Quote that is currently inspiring me...

Let no man be sorry he has done good,

because others have done evil.

- Henry Fielding

Almost there...

Tomorrow is my Snew's Sweet Sixteen.

At 6:21am, sixteen years ago, my best friend came into my life. She saved me, and she gave me something, someone, to live for. I am so blessed. In addition to a Happy Birthday, my little girl (and she will always be my little girl) gets a big Thank You. For everything. My everything.

Performing at the United Way Family Picnic in Brooksville, FL with the Springstead Marching Eagle Brigade...

When mother nature fights back...

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

Josh trimmed our palm out back yesterday:

Josh trimming Queen Palm...

The palm reciprocated by trying to spear him:

Palm trys to spear him...

The dried seed pod is very pointy, and it comes down fast and hard:

The point is deep in the ground...

He was very lucky that it didn't land on his foot...yeesh!

To Do

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My to do list keeps getting longer. I think I should change it's name to my wish list. Why? Because it's starting to feel like wishful thinking! :) What happened? I thought I'd move in, presto change-o: perfection! Not quite, ha ha. We've lived in Spring Hill a little over 3 years, and there's more to do than there was initially. How does that always happen? In any case, I'll share a few with you below.

I've begun some of my Halloween decorating, which falls under the fun portion of my to do list (oh! don't forget to click on the pic for a larger version so you can see how insanely cute that little sign is ) :

It begins...

Yes, I know I'm super early...I always am. Soon this area will be used as a picture spot by moms taking pics of their little ghouls, goblins (come to think of it, I've never seen one dressed as a goblin), princesses, batmans, etc. I love the thought that my entry way might just be in a scrap book or two, and someday, somewhere, someone will look through and say "I remember that house, it was always so cute for Halloween".

Now, I know my Snew's birthday comes first but she's turning sweet sixteen and will just not pick a theme, or settle on what she'd like to do. This is the first year I've come to realize her birthday plans are no longer in my control. It's a hard pill to swallow, and it's causing me so much anxiety. On the other hand, I guess it should be a relief. One less thing on my shoulders, right? I think this is one of those parts of life you hand off to your child as they become young adults that you secretly wish you could hold on to forever. Maybe once we're past the teens she won't mind if Mom plans a birthday or two? Huh? Maybe? Please?

Well, enough about my letting go issues, lol, and back to my unfinished projects:

Not exactly how I planned it...

I've been wanting to add roll-up shades to the lanai, and eventually flowy curtains at the posts. We had two out of the 3 up so far. Had them rolled all the way up so the wind wouldn't break them. Um...yeah....not so good. The one in what would be the middle has already broken somehow and just hangs completely flat...flapping in the wind. Dang it. The 3rd one is still in my garage. I'm going to make it work somehow. :) Oh! And we want to cover all that concrete w/ pavers. Someday...

Liya's "Daddy Roses"...

I don't want to go into it all right now because it is still so emotional for me, but to make a long, sad, story short - my brother-in-law passed away Christmas Eve before last, leaving behind his 5 yr old daughter, my niece Li. Upon her return from the Republic of Georgia, we planted this rose bush (Elle) and surrounded it with angel statues lovingly chosen by a sad little girl. Each angel was carefully placed in what she determined to be the perfect spot in her "Daddy Angel Garden". I still need to figure out how to finish it off - what type of border, mulch, rock, etc. It sits under my pink grapefruit tree, in which we've strung crystals that sway and twinkle in the sun, giving it a magical feeling. That little rose bush grows and grows, and each beautiful flower gives off the most insanely delicate but strong rose smell I've ever smelled in my life. She calls them Daddy roses, and it makes her happy to have one sitting in her room...I imagine heaven must smell similar.

Many of my to do's are too embarrassing to post, lol. Bad enough I've bared my grungy lanai, yikes! I'll move on to a project we finally accomplished: changing out those 80's style circle globe lights out on the lanai. My goodness they were dated, but we lived with them until very recently. When working our 3rd investment property we came across these gorgeous fixtures...it was love at first sight. They were perfect for the house. The price was insane for how gorgeous they are. I'll let you see them before I reveal that. Well, as time went on I couldn't get them out of my head. I needed them. They were perfect for the lanai. No more putting it off. At that price how could I risk never finding them again? And so:

Tadaaaa!!!

"Ferosh", right? "I die", no? (I get all my catch phrases from Bravo.) Perfection. And the price? 2 for 60. I know!!! Now, this wouldn't be a Natalie story if some weird thing didn't go wrong...here's the other one:

Let's just call this one energy efficient, k?

The second light fixture has one socket that doesn't work. We tried numerous bulbs, it's the socket. In another example of the many differences between Jeff Lewis (my guru) and myself, I'm keeping it. Making it work. (another Bravo'ism. If that channell ever goes off air I'll just stop speaking.)

Why did the chicken cross the road?

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

To get to my kitchen, of course!

In between doctor's visits for my Snew, real estate stuff, dropping off then picking up Butch at groomer's, dropping off then picking up prescriptions, cooking lunch and now dinner I've been reading through many of the blogs I've linked to on my blog list. Soooo good. Crazy good. So much inspiration, personality, talent, wisdom & humor. I am humbled, entertained, inspired, and hopeful (especially for "nienie"!) I need more time so I can enjoy you all. I love how my blog list thingymajiggy (technical term) keeps me updated as to what's posted when. Much easier than trying to visit them all daily to check for updates.



I also plan on spending as much time as I can squeeze out of my day coming up w/ more money saving ideas because needless to say: we are broke! We are house rich and cash poor. In my opinion if there's ever a time to get this way it is during a down market. When things swing the other way....you see where I'm going, right? lol



I did find an old photo of above my cabinets which shows some (this is only a small part) of my chicken collection which I promised to share. I've since done some rearranging (those green candle holders are gone for example) and I like it better now. But this photo does give you an idea of how I've tried to make them work by spray painting them to go w/ our current color scheme, etc.

We've got pics of the original kitchen, along with pics taken after our remodel that I should share with you. It had those ubiquitous slab cabinets so prevalent in the new construction homes built in Spring Hill, FL in the 80's. At least they were beige. But my goodness were they ugly. The transformation is one we're quite proud of, and I post them when I find them. Because I have been well trained by the forums I frequent I will of course name the paint colors/brands in the pic. The green is "Tate Olive" by Behr, and the beige is "Coral Cliche" by Glidden. Cabinet color is "Fusion Maple". It looks better without those tall green candle holders. I don't know what to do with those things. I loved them so much at Joanne Fabrics but now that the dining room is our office they're homeless.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Vacation. That sounds vaguely familiar....

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

I thought that when we moved to Florida that every day would be a vacation. In many ways it is. In many ways it isn't.

I thought being 4 1/2 hours from South Beach meant we'd be there all the time, lol. How naive I was. We did take a trip down to Key West last December, which was great. But my sweet, sweet South Beach...it has been too long.

I need my Bellini's at Nikki Beach on a Sunday morning...a little hair of the dog, easing me into another fun filled night.






I need to feel connected to all the tropical, exotic, care free fun that attracted me to the Sunshine State, and put me on my path to Spring Hill. Like a doctor, I'm writing myself a script to be filled ASAP.

Bellini Recipe:


"The Bellini is a peachy version of the Champagne Cocktail and makes a great brunch cocktail. The story behind the drink is that is was created in the 1930's or 40's at Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy by bartender Giuseppe Cipriani and was named after a favorite painter, Giovanni Bellini. Originally, the Bellini was intended to use sparkling Italian wine and is still made that way in Italy, elsewhere it is often made with Champagne. Also, try the mocktail version, the Baby Bellini.
Ingredients:
2 oz peach juice or peach puree
4 oz Champagne (*I use a prosecco)
Preparation:
Pour the peach juice or peach puree into a Champagne flute.
Slowly add the Champagne. "

I'm in limbo...waiting for number 4...

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

This is the hardest part. Maybe the second hardest. I'm waiting patiently for a closing date on our fourth investment property in Spring Hill, FL.

I'm pulling at the end of my leash. My neck is hurting, and I just need someone to mercifully come along and unhook me, and let me run.

Anya

It's funny how life works. I thought this place was going to be my 3rd. I was outbid. It was a former grow house. No kidding, really. Someone paid very good money for a beautifully renovated little home and then proceeded to use it as nothing more than four walls and a ceiling to grow marijuana in. What a waste. Well, maybe not to some, but to me it was. They tore out all the work the previous owner had done finishing the garage into living sq. ft. I guess they had some sort of reflective stuff on the walls, and there are tons of screws in the ceiling from where there were rows of lights. What a disaster. Oh! And did I mention they had hotwired the house directly to the underground electricity? Completely bypassing the meter and making for an electrical nightmare. Luckily, the Spring Hill authorities busted these people and they're outta there. Now, it is owned by a bank and sits empty.

Well, I had put in an offer on this house several months ago. I was outbid. I received the ol' "highest and best" call & paperwork, basically the bank's agent letting us all know there are more than one offer (3 in this case I think) and we are all to put in our highest and best because they're going to pick one. I let it roll. I knew my bottom line and I'm not looking for "the house", I'm looking for "the deal". It went pending, with the buyer offering $8,500.00 more than me. Good luck to them. In the mean time I moved on, and bought the place I just rented out.

Well, what do you know, couple weeks later the call comes in...financing fell through...am I still interested?...will I come up on my offer? Josh informed him I'd moved on, and might be interested at some point but would never be upping my offer.

And so I worked on this last place, and the former grow house sat...and sat...and dropped their price. Now that our last place was done and rented we took another gander. I offered $5,000.00 less than I was originally willing to pay and...*drum roll please*....it was accepted. We've had some serious back and forths with the electric company - thank God for Josh's patience and tenacity because he worked miracles with them - and now we wait for closing. It'll be a 3 Bedroom, in the same Spring Hill neighborhood as my first two, and I'm really excited to make a difference. This home has been used and abused. She was a detriment, and a danger to the people in the area. I plan on making it a great home that someone, including me, would be proud to call home.

Please wish me luck. Lots and lots of it. We're going to do our best, and hope for the best all the while.

What a crazy day yesterday turned out to be!

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

First and foremost *I* was actually commented back by the amazing "mariaferlo" from Rate My Space"! That makes me giddy. :) I'm such a fan of her beautiful home. I would pay an entrance fee. It would be like my Disney World, lol! If you can, please check out her blog and web page over in my blog list.

I took the kids shopping at Joanne Fabrics & the Dollar Store for any potential Halloween items that might look interesting. We found a few, and at JF we found a great little kit for making a gingerbread haunted house. The kids put that together this morning and I'll share pics with you later in this post.

Once we were done with our shopping, I dropped off the kids at Mom & Dad's so that I could *finally* accompany my poor honey to see the Dark Knight. He has been waiting, and waiting...and it didn't seem like we were going to make it happen. We finally had our opportunity and went for it. About a half hour in I started not feeling well. I mean reaalllyyy not feeling well. I just sat there concentrating on getting through the movie. Minute by minute I held on. I couldn't ruin this for him. How unfair. And so I held on. And at every point that it seemed that the movie might end I breathed a sigh of relief only to realize it wasn't over! Now I was going to pass out, and I knew it. I had to let him know so that he wouldn't think I was just sleeping. I tapped him and whispered "I'm not feeling well". His immediate response (and an example of why I love him) was "let's go". "No, it's okay" I whisper. "Are you sure, I have no problem leaving right now" he replies. I nod my head, realizing this might be my chance to walk out instead of being carried out, and he helps me up and supports me. I'm walking out as though seeing through a tunnel. It was bizarre. It took all I had to get to the car and plop into the front seat. He drove to the hospital. I'll spare you all the details but basically my blood pressure was sky high, and it seems I was probably having some sort of panic attack and esophigal spasms. I'm now on anti-anxiety meds that make be feel out of it. I hate feeling like this so I'm off them ASAP! My thyroid is also too low...hypo something or other and I have to follow up w/ my primary. So much for a movie date w/ my sweetie! ACK!!! Anyone know how it ends? Because we don't, lol.

Here are the pics of the kids' Haunted Mansion. I needed a centerpiece for the kitchen table and am thrilled to have this object de arte because it is perfect!

Candy...yummmm

Decorating

Snew's Side

Li's Side

Only 54 days until Halloween! Eeeeeek!

Wow. Gorgeous.

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

Popped in to take a quick gander through Rate My Space when what did I spy with my little eye? A gorgeous foyer! Needed to share it with you. The light fixture is fantastic:

Here's the link to the rest of the photos of this foyer.

I'm back again to share another. I think I'll turn this thread into a gallery of some of my favorite rooms decorated by some very talented home owners.

Look at this living room:

And the link is here.

Sooooo pleasing to the eye. Crisp, clean, just enough contrast to give it interest. I like it a lot. Unfortunately I do not have the commitment required for a room like this. My tastes vary so greatly, and I've always got stuff bought for me, or made for me, by the kids that I need to display. So unless I could convince them to only paint or color in neutrals....lol, can you see how this would be difficult for me? I do have to admit to having spray painted several of my chickens (okay, so they're roosters, I call them chickens) given to me over the years. I think I'm up to 22 in my kitchen right now and to have them all contrasting in bright clashing shades would overwhelm the eye. But, they're gifts, and I want to keep them, so I make them work. A bit of chocolate brown, off white, silver, and olive green spray paint, and viola! A cohesive look. And I have left a few of them in their original colors as well. I'll take pics soon and post. Promise.

I'll be back if anything else catches my eye on my travels through Rate My Space :). I'm back. And I'm in shock. And awe. I'm a huge fan of "mariaferlo" on there, and lo and behold she has a blog! And a website. Hence the shock AND the awe. I'm so excited, and I rushed to share it with you. Haven't even done more than a quick glance through yet so no comments. Here ya go:

website blog

I need more hours in a day, and I need'm now.

Snew has a game tonight, and her littlest yet biggest fan Li will be in the stands hollering and clapping along side me! Yay!

If you happen to be in the Spring Hill area, come on by the game!

And it begins...

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

I wasn't sure if I was going to be that into Top Design this season. Last season just didn't "do it" for me. I happened to get my munchkin tucked in just as Project Runway was ending, and Top Design was starting...I figure if nothing else I'd check out who the designers are as they go through each one and they describe themselves a bit.


Well...one of them is Rick Shroder's wife! Yes, Silver Spoons!

http://www.bravotv.com/blog/thedish/2008/07/top_design_cast_revealed.php?p=thedish/2008/07/top_design_cast_revealed.php&page=2

I know!!! Instant interest. Lame, but true.



Right up next is the Senior Editor of Martha Stewart Living magazine...yes, please!





And if the hook currently in my lip wasn't secure enough: an adorable Asian guy who sings opera. Oh, and another guy is named Serge, which is a prominent name in my family. I feel like this season was catered to me, but I don't remember filling out a questionaire...hmmmm......

The designers have to decorate an entire apartment. In two days. With two thousand dollars. Geez, they are not playing around.

(On a side note, the commercials for Tabitha's Salon Takeover are making me want to get violent. If that guy ever tried to lick me, I'd mace him with hair spray. What in the world?)

I don't know why, but I'm getting a completely different vibe from Top Design this year, and I'm hoping for nothing but great things. Gotta go for now so I can watch. I'm hoping to get some inspiration and steal some great ideas (that are cheap! whole apartment for 2k will force them to make miracles happen) for my own little piece of Spring Hill Real Estate.

I'm a total stalker!

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I am having waaaayyyy too much fun on the Real Estalker blog. I've got a link to it on my blog list. Proceed with caution, you will become addicted!

Basically, the wonderful "your Mama" allows us to peer into various celebrities' and millionaires' homes, and gives us a whole lotta info on 'em to boot. Whether they're on the market, recently purchased or sold, we get to take a gander at what gives. I cannot get enough.

Some of them have the most beautiful homes...other's not so much, lol!

Here's one that'll knock your socks off (I say that a lot, don't I? Geez, I'm a dork!):

http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2008/03/leann-rimes-nashville-nest.html

I'll be back soon with more but I'm running so late with everything today...it's just one of those days :).

We need more space.

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

Three years into our new life in Spring Hill, Fl, and we're still having the same debate. I don't want to get into it all, as I don't think you've got the rest of the day to read this post, lol, but to give you a quick synopsis: When I came down to visit Mom & Dad's new place in this far off land called Spring Hill I fell in love. I had their real estate agent take me around and show me what was available. My plan was to find something we could spend a year in - max - which would give us time to figure out what neighborhood we wanted to live in, find a builder, and build a custom home that met our needs.

I was then returning back north to prepare my previous home for putting it on the market. It is a custom build that I miss bunches, but can't say I'd pick it up and bring it with me because the layout just doesn't work for our lifestyle down here. While if I ever play the lottery, and win, I will definitely be knocking on their door and asking how much to buy it back, lol. As far as living in Florida, and the right home for us down here, I still like how our new home wraps around the pool. The star of the show is always our lanai, pool & landscaping. It's what I love most about living down here and having it as part of every day, and every moment is fantastic. I saw soooo many homes back when I was looking, and this one was my favorite head & shoulders above all. With all the homes we've seen here, being in the Real Estate industry, we've yet to see one we like as much. One came close but at DOUBLE the price range of our current, how could we justify spending that much and it still not being perfect.

Well, we bought here, sold there, and moved in. We got to work renovating and updating. In the mean time we've really fallen head over heels with this place. The market has absolutely nose dived since those times, and right now I think we could get what we paid for, plus or minus a few thousand. Sounds good? Nope. We would not recoup the 40k we've put into it. That doesn't make it a clear cut "so we stay" situation either. We know that right now we could more than make up for that loss by purchasing the right home at the right price. And on and on goes the debate. We take turns sitting on either side of the fence. Heck, we switch off in the midst of one conversation, lol. We need more space. But...what is the additional space needed for? So we don't let go of stuff we don't use anyway? Doesn't seem like a wise investment. Paying $ more per month, higher taxes, utilities, etc. for my unused treadmill, dining room hutch, and Josh's bass amps, etc., just isn't working for me.

Our Place

We never used our dining room and needed a larger office. Old office became my daughter's room, daughter's old room became niece's, dining room became new office. We never used our formal living room. Formal living room is now the happy home of Josh's baby: the pool table. Problem solved? Nope. There is no storage. Our formal areas are part of a larger great room, so our office & pool table rooms are what you walk into from the front door. We have no storage for all our office "stuff". There are no basements here. There's no where to tuck away holiday decorations, landscaping equipment, staging supplies, and all the other misc. things you need to tuck away and bring out periodically.

There's a local company called Create More Space, and we keep wanting to stop in and see what they could do for us. We're thinking built-ins, built-ins, built-ins! But that is no small investment in a home with a definative ceiling to it's value because of it's size. Do we want to invest any more $ into a home that we know we probably won't recoup because we're not actually adding sq. ft.? My niece's room has a window seat, and I'd love to do something like Brown Design (see by blog list for a link to this awesome resource) did here:

Window Seat Inspiration

One of my regular customers...

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill FL Real Estate


...came by, even in all this wind, for a late lunch:





This Cardinal is at the point where as soon as I turn my back he's on the feeder. He's come to realize that I'm no threat to him, and he has no reason to be scared of me.



Spring Hill, FL is classified as a bird sanctuary, and as a result there are so many beautiful birds seen through out the area. I love hanging out and watching them stop by my place for a snack. I find their nests in my trees and even in one of my rose bushes and I'm always blown away with the ingenious way they create their little homes. Yes, I'm even obsessed with bird's homes, lol. Like the way the twigs are just perfectly intertwined...so uniform and sturdy. All done with a little beak and no hands. Amazing. And then to see the little torn piece of plastic the bird found and used right at the bottom to provide something to keep the the cushy items from falling through.



When my Miicoh was still with us I used to put clumps of his fur out on the trees to give the birds something to line their nests with. He was a prodigious shedder and I'm sure he kept many a little egg warm and snuggly. I miss him so much.

Miicoh

I'm sure he's still watching those feeders and keeping track right along with Nermal of the comings and goings.

Springstead Marching Eagle Brigade of Spring Hill, FL is BRINGING IT this year!!!

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I knew my day was headed for an upturn, and I was absolutely right. They did not disappoint. All the blood, sweat & tears...and more sweat...did I mention sweat, lol...is paying off big time. We were blown away with how well their performance was already. Westside Story makes for a fantastic show. The music lends itself to participation, whether by yelling "mambo!" along with them, doing a little cha cha in your seat, or the way you can't help but burst into applause with hoots and hollers coming out of you that you didn't even know you were capable of because you're just that into it.

Great, great job guys & gals. And of course my own Snew...you make your Momma proud each and every time. You're your own worst critic, I know. But, trust me when I say that you're doing your best out there, and it shows!



Josh is out at our 3rd rental right now w/ the window guy. He's doing the two in the living room while he's there so we don't have any future issues. I feel like a slot machine, and all I can here is the money pouring out of me, lol.

I look around my own home and wonder if I'll ever get it up to the standards of my rentals. My "to do" list for my own house just grows and grows. It's always someday, where with our rentals it has to be now.

Then again, I look at what owning those homes means to me. Both emotionally - it's a passion of mine - and financially - hopefully they'll serve to be a way to help my family in the future. In the end I still think it's all worth it, and we'll come out on top.

On a side note:

For those who've asked, if you have any questions for Josh Hanoud, please contact him at Josh@HernandoLuxuryHomes.com . He specializes in Spring Hill, FL, Real Estate, which includes Brooksville, the rest of Hernando County, and up into Citrus, and down into Pasco & Pinellas counties. To view homes for sale in Spring Hill, FL please go to http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ or http://www.searchhernandohomes.com/ . He's got a really user friendly home search on there that you do not need to register for.

Hellish day saved by the Night of Flight

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Florida Real Estate


We had the walk through and I definitely spoke too soon. Not done. Had to have our handyman out to fix a couple drains, and have to have a window company come out for some windows. Ack! I'm already over budget on this house, dang it! In any case this was the first pre-lease walk through I've ever walked away from feeling bad. So bad I cried. Yup.

We'll see where this leads...right now I'm wishing I had held off and done the lease option that came up the day after I told the other agent her people had been approved. If only I had a crystal ball.

Maybe things will improve drastically from here, and all will be well. Maybe I'll actually feel good about this whole thing again.

The trellis I put up yesterday and tied the yellow flowering vine to looked spectacular IMHO. Wish it was at my place. Ah, well...live and learn.

As soon as I publish this blog I'm heading off to Snew's Night of Flight! What a fantastic way to turn a day around and brighten my spirits. I'm ready to have my socks knocked right off. Well, I live in Florida, so I guess it'll be my flip flops getting knocked off, lol. Their show is based on West Side Story...I know, right! I'll report back ASAP.

And I'm back to smiling as quickly as that.

Another milestone

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Florida Real Estate

Tomorrow is Snew's "Night of Flight" for her marching band. She's been looking forward to, and working hard towards, this moment for several months now. We'll be seeing a full on performance of their program for the first time. I can hardly wait! Glad my parents and niece will be there to enjoy along with us.

We've ordered mild BBQ Wings from Pit Boss BBQ (if you're ever in Spring Hill, FL check'm out!) and need to get'm picked up and at the school's cafeteria by 5:30 the latest. Not an easy task for people whose schedules change in the time it takes a phone to ring.

Additionally we're doing the walk through, and handing over the keys on our latest place at 10am. It's always bittersweet for me. I'm thrilled to have someone living in them, and hopefully loving them as much as I do. At the same time it's weird not being able to go in them anymore, lol.

Each of them is such a great little place, and we've purposely put the rents at slightly below market because it makes us feel really good to have people happy because they found a great place in their price range.

Need to make sure all the smoke detectors get fresh batteries tomorrow, vaccum the last two rooms....and my work is done. At least I hope it is!

Oh, also, finally having the two problem spots in my garden cleaned out tomorrow. I'd given up on keeping the invasives in those areas under control and I'm just going to start from scratch. Hope I remember pics...and have time to take them...and then share them.

Maybe I should wake up my two assistants. They are sleeping under my desk:

Butch the Poodle, and Nermal the Siamese

Selling your home? Listen to this man.

http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com/ HernandoLuxuryHomes

Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis - aka my personal flipping guru

Some absolutely invaluable advice from someone who's opinion I absolutely value:

http://video.bravotv.com/player/?id=136275

I know the commercial before the clip is annoying but I'm telling you: his advice is worth it!

This man needs to put out a book. I need to buy it.


Nat :)

End of the summer!

http://www.blogger.com/www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com HernandoLuxuryHomes

Summer came and went so quickly. I haven't even had a chance to comment on it and we're a week into school.

This summer we had our neices visiting and it was so much fun. I miss them bunches already, and I wish it could've gone on and on. There was so much more I still wanted to do with them!

In any case, I thought I'd share a pic:

This was taken at the Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Orlando.

One of my top 5 favorite things about living in Spring Hill, FL is being a short drive away from so many of the Florida attractions. It is awesome. Simple as that. We go to Disney, Sea World, Universal, or Busch Gardens and then we sleep in our own beds at night. It makes going to these special places with the kids a possibility because it is so much more affordable when you don't need to worry about hotels, flights, etc. Just as an example...we've been to Disney 3 times just this year. Before moving to Spring Hill I had been twice in my life. And I was one of the lucky ones.

Huh? What was that? A what? Pat on the back...I like...

=http://www.hernandoluxuryhomes.com HernandoLuxuryHomes = Spring Hill Real Estate

I so often concentrate on what I'm not doing right, what I haven't gotten around to yet, what goals I'm not reaching, that to have a positive thought creep in is literally like a ray of sunshine peeking into my mind through the dark clouds.



It makes me stop. For me that is no small thing. I'm always all over the place mentally. And to stop for a moment and think of one thing is a nice break.



I've realized we must be doing something right. I've been in this buy/fix/rent game for a short time. I've done 3 so far. Some how we've already reached a point where we've developed a bit of a rep and get calls from agents asking if we have anything for their renters.
We're told it's because they've seen what we do, and they know their renters will love our places.



Pat, pat, pat. That feels good.

We've completely put our money where our mouth is. We've made a deep commitment to Spring Hill, Florida, and our belief that it is absolutely worth investing in. Would you like to join us? Let Josh know of your insterest, and any questions you might have.

Well, we're in process of negotiations with the bank for our fourth. Wish us luck. I promise to share more pics at some point! In the mean time here's our 3rd place. She's a beauty, and we're proud of her transformation.


Nat






Also, please keep speaking out in behalf of Georgia. You cannot imagine what they're going through right now. Russia is breaking them down. They are being so brave. They are holding on. They want peace. They want freedom. They want democracy and a chance for their little ones to have the same lives as our little ones. Good people deserve good things. Please don't let their struggle be in vain. It is our struggle, too. All together we make a difference.

Stop this train

This morning I woke up with a realization prompted by two of the girls returning up North, and Tasha & Liya heading back to school. Summer, for us atleast, is over. The day was here. It had felt so far away.

The realization was that I was on what felt like a fast rolling train. It's moving full speed ahead. I catch glimpses of my life through my window. Sometimes the view makes me smile, sometimes I truly can't help but laugh out loud, sometimes I desperately look around for a pull chord to stop the train and enjoy my view just a bit longer. Unfortunately there never is one, and on the train rolls, and I'm sorry to see that moment end and pass into memory.

Other times the view makes me sad...or mad...and in those instances I am glad that this train cannot be stopped and thankful that soon those moments will be behind me. As I barrell through them, down this bumpy track, I press my cheek against my window full of hope for what is around the corner.

I realized we're all on the train. Some close to finally reaching their stop, some just getting on and beginning their own journey.

A bit before it was time to bring Tasha to school I had the additional realization that Mr. John Mayer had a song that darn closely resembled how I was feeling. Thought I'd share it here with you:





John Mayer - Stop this Train

Lyrics:

No, I'm not colorblind
I know the world is black and white
Try to keep an open mind
But I just can't sleep on this tonight

Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

Don't know how else to say it
Don't want to see my parents go
One generation's length away
From fighting life out on my own

Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

So scared of getting older
I'm only good at being young
So I play the numbers game
To find a way to say that life has just begun

Had a talk with my old man
Said "help me understand"
He said "turn sixty-eight
You renegotiate"

"Don't stop this train
Don't for a minute change the place you're in
And don't think I couldn't ever understand
I tried my hand
John, honestly we'll never stop this train"

Once in awhile, when it's good
It'll feel like it should
And they're all still around
And you're still safe and sound
And you don't miss a thing
Till you cry when you're driving away in the dark
Singing

Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can
Cause now I see
I'll never stop this train