You Owe Me Money, Uncle Sam!!!

Well, tis my favorite time of the year, the time to collect my dues from good 'ole Uncle Sam. Yep, its tax season baby. For some, this marks impending doom, but if you know you are getting a refund, it is like Christmas all over again. To all my avid fans out there in blogger land, I have some advise for you. Now, listen carefully: DO NOT PAY SOMEONE ELSE TO DO YOUR TAXES. Why, you ask? For just $19.95, you could do them yourself and get them e-filed for free! Ask any tax consultant to do them that cheap and they'll laugh at you. Now, I know you are saying, "But Stack, I'm not up-to-date on the latest tax laws. How will I know how to get the most in my taxes?" Well my friend, there is help. Actually, for the past four years, I have done my taxes online with H & R Block. My $19.95 is well spent, because as long as I have all my paperwork with me, I am walked right through the process. I even have the option to ask a tax professional in a live chat any question I encounter that the program doesn't answer for me. It is such a breeze, and I, like many, do not have a straight-forward tax situation. Heck, just this year, I bought a house and had a child, two great tax write-offs. Now, my complaints for any out there who know about taxes. WHY CAN'T I DEDUCT REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAXES? I was pissed when I found this off. The State of New Hampshire charged me almost $3000.00 just to buy my house, and I can't deduct this from my federal return. Bah!

Oh well, I move on. My taxes are almost done, and in just three days, my money will be direct deposited in my bank account. Until next year, Uncle Sam, when we meet again.

Doc Jr.

So official congratulations go out today to P. Sophie and "The Doc" for their recent announcement of the coming of Jr. Erica and I are excited for several reasons. Here are just a few:

1. We know they are going to make great parents, and LOVE having a baby in the house. This is something they have wanted for some time.

2. We are selfish. Its about time someone else joined us in the "baby" club. Do you know what it is like to be the only person in your group of friends to have a baby? On the one hand, it is cool, but on the other, you feel so old. We must have spent three hours talking to the Doc & Sophie when we found out, because we finally had someone we could talk to about everything we have gone through in the past year.

3. Brady is going to have a new playmate soon. He can't wait.

Doc & Sophie, we are so happy for you!

Brady Scare #1

Well, Brady spent two nights at Lawrence General Hospital last week, due to a urinary track infection. The cause? Still undetermined, but kidney tests confirm there could be some sort of a kidley reflux going on. Our doctor's solution? She has made an appointment for Brady to see a urologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in February. Until then, he is on a preventative dose of an antibiotic. What was Brady's reaction to all this? He continued to smile, laugh, and play. What a trooper! But the latest weigh-in shows he has but on almost 7 lbs and 7 inches since birth. Yikes!

Dining Room Update

Slow but steady wins the race. Well, I'm making progress on the room. As you can see here, I have completely removed the wallpaper border, installed a waincotting and chairrail, dismantled the mantle, and I am in the process of building a new one. Since this picture had been taken, I have finished all the woodwork and I have painted the lower half of the room (in the same ivory color we are using throughout the house). The top half of the walls will be painted a dark cranberry color, sometime int he coming weeks. I've also installed a new chandelier (not shown).

More pictures to come as I continue!

The Great Dining Room Make-Over: The Beginning

Well, the dining room is next on the list of rooms to renovate. For those of you keeping count, we have already done the master bedroom, Brady's bedroom, and the kitchen.

The dining room has lovely pink walls and wonderful "Aztec" wallpaper border. To boot, there is a "hack-job" of a mantle. Our plans: Put up a chair rail with wainscotting ont he bottom, painted the ivory we are using throughout the house, and paint the top a nice deep garnet color. The only difficult part of this room is going to be to build a new mantle...something a little fancier. My brother-in-law told me I should paint the bricks white too with some mason paint, but I'm not convinced on this yet. I'm going to have to get some pictures to see what it might look like first.

Brady is Growing!

He started at 19 inches, and now he is nearing 26. The doctor says he is going to be tall. Looks like he is going to outgrow the new kitchen sink in no time!

Mini-Me

Brady and I like to wear our matching Brady jersey's prior to every Pats game. Tonight, the Pats take on the Broncos. Go Pats!

My First Playoff Game, By Brady Stack

Well, this is my first official blog. Dada told me I should write about my first playoff game. Well, lets see. Auntie Alyssa, Babcia, and Dziadziu came over around seven. Dada told me to put my game face on, so I did. The game was great, but Mama made me go to bed right after Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass to Troy Brown. That Mama, she always spoils the fun. Oh well, I guess that's what I get for only being thee months old.

How To Cure New Year's Boredom.

Fill a glass with champagne, and put a raisin in it. It will bounce up and down for hours.

Mud Hens

What is a mud hen? I saw someone with this NH plate when I was driving to work last week in Boston. The weird thing is, when I was leaving the city five hours later, I saw them again on the highway. Weird.