Only Pay Half of Your Taxes

Did I get your attention?  Good.

Just wanted to pass on a little sale.  Remember that book I read a few weeks back, about blogging and taxes and home businesses? 

Well, that book is half off. 

Read my review . . . but even better . . . if you purchase this book . . . you have access to the author, Nikki Hughes.  You can email her DIRECTLY with any tax questions you have. 

March 15th is the tax deadline for businesses.

April 16th is the tax deadline for individuals.

Which are you?  One or both?

It was $4.99 and for the first 50 people it is 50% off  (here is the math for you . . . according to the Paypal check out:  $2.50) with the coupon code: 50forMarch15

Head on over to Tax Talk and Tips.  (And yes, I am an affiliate.)

Blogging and Taxes

Instead of reading some vacation fiction last night on June, my Kindle, I spent time with Nikki, author of Your Blogging Business. 

Yup. 

Blogging and taxes go together like peas and carrots. Tweet This!

Or . . .

A famous quote states that the two things you can be certain of are death and taxes.  I’m not worried about death.  But I need to be concerned about taxes.  Jesus instructs us to give to Caesar (read the US Government) what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to Him.

I know that I owe the government something this year.

April 16th will be here before the Engineer and I know what hit us.

Admittedly, I figured the book “might” be kind of boring.  The reality was that I read the book in its entirety last night . . . and I learned a tremendous amount.

Like . . . all those free books I receive?  Ummm . . . I need to figure that into my taxes.  Once my income from blogging OR my essential oil business exceeds $400, the IRS wants to receive some communication from me.  All those affiliate commissions I receive . . . go on my tax return.  The items I purchase to feature on my blog . . . they can actually help me out on my tax return.  The desk and surrounding area that I blog from . . . you got it . . . can be included on my tax return.

My main problem is that I dropped out of accounting . . . when I transferred to the University of Evansville from Indiana University (IU), I thought I was going to become an accountant, like my dad. 

Not.

Though my dad is a whiz with numbers and is so savvy when it comes to business, I didn’t inherit those genes.  I like to dream . . . and spend money on those dreams.

Those dreams have lead me to blogging and having a home business.  I never figured out the whole bookkeeping and accounting thing.   

Praise the Lord, I married the Engineer. 

So, if you are a blogger . . . or you have a home business . . . and/or you use social media to drive people to your business . . . you really should read Your Blogging Business.

Tax time is just around the corner.

Grab a copy of Your Blogging Business for just $4.99 and don’t forget to “write it off” on your tax return!

Your Blogging Business answered a lot of my questions . . . and will be a tremendous asset to the Engineer when he prepares our tax return two days before April 16th.  Just kidding. 

Five days before the deadline. 

P.S.  This book isn’t just for April 16th . . . it also has some great bookkeeping skills in it too.

P.S. This post has affiliate links in it . . . and will probably end up showing up on my tax return . . . not the links . . . the income generated from those links. 

She’s Real!

Most people KNOW their friends. 

You know . . . they have physically seen them.  Or they have actually met them . . . talked with them in person.  Shaken hands.    They’ve smelled each other's deodorant, or lack thereof. 

Or their pregnant bellies have hugged. 

I actually got to meet a friend for the first time today.  Yet, I already felt like I knew her. 

That is the crazy thing about blogging.  You have these friends that are real, but you have only seen them on the computer screen.  So the rest of your family and friends questions that they are real.

Perhaps they are a stalker.

But I have good news.  Maureen, from Spell Out Loud,  is an honest to goodness real pregnant woman who also happens to be living in Hoosier land. 

With cute kids.

She brought her nifty Easy Box Lunches and we all sat at the same table. 

And we still were able to talk.  It was fun!  (Girls are quieter.)

It was good for the boys, too.  ‘Cause Maureen has mostly girls. 

We talked about all things blogging, homeschooling, mothering, cloth diapering, gardening, and baby. 

All because of our blogs. 

God is good!  It was GREAT meeting you today, Maureen.  Let’s do it again!

Where Do I Get My Ideas?

Twice in the past two days this question has been posed to me.  The above question is typically paired with,

“When do you have time to blog?” or  “How do you find the time to blog?”

For starters, you have to know that my part of my major in college was English/Literature.  Quite simply, I love how words go together.  I love to read.  I love to learn.  Words come naturally to me.

You also need to know that I am not a huge talker. 

But I am a female. 

Don’t women need to speak something like 7,000 words per day, or three times that of her male counterpart? 

I don’t.  I like silence.  I don’t feel the need to talk.  

Many of my words are written.  That’s why I never call anyone.  I write it out.  Blogging is my adult social interaction with the world, as impersonal as it may be.  I save what is left of my vocal chords (from reading children’s books all day) for when the Hottie comes home . . . or I am alone in the car and I call people from my red phone (had to get that in, Tina)  when it isn’t convenient for them. 

So . . . since I don’t talk as much as the average female, all of my ideas get bottled up inside my brain and have to escape somehow. 

My blog.

Additionally, I have an overactive imagination. That really is an understatement.  Just ask the Hottie.  It doesn’t take much for an event, food, picture, word, smell or idea to take root and grow into a blog post at the dinner table.

In fact, it isn’t uncommon for the Hottie to say, “You’re thinking of a blog post right now aren’t you?”  I must have a look that reveals the inner workings of my brain.

I write my blog posts using Windows Live Writer.  It is free.  But I also don’t have to be online to write.  Even though our computer is almost always part of the Matrix, I don’t have to be. 

I blog much the same way I read books.  I will have about 6 blog posts being written at one time.  If I have an idea, I’ll just type in the title or a couple of sentences, save it, and write the post when I feel like it.  Or when God prompts me.

I blog for God.  So He really gives me an endless supply of ideas, especially when I ask Him.

I blog about what I am concerned about, enjoy, and desire to share with others.  For this reason, you will find yourself reading a lot about the Hottie, my kids, our homeschooling, books I am reading, food/recipes, and photography here at Granola Mom 4 God. 

Blogging can be made simple by participating in memes.  (Such an annoying word.)  These are the easiest posts to write.  For example, Wordless Wednesday, Tot School, Preschool Corner, If You Give A Mom a Book, etc. are all examples of memes that I have participated in. 

And because I don’t have multiple blogs for the various aspects of our life . . . it appears that I do have a lot of ideas – I am putting so many topics into one blog instead of having just a homeschooling blog, or a review blog, or a family blog, or a food blog, or a Jesus-Freak blog.  You get everything all on one blog.  That could be a detriment to establishing a large readership. 

Some of you may pick and choose what you read.

That’s OK. 

And where do I find the time?  The Hottie always tells me that you have time for the things that you want to do.  Ouch.

But it is true. 

I blog whenever the Hottie and the kids aren’t around.  My priority always remains God, the Hottie, and the kids.  I have to have my jobs taken care of or in progress before I can blog.  Blogging can easily become an idol.  After all, www.granolamom4god.com is MY PLACE.  My corner in the world where I am me and I can go blah. 

At one point, my blog was an idol.  It was all I talked about.  I spent evenings writing when I could be reading, snuggling with the Hottie, or fermenting.  Instead, I would stare at the screen and irritate the Hottie with my sullenness.  I would blog in front of the kids.  They are too precious for me to devote a lot of time to a silver screen instead of their ever-changing faces. 

But I have since changed my ways.  Am I perfect?  No.  But because I try and show my family that they are the priority, when I make exceptions to my personal silent rule . . . they give me grace.

I know you still want me to answer the question.  So when do I blog?  (Usually around 6:30 AM or 2 PM.)

It also helps, that I have learned to say no to a few things in the blogging community.

That’s all I have to say about that.

Technorati Tags: Where do you get ideas? Blogging topics

MIA

Some of you may have noticed that I'm not traveling to your inbox quite as much. In fact, my mom called me and asked if I was OK. She hadn't heard from me in awhile . . . meaning I hadn't blogged.

It's true. I haven't been blogging nearly as much.

I have ideas. Some of them are in my head. Some of them are in a journal.

But I have had to make some changes.

I have gotten pretty serous about a few things. They have always been important. But now . . . no excuses.

1. Get up before the boys and spend time with God.
2. Plan, prepare, and DO school with the boys. No more vacation.
3. P90X -- 'nuff said.

So, if a few days go by and you have missed my spiritual sarcasm . . . drop me a line, leave a comment, or come and babysit my children so I can go blog at Starbucks!

Wordless Wednesday -- Our Personal IKEA Blogging Convention

I had begun to feel a little bit jealous, perhaps left out of all of the various bloggers who have attended blogging conferences recently.

So, I formed my own self-proclaimed blogging conference today.

(Meet my longtime friends, Christina and Beth. They know some of the WORST dirt about me and we have been through a lot together. Beth and I . . . well, we have been friends since grade school! Now that is a long time! She is an amazing bilingual teacher, seamstress, mom, and prayer buddy. And Christina is the one who taught me all about the birds and the bees before I got married. {I am so000000 embarrassing her right now . . . but secretly her husband is snickering!} She also allows me to rant and rave about various things in life, but mainly she teaches me how to be gentle with my children.)

It didn't begin as a blogging conference and the women I rendezvoused with in Cincinnati didn't know it was a blogging conference until I arrived. But we all blog and are a little . . . passionate about it. OK . . . I am obsessed about blogging.

Beth is happy to model for my blog today. She didn't become annoyed by Willow, like some people who I won't mention Christina.


Don't we look like we are on vacation? Golly . . . we are only in Ohio!


I love textiles. A few of these traveled home with me. I thought they would be great for circle time during Tot School. . . well, actually I thought they would be better suited for time-outs.


These are my new chairs. Can you believe that they would turn them into guns? What is happening to society! Not to mention . . . the immaturity.


Ummm . . . OK, it was my idea. I thought it would be a fun picture. And it is.


The young man, yes he was significantly younger than us, thought we were a little too happy about my purchases. Can you believe that he had NEVER been asked to take a picture for a blogging conference before? Does he live in a cave?


Yes. Organization is on its way to our house.

Hottie Hubby, will you please put this all together this weekend?

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom for other Wordless Wednesday posts!

P.S. I would like to add that the Blogging Convetion could not have been made possible if it were not for my mom and mother-in-law's help. My mom brought Starbucks, picked up the boys, and took two of them to my MIL's house. She kept Mr. Smiley for the day and even met me at a central location to pick him up yesterday. My MIL played with Mr. Smackdown and Mr. Me-Too, treating them to pizza and a sleepover and is currently on her way to deliver them back safely to my clutches. Thank you both for giving me a special day out. I really enjoyed being with my blogging girlfriends!

3650 Days and Counting

In honor of our 10 year anniversary, I thought I would play around a little bit with two of my favorite and old pictures on http://www.picnik.com/.

This picture was taken back in the day when we had no children. And lived in Colorado.

What on earth did we do with our time?

Oh yea, we skied.

Anyway, our Friday night Bible Study took a trip to the wilderness and stayed in a cabin. It was my first time having Bring Your Own Can of Something to make Chili. It was also my first time to walk across a frozen lake.

It was my first time to have my picture taken on a frozen lake.

Which brings me to a point, I love my husband because he encourages and challenges me to try new things. It may be hard and it may be different, but I just need to try. And he is always right there to pick me up or help me out. Like God, except he isn't God.

I tried skiing and liked it.

I tried backpacking and liked it.

I tried fish. Well, I am working on liking it.

I tried eggplant and liked it.

I tried kids, and like them.

I tried cloth diapering and whole foods. And they aren't bad.

I tried jumping off of a cliff in Hawaii. I didn't like that. But I tried.

Anyway, I love my Hottie Husband. I wrote him a card this morning. And I have another one on the way (spoiled the surprise). But when I write by hand. I am not eloquent. I feel like I write the same thing in every card. "I love you and can't imagine life without you." But when I blog, it is like I create super-duper blog writing and I feel poetic and creative.

So, Hottie Husband, "I love you." (See it sounds better when I blog, or it at least feels creative. Original? (Probably not.) Now the whole world knows, though.

Thanks for 3,650 days of marriage. You looked good then, but you look amazing now. You helped surpass my wildest dreams of what our marriage would look like--a true partnership.

You are such a good husband, I think you should blog about it. But then I would have to share you with the world. So maybe don't blog. It is enough to have one obsessed blogger in the house.

Thank you for being a hard worker, slaving away to support our habits of a shelter, clothes, food, and electricity to blog. Thanks for allowing me to be a quirky, stubborn, emotional, expressive, granola, stay-at-home, homeschooling woman of God. Thanks for all of your prayers, hugs, kisses, and foot rubs.

I look forward to another 36,500 days of marriage, should the Lord tarry.

"Don't You See That Sign On The Wall?" said Great Grandpa

When Hottie Hubby was younger, more like grade school, he has some fun memories that coincided with his Grandpa visiting--$2.00 bills and an afternoon of playing baseball.

In route from Florida to the Midwest, Great Grandpa (Hottie Hubby's Grandpa) and Michele helped us finish the infamous May Season of Birthdays (4) this past weekend.

Though we didn't play baseball and I didn't get $2.00, Great Grandpa was able to see his legacy and have a proper introduction.

Great Grandpa meet Mr. Smiley. Mr. Smiley--this is your Great Grandpa. I think it was love at first sight. On a side note, Mr. Smiley is Great Grandpa's tenth great grandchild.

Hottie Hubby has many fond memories of famous one-liners from his grandfather, two in particular are fulfilled in these pictures:

"God only made so many perfect heads, the rest he had to cover with hair."

and

"Is my hair straight?"

And here is something that you can say to me, whenever I am slow to blog,

"Don't you see that sign on the wall?"

Great Grandpa used to say it when the children, NOT my husband of course, were acting a bit squirely. For example, "Don't you see that sign on the wall? It says that you can't stick that gum behind your ear."

So you could say to me, "Hey Granola Mom, don't you see that sign on the wall? It says that you need to post more frequently and tell us how to do something organic for cheap? It says to host another giveaway (hint . . . hint . . . hint . . . )."

He's Going to Do It!

Remember what I giggled about a few days ago?

Hotty Husband blogging?

Yep. You guessed it.

He is going to take over the computer and post a blog!

I feel loved and supported. Hotty is going to enter my blogging world. What a guy!

So . . . . we need your help. What do you want to know about from Hotty Husband? Cast your vote on the poll on the top left of my blog!

What is something that you want to learn about?

I have a gazillion things that I personally would like to write about, but the words simply aren't coming. I am passionate about many things and sometimes get flustered in the activity of all that I am cataloging in my brain to learn about, try, or throw away. So I came up with an idea to get my creative juices flowing. I want to know what would you, my reader, would like to learn about. This can be something that I could blog about for you or would allow me to hear about your dreams and passions. Here are some ideas, a sampling of things that I still would like to learn more about:

1. how to achieve consistent home organization
2. using biblical essential oils
3. creating a wide readership of my blog
4. healing my thyroid
5. techniques to maintain Bible memorization
6. growing big yellow onions and hearty carrots
7. Greek
8. interesting, healthy, sprouted, fresh lunches that my children will eat
9. harvesting and storing seeds from my garden to plant the following year
10. read music and play the guitar

So leave a comment and let me know what you would like to learn about. Tell a friend and have them leave a list. Better yet, become a follower and I will be sure to blog about one of your learning dreams!