Once upon a time a women wrote a contract. The contract was with a couple who seemed normal….emphasis on seemed. This woman bought contract for deed/land contract....as in where the owners of the property act as the bank.  It started out innocently enough, the contract was written, the trasaction closed and the woman moved in.  The night of the move in the lady met her “bank” for the first time. They came to the door unannounced and introduce themselves and they seemed nice and normal. They also pressed her to do direct withdrawl of the contract payment every month. They didn’t ask, they TOLD her that this was the way it was going to be. It was not in the contract that it was to be this way, but she agreed to do it anyway to keep the peace. Two days later when she hadn’t had time to sh... 09/04/2012

 In the heart of the city just a stones throw from downtown I have found a awesome new lunch spot. Azteca Mexican Restaurant has an extensive menu consisting of fajitas, burritos, tostadoas and enchiladas. Prices are very reasonable and portions are generous. So far my favorite dish is the Beef or Chicken Flautas. Served with refired beans, rice, and coleslaw it makes for a tasty lunch. Everything tried to date has been really good and all entrees are also served with chips and salsa. Take out is available as well.  One of my other favorite things here is the fried ice cream. With a large portion this is a good item to share with a friend.  Azteca Mexican Restaurant also has domestic and import beer and mixed drinks. Azteca Mexican Restaurant opened in July of 2009 and is locally owned... 01/17/2012

 Leave your oversized furniture in small rooms. Leave that gaudy wallpaper. Leave the dog during showings. Leave a tenant. Leave in that green shag carpet. Smoke like a chimney. Leave a smell....cat, dog, urine, etc. Leave that room painted black. Add the commission of top of the price you have to have. Add a 24hr showing notice. Leave deferred maintenance for the next guy. Leave dog doo all over the yard. Leave a bunch of clutter. Add the price of all the improvements you have done to the home on top of the price paid when you paid for it. Refuse to have a sign in the yard. Refuse to have open houses. Refuse to keep your home clean. Refuse to fix small things found in homeowners inspection. Turn off utilities and have no heat. A foot and a half of snow on the sidewalk is okay. Get a R... 01/14/2012

January 13, 2012 Doors open at 5pm with a style show at 5:30  shopping begins 6pm January 14, 2012 Doors open at 9am-3 Prices range from $50-300 with the average price being $150.00 Mostly new with some gently worn dresses. All sizes. Over 1000 dresses available. Cash or Check Only.  This is a Benefit for the Lennox ,SD After Prom Party so come out and support them and save some $$$.  Benefit will be held at  Second Reformed Church 1017 South Elm Street  Lennox, SD 57039    01/13/2012

We all love our pooches! What is not to love? All of those sweet wagging tails and those sloppy puppy kisses just melt our hearts right?! Well there is ONE thing not to love. Landmines....AKA dog logs, nuggets, droppings can leave your yard looking, well less then stellar. But never fear the DooGooders are here! At DooGooders their actual motto is “we doo poo.” DooGooders will come to you home and take away all that your dog can dish out. They offer one time service or weekly retrieval. So if you don't do doo and you want someone who does check out DooGooders. DooGooders is perfect to do doo cleanup prior to listing your property as well. DooGooders is a Sioux Falls locally owned business who also gives back to their community. Seven percent of each purchase is given back to local char... 01/08/2012

I have a penchant for vintage things. Old clothes, old music, old furniture, old books all will catch my eye. So the other day on Facebook when I noticed a friend had liked a new vintage store I got all excited. So I took the afternoon off and discovered Aviena. Aviena is a curious little shop with a mix of old and new pieces. With a good section of vintage clothes and shoes, vintage jewelry and repurposed furniture it was a very interesting shop. It also had along with the vintage a selection of newer stuff to keep it interesting. Aviena is a consignment store so you can bring in your treasures to resell if you so choose as well. On top of consignments there is also South Dakota local artisans that bring in some really great products. I snapped some pictures to give you a better idea ... 12/30/2011

As a Realtor I frequently work with people who need or need to get rid of furniture. The downsizing client who is moving from a four bedroom house into a condo who needs furniture to disappear fast. The first time home buyer who is moving out of an apartment into a house with not much more then a bed. While you can sell it yourself this is not  always convenient if you are working and have no time. You also may not be comfortable with giving out your address and dealing with those that haggle on price.  Having a garage sale in the throes of moving is also not feasible in most cases. It is to serve this need that Resale Living is here to help!  Resale Living is a furniture consignment store that accepts most anything that you would need to furnish a house. All items must be stain free, ... 12/21/2011

  Do you drink raw milk? I have been for four years now and I don't intend to stop. Raw milk is just milk straight from the cow. Conventional milk is pasteurized, homogenized and comes from cows injected with hormones and antibiotics. Conventional dairy cows are also fed a grain based diet to up their milk production.  Pasteurization warms the milk to a temperature that kills bacteria but which also kills good enzymes in the milk as well. Homogenization puts the milk in a centrifuge and spins it to permanently mix the fat globules in the rest of the milk. Hormones and antibiotics are said to pass through into the milk. Cows fed a grain based diet also contain a different biological makeup to their milk. So these things that conventional dairies do to milk alters it from its intended st... 12/14/2011

RASE November 2011 Housing Market Statistical Reporting   Sioux Falls, SD – December  9, 2011: Home prices are one of the most popular barometers of market vitality, yet they only tell part of the story. Soft prices may accompany improvements in other indicators such as purchase demand, absorption rates, seller concessions or market times. Regional, market-wide prices fall short by not recognizing the mix of homes that close each month, be it weighted toward single-family, lender-mediated or new construction. In addition, price movements often lag changes elsewhere in the marketplace. Let's see what the preferred market yardstick has measured for November 2011.   New Listings in the Sioux Empire region decreased 14.6 percent to 287. Pending Sales were down 13.9 percent to 180. Inventor... 12/09/2011

  One of my favorite things to do every holiday season is to load the kids up in the car and go out and look at Christmas lights. I pack up hot chocolate in a thermos and butter cookies in a tin. Then we tune in the all Christmas channel on the radio here in Sioux Falls and we are off! Sioux Falls has Christmas spirit in abundance in many different areas. Here is a list of the major holiday lanes in Sioux Falls.    1. 300 North LaSalle Ave-single family home decked out in the extreme!   2. 3209 E. 20th St.- Nativity Display   3. Penguin Lane is located off of E 20th or 21st (this is very close to the display above)   4. St. Francis Lane- done in blue and white this is just beautiful to see!   5. Fireside Ave-located one block west of 57th and Southestern)- has a very cute fireplace them... 12/08/2011

From now through Christmas Eve in the Empire Mall there is help for the gift wrap challenged. The Sioux Falls Children's Inn is waiting for you outside of Macy's to wrap up your treasures. All proceeds from the gift wrapping booth will go to the Children's Inn.  Children's Inn is a private and non-profit organization founded in 1977 to provide free services to victims of domestic violence and child abuse and neglect. Services are not just limited to these areas but also extend to elder abuse, sexual assault and dating violence. Areas of service are Minnehaha, McCook, Lincoln, Turner, and Union counties in SD and other areas depending on need. The main goal of Children's Inn is to offer the opportunity of a new begining for the victims and thus break the cycle of violence and abuse. Ple... 12/07/2011

What started out in 2006 as one man going a little crazy with his Christmas lights has turned into a huge display at the Western Mall in Sioux Falls. Christmas at the Western Mall is what has become of Joe Noe’s Crooks Community Christmas. Starting out in 2006 the show was a fundraiser for the SD Make A Wish Foundation, which entailed a light and sound show at Noe’s personal residence in Crooks, SD. As the event grew bigger and bigger year after year the lines grew to the point that it would take hours to get to the actual house. Noe actually sold his house which prompted the move into Sioux Falls and the Western Mall for the 2010 show. Since that move the display has gone inside and does now not have to deal with weather issues or lack of accessibility. Hours of operation are 5:30-9:30... 12/04/2011

On a road trip this summer with my girls I happened upon a tiny general store in a tiny town called Nora. Nora, SD population 5 according to the sign. As a former history major I had to get out and take a picture of the general store that is nearly unchanged from the early 1900’s. As I was snapping away a gentleman walked right out of the building and asked me if I wanted to come in and take a look around. And this is how I met Mike Pedersen the main driving force behind Christmas at Nora.   Pederson bought the old Nora general store and started the Christmas celebration 22 years ago. The Christmas season starts the first weekend after Thanksgiving when people from near and far drive to Nora for caroling in the old general store. Christmas at Nora will happen this Sunday December 4, 20... 12/03/2011

It is that time of year and time is running out if you want to go to Christmas at The Cathedral. This highly acclaimed community Christmas celebration will occur December 15-18, 2011 at the newly renovated St. Joseph Cathedral.   Order tickets soon because seating is limited and some shows are already sold out! Proceeds from this years event will go towards the continued restoration of beautiful St. Joseph’s Cathedral. To see my series of the restoration of St. Joseph Catherdal part one http://e3a9891.activerain.com/post/2442946/st-joseph-cathedral-sioux-falls-sd-part-one part two http://activerain.com/blogsview/2446236/st-joseph-cathedral-sioux-falls-sd-part-two   For information and to purchase tickets, contact the Catholic Foundation Office toll free at 1-888-246-3386, (605) 988-376... 12/03/2011

There is something about instrumental music that stirs my soul. Add Christmas to that equation and it just gets better! So I am excited to announce that the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra is having a Holiday Collage on December 9-11, 2011 at the Washington Pavilion.  With selections from Beethoven to Bizet to the Beatles it should be an interesting night. See you there! For more information or to purchase tickets https://boxoffice.washingtonpavilion.org/Online/ 12/03/2011

A Christmas tradition at our house every year is to get a real tree. I have tried every variety known to man over the years. From Scotch Pines, to Douglas Firs to White Firs to Fraser Firs I have gave them a go. What I have found is that a Fraser Fir is the only tree for me.          With the superb needle retention and a scent that is not overpowering it has been our Christmas tree of choice for years. Our other Christmas tradition has been to get our tree from Baumgartner Trees and Landscaping Inc. They are conveniently located next door to the Sioux Falls Arena at 1701 W. Madison St.  Baumgartner’s has trees aplenty as well as wreaths and poinsettias.  They also flock trees as well if you would like a little snow. So if you are in need of a fresh tree go down and pick one up. Baumga... 12/03/2011

It was a beautiful balmy night and people showed up in droves for the 20th Annual Sioux Falls Parade Of Lights in downtown Sioux Falls. Here are some photos that I took to share with those that did not get to go! I am also working on editing the video that I did as well which I will post to my Youtube channel and Rosalie's Reflections a bit later! Happy Holidays Everyone! 11/26/2011

11/22/2011

A Black Friday tradition twenty years in the making is coming right up! Sioux Falls 20th Annual Parade of Lights is coming up on November 25, 2011 starting at 7:30PM. The parade starts at 14th and Phillips Ave and snakes up Phillips Ave. to 5th St. With the high speculated to be 50 degrees on Friday it will be the perfect day too.   In celebration of the event’s 20th year there will also be professional fireworks during the event. An awards ceremony will follow the parade at the Holiday Inn City Centre. Hot apple cider and cookies will be available during the awards ceremony. Awards will be given in five categories: 1. Best Use Of Lights 2. Best Workmanship 3.  Spirit Of Sioux Falls 4. Mayor’s Choice 5. Downtown Sioux Falls Award.  For parking during the parade, consider trying the a r... 11/21/2011

The year was 1948 and the United States was reeling from a housing shortage from GIs coming back home from WW2. Enter Chicago entrepreneur, Carl Strandlund who come up with the ingenious idea of using surplus steel from WW2 to solve the problem. Thus was born the Lustron Steel home. Built from 1949-1950 the Lustron was built of steel prefabricated panels. The Lustron was said to be three times more sturdy then a frame home and was said to be rodent-proof. Lustrons were built on a stab foundation and varied from 800-1200 sq ft. Inside and outside walls were made of the porcelain-enameled steel and there were different color schemes for the inside and outside areas. Lustrons also used many built-ins to make the best use of space. The Lustron also used radiant panel heat in order to keep ... 11/20/2011