She Asked Me to Marry Her…and I Said Yes!

Well, not EXACTLY…. Let me explain.

Remember I told you my good friend Wendy was getting married in May and asked me to be her personal attendant? Yeah, well I got a frantic call from her this afternoon. Her officiant had just called and told her that he was very sorry but could not perform her marriage, he had other plans that day.

GASP!!!!!

I was in the midst of working on homework so I gladly pushed that stuff aside and went to work doing what I do best…poking around on the Internet. I immediately sent a mass e-mail to all local officiants to see if anyone had May 16th open to do a wedding. Nevermind that May is like the most popular month ever to have a wedding…but what else could I do?? I mean, I couldn’t marry them. Or could I….? Guess what?

YOU BET I CAN!!!

According to the Universal Life Church I sure can. Does that sound oddly familiar to you? Maybe you’re thinking of when Joey became an ordained minister so he could marry Monica and Chandler. Here…listen, Phoebe will tell you all about becoming an ordained minister via the Internet.

I sent Wendy an email explaining that I sent out an SOS to all the local officiants but if it came down to it I would get myself ordained so she wouldn’t have to worry any more. I was half joking, half serious; come on guys…she’s one of my oldest and dearest friends. Of course I would do that for her.

She replied with:

I WANT  YOU! I REALLY DO THINK IT WOULD BE
GREAT IF YOU DID!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!!
I’m really serious about you doing it. It would be the greatest thing in the whole world! But if you would rather not…I know you’re a very busy girl…
WENDY

So, just moments ago, I got myself ordained. Yep. That’s right ladies and gentlemen…say hello to Reverend Laura Meckley!

Congratulations! You are now a legally ordained minister for life, though you may relinquish your credentials at any time. AS OF Saturday the 28th of February 2009 YOU HAVE BECOME A MEMBER OF THE PRESTIGIOUS CLERGY. You have earned a title worthy of admiration and respect.
Let it be known on this date that in accordance with the laws of the Universal Life Church Monastery, as ordaining officer, I, Brother Martin, do ordain you into our ministry. From this day forward, you are entitled to all of the rights of an ordained minister. You have the authority to perform marriages, baptisms, and all other ceremonies of the church. You are an independent minister of this church. This is a position that carries with it a burden of responsibility; please respect others and comply with the laws of the land.

There you go Wendy! I’m already going to be at the wedding…If you need me to make this monkey official let’s do this!

(Just let me make a quick a call to the courthouse and confirm it will be legal in Scott county!)

Very Interesting…

Jason from www.iwearyourshirt.com says

In this up and down economy I’m outsourcing my wardrobe (namely shirts) to corporate america and you! I’m going to wear a different shirt for 365 days straight in 2009, take multiple pictures throughout my day and blog about it. Days are sold at “face value” so January 1 is $1 and December 31 is $365.

Stop counting…I did the math. If he sells all 365 days he will have earned $66,795 for this idea. He’s already sold 316 days for a total of $50,086 - Amazing! Another fine example of how thinking outside the box can pay.

Nifty New Banner

I made this fun thing for my table at the Spring Fling Craft Show :

Those in the QCA should stop by – admission is FREE! Here are the details:

Spring Fling Craft Show
Saturday, March 28, 2009
10am - 2pm
Moline Viking Club
1450 – 41st Street
Moline, IL 61265

Admission is free but they are accepting donations to the Quad Cities Greyhound Adoption, which would be greatly appreciated!

For more info call 309-230-2331 or e-mail KLJewelry@mchsi.com.

Hope to see you there!

Good Food, Good Company, Good Memories

Our friends the Wilsons came over for dinner last night. (Hi Renee! – Renee informed me that she is indeed a faithful lurker that does comment.)   I did not take photos of the Mexican feast I whipped up, but it was delish if I do say so myself.

After dinner we watched Lakeview Terrace a creepy Samuel L. Jackson movie. SLJ plays an aggressive cop that is not shy about letting the interracial couple next door know he is not happy about their arrival. I’ve definitely seen better movies and the ending left for much to be desired.

After that we scanned Andy’s collection of 50,000+ videos and songs on his external hard drive. (No, sadly I am not exaggerating. He really does have that many!) We spent the rest of the right rocking out to these timeless classics:

I am pumped to announce that I will be joining several of my elementary BFFs for the NKOTB concert to be held here in April!!! I wasn’t able to go when I was in sixth grade so there was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity again!

I made a confession last night so I might as well share it with all of you too…after Andy & I got engaged I saw the infamous first dance video. Before the entire world watched it on Good Morning America. What? You don’t know which one I”m referring to? Where have you been? Here, have a look:

Yeah, so I didn’t want to copy the actual dance, just the concept. I wanted to come up with my own routine to bust out at the wedding during our first dance. I was in Poms (and the 3rd grade talent show) I know how to do that stuff.  (Truth be told, I’m rather shy in real life but I’m secretly a closet performer.) I even took a couple afternoons off work to work on our routine.  As it turns out, Andy wasn’t so sure about this idea. Bless his heart - he said he would do it if it was THAT important to me, but he REALLY didn’t want to. (I then suggested that our wedding party dance be to a choreographed Thriller and that didn’t fly either.) Oh well…I’m not going to share my bits and pieces of the undanced wedding routine, but I will tell you that a dance club favorite by my 6-grade obsession was going to be part of the intro.

Oh yeah! Hey Vanilla…kick it one time Boyeee!! (Come on, you know you’re thinking Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-ssst in your head right now!) You know what else we discovered? We’re pretty sure that VI ripped off moves and styles from NKOTB. Seriously! Didn’t Jordan Knight have the little stripes on the sides of his head? And watch some old videos. Jordan does that crazy wobbly upper body gyrating move. 

This got us talking about other songs that can be played at parties or weddings and get people of all ages out on the dance floor. Such as:

You know you wish that you had Jesse’s Girl!

We had a great time reminiscing. Dave and I are about the same age and Renee and Andy are about the same age so we were all debating and basing when these songs came out on what grade we were in school.   Andy the farmboy was not exposed to all the vast variety of crazy music we were so he wasn’t quite as excited about some of the songs we dug up. LOL

QUESTION FOR READERS: What are some other timeless songs that are inevitably played at parties and enjoyed (or at least known) by people of all ages?

It’s That Time of Year Again

I recently attended a tax seminar presented by my good friend, Kim who is a CPA. I thought you may be interested in some of the notes I took on ways to help reduce your tax liability and make the most of your money.

Please note that I am not a financial advisor and although I believe I take good notes, ask your accountant if you have any interest in or questions regarding these items or other tax matters.

2008 Tax Matters

• Those under 50 years of age have until April 15th to contribute up to $5,000 to IRA accounts; those over 50 years old can contribute $6,000.
• Roth IRAs are NOT tax deductible (they are funded with after-tax money and withdrawals are not taxed)
• There is a First Time Homebuyer “credit” for 2008 if you purchased a home after April 9,2008; there are pros and cons to this program. It is actually more like an interest free loan amortized over 15 years ($500/yr). So if you are not a good saver, or plan to move before 15 years this may not be a good idea for you. If you move before the “loan/credit” is paid back you will owe the difference. Also, if you have any overdue government debt (child support, student loans, etc.) that credit will go straight to that debt and you will be liable for the repayment should you move.
• Students attending Iowa schools in the flood disaster zone last year may be eligible for double credit towards the Hope or Lifetime Learning program.
• If you housed a displaced flood victim or had mileage to assist in flood efforts you may be eligible for more deductions
• If you added energy efficient items to your home – geothermal energy, solar panels, energy efficient windows, doors, air conditioner, furnace, or insulation you may be eligible for up to $500 in credit. (Be sure to ask your accountant about the limits before you buy new items!)
• Mileage rates have changed:
  • $0.505 until June 30th
  • $0.585 July 1 to December 31st
  • $0.550 January 1
• If you incurred business related expenses not reimbursed by your employer you may be eligible for deductions (uniforms, union dues, tools, etc.) Ask about limitations

Ways to Reduce Your Tax Liability in 2009

• Contribute to your 401(k) at work if you have one – at the VERY LEAST contribute whatever your company will match. It’s free money people. There is no excuse. Plus, it will reduce your tax liability now when you are likely in a higher bracket than you will be upon retirement. It will also reduce your federal taxes so you may not see that much difference in your take home pay.
• If you have a Flexible Spending Account use it! But be wise in budgeting…it’s a use it or lose it type of account. If you find that you have a lot of money left in it at the end of the year check the website as you can buy all kinds of reimbursable items (medications, supplements, etc.) to use the money.
• Dependent Care Benefit – the maximum is $5,000 per couple and it is not taxed. Check with your accountant as you may be better off taking the dependent care credit.

I learned a few things and I hope you did too!

My Ideal Day

4:45am:            Hit snooze button

5:00am:            Hit snooze button

5:15am:            Got out of bed

5:30am:            Walked on treadmill

6:00am:            Took shower

6:30am:            Let dogs out, made coffee, had breakfast, packed Andy’s lunch, did some dishes

6:45am:            Kissed Andy goodbye, walked downstairs to newly

organized workshop:

 

                        (Photos coming soon!)

 

 

7:00am:            Updated my elle Z designs website, updated my ArtFire Shop, updated etsy Shop, did a little engraving, made some “Here Comes the Bride” banners.

11:00am:          Got a call from my friend in Texas. Had some lunch.

11:30am:          Continued work on my websites, played with my sewing machine, made some business cards, worked on orders, answered e-mails, read entries on my Google Reader, etc.

3:00pm:            Ran to fabric store for supplies

4:00pm:            Got home, went though the mail, organized school bag, picked up the house, gathered tax stuff for appointment with accountant

4:20pm             Greeted Andy when he got home from work

4:30pm             Had dinner

5:00pm             Went to Finance class

9:30pm             Got home from class, watched TV, put dogs to bed

11:30pm           Fell asleep

 

Ahhh…..that was what I did all day yesterday and THAT (with the exception of class), dear readers, is my ideal day.

 

Even though the only comment will probably be from Kim J, I’m gonna toss this out there for the rest of you lurkers:

 

What do you do during the day? What is your ideal day?  

 

Am I going to have to start awarding prizes to get the rest of you to start talking?? Unless my stats lie, I know you people are out there!  :-)

(Fine…you win. What kind of prizes will get me some comments? I’m not above bribery for some blog love. Let me see what I can find to give away. Stay tuned for details…)

 

New Online Shop!

I’m still uploading projects but I’m excited to announce elle Z designs now has an online shop with ArtFire!!  If you like etsy, you should check out ArtFire. So far it’s really easy to use and has more to offer at less (or no) expense!  Register on ArtFire.com

Also, my business site is getting so close to being published I can almost taste it!!! eeek! I can’t graduate soon enough. I took the day off work tomorrow to try to get some stuff done.

In the Bag

Kim  (my only faithful commenter!) tagged me with the Bag Tag  and it sounds like WAY more fun than homework right now.

Here are the rules for the tag:

I only paid about $40 HK dollars, which is like $5 US dollars. But…it is already falling apart. It’s probably my fault b/c I usually carry a huge laptop bag as my purse because I feel the need to carry so much crap. I’ve jammed this pretty pink purse with what I feel are necessities, and then I also carry my United Way “green” bag (which is actually blue in color) to carry another notebook or two, my scarf, a jacket, or whatever else I think I need to tote around with me.

Honestly, I don’t know how I’ll every manage to take a baby around. I have enough trouble getting myself all packed and ready to go! And after all, I only have two hands!

I think I better pass on tagging others (at least for now)…I better hit the books! :-/

Dollhouse Bunk Bed – Photos are Posted!

As promised….HERE are some photos!

 

This was our inspiration:

But a $1400 bed that you not only had to buy, but pay to ship, then assemble yourself wasn’t really in my sister’s budget. We asked Andy what he could do and this is what he came up with:

This is probably the best full front shot I got…it was a tight squeeze in the room so it was hard to get good pictures. P.S. That’s a flower box on the front, without the flowers. It’s not entirely done yet, we want to add a little storage on the side by the ladder, and we had to made a few minor adjustments along the way, but all in all, it’s pretty awesome.

We even had to remove the fan blades and disable the fan because it was in the way.

But everyone loved it anyway, especially the girls!

Remember this is what they started with:

And now they have a fun girlie purple room! We still have to make some more storage areas, and a little desk along the back wall, but I think it’s coming along quite nicely!

 

 

 

Let me break it down for you:

Lumber: $150
Paint: $30
Time: 1 weekend
Tools: Several
Having an amazingly talented Uncle that loves you enough to custom build your dream room: Priceless!

Weekend Review

I had a rather fun & productive weekend…and for once it didn’t seem to fly by! Right after work on Friday Kim & I went to see New in Town; the movie was kinda cheesy and predictable, but good nonetheless.

Saturday we had Grandma & Grandpa over for a quick lunch of Andy’s crazy chili (ingredients included beer, cocoa & coffee!)  then we had a three-hour study group for Ops Management class. (NOT the highlight of my weekend, let me tell ya!) =) Since we were nearby I finally got my new library card which made me happy. I hate being cut off from the library! Did you know they FREAK OUT if you try to rent books if they know you’ve moved from the town your card is issued? No? Well, they do. You’ve been warned.

Sunday Wendy planned a girl’s day for us to talk about her wedding. We had a good lunch with slow service at Ruby Tuesdays and then saw He’s Just Not That Into You. This was another cute but cheesy chick flick, and it was fun. I could relate to some of the situations and can finally laugh about some of them; no doubt this movie made me SOOOO happy that I am finally happily married to someone I admire and can trust wholeheartedly. I left thinking had the movie been shown 10 years ago I might have saved myself some heartache while dating. . .that being said, the proverbial  ”broken road” led me to Andy and I’m sure I appreciate him even more because of it. So, I guess it was all worth it.

But here’s my BIG NEWS of the weekend: Andy & I  went to my sister’s house to INSTALL THE DOLLHOUSE BUNK BED!!!! Do you remember when I said awhile back we were going to “Mecklify” our niece’s room? And I showed you Andy’s ideas? Well…we got the bed part of the project done this weekend! My sister painted and decorated the girls’ room and Handy Andy went to town this weekend making our vision a reality once again.

You’ll have to stop back for photos though…I haven’t uploaded them yet! Soon, I promise!

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