New Year's Eve 2008 12/27/08 SEE POST#1 FOR LIST

[CADZNYCHC]

Wow I just saw the earthquake news! The news is showing some places where products fell off the shelves in stores, scary! I'm so glad you're all ok without damage!

Happy Haloween! I'm off to find some kids to borrow for trick or treating later!

hope you're having a great time!!!!

 

[tiggerwannabe]

I am glad you guys are all ok...

Brenda, I will be hitting you up for tax advice as this thing progresses...Nan, you too

 

[nskjerven]

I am glad you guys are all ok...

Brenda, I will be hitting you up for tax advice as this thing progresses...Nan, you too

keep receipts. I suggest that you don't pay for anything with cash (it's harder to remember to capture it)

if you set your self up on Quickbooks you can easily have a handle on your numbers all thru the year.

If you haven't looked into get yourself a merchant/credit card account, I'd suggest you look at what quickbooks will offer you, they have cheap merchant rates. otherwise google merchant credit card services online. Make sure you use a service that is reputable, sometimes they look good low fees, but might hold your cash longer than necessary....

your personal tax advisor should be able to help you with the filing that you nned to be prepared to do. If you don't have a CPA to do this again, find one. Even though I'm in accounting, I always have a CPA file my returns, the laws change and you need someone that works in the field to keep you current.

back to Halloween now....

 

[ohioworkingmom]

As a CPA I agree, make sure you take the time to advise with one. I have so many clients that set up small businesses and fail to do this BEFORE they begin, and end up losing out on a lot of deductions or things they should have done but didn't. Good luck, you can PM me if you do have any questions that you want a quick answer on

 

[tiggerwannabe]

Thanks Ladies!

I have taken note of all your suggestions and appreciate all of them.

My new camera is due in today

~Here are a couple pics from last night...Brittany, her DBF Cliff and Adrian~

These are all clickable to see the full size shot...

 

[CustardTart]

Hello everyone! Just popping in to wish you all a Happy November 1st! I love this time of year (all cold, crisp, colour-changing) and to celebrate I've had my nails done (short, dark purple/brown) and my hair cut off!

Now the VR is out of the way, I don't need hair long enough for an 'up-do' (I still love that phrase! ) so it felt like time for a change. I have had it cut short into the nape of my neck at the back and graduated longer at the sides - a much younger, funkier look so just gotta cross fingers and hope I can do it myself...

Love the photos, Tigg!

Aisling, did you get out and T or T??? We had a few kids (plus parents) doing it here - some of the costumes were amazing! I was very impressed and glad I'd got a sufficient amount of sweet treats in to hand out...

 

[Aisling]

Tiggie, is Cliff a new boyfriend? Brit just looks soooooooo cute and happy!

 

[Aisling]

Aisling, did you get out and T or T???

I didn't have a chance to do any T or T-ing at all, we had over 300 kids come to my door beginning at 3 and ending after 9 pm! It had to be a little more than 300, because I bought 3 bags of candy with 100 pieces each, and everything was gone, with each kid getting one. It was the funnest, happiest time I've had in a long while, with even teens and older coming to the door along with the little ones. Everyone was having a ball, the streets were fill with people dressed up. It's amazing how Halloween has made a huge comeback since I was a kid. I love to see the adults dressed up with their kids! Chad, of course, did his traditional scaring the crap out of the poor kids when they came to the door, and I just enjoyed seeing all the elaborate costumes. And not one incident of mischief, at least around where I am.

Kaz, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed reading your trippie. Thanks for letting us all share it with you! Short doo? Photos, please!

On a completely different note, I did something this morning that I hadn't done in 20 years, which was to visit my gramma's grave. I took her loss very hard years ago, and I'd never been to the cemetery since the funeral, because I thought it would be too much for me, but something in my heart urged me to go today, and I did. It turned out to be a peaceful and easy thing. I don't believe I need to visit a grave site to talk to my gram, but I can't explain why I spontaneously did this. At first I couldn't find it in the HUGE cemetery, but a worker saw me driving around, and he led me right to her. His name was Jose, and when he called me over to the headstone, I said HI GRAMMA!!!!!!!!!!, and I gave Jose a big hug, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. I introduced him to gramma, and Jose said, 'hey wait a minute, she already knows me, I'm here everyday!" Then he left me alone with her, I wrote a little note, put it into a plactic bag, and dug it into the ground a few inches. I'm not Jewish, but it's a Jewish tradition to put a little rock on top of the gravestone to show others that your loved one has recently has a visitor, so I did that. Anyway, I just wanted to share, because it took me 20 years to go there, and I think about my gramma every day. I was closer to her than I am to my own mother, and she was a saint in my eyes. She wasn't too bright in the conventional sense, not educated, slow to grasp modern concepts, but she could hug me like nobody's business, and even as I was a young married woman of 20, when she came to stay at my house, I'd take naps with her, cuddled with her in my bed. She always called me Suzabelle, because my middle name is Susan.
Nan, you may be interested to know that she was an off-the-boat Norwegian squarehead, and I got my coloring from her. I'm so happy to share this with you all.


To the 2008 NYE cruise lurkers, please join in the chit chat. I'd love to get to know you all.

Happy day, everyone.

Oops, one more thing to add, and I hope you don't get a bad impression of my almost 22 year old son, but last night we all went out to dinner and the table conversation was of course the upcoming cruise. We were telling Mel about all the food, and especially the desserts on board, and Chad blurted out, "oh sh**, the creme brulee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I may have a warped sense of humor, but it was hilarious and so unexpected!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tiggerwannabe]

John and I were talking last night about when we lived in Roebling. The neighborhood was like that every halloween. If we miss anything, we miss all the kids. We had 6. 4 before dinner and two late nighters

I feel like I was right there with you Aisling. From Chad scaring the kids, you smiling at your door to saying Hi to your gramma and meeting jose on the way. Thank you for sharing all that.

The creme broule was *that* good! Chad is so cute.

Yes, Cliff is Britt's beau. He's gotten the nod from her brother and dad. We've known him for years, he's gone camping with all the guys, he's a good kid. He's trying to help us teach Britt how to be responsible. He speeches her more than I do

I can totally picture your new do Karen! Posh Spice-ish right?

Your VR trip report was awesome!
Your newest adventure is in my que to read next~

 

[CADZNYCHC]

Happy November....need to catch up with all the above...but will have to wait till later...trying to get SOOO much done here so I can go to Disneyland on Monday & enjoy my time there AND at the desert. Haven't decided what treatments i'm having at the Spa there...Michelle, DD & I are going to Burke Williams the day after Thanksgiving where i'm having a massage & a detox/calming wrap. Soooo kind of thinking about a citrus body scrub followed by a body bronzer in palm springs....seems the right place to get 'bronzed'!
til l8r

 

[CustardTart]

Wow, Aisling! 300+ of the little monsters - quite literally! I didn't get back till after 6pm so I don't know if there were any ghosts and ghoulies that I missed out prior to that but, altogether, we probably had 30 or so kids. Not bad for our neighbourhood. Just me at home so no spooking going on tho' my dogs, confused by the recurring doorbell ringing, were barking up a storm - that scared quite a few of them TBH...

Loved the story of Gramma and Jose and leaving the stone... Beautiful... Made me a little sad that I have no touchstone in my life as after my Mum's death in 1993, the family fragmented and we are no longer in contact. For me, the 'special' family member was always my paternal Grandfather - an amazing man with an incredible history... Know what, you've inspired me! In the New Year, I'm going take a roadtrip to my hometown in the Midlands and find his grave... Thank you...

And thank you for your positive TR feedback! The new one's taking longer as I need access to DD's photos and she's been away in Switzerland - blah, blah, blah!!! HOPEFULLY I'll get what I need from her over the weekend and the words will flow...

Hey Tigg, my new 'do' is a take on Posh Spice's look. I went to the salon - just booked in to have my roots done - but, as I flicked through a 'Hello' mag, I saw Posh and suddenly wanted, needed, a change! Fortunately my stylist was free after the colour so we went for it! Tomorrow night is Date Night sooo I'll ask Dick to take a photo when I'm all glammed up!

 

[tiggerwannabe]

She's a beautiful girl, I know you fit that do perfectly, can't wait for the pics~

You'll never catch me with short hair...

been there, done that, and IMO look too much like a boy

My camera came!!! it's killin me having to wait for the battery to charge Everything is perfect...

 

[nskjerven]

Aisling:

Such a touching story about Grandma. I never had a close relationship with any of my grandparents, both Grandpas gone before I have memories (my dad's way before I was born) My Dad's mom was a crabby lady, I think I'll have to try not to be like her when I'm old (er) My mom's mom was ill and died when I was 8, just have slight memories of her in the nursing home. I think she was sweet, but not much else I can tell you.

It's nice to visit those we love. Today is Dia de Los Muertos, perhaps that is why you were drawn to her today??? (Jose 'eh?)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

The concept is one of honoring our dead and sharing our lives with them thru alters of their past likes & loves. I think it's cool. My kids have shared this with me thru their Spanish immersion school program, a great celebration every year there.

On a slightly mean mom note....we go to a house 2 streets over (same block) every year they go all out and make a graveyard scene. They have 5-10 people "acting" in the scene. Graverdigger, dead people, creatures etc...It totally freaks Molly out of her mind. She stands at the end of the block (2 houses away) and refuses to move forward. Meanwhile Wil, Paul and I are totally enjoying it. Molly was so sacred she screamed and even cried, okay any here is the really sad part, switched over to speaking Spanish because we don't listen to her in English so what's the point...Ok in our defense, this family has kids our kids age, their daughter even goes to school with Molly this year. When her classmate (& another girlfriend) saw it was Molly they were trying to scare they said "HI MOLLY" and they all three girls laughed. Then a creature came running over and Molly freaked out again. And she then stormed away crying....poor thing. What to do what to do. I figure I was a big baby scaredy cat when I was her age too, and I got over it and now I love the funny scarey stuff like this, so I'm a mean mom and make her join us in this fun/torment.

Molly is Elizabeth Swan in POCIII (yes I got it at Dland) Wilson is a Death Eater, Harry Potter.

This is a nice neighbor's house at the end of our street...The scarey house doesn't photograph well, too many people hanging around.

We have about 50-100 kids come around, but we are out with our kids so we missed most of them this year. We leave out a bowl of candy and a note that says take one.

 

[CustardTart]

Ooh how interesting that it's the Day of the Dead! Ella (very sweet girl who does my nails) was telling me that she, her brother and mother all dreamt last night of her grandmother who passed away at the start of the year! I, on the other hand, dreamt about my poor Mum! Spooky, eh?

 

[nskjerven]

Last year it gave me great comfort while I was deep in the grief of losing my dad. I was able to think that day of all the good things about him, what he liked and his favorites.

 

[Aisling]

It's nice to visit those we love. Today is Dia de Los Muertos, perhaps that is why you were drawn to her today??? (Jose 'eh?)

OMG I had no idea!

 

[nskjerven]

OMG I had no idea!

Interesting huh?

I of course believe.....

 

[tiggerwannabe]

Nan, it's a good thing you are such a good Mommy...cause you are BAD!

I read the whole book that came with my camera and have played with it in all its settings...tomorrow I get to play with it outside Saturday, I'm doing band shots for my friend.

 

[nskjerven]

hee hee hee. She is fine. She sought out the girl at school today and asked if next year she can come and be with them. The school girl replied of course, and now all is well.

Yes it's good I'm a good mom since I'm a bad one too

 

[tiggerwannabe]

It took Brittany a long time to get over being ascared of everything too...now she watches movies I won't go anywhere near