Tomball Business and Professional Women's 3rd Annual Garden Party and Style Show!
Sunday, April 15th from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm at 30331 Winfro Drive, Tomball, Texas 77375.
Proceeds from this event will help to provide scholarships to local youth, and, one scholarship will be given to a woman in our community in need of continuing education.
Ticket cost is $35.00. Along with the benefit of the proceeds going to help local scholarships the event itself will be a showcase of current fashions from local Tomball retailers. These retailers include; Dahlia's Boutique, Foxworthy's, Mas Boutique, Clean by Troy Garza & Aidan Grace Boutique.
Lunch and desserts will be provided by Nona's Italian Grill and It's Yummy will provide desserts. The complimentary Mimosa fountain can't be missed.
In addition to everything mentioned, there will also be a Chinese and Live Auction and a Kentucky Derby Style Hat Contest.
If you would like to buy a ticket or get more information give me a call at 832-721-8332.
Fireworks on the New Year is a Texas tradition and this year we have heard them going off since early in the evening. With our severe drought this summer there was no fireworks on the 4th; believe me people are making up for lost time this evening. (It helps that is is 70 degrees out at 10:00 at night.) I just heard on the news the fireworks stands are doing record sales! Our dog and cats will be happy when we finish ringing in this New Year! Our dog is honestly too big to be a lap dog but this evening he is a lap dog (lol).
Can you imagine being at a busy airport getting ready to fly out on one of the busiest travel day of the year and all of a sudden you hear swing music over the loudspeaker and young people start dancing swing? That is what happened a few days before Thanksgiving at Denver International Airport.
I can't tell you how many times I have been in Jeppesen Terminal, as we have family in the Denver area, but from now as I visit the terminal I will remember this video of swing dancing. I thought it was so much fun to see these young people dancing to swing music. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!
On this Veterans day of 11/11/11 I am writing this post to honor my Dad Harry Gifford. My Dad was drafted in to the Army prior to Pearl Harbor and served through the entire war. It has only been in the last few years that I have been able to get my Dad to talk about his war time experiences and I was amazed to find out that the draft was going on before Pearl Harbor happened. I had always thought the draft started after Pearl Harbor but that is not the case.
After getting drafted he called his 4 brothers and told them if they wanted to choose the branch of the service they wanted to be in they had best enlist rather than be drafted.
The picture to the left are the Gifford boys. Two of them were in the Army, two were in the Air Force and one was in the Navy. All of them came home safe and sound. My Dad's oldest brother stayed in the reserves and at the time was told he would not be called up and if he was would not go to the front line. As it turns out that was not true and he died on the front lines in the Korean War. My Dad was the second to the oldest and is the only one of his siblings that is still living. (He also had an older sister.)
My Dad at 94 years of age and my Mother at 86 years of age still spend 6 months in Colorado and 6 months in Arizona. My Dad drives them back and forth pulling a small travel trailer and I would get in the car with him any day as he is still an incredible driver. He got a lot of practice during World War II as his job in the Army was to drive a supply truck to the front line in Europe. He was with a group that followed Patton's tanks. He said that Patton would clear an area out and then they would have to come back and clear the area out again. His job was to drop the kitchen off and then he would spend the rest of the time picking up more supplies or taking troops back and forth to the front line. He said that often he would get where he was going only to find that the front line had been moved. In the video below he describes one of my favorite stories.
My parents are from the small town of Kinsley Kansas. When he left for the war my Mother was just a young girl and he did not give her a second glance. When my Dad came back from the war my Mother was all grown up and the rest is history. They will be celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary on December 1st. We will be having a celebration in January in Arizona as that will give time for all their winter visitor friends to get in town. They have decided this will be their last year to winter in Arizona so it will be a bittersweet year for them.
We are by no means a military family but we are a family with a long history of serving our country when needed. Between my husband's family and my family we have had someone in almost every war since the Revolution. The only one that we could not come up with was the War of 1812. The most recent addition to that history is our son who served as an Intelligence Analyst with the Army. He was in for the same length of time as my Dad 4 years 10 months serving two tours of Iraq. He got out in June of 2009 and is now a junior at Texas A&M in Ocean Engineering.
I have been blessed to have wonderful parents. I always say I had an Ozzie and Harriet upbringing and I'm so blessed to still have them.
Tomball Business & Professional Women 13th Annual"Fall Food Fest" will be held at Tomball United Methodist Church on Baker Street Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
Last year we were able to give 6 high school Seniors scholarships plus one additional scholarship to a Lonestar college receipient and one scholarship to a Leadership North Houston recipient from our organization. We are hoping that we will even be able to give more this coming year.
This event serves as one of our organizations's primary fund-raising effort to secure funds for scholarships. Additionally our organization's fund-raising contributes to numerous community needs.
Local restaurants will be providing samples of their food. Pizza, Cassaroles, Chicken Friend Chicken, Soups, Mexican food, Deserts, Pies and More!
Adult Plates are $8.00. Seniors 60 and over are $5.00 and children under 10 are $2.50. If you don't have time to stay To Go Plates are also available.
A raffle, along with a silent auction, is part of our fund-raising efforts for this event.
Raffle tickets are presently being sold with the winners of the raffle items announced at the Food Fest. Raffle tickets are $5.00 apiece or 5 for $20. In previous years I have sold 4 winning tickets. You could be my next winning ticket! Please come and support our scholarships for High School seniors and others in need.
We appreciate Tomball United Methodist Church on Baker Street allowing us to use their Church for our fundraiser. This is an easy location to get to. If you are coming from 2920 turn north on Baker and you will curve to the church on the left. If you are coming from SH 249 turn to the east on Baker and the Church will be on your right.
The pictures above were taken Labor Day weekend. I was going to post them right away but then the wild fires started and after that the lake issue seemed trivial. Now that the fires are over I am back to posting about Lake Conroe. Lake Conroe is a back up water supply for Houston and with the severe drought we have been in they have had to start taking water out of Lake Conroe. It is so sad to see the lake being depleted but at the same time I understand why it has to be done.
If you have followed my blog you know that we are in two active sail boat clubs on the lake. We were out at the lake Labor day weekend and it looked like a ghost lake. Typically you would see several sailboats and a lot of motorboats out on the water. We saw maybe three motorboats, a couple of jet skis and NO sailboats on the lake.
We have a Catalina 22 which is a relatively small sailboat. We have the retractable keel and keep it at Conroe Yacht Club on dry ground. Our friends with the larger boats have had to find creative ways to get their boats off the water.
I expect it is going to be several years before the lake is back to normal. We will miss our sailboat races but in the grand scheme of things people having water to live with is more important.
Please pray for rain in Texas. It is going to take a lot of rain to get us back to normal levels.
This is Dundy; we rescued him over 2 years ago and what a joy he has been. His cute Golden face got him in the Golden Rescue but he is only about 50 pounds so is for sure a mix. Other than Golden we are not sure what he is although I think he has some Border Collie. I hear we could pay $60 and do a test to find out but it is kind of fun to guess. He is the best guard dog we have ever had; his bark sounds like he is a Rottweiler. Problem is when you open the door you have this cute bundle of fur greeting you. He is happy we found him and the feeling is mutual!!
There are so many dogs and cats waiting to be rescued. Personally I think rescues make the best pets. They are so happy to be rescued!!
I often have people ask me what they need to do to apply for a mortgage. George gives some great insight on getting organized to make your loan application.
What should be one of the simplest steps in purchasing a house sometimes turns into one of the biggest problems.When I Pre-Qualify someone for a loan, I tell them that they need to start organizing the documents that they will need, especially if they plan on purchasing soon.I then go over the list of documents that they will need for the type of loan that they will most likely be applying for.Some documents may differ based on the Loan Program, but there are some documents that are needed regardless of the Loan Program, such as:
One month of paystubs
W2’s for the past two years
Bank statements, 1 month for conventional loans, and 2 months for FHA
As simple as these documents may seem, they can create delays when a Borrower does not listen to my advice, and does not start to comply them right away.
I am always amazed at how many people do not keep their paystubs and bank statements.Bank statements we can get around by just having the Borrower go to their bank and getting a bank printout of their account, but paystubs are a different matter.If they do not keep their paystubs, and cannot get duplicate ones from work, then we may end up having to wait a full 30 days for them to acquire them.That may not be a major issue for someone who has plenty of time to Close, but for someone who has to Close quickly, that could be a big problem.W2’s can also create delays if we have to wait for duplicates from work, or for the Borrower to get them from their accountant, or IRS.
Other documents that are commonly needed with some loan programs that Borrowers don’t always have handy, and could slow down the loan approval process down are:
2-3 years Tax Returns needed for:
Self-Employed Borrowers
CHFA Loans
Gift money documentation:
Copy of Gift Check
Proof of withdrawal
Proof of deposit
Divorce Decree:
Proof of receipt of Alimony/Child Support payments
Bankruptcy documentation
Certificate of Eligibility (VA Loans)
There are other documents that are sometimes needed, but these are the most common.
Buying a house can be a very stressful process, but much of the stress can be eliminated if the Borrower follows the advice of the Real Estate professionals that they are working with.A little time spent on preparation and planning, can sometimes save many hours of delays, and stress during the Home Purchasing Process.
Who To Call For Your Mortgage Needs In Connecticut:
George Souto NMLS# 65149 is a Loan Officer who can assist you with all your FHA, CHFA, and Conventional mortgage needs in Connecticut. George resides in Middlesex County which includes Middletown, Middlefield, Durham, Cromwell, Portland, Higganum, Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. George can be contacted at (860) 573-1308 gsouto@mccuemortgage.com, or visit my McCue Mortgage Homepage.
A common assumption that is often made by those in the Mortgage Industry is that Homeowners understand what makes up their monthly mortgage payment, but in reality many do not.So it is important that Loan Officers take the time to explain to each of their Borrowers, not only how much they will be paying each month, but also the different components that make up their monthly payment.
A common term in the Mortgage Industry when referring to the monthly mortgage payment is PITI.PITI simply stands for:
Principal -This is the portion of the monthly payment that reduces the remaining balance of the money that was borrowed.
Interest -This represents the cost of borrowing the money, and is stated as a percentage of the outstanding balance on the loan.On a 30 year fixed loan, the total interest is almost the same amount as the amount of money that was borrowed.
Taxes -This is the money that is collected each month as part of your monthly payment, so that the Lender can pay the town the property when they come due.In most towns in Connecticut, property taxes are collected every 6 months, with the exception of one town that collects taxes every 3 months and 6 other towns that collect taxes just once per year.Taxes will differ from town to town, depending on the mill rate that the town sets for that year.The mill rate is calculated as a percentage of each $1,000 that the town assesses the property value at.
Insurance -This is the money that is collected each month as part of your monthly payment, so that the Lender can pay the Homeowners Insurance premium to the Insurance Company each year.Homeowners Insurance is required on most loans to protect the Homeowner and the Lender for a loss or damages caused by fire, or other similar things.Homeowners Insurance, also provides protection for theft, and injury.
These are the 4 components that make up the PITI, but there may be one other fee that could also be part of a monthly payment:
Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) -If a Borrower makes a downpayment that is less than 20% of the selling price of the house that they purchase, they will need to pay PMI.PMI is required by the Lender to protect the Lender in case the Borrower defaults on the loan, and the Lender has to foreclose on the property.When a Borrower is required to pay PMI, it will be calculated as a monthly amount that will be collected each month as part of the monthly payment.A Borrower will be required to pay PMI until the Borrower has acquired 20% equity in the property on a Conventional Loan.On a FHA Loan the Borrower will continue to pay the Mortgage Insurance (MI) each month until the Principle Balance has been reduced to 78% of the beginning loan amount, and the Borrower has been paying it for a minimum of 5 years.
Hopefully the above explanation helps homeowners better understand what makes up their monthly mortgage payment, and why it is a part of their payment.
Who To Call For Your Mortgage Needs In Connecticut:
George Souto NMLS# 65149 is a Loan Officer who can assist you with all your FHA, CHFA, and Conventional mortgage needs in Connecticut. George resides in Middlesex County which includes Middletown, Middlefield, Durham, Cromwell, Portland, Higganum, Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. George can be contacted at (860) 573-1308 gsouto@mccuemortgage.com, or visit my McCue Mortgage Homepage.
Lake Conroe Sailing Associations Thursday night races are continuing despite the hot temperatures and the drought. Typically in the summer our winds die down and lots of races get canceled due to lack of wind. Not so this year! It has been an odd year we have had very little rain but lots of wind. I am from Kansas and this year feels like Kansas on steroids.
Due to the intense heat we are now starting the races at 7:00 rather than 6:00. At this point most people can still get their boats out for the Thursday night races but if this drought continues that might not be the case. Lake Conroe is an alternate water supply for Houston and I hear that Lake Houston is so dry they are going to have to start taking water from Lake Conroe.
As long as we can race we plan on being out there; so if interested the start is at the lighthouse at 7:00. Again trying to find a positive out of our drought we do have a lot of wind so consider coming out to join us on Thursday nights. You don't have to own a boat to participate people are always looking for crew. I help on the committee boat and my husband crews. For more information visit Lake Conroe Sailing Associations website.
The drought we are experiencing is INCREDIBLE!! I have lived in Kansas, Colorado and North Carolina and have never experience a drought like the one we are experiencing. PRAY FOR RAIN!!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Tomball Business and Professional Women's 3rd Annual Garden Party and Style Show!
On this Veterans day of 11/11/11 I am writing this post to honor my Dad Harry Gifford. My Dad was drafted in to the Army prior to Pearl Harbor and served through the entire war. It has only been in the last few years that I have been able to get my Dad to talk about his war time experiences and I was amazed to find out that the draft was going on before Pearl Harbor happened. I had always thought the draft started after Pearl Harbor but that is not the case.
What should be one of the simplest steps in purchasing a house sometimes turns into one of the biggest problems.
A common assumption that is often made by those in the Mortgage Industry is that Homeowners understand what makes up their monthly mortgage payment, but in reality many do not.
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