Showing posts with label focus friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label focus friday. Show all posts

Friday, February 27, 2009

Focus Friday... ooooh look at the butterfly... I said Focus!!!!

UN-
When I decided to be a Tax Professional, I agreed to give up spring. As I do each year, I am rethinking that decision.

In SC Spring usually comes around April 3. Sometimes late in March. Never as late as May --- that is full on summer. Spring is a lovely day. Maybe it will be on a Sunday this year, and I won't miss it.

SC weather is freaky. I don't think it's unique, but it is my personal pain in the patootie.

Yesterday, I went outside and felt one of those perfect breezes. Not hot or cold. Gentle, like a caress. It had very little scent, but if I had to say anything, I'd say it smelled like a decision. Am I going to be winter or spring today? Since it couldn't decide, it was perfect. The breeze touched a robin and a mockingbird, the neighbor's cats, the bare green azalea bushes... and me. A rare moment.

Today, it is supposed to be in the 70s. I am hoping this is true, since I am wearing a short sleeved blouse. I think it will be sunny. It will pretend to be spring. Some of the flowers will be fooled. My sister's daffodils are already up in full glory. The neighbor's cats will hunt or sun, depending on whatever moves cats.

Sunday or Monday: a cold front moves in. We may have a wintry mix, and this time it may be real. Not the powdering of confectioner's sugar we got in January. A whole day and night (night and day) of snow & ice.

South Carolinians can't deal with snow and ice. We don't have the equipment. We still speak in hushed whispers of the winter of 77, and this time, we aren't talking about the recent unpleasantness between the states. That year (or was it 78?) had TWO ice and snow storms, each lasting over a week.

So when it snows, or even gets cold, we don't know what to do. We run to the store and try to buy gloves and mittens, only to remember they only sell those in August. We hunt through the boxes and find eight or nine stray mittens, none matching. We make the kids wear them anyway.

"Here, Mark, take the odd one, just use one hand in the snowball fight, OK? Fine... give Roslyn the pink one."

We don't have gloves. We have four or five bathing suits (which we buy in January.) Even I have four bathing suits --- all black. But that's not the point. NO GLOVES! Don't even get me started on snow boots. I usually wrap duct tape around my kids old shoes, hoping to cover the worst holes, and send them out. It's not like the snow is going to last more than a day.

SOOOO:
this week, I am going to: find gloves.
Buy bread and milk and canned food for the two hours days without electricity.
Find the board games.
Water the plants.
Put the plants outside for spring.
Bring the plants inside for the wintry mix.
Complete 15 corporate tax returns, January's bookkeeping, individual returns, payroll, and a worker's comp audit.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Focus Friday Part deux: Revenge of the big plans

Focus Friday


OK: This is what I said I would do:
  • Sort papers, especially the health/insurance papers.
  • Complete Ellen's bookkeeping
  • Either find someone to fix the stove top or buy a new oven.

This is what I did:

  • I mostly sorted the papers, but didn't do what I needed with the insurance stuff.
  • I did important bookkeeping like W-2s... but crap, I think I forgot to write a payroll check. People get touchy about that stuff...
  • Bob & I searched high and Lowe's and found a great stove. It's glass top, but this time the top is sort of grey so it will be easier to clean. The oven heating element is under a plate so that when stuff spills it won't burn on the the element. I am pretty excited about that one. Last I heard, it was installed and ready to go.

OK, THIS WEEK:

  • I will finish the insurance stuff.
  • Repot my plants. It's not everyone who can kill one of those ivy-like plants you find in restaurants. I forget what the plant is called, but mine are sad. My African Violets aren't too happy either. New pots!
  • Finish Ellen's year end bookkeeping.
  • Finish the church's year end & January reports.
  • Write e-mail to T. & V. about meeting with parents about CSI.
  • Look at M.'s PowerPoint on the school & comment.

On another note, and another blog, I'm starting the Angel Way of Eating on Monday (since I have a stove) and I want to spend some time thinking about what food I like and what I can easily prepare, while still getting all colors, including white.

Sadly, most of this stuff needs to be done this weekend if it is going to be done at all. And this weekend looks like:

Saturday

9-1 work at main job

1-2 transport & lunch

2-5 work at church

Sunday

10:30 church

11:45 grocery shop (I've been told you need to get there a little before noon to beat the Baptists)

12:45 possibly work at church OR home time

3:00 Cataclysm class (as Bob calls it.)