Catherine

I just had one of those myself today. Actually, one I had forgotten about; that's why I have the WIP spreadsheet! Opened the scanned docs, everything was there, looked at the handwritten notes, and badaboom badabing done. Emailed them asking if they want to come in or have me mail a package.

I have never seen them pop like corn..... Then again, I *never* tried to deep fry them.

Gnocchi (pronounced nyock-ee, emphasis on first syllable) are made of either potato or ricotta (or sometimes a mix). You roll the dough out to a long snake, cut it in roughly 1" - 1.5" long pieces, then "roll" them with a very easy to do, very hard to describe flick of the wrist with a fork to make ridges on the sides. Boil for just a few minutes (they float when done), and serve with butter & grated cheese, or spaghetti sauce, or pesto. I make them alfredo-style, with peas. Yum!

Shari's Berries http://www.berries.com/is similar to Ed Arr and I think even better. Have been given both; Shari's were better and the packaging was incredible. You can pick delivery day. They also have non-fruit items; bite-sized dessert items, popcorn, toffee. Swiss Colony also has very nice gifts and they also have cheese gifts, nuts, and baked goods. We love their petit fours. http://www.swisscolony.com/

Don't tell him that - he might not GO!! Just tell him he needs to find someone else, who specializes in expat issues. If he insists on you doing the research, that's billable time paid IN ADVANCE. He'll leave. (I don't usually advocate charging clients for research time. However, if the research benefits him and him alone, and he is the one insisting YOU do it -- bill him!)

Sent to me by a friend -- really funny. Less than three minutes. The "Manslater" from 2010.

Paid in advance!

Couldn't get to church this morning and instead poked around on facebook and a couple of friends whose posts I follow, had some doozies today. Wednesday Addams (Addams family) is all grown up - and responds to catcalls. Language warning. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/13/wednesday-addams-reacts-to-catcalling_n_6677674.html The guy who records the voice of Winnie the Pooh, reading Darth Vader's lines (I haven't listened to this in full yet - the sound quality isn't the best and the howling winds outside are making it hard for me to hear).

Possibly. But I also *highly* recommend Sir Terry's Diskworld books. But not for public transportation; you WILL suddenly laugh out loud when one of his inimitable zingers comes up! And then people will look at you like you're dangerous or something. Or at least they used to, before they were all plugged in to their i-things.

I keep waiting for the snow globes to turn to wire trolleys (shopping carts) and then to shopping malls. [Read Sir Terry Pratchett's "Reaper Man" where Death himself is put on layoff by the Auditors, and shopping malls are parasitic life forms that feed off cities. They hatch from eggs that look like snow globes and have a juvenile phase as shopping trolleys.]

Here's your hat and don't stumble on the way out.

Cry me a river, Build me a bridge -- and GET OVER IT.

This morning's joyful news...

Good! Most places withhold 10% for tax for people in higher brackets or AMT territory - and few withhold any state tax. My folks have learned to contact me after one of these sales to figure if they need to make an estimated payment, rather than get hammered in April (including underpayment penalties). 'Course, some of them get a bit more than $45K on these sales. Must be nice...

My concern is some elderly clients who have two-family houses and rent out one side. Whole-house repairs - like the boiler that broke a few years ago mid-winter and had to be replaced immediately - got expensed (restoration of function). But under the new regs, the portion that was improvements (more efficient than the ancient behemoth) should have been capitalized, and the old boiler use written off. How am I going to figure what percentage of a new boiler is "improvements" due to efficiency? How am I going to figure the "loss" on the ancient thing that died? How do I protect folks in their 70's - or older - from IRS scrutiny? The lack of look-back protection is nasty -- but I don't see any way even to do the analysis needed without substantially making numbers up! 10% of the new boiler is improvements for efficiency. Well, maybe 25%. How 'bout 17.267%? What if the new boiler, while more efficient, was also the *least* efficient (=cheapest to buy) model out there at the time? Does that still count as efficiency improvement? Then what about the leaking roof on another place, that had three layers of shingles so by law HAD to be stripped down and replaced? And the list goes on. My elderly landlords are all going on extension. I'm not giving them a choice.

Like Judy said -- yes you still need the Sch D & 8949 to show the capital loss (=transaction fees). And you are very welcome! Folks here have given me priceless advice and instructions; I'm glad to be able to give back a little.

ALL the gain is reported in the W-2 -- that's what the "Code V" means. So he is actually getting taxed at ordinary income rates for what would otherwise be a capital gain. Basis includes all the amount that was added to his W-2 noted by the Code V. Without the stock sale, his W-2 would be LOWER by that Code V amount. So there is indeed a small capital loss in the amount of the transaction fees (generally $10 to $45, depending on the brokerage firm). And they never withhold enough tax in the W-2. Ever.

Fortunately for me (but possibly not for Eric!) the storm will be worst in coastal and Downeast Maine. Nova Scotia, too, where my brother-in-law ans his wife live.

See the message I sent you.

The attached is part of our roof AFTER my husband got about of foot of snow off of it. The windows you see, if I stand next to them outside, have the bottom of the frame about at my shoulder level. The bluish-toned photo is from BEFORE.

I have E&O insurance, a rider on the home office, and a separate business policy for the office-office. 'Round here they will not write a separate business policy on a home unless you have employees -- and when I hired someone, it was when I moved to the office-office.

I can't possibly give turn-around time right now. I finished two corporations after bashing my head against the repair regs for a couple hours *each* only to determine each qualifies for elections -- but I had to *prove* it to myself first. Finished two returns for folks whose situations are simple and stable. Have a bunch more that just came in; ALL are missing items (brought end of year statement instead of 1099; wait where's my credit union interest page - I'll send you the info by email; hi can you help me download my bank transactions into QuickBooks and I can't believe I forgot my wife's W-2; you *name* it). I think we're all punch-drunk from all the SNOW. With another blizzard scheduled for Saturday night & Sunday. I spent some time today re-scheduling folks who were supposed to come later Saturday and on Sunday afternoon. Then I (almost) finished a major job for an accounting client.

Yet another sad case where provisions meant to help end up hurting others, who were not meant to be hurt. I suppose it's still better than the kids being at each other's throats - at least they can unite around dislike of the boyfriend.

It is hidden in the second purchase confirmation. I had to read the emails three times before I found it. Look again!

I concur with KC. If the trust and the will make no provisions, the trust eats it until dissolution. Buy the boyfriend lots of stuff that's bad for him and hope he eats it all?