Feeling Loved

I was thrilled!!... to say the least.. that this vase made it to the front page on Etsy on Friday night. from about 8:30-9:30, central time. I was out watching a friends band play, and I kept refreshing the page on my phone, just wanting to look at it.. until it went away. ha ha!

And yesterday I found this vase in the Etsy blog.. You can go here to have a look.

I always appreciate views and hearts.. so I am going to try for that to keep me happy until the sales start rolling in... fingers crossed that they start rolling in, lol!
:)

Welcome, Baby.

My beautiful new niece, born July 14, 2011.

Welcome to the world.

We have been waiting for you.

On the topic of money.

Do you wake up in the morning thinking about how to make wealth? Do you often think about how you can better your own situation? I do this, but a lot of this revolves around how can we keep what we have and still save money. For example, can we make our cable bill cheaper or our grocery bugdet less? The less money we spend on what we pay for now, means the more money we can put in our savings, which is, in turn, how we will build our wealth.

I use coupons, although sporadically. I only use them on the items I typically buy anyway. We keep our house at a warmer temperature in the summer time and a cooler temperature in the winter time, as to avoid the high cost of heating and cooling. I prepare a lot of meals completely from scratch, as to avoid the high cost of processed foods, and it is the healthier option, knowing what you are putting in the food to make it - from start to finish.

I am not yet thinking about how I will become a millionaire, rather I am more thinking about how I can save 100 dollars next month. ha ha.. Well, you have to start somewhere.

Go Fly a Kite

OK! We Did! That is Barbie up there....

And Allie and Em getting in some rest and relaxation on the couch..

...I hope you are all having a Happy Summer!!

Swimming

This is the summer that Allison is really taking off with her swimming.

And I am so proud, my little girl. Love.

About Taxes

So, I am already thinking about tax time for next year. We filed early this year, so we did not need a federal tax extension form thankfully, but it is there if you need it.

We have used TurboTax in the past, and I am wondering which tax software will be the best option for us. We sold a house and moved. This is the first year that I am filing for my business. I am filing at a loss, of course, but I am still filing. Although, it will not be a great loss, as my costs are so low, and the year is still early. Hmm.. or is the year still early? I don't know, maybe my shop will experience a boom nearing the end of the year. One can only hope.

Tax time always makes me nervous. I think we do everything right and the forms seem pretty strait-forward. Each year I think, "This will be the year that we bring our taxes in for a professional to do." But, every year, we do it online. We tried 2 tax software this year and each one seemed to calculate things a bit differently. One of them seemed to ask a lot of questions regarding our rental property in North Carolina, whereas the other one didn't seem to want to know much. We went with the one that asked more questions. It is like the other one didn't seem to want to get to know us, and was only talking about themself, so that date ended. : )

Etsy Pictures Redone

Hi Folks.. I hope this blog post finds you well! We are doing great here.. Allison started swimming lessons today. (Emily was not having lessons, maybe next year.) But, Allison - she is turning into a little fish, doing very well. When I was watching her today, I felt like I could cry. I am just one proud mama. After swimming lessons, I came home to work on my Etsy Shop pictures. I listed a new vase today with the following picture. This is my Neutral Pop Vase.
And I am seeking your opinions. What do you think of this picture?

Or.. do you prefer the picture with the plain white background, as in my Beach and Sea vase?

Thank you for your opinions in advance! I don't have strong feeling either way, so I am hoping that you do!
Thanks, friends.