Building from the rug Up...says Amanda

Andalusia

Amanda arrives in Dallas tomorrow morning! Her and I (or is it 'she and I'?) have been scouring the internet for a rug for the living room, and we finally found one that does not need to be shipped. It's called Andalusia and it's from West Elm. Amanda said we're going to build from the rug up, so we are ready! Henry and I are picking the rug up tonight so it will be in the room when Amanda arrives.

Her plane gets in at 10:30 a.m., so I will pick her up and we'll probably come back to the condo. so she can check it out, then we're off to the stores! I'm really hoping we can find all the furniture at one location and have it delivered at one time, but who knows. It may not work out that way, but that is the plan.

She has requested manicotti for dinner, so after shopping, we'll come home and I'll start cooking!

****Scratch this rug.**** Henry and I went to pick up the rug last night, only to learn that shipping and receiving had returned it to their corporate warehouse. Apparently, the salesperson I spoke to failed to put a hold on the rug.  Quite frustrating. Henry saw another one he liked at West Elm, so Amanda and I will make that our first stop so she can take a look at it. Headed to the airport in about an hour to pick her up!

How New Yorkers See The U.S.

Click on the map to enlarge it

I stole this from our daughter's site. You can click on the title of this post for the original link. As Amanda says on her site, this is hilarious. I seriously believe New Yorkers see their city as the only city in the U.S. and they're not even sure that there are people outside their own state.  Notice the author of this map doesn't bother to include Alaska or Hawaii, Texas is 'the south' and California is 'wine vacations'.  Reminds me of a cruise we took a few years ago. My daughter and I went on a trail ride in Cozumel and were visiting with a couple from New York City. As we returned to the corral, the woman asked if any of us knew what the 'mud nests' on the ground were. Amanda and I just looked at each other shocked that the woman had absolutely no idea what the cow pies were. Really?? Are they seriously that out of touch with the rest of the country?

Yay Internet!

It's been hectic the past few days, with turning over the coach, camping out in a hotel for a couple days, closing on the condo, and finally moving in. So, we've been here since Friday, and as of yesterday are all unpacked. The  move in to the condo. building was interesting. We had to park the UHaul truck on the street close to the parking garage entrance, and then haul the boxes down the steep decline into the garage, into the elevator and up 5 floors. Fortunately, we were loaned a dolly, so that helped, but with temperatures over 100 degrees, Henry got quite the workout in the3 hours it took for him to get everything in.

Fast forward through all the unpacking and decisions on where to put things, we are finally here! I think we are really going to like living here. It's quiet, it's safe, it's convenient (15 min. to Henry's job), and everyone we have met so far are all very nice.

Jack was reluctant and unsure about getting on the elevator, but by yesterday, he was feeling more comfortable with it and just walked right in. Now, he walks around like he owns the entire building. :)

We are flying our daughter out and she will be here Thursday morning. She and I will go find some furniture and other things. Right now, we are sitting on camp chairs, using a cooler for a table and watching the TV (Henry bought one over the weekend) that is perched on another cooler. In the bedroom, we are using boxes for nightstands. Kind of reminds me of days gone by.

Henry got us set up with internet yesterday, so we are on our way!

Goodbye, Country Coach...Hello, Condo

Tomorrow is the big day! We turn the coach over to its new owner. 9:00 a.m. we will meet them at their bank, turn over the title and receive a cashier's check as payment in full. Then we will get on with finding the hotel and checking in. We're hoping to move into the condo on Friday, but we've experienced yet another hiccup this morning, and the move in may not happen until Monday.

I vividly remember now what a pain mortgage companies can be. You need a strict paper trail for them to follow. In other words, do not make cash deposits into your bank account, because you cannot prove where the money came from. What I don't understand is why so much emplasis and importance is put on credit scores, because, really, the super high credit score isn't buying you a darn thing. Does it not prove financal responsibility? Does it not tell the world you are NOT selling crack to schoolage children? Seriously, people that sell drugs don't even have bank accounts! It's ridiculous.

The hiccup in the process today is that the loan will probably not fund until sometime Friday. It could be 9 a.m., it could be 3:00 p.m. --Our problem is that we've scheduled a move in with the HOA for Friday at 9 a.m. - but the HOA will not turn over access cards or keys until a buyer's loan is funded and they have receipt of the Warranty Deed signed by the seller. Our lender is trying to get approval for funding on Thursday and will let me know by the end of business today. If he is unable to get the approval, we can't move until Monday, and that means 3 more days in the hotel, 3 more days of the UHaul rental and Henry will have to take another day off.

All the new regulations lenders have to comply with are only hurting those above the law. I'm sure Alfonzo Rodriquez and Mohammad Allah-Kabar are still able to buy above their means, and probably able to sign and move in on the same day. Don't want to offend them, you know.

It'll be fine either way, but just prolongs it a bit. The cocktails on the balcony may have to wait until Monday evening.

Seven Days

We are quickly approaching moving day. I've started boxing things up today, and was quickly reminded how much I dislike moving. Our last move was three years ago from the Travel Supreme to this coach. Despite me barely able to walk then, it was a fairly easy move because the coach was parked no more than 5 feet from the Travel Supreme. This move will be different for sure.

Tomorrow morning we will rent a box van from U Haul, and then begin the tedious process of emptying out the coach. We're only renting a 10' van, so I hope it's big enough. It's amazing how much stuff you didn't know you had until you start putting it all in boxes. I've already boxed up our books, and that alone took three good sized boxes! 
The coach has to be emptied, cleaned and ready to turn over to the new buyer by Wed. at 8:00 a.m.
After we say our good-byes, Henry, Jack and I will head out to a hotel in downtown Dallas where we will stay until Friday.

Closing for the condo. is on Thursday.....and then Friday a.m., we drive over to our new home, and start unloading our things. We've still got furniture to buy, among other household things, but we want to fly our daughter out so she can help us....I am super excited about that part!!

Friday evening will entail a cool cocktail, or several cocktails, on our balcony of our new home. :)

There's the balcony calling my name.

Hilarious

Last week I posted a list of my pet peeves; misspelled words being a huge one. In reading some comments on a website today, I had to smile when this person commented on his own comment and apologized for his misspelled words...I mean his typos. Check it out:

Enoch


July 21st, 2011 at 4:19 am · Reply
This is a simple yes of not (I think he meant 'or no') answer.
The answers to our dillemma regarding gorvernment (probably a typo) tyranny can be remedies (another typo) by something called “Lawfull Reballion”!?
One question… One Subject…
Thanks,
Enoch

Enoch

July 21st, 2011 at 4:20 am · Reply

My apalogies (oops) for the typos!
--------------------------------------------
Oh well. Both my kids would see the humor in it, too.

I'm Sorry, But This Just Fries My Bacon!

A new promotional video released by the Department of Homeland Security characterizes white middle class Americans as the most likely terrorists. If you don't watch the video and want a quick summary, Infowars summed it up quite nicely:

"Despite encouraging viewers not to pay attention to a person’s race in determining whether or not they may be a terrorist, almost all of the scenarios in the clip proceed to portray white people as the most likely terrorists. Bizarrely, nearly every single one of the “patriotic” Americans who reports on their fellow citizen is either black, Asian or Arab. Imagine if the video had portrayed every terrorist as an Arab and every patriotic snoop as white, there’d be an outcry and rightly so, but this strange reversal must have been deliberate on the part of the DHS, but why? Is this merely political correctness taken to the extreme or is something deeper at work?"

If you do watch the video, take your blood pressure medicine first.

*Update*They came, They looked, They saw...and are buying!

.....and they even made an offer. Henry drives a hard bargain and countered back. So close, yet so far away. Ugh. **Update**..Agreed upon terms.

They loved everything about the rig. Who wouldn't, right? It's a Country Coach after all, with all the bells and whistles and is immaculate, both inside and out. The timing would work out well for them, plus they live only an hour from Dallas.

We are exactly 10 days away from closing on the condo. and if we don't have to put the rig in storage, it really would be ideal all the way around.

As we have learned, it ain't over till the money's in your hand! But, it's looking pretty good.

Mixin' It Up

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Great news! Someone is actually coming to look at the motorhome tomorrow! If he in fact shows up, that is. I've got a good feeling about it, as he's emailed half a dozen times, called twice, and I think he's a serious buyer. Keep your fingers crossed!
Yeah, yeah, I know. The Sugarland video is too large. Don't you agree though that Sugarland is waayyyy better than Zeppelin??? I only put Zeppelin up because they are one of Henry and Brian's favorite groups.

Kissed by an Angel & sent to us by God ~~~~7-17-87~~~~

(doubleclick for full screen-easier to see)


We love you Baby Girl! Happy Birthday, Amanda.

Saturday Stories

Stupid.
I told you. It's all about going green. How about a green bikini? Not the color green, but rather the style of going green. This suit, if buried under dirt (why would you bury a swimsuit) will decompose in 180 days. Woo hoo! Just what everyone needs, suit that self destructs when buried. Are they nuts? You can read all about it here. It's made from plant starch and some are made with wood pulp and recycled plastic bottles. goodness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sad.
Tragic story about the guy who disappeared in a blowing hole in Maui. BUT. Perhaps he should not have been so close. Perhaps he should have realized the real danger. The story is here. His girlfriend is now saying there should have been warning signs posted. Ay yi yi. Shouldn't common sense come into play at some point with people?  I don't know.

While in Yellowstone last summer, we actually witnessed a group of tourists ignore the warning signs about the boiling water 'holes',  as they walked up to within about a foot of them. Even if they couldn't actually read the sign because it was in English, the signs were obviously screaming 'caution' 'warning' .....'pay attention, dummy'. But, nope. They just wandered around aimlessly on the soft bubbly surface.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
???
If TSA does the groping it's perfectly legal. Grope TSA. Face a felony charge of sexual abuse. That's what this lady did. Drudge has the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Strange.
An earthquake this week in Costa Rica caused a river to completely disappear. Totally STRANGE.

Happy Anniversary Brian and Sarah!



CONGRATULATIONS, KIDS!
EIGHT YEARS.....AND TWO KIDS LATER.
WE LOVE YOU AND ARE PROUD OF YOU!



EVAN, 7TH BIRTHDAY





Maddie, age 3, with her mom




 It's difficult not being able to see my son and his wife, and especially my grandkids. You don't just pick up and drive to Alaska like you can do from state to state in the lower 48, and I don't foresee them moving anytime soon. Meanwhile the kids are growing up. ~~ Anyway, I hope they can find a sitter for the kids and treat themselves to dinner out somewhere tonight!

You Can't Fix Stupid

Wal-Mart vs..The Morons

1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St.Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private employer,and most speak English.
6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in     only fifteen years.
8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.
10.Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 2,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more
     than it had five years ago.
11.This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth's population
     is approximately 6.5 Billion.)
12.90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.
13.Wal-Mart has gross sales that total more than the total revenue of all the countries in the world, except 6.

You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy.
This should be read and understood by all Americans, Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!
To the President and all 535 voting members of the Legislature, both parties. It is now official - you are ALL corrupt morons:

A.The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.
B.Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.
C.Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.
D.War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.
E.Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.
F.Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.
G.The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.!!!

You have FAILED !!! in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars. AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM ??
YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN THE AUTO INDUSTRY.... THE BANKING SYSTEM????? MAYBE WE OUGHT TO KICK YOUR EGG-HEAD BUDDY BUMS OUT OF OFFICE AND HIRE WALMART TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT ???
WALMART SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS... WHY DON'T YOU GUYS JUST ADMIT IT'S WAY BEYOND YOUR PAY GRADE, AND QUIT?
"You can't fix stupid,but you can vote it out."

AWESOME!!! Thank you, Renee!!

Mayhem

6:00 a.m., Thursday, Dallas - Hundreds of people rushed the Jesse Owens Building in downtown Dallas to line up for Section 8 rental vouchers....federally subsidized vouchers that pay a portion of your rent. You have to watch the video! As hundreds scrambled to get in line, things got a bit out of hand and 7 people had to be treated for injuries. As the line formed, there ultimately ended up being THOUSANDS standing in line. For those that don't get the Section 8 vouchers, will most likely be waiting up to two years to apply again.
As you watch the video, notice two things. Besides the obvious mad dash.
Incredible. What has happened to the people in this country?

Ready To Go

Something serene, something peaceful and something cool.

Pet Peeves

Things that annoy us. It could be something people do, or something they say. Could be the littlest thing that bothers only you. Could be the biggest pet peeve of all pet peeves that annoys tons of people.

I'm pretty sure everyone has at least one. Me? I've got several. Just ask Henry. I believe he knows every single one of mine, and the list is not short. Here goes:

1. When in the grocery store and someone parks their cart in the middle of the aisle.
2. When in the grocery store and two people are parked in the aisle talking.
3. Dog owners that do not clean up after their dogs.
4. Stepping on gum that someone rudely dropped in the parking lot.
5. Misspelled words. (this one is a huge pet peeve of mine)
6. Receiving misinformation not once, but twice, from the same company.
7. Being seated in a near empty restaurant right smack dab next to another party, with a baby.
8. Driving in an unknown area with road construction and following detour signs that suddenly stop.
9. Talking to liberals. The lights are on, but clearly nobody is home.
10. Canceling a service and waiting up to 8 weeks for the refund.
11. Buying meat only to realize when you're cooking dinner that the meat is bad.
12. Hypocrites.
13. Waiting an hour in the waiting room at the doctor's office, only to wait another hour in the exam room.
14. Standing in line at a restaurant to pay the bill. This should NEVER happen.
15. People that think they know everything. They've seen it all and done it all.
16. People that have been to Alaska one time and are instantly the expert.
17. Did I mention misspelled words?
18. Women with young babies in the hot sun that don't cover the child's head.
19. Parents that constantly yell at their children.
20. Goodness, I can't think of anymore.

Yup. I said it wasn't short. Maybe I should work on not letting some of these bother me.
Oops. Just thought of one more.
I hate when you say 'hello' or wave to someone and they just look at you. Hmmm. That one might be a bigger irritant than misspelled words. No. No. The misspelled words is a biggie.

Scare Tactics

My, my, my. Raise the debt ceiling or Social Security checks and Veteran's checks may not go out on time.
In his own words:

"I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3 if we haven't resolved this issue, because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it," Obama said in an interview scheduled to air on the CBS Evening News Tuesday evening.
"This is not just a matter of Social Security checks," Obama said. "These are veterans checks, these are folks on disability and their checks. There are about 70 million checks that go out."

HEY! Wait one minute! Is he saying 'they' have spent the money in the lock box. i.e. Social Security???
Nooooo, that cannot be. *total sarcasm.*

No worries though. Bernanke also came out today and strongly suggested the possibility of another stimulus.

That's my rant for today.

On the lighter side, just a little over two weeks until we close on the condo. and can move in. Woo hoo!!
Still no buyer for the motorhome, so I guess she'll be going into storage for now. I get emails and phone calls from lots of people about the coach, and then they make a ridiculous low offer and say that's all they can do. Next phone call I get like that I'm going to tell them perhaps they should be looking at a Winnebago. For the most part, people that inquire do not know anything about Country Coach, and then we get the few that say, 'well, you know, it's over that 100k mile mark'.  ----It's a DIESEL ENGINE. 117k is nothing.
Quite frustrating. We will continue to bump the ads up and hopefully someone will come along with money and some common sense.

I would love to have this car in my backyard...if I had a backyard that is.

This has got to be the coolest idea ever! Kudos to the one that came up with it, and Thank you, Renee for sending it to me. It's too hot in Texas for an outdoor barbecue, but in Montana, what a blast!

Seeing Red

The 'new' going green lightbulbs

This is your carbon footprint

Going Green. It's all the rage. Today I was standing in line at the post office, and I couldn't believe it when I saw two or three signs on their counter about 'going green', and 'saving the planet.' Heck, they even sell re-usable bags you can purchase...at the post office! We've seen them in the stores. Buy the bag, use the bag, save the planet. Question. Why don't they just give us the bag if they believe so strongly in what they're pushing?  Never mind. I know the answer. Money.

Three years ago, I posted about paper vs. plastic, and glass vs. plastic.  Lots has changed since then because today everyone is riding the 'go green' wave. Take a look at this site, appropriately called treehugger.com. As you scroll through the site you'll recognize some names and organizations, most notably the EPA, Al Gore and Ashoka. Never heard of Ashoka? Van Jones is part of this nonprofit organization and the author of 'The Green Collar Economy'.  Jones also founded Green For All, another 'go green' nonprofit organization. There are some big name donors to Green for All, including Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, and the Open Society Institute. -It's about money, not saving the planet. The money flows from one non-profit to another, padding their own pockets along the way.

Today, we have 'green' banks, 'green' ad agencies, 'green' automobiles, 'green' clothing....and literally hundreds, if not thousands, 'green' nonprofit organizations.  There's lots of green to be made by forcing the rest of us to go green. It's Cap and Trade by a horse of a different color....EPA.

As for the reusable green bags- no thanks. I'll stick with the reusable plastic bag that they forced us to use over twenty years ago. --If they are truly polluting the earth, why not start by teaching children to use a waste receptacle instead of the highway.

Summertime-Janis Joplin

Go to the mall, don't spend a dime, earn $12.00

We've had visitors the last couple days. My brother, niece and granddaughter started out on a road trip from Colorado and their first stop...Dallas.

While it's wonderful to see family, to have two 14 year old girls around is an experience all its own. Either today's teenagers are much different than when I was their age, or the world has changed. I think it's the latter.

Did you know if you put two 14 year olds in the same room together, each with a cell phone, they will actually text to each other instead of talking? Seriously.

Whatever happened to reading books or going for a walk, conversing with others, looking at the scenery? These girls are on a road trip for the next two weeks and the only thing they want to do is text.....and shop.

Yesterday, we considered going to Six Flags, but with the temperatures in triple digits, we decided it would be a waste of money because 'they' (the girls) would be complaining about the heat in an hour...so, my brother suggested the mall. He was much too generous, or insane (I haven't decided yet)... and gave them each $150 spending money. Just decided. Insane.

Now, mall shopping, or any shopping for that matter, is one thing I absolutely hate, but away we went. While in the mall, I was singled out by a couple women and asked if I would take a few minutes and complete a survey for them. Sure, why not. I'm just following two teenagers around anyway, wishing I was home finishing my book. They asked my age. I told them. And they said 'oh, we will pay you $12.00 for taking the survey.' Sweet!

They ushered me into a room, put a headband type monitor on me, hooked me to a computer and I answered the questions, and blinked, like the computer asked. I've no idea what they were surveying and I didn't ask, but in a few minutes I was done and they handed me a check for $12.00!
Not bad for a few minutes of my time, right?
The girls? Their money was gone in less than an hour. *Poof*, just like that. Bracelets, earrings, shorts, flip flops....things they'll either not like or wear in a week's time.
They left this morning originally planning to go east to KY. and TN., but I think the traffic here spooked my brother. He's lived in Alaska for over 40 years, so he's not used to all the commotion. Change of travel plans for them. They are headed to Arizona to see Sedona, Jerome and the Grand Canyon. Hmmm. I wonder if the girls cell phones will work at the Grand Canyon?? Oh-oh.

Mockingjay

Book #3

I am almost finished with the last book in the series. I should have been done with it already, but some days I don't know where the time goes as I find myself near the end of a day and haven't even picked up the book. Henry would say I spend too much time reading political stuff online....
Mockingjay is just as riveting as the first two books. Amanda was right. She promised I would love them, and sure enough. I highly recommend the series to anyone that enjoys suspense.

Phoenix Dust Storm

Talk about a wall of dust. I am so thankful our daughter was not out driving when this came through. She said it was scary, but awesome. (she's weird like that). :)

Now, THAT'S what I'm talking About!

Okay, the embedded video is too large, but I'm leaving it up anyway. This is a must watch video. This little boy's expressions are priceless. And his talent? Well, that speaks for itself.
Thank you, Renee!! Awesome!

This one was too good to not Share

When top level guys look down, they see only shitheads…


When bottom level guys look up, they see only assholes.







Never seen a Flow Chart described so clearly.


Thanks, Smokey! I love it!

We've All Seen Them

.......the lady with 3-5 kids at the grocery store. Her cart is full of food you'd probably never buy yourself, because A)you're trying to save on the cost of your groceries...or B)who needs all the junk food? -
TOTAL: $135.67 - payment method: SNAP (formerly known as food stamps)

.......the able bodied young man, between the age of 18-22, with the pregnant girl, holding the 10 month old baby. They've got milk, cheese, peanut butter and a ton of diapers in their cart.
TOTAL: $122.13 - payment method: WIC coupons (y'all know what that is).

Well, today we were in for quite the treat at Wal-Mart. Henry and I had been out looking at bedding, pots and pans, silverware, towels, and furniture. We stopped for lunch at a place called Pluckers Wings.( Henry ordered the wings, and I had the waffle fries smothered with cheese, bacon and sour cream. ) ---Sorry, back to Wal-Mart. We were just buying beer and wine, so went up to the tobacco counter to avoid the long lines. There was a young gal in front of us. She was buying Similac baby formula.....25 small cans.
TOTAL: $100.14  Payment method:  LONE STAR CARD  .....That would be the State of Texas food stamp card. Looks like this:

Here's the absolutely hilarious (not), spit in your coffee, blood boiling, 'are you freakin' kidding me??!!' part:
We paid for our beer and wine (VISA) - out to the parking lot. Here comes the gal with her bags of Similac.....as she uses her keyless entry to unlock her
LEXUS SUV!!! A LEXUS SUV!!! Not an old beat up Lexus. A Shiny, new black, Lexus SUV!
Something is terribly wrong in this 'new' world we're living in, guys.

 

Happy Birthday, America

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO EVERYONE! Celebtrate your Independence!

Seeing Red, White and Blue



Stars and Stripes Forever

From Washington State to Arizona, on to St. Louis, up to Chicago, or down to Orlando, July 4th festivities here

For something a little different, how about visiting a Tavern in New Jersey

In Houston, they are celebrating the Fourth at the wineries. Sounds different and fun!

Last, but certainly not least, in Girdwood, Alaska, it is the popular Girdwood Forest Fair! I enjoyed attending this when we lived in Alaska. It's FREE, it's kind of crunchy granola, and it's laid back.

FOOD!! Forget  In -N- Out Burgers....how about the Outside-In Burger? RECIPE IS HERE

OR a Foot Long Chili Dog with the  Works. RECIPE HERE


Getting hungry now!!! I may be seeing red, white and blue, but I'm thinking tamales, rice and beans... Mexican food for Dinner again. :)




Countdown. 4, 3, 2, 1

On the 4th of July 1776, the United States of America was born. It was on this date that We The People officially claimed our independence from Britain and a Democratic Republic was born.Our independence "was and is drenched in the blood of our citizens who were and are willing to die for freedom from tyranny, and to maintain liberty."

Baseball!

Miguel Tejada receives his home run ball upon crossing the plate after a Cubs fan makes a stellar throw to return it to the field. Amazing throw, kid!!

Dulce and More

Furniture consignment stores. Not your average run of the mill stores with worn out furniture. Dulce is located in Uptown Dallas on Oaklawn and carries high end used furniture on consignment. The prices were out of this world....well, out of my world anyway. $3700 for a sofa. $700 for a quirky decorative piece. I'm sure they are all designer pieces, and many were quite cool, but off the chart in my book. I wouldn't know one brand from another, and would certainly not pay top dollar just to say I own a 'so and so'. From Dulce, we moved on to a couple other similar stores. In one, all the furniture was massive in size. I mean, HUGE. Some of the sofas were so large I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of just sitting on one. It'd swallow me up in a heartbeat. Very fun to look at though.

We moved on and spotted a strip of antique stores.....high end antiques I guess. Like Louis the XV pieces, and china I would be afraid to pick up. What amazed me were the number of people roaming from store to store. Maybe they missed the memo about 7 million unemployed Americans and 1 in 4 houses in foreclosure. There was certainly no evidence of a recession, or depression in Uptown Dallas. Good to know, right?

It was fun though. I always enjoy window shopping and it is fun to see what people are buying.
The title of this post is linked to Dulce, the first store we went in. Just click and you can go window shopping, too, if you'd like.

El Fenix

On Saturday, we took a drive to uptown Dallas and checked out a couple upscale furniture consignment shops and some antique stores....more on that in a minute. In all of our driving about we decided we better eat something, and stumbled upon El Fenix Mexican Restaurant. This is only the seocnd Mexican restaurant we've frequented since being in Dallas, so I'm certain there are many more equally as good, but El Fenix has a great atmosphere and amazing Mexican food! They opened in 1918 at the exact location they are at today. Since opening decades ago, they have branched out so today, you can find several El Fenix Restaurants in the surrounding Dallas area. The one we ate at was the original one in what is now referred to as Uptown Dallas.
The food is genuinely authentic, reasonably priced and we will be going back. Henry found a website called Copycat.com that actually has recipes for tons of restaurants, El Fenix included. Their guacamole (yum!)recipe is online, along with other recipes. Even better, is that in yesterday's paper, El Fenix has an insert for a buy one entree, get one free! Jack's going to love that, because he may even get some leftover tamales next time. :)

Grand Am Race Car flips over fence...lands in woods

Be sure and watch the alternate view at 1:50. 
via The Blaze

7.2 Quake in Alaska

I was surprised this morning when I turned on my computer and actually saw mention of this earthquake from last night. The media typically forgets or ignores news coming out of Alaska or Hawaii, but guess because a 7.2 quake is pretty strong, they mentioned it. Fortunately, no tsunami followed. The quake occurred in the Aleutian Islands which is about 1200 miles from Anchorage and it was 26 miles deep.
We always enjoy the drive to Alaska, all 2200 miles of it...and I sure miss an Alaska summer. Which brought me to looking at pictures from our last trip, like the one of the black bear below.

Did someone say 'PIG'??

Off topic----
Muslims in Denmark are squealing over a farmer’s brand on his pig because it spells out ‘Allah’ (God) in Arabic.
Faith Freedom (H/T Caroline R) -A DANISH pig farmer is in hiding today after receiving death threats from Muslim groups who accused him of branding a pig with the Arabic word “Allah”. Gerulf Toksvig, 53, who has a farm near Aarhus, caused outrage this week when he invited reporters to examine the “miracle” markings on his prize piglet, Paprika.
Go, Gerulf!!

Contemporary Or Comfortable?

Henry likes this contemporary, 'comfy', camel back sofa. (not leather).

I love this contemporary style. Leather and the revealed legs.

It's been many, many years since we've bought furniture and of course the choices are limitless, but I'm pretty sure we know what we like, which is both of the above. Just have to decide which it will be. In all the years we've been married, Henry has never had a recliner, so the way I see it, what better time than now? Unfortunately, this is the kind he wants, duct tape and all...but it's comfy, right?

Furniture prices are all over the board, from inexpensive (cheap quality most likely) to ultra-expensive. Lazy Boy furniture ranks in the upper end, but they will do any fabric, any color wood, any anything you want......with an upcharge, of course. So, you could start out with a $1,000 sofa, but by the time you've customized the fabric, and changed from oak to walnut on the legs, eek. Starts to add up rather quickly.

Then we have the logistics of moving into the building. The move must be scheduled one week prior to moving to reserve use of the freight elevator. There is a non-refundable elevator fee and a refundable move-in fee, so in order to avoid paying these fees twice, it would be best to have all the furniture delivered by the same business. Unless of course, we could coordinate two or three places to deliver on the same day. No, that sounds confusing as things never go as planned with deliveries. The easiest and less painful will be to find everything we like at one place. Guess that rules out Lazy Boy because they don't carry bedroom furniture or mattresses. (Sorry, Henry, no Woodrow camel back sofa). :)

Catching Fire

I've finished The Hunger Games and am now deep into Catching Fire, the second book.
What a captivating story! As I mentioned before, these books are like looking towards the future of America....or, what I can foresee America looking like in a not too far distant future. Call me a conspiracy theorist or a doomsayer, but the writing has been on the wall for well over two years in this country. I don't know how others view these books as I haven't read any reviews, but from the first page of The Hunger Games, my thought was 'Oh crap. This is going to be the America my grandchildren could very well be living in.'
If you haven't read these books, please check them out. If nothing else, they are a fascinating read!

Up-close Nebraska tornadoes! June 20, 2011

Forty tornadoes across Kansas and Nebraska last night and not one word in the mainstream media.
Things that make you go Hmmmm.......
This video is amazing. Watch closely.

Lucky Seven

Game Number 7....Bruins win!! We watched the game last night, and it was awesome! Congrats. to the Bruins. Sorry about your luck to the Canucks....what sore losers they are..torching cars, destroying property. My, my.
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The last house we bought was in 1999, and I believe that home was our fifth house, and because I had always worked at a Title Company, the procedure was all too familiar to us. But, I gotta say, WOW, have things changed in the land of buying a home! In one way, it's much easier because of technology. No need to make several trips to the mortgage company with this form and that statement. Hello email! Today, I ordered and paid for the appraisal online! I haven't even met the mortgage person we're dealing with. All correspondence has been by phone or online. So, in that respect, it's a piece of cake.

Hey, remember the DiTech commercials??

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YUP. That'd be the one.

Where it gets interesting is with the many, many, many pages of documentation they require. Did you know on the loan application itself, which is 27 pages long by the way, there are statements you must agree to, as a result of the Patriot Act? What the heck? They say lenders have really tightened their lending standards since the subprime crisis, and it may be true in some ways, but not for the most part. You can actually apply for financing, and close, without ever setting foot in the bank OR the title company!
I can only imagine the mountain of documents at closing. It will be interesting.

Hunger Games And Game Seven

Sometimes, I'm not sure where our daughter gets her energy from. She's always going in several directions at once and with diverse interests in many things, it's amazing she has time to even relax. Her most recent passion is the Bruins. (Hockey team). Tonight is game seven. Seven is her lucky number. Always has been. She was born in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day in 1987...as luck would have it, every number associated with her always has a seven in it. (lucky her).
Back to the Bruins. She is an avid fan...no, scratch that. She is an obsessive fan. To show her support, she wears their colors, black and gold on game nights. She plans the appropriate snacks and beverages to enjoy during the game....and actually, I seriously wonder if her laryngitis from two weeks ago had anything to do with shouting that came from her when the Bruins played.
Tonight is game SEVEN for the Bruins and I can be sure she will be watching. (her dad will most likely be watching....and texting her during the game).  GO BRUINS!

Hunger Games. Her second passion as of lately. Hunger Games is book number one of a trilogy by Suzanne Collins. She had been bugging me to buy the books so we can 'discuss' them. After her relentless pleading, I finally bought them and am in the middle of the first one. She warned me I would love it, and was she ever right! It's like reading the future of America. An absolutely fabulous story. I haven't had as much time as I would like to sit and read lately, but I am enjoying The Hunger Games!

Oops

Oh brother

A crane delivering a pool to a home in Minnesota had a bit of a mishap on Friday. The crane, or rather, the operator of the crane, overextended, causing it to tip over and crash into the house. I wonder if the owners of the house are thinking some nice grass in the backyard might have sufficed.

What a Joke

I saw the following quote on Michelle Malkin's site....and the picture came from a link on my daughter's site....how perfect.

"This could almost be a spin on a classic joke: How come the new five-member Commission to Cut Government Waste has a glass bottom boat? So they can see the old three-member Commission to Cut Government Waste."

I Think We Have A Winner

Entryway. what you can't see in this picture is the awesome study converted from a huge closet.

Standing at entry way. Love all the windows!

another bedroom view

looking towards kitchen and entry. See the double doors? Open them and voila! The study! It's so cool!



Bathroom. The shower is actually very large, although you can't see from here. There is a huge walk in closet to the left, and additional closet with washer/dryer hookups, AND separate area where the toilet is



Kitchen looking towards pantry. I love the appliances and the granite countertops

Balcony with a nice view

Balcony looking from bedroom

The building from street

Living area

Another view of the Kitchen. I Love the kitchen!

Bedroom...with sliding doors to the balcony. (don't look at the rug)

This is the one! We made an offer on this unit Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday afternoon it was accepted. Henry's first reaction was: 'We went in too high.' I don't think so. I believe the seller was ready to sell. He has already purchased another unit in a different building, and I'd like to think it worked out well for all.

It's not too large, so not a lot of furniture to buy. It's convenient to Henry's job, only 5.4 miles, which actually translates to a 20 minute commute, but, hey, it's better than an hour each direction. The building offers lots of amenities, most of which we may never use, but ya never know!
Closing is scheduled for the end of July, so again I say, we have to get this motorhome sold. Someone called from Washington State today, and he does sound genuinely interested, so will be keeping the fingers crossed.

Unbelievable

Jefferson County resident Jonathan Stewart said he laughed in shock after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) claimed the house his family lost in the deadly April 27 twister was ‘not unsafe to live in’.


Displaced families in tornado-ravaged Alabama are outraged after being denied federal aide to rebuild their flattened homes – due to ‘insufficient damage’.

The devastating reality is the house is now a concrete slab surrounded by rubble.

Mr Stewart told AL.com a FEMA inspector saw first-hand the Pleasant Grove residence.



Three days after the visit, however, he received a letter reading: ‘Based on your FEMA inspection, we have determined that the disaster has not caused your home to be unsafe to live in.

Strike Two.....And You're Out

No round three on the condo. - The seller was once again nonresponsive...guess he doesn't care if he sells it or not. Neither do we. We are moving on. With all the inventory on the market to choose from, and nothing  selling, you'd think any seller presented with a decent offer would, at a minimum, reply. Nope.
Maybe he's thinking it is still 2003..News Flash! It's 2011, real estate prices have fallen significantly since 2006 AND are still falling, foreclosed houses are sitting empty, and you're lucky if, as a seller, you receive one offer on your property. I do not want to get caught in a fall, so buying at the right price is even more important today.

Round Two

Today we made another offer on the condo. unit. Will see if the seller accepts it or not. We went in lower than last time, but agreed to pay all closing costs. If he accepts, we feel we'll be getting in at a decent price.

Now, about that motorhome. If this condo. deal goes through, we really need a buyer. I guess if it's all meant to happen it will, and I refuse to stress over it. Right now, I am more concerned about this:

S.W.A.T. Team fired 61 bullets killing a Tucson man

How about this one? Dept. Education S.W.A.T. Team breaks into house because of student loan default

Tyranny? Police State?

MOOO's Plate

We've all heard about and seen MO's, er, I mean the USDA's plate, which replaces the food pyramid. Mo has made it her mission in life to tell the peasants (that'd be you and I) what we should and should not be eating.

But, have you seen MO's plate??? 

Well, that didn't work out so Well

Here's a quick summary of how the offer on the condo. went

Friday morning - 7:00 am
We asked the realtor via email to present our offer that day to the seller.
Finally, at around 4:00 pm, we received the Earnest Money Contract via email. (So much for presenting the offer the same day, I guess).
Everything is done through the internet, so no hard copy and no wet signature.
We reviewed it, and asked that she re-word some items.

Saturday - 8:00 am

Realtor called and said she would make the changes we requested and present to seller, through email.
We asked for a response from the seller by 5:00 pm.

Sunday - 10:00 pm

Nothing. No email. No phone call. No communication. No reply.

Monday - 5:30 am
I checked my email and see that the realtor had forwarded us an email response from the seller. He replied to her at 7:08 pm., and she forward to us at 10:18 pm. (She may want to pick up the pace a little).
Problems with the Earnest Money Agreement. The Realtor should have used the contract for a condominium and instead used a single family home contract. She had the incorrect financing method indicated. (which we questioned her about and was told 'Oh, it doesn't matter, no need to change....Hmmm...guess she was wrong.)
Seller refuses to pay Home Warranty. (We (Henry and I) wanted that removed, because we don't care, but the realtor advise we leave it in).
Apparently, we are to receive the CC&R's on the condo. building, and have not.
He did agree to pay off the special assessment...that was good news.
He upped the sales price by a mere $980 and refused to pay any closing costs.

Realtors email also said she would call us THIS morning to discuss Seller's counter. - It is now 2:45 pm. and she has not called or emailed.  Think it's time to wash our hands of the realtor. Don't know about the seller at this point. Heck, don't even know about the condo. anymore.
First rule in sales, whether it be selling cars, real estate or furniture; when you've got a buyer, ready to spend money and actually buy....you never, never, never give them time to rethink their decision (especially an entire weekend) without finalizing the deal.  She did exactly that, so I'm afraid she just lost out on a sale.
You snooze, you lose. Isn't that how the saying goes?

Two Chili Dogs with Fries AND an Extra Bowl of Chili

Dude. MO is not gonna be happy.

His wife unveiled the new USDA's nutritional plate yesterday (yeah, no more food pyramid), and he wolfs down two chili dogs, fries and an extra bowl of chili! Hope he's got some TUMS on hand.

Making an Offer

What a rollercoaster ride. Yesterday I was looking for houses, last night we talked and decided the condo. might be the ticket, so as I write this, our realtor is writing up our offer. If the seller accepts, then great, if not, that's okay, too. 

The other excitement in my world today was with our daughter. 3 days ago she lost her voice to a whisper only. She went to the doctor and was told she has laryngitis. He prescribed antibiotics and sent her on her way.
The problem is, she's got a dry, hacking  cough that won't stop, and she seems to be getting worse. Thankfully, she finally called in sick today and is home, but now she says it's difficult to breathe and her chest hurts. --So her and I have been emailing back and forth all day...me trying to convince her that maybe she ought to visit the doctor again, her saying 'no, I'm alright.'

--Now, my sister in law was online, and the two of us were instant messaging each other, meanwhile, she's  on Skype with her daughter who lives in Germany and who just HAPPENS to be a nurse. They were giving me advice on what Amanda should do.

From Germany to Alaska, to Texas, then on to Arizona. Instant communication...WOW What a world we live in!

Condo Update

So, two days ago, I posted pictures about a condo. unit we looked at and are considering. The price was okay, the HOA's were high, and there was no garage space assigned for the unit.
Price:  Henry figured to offer the seller a little over $10,000 less than what he's asking.
HOA:  The HOA's here are pretty high compared to many other states, and with this building there has been a special assessment just added on top of the existing dues, bringing the monthly HOA cost up significantly. The special assessment is to cover the cost of replacing all windows, exterior doors and balconies - which is a good thing, but the increased cost remains in place for the next 44 months. Our thought is to ask the seller to payoff the special assessment in full at closing as part of the offer.
Garage space: No assigned parking in the garage is a deal breaker. We need at a minimum ONE spot in the garage to protect the car from the sun, hail, etc. -However, if necessary, and if we could get the unit for a good price, we would accept. You can always buy a spot from another resident, one that may have two and only needs one. (wishy washy I know. That's how it's been...back and forth, indecisive)
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Fast forward to today. The seller has dropped between $20,000 and $29,000 off the price, and has now acquired (I believe he bought) two parking spaces in the garage. The reason for the spread in price reduction has to do with the HOA special assessment. He would agree to drop the price $20k and pay $9,000 towards the special assessment, OR, drop the price $29,000 and we deal with the special assessment.
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The frustration for us came as we talk more about HOA's in general. Are they really what they're cracked up to be? Do you get your money's worth from the dues? I'm not talking $150/month here, I'm talking between $250-1,000/month, depending on unit size and the building. So, guess what I'm doing today, besides waiting for the dude from Minneapolis that was supposed to come look at the motor home?** (yeah, haven't heard a peep from him....no surprise) - I am looking at houses again. :) or (: ?? I am not sure.

**guess I should have mentioned the couple from MN. were originally flying in Friday, then he called Tuesday evening to say he would be in Wednesday......Later in the evening, yet another call to say they were on standby and didn't make the flight.....so it will be Thursday.   ----Of course, Thursday came and went with nary a call from him. Typical, typical.