Kagan nominated to Supreme Court!

 

Mama Coughlin needs a new web cam!

Mwa HAHAHAHA! :-)

Old Springfield Photos

Whoah check these out, posted by a facebook friend:

http://www.lashuastudio.com/oldphotos/

I find them even more depressing than Dan's *actually* depressing Springfield photos, because of all the promise and vitality. Oof.

Is this the least professional reply *ever* from a tax accountant?

Our tax accountant apparently thinks that "Fair" is a dirty four-letter word. Good to know!

I have gone to Alpha Omega (www.TheStrategicWealthCoach.com) before in the Red Mall Suzie Wilson road for taxes. They are nice, but a little pricey. I can't afford to go this year, and Natalie was going to but after repeatedly asking for an estimate and finally finding out how much it was going to be, we co-wrote a Coughlin letter of dispute signaling that the cost was too high. (by co-wrote I mean that Natalie wrote an angry email & sent it to me, and I cleaned it up & sent it back ready to mail.) We cannot *believe* the response below was written by Bob Hudson, the owner of the firm, we are thinking one of the lady accountants must have written it and used his account. The email is included below, it is really a short but astounding read.

****

From: Natalie Coughlin
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2010 6:55 PM
To: 'steph@aofsnet.com'; 'bhudson@vsrfin.com'
Subject:


Stephanie,

I just got a message from Ashley today about what the final charge for filing taxes with Alpha Omega is going to be.

I’m sorry but I am unwilling to pay $444.25 for my tax preparation for several reasons. First, I asked for an estimate of the cost of filing my taxes with you earlier several times and each time I was told Bob would have to be consulted. Rather than providing the estimate you went ahead and prepared the taxes so that I just got the information the night before my pick-up appointment on what the charge will be. Secondly your office almost lost me my $8,000 first time home-buyers credit with incorrect advice, until I supplied you with the information you needed regarding renting rooms in a primary residence by doing my own research on the IRS web site.

Finally, I expected to pay a reasonable hourly rate for filing taxes, for example $80 per hour. I did not realize you were charging me arbitrarily “by the form” without relation to the actual time spent preparing my return. If I had known from my first request for an estimate that the cost this year would be near triple what I paid two years ago I would not have asked you to continue preparing my taxes. This is three times more expensive than any of my coworkers have paid their tax preparers and I have asked half a dozen of them today. I called every week for almost six weeks to make sure there were no more problems with my taxes at which time you could have provided the estimate I asked for, and the last time I asked if there was a problem with my return you put me on hold with the explanation that you had to look into something and instead transferred me to Ashley to set up a pick-up appointment.

I am willing to pay a fair-market price for the preparation of my taxes. I have just researched the average cost of tax preparation in Vermont for a first time homebuyer. If your office is willing to accept $200.00 for the preparation of my taxes I will keep my appointment Saturday afternoon and pay that amount, but if not I will pick up my tax documents at that time and take my business to H and R Block.

Thank you,
Natalie Coughlin

*******************
From: Bob Hudson [mailto:rhudson@aofsnet.com]

Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 10:48 AM
To: Natalie Coughlin
Cc: Steph Babcock
Subject: RE:

Hi Natalie,

GREAT hearing from you.

Nice e-mail (sic) – I hope that you realize that “fair” is a dirty 4 letter word.

I have destroyed your copy of our version of your 2009 tax return and please pickup your data/information at your appointed time.


Best regards, Bob

Robert Hudson, CFP®, EA

Wealth Advisor

Strategic Wealth Coach, LLC

Alpha Omega Tax & Investments
1 Market Place, Suite 22
Essex Junction, VT 05452

e-mail: rhudson@aofsnet.com Phone: 802.878.6155 Fax: 802.878.6818

PS. Check out our New Website for Articles, Calculators, Newsletters, Glossary and information about us.

Website: www.TheStrategicWealthCoach.com

****************

From: Natalie Coughlin
Sent: Saturday, February 27, 2010 10:53 AM
To: 'Bob Hudson'
Subject: RE:

Thank you for getting back to me, I will be in this afternoon. I apologize for the late notice, but if I had known the price earlier I wouldn’t have continued. I want to let you know that this is purely financial, and I have always been impressed by your office’s customer service. Betty is one of the nicest ladies I have ever met.

Thank you,

Natalie



****
Can you believe that???

Christmas 2009

Album HERE <-- Click that link!! DO IT! :-)
(let me know if I forgot to add you to my contact list)

Pretty Snowstorm!

My Yankee Swap Contribution. :-)

Windstorm 2009

Last night we lost power from about 3 pm to almost 11pm. The winds were mighty, and at some point our shed that we so laboriously dragged across the yard, (and Jim just leveled with blocks and then we filled with the mower & other garden crap) took another hit. It's already had a tree hit its right side a couple years ago. But Lo, our canoe was spared! :-)

And this one is just to show the pretty snow and the progress we've made on the kitchen window and tile backsplash. Beauty, eh? :-)

Sandbox in Underhill!

Trench for the force main.

The force main pipes are in, dumptrucks start bringing sand

And they just keeeeep coming! :-)

"Before"

Halloo Peeps! :-)
This septic mound going into the side of the hill is sure trampling the backyard! :-( I can't figure out how to post more than 5 pics w Picasa so I'll try to add a link to a picasa album (or make more posts) in just a minute.

OK here is a LINK to the web album! :-)
Link to album!

Happy Birthday Kagan!

Happy Birthday Kagan!!! Feeeeeeling old?? :-)

I spent a good hour cleaning up the scratches in this picture in photoshop and it's still scratched.
Lots of love & hugs!

William gets Jiggy with it. :)

Can you even believe it??? :)
This is my first video post ever.
I think it was worth it :)

HA HA HA! Happy New Years! More Christmas 2008

Early April Fools! Nice Hairdo Mama! :-)
A beautiful leg pulling perpetrated on those Southerners, with all of our Yankee cooperation.
Here are more pictures from Christmas.


Christmas Eve...














AND Christmas day, in no particular order since Blogger does not want to cooperate...

Mama unwrapping junk that Natalie wrapped for her.
We both did it, but Natalie might've gone a little overboard. :-)

I'll. teach you. Who. Rock.
DETHKLOK DETHKLOK!
:-)

William pulled a Natalie - bought her a bag of lindt chocolates and ate a bunch of them and threw the wrappers back in the bag. Plus, put a couple back with bites out of them. She does that to his food ALL THE TIME! :)

Note in this photo BOTH Natalie's lovely new camera from Me and Jim and a LITTLE from William even though she's telling everyone it's from WILLIAM! ;-(
AND the really pretty bag Mommy made for Natalie, currently being worn as a hat.

Teeny tiny egg basket.

Itty Bitty plaque de chocolat.




MEAT!!! :-)