7 Types of Tax-Deductible Home Improvements

7 Types of Tax-Deductible Home Improvements: With Tax Day approaching, make sure your clients are taking all the home deductions for which they may qualify.

ktdidstreasures: Raise 'em Up

ktdidstreasures: Raise 'em Up

Raise 'em Up

 What's that green stuff in my cup? Oh, you know, just some spinach, pear, celery, and other veggies and such. I was inspired and challenged by my youngest daughter to try some healthy habits. So, I accepted the challenge. I bought a Ninja blending system and Hope, Casey and I have had lots of delicious smoothies and juices. Raise your glasses to health!

 What's that in my window sill? Oh, just some mangoes along with some vegetables waiting to be planted. Not so sure about this for a girl raised in the country with absolutely no gardening skills. How does this happen? I have little confidence in myself. I did think this cute little mushroom farm in a box would be a quick, easy, sure fire success. However, I was wrong. Not a single mushroom sprouted forth from the cardboard garden. In this case, I did not raise 'em up. I threw them out. (Sigh)

Thanks to Pinterest, we have a pallet garden bed. Thanks to my lack of gardening skills, record amounts of rain in May, trees from neighboring lots blocking the needed sunshine, and snails that love to eat tender, organic produce, only a few tomatoes have been harvested from this plot of land. I am holding out hope for the lettuces. 

 Let's move on to rocks and crystals. Those both grow well here in the Arkansas soil. Look at these beauties!

 This little gem of a shop was near Lockesburg, Arkansas. We stopped and looked around on Memorial Day. Hope bought a few crystals to make necklaces. The owners were kind and friendly.                     
                             

                                                                      Which brings me back to this, raising this one that challenges us all. She has dedicated herself to eating and living vegan. Strong-willed and assertive, she speaks her mind and risks the back-lash that comes with it. Asked by my nephew what I thought of her eating habits, I said, it's her choice. When I was a younger mother, I would have fretted and over-analyzed her diet. Plant-based diets are proven healthy and she has been experimenting with being vegetarian or vegan since she was three years old, so, this isn't a surprise. She is healthy and has made good choices. She researches everything and does her own cooking. And some of it is pretty darn good!  Raise 'em up, Mama's and Papa's. Raise 'em to be independent and strong. Raise 'em with good morals and strong faith. Raise 'em up on a strong foundation, then listen to them. They just might teach you a thing or two.      

Lifelong Learning

I have always enjoyed a challenge. Challenges often mean learning new things. I love learning new things. Well, if I am the one choosing what to learn and when to learn it. Maybe that is a better way to put it. Over the past few months, I have been challenged by some things I didn't choose and the lessons haven't been totally enjoyable.

For the past two years, I have been studying, exploring, and practicing many new skills related to vintage furniture upcycling.  It has been so much fun. I have met many interesting people, made new friends and traveled new roads. I get to create new things, give new life to things that have been collecting dust and recreate magazine worthy looks on a dime. Don't call me cheap. I totally love saving money and getting things for less.  These were the challenges that I enjoyed. After all, I chose what to learn and pretty much the timeline in which I would learn it. 

I started a business. I learned more new things, some of them not all that fun, but necessary. I taught classes on furniture painting. I worked at the shop. I kept books. I paid taxes. I ordered products. Just the normal everyday ins and outs of running a business.  I wasn't knocking it out of the park, but, was happily holding my own in this new territory and becoming more confident.

The next chapter of the book was unexpected. I am now learning again and questioning some of my previous views. I am out on my own as an independent business, no longer a partner. I have had to take an honest look at myself and ask, "what could I have done differently".  Am I negative? Cynical, yes. Self-deprecating, yes. Honest about what I see, yes. (Look back in the posts and you will find one where I declared to "Keep it Real".) In my experience, at the end of play practice, you receive a critique. The director doesn't critique you to belittle you, be mean to you, or shame you. The director's purpose is to improve the play as a whole. A physical trainer or a dance instructor will give correctives. Again, to help you perform better. These are my live experiences. So, when, I see an opportunity for improvement, I will often bring it up for discussion. That is what I expect from co-workers, friends, and my spouse, a discussion. If I bring it up, I like to come to a solution or a plan for an improvement through discussion. I will tell you what I think and listen to your ideas and eventually, we will agree on something and move forward. Reasonable? I thought so.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know I am not always easy. Ask those who knew me as a petite curly-haired girl. They will tell you the truth. My temper was so infamous that when my niece would pitch a fit, they would call her by my name.  And, just maybe, I have a tendency to speak before I think. Yeah, maybe, but, I am working on it. I am learning. Just look, some of these events happened months ago and I am just writing about them now. 

Beginning to come out the other side of this ordeal, I will just cherish the lessons it has brought me. I will be more careful before I speak. I will be more conservative about what I share and with whom I share it. I have a great support system of family and friends who are FOR ME. Rain or shine, good or bad, they are on my side. I will never, ever let my job be more important than my family and friends. In the end, I still am a lover of learning. I hope to always be a lifelong learner.


KTdidsTreasures
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3 Amigos

So, on with the updating. I will start with the children. The oldest is now married and a mother. That makes me a grandmother for those of you paying close attention. LOL. We went through some rocky times. Sometimes a rocky road will lead you to a rewarding place. That is what I am hoping for with all three of my children. The middle child has graduated from high school. Hallelujah!!! School never was never his favorite. Recess and lunch were his best subjects. Too bad, recess ended with grammar school. He is enrolled in the local community college. Fingers crossed, we are hoping for the best. My baby is now old enough to start high school. What? How can this be?

That's my Reader's Digest edition of the update on my family life. Now, for the pictorial...

Poor quality picture, but, top quality memories. This was taken during one of our "snow days"

You've come a long way, baby.

Even this picture is now "old" and "out of date". (Like their mother)

A brand new life!

Welcome to the world, little one.

The graduate and myself. (Braces for mom: that's another story)

Just chillin' on this bridge looking beautiful.

Did I Fall Off the Face of the Earth?

So, so long since the last post. Friends may have wondered if I fell off the face of the Earth. No, I didn't,  even though I may have felt that way myself at times. Many things have changed since I last updated. I will share some of them over the next few posts.

My family is currently celebrating my son's high school graduation. He chose Orlando, Florida for his senior trip. Unlike the first of my children that graduated,  he is not quite ready to fly the nest. He will live at home and attend community college in the fall.

Hello to my old readers and welcome to any new ones. I am happy you have decided to visit my blog. I will make short and frequent updates over the next few days to get you all caught up. Thanks for joining me in my journey.

Family

April. Probably the last time we all sat together at the table in our home with all members present. The past 10 months have held so many changes for our family. I sometimes feel as though I am hanging on by a thread. Change is inevitable and it will come no matter what, but I am trying to keep it from sending me over the edge.

When you stay at home for the purpose of raising a family, is it harder when the babies leave the nest? After all, this is the first one, not everyone at once. Maybe it is just that I can see where I failed to transfer some life skills and how that failure can affect the outcome on someone else's life. Did I do too much myself instead of training them to do things for themselves? Probably. Some things will have to be learn as you go. Some things will have to be, "My Mother was right," realizations, but months or years down the road. And that Proverb about when you train up a child in the ways of the Lord and they won't depart from it? I think I didn't get the concept that often times they will travel other paths before returning to the ways of the Lord or I at least didn't fathom how hard it is to watch your offspring traveling down the path. I think that is the hardest, the watching. I can see it, but feel like I don't have any influence on the outcome, yet, I know I have done the majority of my part in laying a foundation.

So, now I will wait while the foundation settles and becomes firm enough to build upon. I will bide my time with prayer and thanksgiving for all the many blessings I have been given.  I will surround myself with the support of others who believe as I believe. And I will learn from my mistakes. I will encourage independence, forthright living, and a love of the Lord. And I will anticipate more family times filled with love and appreciation for everyone gathered around the table.

First Day of School

Look at these two!! I can't believe I got a shot of them before school. Last year, I got nothing from him and a hurried pouty-face from her.

They change so fast. Just can't believe how grown-up they are.

Hope is home from school just now as I am typing. So I am hopping off here to talk about her day and soon to pick up Casey who wants to pick up some more job applications.

Photo of my boy

Here is his picture. Wow! He looks much older than he actually is, doesn't he?

Why, yes, Mr. Clean, I do believe it is summer after all

Well, it has been over 100 degrees for several days now. The incessant rains from spring are long ago evaporated. My last post questioned if it was summer yet, and, now, I am sure it is. How can I tell? Let's see, I have made the 13 hour trip home to Alabama. Summer school has been completed by sonny boy. Hope has been to girl scout camp. Hope has swimmer's ear, always a must-do for summer. Molly has been arguing with her brother enough to just about drive me mad, and, my husband has returned from a 10 day fishing trip to Canada.

 Today, Casey decided to shave is head. That's right, he's completely bald! He comes and knocks on the bathroom door and says, "Can you come help me?" I reply, "I am busy, just a minute." Less than five minutes later, he is now in his bathroom. I go knock on the door and say, "What did you need help with?" "Never mind," he replies. So, I go about my business. Next thing I know, he appears in the doorway with just the top of his head shaved down to about a fourth of an inch, except for the spots where it is all the way down to the scalp. He has decided to shave his head apparently. Great, we are due for an appointment in less than an hour. I searched out the hair clippers that I thought we had. Located them and opened up the box. I've never actually used them. I don't even know how to put the attachment on. So, anyway, after some fumbling, I figure it out and get them going. I started cutting his hair with them and, finally, I have is all even and it looks O. K., not great. (Except for the few spots on top that he has down to the scalp.) Thinking, this is over, I go ahead and get myself ready while he takes a shower. Twenty minutes before appointment time, I knock on the door and say we need to be leaving. A few minutes later, he comes to the kitchen ready to go. Only now, he decided to shave his head with a razor and he is partly bald, but with large unruly patches of hair on the back of his head. Aye, ya, ya! Just put on a cap, we have to go.

 It was tuna salad and cold fruit for dinner at my house. I couldn't bear to turn on the stove in this heat. I also waited until 7:30 P. M. to start doing the laundry. I am trying to not heat up the house any more than possible during the hottest part of the day. We also keep having to fill the rain barrel up with the water hose so that it can be added to the decorative pond the next day. There are fish in there and the water keeps evaporating in this heat. My water bill is going to be outrageous!

So, to sum it all up;  I am melting in this heat, Mr. Clean now lives at my house, and I am draining Beaver Lake to fill a small pond in my yard. Yep, it is definitely, summer, and insanity is just around the corner.

Is it Summer Yet?

After a winter of seemingly endless snow and extreme cold, I am just wondering, is it summer, yet? I am ready for a break from having to get up and help kids get off to school. Tomorrow is the last day of school, finally! But, wait, I think one teenaged boy middle child will be attending summer school. So, no break just yet. No buses will be running him to and from school other than my own mini-van. Maybe a break in July?? Mama is about to hit the burnout range.

I am just feeling a little tired, but then the Duggar family ( www.duggarfamily.com) is on the Today Show this morning and I am thinking, tired? Who am I to be tired? Now Michelle is talking about teaching her children to all get along with each other. Oops! mine obviously haven't learned this so well. I feel kind of incompetent  when I listen to Michelle.

The yard is beginning to show signs of summer. Flowers are blooming and shrubs are growing. The backyard, grass-less just a few weeks ago, is greening up very nicely. My husband apparently has his heart set on some fried green tomatoes. He has three tomato plants out on the deck. This is the guy who loves tomatoes, but is allergic to them if they are ripe and uncooked?! The water lettuce on the pond has multiplied to cover almost the entire surface. This from about 10 plants I bought about a month ago! Wow, anyone need any water lettuce or tomatoes?

It's getting hot outside. The plants are in bloom. School is coming to a close for most. It looks like summer, but I'm not feeling it yet. Maybe next week.