Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Going Green

I love this so much!! Everyone should enjoy!  Let me know what you think! 



Anyone over the age of 35 should read this, as I copied this from a friends status ..

Checking out at the supermarket recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. I apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days“.
The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations“.
She was right about one thing–our generation didn’t have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then? After some reflection and soul-searching on “Our” day, here’s what I remembered we did have….
Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.
We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby’s nappies because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 240 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Wales. In the kitchen, we blended & stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.
Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then.
We drank from a water fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?
Please post this on your Facebook profile so another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smarty-pants young person can add to this

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Self help

I love self help books!! Like big time I've always felt that by reading these books I get to learn new things, grow as a person etc. Back when that one series with vampires and werewolves.... Yep read all 4 in a matter of weeks amidst a full time job, a kid, and going to school full time. Fast forward about 5 yr, no school still reading a bit here and there. Always my self help books, that normally I carry around for a month or so, kinda read but sometimes just get bored. 
For Christmas I asked for the hunger games books, got the first one and read it in about a day, then barrowed the other two from my sister and read them just about as fast. It was a fun escape, but nothing fancy. 
So I've been going to the library with Liam to get some books. I picked up some self help books for me, and grabbed a fiction book from the big girl section. I started reading it, but was very bored by the main character, so I read the self help. A few weeks later we needed to return the books, and I challenged Liam to get some new ones. I tried to do the same. I walked around and around, and found the young adult section!!!! I found the divergent book  checked it out and started reading it they night. Needless to say. I am a fan of young adult fiction:... I read the book in about a day, finished it sunday morning, and was heart broken! Library is closed on Sunday's and was closed in Monday for Presidents' Day! 
I got to the library today and got the next book, along with a stack of others. I have a feeling I'm going to need to start limiting myself on how much I can read!!!
I'm loving it!!!
Found my section!!!

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Clothes

Step One of tidying up is cleaning out the clothes she starts by taking all of the clothes in the home and placing them in one spot for me this just was not going to happen (with the boys, I felt it was necessary to do one person at a time) so I started with my room however if anyone knows me I am not a close person like at all!! I really don't care about clothes I wear them out of necessity and I have some great family members that make sure I stay clothed. (Thanks mother in law!)
She says to take your clothes and choose to put them back rather then choose to take some out it's the great starting point and because I have so few it was relatively easy to get my clothes finished then onto my boys really Chris is on his own for this project idea we go through clothes quite often however that really has to be his thing not mine so getting onto The little boys Liam's clothes are pretty much easy to go through they all pretty much fit and it was just a matter of doublechecking and folding at first I was not sure about her folding method it's some of them seemed a little crazy, but I decided to give it a try and see what Happens. on the other hand ewan has a huge amount of clothes and a very small dresser I kept all the clothes that I had with Liam and let them pile up now for ewan  which is really great for the most part.  I try to go through his clothes regularly and have a great neighbor across the street that I can drop boxes and bags off to that will get used as well so his clot his dresser was a little bit more in depth at first like I said I was really unsure about fulling I am now change my ways and even more of the stock method I thought as reading it going you are in saying she wants beautiful every socks and not just roll them so it's super simple I've changed I know crazy right so honestly take some time look over the book try things see what you think here's some pictures of my most recent projects and so far I am totally a fan

Ewans Dresser
Before
 After
 Liam's Dresser






Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Kitchen

Step two is the books I think that for me books are going to be a lot more difficult than she says they are. I went through my books not too long ago, athough for the boys that I'm going to need to go through so I decided to skip that step and move on to something else for now I started with the kitchen drawers of been driving me crazy for a very long time I went through them get rid of what needed to and more than anything just got it all done in one fell swoop so here's some pictures I hope you enjoy

The biggest problem I have is that we get lazy and rather then put stuff where it belongs i put it in these drawers. 
That's changing now!!

Left side 
Right side 

Before and after 

Main silverware drawer before
After 

Knife drawer
Before 

After   
I added a few house items which will prob make there way back to the kitchen, this is a good place to keep them!





Monday, February 1, 2016

Tax time of year!

WARNING!! :) I'm STRANGE! 
I loved doing my taxes this year! :D
By this time most of us should have all our W-2 and maybe still awaiting the other forms such as 1099 and other deduction paperwork.   

Image result for tax money

In 2014 I started working in the financial industry, before that I was working for the government and going to school.  I was gonna be an accountant but after my first class in learning about auditing I knew that wasn't for me.  I NEVER did my own taxes, taxes are BIG SCARY THINGS!! They didn't make sense and I remember as a kid that when dad was doing taxes the girls when shopping. My dad talks about when he finally hired an accountant how good that was for him.  
When Chris and I got hitched, we went to his parents accountant.  That continued for awhile, then after some time we started going to a CPA at H&R block. (NOT just one of the employees.  TRUST ME THERE IS A DIFFERENCE) 

However tax season of 2014 (Jan 2015-April 2015) I got a SUPER crash course on tax forms.  Because of my role at my job I went over taxes, options, etc.  I talked to at least 1-5 tax "professionals" per day that honestly I knew tax stuff better then them.  HOW ON EARTH.  You are a CPA and you aren't sure where to put stuff on a 1040! :) 

By mid Jan, I had learned so much about taxes, I decided to try my hand at doing my own taxes.  I did decide to use Turbo Tax.  Makes filing super quick and easy, and even better they can deposit our refund.  YES I am one of those people I would much rather lend money to the IRS and get it back then having to come up with a balance of how much I will need to pay, so we try to hover around getting back a small return, so we don't have to worry. 
Image result for tax money

This year, I entered in all of our info into Turbo Tax and it all looked good, however my itemized deductions and the ones turbo tax had did not equal.  So when money stuff doesn't look right to me, I do ANYTHING POSSIBLE to figure out why! 

I spent the next week or so playing (yes it was playing for me) on the IRS website and got my taxes all figured out with pencil and paper! I really enjoyed it and had many of my finance co workers teasing me! 

I still ended up using Turbo Tax to file, once again, it is quick easy and direct deposit the return. 
If you are looking to do your own taxes here are some AWESOME IRS web links.
Also if you have simple taxes and don't want to pay someone use Turbo Tax.  

CAUTION!! We have used H&R Block in the past, however they charge a TON!!! like first born child's college education! Save your money and go to a CPA (most charge at least in Utah between $90-$150) or do them on your own! 


The IRS website is a great tool!! 


GOOD LUCK WITH TAXES THIS YEAR!!