal stopped by to return some books. It is always nice to have her visit. She may have gotten this amazing job, which would be cool. I am anxious to see how that works out. I am waiting to hear from a guy who is supposed to appraise my house!! Then I will be able to get it refinanced so we will have a much smaller house payment. I am very very excited about that. My insurance is up at the end of the month, but I am going to see about what I can do to get on Medicaid and food stamps and stuff until I get back on my feet. I am only working part time at walmart right now, and then they approved me for unemployment. It isn't much, but every little bit helps. Well, I am going to head off to bed now, Spooky is sleeping on my back.

They took the Hamsters From my CHEESE.

Ok, this is a fine example of why you should always read the fine print before you go with it!! I wrote my last blog after reading the site which I listed. Then I got a email from a friend saying that you read the 'About Us' section and it explains it is all a hoax!! Geez, and whats weird if you pull up a yahoo search you get the true results and the fake results too. That's just wild. But what rennet really are made from is the lining of a cows fourth stomach. So, yeah, no hamsters in my cheese!

WHY ARE THERE HAMSTERS IN MY CHEESE???

OMG.
I recently discovered that to make cheese, they have to put these little rodents called rennets in the cheese. They are bred and raised, just to be ground up, minced, diced, or whatever and put into YOUR CHEESE!!! I never knew this, until my mom was talking to me about making some cheese at home and she started talking about ordering some rennets. I didn't believe her, so she had me pull up the website to save the rennets. The site is: http://www.savetherennets.com/
These things I swear look just like HAMSTERS!! I am just a little shocked at this. The site explains that they produce a key chemical in the manufacturing of cheeses. There are ways to make a vegetarian cheese, which are fairly simple. The site also sells t-shirts, bags, and stickers. This is just weird, but kinda cool that people care about these little guys.

Today was my second day at Wal-Mart. I am a cashier and I think I am going to love it. I actually had fun. I was nervous about starting a new job, and doing all the new stuff. But it really wasn't that hard and I had a lot of fun meeting people and learning the job. I just need to take some snacks with me. I had my meeting with Prairie Meadows today and was fired for taking stress leave by doctors orders. So we are going to see what the union can do and if we have to we will sue. But I am trying not to worry about that too much right now. I am really happy with my new job. I realize I want a job were I can work with people more, and not just stand around and watch them. I like having to do things, not just stand there.
The house is really looking good now. The living room is almost empty. I can't wait to get Justins couch moved over here. We got a new kitten. I took Justin to work one day and there were two stray kittens at the dairy. This chick told me they drown them, so I just couldn't leave them there. So I took them home and I ended up giving one to Jeremy and kept the other. Zoe hates the kitten seriously bad. But I love her! She is really super cuddly and will let you hold her and handle her however you want and she is really good with the dogs too. I named her Spooky and Jeremy named his Cici. Which I make fun of him about because it sounds like Cici's Pizza.
Things are going really well with me and Justin. We have been together for over a month. We go through things here and there, but we are still learning each other. My family loves him and his mom hates me. She thinks I am using him for his money. But we love each other very much and so he doesn't let her be involved with our lives because she can't respect me. But that's her loss.
Well I am off to bed, there is a thing called October Fest at Maytag Park tomorrow and we are all going.