Showing posts with label taxes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taxes. Show all posts

Monday, February 18, 2013

Monday Memories

HAPPY MONDAY!
Yeah, ok, sure.....it's Monday. How happy can it be? Right?
I'm sure there are many reasons it is....can't think of one right now though.  :)

Hope your week is off to a good start!
Didn't get the opportunity to post yesterday, so here I am....Miss me?

Let's start with Friday!
Friday morning was Tax Day. Yippee...aren't you glad we started with Friday?
It was fairly uneventful. Not nearly what I thought we would get back but not terrible either. No where near enough for the floors...so we are going to have to go a different route to get them done. More on that as it comes.

Friday night was great! Go dressed and we left the house around six thirty. My wife drove, I just got to relax and not worry about where we were going or the dinner bill or nothin'. It was nice. :)
Half way there I thought that we were headed to the new Olive Garden, but my wife suddenly turned in the other direction. And for the life of me I couldn't think of one restaurant that was in that direction. Up the road a bit, around the corner and we pulled into Longhorn Steak House. Not somewhere we go very often - can not honestly remember the last time I was in one. The parking lot was slammed. People standing in line, from inside the door out and around the sidewalk. As if reading my mind, my wife says 'I made reservations'. So I just smiled. We parked and I followed her through the thongs of people, weaving and bobbing around them. She says 'come on'.....as I came around the corner what do I see? Lots of people! Many of whom I know! It was a surprise party...for me. :)  I have to admit that I was surprised, really. They had pulled 4 or 5 tables together right in the middle of the room. Barry, Amy and Barb were there - Sally somehow conned them into coming and holding a table, as Longhorn doesn't take reservations - for an hour and a half, I found out afterwards. And Yvonne (no Eddy, he had to work) and Adam, with Yvonne's friend Laura and her son Gage. My daughter and her fiance too! My son, his wife and my two oldest grandchildren as well. And with Sally and me it made 15. We had a great meal, ate too much (like that's a surprise). I had Sirloin and Shrimp with a salad and bread. And a couple of amaretto and 7-ups. I got some really nice gifts....including a complete set of Dr. Ph. Martin's concentrated water colors. And lots of conversation. After dinner we had cake, that my daughter picked out and my neighbor, Amy, baked. They actually put 47 candles on it. Adam burnt his fingers trying to light them (because they started lighting them from the outside in). Lawton (my oldest grandson) helped me blow them out....I really thought we were going to set off the fire alarm, sprinklers and all. A huge cloud of smoke went up, up, up and straight for the fire alarm. I just closed my eyes.....guess what I wished for. :)
Immediately after cutting the cake and passing it around, the waitress, with lots of help, brought me ice-cream and of course had to sing for me. I cringed, but it was good anyway. It turned out to be a pretty damn good night. I just want to say 'thanks' to everyone who came out and helped me celebrate!
I have some photos, but can't get them to load. My phone doesn't want to let me keep photos that people send me. It's really becoming an aggravation. As soon as I can get them on my computer I will post them. Thanks to all the people who called, emailed, texted and sent me cards too! Who knew I'd get so much attention for being old? LOL
wait...i lied....got one of the balloons (this was
on the table at longhorns)


Last time around I had taken my dogs to the vet. Turns out it was poison ivy or oak. I had to take them back on Saturday for a follow up. They are doing so much better now. Pixie isn't bright pink and they are scratching themselves bloody any more. I went looking for the culprit on Sunday, but found nothing that even resembles poison ivy or poison oak. Going to look again this weekend, got to find it and get rid of it.

I got the curtains for the kitchen finished and put up. And then realized, while writing this, that I had only a picture of the back door and not the sink (must be old age). So here it is....
little chefs with black and white checkers

I got my table set up to sculpt this past weekend too! I started working on a new project - no photos yet, not much to photograph. I should have some this week though.....assuming I can actually work on it. It felt good to have my hands in clay again. 
all ready to go....

Had dinner with the neighbors on Saturday...and a few drinks. Barry made chicken and pork chops on the grill. Yummy! Amy and I discussed our plans for our "YuleMas" party as well. I think we're going to have Barry cook on the grill and Eddy come and make some of his fabulous mexican dishes. It ought to be memorable! I've been working on the invitation, still in the planning stages but I will share when it gets a little further along. 

I've been plugging along with the exercise as well. It dawned on my last night that I had read 3 books and started a fourth while riding my bike. YES! Two birds, one stone. :)

Been doing some research on Jack the ripper too....not sure exactly where that one is headed yet. Possibly a new painting. I'll have to wait and see what pops into my head.

Well, folks...that's all!

til next time,
Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!


TTFN


Sunday, February 05, 2012

Full Plate!

Hi All!
Hope you are having a fantastic weekend! Been busy, busy, busy. Only gonna be more so in the next couple months. :)  Can't wait!

Let's see....hhhhmmmmmm.....
Work was hectic this past week (and the week before). We switched over from regular phones to VoIP. That's voice over IP. They're all network phones now. So I've been running around prepping things and then testing and checking. And testing and checking. And testing and checking. PHEW! Fortunately, it seems we have most of the issues worked out. Now it's just a matter of getting the users used to the phones. You would think that the phones came from Mars the way some people act. I mean, the are just phones. They work the same way. They just connect differently. I figure by the time we get everyone set with them...they'll change something else. HA!

Went to see the tax lady this weekend. WOW! I was expecting her to be busy, she always is, but there was already people in the parking lot when we got there. I was there at 7:30. She doesn't open til 9. There was at least a half a dozen cars there and people pulling in right behind us. By the time she got there I would say there was a good 30 people waiting for her. BUT, she's really good at what she does. Been going to her for four years now and she never ceases to amaze me. :)  So that's one chore down. YAY!!

Got my new glasses on Saturday too. Man do I feel old. My last pair were 'progressives'. That three different lenses crammed into a pair of glasses. This time I opted to not get the distance since it's so small I really don't need it. So the tech talked me into getting split line bifocals. Talk about getting used to it. It's gonna take a while. The line in the middle is still making me crazy. I know....it's only been a day. What can I say? I'm impatient. I am getting used to it though. I'm starting to 'look' where I need to in order to see. My new ones are for mid-range (computer work) and close up. It is nice to be able to clearly see things again. :)

And then, Hobby Lobby called me. My manikin heads came in. Yippee!! I went to pick some up at the store but the ones they had looked like someone played hockey with them. Big chunks missing, no noses, the sides caved in....they were bad. So they ordered me two and promised me they wouldn't look like the ones on the shelves. And they didn't!
What do I need manikin heads for? Masks of course. I think I'm going to sculpt my mask for DragonCon. I think it's going to be a half mask...just above the lower lip. Horns and all. Along the lines of a masquerade mask. And I believe I'm opting for the 'Marquee' dress. Big cuffs, lots of ruffles, obnoxious colors, etc.....
two heads are better than one. soon to be covered in clay

I've been working on Forrest as well. He's is progressing nicely! I got all his sculpting done. Finished that up on Friday night. And tonight, after working in the yard - getting things ready to finish my fence, I did his mold. Wow did I forget how much of a mess I make with potter's plaster. No, you don't understand....I make a MESS! Good thing I had a slab of wood on my table. I got plaster everywhere....on the floor, on the chair, all over the table. It's going to take me another day just to clean it up. I am waiting for it to completely set...right now....while I'm writing this! I'm excited...and nervous! It's not the first time I've done a mold but I'm always scared something will happen. Bubbles, scratches, who knows what else. I've got another 15 minutes or so before it's ready to be de-molded. Keep your fingers crossed! In the mean time, here's some photos to bring you up to date....
Forrest getting some 'texture'

eyeballs, horns and all. ready for the mold process

i used more clay for the mold walls then for Forrest

plaster of choice. No. 1 Pottery Plaster

looks like a cake i made when i was 8.  LOL!!

Well, I guess that's all for now....about to go release Forrest from his mold. Wish me luck!

I see I have another follower! YAY!! 
Hi LuLu! Welcome to my blog!! Glad you could stop by. :)
Go check out LuLu's blog....good stuff! LuLu's Apple Sauce.

Be Good, Be Safe, Be Happy!!


TTFN