This story is inspiring, partially because I ALWAYS wanted a full size Lego house. My favorite part was the reaction from the community. It seems that they had thousands of volunteers. So many in-fact they could not use all of them. Volunteers even came equipped with their own Legos to donate to the cause. The project was the idea of James May, a British TV host, to be featured on his series Toy Stories. He enlisted a thousand volunteers and used 3.3 million donated Lego bricks. He even spent a night in the house, which he learned is not waterproof and has "the most uncomfortable bed I've ever slept in," May told The Daily Mail. The Lego house was two stories and had a working toilet and even a Lego cat. I love people projects- like giant cookies or football field sized pies. This one i... 09/24/2009

"I apologize. I forgot you were a princess," I told my daughter.It was her turn to wash the dishes and put them away. Her room was (is) a disaster and she thinks she should quit her job because she dosn't like it. She also complains that this makes her tired. Poor Princess. Thank God she is of a Royal Bloodline (LOL) and has the option of sleeping in, staying out late, doing what ever she pleases and knowing that her humble servants (her Dad and I) will be picking up the pieces as they plummet to the ground. NOT! Some people have unrealistic expectations. My dear daughter will be needing her job to pay her Dad and I rent if she does not get off her butt and do her chores. She can stay up late but she will be tired in the morning and her boss wont give a ... She is also free to trash her... 09/23/2009

The warm sands conforms to my thoughts. I stare beyond the slippery sky as it swirls the clouds in play. My feet find their way beneath to the cool caress of  timeless sands. Long have they been here in one form or another reaching out and then back in.Just as I have been and will be. Loved by God and cherished by his thoughts. 09/23/2009

When I show houses I am not just there to open the door. Of course I research the homes and give my clients information on the neighborhood, but here is so much more. The first thing I want to find our for my buyers is -why the Sellers are moving? When making an offer on a house it is important to remember that the houses listed price is  just the asking price.  The asking price can be based on many different decisions, and these will play into the reasoning the owners will use when  deciding whether they can or will accept an offer. Once you know why the Sellers are selling you can research the price and get an understanding of where they are coming from. Every seller has a need. In discovering that need you can assist your Buyers in making a good offer. Surprisingly enough it is not a... 09/23/2009

We all get writer's block from time to time. I think the trouble is that we are trying to write. My method for posting is to put on my favorite Pandora's station, read a few posts, and write about what is on my mind. The words flow quickley and before I know it I am boring myself and have to shrink down my post. If you need inspiration...Look out the window. If you need ideas...read a few posts. If you need words...write what is in your mind. If you need courage...start. Everyone has a voice. 09/22/2009

So how was YOUR Monday? I don't care to have a repeat of today thank you.....  It all started out fairly normal. Monday's though are typically always little more hectic and this one turned from hectic to- maybe not hell- but pretty gosh darned close. I generally can pull it all together and get it settled down and done.... but today it was JUST NOT going to happen. I had my scheduled planned as usual. It was going to be a tight one today between phone calls, paperwork to catch up on, errands to run, appointments to be met, signs to put up, pictures to be taken.... I think you get it. And that's just for my business, throw in home, husband, children and AAAARRRRGHHHHHHHH!!! CALGON PLEASE TAKE ME AWAY!!!  And oh wait - was there time in there for me?? Not typically on a Monday.   But Calg... 09/21/2009

Birthdays are an incredible thing. We take one day a year to remember all the days that have past and we celebrate with hopes of many more to come. This is my daughter Sarah as she turned 12. I think she was a little surprised at just how quickly those candles can add up! I think it is important for us to all keep in mind just how preciouse our time here really is It is imperative that we make every moment count... even if it starts a fire. So tonight as your family collects into the house...appreciate them. Dishes can wait. Let it go to voice mail. Catch up on world events at 11pm. Spend time with those you love. Let the little things go. We never know just how many of those yearly fires we have left to attend- so make the most out of every minute you have with those you love. I think ... 09/21/2009

HERE WE COME GLACIER NATIONAL PARK!  DAY THREE!  Okay so I have to digress for a minute and tell you something first. When researching Glacier Nat'l Park for our trip - I was real leary about the roads and their condition near there at the end of June. And there's one road in particular that looked to be the most popular, but also the most scary.... GOING-TO-THE-SUN-ROAD. Scary you say? Yeah scary. Like in winding, twisting, narrow, no guard rails, cliff hanging kinda scary- you know? And we were going to be on our motorcycles so I wanted to know ALL about this road before I got anywhere near it (this is the part where my husband would call me a sissy)! Go ahead read the link above....I'll wait. So I did investigate and based on the info on their website it seemed that it would be bette... 09/20/2009

I can smell the grilled onions from here. It is part of what makes the Puyallup Fair. That and Raspberry scones, clowns, horses, and little kids with sticky cotton candy smiles. I look forward to this every year. Today I am chatting with passers by about LakeLand Village in Allyn, Washington. A lot of people know exactly where we are because they have been out to golf on our 27 hole course, fished at the lake or ate at the Lakeside Bistro. For those who have not heard about us yet we have a booth at the fair every year to share about our community. I look forward to spending a few days here at the PuyallupFair every year. I love the people, the exhibits, and the Rodeo. There is nothing else like it. It gets me ready for Fall as the leaves with their brilliant colors float down to cover ... 09/20/2009

 Sometimes life throws you a curve ball or a couple dozen. It is in the quiet moments that you begin to reflect on just what this means.You stare at your options. You can stay put and let fate have it's way. You can roll backwards and let it rule your world or you can move forward. I would like to say that I am the type who never lets it get her down. The one who has the Pollyanna attitude. I'm not. This time I just handed fate the reigns. But as we all know life keeps moving forward whether you are on board with the idea or not. I decided to take a hard look a where I was and where I was headed and...I didn't like it. It was time to take back the controls. So I did. I have a new plan and a new outlook. I am energized and ready to meet a challenging market head on. I love being a Realto... 09/18/2009

I, the certified LakeLand Village "Booth Boy Blogger", am reporting to you from the - The Puyallup Fair in Western Washington... THE BIG FANTASTIC! This morning before I got busy handing out LakeLand Village brochures, speaking with future residents about the Glenn Allyn Condominiums and pointing out the terrific Land Values in LakeLand, I went and visited a section of the Fair known as... SILLYVILLE! SILLYVILLE is where I had the opportunity to EXPERIENCE AL'S BRAIN...Weird Al Yankovic's 3 D Brain Movie. Weird Al has produced an educational 3 D movie journey through and about the...    HUMAN BRAIN! The first show was scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. I left my LakeLand Village booth at 10:23 a.m. so that I might get a good place in line but to my dismay when I arrived at 10:34 a.m. the... 09/16/2009

Each year in September, I have the dubious honor of being a  "Booth Boy" in a 17 Day Event known as... "The Big Fantastic" The Puyallup Fair According to Wikipedia: "The Puyallup Fair is the largest single attraction held annually in the state of Washington. The fair continually ranks in the top ten largest fairs in the United States. [1] Situated in Puyallup, 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle and 10 miles (16 km) east of Tacoma in the shadow of Mount Rainier, the fairgrounds comprise 160 acres (0.65 km2), with buildings and land valued at more than $54 million. Until 2006, the fair was officially known as the "Western Washington Fair." For the past 20 + years the Puyallup Fair has been a big part of our Real Estate Company's Marketing Plan for the promotion of  our Development -LakeLan... 09/14/2009

What do you think?   Do I have bragging rights here or What????  Oh Yeah!!     I think as a grandparent I definitely have the bragging rights to these cuties! 09/04/2009

Lakeland Village Homes for Sale~Allyn~WA~Market Report For August 2009 Summer is winding down as the kids head back to school and we celebrate Labor Day Weekend! Incredible how fast time has gone by.  It hasn't stopped buyers from shopping for homes for sale in LakeLand Village though! August was quite an active month for showings on Homes for Sale in LakeLand as well as offers that were written and mutually accepted between buyers and sellers. The amount of inventory of homes for sale in LakeLand Village is now at  27. There are 3 that are under the price of $200,000; 8 Under the price of $300,000; 13 Under $400,000; and the remainder of $400,000.  There are still many choices and price ranges available. Something for just about every budget! Looking at the pending sales, buyers realiz... 09/04/2009

I'm late! I'm late! I Know I am late!  Monday is the day the I update all of my sellers on what has been happening in the market and their home or property, specifically in the last week. A few of the things I answer are: Have they had any showings? What has the agent feedback been? Are there things they as sellers need to do or take care of? How many hits on the agent website? How many public hits? How active has the web page been?   And the current stats for their local market in a brief summary. There's more -- but you get the idea. Well, today I'm Late! I'm late! I know I am late!  Monday's are generally a little more hectic than other days in the office. Seems typical for any office. But today was one of those days where all my best laid plans when right out the window. So much to ... 08/24/2009

The Allyn Community Association's Planning Committee is proposing a new sign ordinance for the Allyn UGA. There is currently a 6 page sign ordinance already adopted in the County UGA regulations for Allyn.My question is "Why is the committee proposing, at this time, a more detailed, restrictive and over regulated code"?Sign code discussions and revisions require thick skin, unusually high level of participation and a slow, thoughtful process. The fundamental error, in my opinion, of the Allyn process is the assumption that the sign ordinance is relevant today.A restrictive sign code, now, will just hinder and hurt struggling business in an already difficult economic time.It seems to me that the community would be better off offering assistance at keeping our streets, properties and busi... 08/19/2009

I woke up to this wonderful article this morning about longevity.I have included a link to the site so you can read the remainder of the traits for centurions. The one I have posted is one that all 156,000+ of us seem to have in common. You embrace techie trendsLearn to Twitter or Skype to help keep brain cells young and healthy, says Sherri Snelling, senior director for Evercare (part of United-Healthcare), a group that sponsors an annual poll of U.S. centenarians. Many of the oldest Americans send e-mails, Google lost friends, and even date online. Researchers say using the latest technology helps keep us not only mentally spry but socially engaged: "Stay connected to friends, family, and current events, and you feel vital and relevant," says Snelling. 08/19/2009

     This is one of those times of the year we like to crank the AC. Face it in Western Washington we don't get all that many chances.But there are things you should be aware of. I have included a link and some advice fromAdvanced Heating and Cooling's owner Chuck Huff. If the AC is working well we normally see a 30 degree temp. drop at the coil in the equipment (not your home). This is important to know, because if you try to cool your house below 72 without special equipment installed there is a chance that your ...indoor coil will freeze. A frozen coil can cause the compressor to fail, in many cases requiring replacement of the AC . 08/17/2009

I survived putting keys in the lock box! Yesterday I headed out to gated acreage I had listed to put keys in the box.  Careful not to let anyone else in I locked the gate securely behind me and headed to the little cabin to make sure the key turned the lock. As I crossed and open field I heard a thud in the woods about 5 feet away,and then wrestling in the bushes and another whumping thud. I was curious and was excited to see what large animal would make such a noise (stupid). It was then that my husband who always travels with me when I go out in the boonies noticed the large cat (cougar?) He had just made his way onto a stump to spy on us. The moral of the story is do not be dumb and curious as I was. Watch out when you show or list vacant land. I was always concerned about people I ... 08/09/2009

If it is a Buyers Market, Why are there Multiple offers? This was the question posed to me today from buyers that I have been working with on finding a home they like within their budget. Their budget is under $200,000. They were a little frustrated today because just like a student in the education process - sometimes it takes a student a few times making mistakes before they realize the answer; even though the teacher has shown them how to reach the answer.  Each of us has our own way of learning. Some it takes longer and a few trial and errors to get to the solution even with our guidance and education. They need to have THE "AH HA" moment. They want to know - "There are so many homes on the market under $200,000, so why is it that we keep running into homes that we like and they end... 08/08/2009