Spring Cleaning Tips for cleaning your windows   After the long winter months, I am eager to have my windows clean and shining and letting all that beautiful sunshine in.  Of course in my neck of the woods, we are still having above average rainfall, so it might be a bit yet before I get to wash my windows.  However, when the rain stops I will be ready to go, thanks to some wonderful tips that I read on TLC's website.   Here are a few of the ideas that they had...     - Wash one side of a window with horizontal strokes and the other side with vertical strokes so you can pinpoint which side of the window has a streak. - Use a squeegee on a long handle or a spong/squeegee combination to prevent streaks on large windows. - Wash your windows on a cloudy day.  Direct sunlight dries cleani... 04/07/2011

  Here is a quick look at what it going on in the real estate market in our area, zip code 98042... There are currently 252 homes for sale with prices ranging from under $100,000 to over 2 million. 1 and 2-bedrooms homes for sale:  9 3 bedroom homes for sale:  113 4 bedroom homes for sale:  106 5+ bedroom homes for sale:  24   There were 52 homes that sold in March, 2011.   43 were re-sale homes and  9 was new construction. A further breakout shows what type of homes sold..,. New Construction:  17% Bank Owned:  40% Short Sales:  13.5% Regular Re-sales:  29.5%   The average sale price was $241,000             Low sales price was:  $30,000             High sales price was:  $465,000   *These are sales listed in the MLS only, it does not reflect any private sales.   04/03/2011

    Happy Friday!   I hope that everyone is having a nice end to their week and a good beginning to April.  Here in the PNW we are so ready for a new month.  March 2011 went down as one of the wettest in history.  I think we can skip the April showers and just go straight to the May flowers 'round these parts! Hopefully you are having a wonderful spring.  And if you are, don't be greedy - send some our way :) Enjoy this weeks selection of quotes, have a fabulous weekend and I will see you next week.   ...geri                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   If we worry, we don't trust; if we trust we don't worry.  Worry does not empty tomorrow of its grief, but it does empty today of its joy.  ~James Kurtz       History will be... 04/01/2011

                                       MARCH is...                     American Red Cross Month     Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, the American Red Cross has been the nation's premier emergency response organization.  The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nations blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.  The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The American Red Cross is where people mobolize to help thier neighbors - across the street, across the country and across the w... 03/28/2011

  Happy Friday to all!   I hope this finds everyone having a nice day.  Things are getting back to normal in my corner of the world.  Thank you so much for all the kind words, thoughts and prayers over the last few weeks - you have no idea what that meant to me.  It has not been easy, but knowing that my mom is in a better place helps get me through. Below is this weeks selection of quotes.  Enjoy and I will see you again next Friday. ...geri   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We need to understand that thoughts are tools.  Are we using them as productively as we can?  Are our thoughts serving us well, or are we their victims?   ~Dr. Tom Morris       Envy can be a positive motivator.  Let it inspire you to work harder for what you want.  ~Robert Br... 03/25/2011

  National Poison Prevention Week March 20 - 26th   Safety for your family and loved ones is always important, and since it is National Poison Prevention Week it seems a good time to take a moment to talk about a few basic tips to keep everyone safe.   BE PREPARED - Call 9-1-1 if someone won't wake up, is having trouble breathing or is having seizures. - If the person seems okay, but you think they may have taken poison, call 1-800-222-1222. - Have smoke alarm and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors near the bedrooms.       PROTECT YOUNG CHILDREN - Keep all medicines in a cabinet with a child safety lock on it. - Store dangerous products away from food and drinks. - Have child safety caps on all chemicals, medications and cleaning products. - Keep medicines and cleaning products in their or... 03/24/2011

    Happy Friday to all.   I hope that your day is going well and your week is wrapping up nicely.  Any big weekend plans?  If so, remember this is the weekend that we "spring forward" so you will need to move your clocks up one hour Saturday night/Sunday morning.   First off I wanted to let you know that my mother passed away, she died on Tuesday morning.    The funeral is next Thursday, so we fly out on Wednesday the 16th and return Sunday the 20th.  Therefore, I won't be doing my normal "Weekly words of Wisdom" next week.  So I have lots to share this week to hold you over :)   Enjoy this weeks selection of quotes, and I'll see you in two weeks.   ...geri   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~    You don't stop lau... 03/11/2011

    Happy Friday to all!    I hope that your week is wrapping up nicely.  Here is another snow picture that I took last week when we had our winter blast.  No more snow since then, just 30's and 40's and rain - a little chillier than normal, but pretty typical for these parts. Enjoy the quotes this week and I'll see you next Friday. ...geri   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.  ~Marion c. Garretty         Yesterday is ashes.  Tomorrow is green wood.  Only today does the fire burn brightly.  ~ Eskimo Saying         In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.  ~Albert Camus           And lastly, in honor of Dr. Suess... 03/04/2011

  Here is a quick look at what it going on in the real estate market in our area, zip code 98042... There are currently 253 homes for sale with prices ranging from well under $100,000 to just over 2 million. 1 and 2-bedrooms homes for sale:  10 3 bedroom homes for sale:  124 4 bedroom homes for sale:  102 5+ bedroom homes for sale:  17   There were 21 homes that sold in February, 2011.   16 were re-sale homes and  5 was new construction. A further breakout shows what type of homes sold..,. New Construction:  24% Bank Owned:  57% Short Sales:  5% Regular Re-sales:  14%   The average sale price was $233,308             Low sales price was:  $82,500             High sales price was:  $355,000   *These are sales listed in the MLS only, it does not reflect any private sales. 03/01/2011

    HAPPY FRIDAY!   Yep, if I am loading up my selections of quotes for the week is must be Friday. I hope your week has been nice.  I had a fabulous week,  Old Man Winter made a stop at my house,  finally!    We had a big snow event right before Thanksgiving, but sense then...   zip, nothing, nadda! Well I am excited to say, right before winters end, we got one last blast of the white stuff.  All good things come to those who wait :)    This is one of the many pictures I captures while it was coming down yesterday.  I was lucky enough to be snuggled in at my cabin when the white stuff started coming down, and it is just beautiful. I think a late February snow is so perfect.  You get all the beauty that the winter season has to offer, yet you know that it won't last long and spring is ... 02/25/2011

  I just received an email from a friend sharing about a woman named Maya Angelou.  She was turning 70 and was being interviewed by Oprah.  Oprah asked her what she thought about growing older, and her response was that it was exciting. When Oprah asked her about body changes, she said there were many occuring every day... like her breasts.  They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist first.  She is an inspiring woman and there is much wisdom in her words.  She went to say... 'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.''I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.''I've learned that ... 02/23/2011

PRESIDENT'S DAY...   Since today is President's Day, I thought I might share some fun facts that I have come across.  Here goes...   Chances are you know that Barack Obama is the 44th president. But did you know he's only the 43rd person to hold the office? That's because Grover Cleveland was elected to two non-consecutive terms as president - so he's listed as the 22nd and the 24th president. As a result, the number of people who held office is actually one less than the number of presidents the United States has had.   First president to live in the White House?  Officially, John Adams became the first president to live in the presidential residence that we know as the White House. However, when he moved into the residence during 1800, it wasn't called the White House. Instead, it wa... 02/21/2011

  Happy Friday!   I hope that your week is ending on a nice note.  Mine sure is, this is the scene in my backyard just a bit ago.  My husband called me to come upstairs and this is what I saw :)    I was just working on this post and looking through my pictures trying to decide what to use this week and voila, there was my answer!!  Enjoy the holiday weekend, enjoy the quotes and I'll see you next Friday! ...geri ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   My mind is a garden.  My thoughts are the seeds.  My harvest will be either flower or weeds.     ~Mel Weldon       We all have two choices:  We can make a living or we can design a life.  ~Unknown       We all need lots of powerful long-range goals to help us past the short-term obstacles.  ~Unknown   ... 02/18/2011

      Happy Friday to all!    I hope this finds everyone having a wonderful Friday.  And a Happy Valentine's Day too!    I am sorry I missed y'all last week, but I am happy to report that "Operation Birthday" can be summed up in one word...  SUCCESS!!   Di and Chris did make it to town as planned and a good time was had by all.  With the hug snowstorm that hit the midwest mid week last week we were pretty nervous about whether or not they would make it.  Flights were canceled all over the place on Wednesday, but by the time they flew out on Thursday their flight out of Indy and their connection were on time!!!  :)   Joe (my husband) was totally surprised, which was very fun, and we just had a fabulous weekend.  However, I do think that I've spent much of this week trying to catch up on... 02/11/2011

  Valentine's Day is a ray of sunshine after so many months of chilly, rainy and gray days.    Here are some interesting facts regarding February 14th that I found on various websites...   - The first Valentine's Day card was sent in 1415.  - This year it is estimated that people will send more than 1 billion Valentine's Day cards.  That is the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas. - Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards. - Hearts, cupids, roses and birds are international symbols of love. - 110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period. - California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the vast number sold on Valentine's Day in the US are imported, mostly from South America. - 73% of peop... 02/10/2011

Super Bowl XLV (45) Are you ready for the big day?  Is the TV set?  Do you have food and drink for all?  If you need to brush up on your trivia facts, so you can look oh so smart with all your family and friends, check out Super Bowl Trivia.  You can test your knowledge of the records, the MVP's, Stadiums, random facts and more.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did you know that the attendance at Super Bowl I was 61,946. In 1970 a player on the winning team received $15,000. Detroit hosted the first Super Bowl in the northern half of the country. The Buffalo Bills played in every Super Bowl from 1991-1994, but they lost all of them. The first Super Bowl was played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The City of Miami has played host to ten Super Bowls. The Dalls Cowboys were penalized a record 133 yards... 02/04/2011

  Here is a quick look at what it going on in the real estate market in our area, zip code 98042... There are currently 263 homes for sale with prices ranging from just under $100,000 to just under 3 million. 1 and 2-bedrooms homes for sale:  13 3 bedroom homes for sale:  123 4 bedroom homes for sale:  106 5+ bedroom homes for sale:  21   There were 26 homes that sold in January, 2011.   23 were re-sale homes and  3 was new construction. A further breakout shows what type of homes sold..,. New Construction:  11.5% Bank Owned:  34.5% Short Sales:  27% Regular Re-sales:  27%   The average sale price was $219,638             Low sales price was:  $92,500             High sales price was:  $417,000   *These are sales listed in the MLS only, it does not reflect any private sales. 02/02/2011

    With the tax credits in place at the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 we saw more activity late in the year in 2009 and early in the year in 2010.  But overall the two years were very similar.      In 2010...              King county had 16,640 single family homes sell and the median sale price was $375,000.              Pierce county had 7,693 single family homes sell and the median price was $219,950.              Snohomish county had 7,092 single family homes sell and the median price was $275,000.   In 2009...             King county had 16,022 single family homes sell and the median sale price was $380,000.             Pierce county had 7,859 single family homes sell and the median price was $229,160.             Snohomish county had 6,644 single family homes sell and the ... 01/29/2011

  Happy Friday to all!   I hope this finds everyone having a splendid Friday.  While much of the US is still feeling very winter like (my niece said that Central Park got about 20 inches of snow again) we've been feeling more spring like the last few days here in my neck of the woods.  Lots of sun, which for January is a rare occurrence for us, and highs in the 50's.  Thus I chose this picture of some flowers on my table to share with you this week.  I wanted to let you that I won't be sharing any quotes next Friday.  My husband's birthday is coming up and I've been working on a surprise for him.  I've dubbed it "Operation Birthday" and I am happy to say it will commence next Thurday the 3rd and run pretty much through Super Bowl.  So enjoy this weeks selction of quotes and I'll see yo... 01/28/2011

Fire Safety Tips Every year in America, over 4,000 people die and more than 20,000 people are injured in fires.   And what is sad is that often many of these fires, deaths and injuries could have been prevented with a few simple safety measures.  To keep your family safe, you'll need to concentrate on four areas:  education, prevention, detection and response.  Many of these fire safety tips are common sense, and you've no doubt thought of and implemented some of them.  But some may have slipped your notice.   The good news is that many of these tips cost nothing, are easy to do, and don't take much time.  Here is the list that I found on Stillman's Fire website: 1.  Crawl low under smoke to your nearest exit - If you have to escape a fire through smoke, crawl low, keeping your head 12... 01/26/2011