Inspiration Thursday! Look around.

The gentle fall of cherry blossoms in full bloom.
The petals of an orange tulip, splayed like a child's fingers reaching for the sun.
Clumps of daffodils, faces forward, begging, "Pick me! Pick me!"
A regal old camellia bush bursting with little red crinoline petticoat flowers.
The glow of a tree, blossoming white, backlit by the gold of the setting sun.
A canopy of green, budding trees against a stormy sky.

These are the pictures in my mind as I drive back and forth to work drinking in God's creation around me. Writers more brilliant than I have tried to capture the newness of this season, the life unfolding around them. I struggle for words that capture what I see. I mentioned to a co-worker last week that the Cherry Blossom Festival (which is a very big deal in Washington, DC) had passed me by with all the craziness of this year. I don't want to miss this season and the renewal it brings.

Growing up, it was a common occurrence in my family for one of us to gasp, "Look at the TREE!" or "The daffodils are budding!" or "Look at the redbud in the mountains!" You see, we were "carefully taught" to pay attention to the world around us. Mama was intentional in drawing our attention to trees or flowers or even people with particularly interesting faces, which in Mama's world often included a lifetime of lines and wrinkles. She taught us to feel the promise of the coming year like the warmth of the sun. We would shed the darkness of winter days and embraced the light of a new cycle of life through the lilacs or the daffodils or the baby chipmunks we'd occasionally spot nesting in a wall.

I think when you're young, it's easier to see through those eyes. I find it a little harder at this age. There's always so much to do when you're juggling home, work, friends and family - even our fish, Jeeves, demands time. Thankfully, I had an intentional mother who trained me to look and see. So the snapshots continue to appear as I hurry along my way, sometimes stopping me, reminding me to breathe and give thanks for these gifts I've been given.

Vintage Wednesday: Opera Glasses

My collection of opera glasses - and I use the term "collection" loosely - began with a gift. My best friend presented me a stunning pair as a birthday gift with the instruction that I was to put it in my will that she receive them back upon my death. Yeah, they're THAT beautiful. And I do have a clause in my will with that bequest just because of her.

My opera glasses are silver, inlaid with mother of pearl, are from Paris at around the turn of the 19th Century and have a telescoping handle for optimal elegance. I've proudly carried them to the ballet, the symphony, the theater - pretty much anywhere I can get away with using them. And last year on a ~ahem~ "landmark" birthday, I returned the favor by giving her a pair from the same maker with a removable handle, inlaid in mother of pearl and in gold. Her first response? "She's just trying to get out of returning hers in her will!" She might be right.

I have a certain fascination with opera glasses. They evoke an opulence, an elegance that's not a part of my everyday life. I feel as if I should put on a long gown and gloves - not forgetting my opera length pearls - when using them. A carriage should arrive to take me to the theater where I preside over society from the comfort of my box... in my dreams of course.

Having started with such an elegant pair, I've not often felt the need to expand my collection. My only addition as of now is one with little birds on the side and that's really only because I got a good price and loved the birds. If you're looking to start a collection, you can expect to pay anywhere from ten to many thousands of dollars. I just peeked to see what's currently on ebay and there's a gold nouveau pair with diamond, sapphire and ruby bees on them for over $23,000. That's a tad bit out of my budget, but they're gorgeous!

When looking make sure the mechanism that allows them to focus is in working order. Also make sure the lenses aren't cloudy as I understand sometimes can happen with older pairs. If they're inlaid with mother of pearl, look for cracks that could lead to further damage.

I've very much enjoyed owning a little piece of history. Might you?

Working Tuesday: Tax time...

For those of you thinking about starting a home-based crafting business, I have a couple words of advice. Please note, this isn't legal advice, nor should it be in any way construed as "tax preparer" level advice. It's just a couple practical suggestions from someone who wishes she'd known some things.

1. Keep all your receipts in a designated location. Sounds pretty basic, right? You'd be surprised how difficult this can be for "artist types." I'd much rather get on with making something than thinking about whether or not I've stored my receipts in the proper place. When tax time comes, however, I'm so glad that I HAVE stored my receipts in a central location!

2. Keep good records of your sales. So the notification comes that you've got a sale on Etsy and you're focused on packaging and packing and shipping. I get it. You want a happy customer. But you're also going to want a happy tax man and keeping good records of sales makes the tax man happy. If you're doing a show, this might be just a simple receipt book that lists the item sold, the cost of the item and the tax collected. With Etsy, it might just be printing out the sold orders page and putting it in that central place I talked about above. Either way, work ahead to avoid frazzles later.

3. Go to IRS.gov and familiarize yourself with the expenses in the Schedule C when you start your business. It may open your eyes to new receipts you should save or mileage you should keep and how to notate those expenses. Again, the tax man frowns upon guesstimates. Plan ahead and save some grief.

4. Ask for help if you are confused. There are a myriad of "small business" entities that can probably help you answer your tax questions. I know I've tapped my state resources when I've needed help. That's their job and they're usually happy to help unless there's some legal reason they can't.

That's it. That's my wisdom. It may not seem like much, but I wish I'd done some of these things when I first started a home based business those many years ago! And now, I've gotta get back to doing those taxes....