Saturday, February 24, 2007

Taxes on my mind

I can't stop thinking about taxes this week. A couple of reasons, really.


Could it be because my former employers (a Psychiatrist and Dermatologist husband & wife practice) failed to report a couple of million dollars in earned income for the practice and he is being indicted on Tuesday? I about fell over when I read that they only reported income for the practice in 2002 as $71,680 when it was really over $600,000. Story here.




Seriously, it wasn't uncommon for us to see 60-80 clients a day in the Dermatology office. Yeah, we worked 12 hours a day most days. Lots of 5 & 10 minute appointments. Plus all of the cosmetic stuff that we did; Botox, Sclerotherapy (spider vein removal via injections), Microdermabrasions, Peels, etc. That stuff isn't cheap.




I now shake my head at my naivete back then when I accepted the stupid story of how they were so broke and could only give annual raises of 15 CENTS. And to think that I felt badly for them.


Wonder what will happen to his practice in Beirut if he has to go to jail in America?





Maybe I have taxes on the brain also because we are STILL waiting for our freaking return for 2005 from Guam. WTF is taking so long? DH called them last week and they said that they were still working on the 2004 taxes. There should be some kind of law against this. Or else we should be allowed to earn additional interest on our return since they haven't disbursed the money yet and still have it. I think that we will be lucky if we see the money before we move from Saipan in 2008. Good thing that we didn't have specific plans for it.




I am still waiting on my W-2 from my old job in Guam...I called last week and the office manager said that they were mailed on 1-31 via USPS certified mail. Sometimes I think that our mail gets thrown on a raft and floats here it takes so long to get to us.




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For a happy thought of the day, here is a new-ish picture of Connor. Hard to believe that he was 6 weeks old on Thursday. I already have been thinking hard about when to start trying for #2. For anyone who cares to comment, how much time do you think is a good amount between kids? I was thinking 2 years... but then again there is the possibility that we will be stationed somewhere remote during our next tour....Alaska or St. Thomas come to mind. I kinda wanted to be closer to family for the next one.




Anyway, here he is...the love of my life...all freshly bathed:



Happy Birthday, Jenn!!!

Peace

Thursday, February 15, 2007

How he really feels...

Yeah, this would be my son, letting us know how he really feels about Valentine's Day:


He does that all of the time.

The big red dog (aka Clifford) is the original Valentine's red dog gift from DH in 2003. I did get a stuffed dog yesterday, it is brown with red spots. He was pretty tricky and put it on the driver's seat so that when I got in the car yesterday, I would see it. Clever he is.

Peace

P.S. Kendra- The diaper in the post 2 posts ago is an "All In One" or "AIO"...they are just like disposables, but cloth. Really convenient and they don't usually leak unless you have a supersoaker or a serious blowout. I got it off of Ebay, it was made by a WAHM. There are tons of styles and kinds out there, I would be happy to help you if you are interested in them! : ) I love how super soft it is...it is kinda fuzzy.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

I am weird

Kim recently tagged me...6 Weird Things About Me:

  1. I LOVE to do laundry. Seriously. I especially love to fold sheets. DH taught me how to properly fold a fitted sheet so that they are uniform every time. Who needs Martha when you have Jim?


  2. I could eat homemade popcorn every day. And peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Yum!


  3. I have to rotate things in the house. I am a fanatic about it. Almost OCD about it. From sheets to dishes to glasses to shampoos to towels. Otherwise you end up using the same 2 cups and plates all of the time. Most recently used things go on bottom or in the back. And when you have 6 sets of sheets, you need to use them all.


  4. Speaking of sheets, I have a "Monday routine" that I do and if I can't get to it (like this week) on Monday, I obsess about it. What is the "Monday routine"? Strip the sheets on the beds and wash them, replace them with a fresh set from rotation and also replace all towels and washcloths/dishcloths that are out with fresh ones. I do replace linens as necessary during the week, but Monday is the day.


  5. If I am going to cook or bake, I have to clean the kitchen beforehand. Not seriously clean, but clean off the counters and do the dishes and wipe the stove. I can't cook in a dirty kitchen. Ick.


  6. Most of the time when I am driving, I have the radio off. I have a thing with turning the radio off before I turn off the car and I usually forget to turn it back on when I get back into the car. But, if the radio is on, chances are that I will sing along to the song that is on. Cause I just hafta.
Yeah, I am weird. I could go on and on. I won't get into the foods that we eat besides #2 above. Cabbage, black beans & rice is a perfectly normal dinner at our house. That's all I'm saying. (shush it, Staci)

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Happy Valentines Day to everyone who observes this Hallmark Holiday. We don't really do anything special for each other. DH usually buys me a stuffed red dog, but I think that there might be a stuffed red dog shortage on island, so I am not counting on one this year.

I just don't see why you have to go all out on ONE specific day to express your undying devotion and deplete your wallet. If you love someone, you should do something small everyday to let them know that they are loved. Even if it is just refilling their glass of ice water without being asked to.



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The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is today. I want to know where the Boonie Dog breed category is...? I always root for any of the Terrier breeds because I love them all. But, if there were a Boonie Dog category, then Lady would be the superstar...


Peace

Monday, February 12, 2007

It's February already???

Where have I been? Oh yeah, I have been sucked into the baby vortex for the past 5 weeks. Poor neglected blog. Poor neglected house. That's okay, he is only this age once and he is such a doll. Here's Connor saying hi to everyone:


And here he is practicing his dance moves, he doesn't get rhythm from his Mama - that's for sure!

He is too cute. He is starting to show a little bit of personality. I can't wait until he is a little older and interacts more.


Otherwise, things are going great! Breastfeeding sucks (no pun intended) and we had to stop for a week, but he has taken to it again without any problems. I don't really have a time line as to when to stop breastfeeding (probably when he gets teeth...the thought of it scares me), right now we just take it one week at a time. I tell myself, "Just get through this week, it is the best for him", and somehow we manage. The week that I had to give him formula, I cried for the first 24 hours that I had to give him a bottle.


The cats did say that they want to vote him off of the Island already.


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I haven't done very much in the crafting department lately. Why? Well, because my time is consumed with nursing, burping, and falling asleep on the couch by 7:45 pm. Sooo exciting! Here is the most recent picture of my biscornu. I don't know if I had previously shown it or not. Carolyn & I are working on it. I did start the back, but I think that my backstitching count is off. Anyway, it is sitting on the end table all dejected like.



I did manage to finish crocheting a scarf for the Afghanistan baby project (in sidebar) that I had started before Connor was born. All I had to do was finish 3 or 4 rows and add the fringe. It is done in front & back post double crochet and regular double crochet. Just something that I came up with. It is Bernat Cotton Tots yarn and is beeeyoootifully soft.




For a final thought: