Had to smile at several of these…. If I Didn't Have A Dog Or Cat ... I could walk barefoot around the yard in safety. My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated. All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be hair-free. When the doorbell rings, my home wouldn't sound like a kennel. When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through all the fuzzy bodies who beat me there. I could sit on the couch and my bed any way I wanted, without having to take into consideration how much space several fur bodies need to get comfortable. I would have enough money, and no guilt, to go on a real vacation. I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college. The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: "out," "sit," "down", "come," "no," "stay," and "leave it ALONE." My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates and makeshift barriers. I would not talk 'baby talk'. 'Eat your din din'. 'Yummy Yummy for the tummy'... My house would not look like a day care center, with toys everywhere. My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash. I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, O-U-T, G-O, R-I-D-E, S-U-P-P-E-R, and C-O-O-K-I-E. I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside. I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much. I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season. I would not have to answer the question: 'Why do you have so many animals?' from people who will never know the joy of being loved unconditionally by the closest thing to an angel they will ever encounter . How EMPTY my life would be!!! -- I wish you sunsets to warm your heart & friendships to brighten your being!

Delicious Truffles

I just have to share this recipe. I made these at Christmas time and my son-in-law loved them so much I decided to make them for him as a special birthday treat. They almost didn't make it to him because my Daughter Stacey, who is expecting their third child in April came to pick them up for him and threatened not to tell him about them at all! I had to tell my granddaughter Paige (age 3) to make sure she told her Daddy when she got home that Nanny made him chocolates.

This is so simple AND so yummy. A bit time consuming but when doing it for friends or family, what is a little bit of time?

Cheesecake truffles
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg.  (16.6 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 4-1/4 cups), divided
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
make it

MIX cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended.
SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.
kraft kitchens tips
HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATE
Place unwrapped chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted, stirring every 30 sec.
HOW TO EASILY DIP TRUFFLES
To easily coat truffles with the melted chocolate, add truffles, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Use 2 forks to roll truffles in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove truffles with forks, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place truffles on prepared baking sheet; let stand until firm.
HOW TO STORE
Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.


Next time I may try peanut butter cookies .
Enjoy, Kathy

"Paying It Forward" Referral Network

I am so pleased to be writing this post because I have finally been able to accomplish my greatest goal and that is to start a Re/Max "Paying It Forward" Referral Network. I am presently still working on recruitment but am happy to tell you that I have recruited 20 Re/Maxers across Canada. The areas covered to date include - Edmonton, Cold Lake, Suffield, Victoria, Comox, Winnipeg, Saint John, Moncton, Greenwood, Barrie, Petawawa, Trenton, Kingston, Sainte Foy and of course my home town of Fredericton. If you are planning to sell your present home or purchase a new home any where in Canada - I can make a call and have you in touch with a Re/Maxer immediately. If they are not in the "Paying It Forward" Referral Network - they soon will be.

What is the "Paying It Forward" Referral Network all about. We will make a contribution on behalf of our clients to a charity and the tax receipts will be sent to you. Personally, I alternate my donations to the Food Bank and SPCA. I have two locations for these charities in my area, The Fredericton Food Bank and SPCA and the Oromocto Food Bank and SPCA. I have given each location specific areas. So in regards to which location the sale was in, I then alternate the donation between the two charities listed above.

Some of the other Re/Maxers have their own preferred charities but as long as they are "Paying It Forward" charities will benefit.

You can pay it forward in your own life everyday. It doesn't have to be money, it can be a picture, a joke, a kind thought - anything you think might possibly bring a smile to someone's face.

Appreciate the people in your life. I hope everyone finds something to smile at each day.

Happy New Year

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. I hope everything good comes to everyone. Please do not forget - if you have the opportunity to "Pay It Forward" in any way possible, please do so. It is a great feeling to be able to give. It does not have to cost you anything, a smile, a joke you share, a great picture or just give someone a helpful hand if they need it. Working together is what makes the world go round! Take Care, Kathy

Thank you to all

I just want to take the time to thank everyone for helping me distribute 14 payments this last quarter to the Fredericton Food Bank, Fredericton SPCA, Oromocto Food Bank and The Oromocto SPCA. I couldn't have accomplished that on my last quarter without the help of my clients and the great support staff at Re/Max Group Four Realty.

I have received two great letters and a thank you card from the above charities thanking me - but it is you, my clients who made that happen.

I have made a few more "Pay It Forward" monetary contributions to individuals that would prefer their names not be added to the list - but what I wanted to share in regards to this, I have asked those individuals to "Pay It Forward" in the future when they are in the position to do so.

I just love the idea of "Paying It Forward". It doesn't have to be monetary. A great joke, a noval idea or as I have mentioned before - pay forward those books you have already read. Start a library at your office and share those books between other coworkers. There are lots of ways to Pay It Forward - giving a little of yourself to someone in need is just a great thing to do and the feelings a person can feel at helping others can be extremely satisfactory and give you that special glow.

Something that you can pay forward to other people on a daily basis is just a smile - it lights up your face and someone elses as well! Give it a try today.

Again, thank you to everyone that supported me in my Professional Career as a Sales Associate with Re/Max Group Four Realty and thank you for making it possible to help the above charities as well as the IWK (a contribution on every sale is made to the IWK) and we also sponsor the Re/Max Relay for life.

Have a wonderful week!
Kathy

A Fallen Soldier

As most of you know, my son-in-law is in the Military. I also have a number of family members and a number of very special clients serving our Country as well. When I read this email a family member sent to me, I had to share it with you. We should be thankful for the members dedication and the families of our military members understanding and all they give up for their family member to PROTECT US.

The story begins:

My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they military?" I asked.

'Yes', she said.

'Is there an escort?' I asked.

'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.

'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early," I said..

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.

'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia ,' he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He
left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son,husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia.
The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do. 'I'm on it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.
Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a
secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I
saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft.
The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'
I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told
that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to
make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was
clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane.

They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in Canada.

yeahhhh Teachers!!

I had to share this one - my husband is a Vice Principal (God love him) and I thought it would certainly bring a smile to a few faces.


According to a news report, a certain private school in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs was recently faced with an unusual problem.

A number of the girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the of bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.


Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back. Finally the Headmistress decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).


To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.


He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet bowl, and cleaned the mirror with it. The silence was broken by a large number of gasps, a few girls vomited and apparently someone fainted. Since then there have been no lip prints on the mirror.


There are teachers . . . And then there are educators.