Monday, April 17, 2006

LIfe is good

Yes, taxes are done and in the mail!!! I hate doing them and this year was even worse. Bob's company changed health insurance which now has an HSA (Health Savings Account). So this requires that I include a special form (8889) with the tax return and the instructions for this form are nearly incomprehensible. I filled it out as best I could but screw it! I spent probably 3 or 4 hours reading VERY carefully and looking on the IRS website for help. At this point I could not care less whether this form is correct or not.

Next year, I swear, I'm going to hire somebody to do the taxes.

I forced Bob to come to church on Easter Sunday. My daughter and I both play in our church handbell choir. I think it's more fun to play than listen because sometimes we suck. Her boyfriend and Bob sat together. Then we all had breakfast downstairs put on by our youth group. Bob goes to church so seldom he gets mobbed by all our church friends, but I think he likes the attention.

We had my daughter and her boyfriend, and my son and his girlfriend over for dinner. I fixed lasagna, salad, and garlic bread for Easter dinner. Bob can't eat ham anymore and I didn't feel like cooking a turkey (I have a 20 lb. one in my freezer since Christmas. Bob's company gives away turkeys to their employees every year. Sheesh.)

Very fun but kind of weird. Makes me feel old. Bob helped vacuum and made the dining room presentable. Both kids brought me bouquets of flowers... so sweet. I raised them right! Angelfood cake, strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. I did not buy any Easter candy this year, can you believe it?

While I was doing taxes I cleaned out and organized all our financial records in our den/office. Feels so good to go in there now and just sit and admire it.

I also fixed my blog template. I noticed that I was getting "errors on page" messages and it kept crashing IE, so I figured it out and its all fixed I hope. If you see any problems, let me know.

I'm reading The Bequest by Candice Proctor. The beginning was very cliché but it's getting better. Virgin convent-raised young woman inherits brothel from mother she did not know. Co-owner is a gunslinger with a dark past who likes to dress all in black. I was rolling my eyes at the dialogue but I'm up to page 68 and I'm liking it better. We'll see if I make it to page 100.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

7 comments:

sybil said...

Oh let me know! I recall liking this but can't remember if I thought it started slow. Honestly I can be a horrid skimmer, so if the beginning dragged I might have skipped a chapter or two. Only if I am reviewing a book for AAR do I MAKE myself read every word. Might be why those can annoy me more ;).

CindyS said...

Your blog looks so nice! I need an update but change is scary ;)

By the way, I have not started my taxes and I think I will have myself a good cry before I go to bed ;) I'm not sure when yours are due but in Canada it's the last day in April. We owe so we don't file until the end but I have so much crap to figure out before then that I may have to lock myself in this room for a week to get it done properly.

I could never hire someone because my father and I have ways of interpreting the tax guide. Not that we are trying *not* to pay but if they are going to put one sentence in to explain something complex then they better be prepared for people to read it the way they see it!!

Let me know about The Bequest because the gunslinger is too intriguing ;)

CindyS

Megan Frampton said...

The day we hired someone to do our taxes was a darn good day, even though he is PRICY! Your Sunday sounds nice. I like the idea of the handbell choir, too.

ReneeW said...

sybil: I made it to page 104 and the plot is very hackneyed but Proctor is such a good writer I think I'll keep going. But I'll need to skim some.

Cindy: Taxes were due here on Apr 17th (normally the 15th but that was a Saturday) and we always owe so we wait till the last day too. I can't stand it anymore, ever year there is more crap to figure out so I'm going to get someone else to do it. I feel your pain! Why do they make it so complicated to understand? Good luck with yours!

Megan: At this point I'm ready to pay (almost) anything!

Suisan said...

I go back and forth on whether paying money for someone else to clean the house is a worthwhile expense. (Since it makes me crazy to do it, I sometimes hire someone as a mental health expense.)

Taxes? Fuggetabout it. Hire Them Out. No, really, like I used to do ours and now I don't, and it's the best money we ever, ever spent. Ever. Not that I'm emphatic or anything.

Just finished Candice Proctor's The Last Knight. She is good--might make me reach for a Western.

ReneeW said...

Suisan: I finally broke down a couple of years ago and hired a housekeeper to clean every other week. She charges $80 and it's totally worth the expense. I got tired of battling with Bob about it. It may have saved this marriage :)

Now if I could only find someone to do the taxes so easily.

I loved Proctor's Night in Eden which is set in Australia. Highly recommend. I have TLK TBR.

Nicole said...

Ooph, I remember the trouble Nick had with figuring out the HSA in regards to taxes. Was complicated. The company even sent out an email explaining things because so many people had questions.

I think I still need to read Proctor.

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