Ya’ll!! I did our taxes last night. It was at midnight and I don’t have all the exact numbers but I think I’m close and our return is almost TWICE what it was last year. OH MY GOSH. I actually could knock a couple bigger items off of my list. I really hope I’m close on my number because that would be AWESOME!
Tax Time!
It’s January and guess what that means!! Tax time again! If you’ve been reading for awhile, you know that I LOVE tax time. Especially since we’ve had 2 kids because that means mula coming to us. I started printing all of our stuff today and going through the checkbook to categorize everything. I just downloaded all the federal and state forms I’ll need to do my taxes but not actually submit them. Yes, I do my taxes myself to see how much we are getting but let a professional do them and submit them. I just can’t stand that our companies wait until January 31 to mail our forms and then I have to wait until mid February to find out how much we are getting back. If I sit down and do it tonight, I could know how much we are getting back and then we can start planning! Last year we put up our fence and built the back deck. The year before we put on our sunroom addition. Those were definitely fantastic investments and have been greatly used. This year I think we are leaning towards either a used car for me to take to work or paying down our van loan. My current list of things I really want to do but would take several years worth of tax returns:
Hardwood floors in living room/kitchen/entry/playroom
Kitchen countertops
Refrigerator (and stove if I REALLY had a lot of money)
Curtains for my room
Curtains for my living room (if I could figure out what fabric I wanted)
Pay off our van
Get another car for us to use
Bedside table for Scott
Telescopic lens for my camera
New computer that will run Pinnacle including new graphics card with TV Tuner
DVD camcorder
I’m sure there’s more but that’s what comes to mind. Just about 25K-30K would take care of that, no biggie right??
He loves me
Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
I said last time something didn’t feel right. And it didn’t. And it hasn’t for awhile. It’s taken me over a year to get through some stuff. I’ve listened to several sermons on my iPod, at church this Sunday and read some stuff. And Revelation 3:19 kind of sums it up. God loves me and He wasn’t going to let me get away with the sins I was committing. He has spent much of this year rebuking me. It has been quite a struggle. But this weekend I’ve gotten to the point that not only are my actions going to change but my heart and mind need to also. So my prayer for this year is verse we used to repeat at my old church at the end of every service.
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
Breakdown
Last night I was starting to have a break down. Scott yelled at me to let go of the remote Lexi had in her hand because she was crying for us to put Dora on and he was going to “handle the situation”. I immediately started crying. I just feel so fragile and out of sorts. Something is just not right. I found a podcast of my old church (Central Church of God with Loran Livingston in Charlotte, NC–PLEASE check it out, it’s awesome) and every time I listen to him I’m in like tears by the end. The two I listened to spoke about finding a local church to belong to and then finding your specific duty within the church so the body can function the way it’s supposed to. We are very involved in church but I’ve never felt completely at home there. I started going there when we got engaged because I knew he would not go to my church because it was so large and far away. We have been heavily involved since the beginning but I’ve always felt like I was missing something not going to Central. But that sermon helped and it was odd that it came from him. He basically said you may hate the pastor or the music or whatever but it may actually NEED you to reach people. So I’m not taking for granted that it’s definitely where we’re supposed to be but I do take comfort in the fact that you don’t have to love every single aspect of the church for it to be where you are SUPPOSED to be. The other one talked from Titus about how people are supposed to act–young/old male/female. Boy that was a little convicting. How I’m supposed to act as a godly woman. Talk about stepping on toes. But now I just feel like I’m hanging out there…am I supposed to quit work, am I supposed to be doing something different within the church, am I the worst mother ever because I have to work while I’m at home with my kids. Just everything. I really feel like I just need to spend time seeking what I’m supposed to be doing. Even if it’s doing what I am now, I just need that confirmation.
Not good
My BIL lost another job today. Things are not looking good for SIL and BIL. Please pray for them and all of us really. This situation could get pretty messy.
Mastering #2
Warning: if you didn’t get it from the title, talk of poop is in this post.
Awhile back I wrote that Emma had mastered #2. Not so. About a month into it, she reverted to going in her pants. So much so she was constipated and all kinds of other nasty things that requires her now to be on a laxative every other day. Supposedly she says it hurts her to go in the potty. Which if you’ve seen what she does, I can’t blame her. So hopefully this medicine will help get her back on track and I will not have to wipe up any more #2 which I about scream every time I have to.
What to do, what to do
I have money from Christmas that I don’t know what to do with. Actually, I do know what to do with it except I need about $4,000 more to do what I actually want to do. So I’m having a hard time figuring out WHICH thing to do with my money. I really want a new cell phone. Mine is the free one from Cingular that doesn’t do picture or music and is all scratched up now. But I really want the SLVR but can’t make myself spend $150 on it. I could just wait until my contract can be renewed until July and get a better discount but I don’t wanna wait! And I really need some new tennis shoes and I could get an FM receiver thing for my iPod. Or, I could go spend it all clothes shopping which would be way more fun. But then I wouldn’t have my shoes or my cell phone. Blah. What a problem to have. lol
Whew, quite a work out
Made it to the gym again yesterday. She about killed me though. I went to this class Sweatshop that I don’t normally go to but the timing worked out. Last time I went I said I wouldn’t go back because i didn’t like the exercises she did and I didn’t get much work out. I peeked in and the set up looked different so I went in. She really about killed me. I had to stop a few times so I wouldn’t faint. I think I kicked until my leg really wouldn’t lift to kick. It was a great workout. This sounds funny, but I will definitely go back to that class. I just need to eat before I go!