Time for Some Fun

I have been slaving away at the piles and mounds of receipts I have in my "office" for the farm taxes. It really took a lot of effort to get it done. I even got a head start on 2009's taxes. Last year I bought a gadget and program called Neat Receipts, which scans and categorizes your document. I finally put it to good use and learned how to make the categories fit my needs. I also went through all the receipts for 2008's Medical bills and prescriptions and got that all in order. I started putting this years stuff together too!.
So where does that leave me? I have 5 brown grocery bags full of unneeded paperwork, envelopes from bills( I pay online) and various other things that get dumped in my office. I filled a whole new file box with everything else and you can actually walk into the room. Saturday is the appointment with the accountant and I will be so relieved.
So here comes the fun stuff.
I sat down tonight and went through some of the blogs I follow and I am going to copy one of the blogs here because it looked like fun. Thanks Angie

My ABC's
A - Age: The big 50, but I mentally do not feel "old" but the body and joints tell a different story.
B - Bed Size: KING! After 22 years in a waterbed, It was time to give it up....we went to the King size...I can't even reach Dave on the other side, it is hell in the morning when he leaves his alarm on, it is so far to reach to shut it off. The only bad thing about a regular mattress vs. a waterbed...it is cold, but I fixed that with heated mattress pads!
C - Chore You Hate: House cleaning, any part of it. I would rather clean barns than the house.
D - Dad's Name: Frank
E - Essential Start Your Day Item: Tea, hot, cold,sweet, flavored, it doesn't matter.
F - Favorite TV Show: Anything CSI
G - Gold or Silver: Gold
H - Height: 5'4" Wish I was taller
I - Instruments You Play(ed): Nothing, nada, zip.....I have the talent of a flea. I can't sing either!
J - Job Title: Package Handler,UPS, evenings, 5/10pm, that is the paid job.... Mom, Chicken farmer, Domestic goddess are the freebies
K - Kid(s): 2 children, actually grown men now, 26 and 23 But I have been known to share my home with whoever the boys brought home, many of their friends call me mom
L - Living Arrangement: 3 Bedroom ranch on 4 acres.....semi rural, easy access to shopping, freeways and plenty of room for quiet
M - Mom's Name: Jeannette, I always loved my mothers name
N - Nicknames: My real name is Bernadine, (after a Pat Boone movie my father loved)but in the 5th grade, Miss Norris thought my name was too long, so she shortened it to Berni, My nieces and Nephews call me Aunt Bummy
O - Overnight Hospital Stays Other Than Birth: Several Minor surgeries....nothing longer than overnight!
P - Pet Peeve: Bad drivers, slow drivers, drivers talking on the cell phone, drivers in the fast lane, going slow, drivers not using there turn signals, and the worst one is drivers who don't even give you a wave when you let them out in front of you!
Q - Quotes You Like: Scars are tattoos with better stories!
R - Right or Left-Handed: Right.
S - Siblings: 2 brothers, 2 sisters, I am the oldest
T - Time You Wake Up: 5:30a.m. I get everyone up and off to work, then I can go back to bed, unless it is a day that is full of activities.
U- The Ultimate Dessert: Chocolate Brownie, or Brownie Sundae
V - Vegetable You Dislike: Can't think of one I don't like
W - Ways You Run Late: I don't like to be late. But there are days when I am fiddling around here or on line....and time gets away from me....but my cell phone has a calendar reminder and I set that often for special things.
X - X-rays You've Had: Teeth, shoulder, knee,hands,breasts
Y - Yummy Food You Make: Chicken fingers, my boys can't get enough of them
Z - Zoo Animal: Polar Bears.....I love the white fur!

So if you are so inclined try thinking of your ABC's and have some fun!

So What Have I Been Doing?

As I sit down to take a break, I realized I haven't updated my blog in 4 weeks.... can you even imagine that? It is not that I haven't sat in front of the computer, or read any of my fellow bloggers' posts, it is just that I didn't seem to have the time or the subject matter to fill the space.

It has been cold and dreary here and there weren't too many decent opportunities for an interesting photo, so I was at a loss for subject matter.

So what have I been doing with all my time, you ask?

Well I am struggling with the Income Taxes.... I hate doing them, they involve a lot of bookkeeping and most of it is farm related and Dave does not help at all! Oh, he keeps the receipts in a folder on the counter top, sometimes, and I usually have to chase him down for the ones he leaves on the dash of his truck. I tried giving him a folder in the truck to keep them in, but that didn't work.

So I am just like every other American and I resort to boxes!

I was doing really good this year and had everything posted through April....and then I do not know what happened! I even bought this gadget called a Neat Receipt that scans and categorizes your receipts......

I never got past April 2008!!!!

So I finally sat down today, realizing I only had a few weeks to Tax Day and I still have not made my appointment with the Accountant!

I sorted through many of the receipts I had, and now I have to tally and total them up and hand the sheet to the accountant so he can do his depreciation magic and sit back and see what we owe or what we get refunded.

Piles of paper work!

Then I realized that some of my time was taken up by the boys....

They found themselves on Unemployment as of 3/6/2009

Their positions were eliminated.... which was just a line that employers are using to downsize and remove higher paid employees and rehiring employees at a lower wage.

Can I prove it? Probably not, but it is happening in more places than you think.

So they are home, and they are trying to keep busy and waiting for the weather to break, and hoping there will be some job openings.

Mick Loves Green.....Even his Motorcycles are Green!

So Mick took some time to work on his motorcycle and took a small trip one weekend.

He came home early from the trip. It was a rainy, wet, muddy weekend.

He slipped and fell in the mud.....he also re injured his knee.

So off to the Orthopedic Dr. on Monday, wait a week for a MRI, and then a return visit to the Dr.

Torn Meniscus, bone chips, and a possible partial tear to the ACL graft! So we have to wait until April for the surgeon, he is in Arizona for Spring training with the Indians!

Mick will have to have an arthroscope procedure again!

And then there is Spring!!!

I have been waiting months for Spring. I am not sure about everyone else, but this seemed like the longest winter we have had in a long time.

Dave bought me a new rototiller and he was so kind this morning to get it out and till the garden... Mick put several loads on cow manure on it and Dave worked it into the garden. The rototiller worked marvelously!

I went right out and planted my onions. The soil still feels a little cool, but onions are one of the crops that can be started early, before the last frost.

I am not sure when they are predicting the last frost, but in Northern Ohio, my mother in law always swears by a June 1st planting date for any tender crops.

now that the weather is nicer, I can get out do more.

I am excited because Spring means I can order Chicks! The new peeps arrive May 5th!

Proud to be an Eagle Scout

Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,

courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,brave,

clean, and reverent.

This past Sunday, I had the privilege to attend the ceremony for my nephew Tyler , as he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

Tyler is a freshman at Edison High School in Norwalk, Ohio. Besides Scouting, he is involved in sports, and plays the "Quads" in Marching Band.

During the ceremony, which was attended by many friends and family members, guest speakers told of Tyler's accomplishments and his ability to overcome adversity and succeed in his quest to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout.

Many of the speakers praised his work and ability to help others. The talked about his choices to do the right thing, not always the easiest thing. They talked about Tyler and how he helped younger scouts with different challenges. Tyler loved to participate in the Pinewood Derby, making knots and various other scouting activities. He has earned over 30 merit badges and continues to pursue more subjects to earn his Eagle Palms.

Many of the friends and family in attendance were brought to tears as they listened to the heartfelt speech given by his brother Jordan. Jordan is also an Eagle Scout and attends Jacksonville University in Florida. He made the trip home for this special occasion to tell everyone how he remembered helping his brother in his scouting achievements.

Tyler took the podium and thanked all those who helped him reach his goal, including his current and former Scoutmasters, his church youth leader and his Conformation mentor. He also thanked his parents and his Grandparents, Nana and Poppy, for all their help and presented them with special mentor pins to honor them.

Tyler's Eagle Scout Project was to install a concrete patio and benches at the football field behind the High School. He gathered many volunteers to help with his project and collected over $3000 in donations from friends, family and community members for the project.

My baby sister Christine is the the very proud mother of two fine young men. It hasn't been easy for her to raise her sons in an ever increasing challenging world. While working and going to school, she had the support of her family and friends and her husband Gary (G2) to help .

I am proud to be the aunt of two fine young men and equally proud of their achievement in obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout.

We are pictured here together with my third and youngest nephew, Frankie, who is a Cub Scout. He looks up to his older cousins and hopes to be an Eagle Scout one day.

While my boys didn't become scouts, they participated in and excelled in 4-H. Both organizations help young people to become responsible citizens through hard work and learning experiences.

So to Tyler.....

Way to go!

Love, Aunt Bummy

Accident and Incindent Report

Under this lovely dressing is a 2.5 " wound and 5 stitches!

Did you ever just have an awful week?
I think this was my week.
Things just seemed to "happen".

I came down with a case of bronchitis, of course it was Saturday
and no Dr. available, so off to the Minute Clinic I went, on Sunday.
Armed with cough syrup with codeine and an inhaler, home I went, to bed.
The week progressed and I was getting better, the coughing eased up and
I felt better. I went to the hairdressers on Friday and
she colored my hair.....a little more blonde than I expected,
and when I got home, everyone gasped!

On Saturday, I came down with a UTI! Of course it was after
office hours at the Dr., so on Sunday I went off to the Urgi Care.
I took my shower before I went to the Urgi Care and
dried my blonde hair and burnt my forehead with the curling iron.OUCH!
Armed with an antibiotic, I went home to bed, again.
Tuesday I went back to the hairdresser and
she calmed the blonde down a bit.

Wednesday we get this snowstorm that dumps 12" of snow on us.
Stuck in the house again.

Today I was getting the trash bag out of the can
and while Adam pulled it up I held the can down
because the bag was stuck. As he lifted the bag,
something sharp poked through the bag and cut my left hand.
There was blood all over.
Quick, washcloth, direct pressure, get some socks and shoes on,
locate insurance cards, can't find immunization record....
and head to the Urgi Care for the 3rd time in a week and a half!
Do I remember when I had my last tetanus shot......NO,
so I called the Dr. Office, and they are "out to lunch".....go figure.
So I called the Health Department, where I get my immunizations
and they were OUT TO LUNCH!
But the receptionist was very helpful when
I explained that I was on my way to the Urgi Care
and she looked it up. Tetanus shot was good!

Walked into the Urgi Care with my hand elevated and
they asked if I was bleeding and I said Yes.
Off to the back I went, no waiting.
I didn't even have to fill out paper work....
I just told them I was there on Sunday.
The receptionist filled out the forms, all I had to do was sign.
Nice physician, very patient. Injected Novocaine into the wound and it didn't work.
Stitched me up anyway.
An hour and 5 stitches later, I was on my way home.
Ice and rest, keep it dry, come back in 2 days for a wound check,
stitches to be removed in 10 days.
I think I need another vacation. Or a padded room!

I Heart Faces

This weeks category for I Love Faces is JOY!
There are many photos I have that could represent Joy,
but the one I keep coming back to is the one from my older
son Chris' wedding to Tiffany.
All I can see is the joy in their faces on that day!
They are still like that today!


And the little orbs floating in the picture....
are bubbles! Because it was so hot the day they got married,
we had the wedding ceremony inside the air conditioned building
instead if the sweltering heat.
So you can't throw birdseed or rice inside, so we blew bubbles!
For other photos of JOY in faces visit http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/