Me & Mine

So we're in a rental car...

...until our car is repaired.  Our car has been towed to a "Nationwide Insurance Approved" body shop in Asheville, where we'll hear more about its disposition in a day or two.  In the meantime, we're enjoying our not-quite-so-luxurious smaller car that we traded down to today until our I-like-it-better Sebring is back home.

In addition, in a move that has thrilled me more than I can say, we found a local office supply store .  I have a strong love of office supplies, and though we've always ordered ours online, I'm pleased to report that we've found a local source with prices +/- 10% of what we'd pay online - and no shipping!  PLUS I can wander the store and find little doodads that I now know I can't live without.  Like the $.39 binder clips that were on sale.

Woot!

And we're back!

Milo and I have returned.  :)

The weekend was lovely.  Here's a brief recap:

Thursday:  Arrived at Camp Albemarle near the coast in NC.  We ate dinner on the road, then the teens (Milo and our traveling companion, Canyon) took off to spend time with their peers.  I saw them only briefly during the rest of the weekend.

Friday:  Tonight's dinner was a marvelous potluck.  All yummy things (and a few that didn't work for me - turns out, for instance, that I don't like buttermilk dressing on my salad) and good conversation.  It was really nice to talk with folks who also spend time answering "Oh, you homeschool...?" questions.

Saturday:  A meeting for the FLT ("Silence is Golden" is what I learned), followed by more group activities (I taught knitting) and the occasional sighting of teens.

Sunday:  Time to head home.  We helped clean up, packed, and drove home through snow, sleet, hail and ice.  Marc was welcoming and I did indeed miss him muchly.

Today:  Someone suggested that we might go to Spain - yes! - and Greece and Turkey and France next month.  Oh, my!

Tomorrow:  Meet the Firms in Asheville (with a carpool of Boni and Patricia), and Milo's second day on the job (today was the first).

All is good. :)

FLT, a fall, and a parrot...

In anticipation of the annual home school trip with "Families Learning Together", I fell and twisted my ankle.  Evidently I didn't feel I'd have as much fun if I were able to participate in Capture the Flag and properly use my spinning wheel, or help out in the kitchen.  My guess is the 7 hour drive won't be as fun with a hugely swollen ankle either.  Oh, well.

Also, newsflash:  Milo has again dyed her hair, this time the very parroty red, green, blue and (not so parroty purple).  Its lovely, but as ever so hard to photograph.

~*~

Next week sees me attending a "Meet the Firms" event in Asheville, which will be attended by all manner of accounting firms with offices in the southeast.  Additionally at least one CPA exam prep service will be there.  I look forward to learning more.

In addition, Alpha Sigma Lambda is holding a ceremony to welcome new members (me!) and offer awards to members (both new and not so new) on Thursday. Milo (who has a new job), Boni, Patricia and I are all attending we hope.

Snow, snow!!

Snow!!

About 4 inches of it.

Might be nicer if we weren't outta heating oil.  /grimace

Two things...

This sign has tickled my fancy every time we pass it near Greer, South Carolina.  We were there this past week and finally stopped to take a picture.

Lest you think they are two separate and distinct shops sharing one sign - instead of the true horror that is a tax preparation service that also sells fireworks, I present the photo of the second door to the building next. 

Yes, that's right:  "No Smoking" and "For fireworks come next door to the tax office."

Only in the south.

Eep!

Okay, so its been a while since I last posted.

1) Poppa is coming to visit on Friday, so that I can do his taxes, and he can attend the WCU College of Business Scholarships and Awards reception ('cause, you know, I'm getting one evidently).

2) I've enjoyed a period of not working as much but its starting to be a period of working a lot again.

3) Milo is "in the hopper" for starting college this fall.  WCU has her application (great greats + great SAT scores = "they won't turn her down").  She plans to live on campus (eep!) and study Psychology and Sociology.

4) Our anniversary is coming up.  Many years.  Whew.

5) I also got invited to join the "old students" honor society.  My friend, Boni, is coming to the induction dinner for that with me.

6) We miss Beth. 

Like the groundhog...

...I'm peeking out of my hideyhole to see what's up.  :)

First things first:  still working long hours, still loving it.

School is going well (those of you who know me even slightly know that there is no alternative to this:  its do well, or um, do well).  I'm a bit behind in my online, independent study course, but that's okay - I'd planned to be behind at this time.  Tax season lets up for me next week, and I'll play catch-up then.

And now I have to go to work.  :)

Zomg, tired!

So this week I'll have worked about 42 hours, and been at school full time.  I'm sooooo tired. 

BUT - I've learned something new and wonderful!  I do believe I would love to focus on taxes as a CPA.  At least, I know I'm enjoying what I've experienced of tax preparation, and believe it can only be more fascinatingly wonderful as it becomes more complex.

Woot!

Who doesn't smile at...

... a random Altoid's mint machine (this one is found at a local Chinese buffet - the first we've found in Waynesville itself that's worth even considering going to from time to time).

Yesterday was all about the dentist for me (Milo came and waited the loooong hour and a half in order to take advantage of a mom-daughter afternoon afterwards). I've had a molar that was clearly missing a piece for a while now - but until the pain got worse it wasn't something we could afford to do anything at all about (that, and there was a coupon for a first appointment with thorough x-rays and consultation in the WNC Insider coupon book my folks gave us for Christmas).  We still can't afford to do anything about it, but on Monday we'll go in and speak with the dentist about the damage she found, and how she feels it would be best addressed. 

Eek.

Today classes begin - I'm carpooling with a friend I met last semester in college.  We're both there on Tuesday and Thursdays starting at 9.30 so it only made sense to cut down on our own drive time and wear on our vehicles.  She's driving Tuesdays, I'm taking Thursdays.  This also gives Marc an additional day when he can use the car for his own nefarious purposes.  Or shopping. Whichever.

It's a good thing...

...to borrow a phrase from Martha Stewart.

Here are things I'm pleased with today:

• I get to have my daughter up, and out of the house, by 8 am - this is about four hours early for her.  Tee hee!
• I want to know how to make this ring and will contrive to learn how as soon as I can.
• Any world that contains Oreo truffles cannot be all bad.
• Finding another book I wanna read.  As if there's enough time in the world to read all I wanna read!
• Being more than half-way done with a pattern I wanted desperately to try.

That is all. :)