51 Days Left!

Mother Nature is having fun with us now! How many different ways could percipitation come down today? Sleet, rain, fluffy snow, fine snow coming down in a white out ..... she had out the whole bag of tricks for this much fun! Without our winter wonderland, we wouldn't appreciate spring so much. I do love the change of seasons .... only 51 days til the next change!

There is so much beauty in a day like today. It gives you pause to look at the beauty that a weather event like today can create. Sometimes I believe there's a reason for weather like this, because it forces us to slow down in our crazy, hectic lives. I love the commoradarie that difficult times bring out in people. We had a neighborhood shovelling gang who were helping to get everyone's drive in good shape. But that's the fabric of this community - people reaching out and helping other people!

53 Days Left!

The First Day of Spring will be here in 53 days .... not that I'm counting. OK, I'm counting. The crocus should show us some spring color, though before March 20th.

For our local forcast, read this.

Ripples

"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others…s/he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of resistance."
~ Robert Kennedy

How powerful is that thought? I think it's an idea to ponder and act upon.

Put Your Best Party Dress On ....

Contrary to what you hear in the news houses are selling and sometimes quickly. I have two listings in contract right now that were only on the market for around 60 days. If the house is presented in its best light and priced right, it will get the attention it deserves. Buyers are excited about low interest rates and selections. They are out there buying!

If you are ready to sell your house, it's time to put your best party dress on for this dance! Your house should shine like it never has before because once your it is listed, it becomes a product. Before I got into Real Estate, I ran my own Interior Design business and am a Certified Home Staging Expert. If you want to be asked onto the dance floor, put on your best party dress and pinch those cheeks.

Advice to follow for home staging can be found on my website for Living In Style. I offer staging to houses that I list.

Time to think about Taxes!

I don't know about you, but I really dread thinking about getting documentation ready for taxes. Last year when I was finished and everything was in order, I bought this great organizer (at a low price, because everyone else was done with taxes). It was perfect for keeping everything where it should be for the year. I came across it just the other day as I was reorganizing my office. It would be such a great tool if it was used!! But, it's never too late, I'm going to pull it out today and as my information streams in I will know where to file it. It's tough to swallow the tax pill, but we enjoy each and every day the privilege of what those taxes buy. You have to love the crazy taxes, in certain states and cities, you'll pay special taxes for buying a deck of cards, possessing illegal drugs, and, possibly, buying things from naked people.

Here's an article that talks about getting organized for taxes:

Getting organized for the tax year
By Kay Bell • Bankrate.com
Even if your tax situation isn't complicated, there's still documentation the Internal Revenue Service demands. But tax filing doesn't have to be an ordeal. And it can be less frustrating and less time-consuming if you have all the material at your fingertips. By being prepared, you'll be ready to file your return at the earliest possible moment (the IRS usually starts accepting returns around mid-January). And the earlier you file, the sooner you'll get your refund.

House Bill Aims to Stabilize Housing

House Bill Aims to Stabilize Housing, Addresses Foreclosures and Stimulus
Washington, January 09, 2009
A bill that embraces the need for righting the housing market—the first big step toward economic recovery—was introduced Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives.H.R. 384, The TARP Reform and Accountability Act, was offered by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chair of the House Financial Services Committee. The bill would require the Treasury Department to develop a program, outside the Troubled Asset Relief Program, to stimulate demand for home purchases and lower property inventories, by making affordable mortgages available for qualified buyers through interest rate buydowns, a priority of the National Association of Realtors®.The measure would amend the TARP provisions of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to make significant steps to reduce foreclosures, strengthen accountability and close loopholes. http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2009/01/house_bill_housing_frank

My favorite place!

Even on a blustering snowy night, my favorite place is the lake. The waves were choppy and the snow blows harder. But being near or on the water always does my soul good. The fire burns bright, the friends are fun and loyal and the drinks taste better and the sunsets are always breathtaking!

This is the Year of the Ox!

The Year of the Ox
2009

In Chinese astrology, each year is represented by an animal. Whether you believe in it or not, it's always fun to read and see how much it fits with what you know. The Chinese New Year follows the new moon and this year the Chinese New Year begins January 26, 2009. The Ox sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. I guess no one would dispute that this year we have a lot of hard work ahead of us to get our country back on track again.

Famous Ox People: Barack Obama, Catherine Freeman, Heather Locklear, Jane Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Margaret Thatcher, Meg Ryan, Meryl Streep, Princess Diana, Vivien Leigh and George Clooney.

Here's what it says about people born in the sign of the Ox - This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint. The rest of the traits can be found here.

Whatever you believe about this coming year, I think we're in for a ride! Hold on and make plans not to fall off!

Happy New Year!

2009 is going to be great!

We always start out the new year with high expectations that it's going to be a great year and we're going to accomplish all the things this year that we couldn't get quite right last year. That's a good thing, because we keep trying. I think the key is to make yourself accountable. Last night my daughter asked everyone what their resolution for the new year was and then we decided we're going to start a new tradition. We're going to write our New Year's Resolution down and pack it away with our New Year's Eve decorations, horns and hats to be brought out next year. Then we can see how well we've done and we'll have a whole crowd to be accountable to!

I have to share that we put together one of the best spreads last night. It always comes together somehow when it's time to eat! Our favorite new additions (and lucky ones!) were pork shanks and saurkraut balls. The the pork shanks are grilled with barbeque sauce and are out of this world. The saurkraut balls were from Barley's in Columbus. They were to die for! The tradition to have saurkaut and pork on New's Years Day for good luck was something new to me when I moved to Ohio. I looked up the tradition and found some controversy about where it originated, but here's an interesting piece about New Year's Day food traditions. American New Year's traditions.