The carrot....

The carrot at the end of the stick is catching up on sleep!! I'm now in the process of catching everyone up for this year, last night was one down and many to go. :)  Today I'm hoping to get the biggest one done and then one by one in the next couple of weeks I'll start getting them done. It might be three weeks but when my dad is here I'll be home for the most part. (He'll be here the week after next.) and I can get quite a bit done that week.

I also want to get out and get my tomatoes and peppers out as well as other veggie's. A typical year that wouldn't happen until the end of May but this year has been a totally different year! They're calling for a warmer then normal May so I think we're safe! Now watch June be very wet! I have a feeling that next year may very well be the another story though! We'll see how accurate that feeling is. :) A few years ago it was so cool and wet that we weren't able to plant until the middle of June.

Officially full bloom! :)

Full Bloom here too!!

I'm seeing some of the leaves dying back a bit on the garlic... maybe another month??

Peas!

Allium

I'm not sure what this is but it's pretty cool!!

Iris a dear friend gave me

Another she gave me

So pretty!

Tomatoes a friend gave me that I'm hoping to plant in the next week.

Getting there...

Well, according to the state the virus was error that was being pushed out by my anti virus and that I should turn it off... One problem, apparently it wasn't an error since my computer has crashed and the computer guy has said that there's all kinds of issues now. I talked with a CPA I work with and her antivirus refused to allow her to load it and another bookkeeper said her computer acted weird after downloading it. So it wasn't just me. Mutter... :)

However I will be telling everyone to get on line back-up! It has been an absolute lifesaver.  I've been slowly getting programs onto my laptop that I need and then the files are out in the cloud to download to the program. It's a huge process and slowly but surely I'm getting everything together. Tonight will be downloading the QB files so I can do payroll quarterlies tomorrow. Then hopefully get them mailed Wednesday, fingers crossed since they're due Monday!

But today has been a gorgeous day and by the end of the week we're supposed to be getting warm weather again. April has been WAY above normal this year!

Online Backup Whew!!

I've now been able to experience the need of online backup! I'm wishing that I'd put a few more files there but the absolutely necessary files are safe. I have no clue what will happen to my computer but I have found out tonight the restoring a file from my online backup is super easy. I also found out tonight that one program I use a lot is good for two computers! Yea!! So although it's not as easy for me to work on a laptop I can get some work done. I'm going to have to call the state Monday though and make sure they're download is safe. I'm pretty nervous about it since it didn't happen until after I'd downloaded that program and the viruses were in that program. But I also need that program.... Uhg!

Ah well, it'll work. I rested a lot today after going to a clients this morning so I took advantage of the break today. It was desperately needed, even if I really couldn't afford to do it. This next couple of weeks are going to be brutal work wise.

We're back into Spring weather now. :) It's only supposed to be in the low 50's tomorrow with the mountains picking up some snow. I have some tomato plants to plant but I'm a bit reluctant to put them in the ground yet. Although I'm hearing May is supposed to be pretty warm as well so maybe end of next week I'll plant them. Now I need to get some pepper plants. :)

ARRHG!!!!

Computer viruses have crashed my main computer and I have yet to do payroll quarterlies because Oregon has yet to fix their program properly. I was going to do the federal at least and get those to clients but that obviously is NOT happening tomorrow!! I need to mail everything to clients by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest since they need to sign and mail by Monday.

Luckily my computer guy is also my client so he answered my phone call tonight and will pick it up tomorrow morning first thing and take a look at it tomorrow. The really bad part is the virus is possibly in the state program that I downloaded!!! I don't know if I just got really unlucky and it triggered something and stuck it there or if the viruses are actually in the download file. Either which way it's horrible news with a little bit of good news that it'll get looked at tomorrow due to connections.

This way trumps yesterday!!!

SIGH!!!

One of THOSE days

It's been a really long time since I had one of THOSE days that was this bad! It seemed like everything I tried to do in the morning ended up not working out. Quarterly payroll reports are going to be on a tight schedule thanks to the state not having their software for 2016 working yet. The program installs just fine, it just doesn't work. Which meant my plans for today went right down the drain and when I tried to go on to something else it didn't go well either and so on and so forth. So this afternoon Carol and I brainstormed on how to make sure that I'm not drowning in work next tax season. That was actually really profitable. Especially since I realized afterwards that that was what I was supposed to do for my mastermind group! And then we went on to get my pile of donation neatly put in boxes, then went on to the bedrooms down stairs and got a closet cleaned out and more donation, went to Christina's old room and almost completely got through her room and added some more donation! Although I'm wondering about a yard sale this year..... so maybe stick the stuff out and then donate what doesn't sale. Then went outside and finished an area that has desperately needed weeded for years. So although no money was billed today a lot still got done. With a day like today it's better to throw in the towel and only do what is absolutely necessary because a month from now I would have most likely been finding my errors.

The weather has been beyond awesome! I think I saw that this month we've had a record of 6 days over 80. That will most likely be it since the next week is pretty much rain. Yesterday we had one of the longest thunderstorms that I can remember. It stayed just to the east so although we didn't really get rain we had a really nice display of lightening and lots and lots of thunder. It just seemed to continuously roll. There's a lot of place that that is the norm but that doesn't happen very often here, especially not for close to two hours!

Thanks  to the weather the garden is doing awesome! Peas are up nicely as is the lettuce and swiss chard. Now we need the cooler weather so they can produce! As nice as it was, enough of having Summer in the Spring! Let's hope we don't of Spring in the Summer!!

Thunderstorm clouds

Just about in full bloom. It's officially two weeks ahead of schedule.

I love these old fashioned roses. They smell so yummy!

Even this rose is just about in full bloom. And it's not yet May!!

This is the area I cleaned out this evening. This was matted with grass. I dug down and got as many of the grass roots as I could and found several cocoons as well! What's left is bulbs. The planter bed to the back has the peas and lettuce and swiss chard. And there's some garlic clear to the right. Beautiful garlic plants this year! 

These Iris's have multiplied nicely!

In the middle of each batch of leaves is a hydrangea bloom. All the plants look like this this year. There's going to be a lot of gorgeous blooms this year! 

Weird driving day, Found my business niche

Today was the first time that I can say someone tried to get me involved in some kind of road rage. All  I could do was shake my head and laugh. They cut in front of me at a turn signal when we were waiting to turn (there was a nice long line behind me) and I honked once to say that it wasn't okay to do that and did nothing else. He cut in front of me once further on on the freeway and then promptly pulled back in the other lane and then rolled the window down and waved at me two times going down the freeway. Very weird. And it was just a weird day overall for driving home. I'm awfully glad I got home before peak rush hour because it was horrid when I was coming home.

I've been told over and over that I need to find a niche for my business. Unfortunately, other then working at Copeland Lumber for my first bookkeeping job, I've always worked on all kinds of businesses since I've only worked at a bookkeeping firm and CPA firms. In my meeting the other day the guy mentioned micro business for what I work with and it connected for me. My niche is micro businesses. A lot of people don't want to help them because, well, they're small and not a lot of money as an individual business. But that's why I now have a nice book of business and over the years some of those businesses will most likely grow and I can grow with them. It's exciting to have that taken care of! :)

What a (good) Day!

It's been quite a day, in a good way, for the most part. I got some networking in this morning, found out why I don't prepare taxes, finished a couple of clients books off, mowed the lawn, and am trying really hard to eat properly! :)

Christina needed help with her taxes and due to a small 1099-MISC we had to do the long form of the federal taxes. Yuck! But it's done! :)  As for eating properly, years have caught up with me and with how busy I've been it's been hard to get proper meals in and it's telling on me! Luckily I've had a bit of leeway since I lost so much weight when Dave left but that leeway has pretty much reached the other side of zero. So, tonight was zucchini, sausage and tomato stir fried. It's actually pretty good! Then some avocado and jicama on the side. There's an awesome liquidation place down the street that is allowing me to get avocados, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, lettuce, apples and jicama at really awesome prices.

For me, the really exciting part today, was when I looked at the garden everything I planted is coming up. :) Tomorrow it's supposed to rain, hopefully it's enough to water the garden properly! And the even more exciting part of the day is the news that a cousin will be coming out this fall!! Hooray!!

My Kitties are so patient in the morning!!

Christina and Scarlet

Erika, Scarlet and Teagan- Teagan's B-day party.

The birthday girl! :) Her actual Birthday is Tuesday but the party was yesterday.

Fun picture. Sometimes Mia sits in the tub while I'm doing my hair.

The chives are blooming!

The garlic is coming along nicely!!

Potatoes are coming along.

I couldn't get a nice crisp picture but this rhoddie normally doesn't start blooming for 2 more weeks! I'd say in a couple of weeks it'll be in full bloom and that normally doesn't happen until first part of May.

A very early Summer!

We had a wonderful few days of early summer weather this week. I took a peak and the peas have sprouted but haven't poked up through the ground yet. :) Portland actually reached 85* Thursday and low 80's yesterday! Earliest ever 80's in a very, very long time! I took Pippy out and he was soooo happy! He was asking so nicely to go out. He didn't even try to run out when I opened the door. He just meowed pleadingly. :) He really is a good kitty!

Teagan's birthday is this week. Hard to believe that she'll be 4!! I'm hoping to catch a few pictures at her party tomorrow. I'll be there early so it might just work! Kids tend to get cranky at the end of a birthday party! ;)

It's been a busy week and almost all of today was spent on the phone with a client cleaning up her Accounts Receivable. I do believe that's the longest I'll ever been on the phone with a client! Slowly but surely I'm getting all the clients books into the order that I'd like to see them in. This one was proof that not all CPA's/Accountant's are competent!

He was such a happy boy!

He had tried to chase a bumble bee down! Crazy boy!

My spring daisys

The lilacs are in full bloom now. The backyard smells so good right now!

First Iris!

One last picture of Pippy. :)

Wonderful weekend and Grandkid pics!!

Of course this awesome Spring weather is helping!! :) I was at a clients for several hours but got out in the garden for a bit after I got home. One of the boxes is ready to be planted in! I'm going to let it sit for a few days and hope to get some peas in next week. It's supposed to rain Monday, and maybe Tuesday but then awesome Spring weather is due to make a return after that. Maybe even 80's Thursday. Needless to say trees and buds are popping out everywhere! Erika and the girls came over for dinner last night and we spent lots of time at the park and I got lots of fun pictures. (Dave, Erika could use that promise that you made a bit over 5 years ago!)

Now that the first quarter is done I can say I almost beat two years ago when I had a really                 c big client! At this point I only have one decent sized client. The rest are small. So, do I have a lot of clients? Yep!! It makes for lots of end of year work and at times can be quite overwhelming. I've tried to get bigger clients but it just never seems to happen, however I don't have that issue with the smaller businesses so I've decided that that must be who I need to help. It's an awesome place to be in and really believe that my Father is caring for me.Very, very thankful!

Got to say this is one of my favorites now!

4 years old in a week!! Where does the time go??

Mom's got to enjoy the slide too! :)

Teagan is quite the climber!

So happy to see this lilac blooming!

And this one! A neighbor pruned these in the fall and that cuts off the buds for the next Spring. They need pruned RIGHT AFTER they're done blooming so next years buds don't get removed. They've now moved so they're blooming this year. YAY!!

Ready for planting!!

This will be popping open next week!

Raspberry buds!

My area of tulips. They've now been here for at least 14 years i'd say!