We win!!!

We have been audited for the past two years for the years 2005 and 2006. I did the paperwork to prove our stuff for 2005 and the IRS didn't take any of my paperwork and we had to pay. Luckily our 2007 return was enough to cover the difference. I was expecting to be audited for 2006, but I was ready with all the paperwork I needed. I itemized everything on spread sheets and seperated each category and listed every check and receipt. All they had to do was turn the pages and I had justified every bit of what they questioned...to the penny. They sent us the response to our response and had the nerve to say they rejected everything because it was UNORGANIZED!! Our brother-in-law is a CPA and he helps everyone with their taxes and has a very busy business, so I hated to call him, but this was quite a bit of money that they were not allowing. Anyway, we brought him all our stuff and he took out his tax books and cited tax codes and responed to them and yesterday we got the letter that they are accepting our original tax return. So even though we are the winners, Steve made it all possible and we are so grateful to him. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

garden update

It took three weeks, but we finally finished the garden. Just about everyone in the house was sick last week so we didn't get anything done. We have a total of 4 barrels and 5 raised beds. We've got lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, canteloupe, bell peppers, basil, beans (we're not sure what kind...Gabe started them at school),strawberries, oregano, thyme and cilantro. Not bad...Chris also has some peppers to plant that will be used for salsa. You will notice the anti-Jax fencing around everything...the openings on the bottom are very small and they gradually get larger. We put it in with the large openings on the bottom of one of the beds. Of course, it was just enough space for Jax to stick in his nose and dig out all four corners. Last week I was home while Gabe was sick and he and I switched it so the small openings were on the bottom. A few days later I was out and called home and Chris told me he and Gabe had fixed the fencing to keep Jax out. I told him I had already done it...he said "you didn't tell me"...I thought to myself, I thought you'd notice. He was really sick and was trying to help out and didn't notice he had put it back so Jax could dig again. The next day he worked up the energy and changed it again. We were really careful today to make sure we had the fencing on right the first time.

Best Friends...

Our boys are best friends. They can play for hours together and never have an argument. They look out for each other and take care of each other. Gabe has been sick and he kept trying to suppress his cough during the night because he didn't want to wake up his brother. For Christmas the kids got gift cards for ToysRUs from Grandma Rosie. Christopher couldn't find anything he wanted to spend his card on and went home empty handed. During the week he came to me and said he knew what he wanted to buy. He wanted a video game for the DS Lite the kids all have. Christopher already had the game, Mario Kart, but Gabe didn't. He wanted to get Gabe a copy so they could play together. This is the picture of them playing. The game came in the mail and Gabriel held on to it until Christopher came home. They are so excited about it! I'm sure we won't see much of them tonight. I'm not a fan of video games and I usually limit their time, but how can I possibly stop the fun they are having together. I am so happy my boys are BFFs! Gabe is using Valerie's DS because his broke...I didn't get him a pink one.

Getting it done.....

So we decided to put in a garden this year. We've done a little bit in barrels, but this time we're doing lots of stuff, tomatoes, bell peppers, japanese eggplant, strawberries, beans,and herbs. It took us most of the day and we'll have to finish next weekend because we just don't have the stamina we used to have. The kids helped and our friend Jenna was over and pitched in too. The kids worked really hard digging out weeds, and spreading dirt, carrying the wood and running back and for the to the garage. I'm glad our kids are learning the value of working at a young age. We love having a garden and it's been too long since we done one, so I'm very happy about it. Here's the almost finished product.

Jax...the puppy

I just got tagged by Elisha to do this fun post:

1. Go to My Pictures
2. Go to the 6th file folder
3. Select the 6th picture
4. Blog about it
5. Tag 6 people


So here is my picture:



This picture was taken just about a year ago. Valerie and her dog, Jax. Jax loves water, except the pool, and loves to run in the sprinklers. This is what he looks like when he done...not exactly the look of love on Valerie's face. A year has passed and he still loves to attack running water. Last week I was washing the patio with the power washer and he was drinking from the spray...crazy dog. PS...he eats the walls in our house, too!

I don't have anyone to tag. Sorry