This past weekend.

I guess I should post some pictures of this past weekend. The thing is, 99% of the readers of this blog were part of our weekend. So you all already know what happened! Hmmmm.....but I guess I can post some pictures so each faction can see what we did with the others. Ok here goes.

This is after the family reunion. I thought this was a really good picture of Beta and Robin.








Here is the view of a 4 year old. She had my camera.









Here is another picture by a 4 year old. Yes, it's the dog's dish. I'm glad we have digital...









On Sunday, we went to church with Barbara, Jim's mom, and our two nephews, J and Z. I couldn't get all of them to look over at the same time. I tried to get a close-up of J. I said, "Look up and say cheese!" He said, "oh okaycheese" all run together like that, and didn't look up at all. I laughed but didn't take his picture. Later on, at the end of the children's sermon while they were on their way to children's church, J ran down the aisle shouting "my cousins are here! My girl cousins are here! See them?" It was too cute!


Here is J and Uncle Jimbo playing air hockey. J is pretty good at it. He's also a good sport. He and uncle Jimbo nearly tied it. He and his Aunt Wendy, well, let's just say he's a good sport. He didn't get mad when he lost. I kind of felt bad and wondered if I should have let him win. But he was just happy that someone was playing it with him. :)



This is a picture of Jim Kane. Who is Jim Kane? Well, it depends on who you ask.....

I always love taking this picture of the 3 of them.





Ok! Here it is! I'm getting my baby fix! I shall hold them, and love them, and give them back! We went to meet baby Anna Sunday afternoon on the way home. She slept most of the time we were there, but woke up just as we were about to leave. It's still amazing that mine ever were that little. It brings back precious memories. Only the good ones. You tend to forget the unpleasant ones. That's how you have more than one kid...... haha!


And here's baby Anna with her mommy, Jennifer. All quiet and happy. And about to get hungry. We left not long after Anna really woke up. Because by then, she realized she was VERY hungry and wasn't taking "no" for an answer!

So there you have it. Our long and enjoyable, hard-earned weekend. I kept thinking about this weekend the last couple weeks of tax season and thinking it would never get here. It felt so good to actually SEE all of you!

My Other Life

I googled myself the other day.

Have you ever done that? It's VERY interesting.

I found out some things that I'm not sure I wanted to know.

Here are some links to my "other" lives:

This first one shows what I do in Canada.

Here is my business website.

Here's what I do when I quit my day job.

Here's my facebook page.

This is from my past life as a teacher. Hmmm....the reviews are probably what people would say about the real me if I had gone into teaching.

So now I have to ask, have you googled yourself lately?

Wish I'd had these, like, 11 years ago!

I'd like to spotlight one of my links on the sidebar here.

StartCooking.com

This website and video podcast is something I really wish I had had 11 years ago when I was first married. I'm thankful to say my cooking mishaps have been few, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have used some instruction.

It's a video podcast showing the most basic of cooking techniques. Some videos are techniques, such as this week's, "Chopping an Onion." Others show simple recipes, like beef stew. Some show both, such as Grilled Cheese.

The lady films her own stuff and does some really good stop-animation-type filming. Or whatever it's called. It's cool.

So go check out this website. And wish that you, too, had had this when you were first on your own. (and didn't want to admit that, if it didn't have printed directions on a box, you probably weren't going to be eating it.) Hee! Hee!

I'm on my way to CPA!

Happy days are here again.......(sing along with me!)

Tax season is over. I actually get an ENTIRE TWO DAY WEEKEND this weekend! No working on Saturdays or until supper time.

If you're observant, you've probably also noticed the new addition to my blog on the right. It's a countdown, of sorts, showing how many more hours I must work until I can apply for my CPA license. To apply for your CPA license, you must pass the CPA exam and then work 2000 hours. Which is one year of full time, but can be stretched out up to 3 years. Through somewhat no fault of my own, I have been stretching my time out since January of 2006. It's about time I got a license! I can't wait!

As of this afternoon, I have 1745 hours worked towards my 2000. Isn't that cool? It totally makes all the full time and overtime the past few weeks worth it. Just for you trivia buffs out there, I worked 76 hours of overtime from February through April. That pales in comparison to what some CPAs do, and to how many hours my boss worked. But considering I was a SAHM just a year or so ago, that's pretty amazing!

So keep watching! Every Friday I will update the ticker with my hours for the week. And if anyone knows of a good countdown to put on here, please let me know. This manual one will have to suffice for now.

No more taxes!

I thought about posting a "I'm done with tax season!" post. But I really want to show y'all these videos. So, enough with taxes! I'm sick of them! Here's something fun.

Saturday was Alpha's Spring Fun Meet at her gymnastics class. We didn't get any pictures or video there. It's not really a good video opportunity, and pictures just don't do it justice. (And we left my camera at home.....)

So, in order to show you all what you could not come see, here is our homemade video of Alpha doing part of her gymnastics routine!



And not to be outdone, here is Beta doing her best Cart Wheel!




Be watching in 2016 for the next Olympic Champions!

My new best friend.

I have a new best friend! (Well, not really. It's more of a cute little trick for the laundry. But this title just popped into my head and stuck. :)

Have you ever laundered a sticker? It's a mess. Have you ever then, um, dried one? You have? Oh, good. It's not just me. I now have a way to remove them!

De-Solv-it!

I have used this trick twice and been successful both times. The first time, it was on a dress I bought Beta at the consignment sale. The dress was in perfect shape (and only $5) except for one thing. On the back, at the bottom, it looked as if a star sticker had been washed and dried on it. There wasn't a sticker left, but you could still see something. Well, I bought it anyway. It's a really well-made sturdy dress!

The second time was tonight. Also on a consignment sale item. Although this one was a 3T that I bought for Alpha. Yes, nearly 4 years ago. It had been washed back this winter (Beta wore it) with a sticker on it. And subsequently dried. Oops.

But, when you put De-solv-it on it and let it sit for just a couple of minutes, Voila! NO MORE STICKER! It's gone!

Now, you probably won't want to try this on every fabric. Delicate ones would probably be a no-no. And if you're really worried, you could do that "test in an inconspicuous spot" thing. But I figured these clothes were relegated to dirt-only play if it didn't work so what did I have to lose?

And now we have a nice like-new dress and Beta can wear one of her favorite shirts again before it gets too hot.

Our little princess

So we're getting the girls ready for bed tonight. Beta has dirty clothes all over her room. The day's dirty clothes go in a pile out in the hallway so they can be easily picked up and put in the laundry room.

After Beta gets told to put her dirty clothes out in the hall, she sighs loudly, gets a pouty look on her face, and says, "I feel like Cinderella. I do ALL the work!"

More Kid Theology

We were practicing The Lord's Prayer last night. Alpha sort of knows it. Beta knows it all. She learned it at preschool. Here is Alpha's version of the first two lines:

Our Father, who aren't in heaven,
How will it be my name?

I've been reading a book called "Parenting in the Pew" by Robbie Castleman. It's a very interesting take on having kids sit through "big church." Her philosophy is that you are supposed to be WORSHIPPING while you are there. Not just counting the minutes until lunch. She explains ways to actually TEACH your children while you sit there. She doesn't like kids to just "sit still and be quiet."

So after reading some of her book, I tell the girls one Saturday night that tomorrow is Sunday, Jesus' favorite day of the week! Alpha looks right at me and says, "Well, it's not mine. That's the day I have to wear tights."

Stay tuned for more Kid Theology!

The fever.

Ok. I have held off as long as I possibly can. But after tonight, I can put it off no longer.

I have to blog about babies.

I'll make it short and sweet. I'll just get a head count.

Babies born to people I know in February:
Ashlen, born to my coworker, Kim
Madeline and Christian, twins born to my cousin, Heather
Sara, born to my good friend Steven and his wife, Leah

Babies born to people I know in March:
Anna, born to our good college friends, David & Jennifer

People who have announced their pregnancy within the past few weeks:
Holly, college roommate
Allison, friend from community group
Kim, friend from community group
Amber, friend from community group

I believe that makes 9.

There. Now I've said it. I've gotten it out of my system.

I will not talk about it again.

By the way, notice my name is not on the list. We are done. At least for now. And probably for good.

I finally found what I was looking for.

Did you see my new blog description at the top of the page? It was this quote that I thought of when I was naming my blog. I knew the quote, but I couldn't think of it's exact words and I didn't know where to look. (and I was too lazy to google, ok?)

As the years speed by, I am learning to watch for and savor "the little things." They turn out to be what we all remember the most from our past. It's also usually the little things that people do for us that mean the most to us.

This quote came to me today via The Positive Press. I don't go on their website at all, but I have been receiving their "Positive quote of the day" for over 8 years. I first subscribed sometime in 1999 when I worked at DHS. I remember transferring my "subscription" to my home email when I quit to go back to school. These quotes have been very timely. More than once I sensed some divine intervention. When I was trying to decide if I should go back to school and do accounting, it seemed like all the quotes were directed toward stepping out in faith. :)

I guess the joke was on me.

So I tried to think of an April Fool's joke to play on all y'all. And I couldn't. Well, I could think of a few, but you never know how a "joke" will go. Sometimes, they go awry.

So today I just focused on how busy I am and forgot about April Fool's day. Except to note, of course, that 2 weeks from today my new life will end and I will hopefully pop back into my old life. And get to see my children again.

So now, I have a little multiple choice question for you.

What is a mule?

A. A cross between a donkey and a horse.
B. A 4-wheeler used on a farm.
C. One-half of a pair of shoes.
D. All of the above.

And the correct answer is.........













D!

How is this funny? Well, speaking hypothetically, let's say you had heard of a mule as a cross between a donkey and a horse. Would it not seem logical, then, that on a Schedule F - Farm Income & Expenses, you would put it down as a horse and depreciate it for 7 years? Well, wouldn't it?

Well, you'd be wrong. Especially if it was actually labeled "Kawasaki mule". Apparently, those in the farming community buy these 4-wheelers called "mules". And they have nothing to do with a cross-bred animal who pulls things.

And this makes your country-boy boss laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

(For those of you who, like me, weren't raised on a farm, born on a farm, lived on a farm, or even ever BEEN on a farm, thinking a "Kawasaki mule" is a horse/donkey hybrid is like thinking a Ford Mustang could be run at Oaklawn.)

I was actually glad I could make my boss laugh so much. He's been under a lot of stress lately, you could say. I was slightly embarrassed. Nobody likes to be the butt of the joke. But hey, I truly didn't know. And I don't know if that makes it ok or just makes it even worse. :)