Good morning family!! I’m trying to get in the groove for taxes and I’m not quite there…yet. It doesn’t help that I slept in this morning. I was trying to catchup on the sleep I missed the night before because of the TV being on. Losing the 2nd bedroom doesn’t give Cindy a place to go and watch TV when she can’t sleep. Somehow…the audio puts her to sleep. Last night she was awake and didn’t turn on the TV, so she missed out on her needed white noise.
Hello and good morning everybody.
Yesterday was a quiet day in terms of stuff and thoughts.
Met up for a final session with many of the Tax-Aide counselors for a mandatory training session. I have to say that after 10 years, some of these requirements are not very helpful. It’s time to get into tax preparation and accomplish something. It seems to take so long to get to this point. Anyway…all the required training is finished and I’m in for another season.
Good morning, all!
Welcome to my personal kickoff of tax season! It’s that fun time of year where I get to help the senior crowd navigate the jungle of paperwork and numbers. If all goes according to plan, my Tuesdays and Thursdays will be booked solid until April 10. Then, of course, the last five days until April 15 will be the usual tax-season rush to get family returns completed. Today, there’s plenty of time and then all of a sudden, there’s won’t be, so earlier is always better.
Welcome to Mind-Numbing Monday! Yes… it’s just plain cold.
Below is a link from an ALS blogger who goes by the name Gronk. This was suggested by my ALS coordinator, Peggy, who must have been involved in his care. Gronk was a Chicago Southsider and a die-hard Sox fan. I don’t hold that against him. I haven’t read his entire blog, but I paused on this particular entry. The narrative comes from a caregiver’s point of view—his wife, Michelle.
Good morning, everyone. Who’s planning to leave the house today? Raise your hand.
I think I might’ve overcommitted with this LEGO project. The pieces are getting smaller, and I seem to be dropping more than I’m actually putting together. It might be time to hit Amazon and find some replacement pinchers or maybe borrow a kid (Wyatt) with tiny fingers.
We’ve been busy picking up the big items for the bathroom remodel the last few days.
Hello, family!
Let’s start with the LEGO wreath—I’m on bag 7 of 9, and it’s been such a blast I went ahead and ordered the Notre Dame Cathedral set. It’s 4,383 pieces, so I should be happily buried in LEGO bricks until Spring.
Last weekend, I recorded 150 phrases on Sunday to create a digital version of my voice. It took overnight for the software to finish doing whatever it does to create my voice.
Good morning, all!
For those of you who made New Year’s vows, it’s “National Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day.” Everyone except Alex…he’s just getting started on his marathon training for the Chicago marathon on October 13.
There’s not too much to ramble on about this morning.
I’m still putting the Lego wreath together. Legos have come a long way since I played with them as a child, or at least what I remember.
Good morning, world (or, more specifically, my family!)
Today was the perfect day to stay inside. With temperatures hovering around 5°, I took one look out the window and said, “Nope.” Let’s be honest—what and why do I need to be outside?
I spent the day bouncing around on a variety of activities. First, there was Tax-Aide volunteer work (thrilling, I know), then my actual taxes (because apparently, the IRS insists on punctuality), entertaining TV, building Legos, and some serious reading.
Happy Birthday to Geoff!! Cindy and I will do a toast. Who wants glass a Veuve Clicquot? Cheers!!! 🥂
Yesterday’s summary was a bit of a bummer to write. That one hurt. Now it’s time to get back on the horse.
We are getting close to the start of the bathroom remodel. Any day now…the tile and flooring will be available to pick up. 700 lbs of tile and 1200 lbs of wood flooring.
Good morning from the Heartland!
This time of year, waking up to single-digit temperatures—or worse—is just part of the deal. Yesterday was one of those frigid mornings, so, of course, the fireplace is the first thing to turn on…ahead of the coffee maker. There’s nothing like the instant comfort of plopping bare feet onto the fireplace hearth and feeling the warmth of a fire. I recommend it to everyone!! And our swivel chairs?
Good morning y’all. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CINDY!!!
This is a long one…sorry
We said goodbye to Maria and Pete yesterday after a fun 24 hours filled with birthday celebrations, shopping, and cozy fireside chats. Pete even helped change the light bulb at the top of the stairs, which had been burned out for two years (!?!?). He managed to get the two old TVs, that we parked in the loft over the holiday, out of the house.
Good morning, everybody!
Yesterday was a great day of getting together with family and celebrating Geoff and Cindy’s birthday along with Pete and Maria, whose actual birthday was yesterday. Maria invited us to Minocqua for some respite because it’s not cold enough here in Chicago. When we passed the offer, she thought it a good idea to invite herself to Crystal Lake…and I thought the same. It’s not often we get to see her; it is rare for Maria and Pete to be together.
Happy birthday Maria! See you this afternoon for some laughs and togetherness.
Well, we have floors for the bedroom and we saved $9 over the other quote. Woohoo!! The remodel is two weeks away and we may have all our materials by then. 😃
We had a light dusting of snow yesterday. I typically always went out and cleaned up most of the driveways in our HOA. Instead, I watched from the house as our neighbor Fred, who is nearly 80, did all the shoveling, including our driveway and sidewalk.
TGIF. It was a busy week and we have a busy weekend.
I missed two appointments this week. One of my doctors and a haircut. Sometimes the cold fashion way of keeping appointments on our calendar doesn’t work so well. There is good technology out there , I should use it!!
Our remodel project starts in two weeks. I had flooring picked out and ready to buy. When the email quote arrived, there was a line item that was suspiciously high.
Good morning all.
Yesterday was a day a quiet day. I was going back and forth on Tax-Aide stuff, bath remodel, reading, and trying to take a nap. I failed on the last one which surprised me seeing how I woke up at 2:30 am, after tossing and turning, starting at 12:30 am. My sleep app had me logged in with 4 hours of sleep. Last night was 8.5 hours. I feel refreshed today and 5:00 am felt like sleeping in!
Good morning to you all.
I started my day yesterday with an early breakfast meeting with some of the Tax-Aide volunteers. I was meeting them to pass off some the leadership the items that are most difficult for me. This will allow me to keep the tasks that I can do easily from the comfort of home ( in front of the fire). One of the team members I’ve worked with for 10 years made a comment last month that weighed on my mind.
Good morning Tuesday!
To keep our bathroom remodel project moving along, we went to Studio 41 in Palatine. Wow!! There are too many options for putting together a stunning bathroom. If it weren’t for the cost, I would redo the master bath. I think we will end up with an ADA compliant bathroom and one that looks modern and sleek. Stay tuned.
After 5 hours of shopping yesterday and a lot of up and down to look at bath options, I was worn out and didn’t do much in the late afternoon.
Welcome to Monday! If you’re in the midsection of the U.S., then you have/are experiencing a good amount of snow. Be safe!
It was a quiet Sunday as I thought it would be. I bounced around doing various paperwork projects. Watched the Bears finally win in Green Bay…1st time since 2018. Our neighbor Fred gave me more reading material. I hope I’m not as busy as last year, when I didn’t read a single book until May.
Good morning everybody.
It’s a frosty day and I’m cozied up by the fire and the remote has the current temperature within 5 feet to be near 74. Cindy just returned from walk where the temperature is 12°F. In the past we would always walk Bear together and at least misery had company. It seems unfair that Cindy is picking up all the slack, and she does it without complaint…all day long.
I read the following headline yesterday:
“Diabetes, high cholesterol linked with lower risk of developing ALS”
Well crap, if I had paid even less attention to my diet, then maybe I’d be in a different boat Who knew? Something for others to consider …if you dare.
Cindy has been running all over town trying to keep things moving along on the bathroom project, shopping for the household, and making trips to Senior Care to pick up durable medical equipment from their lending closet.