I’m just coasting through the work that needs to be done in January to make us ready for tax period. I am responsible for Elegante Mother’s finances, and we will be doing W2s for household help (read: caregivers) for the first time. I’ve had to apply for an EIN and we will be doing quarterly reports. It keeps me busy.
I spent several hours on Saturday printing out letters to catalogs and charities, instructing them to remove EM from their mailing lists. I’ve sent about 35 of those letters now. Sunday, I entered debit card purchases, and deposits to the Quicken program for EM, and then printed out two reports to get an idea of what was spent, and how we spent it in 2009. I’m sure that I didn’t understand just how much work there would be when I agreed to take on the power of attorney for her.
Tomorrow, the CPA will visit, and we will work on all the documents that need to be sent before the end of the month. I’ve already organized banking and investment information, and I have most of the other data needed for both our personal taxes, and EMs. It’s a relief to know that I’m ahead of the game.
I plan to visit Elegante Mother on Wednesday, taking groceries. I’ll suggest that the caregiver take a little time to herself while I visit with EM. I don’t envy the caregiver her job; it’s difficult at best.
Thursday……I can hardly wait! I plan to get reacquainted with my sewing machine and finish the seams in two small projects that have been on the design board for months! YES! I love finishing up projects.
The spate of cold weather is breaking. We are expecting warmer weather (above freezing) toward the end of the week. I’ll be happy to have the chance to break up the ice on the front sidewalk before the next storms find their way in.
Happy New Year to you all!
Category Archives: Def-y’s Categorizing
Catching Up
I didn’t realize how long it has been since I last posted. My host’s domain was down for a little virus hunt for the past three weeks. I realized we were up and running once more when I began to get spam posts from commenters. It used to be that we had short comments about sex or drugs. Now, I get long paragraphs that don’t make sense. Apparently they’re using their own drugs…
December was busy, just as it must have been for all of you. Dear Husband and I shared the gift shopping, and I did most of the wrapping. I didn’t need to buy any paper, tape, gift labels or decorations. It was a pleasure to use what I had on hand to make really pretty boxes. One large box in particular, for DH, turned out well. I used burgundy paper with a gold tinted wired-edge ribbon. Our daughter-in-law sent the gift directly from the store. I didn’t even open the box, I just wrapped it. When DH opened it Christmas morning, this HUGE box had been used to send a metal air-tight container for the boat that is roughly eight inches tall and six inches wide. It was funny, so I didn’t mind.
Frankie and her family, plus one Danish boy friend and their dog, Sydney, came to us for Christmas. Frankie stopped to pick up Elegante Mother on her way up on Christmas Eve. They arrived in early afternoon, and we tried to stuff them with crab cakes on a bed of spinach with orange aioli, and/or mini burgers with carmelized onions and gouda cheese.
Everyone was with us through Christmas Day. The day after Christmas, the dog, my brother-in-law and my oldest niece needed to return to Indiana. Elegante Mother returned to her condo and caregiver on Sunday mid-day, and Frankie and the two kids stayed until Monday morning.
You can bet the counter was heavy with goodies. We really tried to be conservative in what we ate, but there was a LOT of temptation. I didn’t start making cookies until the week of Christmas, so there were a lot fewer choices to be made, but we tried to hit the family favorites between us. Frankie brought us a copper tub FILLED with the most incredible chocolates you have ever tasted, and DH brought specialty popcorn to add to the mix.
My oldest sister (My Sister The Nurse), her husband, her oldest son and his daughter joined us on Christmas Day. There were 12 of us to dinner. Frankie brought prime rib which she packed in salt to roast, and we did mashed potatoes, green beans, and Caesar salad. I forgot the ribbon jello, so we had it for days afterward! *G* I got rather pushy encouraging my family to HAVE SOME JELLO!!!
Frankie has been working on her first quilt top in easily fifteen years. We worked on it together on Sunday afternoon (more in the next post). The kids went into Chicago to visit Navy Pier and the Museum of Contemporary Art, among other things. We were hit by quite a snow storm the day after Christmas, so I didn’t envy them walking in Chicago. We spent the evenings watching DVDs.
It was a WONDERFUL four days. I really enjoyed having my house filled with family over the holidays. EM adjusted to the busy days, and we were glad to have the chance to celebrate with her. It seems quiet now, in comparison, but we’re taking a few days to relax before we hit January paperwork time.
We hope that you all have a healthy and prosperous 2010!!
YEA!!!!
We’re BACK!!!
I have so much to tell you, and NO TIME! Dear Husband has invited me out to a movie, so I’ll come back later to tell you about December at ChezBuffy.
I hope you all had a marvelous Christmas, and we wish you the best in this coming year!
Elegante Mother’s Birthday
In just a few hours Elegante Mother will celebrate her 93rd birthday! Isn’t that fabulous!??
My grandparents lived to be about 85. I never expected my mother to outstrip that goal, but she’s still going strong at 93. Her memory is failing, but she is able to get around under her own steam, and she’s doing well with her new caregiver.
We’re blessed that Elegante Mother is still with us. Send a prayer on its way for her to have more birthdays, won’t you?
To My “Kansas Family”
And of course, to the portion of the “Kansas family” that resides in New Hampshire….
I do understand the pleasure of a smaller gathering. There’s a lot to be said for smaller groups where you can hear the conversations around the table, and you have the chance to speak at length to everyone who is gathered for your celebration.
My daughter-in-law does not do well in groups. Her horizon has been narrowing over the years and this Fall she told us that anything larger than four and she is uncomfortable. She and Dear Husband’s son have never celebrated Thanksgiving with us because my side of the family is so large. One day, we will have to pass the baton to someone else in my family, and hold a quiet celebration here, in the hope that she will be able to join us.
The obvious benefits to smaller gatherings are less set-up, less to clean up. Elegante Mother has been with us since Thanksgiving, so I have not done the clean up that I might have started Friday morning. I still have serving spoons and some glass items to wash, and I need to put away the glasses. The floors and carpets need a lot of work!
I have finally discovered who in the family has folding chairs that we can borrow in the future. We rented twenty chairs for the day when we might have borrowed them, instead.
On the other hand…..my house was filled with family, and I got to see family members I haven’t seen in a year, or six months. It’s wonderful to draw everyone together. I loved the laughter that rang through the house, and the hugs hello and goodbye.
So, I understand what you’re saying to be about enjoying “simple,” and agree that simple is good. But for now, excess reigns in this household. *G*
Thanksgiving, reviewed
I believe that yesterday was just about the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever hosted. Actually, I think it might have been the best Thanksgiving ever. Perhaps because of all the health problems, and financial problems, and relationship problems the family is suffering, that they were able to gather and enjoy each other’s company, and put all that aside, made it very special to me.
There were 37 people seated to dinner yesterday. To accomplish that, I started working on things more than a month ago. I tried to get the gardens and grounds done by early November so that I could concentrate on things within the house the closer we got to “The Day.” My oldest sister will be happy to tell you about the file I sent her with the names of those attending, and list of what they were bringing for the meal.
One of my nieces helped me with two marathon cleaning sessions. Unlike most of you, I do Fall cleaning rather than Spring cleaning. (Well, actually, I do both, but we do a really thorough Fall cleaning before the holidays.) The china and glasses and silverware were washed and dried. I gathered seasonal items to decorate the tables (there were 5 tables), and seasonal quilts were laid out or hung.
I ironed napkins, cleaned out the office and my quilting studio, and moved things from the laundry area and mudroom counter to make room for desserts and a turkey roaster.
Dear Husband is an old hand at Thanksgiving with that many guests. He took care of the seating, made two huge pans of lasagna (Wednesday night), and at the last minute, prepared a Caesar salad. He is a genial host, and makes everyone welcome. Toward the end of the afternoon, I saw him playing with the three little girls (including one of our granddaughters) who were in their twos.
My oldest sis arrived early, followed by part of her family, and they all helped out with the last minute preparations. We peeled potatoes and cooked two huge pots of them for mashed potatoes (we only needed one, I sent most them home with her.) I made two dishes of dressing (we only needed one, and I KEPT the second one! lol) We made iced tea, filled the ice bin, put out the pickles and olives and appetizers. Sis had set the tables on Wednesday afternoon while I worked on desserts, so all they had to do was move chairs in place.
Enough of this detail….Suffice it to say, we had TONS to eat, all of it great, and a lot was left over. No one goes hungry in this family, ever. What’s most important is that so many of my family members were able to gather for a meal. We have several people who are dealing with serious health issues, some with relationship problems, and some who are trying to hang on through difficult financial times. They were able to put all that aside and have a day to simply enjoy the extended family. When I asked before dinner if there was anyone feeling particularly thankful who would like to say grace for us, my six year old great-nephew raised his hand. I was floored. He did an outstanding job! He was succinct, and clear voiced. It was the perfect blessing to our gathering.
It’s my hope that you all had just as perfect a day as we did. If not, come join us next year, and we’ll share our blessings with you. Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and a relaxed month leading to Christmas.
Thanksgiving Prep
It’s that time again. I have begun the last week of preparation for our Thanksgiving celebration. For the past month or so I have been doing chores outside, and working with one of my nieces to do the fall cleaning. I’ve ironed linens, and sewn binding onto a seasonal wall hanging.
Now, I’m working on clearing the path toward being able to bake rolls and desserts at the beginning of the week and set tables on Wednesday. Dear Husband will make lasagna Wednesday night. My-Sister-The-Nurse will come during the day Wednesday to give me a hand, and one of her daughters will join us in the evening. By the time she goes home, we should be all set to rise and cook on Thursday morning.
We expect to seat 38 people, six of whom are six years old or younger. My family would like me to consider using paper plates, but my philosophy is that we have enough china, we should use it! I’ll set five tables. Each will have it’s own color scheme, with burgundy and gold predominating.
I’ve reserved 20 folding chairs, and ordered a fresh turkey. I have two turkey breasts to defrost. I had a chair re-upholstered, and it was ready today. We’ll pick it up Saturday. We have to purchase a new set of glasses. I’ve been looking at these cool stemless wine glasses at Crate and Barrel (just like the ones my youngest sis has that I liked so much *G* ).
I started a list using the next five days as headings. I’ve portioned out the chores that need to be accomplished before Thursday, putting more chores at the beginning of the list so that I could add things later. All day long I’ve thought of additional chores to add. If I don’t have it down on paper, I’ll never remember to do it! I’ll have lots of help this week, and I will just keep working my way through the lists. What doesn’t get done, doesn’t get done, and I won’t worry about it.
Elegante Mother is joining us on Thanksgiving, and she will stay with us for Friday and part of Saturday, too. I’m glad that she is feeling better. I hope she enjoys her stay. I picked up several boxes of UNICEF Christmas cards, and we’ll work on addressing cards to her friends on Friday.
I have friends (who will go un-named) who shudder at the thought of all these chores for a meal and celebration, but I’ve done this so frequently over the past 20 years that it seems like second nature. Having so much done and out of the way will make it easier for me to enjoy all my visitors
I’m really looking forward to sharing the day with my family!
If I can find a few minutes to blog again this weekend, I’ll write about the two desserts I’d like to make: ‘Pecan pie’ Cheesecake, and Chocolate-Citrus Cake (chocolate ganache in the center!)
I hope you all have a great weekend!
Frost
Wednesday, I looked out the kitchen window and saw that my herb garden was covered with a hard frost. I thought, “That’s the end of the growing season!”
But, I was wrong. When the sun melted the frost away, many of the herbs perked up, and they are still growing. The parsley, in particular, seems to like to cold, but the oregano, thyme and sage are still growing.
I cut down the columnar basil last week. It’s pretty tender, and it doesn’t take much to end the basil’s growing season. I also cut down the lemon verbena, and let it dry inside. I pulled the leaves off to use as a room freshener. I grow lemon verbena as an annual here, but I understand that in the south the plant is perennial and gets quite large.
We have a few chores to do this weekend, and the grounds will be mostly ready for the winter. Dear Husband has covered the long driveway garden with leaves. I want to rake back the leaves on the peonies, cover them with compost and humus, and then recover them with leaves for the winter. I also need to spread straw over the ferns, and there’s a volunteer tree growing among the daylilies outside my office window that needs to be cut down.
This morning I will be going to services for the husband of a dear friend. Dorothy and Emil moved to Cincinnati when it became clear that Emil was developing Alzheimer’s. They wanted to be closer to their daughter, where they could ask for help, if needed. Emil has passed away, and Dorothy decided to have his service here, where they had made so many friends. This is a sad duty, one I feel I must do. I met Dorothy when she visited during the monthly Empty Nesters Sewing Circle Elegante Mother hosted. For EM, and for Dorothy, I’ll go and celebrate Emil’s life.
It’s Christmas!
I’m delighted to tell you that Christmas has arrived! I have a plant that we call a “Christmas Cactus.” My understanding is that it blooms these absolutely gorgeous blooms at Christmas.
Well, this plant is just a bit confused, and more so than usual. Normally it begins blooming late in November, sometimes in time for Thanksgiving. Then it blooms again, sometimes for Christmas, for Valentine’s Day, and for Easter. It’s covered with the palest fuchsia flowers. It looks a lot like this.
So, my plant is confused. Elegante Mother’s Christmas cactus is confused, too. Soon we’ll have a mass of hot orangey-red blooms open on her cactus. That MUST mean …. IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!! Break out the mulled wine!
Good Vibrations
I had just one chore yesterday. Elegante Mother bought bench a number of years ago. I thought it would look lovely, silvering out in the garden. SHE thought it needed a coat of polyurethane. She coated it, and it spent a summer in the garden,and then was moved down to the basement for the winter.
I got a look at that bench last year, and it looked as though mildew was growing in or under the polyurethane, and I decided that I would sand the bench. I asked a friend how to go about the sanding and he wrote a treatise on wood care for me. Dear Husband thought we might get away with the hand sander and a 60 grit sand paper.
I started the project a month ago. On my friend’s advice, I didn’t try to do the entire project in one day. I worked for an hour or so, and set the bench aside. A few days later I had another hour, and worked on it some more. It’s been like that through out the month.
So, we get to yesterday of the beautiful weather, and I resumed my sanding. Unfortunately, I forgot that I wasn’t supposed to sand for hours! lol I can still feel the vibrations in my hands. The bench is not done, but it’s much closer to being done. I’m going to have to finish the dowels on the back, and the sides of the seat boards by hand, but the project is looking much better.
When a friend gives you good advice, PAY ATTENTION! *G*