I am sharing this because I thought it was not only unique BUT if it works - what a great thing to pay forward - cash.
This year we're going to experience four unusual dates: 1/1/11, 1/11/11,11/1/11, 11/11/11 and that's not all...
Take the last two digits of the year in which you were born.
Now add the age you will be this year, and the result will be 111 for everyone!
This is the year of Money!!!
This year October will have 5 Sundays, 5 Mondays and 5 Saturdays.
This happens only every 823 years.
These particular years are known as 'Moneybags.'
The proverb goes that if you send this to eight good friends,money will appear in the next four days as is explained in Chinese feng-shui. Those who don't continue the chain won't receive, its a mystery, but its worth a try, good luck!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Just so true
Marriage or Relationship
With a Significant Other ...
If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never say it's not quite as good as his mother's
then adopt a dog.
If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour,
for as long and wherever you want ...
then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't care
about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies
...then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to
warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores
...then adopt a dog !
If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves
you unconditionally, perpetually ..
...then adopt a dog.
BUT, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair
all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness ....
...then adopt a cat!
You thought I was gonna say... marry a man, didn't you?
Send this to all the women you know to brighten their day.
Send this to all the men just to annoy them!
You...
.....have a GREAT Day!!!
With a Significant Other ...
If you want someone who will eat whatever you put in front of him and never say it's not quite as good as his mother's
then adopt a dog.
If you want someone always willing to go out, at any hour,
for as long and wherever you want ...
then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who will never touch the remote, doesn't care
about football, and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies
...then adopt a dog.
If you want someone who is content to get on your bed just to
warm your feet and whom you can push off if he snores
...then adopt a dog !
If you want someone who never criticizes what you do, doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly, fat or thin, young or old, who acts as if every word you say is especially worthy of listening to, and loves
you unconditionally, perpetually ..
...then adopt a dog.
BUT, on the other hand, if you want someone who will never come when you call, ignores you totally when you come home, leaves hair
all over the place, walks all over you, runs around all night and only comes home to eat and sleep, and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness ....
...then adopt a cat!
You thought I was gonna say... marry a man, didn't you?
Send this to all the women you know to brighten their day.
Send this to all the men just to annoy them!
You...
.....have a GREAT Day!!!
Monday, January 3, 2011
A reason, season or Lifetime
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime..
When you know which one it is, you will
know what to do for that
person..
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a
need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you
with guidance and support,
To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a God send and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be..
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an
end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire
fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been
answered and now it is time to move
on..
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has
come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real.. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional
foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson,
love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other
relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being a part of my life,
whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you know which one it is, you will
know what to do for that
person..
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a
need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you
with guidance and support,
To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a God send and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be..
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an
end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire
fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been
answered and now it is time to move
on..
Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has
come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real.. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional
foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson,
love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other
relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being a part of my life,
whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
This seemed appropriate to share today.
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
5 Reasons Why You Still Need a Real Estate Agent
The proliferation of services that help homebuyers and sellers complete their own real estate transactions is relatively recent, and it may have you wondering whether using a real estate agent is becoming a relic of a bygone era. While doing the work yourself can save you the significant commission rates many real estate agents command, for many, flying solo may not be the way to go--and could end up being more costly than a realtor's commission in the long run. Buying or selling a home is a major financial (and emotional) undertaking. Find out why you shouldn't discard the notion of hiring an agent just yet.
1. Better Access/More Convenience
A real estate agent's full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that he or she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents. Both the buyer's and seller's agent work full time as real estate agents and they know what needs to be done to get a deal together. For example, if you are looking to buy a home, a real estate agent will track down homes that meet your criteria, get in touch with sellers' agents and make appointments for you to view the homes. If you are buying on your own, you will have to play this telephone tag yourself. This may be especially difficult if you're shopping for homes that are for sale by owner.
Similarly, if you are looking to sell your home yourself, you will have to solicit calls from interested parties, answer questions and make appointments. Keep in mind that potential buyers are likely to move on if you tend to be busy or don't respond quickly enough. Alternatively, you may find yourself making an appointment and rushing home, only to find that no one shows up.
2. Negotiating Is Tricky Business
Many people don't like the idea of doing a real estate deal through an agent and feel that direct negotiation between buyers and sellers is more transparent and allows the parties to better look after their own best interests. This is probably true--assuming that both the buyer and seller in a given transaction are reasonable people who are able to get along. Unfortunately, this isn't always an easy relationship.
What if you, as a buyer, like a home but despise its wood-paneled walls, shag carpet and lurid orange kitchen? If you are working with an agent, you can express your contempt for the current owner's decorating skills and rant about how much it'll cost you to upgrade the home without insulting the owner. For all you know, the owner's late mother may have lovingly chosen the décor. Your real estate agent can convey your concerns to the sellers' agent. Acting as a messenger, the agent may be in a better position to negotiate a discount without ruffling the homeowner's feathers.
A real estate agent can also play the “bad guy” in a transaction, preventing the bad blood between a buyer and seller that can kill a deal. Keep in mind that a seller can reject a potential buyer's offer for any reason--including just because they hate his or her guts. An agent can help by speaking for you in tough transactions and smoothing things over to keep them from getting too personal. This can put you in a better position to get the house you want. The same is true for the seller, who can benefit from a hard-nosed real estate agent who will represent their interests without turning off potential buyers who want to niggle about the price.
3. Contracts Can Be Hard To Handle
If you decide to buy or sell a home, the offer to purchase contract is there to protect you and ensure that you are able to back out of the deal if certain conditions aren't met. For example, if you plan to buy a home with a mortgage but you fail to make financing one of the conditions of the sale--and you aren't approved for the mortgage--you can lose your deposit on the home and could even be sued by the seller for failing to fulfill your end of the contract.
An experienced real estate agent deals with the same contracts and conditions on a regular basis, and is familiar with which conditions should be used, when they can safely be removed and how to use the contract to protect you, whether you're buying or selling your home.
4. Real Estate Agents Can't Lie
Well, OK, actually they can. But because they are licensed professionals there are more repercussions if they do than for a private buyer or seller. If you are working with a licensed real estate agent under an agency agreement, (i.e., a conventional, full-service commission agreement in which the agent agrees to represent you), your agent will be bound by common law (in most states) to a fiduciary relationship. In other words, the agent is bound by license law to act in their clients' best interest (not his or her own).
In addition, most realtors rely on referrals and repeat business to build the kind of clientèle base they'll need to survive in the business. This means that doing what's best for their clients should be as important to them as any individual sale.
Finally, if you do find that your agent has gotten away with lying to you, you will have more avenues for recourse, such as through your agent's broker, professional association (such as the National Association Of Realtors) or possibly even in court if you can prove that your agent has failed to uphold his fiduciary duties.
When a buyer and seller work together directly, they can (and should) seek legal counsel, but because each is expected to act in his or her best interest, there isn't much you can do if you find out later that you've been duped about multiple offers or the home's condition. And having a lawyer on retainer any time you want to talk about potentially buying or selling a house could cost far more than an agent's commissions by the time the transaction is complete.
5. Not Everyone Can Save Money
Many people eschew using a real estate agent to save money, but keep in mind that it is unlikely that both the buyer and seller will reap the benefits of not having to pay commissions. For example, if you are selling your home on your own, you will price it based on the sale prices of other comparable properties in your area. Many of these properties will be sold with the help of an agent. This means that the seller gets the keep the percentage of the home's sale price that might otherwise be paid to the real estate agent.
However, buyers who are looking to purchase a home sold by owners may also believe they can save some money on the home by not having an agent involved. They might even expect it and make an offer accordingly. However, unless buyer and seller agree to split the savings, they can't both save the commission.
The Bottom Line
While there are certainly people who are qualified to sell their own homes, taking a quick look at the long list of frequently asked questions on most “for sale by owner” websites suggests the process isn't as simple as many people assume. And when you get into a difficult situation, it can really pay to have a professional on your side.
1. Better Access/More Convenience
A real estate agent's full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that he or she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents. Both the buyer's and seller's agent work full time as real estate agents and they know what needs to be done to get a deal together. For example, if you are looking to buy a home, a real estate agent will track down homes that meet your criteria, get in touch with sellers' agents and make appointments for you to view the homes. If you are buying on your own, you will have to play this telephone tag yourself. This may be especially difficult if you're shopping for homes that are for sale by owner.
Similarly, if you are looking to sell your home yourself, you will have to solicit calls from interested parties, answer questions and make appointments. Keep in mind that potential buyers are likely to move on if you tend to be busy or don't respond quickly enough. Alternatively, you may find yourself making an appointment and rushing home, only to find that no one shows up.
2. Negotiating Is Tricky Business
Many people don't like the idea of doing a real estate deal through an agent and feel that direct negotiation between buyers and sellers is more transparent and allows the parties to better look after their own best interests. This is probably true--assuming that both the buyer and seller in a given transaction are reasonable people who are able to get along. Unfortunately, this isn't always an easy relationship.
What if you, as a buyer, like a home but despise its wood-paneled walls, shag carpet and lurid orange kitchen? If you are working with an agent, you can express your contempt for the current owner's decorating skills and rant about how much it'll cost you to upgrade the home without insulting the owner. For all you know, the owner's late mother may have lovingly chosen the décor. Your real estate agent can convey your concerns to the sellers' agent. Acting as a messenger, the agent may be in a better position to negotiate a discount without ruffling the homeowner's feathers.
A real estate agent can also play the “bad guy” in a transaction, preventing the bad blood between a buyer and seller that can kill a deal. Keep in mind that a seller can reject a potential buyer's offer for any reason--including just because they hate his or her guts. An agent can help by speaking for you in tough transactions and smoothing things over to keep them from getting too personal. This can put you in a better position to get the house you want. The same is true for the seller, who can benefit from a hard-nosed real estate agent who will represent their interests without turning off potential buyers who want to niggle about the price.
3. Contracts Can Be Hard To Handle
If you decide to buy or sell a home, the offer to purchase contract is there to protect you and ensure that you are able to back out of the deal if certain conditions aren't met. For example, if you plan to buy a home with a mortgage but you fail to make financing one of the conditions of the sale--and you aren't approved for the mortgage--you can lose your deposit on the home and could even be sued by the seller for failing to fulfill your end of the contract.
An experienced real estate agent deals with the same contracts and conditions on a regular basis, and is familiar with which conditions should be used, when they can safely be removed and how to use the contract to protect you, whether you're buying or selling your home.
4. Real Estate Agents Can't Lie
Well, OK, actually they can. But because they are licensed professionals there are more repercussions if they do than for a private buyer or seller. If you are working with a licensed real estate agent under an agency agreement, (i.e., a conventional, full-service commission agreement in which the agent agrees to represent you), your agent will be bound by common law (in most states) to a fiduciary relationship. In other words, the agent is bound by license law to act in their clients' best interest (not his or her own).
In addition, most realtors rely on referrals and repeat business to build the kind of clientèle base they'll need to survive in the business. This means that doing what's best for their clients should be as important to them as any individual sale.
Finally, if you do find that your agent has gotten away with lying to you, you will have more avenues for recourse, such as through your agent's broker, professional association (such as the National Association Of Realtors) or possibly even in court if you can prove that your agent has failed to uphold his fiduciary duties.
When a buyer and seller work together directly, they can (and should) seek legal counsel, but because each is expected to act in his or her best interest, there isn't much you can do if you find out later that you've been duped about multiple offers or the home's condition. And having a lawyer on retainer any time you want to talk about potentially buying or selling a house could cost far more than an agent's commissions by the time the transaction is complete.
5. Not Everyone Can Save Money
Many people eschew using a real estate agent to save money, but keep in mind that it is unlikely that both the buyer and seller will reap the benefits of not having to pay commissions. For example, if you are selling your home on your own, you will price it based on the sale prices of other comparable properties in your area. Many of these properties will be sold with the help of an agent. This means that the seller gets the keep the percentage of the home's sale price that might otherwise be paid to the real estate agent.
However, buyers who are looking to purchase a home sold by owners may also believe they can save some money on the home by not having an agent involved. They might even expect it and make an offer accordingly. However, unless buyer and seller agree to split the savings, they can't both save the commission.
The Bottom Line
While there are certainly people who are qualified to sell their own homes, taking a quick look at the long list of frequently asked questions on most “for sale by owner” websites suggests the process isn't as simple as many people assume. And when you get into a difficult situation, it can really pay to have a professional on your side.
Friday, February 26, 2010
A poem for all Moms
My youngest daughter Stacey has 2 very young children as I believe I mentioned in an earlier post. Lucas was born January 2008 and Paige was born December 2008 - yes, this is no typo error, you read it perfectly.
Stacey had some concern because her house wasn't as "tidy" as she would have liked it to be. Seriously, how can it possibly always be tidy with 2 little people under 2 years of age playing, eating and requiring a whole lot of care in between and just plain living in the house.
I had remembered reading the poem below somewhere, so did a google search and want to send it out to all the overwhelmed Mom's out there - children always come first!! Post this poem on your fridge and take pride in putting your children ahead of everything else. They will never thank you as a teenager, that I can attest to, but once they get into their twenties or start having babies of their own, they will definitely recognize all you did for them and thanks will come your way!
Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are every where.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the doors;
I should apologize I guess
For toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children
And we played and laughed and read,
And if the doorbell doesn't shine,
Their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I'm forced to
Choose the one job or the other,
I want to be a housewife...
But first I'll be a mother.
Being a "Mother" is never anything to be ashamed of! Keep up the good work ladies!
Stacey had some concern because her house wasn't as "tidy" as she would have liked it to be. Seriously, how can it possibly always be tidy with 2 little people under 2 years of age playing, eating and requiring a whole lot of care in between and just plain living in the house.
I had remembered reading the poem below somewhere, so did a google search and want to send it out to all the overwhelmed Mom's out there - children always come first!! Post this poem on your fridge and take pride in putting your children ahead of everything else. They will never thank you as a teenager, that I can attest to, but once they get into their twenties or start having babies of their own, they will definitely recognize all you did for them and thanks will come your way!
Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are every where.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the doors;
I should apologize I guess
For toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children
And we played and laughed and read,
And if the doorbell doesn't shine,
Their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I'm forced to
Choose the one job or the other,
I want to be a housewife...
But first I'll be a mother.
Being a "Mother" is never anything to be ashamed of! Keep up the good work ladies!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Feeding the deer
I thought I would share this with you because I just found out a couple of veggies that I assume deer do not like.
I have always been crazy wild about animals - every one I can think of I guess. BUT for some reason deer have always held a huge fascination for me. Wherever we are driving, my eyes are scanning the treeline trying to catch site of a deer or two. When I finally get lucky enough to see one, others driving with me would think I have won a small lottery or something. I stop, back up, if I have any food in the car, it's theirs.
Last year, we spotted a deer yard in Rusagonis and every evening I made the trek down with bags full of apples, bread, carrots - whatever I could find. I honestly believe they got to know my car because they didn't leap away from me so quickly as time went on.
This year, I started to put the apples etc. in my back yard for a couple of reasons - standing on the side of the road feeding them was putting them and myself in danger (my yard backs on to a good sized forest therefore making sure they were not crossing the road) and hoping to get a closer, longer look at them while being able to see them feed being the most important one.
I go to Stirlings in Saint John and they actually sell "deer apples" a 20 lb bag for $5.00 I am not sure why they refer to them as "deer apples" but each time I go, they always say to me "you're not going to eat them yourself or cook with them are you"?. I assume they must be apples picked up from the ground after harvest because they have assured me they are safe for the deer to eat.
Anyway, I have been putting the food out for a little over a month, and just keep adding to it, but this morning when I went out, a bit of snow had melted at the very side of the tree (we have large trees out back and one has three or 4 limbs that are widespread at the bottom, making a nice "dish" to set everything in) and very close to the base of the tree sitting there rotting were celery and broccoli - everything else was gone!!!
If you are also into deer feeding, please make sure it is in a safe spot as not to cause undue harm to the deer or people driving past their feeding spot. I make sure there is something fresh there each day for them and unfortunately have not spotted them yet, only their footprints as verification but that's ok. I know sometime in the night, someone is out there having a midnite snack.
Also, don't bother buying the celery and broccoli if it is deer you are trying to attract - spend the money on apples, that seems to be their favourite and we know apples are healthy for them as well.
I have always been crazy wild about animals - every one I can think of I guess. BUT for some reason deer have always held a huge fascination for me. Wherever we are driving, my eyes are scanning the treeline trying to catch site of a deer or two. When I finally get lucky enough to see one, others driving with me would think I have won a small lottery or something. I stop, back up, if I have any food in the car, it's theirs.
Last year, we spotted a deer yard in Rusagonis and every evening I made the trek down with bags full of apples, bread, carrots - whatever I could find. I honestly believe they got to know my car because they didn't leap away from me so quickly as time went on.
This year, I started to put the apples etc. in my back yard for a couple of reasons - standing on the side of the road feeding them was putting them and myself in danger (my yard backs on to a good sized forest therefore making sure they were not crossing the road) and hoping to get a closer, longer look at them while being able to see them feed being the most important one.
I go to Stirlings in Saint John and they actually sell "deer apples" a 20 lb bag for $5.00 I am not sure why they refer to them as "deer apples" but each time I go, they always say to me "you're not going to eat them yourself or cook with them are you"?. I assume they must be apples picked up from the ground after harvest because they have assured me they are safe for the deer to eat.
Anyway, I have been putting the food out for a little over a month, and just keep adding to it, but this morning when I went out, a bit of snow had melted at the very side of the tree (we have large trees out back and one has three or 4 limbs that are widespread at the bottom, making a nice "dish" to set everything in) and very close to the base of the tree sitting there rotting were celery and broccoli - everything else was gone!!!
If you are also into deer feeding, please make sure it is in a safe spot as not to cause undue harm to the deer or people driving past their feeding spot. I make sure there is something fresh there each day for them and unfortunately have not spotted them yet, only their footprints as verification but that's ok. I know sometime in the night, someone is out there having a midnite snack.
Also, don't bother buying the celery and broccoli if it is deer you are trying to attract - spend the money on apples, that seems to be their favourite and we know apples are healthy for them as well.
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