Thursday, January 31, 2008

THE PARTY'S OVER

The deposit check has been returned to the buyers along with a lovely note offering my services and some cute "Change of Address Cards". As my kids used to say "Mom, you are such a suck up"!! I like to think that I just go out of my way to help people find a home ( and possibly a Realtor for life). You be the judge :>)

Later,
Janet

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

FRUSTRATION

I took the offer from the buyer on the phone, faxed it to him for his approval and then went to their apartment to get it signed. I presented it to the selling agent, all the while embarrassed by the low, low number. Today we did a couple of counter offers and we are still not even close. Buyers want to stop; they are not willing to get anywhere near the sellers asking price ( which is not an unreasonable price, BTW) . This is the life in Real Estate and this doesn't just mean no income for me, it means I have to paint the dreaded trim, darn it all!!! Plus I got these buyers from a rogue phone call to the office regarding this one property. They don't want or need an agent to help them, so I will in all likelihood never hear from them again. They may possibly be the only buyers in a fifty mile radius or so it seems from my perspective!!


Enough of the negative self-talk. I came across a really fun blog today. She is giving away a really cute tassel in the Great Blog Giveaway or whatever the event is called. I am too lazy to look it up. The blog is called NestingPlace and she does what my friend Jano used to refer to as the Janet School of Home Dec. Lots of hot glue and upholstery tacks, but any girl that has a red toile sectional is all right by me. Hop on over and check it out. I need to go back and read some of her archives.

Later,
Janet

Sunday, January 27, 2008

THEY LIKED IT, THEY REALLY, REALLY LIKED IT

They liked it yesterday, spent an hour there. We went back today with both sets of parents and now we await the verdict. Hopefully the parents give the OK, but sometimes they mean well, but don't understand the market. That's when declare that we will only sell houses to orphans!!


Hopefully I hear from them tomorrow and they want to write an offer and then the negotiations can begin and the painting can be ignored :)!!!

Later,
Janet

Friday, January 25, 2008

DREADED TASK

Not a fun time. It is my job , since I don't seem to have any real estate activity going on, to paint all the trim in the upstairs hallway. It is not a big space, but there are five doors and obviously the baseboard. Mr. Bob seems to think that this is just a couple hour job, but I beg to differ. Today I taped of all the door trim on each side of the door, taped all the baseboards and the new hardwood floor in the hall, did some caulking and started lightly sanding the varnish. Then, fortunately I had to go to work. Tomorrow more sanding, wiping down and maybe start the primer, but....drum roll please...I have to go show property at noon. Wish me luck, I could use some real estate action to help stimulate the economy.

Here is a joke my boss sent me.


Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, '"surely I can't look that old." Well.. You'll love this one.

My name is Alice Smith and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 40-odd years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School. "Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a mustang," he gleamed with pride. "When did you graduate?" I asked. He answered , "in 1965. Why do you ask?" "You were in my class!", I exclaimed. He looked at me closely.

Then, that ugly, old, bald, wrinkled,fat ass, gray-haired, decrepit son-of-a-b**** asked, "What did you Teach?"



Enjoy the laugh,
Janet

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

FASHIONS.. 1977 STYLE

A friend of mine sent me these photos from a 1977 J C Penneys Catalog. There were captions, but I wasn't able to capture them, so I made up my own. But, I think the outfits easily speak for themselves!!!


My Dad, bless his heart, still has a version of this jacket. You just can't kill polyester!


Guy on the left is getting ready to go to the Disco ( with Penny???). Gotta love the combination of the high belt and the chest hair. The guy on the right is going to a St. Patrick's Day wedding. He will get his green carnation boutinierre ( can't seem to spell that word ) at the door of the church. Green beer will be served at the reception.


Anyone up for a Hoedown?


First example of his and hers fashions. They are meeting the guy in the blue get-up at the hoedown. HeeeHaw!!

Variation on a theme. Will you look at her waist? Makes Miz Scarlett look chunky!

Matching bathingsuits..the epitome of commitment. She certainly looks appreciative...maybe it is their honeymoon on a tropical island ;)


Do you have any idea where they would wear these perky outfits?? Hopefully none of us had these outfits.

Later,
Janet

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

SISTERS



Subject:
LIVING WILL
MY LIVING WILL
Last night my sister and I were sitting in the den and I said to her, "I never want
to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle
to keep me alive. That would be no quality of life at all, If that ever happens, just
pull the plug."
So she got up, unplugged the computer, and threw out my wine.
She's such a bitch.

Guess I should be glad that I don't have any sisters (although I always wanted one).

Later,
Janet

Monday, January 21, 2008

PROJECTS FOR 2007

Several of my favorite bloggers have recently posted their top projects for 2007. I believe Manuela started the ball rolling in her January 10 post and then Linda joined in on January 12, Angela on the 13th, Cindy on 1/15 and the Tracy on the 16th. All these great posts got me to thinking...."hmmm, what did I do last year?" Certainly not the number or scope of their projects, but I must have done something ( before I found blogging). So, I took a couple of pictures of the guest room. When I started this room was blue walls and old carpet. It had been the home to several boys over the years as my boys tended to play Musical Chairs with rooms as one moved out. Needless to say it was a bit of a mess. So walls were painted BenMoore Weston Flax, a light, but creamy yellow and to be fair this was done in November 2006 in a bit of a hurry since I had a friend coming to stay. However, the new hardwood floor went in in January 2007. Then I painted the old brass/brassy bed with metallic bronze paint. Quite a change!

Please note that the wall color is approximately the background color of my blog template, but for some reason it comes out either washed out or too bright. Just use your vivid imaginations, OK?

I also had one of those really ugly, handhewn look dark pine dressers that all bachelors feel the need to own or did in the 80s. I painted it several shades of blue, some leftover from the trial and error of the front door, and finally just decided to leave well enough alone. Then I sanded/distressed and finished with a dark BriWax. I replaced the "antique brass" hardware with some bronze knobs and pulls. I don't love the color, but it is sure an improvement from the pine. I still need to paint the new closet doors and touch up some trim...yeah, yeah I will get to it sometime soon, I promise!


No, the walls are not that yellow and yes, that router thingey is still on the floor near the dresser. I am told it will be able to go somewhere else, but I don't think it will happen 'til I get those doors and trim done! Also, I have an idea for over the bed that involves an empty frame and some blue and white plates.

Okay, that's it for my TWO projects. Can you handle my ambition? We also did this room a/k/a the study, but it is a mess because of an unknown leak in the bathroom. Long, unhappy story!! But we put in hardwood, painted, installed window treatments, bought cheapie bookcases and it looked good for a while. Maybe some day I will be able to take pictures.

Later,
Janet

Saturday, January 19, 2008

CHICKEN WINGS AND KILLING AFRICAN VIOLETS

Well, I just wrote this whole fun post and lost it. Ever wonder where such things go? Probably with the lost socks!!

I am going to post a recipe for killer Maple Teriyaki Chicken Wings for those of you watching the Football Championships tomorrow, but first I have to ask your opinion of an indelicate subject and old wive's tales. Hopefully you will find this as amusing as we did. Let me set the scene. There are six Realtors at the party, five of us between ages 50-63 and our friend *V*. *V* is in her mid thirties and is from France ( like Laraine Newman as a conehead, if you are old enough to remember). She came here 15 years ago a a Nanny, met her husband and the rest is history, she is thin and beautiful and for some reason she likes hanging out with us "older" women. Okay, we have finished the Chicken Tetrazzini and melange of colorful veggies and a couple of bottles of wine and we get talking about what our mothers told us about of menstruation. I remember my mother telling me that I couldn't wash my hair "during that time" ( no clue why, there was never an explanation), but one friend said that her mother told her never to touch the African Violets because it would kill them immediately!! Have you ever heard of this??She lived on Long Island, maybe it was a common problem there, I don't know. I do know that there had to have been bouts of incontinence over this because we all laughed so hard. The conversation further degenerated with talk of how we weren't allowed to use Tampons because they would cause us to lose our virginity and then it would be hard for us to find husbands!! Ladies, this was the 60's, the 1960's not the 1760's, only 40 years ago!!! Have we come a long way baby or what??




Okay enough said. Time for the chicken wings. I got this recipe from a Food Network Show years ago. Sorry, I don't remember the name and it hasn't been on for years. These wings are so tasty, sweet from the syrup and salty from the soy sauce. You might even add some red pepper flakes to give them a little heat as well.


4-5 lbs chicken wings
1/3 c. teriyaki sauce
1/2 c. lite soy sauce
2 T. minced garlic
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1/2 T. black pepper
1 c. maple syrup ( the real stuff, not fake maple flavored stuff)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients ( except wings) together in a disposable pan*. Add wings, toss to coat. Place pan on a cookie sheet. Bake for an hour, tossing every 15-20 minutes ( this really does make a difference). Increase heat to 425 degrees, turn wings again and cook another 45 minutes. Sometimes it seems like there is too much liquid after the hour, but it usually evaporates with the higher heat for the last 45 minutes.

* If you don't have a cheapie disposable pan, line a broiler pan with lots of foil and be prepared to soak and scrub.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

TOLL HOUSE PIE


This is the dessert for my Gal Pal Party tomorrow night. To be honest this is an image that I found which belongs to Skiptomylou.wordpress.com I make this pie once in a while and then I forget about it for a while. It is very easy and very rich and absolutely must be served with good vanilla ice cream to cut the richness. Sounds silly, but it is true.

1 unbaked 9" pie shell
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 butter, softened
1 cup ( 6 oz) Chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts*

Preheat oven to 325

Beat eggs until foamy, beat in flour and sugars. Beat in butter. Stir in chips and nuts. Bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes until a knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Of course, like many chocolate chip products, underdone is always preferable to overdone. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

*I've always used walnuts, but it just occurred to me that Macadamia nuts would be extra delicious (and expensive)! Of course you Southern girls could always use pecans.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

LOOK AT WHAT I GOT

I had breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my oldest son this morning, then went to the grocery store to get the rest of the things I need for my "Gal Pal" party Friday night and when I got back I had a message from a florist. A florist saying they had flowers to deliver for ME. Who would be sending me flowers?? A few thoughts went thru my mind while I waited for the delivery man. My oldest son, that I had just had breakfast with, my youngest son in Seattle, my inlaws?? Who could it be? About a half an hour later these arrived:

from a very special blog friend, someone I have never met in real life, but someone who just knew that these perky spring like flowers would make my day. I don't have her permission to tell you who it is, but suffice to say she is the BEST!! The picture doesn't do these beauties justice. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart thank you!

Later,
Janet

Edited to say: Guess it is OK to tell you since she left a comment. They are from Susie Q at Rabbit Run Cottage. Hop on over and tell her what a sweetheart she is.

Monday, January 14, 2008

AND THE WINNER IS...

Boy has this been fun. I never in my wildest dreams, and I have some pretty wild ones, expected this kind of response. It has been wonderful meeting all of you and I hope at least some of you will come back often to visit. Here is what I did. I made a list and assigned each entry a number. With all the referrals there were actually 173 entries. Then I found a random number generator that just asks for a number, in this case 173 and it decides. The number it chose was 42 and that number was....drumroll please....Mimi G. !! Congratulations Mimi, please e-mail me with your contact info so I can get the book out to you.

Going to bed now and when I wake up I will be 57. Really only a day older than I am today, so no big deal.

Later,
Janet

Sunday, January 13, 2008

STORM WATCH

Okay, I know when snow is forecast people head to the grocery store, but this is insane. Eight to ten inches forecast, not eight to ten FEET, for crying out loud. Sunday is my usual grocery day because for some strange reason Bob likes to go with me. I knew it might be busy, but thought the Colts Chargers game ( that determines who New England plays next week) might keep some people glued to the tube. Wrong. I have never seen so many people, worse than the day before Thanksgiving. I was tempted to turn around and leave because I can just go on Tuesday instead, but I stuck it out. Usually when snow is forecast the milk and bread are decimated. But this time for some reason all the Worcestershire sauce was gone. I hope I get invited to all the Bloody Mary parties tomorrow! I can't think why else there would be a run on Worcestershire sauce. ( I buy it about every two years and was happy to remember that I needed it).

I am ecstatic about the response to my giveaway on Tuesday. I am trying to visit each newcomer personally and check out their blog. There are some great ones that I am not familiar with, yet, and I can see I will be adding to my daily reading list. Thanks everyone for coming by and for all the referrals too. Melissa at The Inspired Room is leading the pack in referrals right now, but it is not too late to catch up!!

Later,
Janet


Saturday, January 12, 2008

BIRTHDAY CARD

First let me say how exciting it is to see so many wonderful gals have come by to sign up for my birthday giveaway. It just makes me HAPPY.

Today I got a birthday card in the mail from my friend Betsy in Vermont. Think back to your childhood days and sing with me, with gusto please:

Do your ears hang low
Do they wobble to and fro
Can you tie them in a knot
Can you tie them in a bow
Can you throw them over your shoulder
like a continental soldier
Do your ears hang low?

Now sing LOUD and PROUD
substitute "boobs" for "ears"

Can you sing and laugh that hard at the same time?
I didn't think so. Anyone having incontinence issues thinking about all of us singing that song together? Here's to the 38 Long Club!!

Later,
Janet



Friday, January 11, 2008

CELEBRATORY GIVEAWAY



Several of you have mentioned this book lately. I got my bookclub copy a couple of days ago and after reading thru it decided that it would make a fun giveaway. I went to Borders to no avail, but found a copy at B&N. To celebrate my 50+ posts I am going to have a drawing. Please leave a comment on this post by Monday@11PM EST. I will pick the winner Tuesday morning which is ( feel a shameless plug coming on??) my birthday. Wait a minute, maybe the giveaway should be my birthday giveaway instead of 50+ posts. Anywho, if you send someone to my blog and they mention you I will give you an additional chance and if you "advertise" my giveaway on your blog ( and let me know) I will give you another chance. Lurkers, please prepare to "come out" for this great opportunity. In the spirit of international peace and harmony this giveaway is open to a world wide audience.

So, let the comments begin. Remember, the comments are on this post only!

Later,
Janet

Thursday, January 10, 2008

AN AWARD & A GIVEAWAY


Well lookie here what I got. The You Make My Day Award from Teresa at Plum Water Cottage. I am so excited that I make someone's day, really. When you are a Realtor you are basically self employed working under the auspices of a Broker. This means that you get no feedback on your performance or lack thereof in this market and you never get pats on the back, so this makes me very happy that someone thinks I make their day, at least on the days I post, LOL. The rules are that I can pass this award to as many as ten bloggers that make me happy to be in blogland. I am to let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. The warning says to "Beware you may get this award several times". I am going to give it to ten that have not received the award yet so we can get it circulating .

This is my 51st post and in honor of the 50th I am thinking of doing a giveaway, so stay tuned while I come up with something, hopefully tomorrow.

Off to pass the award along.

Later,
Janet

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

BOBBY FLAY



It may not look like much and believe me when I tell you that the inside is pure Italian American circa 1941, but this is probably the most famous restaurant in Burlington Vermont which has well over 100 restaurants for a population of just over 40,000 people. If you have ever spent more than a few days in Burlington you have probably heard of the restaurant or have eaten there. It has been run by the same family since Victoria Bove opened it in December 1941. It is an institution. The menu is limited and they have daily specials that have not changed since I started eating there in 1967 when I got my first summer job working downtown at the brand, spankin' new JC Penneys. The only store in Vermont to have an escalator at that time. I don't remember the specials except that Wednesday is Lasagna Day and they usually sell out rather quickly.

Today I got my alumni magazine from the University of Vermont (UVM) and there was an article about this guy:


It seems that Bobby arrived at UVM where the Bove brothers were making lasagna for a TV show supposedly about where students eat in college towns. But...tada...they and their lasagna were the subjects of a Throwdown. Seems from the article that Flay won the throwdown, but it was a great marketing coup for Boves and their mail order empire as well as the restaurant itself.

Just thought you would want to know! I don't know when it will air, but it doesn't matter now because we know Bobby won. Tell me, do you have an "institution" like Boves where you grew up?

Later,
Janet

Monday, January 7, 2008

I'M BACK!!

Well, I am feeling much better. Not sure what that whole headache/dizzy thing was about, but hopefully it is gone for good. So here are just some random items that have been rumbling thru my head the last few days.

Did any of you watch "Dallas" back in the day? We were actually addicted to it for years and never missed an episode. We were so addicted that my first husband announced to me that he was leaving me for another woman during a commercial for God's sake. Guess he didn't want to miss any of the action. I have to say I never watched it again after that 11/13/87 episode. But, the reason I bring this up is that I was kinda watching "Paula's ( Deen) Party" the other night and what ( who) to my wondering eyes should appear but Charlene Tilton. I have not given even one thought to her in 20 years, and I AM being catty here, but OMG, she is aging worse than I am. And I am 6 years older. She intimated that she has been in the production end of the business and is going to be producing and starring in a bio of Tammy Faye. So, out of blatant curiosity I went to her web site. One of the sites had pix from a few years ago and she looked good, age appropriate and quite lovely, but her official website sells her photos from her Dallas days and I gotta say, it just made me sad!

On another celebrity note I heard that Dorothy Hamil has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I wish her the very best and think that she has always been such a role model for young women. It seems only yesterday that she was in the Olympics and won Americas heart. And didn't you love the haircut, just perfect for twirling and always falling right back into place.

Today my FIL is in the hospital having a defibrillator implanted. Bob took him to Boston on the train early this morning and hopefully by late afternoon he will be done and they will keep him overnight. I am assuming that we will pick him up tomorrow by car and not make him schlep to the train station to get home. It is supposedly a very simple ( if you are a thoracic surgeon) procedure which will help keep his heart in rhythm. Last year at this time we were waiting for my MIL to have surgery to remove a huge tumor wrapped around her kidney and invading her liver. She is 80 and came thru with flying colors once they finally did the surgery in February. At the same time we were planning a business trip to San Diego, actually Coronado, for a week. It was touch and go whether her surgery would be scheduled during that week and I was feeling so selfish because I knew I would never get to stay at the Hotel Del Coronado for 6 days unless it was paid for by someone else. But, it all worked out and I had the best time I have had in years just relaxing in the sun, reading on the beach an walking miles every day staring at houses. And oh yeah, my friend came down from LA for a day so we could eat really bad crepes!!

How is this for a ramble?? This is truly what real ADD feels like, your mind just flits here and there like some kind of freaky butterfly, LOL.

Later,
Janet
Edited to add: FIL is out of surgery and doing fine.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

UNDER THE WEATHER

ARE YOU FEELING DIZZY??



Yes, and I have had a headache for the last couple of days. Spending time on the computer, bending down or using my eyes is not in my best interest until I feel better. See you in a couple of days, I hope.

Later,
Janet

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

DISTRACTABLE YOU SAY

Someone sent me this and I laughed and laughed. Unfortunately for those of us with a bona fide ADD diagnosis life is always like this, BUT not always so funny, really it can be very frustrating!! Read and enjoy and then try and relate, LOL.



Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated
Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table
that I brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the
garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage any way, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks a re in my desk in the study, so I go inside the
house to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the
refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with
water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the
kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the de n where it belongs, but
first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on
the floor.

So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe
up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning
to do.

At the end of the day:

the car isn't washed

the bills aren't paid

there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter

the flowers don't have enough water,

there is still only 1 check in my check book,

I can't find the remote,

I can't find my glasses,

and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm
really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day, and I'm
really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help
for it, but first I'll check my e-mail....


Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!
And my husband wonders what I do all day!!

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

APPLEY GOODNESS and SILVER

New Years Day, a day normally reserved for reflection and resolution. Me, not so much. You may not know this, but I was NOT born with a silver spoon in my mouth and I am not sure that I have ever had a silver spoon in my mouth in the last almost 57 years. Hard to believe that this classy, elegant oh so cultured grande dame doesn't have any sterling!! Shocked, you say!! Anyway, I do have some odd pieces of silverplate flatware that was my grandmothers and today I took it out and spent a lot of time and energy polishing it. Then I decided I would put it out under a cloche and perhaps use it for my gal pal birthday party coming up later in the month.

I know that there was a lot of blogging here about all the food I cooked for the holidays. It was delicious and loved by all, but what I didn't tell you is that I never eat the sweets. I made several hundred cookies ( foolish me) and never ate a one. I did have a couple of bites of the Tiramisu and several bites of the apple cake. Someone remind me to talk about that delicious cake another time, please. So tonight I made a quick little treat for Bob and I to ring in the New Year. I rolled out a sheet of puff pastry I had in the freezer, sauteed a couple of large apples in a little butter , sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and made the whole thing into a large turnover. Baked it for 20 minutes, sliced it and added vanilla ice cream. Easy as pie, no wait a minute, much easier than pie LOL. Bob said it looked like a large Pop Tart. Way to go Bob!! Very yummy and it really hit the spot. Sorry, I didn't think to take a picture until, gulp, it was too late and I can't find a picture that would do justice to the yummy simplicity of it.

Then I watched a truly gut-wrenching movie, "Before and After" with Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson. I am sure many of you have seen it, it is 11 years old after all, but I am a bit slow with the movies. Quick synopsis...teenage son kills girlfriend by accident and parents try to figure out the "right" thing to do. Tell the truth, trust the system, trust the attorney..yada, yada. Really frightening to think that you just wouldn't know what to do to protect your child, or that what you think is the right thing, might be the worst thing.

On that note I will retire for the night. Big tomorrow. I get my hair cut and shall we just say "enhanced"??

Later,
Janet