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    <title>Mary Richards' Kansas City Metro Real Estate Blog</title>
    <link>http://activerain.com/blogs/maryrichards</link>
    <description>I provide helpful and entertaining information about Real Estate, home information, maintenance and helpful tips for everyday life.</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
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      <guid>549232</guid>
      <title>Friday,  6/13/08 Help welcome home a Veteran returning home from tour of duty</title>
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&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title="American Flag" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/0/6/1/ar121337409316083.jpg" height="125" alt="American Flag" width="175" style="float: right; border: black 3px solid;" /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jacob &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sapp&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; is &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;returning&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; home &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;after&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; two &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;tours&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; of &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;duty&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; in &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Iraq&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Bob and Susie Sapp, Jacob's parents,&amp;nbsp; would like to invite you to join the celebration and ask that we decorate and line the streets leading &amp;nbsp;to their house to pour out our love and support when he arrives home.&amp;nbsp; Jacob has been married to Tonya for five years, but they have only spent three of those years together!!&amp;nbsp; Jacob will be staying with his parents after he arrives home today as he and his wife Tonya will be renewing their vows in a private ceremony on Monday and have opted NOT to see each other until that time.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jacob's flight arrives at KCI at 2:45pm and so they anticipate arrival at their home at 3:30pm.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; So if you are available, Susie and Bob would like to have everyone lined up the road leading to &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;THEIR HOUSE at 3:15pm&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Bring your flags, banners, balloons and wear your red white and blue.&amp;nbsp; Susie was excited when I spoke to her and said that Pam called FOX news and they will be waiting with all of us at the house as well.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Important Update!&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jacob missed his connecting flight (too little time in between flights) and he is sitting in the airport waiting to catch his connecting flight.&amp;nbsp; This new flight will arrive in KCI at 6:15.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For those of you that emailed me and were disappointed that you couldn't be there because of your work schedule,&amp;nbsp; I hope this allows you to be there now.&amp;nbsp; Since &amp;nbsp;Jacob missed his flight we need for everyone to be IN PLACE by 6:50pm.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;**After Jacob's arrival, please be courteous to Jacob and his family and make your hello's to Jacob short and sweet.&amp;nbsp; Or, if at all possible, wait a few days to say hello. &amp;nbsp;We need to allow him to have some time alone with his family and let him unwind after traveling so far and experiencing so much.&amp;nbsp; Thank you for your understanding!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Did you know....there are 8,760 hours in a year?&amp;nbsp; Jacob has sacrificed two years to serve our country...that is 17,520 hours.&amp;nbsp; If you are available will you sacrifice just ONE hour to show him your appreciation?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bob and Susie Sapp&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10104 NW Mirror Lake Court&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Parkville, MO&amp;nbsp; 64152&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Directions from N. Oak Trafficway and I-29 (Harmony Vineyard) to the Sapp's home:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Take I-29 North, take Exit 5 (MO-45 N, NW 64th St) on right&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Turn left onto MO-45 (NW 64&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Street)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Travel 3.1 miles and turn right on NW Blair Road&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Travel approximately &amp;frac12; mile and turn left on NW 67&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Street&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Travel approximately 1/10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; of a mile and bear right onto NW Mirror Lake Drive&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Travel approximately 1/10&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; of a mile and turn right onto NW Mirror Lake Court&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;Here is how we would like to organize the placement of decorations and lining up to welcome Jacob home.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;1.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Start the decorations from the edge of the Sapp driveway (10104 NW Mirror Lake Court/ Parkville, MO) to the intersection of NW Mirror Lake Court and NW Mirror Lake Drive. Once that section is full....&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;2.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Then start at the intersection of NW Mirror Lake Drive and work towards NW 67&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Street&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;bull;3.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Then start at the intersection of NW 67&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; Street and work towards NW Blair Road&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Please show your support and appreciation.&amp;nbsp; If you're not able to attend today, please consider sending a card or note of thanks to Jacob for his sacrifice to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;10104 NW Mirror Lake Court&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Parkville, MO&amp;nbsp; 64152&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Be sure to watch Fox 4 News today to see the story on the news.&amp;nbsp; Thank you for your support!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Happy Father's Day Bob!&amp;nbsp; What a great gift you will have this year.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jacob:&amp;nbsp; Thank you for all you have done to protect our safety and freedom.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tonya, Bob &amp;amp; Susie:&amp;nbsp; Thank you for the sacrifices you have made to keep life going while Jacob has been away.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Welcome Home Jacob!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Mary Richards&amp;nbsp; Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&amp;nbsp; 816-853-9698 cell / 816-420-5060&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com"&gt;maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
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      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:33:24 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/549232/Friday-6-13-8</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>545556</guid>
      <title>Experiment with the settings on your camera</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Try out different settings on your camera and see what you get!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I keep my camera with me so I can get more shots if I have the opportunity.&amp;nbsp; I am taking a photography class and learning to use more of the settings on my camera.&amp;nbsp; Recently, I was in downtown Kansas City, Missouri and had the opportunity to take this photo.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="KCP&amp;amp;L Building against the Stormy Night" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/6/5/1/ar121316002715628.JPG" height="300" alt="Kansas City Power &amp;amp; Light Building" width="200" style="float: right; border: black 3px solid;" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I&amp;nbsp;got a new camera for Mother's&amp;nbsp;Day and am taking a photography class to learn to use more of the features of my camera and to improve my photography&amp;nbsp;skills.&amp;nbsp; I took this photo with my wide angle lens, flash turned off, 800 ISO&amp;nbsp;while standing in a building on the 10th floor.&amp;nbsp; You get a different perspective of the&amp;nbsp;buildings when you aren't on the ground.&amp;nbsp;:-)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Thoughtful Gorilla" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/5/8/6/4/ar12131614146854.JPG" height="300" alt="Gorilla at the zoo" width="200" style="float: left; border: black 3px solid;" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I took this photo at the zoo through the glass using 400 ISO and the action shot setting.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Tortoise" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/3/5/0/7/ar121316174070534.JPG" height="200" alt="Tortoise" width="300" style="float: left; border: black 3px solid;" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I found this tortoise as I was driving in Kansas City.&amp;nbsp; He was in a church yard.&amp;nbsp; My neice spotted it as we were driving by&amp;nbsp;and thought it needed to be rescued.&amp;nbsp; As you can see, he(?) looks like he is thriving were he is so we left him there. This photo was taken on the auto setting with 200 ISO.&amp;nbsp; He wasn't too happy that we were there so I got down on the ground and started shooting photos.&amp;nbsp; At this point, I was on my stomach so I was on his level.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Rainbow after the storm" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/4/0/8/ar121316211580448.JPG" height="200" alt="Rainbow" width="300" style="float: right; border: black 3px solid;" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My husband shot this one.&amp;nbsp; We pulled off the highway to get a good shot.&amp;nbsp; Minutes before, there had been a double rainbow.&amp;nbsp; This photo was taken at 100 ISO using the landscape setting.&amp;nbsp; All photos were shot using a wide-angle lens.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The nice thing about a digital camera is that you can take as many photos as you want and experiment.&amp;nbsp; A manageable&amp;nbsp;way to learn how to use more of the features on your camera is to look at the manual and learn one thing at a time.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; You'll find the things you learn will be helpful whether you are taking pictures for work or fun.&amp;nbsp; Good luck!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Mary Richards, Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&amp;nbsp; 816-853-9698 cell/816-420-5060 direct&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com"&gt;maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:49:41 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/545556/Experiment-with-the-settings</link>
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      <guid>450376</guid>
      <title>It's Time to Contest Your Assessed Value Again!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title="Money Tree" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/9/0/8/5/ar120710662058098.jpg" height="200" align="left" alt="Money Tree" width="200" /&gt;If only money grew on trees...&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Did your property tax assessment go up last year?&amp;nbsp; Are you paying higher property taxes?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We have found that some homes are assessed at a higher value than what that home might sell for-some homeowners have taxes much higher than their neighbors.&amp;nbsp; This not only costs you money in over-paid taxes, but may make your house harder to sell!&amp;nbsp; We&amp;#39;d like to help you save money on your taxes by telling you how to contest the assessed value!&amp;nbsp; If you would like complimentary information about the market value of homes in your neighborhood and the average assessed value of homes similar to yours, give us a call!&amp;nbsp; We will guide you through the process.&amp;nbsp; Deadlines are: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Platte County: -April 1st-April 30, 2008&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Clay County: -April 1st-April 30, 2008&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;in Missouri&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tell your friends &amp;amp; neighbors.&amp;nbsp; We can help them too!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mary Richards 816-420-5060&amp;nbsp; Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com"&gt;maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:30:00 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/450376/It-s-Time-to</link>
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      <guid>450345</guid>
      <title>Tips on Buying Gas That Can Save You Money</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title="Gas Pump" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/4/9/5/ar120710598559422.jpg" height="167" align="left" alt="Gas Pump" width="200" /&gt;TIPS ON PUMPING GAS&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I received the information below in an e-mail.&amp;nbsp; These tips were provided by a person who has been in the petroleum industry for 31 years.&amp;nbsp; It is good, common sense information so I thought I would share it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold.&lt;/strong&gt; Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.&amp;nbsp; A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When filling up, do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode.&lt;/strong&gt; If you look you will see &lt;br /&gt;that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a &lt;br /&gt;vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you&amp;#39;re getting less worth for your money. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY.&lt;/strong&gt; The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This &lt;br /&gt;roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. &lt;br /&gt;Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping in to the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up&lt;/strong&gt;--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mary Richards&amp;nbsp; Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com"&gt;maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; 816-853-9698&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:16:40 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/450345/Tips-on-Buying-Gas</link>
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      <guid>411562</guid>
      <title>The Fight Against Identity Theft in Missouri</title>
      <description>&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Fight Against Identity Theft in Missouri&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Missouri State Capitol" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/3/0/0/ar120491499300302.jpg" height="81" align="right" alt="Missouri State Capitol" width="125" /&gt;I recently attended The Capitol Conference in Jefferson City, Missouri.&amp;nbsp; This is an annual conference where Realtors are able to meet the Representative for our District.&amp;nbsp; We are given the opportunity to talk with that person about concerns we have as citizens living in the district and as Realtors.&amp;nbsp; We are there to represent our local Association of Realtors and&amp;nbsp;work for the good of the public.&amp;nbsp; I met with Doug Ervin who is the State Representative for Missouri&amp;#39;s 35th District.&amp;nbsp; He sends out regular e-mails regarding the legislation they are working on.&amp;nbsp; Though each issue is important, I thought this was especially important to share with you as we are all susceptible to Identity Theft.&amp;nbsp; See below.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table cellspacing="0" id="table1" border="0" height="1016" cellpadding="0" width="906"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td bgcolor="#339966" valign="top" align="left"&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/bills051/member/mem035.htm" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/img/clear1x1.gif" border="0" height="192" align="center" alt="" width="175" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td bgcolor="#339966" valign="top" align="left"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Office of&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Doug Ervin &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;State Representative for Missouri&amp;#39;s 35&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; District&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td bgcolor="#339966" height="147" valign="top" align="right"&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.state.mo.us/" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/img/clear1x1.gif" border="0" height="147" alt="" width="150" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td valign="top" rowspan="3" align="left"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.dougervin.com/capitolreports/cc9428Print.htm" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;img src="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/img/clear1x1.gif" border="0" height="15" align="left" alt="" width="22" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.dougervin.com/capitolreports/cc9428Print.htm" target="_blank"&gt;print this&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h1 align="center"&gt;Capitol Connection &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;March 6, 2008&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Identity Theft&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;On Wednesday, the Missouri House passed &lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills081/bills/hb1384.htm" target="_blank"&gt;HB1384&lt;/a&gt;, giving Missourians a new weapon to help fight identity theft.&amp;nbsp; We don&amp;#39;t have to spend much time watching television or listening to the radio to see or hear one of the many commercials offering free credit reports or credit card security services designed to protect us from the threat of identity theft.&amp;nbsp; While the ads are often humorous and the jingles are usually catchy, they shed light on a serious problem that is no laughing matter to the millions of Americans victimized by identity thieves each year. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Innocent Missourians have been the victims of crimes ranging from someone using an existing credit card account to purchase goods to an individual opening multiple accounts using stolen personal information to someone using a stolen identity to secure a business or home loan. The methods for perpetrating identity theft are many and that is why it is important that Missourians are provided with adequate protection from these devastating and very personal crimes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Identity thieves work hard to steal information about us from online transactions, looking over one&amp;#39;s shoulder at an ATM, to going through our trash.&amp;nbsp; Our trash is a potential treasure trove information if credit card offers and various other mailings with personal information are not shredded before being discarded.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;#39;s this information that can be used to register new credit cards and endanger the financial stability of innocent, unsuspecting Missourians.&amp;nbsp; The avenues of identity theft are many and that is why identity theft is so hard to combat.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 2004, the legislature passed legislation to increase the penalties for those who steal our personal information (&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills041/bills//HB916.htm" target="_blank"&gt;HB916&lt;/a&gt;). &amp;nbsp;That bill put some real teeth into our law to send the message that Missouri views identity theft as a serious crime and criminals will not get away with a simple slap on the wrist. &amp;nbsp;On a federal level, President Bush created the first ever Identity Theft Task Force to protect American families from identity theft and to crack down on criminals who traffic in stolen identities. &amp;nbsp;The combination of state and federal efforts has made it more difficult to engage in this illicit behavior.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This year the House is taking additional steps with another piece of legislation that makes a very simple change that could mean a big difference for anyone who is victimized by identity thieves.&amp;nbsp; This bill clarifies that identity theft victims have the right to contact local law enforcement to have an incident report prepared and filed. &amp;nbsp;While many police departments already do this, believe or not, there are some that are not willing to take identity theft reports. &amp;nbsp;This is especially important when a victim attempts to have charges removed from a credit card that were run up by an identity thief, because the victim needs a police report to substantiate the fact that they were the victim of a crime. This is a simple, commonsense change that will assist Missourians victimized by identity theft to straighten out the financial mess that can result from these types of crimes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Identity theft is a serious crime and all of us are at risk of becoming the kind of cautionary tale we see in those catchy commercials.&amp;nbsp; By being smart with the way we do business and by enacting laws that give Missourians adequate protection, we can thwart the efforts of these criminals who seek to impersonate us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Feel free to forward this email to friends and family to promote an informed and active citizenry.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td valign="top" rowspan="2"&gt;&lt;p align="right"&gt;Be Informed!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="right"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/default.aspx?page=Clerk" target="_blank"&gt;House Legislation Connection&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top" rowspan="2" width="209"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;h1 align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h1 align="center"&gt;Capitol Office &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;State Capitol&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Room 412-B&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;201 West Capitol Avenue&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Jefferson City, MO&amp;nbsp; 65101-6806&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Tele: 573.751.2238&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Fax:&amp;nbsp; 573.522.9320&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Legislative Assistant:&amp;nbsp; LaTonya Percival&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h1 align="center"&gt;District Office &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;P.O. Box 461&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Kearney, MO&amp;nbsp; 64060&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Tele: 816.628.4311&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Email:&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:doug.ervin@house.mo.gov" target="_blank"&gt;doug.ervin@house.mo.gov&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Committees&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chairman:&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; Small Business&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Family Services&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Healthcare Transformation&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Tourism&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Joint Committee on Government Accountability&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/img/clear1x1.gif" border="0" id="_x0000_i1026" height="41" alt="Quick Links" width="140" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The following links provide quick and easy access to your state government:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/" target="_blank"&gt;Missouri House of Representatives&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.moga.state.mo.us" target="_blank"&gt;Missouri General Assembly&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.senate.state.mo.us" target="_blank"&gt;Missouri Senate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.state.mo.us" target="_blank"&gt;Missouri State Government&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;/h1&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td height="831" valign="top" align="left" width="213"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/default.aspx?info=/media.htm" target="_blank"&gt;Latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/default.aspx?info=/media.htm" title="blocked::http://www.house.mo.gov/default.aspx?info=/media.htm" target="_blank"&gt; Stories&lt;br /&gt;Live Audio&lt;br /&gt;Floor Photos&lt;br /&gt;Video Clips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;table cellspacing="0" id="table2" border="0" height="756" cellpadding="0" width="213"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td height="756" valign="top" align="left" width="213"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bills referenced in this report:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- &lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills081/bills/hb1384.htm" target="_blank"&gt;HB1384&lt;/a&gt; - Identity Theft&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Law Passed in 2004:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- &lt;a href="https://email.reeceandnichols.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills041/bills//HB916.htm" target="_blank"&gt;HB916&lt;/a&gt; - Identity Theft&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;em&gt;We must take human nature as we find it, perfection falls not to the share of mortals.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;quot;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="right"&gt;-&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; George Washington,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="right"&gt;letter to John Jay,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="right"&gt;August 15, 1786&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For a Better Missouri,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Doug Ervin&lt;br /&gt;State Representative&lt;br /&gt;District 35, Missouri &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thanks for the timely information Doug!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mary Richards&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:mary@reeceandnichols.com"&gt;mary@reeceandnichols.com&lt;/a&gt; 816-853-9698&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:40:14 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/411562/The-Fight-Against-Identity</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>409404</guid>
      <title>902 Ash Drive  Smithville, Missouri  64089  Off the market.</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Front View of Home" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/6/9/5/4/ar120477636845966.JPG" border="3" height="225" align="left" alt="Front View of Home" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;902 Ash Drive&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Smithville, Missouri&amp;nbsp; 64089&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;$220,000&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;All-American Beauty!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;This large home was professionally painted within the past year and is in very nice condition-move right in!&amp;nbsp; This home offers 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a 3 car garage.&amp;nbsp; Tastefully decorated, the open plan has over 2,300 sq. ft. of living space.&amp;nbsp; There is a bonus built-in storage room behind the garage.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Formal Living Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/0/3/2/ar120477695423045.JPG" border="3" height="349" align="left" alt="Formal Living Room" width="281" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Formal Living Room&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Step in onto the tile entry and be ready to be impressed.&amp;nbsp; There are dramatic, vaulted ceilings that will draw&amp;nbsp;your guest into the house.&amp;nbsp; As you step through the front door, you can see into the breakfast room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Star" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/0/8/9/ar120478586798018.jpg" height="235" align="right" alt="Star" width="254" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Breakfast Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/6/7/4/3/ar120477879934768.JPG" border="3" height="263" align="left" alt="Breakfast Room" width="350" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Breakfast Room&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;This room overlooks the kitchen and the Family Room.&amp;nbsp; This is a perfect spot for meals or your morning coffee.&amp;nbsp; The deck is off of this room.&amp;nbsp; This is the heart of the house!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Kitchen" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/7/4/6/0/ar120477910206472.jpg" border="3" height="263" align="right" alt="Kitchen" width="350" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kitchen&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;There is plenty of cabinet and counter space here.&amp;nbsp; You can cook up&amp;nbsp;a storm or just enjoy the pretty kitchen.&amp;nbsp; Display your treasures in the glass front cabinets over the breakfast bar which will accommodate 2 or 3 bar stools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Family Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/9/8/0/5/ar120477932250899.JPG" border="3" height="281" align="left" alt="Family Room" width="375" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family Room&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;This could easily be one of your favorite rooms in this house.&amp;nbsp; The generous space offers room for your furniture and open floor space to play.&amp;nbsp; Cozy up to the fireplace on chilly nights.&amp;nbsp; The door leads to the patio in the fenced backyard.&amp;nbsp; The floor-to-ceiling windows lets in lots of natural light.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Family Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/7/7/8/0/ar120477977808779.JPG" border="3" height="244" align="left" alt="Family Room" width="325" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Family Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/6/5/1/3/ar120478016231562.jpg" border="3" height="336" align="right" alt="Family Room" width="448" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Family Room&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;The lower level includes this family room with built-in bookcase and entertainment center.&amp;nbsp; There is plenty of storage space tucked away too.&amp;nbsp; Newer frieze carpet!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Computer/Craft Nook" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/4/6/5/1/ar1204780315643.JPG" border="3" height="367" align="left" alt="Computer/Craft Nook" width="275" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Computer/Craft Nook&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Shhh!&amp;nbsp; This is a perfect spot for a grown-up to hide away for some peace and quiet.&amp;nbsp; You can get computer work done, write the novel you&amp;#39;ve always dreamed of or craft to your hearts&amp;#39; content.&amp;nbsp; There is plenty of light for this built-in workspace.&amp;nbsp; Tile floors too!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;img title="Star" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/3/7/3/4/ar12047859143735.jpg" height="113" align="left" alt="Star" width="136" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;img title="star" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/2/0/8/ar120485520980203.jpg" height="182" alt="star" width="189" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Master Bedroom" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/0/1/5/ar120478072151045.JPG" border="3" height="263" align="left" alt="Master Bedroom" width="350" /&gt;&lt;img title="Master Bath" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/5/9/8/9/ar120478078498956.JPG" border="3" height="263" align="right" alt="Master Bath" width="350" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Master Bedroom Suite&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Enjoy your own private retreat in the roomy master bedroom&amp;nbsp;and &amp;quot;spa&amp;quot; bathroom.&amp;nbsp; There is a skylight in the bathroom for additional natural light.&amp;nbsp; The bathroom is appointed with tile floors, corner, jetted tub, double vanity, separate shower and walk-in closet.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Smithville, Missouri is a smaller community located in the Kansas Metropolitan area within 25 minutes of downtown Kansas City, Missouri.&amp;nbsp; Smithville is served by an award-winning school system.&amp;nbsp; Located within 15 minutes of this home is Smithville Lake which is a man-made Corp. of Engineers run lake.&amp;nbsp; As such, no homes are built on the shore.&amp;nbsp; This lake has wonderful opportunities for fishing, boating and other water sports, paved and earthen trails for walking, biking and horseback riding.&amp;nbsp; There are two marinas on the lake and swim beaches.&amp;nbsp; There are campsites for tents and sites for RV.&amp;nbsp; This is a jewel for the community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;img title="Map of Smithville Lake" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/1/3/5/5/ar120478281255311.jpg" height="337" align="left" alt="Map of Smithville Lake" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Smithville Lake Shoreline" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/9/4/2/1/ar120478288212493.jpg" border="3" height="173" align="right" alt="Smithville Lake Shoreline" width="230" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;img title="Visitors Center" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/5/1/9/8/ar120478297989157.jpg" border="3" height="173" align="right" alt="Visitors Center" width="230" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;img title="Hiking &amp;amp; Biking Trail" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/3/4/3/8/ar12047830383435.jpg" border="3" height="173" align="left" alt="Hiking &amp;amp; Biking Trail" width="230" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;img title="Eagle in nest" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/8/3/8/4/ar120478310648382.jpg" border="3" height="167" align="right" alt="Eagle in nest" width="230" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Shown above are photos of some the features at Smithville Lake.&amp;nbsp; One of the many annual events includes Eagle Days in early January.&amp;nbsp; The eagles normally nest in the area until the end of February.&amp;nbsp; They are truly a site to see.&amp;nbsp; I saw an eagle standing on the ice as the lake was frozen over.&amp;nbsp; The bald eagles&amp;#39; white head really stood out against the blue of the ice.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;You can view more photos and get more information on my website at:&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt; .&amp;nbsp; View the virtual tour at:&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=1377670&amp;amp;sk=23&amp;amp;dm=visualtour.com&amp;nbsp;"&gt;http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=1377670&amp;amp;sk=23&amp;amp;dm=visualtour.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Mary Richards&amp;nbsp; Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&amp;nbsp; 260 NE Barry Road&amp;nbsp; Kansas City, Missouri&amp;nbsp; 64155&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;816-853-9698 cell&amp;nbsp; 816-420-5060 direct line&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:33:06 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/409404/9-2-Ash-Drive</link>
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      <guid>408372</guid>
      <title>It's Time For Your Insurance Check-up!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;It&amp;#39;s Time For Your Insurance Check-up!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;This picturesque farmhouse is set in Ashe County, North Carolina.&amp;nbsp; It is located at the edge of Three Top Mountain and the New River.&amp;nbsp; It is on the edge of a National Park.&amp;nbsp; The view from the back of the house is of 3 Top Mountain.&amp;nbsp; The story below is an prime example&amp;nbsp;of why it is so important to review your homeowners insurance coverage.&amp;nbsp; FYI...This farmhouse will be going on the market April 1st, 2008.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Turn of Century Farm House in Ashe County, North Carolina" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/9/8/6/ar120473420568908.jpg" height="150" align="right" alt="Turn of Century Farm House in Ashe County, North Carolina" width="200" /&gt;Some of the homes I am marketing are vacant.&amp;nbsp; The cost of insuring a vacant house can become an issue if the insurance company finds out the house has been vacant over six months.&amp;nbsp; The policy cost can increase greatly.&amp;nbsp; I was recently talking to my assistant, Barbara, about this issue.&amp;nbsp; She then told me what happened to her father-in-law.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He had owned his home for 25 years(see photo), kept the house insured with the same company and agent during all of that time.&amp;nbsp; After an electrical house fire and working with the insurance company to repair the damages, they were told that the policy value was $100,000 under the value of the home.&amp;nbsp; The replacement value for the structure and contents used by the insurance company was based on an old value.&amp;nbsp; The policy hadn&amp;#39;t been adjusted in 10 years and didn&amp;#39;t account for rising home values, increase in construction materials, and in addition his home in the mountains of North Carolina had become a popular retirement spot for Floridians in the summer.&amp;nbsp; Her father-in-law received payment from the insurance company for a portion of the damages but ended up having a lot of extensive repairs.&amp;nbsp; Due to the county inspectors investigating the cause of the fire, this homeowner was required to&amp;nbsp;meet the current electrical and plumbing codes.&amp;nbsp;This owner had to replace all plumbing, rewire the entire home, replace the bath fixtures, water heater, kitchen cabinets, counters and appliances.&amp;nbsp; Because the owner loved and cared for his home, he&amp;nbsp;had previously put on a new roof, siding and replacement windows.&amp;nbsp; With the exception of the furnace and front porch, this home has been completely remodeled.&amp;nbsp; Because his policy did not match the value of his home the amount of money the insurance company was able to give hime was inadequate.&amp;nbsp; Unforutnately, this fire cost him tens of thousands of dollars out of his own pocket.&amp;nbsp; This is money he had set aside for retirement, money he will need for his care as he ages.&amp;nbsp; Though some companies, such as State Farm adjust this replacement value annually based on inflation and construction material costs, not all companies do.&amp;nbsp; So if you haven&amp;#39;t had an &amp;quot;insurance check-up&amp;quot; lately, you owe it to yourself and your family to make sure your policy is up to date.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mary Richards&amp;nbsp; Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com"&gt;maryrichards@reeceandnichols.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt; 816-853-9698 (cell) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:05:32 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/408372/It-s-Time-For</link>
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      <guid>397244</guid>
      <title>Call 911 First Before You Call Your Family</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Call 911 First Before You Call Your Family&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I just heard about a Realtor that passed away at home on February 17, 2008.&amp;nbsp; Though I don&amp;#39;t have all of the facts, I read that she awoke during the night with a severe asthma attack.&amp;nbsp; She called her son who then called 911.&amp;nbsp; By the time EMT&amp;#39;s arrived, she was unresponsive and could not be resuscitated.&amp;nbsp; Our community lost a long-time Realtor that had been a contributor to our profession.&amp;nbsp; Someone lost a mother, a sister.&amp;nbsp; It made me wonder if she would have had a better chance if she had called 911 first.&amp;nbsp; I have heard many instances of seniors calling a family member instead of 911.&amp;nbsp; I wonder:&amp;nbsp; Are they afraid to call?&amp;nbsp; Do they worry that they will &amp;quot;bother&amp;quot; someone?&amp;nbsp; Do they question their judgment as to whether it is a true emergency?&amp;nbsp; Are they concerned about a charge for the ambulance ride?&amp;nbsp; Do they fear they are overreacting to their current illness or situation? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As responsible children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews we need to educate our loved ones on the importance of contacting emergency personnel before calling on us. My assistant, Barbara, asked her parents why they would call loved ones before calling emergency personnel; they stated that they are worried that if they become incapacitated before help arrives that their loved ones wouldn&amp;#39;t know where they are or what had happened to them.&amp;nbsp; They also were concerned that they would be able to give the proper information to those attending to their needs.&amp;nbsp; Education is essential.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Vial of Life Decal" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/8/6/4/1/ar120408690514683.jpg" height="152" alt="Vial of Life Decal" width="189" /&gt;There is a program called &amp;quot;Vial of Life&amp;quot; (&lt;a href="http://www.vialoflife.com/"&gt;http://www.vialoflife.com/&lt;/a&gt;). The Alameda County California Fire Department describes it as follows:&amp;nbsp; &amp;quot;The Vial of Life is designed to speak for you when you can&amp;#39;t speak for yourself. The vial contains important medical information that can assist emergency personnel in administering the proper medical treatment.&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; This information includes a list of current meds, who to call in case of an emergency, DNR, and living will.&amp;nbsp; I hope that you will take the time to visit the website and educate your loved ones about this important service.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:40:23 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/397244/Call-911-First-Before</link>
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      <guid>305088</guid>
      <title>Don&#8217;t Let the Grinch Steal the Joy Out of Your Christmas!</title>
      <description>&lt;table bgcolor="#99ff99" cellspacing="2" bordercolor="#ff0000" border="3" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;&lt;img title="Grinch" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/5/0/8/7/ar119749567078053.jpg" height="150" align="left" alt="Grinch" width="200" /&gt;Don&amp;#39;t Let the Grinch Steal the Joy Out of Your Christmas! &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A lot of us are feeling the crunch this year.&amp;nbsp; Not just because of the market, but just in general.&amp;nbsp; Scaling back on what you are spending doesn&amp;#39;t have to spoil your spirit of giving this Christmas season.&amp;nbsp; There are many gifts you can give that cost little or no money.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This is a quick list of a few ideas:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Free (Okay, so it will cost you some of your time, but you will be well rewarded for it):&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Help an older person put up their Christmas tree and decorations&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clean or run the vacuum for them&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Go to their house and bake with them&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watch a movie with them&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wrap their gifts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Watch a Christmas movie with them &lt;/strong&gt;See my blog post with movie recommendations. &lt;a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/304344/Christmas-Movie-Classics-Recommended"&gt;http://activerain.com/blogsview/304344/Christmas-Movie-Classics-Recommended&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ask an older person if you can pick something up for them at the store during inclement weather&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;You&amp;#39;re going out anyway, this will only take a few extra minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bring their mail and paper to the door during snowy and icy weather&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shovel their walk&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Help them organize a closet&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Offer free computer help &lt;/strong&gt;- More and more seniors are getting computers.&amp;nbsp; The connections are often on the back of the tower and it is hard for seniors to get down on the floor if something comes unplugged.&amp;nbsp; This is something that would take you or me a minute to do.&amp;nbsp; Also, they may have a computer problem that is something you can fix.&amp;nbsp; It is admirable that many seniors are willing to learn what a lot are too intimidated to try.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Help them with yard work&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Volunteer to serve food at a Mission or other shelter&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Low cost options:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Drop off some baked goods to their home&lt;/strong&gt;- muffins, pumpkin bread, loaf of bread from Panera.&amp;nbsp; You can get that for under $3.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cook some meals, eat with them, put the leftovers in the freezer&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Invite your neighbor over for a meal&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bring them some magazines to read &lt;/strong&gt;- Seniors in care centers welcome the reading material.&amp;nbsp; Often, you can drop off your &lt;img title="Grinch happy" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/0/3/1/5/ar119749572651304.jpg" height="150" align="right" alt="Grinch happy" width="200" /&gt;magazines when you are finished with them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Well, I came up with more free ideas than low cost ones.&amp;nbsp; That is a good sign.&amp;nbsp; What are some of your ideas for low cost or free gifts for Christmas?&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;d love to hear them.&amp;nbsp; Many of the items listed are things you can do as a family.&amp;nbsp; What a great way to show the kids that they can make a difference at any age.&amp;nbsp; You will be rich and have a full heart if you only do one thing on this list.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;God Bless and Merry Christmas!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mary Richards&amp;nbsp; 816-853-9698&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="mailto:mary@kcmoves.com"&gt;mary@kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:58:46 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/305088/Don-t-Let-the</link>
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      <guid>304344</guid>
      <title>Christmas Movie Classics - Recommended Movies to Share</title>
      <description>&lt;table bgcolor="#66ff66" cellspacing="2" bordercolor="#ff0000" border="3" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;img title="Christmas Tree" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/1/0/4/7/ar119743888574012.jpg" height="125" align="left" alt="Christmas Tree" width="100" /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Christmas Movie Classics&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So it is that time of year again.&amp;nbsp; You know, where you can find a Christmas movie on almost every day.&amp;nbsp; For some, it brings back memories of Christmas past - memories of shows they watched that they can now share with their kids. &amp;nbsp;These movies are a great way to bring families together.&amp;nbsp; They can even&amp;nbsp;bridge generation gaps.&amp;nbsp; I remember watching many of the older shows and movies with my Grandmother&amp;nbsp;on our small black and white tv set.&amp;nbsp; Though she&amp;#39;s no longer here with me, watching them today brings back warm memories.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Some favorites include:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Animated:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Charlie Brown Christmas" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/7/0/5/2/ar119743911725071.jpg" height="63" alt="Charlie Brown Christmas" width="100" /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Charlie Brown Christmas&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Frosty, the Snowman&lt;img title="Frosty" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/3/4/3/2/ar119744159523435.jpg" height="60" alt="Frosty" width="80" /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Santa Clause is Comin&amp;#39; to Town&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Little Drummer Boy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How the Grinch Stole Christmas&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title="Grinch and his Dog" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/1/6/4/1/ar119743941114618.jpg" height="75" align="left" alt="Grinch and his Dog" width="100" /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Polar Express&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Non-Animated:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Classics:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title="It&amp;#39;s A Wonderful Life" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/7/1/6/8/ar119743930486178.jpg" height="106" align="left" alt="It&amp;#39;s A Wonderful Life" width="75" /&gt;It&amp;#39;s a Wonderful Life&lt;/strong&gt; - Jimmy Stewart.&amp;nbsp; Who hasn&amp;#39;t seen this?&amp;nbsp; This is a favorite that has stood the test of time.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title="White Christmas" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/4/0/2/1/ar119744133412042.jpg" height="109" align="right" alt="White Christmas" width="75" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;White Christmas&lt;/strong&gt; - Classic with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.&amp;nbsp; This is a movie about war buddies that step-up to help their retired General.&amp;nbsp; There are great songs, scenery.&amp;nbsp; Heart-warming story!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Holiday Inn&lt;/strong&gt; - Classic with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.&amp;nbsp; This is a black &amp;amp; white film about a writer who opens an Inn.&amp;nbsp; He has a singer that performs there who captures his heart.&amp;nbsp; His old pal, played by Fred Astaire is looking for a new dance partner and sees Bing Crosby&amp;#39;s love interest.&amp;nbsp; The fun begins as Bing Crosby tries to keep them apart.&amp;nbsp; You&amp;#39;ll hear some wonderful holiday songs sung by Bing Crosby.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christmas in Connecticut&lt;/strong&gt; - Barbara Stanwick and Dennis Morgan.&amp;nbsp; Barbara Stanwick plays a spunky, independent&amp;nbsp;woman writer for a magazine.&amp;nbsp; The publisher believes that her stories are based on her life.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Imagine the antics that take place when the publisher invites a war hero to spend Christmas at her farm in Connecticut.&amp;nbsp; Stanwick must quickly come up with a farm, a family complete with a child.&amp;nbsp; Great&amp;nbsp;movie!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title="Meet Me in St. Louis" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/0/3/1/2/ar119744184121303.jpg" height="101" align="left" alt="Meet Me in St. Louis" width="75" /&gt;Meet Me in St. Louis&lt;/strong&gt; - Judy Garland This musical film was shot in 1944.&amp;nbsp; Great story, songs and beautiful costumes and scenery.&amp;nbsp; This si a film I try to watch each year.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Christmas Story" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/1/4/4/ar119744191044158.jpg" height="138" align="right" alt="Christmas Story" width="90" /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christmas Story&lt;/strong&gt; - Darren McGavin - Who can forget the leg lamp and the Red Ryder BB gun?&amp;nbsp; Ralphie might put his eye out with that.&amp;nbsp; I have said that to my kids even when it didn&amp;#39;t make sense.&amp;nbsp; It is fun to say and as a mother, we&amp;#39;re supposed to say it, right?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Christmas Carol -&lt;/strong&gt; There are many versions of this film.&amp;nbsp; Animated and non-aminimated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Modern-Day Classics:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elf&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Santa Clause&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Home Alone &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Walton Christmas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Die Hard" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/1/0/8/7/ar11974403378016.jpg" height="122" align="right" alt="Die Hard" width="90" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I asked my husband what movies came to mind for Christmas.&amp;nbsp; He named several of those listed above and added:&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Die Hard&lt;/strong&gt; (they play Christmas music during the movie so it qualifies as a Christmas movie)&amp;nbsp; I had never considered that one - must be a guy thing.&amp;nbsp; :-) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What are some of your favorite Christmas movies?&amp;nbsp; Let me know what you think and I&amp;#39;ll tally up the votes.&amp;nbsp; You can check back for some recommendations.&amp;nbsp; Grab your blanket, hot chocolate and popcorn and get ready to settle in for a movie.&amp;nbsp; You may just find a movie that will become part of your Christmas family tradition.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Merry Christmas to You!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mary Richards&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:57:40 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/304344/Christmas-Movie-Classics-Recommended</link>
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      <guid>297496</guid>
      <title>2217 NE 48th Street Kansas City, Missouri  64118  Off the market</title>
      <description>&lt;table cellspacing="2" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" border="3" bordercolor="#99CCCC" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;2217 NE 48th Street Kansas City, Missouri&#160; 64118&#160; Priced at $105,000&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Front of home" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/9/2/2/1/ar119691375712294.jpg" height="225" alt="front of home" align="left" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 car garage&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Welcome Home!&#160; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;You'll be proud to call this updated home yours.&#160; This home has had many updates including the retaining wall to the right.&#160;&#160;There is ample parking with additional parking in front of the retaining wall.&#160; There is plenty of space in the garage for a full-sized truck.&#160; The basement has lots of storage space and room for a hobby/work area.&#160; The furnace and a/c unit have recently been replaced.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Front Deck" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/8/7/8/7/ar119691401778787.jpg" height="188" alt="Front Deck" align="right" width="250" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;The front deck with iron spindles has recently been added.&#160; There are pave stone steps with a path that will lead you and your guests to the front door.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Living Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/3/7/5/3/ar119691429435738.jpg" height="225" alt="Living Room" align="left" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;The living room is a generous room that is filled with natural light.&#160; As you can see, there are a lot of windows.&#160; The front door and storm door were recently updated.&#160; The windows have been updated with thermal, tilt-in windows.&#160; Look at the pretty wood floors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Eating Area" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/7/7/2/5/ar119691448652779.jpg" height="188" alt="Eating area" align="left" width="250" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Look at this cozy eating area.&#160; There is a pantry for extra storage space.&#160; The door to the right leads to a mud room and storage area.&#160; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Kitchen" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/2/3/3/7/ar119691474473323.jpg" height="188" alt="Kitchen" align="right" width="250" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ahh! The heart of the home.&#160; This kitchen has been completely remodeled with new cabinets, counters, floors and appliances.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;img title="Kitchen" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/5/4/1/5/ar119691497851457.jpg" height="225" alt="Kitchen" align="left" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;There is more cabinet space here along with the smooth-top stove - and &lt;strong&gt;more windows!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Master Bedroom" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/2/9/1/2/ar119691511421921.jpg" height="225" alt="Master Bedroom" align="right" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This generous bedroom has a ceiling fan, large closet and wood floors.&#160; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Second Bedroom" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/4/4/8/6/ar119691525968446.jpg" height="188" alt="Second Bedroom" align="left" width="250" /&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;This bedroom is the same size as the Master.&#160; This room would also work well as an office.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="backyard" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/9/5/3/1/ar119691546613598.jpg" height="225" alt="backyard" align="right" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The backyard is level and treed with a patio for outdoor living space.&#160; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Stop paying rent!&#160; It's time for you to own a home!&#160; Start building your equity in this move-in ready home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;View the virtual tour on my website at:&#160; &lt;a href="#"&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.visualtour.com/oem/default/visualtour.gif" border="0"&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:52:55 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/297496/2217-NE-48th-Street</link>
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      <guid>285941</guid>
      <title>It&#8217;s a Sad, Sad Day in McDonald Land!</title>
      <description>&lt;table bgcolor="#ffff00" cellspacing="2" bordercolor="#ff0000" border="3" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt;I was in McDonald&amp;#39;s for lunch the other day.&amp;nbsp; I don&amp;#39;t eat there that often, but this was just one of those days.&amp;nbsp; I was sitting in a newly remodeled store eating my lunch when I noticed they had redone what used to be the play area.&amp;nbsp; In its place was a small kiosk with game controllers with individual screens.&amp;nbsp; No longer were there slides, balls or play structures.&amp;nbsp; Now, some parents may say that the ball pit is not a big loss as it isn&amp;#39;t always the most sanitary place but as far as I&amp;#39;m concerned the benefits outweigh those concerns.&amp;nbsp; As I was looking at this new area, I noticed something else that was missing.&amp;nbsp; The opportunity for kids to run off some steam, the chance to make new friends, to get off of their bottoms and get some exercise!&amp;nbsp; Also MIA, Mom&amp;#39;s chance for a break, her chance to make new friends or visit for lunch, even a minute to read something she wants to read.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Child at video game" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/9/3/4/1/ar119610450614395.gif" height="82" align="left" alt="Child at video game" width="130" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Kids Together" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/0/0/3/9/ar119610461593001.gif" height="153" align="right" alt="kids together" width="109" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#39;s sad that the kids have yet another opportunity to do something that encourages them to interact with a square screen instead of a living person.&amp;nbsp; The kids probably sat and watched TV at home; sat in the car for the ride there and then sat some more while they ate and played a computer game by themselves.&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;m not blaming McDonalds&amp;#39;s for this as it is probably easier to maintain that kind of an area, less liability for them, maybe that&amp;#39;s what the consumer wanted.&amp;nbsp; I guess we don&amp;#39;t always want what is good for us. Still, it is a sad, sad day at McDonald Land!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:17:47 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/285941/It-s-a-Sad</link>
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      <guid>277830</guid>
      <title>23725 Camp Pawnee Dearborn, Missouri  64439 - Sold!</title>
      <description>&lt;table bgcolor="#ffff99" cellspacing="2" bordercolor="#330099" border="3" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Farmhouse in Dearborn on Close to 15 Acres - $250,000&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;You&amp;#39;ll have a few minutes to relax and unwind as you make the short drive from the interstate to this charming farmhouse.&amp;nbsp; It has been lovingly updated including replacement windows and siding.&amp;nbsp; The owners have made the updates in keeping with the style of the home.&amp;nbsp; Did I mention, it offers one-level living.&amp;nbsp; A real plus!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Updated farmhouse" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/3/7/2/0/ar119596568702733.JPG" height="200" align="left" alt="Updated farmhouse" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Look at the attention to detail!&amp;nbsp; This home is sharp!&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The railings on this front porch are like open arms waiting to embrace you and your guests and welcome them into your home.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just look at the sunsets you&amp;#39;ll see from this front porch.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Sunset" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/8/7/4/7/ar119596603674782.JPG" height="200" align="right" alt="sunset" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Sunset" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/0/8/5/5/ar119596610355804.JPG" height="133" align="left" alt="Sunset" width="200" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Eat-In Kitchen" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/6/0/3/9/ar119596658893067.JPG" height="225" align="left" alt="Kitchen" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;The kitchen has been updated with beautiful, rich, wood cabinets - lots of them!&amp;nbsp; There are updated appliances and&amp;nbsp;undercabinet lighting.&amp;nbsp; This is one room where you will spend lots of time.&amp;nbsp; The true heart of the house.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Living room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/4/9/4/3/ar119596678034948.JPG" height="150" align="left" alt="Living room" width="200" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title="Front door living room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/7/7/6/4/ar119596691446775.JPG" height="225" align="right" alt="Living Room and front door" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;The living room has wood floors the color of honey.&amp;nbsp; They are in nice condition.&amp;nbsp; Look at the pretty archway!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Master Bedroom" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/2/7/8/ar119596706187251.JPG" height="225" align="left" alt="Master bedroom" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Second Bedroom" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/9/8/5/8/ar119596720285891.JPG" height="225" align="right" alt="Second Bedroom" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;There are three bedrooms in this home.&amp;nbsp; They are decorated in soothing, neutral&amp;nbsp;colors.&amp;nbsp; The master has a full bath and walk-in closet right off of the bedroom.&amp;nbsp; Notice the high ceilings and wood floors in the second bedroom.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Loafing Shed" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/7/2/1/8/ar119596750181276.JPG" height="200" align="left" alt="Loafing shed" width="300" /&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title="Red Barn" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/7/7/6/7/ar119596755376771.JPG" height="200" align="right" alt="Red Barn" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;There is a loafing shed and a barn on the property.&amp;nbsp; There is a water spigget by the red barn.&amp;nbsp; It has some small fenced areas connected to the barn - perfect for animals or chickens.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Workshop" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/8/4/4/8/ar119596770484489.JPG" height="200" align="left" alt="Workshop" width="300" /&gt;This is the workshop.&amp;nbsp; It has electricty and&amp;nbsp;a wood stove for heat and a set of doors so you can drive your tractor right in.&amp;nbsp; Makes a perfect hideaway at home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="View Across the Pond" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/2/7/1/8/ar11959679381721.JPG" height="200" align="left" alt="View across the pond" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Pond and Pasture View" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/9/5/4/3/ar119596940534598.JPG" height="225" align="right" alt="Pond and pasture view" width="300" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Though the water level is down now, this pond is&amp;nbsp;good-sized.&amp;nbsp; It is enclosed within the fenced part of the acreage for access to the animals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Hand Pump" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/3/8/7/3/ar11959688837838.JPG" height="376" align="left" alt="Hand pump" width="250" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Look at this treasure from yesteryear!&amp;nbsp; There is&amp;nbsp;a handpump with the home.&amp;nbsp; There are many more discoveries to be made here.&amp;nbsp; Come and see for yourself!&amp;nbsp; That front porch is waiting to welcome you home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;You can view more photos and get more information on my website at:&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt; .&amp;nbsp; View the virtual tour at:&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=1281726&amp;amp;sk=23"&gt;http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=1281726&amp;amp;sk=23&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;Mary Richards&amp;nbsp; Reece &amp;amp; Nichols Realtors&amp;nbsp; 260 NE Barry Road&amp;nbsp; Kansas City, Missouri&amp;nbsp; 64155&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="left"&gt;816-853-9698 cell&amp;nbsp; 816-420-5060 direct line&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:46:24 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/277830/23725-Camp-Pawnee-Dearborn</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>270242</guid>
      <title>12190 N. Farley Road  Platte City, Missouri  64079</title>
      <description>&lt;table bgcolor="#ffff99" cellspacing="2" bordercolor="#330099" border="3" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
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&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Breath taking views of Platte City can be had here.&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt; 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage $285,000&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;20 acre horse property is fenced and cross-fenced with auto-waterers supplied by a well&amp;nbsp;in each outbuilding.&amp;nbsp;The convenient location is only 10 minutes to Platte City, Weston,&amp;nbsp;Kansas City International Airport, less than 30 minutes to&amp;nbsp;Johnson County, KS.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Front of home" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/2/3/4/1/ar119483980114323.JPG" height="164" alt="Front of home" width="291" /&gt;&lt;img title="Backside of home" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/0/0/2/ar119483947020052.JPG" height="164" alt="Backside of home" width="286" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;The ranch home has been well-maintained with many newer updates including:&amp;nbsp; electrical, plumbing, water, furnace, a/c, hot water heater, roof, flooring, bathrooms, kitchen, windows.&amp;nbsp; This list goes on and on!&amp;nbsp; The partially finished basement has lots of storage space and several windows for natural light.&amp;nbsp; The house is on rural water.&amp;nbsp; The view on the left is the front of the home; the right is the back.&amp;nbsp; There is a patio on the right side of the back photo below the round wreath.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Kitchen" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/3/8/5/0/ar119484175305835.JPG" height="240" align="left" alt="Kitchen" width="355" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="left"&gt;The kitchen has had many updates including:&amp;nbsp; flooring, tile counters, appliances.&amp;nbsp; The open kitchen is very welcoming.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Master Bedroom" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/8/8/4/8/ar119484133484886.JPG" height="206" align="left" alt="Master Bedroom" width="367" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="left"&gt;The master bedroom is generous and has been updated.&amp;nbsp; There is a private bath, roomy closet and a computer or reading nook.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Antique pump" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/1/5/5/ar119484193855192.JPG" height="334" align="right" alt="Antique pump" width="263" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="left"&gt;The antique pump has been left in place as a part of the home's history.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Detached Garage" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/6/7/5/6/ar119483778165769.JPG" height="228" align="left" alt="Detached garage" width="383" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="justify"&gt;The two car detached garage has a third bay inside for room to work.&amp;nbsp; There is a root celler at the back of this structure.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Outbuilding photos" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/9/2/8/3/ar119483743938295.JPG" height="195" align="left" alt="Barn with hayloft, dog run" width="366" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;There is a fenced corral adjoining the barn with hayloft (larger building on the left) along with an adjoining dog run, chicken coop.&amp;nbsp; This is set-up such that is can be used as an aviary.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="justify"&gt;The barn has concrete floors, auto-waterer and electricity.&amp;nbsp; The hayloft is accessed on the backside of the barn.&amp;nbsp; The exterior and roofs have just been painted.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Loafing Shed" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/6/2/0/1/ar119483802410268.JPG" height="247" align="right" alt="Loafing shed" width="356" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;This loafing shed has electrical power and an auto-waterer.&amp;nbsp; This structure is great for animals, storing equipment or cars and boats.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Hilltop View" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/8/6/7/2/ar11948400027689.JPG" height="216" align="left" alt="Hilltop view" width="387" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;Look at this view!&amp;nbsp; As you gaze across the corral, you'll see the rolling hills that are one of the highlights of this area.&amp;nbsp; Gaze on!&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Pasture View" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/9/0/2/6/ar119484265462096.JPG" height="234" align="left" alt="Pasture view" width="345" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="justify"&gt;View of the pasture.&amp;nbsp; The property extends beyond the first tree row to the trees over the hill.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="View of Property" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/1/8/0/1/ar119484305410817.JPG" height="241" align="right" alt="View down the hill" width="357" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;The property line goes to the row of trees beyond the fence.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Well House" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/3/1/2/ar119484329621309.JPG" height="261" align="left" alt="Well House" width="389" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;This is the well house that supplies the water for the auto-waterers.&amp;nbsp; This water is also used for watering crops.&amp;nbsp; Who says you can't get anything for free?&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Deer" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/4/3/8/1/ar11948434218349.JPG" height="269" align="right" alt="Deer" width="395" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;Peek-a-boo!&amp;nbsp; I see you!&amp;nbsp; There is a deer lying on the ground.&amp;nbsp; I was walking along and came upon two deer.&amp;nbsp; If you look toward the center of the photo, the deer is slightly up to the right.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Pond" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/6/8/6/3/ar11948436736866.JPG" height="273" align="right" alt="Pond" width="376" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;There is a pond on the property.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="View of home from land" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/4/4/7/7/ar119484391977444.JPG" height="246" align="left" alt="house from hill" width="350" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;What was that movie?... &lt;em&gt;On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever. &lt;/em&gt;This is the view of the house and barns from the back of the property.&amp;nbsp; Look at the views of the fields beyond the house.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Horses" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/5/6/4/ar119484411046547.JPG" height="217" align="right" alt="horses" width="341" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;What a greeting committee!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&lt;img title="Dr. Frederick Marshall Conservation Area" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/0/6/4/2/ar119484425124607.JPG" height="236" align="left" alt="Conservation area" width="344" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="justify"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;The Dr. Frederick Marshall Conservation area is located just a short distance up the road.&amp;nbsp; It has 168 acres.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p align="left"&gt;&lt;img title="Humprey's River Access" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/7/7/3/2/ar119484440323778.JPG" height="239" align="right" alt="River access" width="359" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left"&gt;This is one of two river access points located minutes from this property.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Sun, 11 Nov 2007 21:30:19 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/270242/1219-N-Farley-Road</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>266115</guid>
      <title>Ode to my Real Estate Master Calculator</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="My Trusty Real Estate Calculator" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/6/1/6/0/ar119449865906164.JPG" height="293" align="right" alt="Real Estate calculator" width="408" /&gt;Today is a somber day as I come to grips with the fact that my trusty calculator will have to be retired.&amp;nbsp; It has been with me since 1992.&amp;nbsp; We have listed and sold hundreds of homes together, figured closing costs for buyers and sellers, figured production, you name it.&amp;nbsp; Did I mention that I know where all of the buttons are and how to work the functions?&amp;nbsp; Sigh!&amp;nbsp; Yes, we have been through many things together.&amp;nbsp; I tried to deny it, delay this sad choice.&amp;nbsp; But, it has gotten to the point that it is hard to read any number over $99,999 - accurately.&amp;nbsp; In Real Estate, that&amp;#39;s a problem.&amp;nbsp; I don&amp;#39;t know about you, but I sell many homes over that price.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#39;m proud of how tech-saavy I am.&amp;nbsp; I tell my clients that I use today&amp;#39;s technology but this calculator and its condition kind of shoot a hole in my tech-saavy image.&amp;nbsp; I mean, what&amp;#39;s a girl to do?&amp;nbsp; Rely on her Smartphone?&amp;nbsp; I just don&amp;#39;t know if that calculator function is accurate.&amp;nbsp; I have had no less than 3 Treo 600&amp;#39;s, 3 Treo 650&amp;#39;s, and now have a Treo 700.&amp;nbsp; I use most of the functions including the e-key &amp;amp; e-data, Top Producer, speed dial, e-mail, paging and texting and even a few photos and video clips on an expansion card.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Yes, I am running some large programs on this phone.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Here&amp;#39;s the thing, it locks up on me.&amp;nbsp; There have been times when it decides&amp;nbsp;to reset itself.&amp;nbsp; Often, while I am in the middle of a phone call with another call waiting.&amp;nbsp; It shuts down so that I can&amp;#39;t see whose call&amp;nbsp;I missed.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Drives me crazy!!&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;m a level-headed girl.&amp;nbsp; I think of solutions in a calm, methodic way.&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;ve thought about driving over it with my SUV or flushing it down the toilet.&amp;nbsp; I&amp;#39;d even stick my hand in the water to force it down, but only if the water is clear.&amp;nbsp; I do have my standards.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;But then, I check myself.&amp;nbsp; I try never to speak harsh words to&amp;nbsp;my&amp;nbsp;phone or tell it what I really think.&amp;nbsp; Instead, I tell it how much I really appreciate it, how it makes my life easier.&amp;nbsp; I act like I&amp;#39;m going to bang it on the console of my car, but never&amp;nbsp;come into contact.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes, I wonder if there is a little gremlin in there just up to mischief.&amp;nbsp; So, here is my&amp;nbsp;question.&amp;nbsp; Do I get another trusty, updated Real Estate Master calculator or do I put my fate in the &amp;quot;hands&amp;quot; of my Smartphone?&amp;nbsp; Is&amp;nbsp;anyone using their Treo to figure Buyers and Sellers estimated costs and payments?&amp;nbsp; How is that working?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;What program or add-on are you using?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Thank you for your warm thoughts as I adjust to life without my calculator.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:40:19 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/266115/Ode-to-my-Real</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>264721</guid>
      <title>Kindness:  We all make choices everyday</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Everyday, we interact with other people.&amp;nbsp; We choose the way that we will treat them and how&amp;nbsp;we will react to them.&amp;nbsp; Will we show them kindness or impatience?&amp;nbsp; You just never know when something as simple as smiling at someone or saying &amp;quot;hello&amp;quot; can make their day.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;#39;s nice to hear about the good in the world.&amp;nbsp; I received this as an e-mail and thought I would share it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Choices &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What would you do? You make the choice. Don&amp;#39;t look for a punch line, &lt;br /&gt;there isn&amp;#39;t one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the &lt;br /&gt;same choice? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled &lt;br /&gt;children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that &lt;br /&gt;would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school &lt;br /&gt;and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: &amp;quot;When not interfered &lt;br /&gt;with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with &lt;br /&gt;perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. &lt;br /&gt;He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural &lt;br /&gt;order of things in my son?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The audience was stilled by the query. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The father continued. &amp;quot;I believe that when a child like Shay, physically &lt;br /&gt;and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize &lt;br /&gt;true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people &lt;br /&gt;treat that child.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then he told the following story: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew &lt;br /&gt;were playing baseball. Shay asked, &amp;quot;Do you think they&amp;#39;ll let me play?&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;Shay&amp;#39;s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like &lt;br /&gt;Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were &lt;br /&gt;allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and &lt;br /&gt;some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shay&amp;#39;s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not &lt;br /&gt;expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance &lt;br /&gt;and said, &amp;quot;We&amp;#39;re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth &lt;br /&gt;inning. I guess he can be on our team and we&amp;#39;ll try to put him in to bat &lt;br /&gt;in t he ninth inning.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shay struggled over to the team&amp;#39;s bench and, with a broad smi le, put on &lt;br /&gt;a team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth &lt;br /&gt;in his heart. The boys saw the father&amp;#39;s joy at his son being accepted. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay&amp;#39;s team scored a few runs but &lt;br /&gt;was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a &lt;br /&gt;glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, &lt;br /&gt;he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, &lt;br /&gt;grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In &lt;br /&gt;the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay&amp;#39;s team scored again. Now, with two &lt;br /&gt;outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and &lt;br /&gt;Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win &lt;br /&gt;the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a &lt;br /&gt;hit was all but impossible because Shay didn&amp;#39;t even know how to hold the &lt;br /&gt;bat properly, much less connect with t he ball. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that &lt;br /&gt;the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay&amp;#39;s life, &lt;br /&gt;moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least &lt;br /&gt;make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. &lt;br /&gt;The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly &lt;br /&gt;towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a &lt;br /&gt;slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and &lt;br /&gt;could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have &lt;br /&gt;been out and that would have been the end of the game. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman&amp;#39;s head, &lt;br /&gt;out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams &lt;br /&gt;started yelling, &amp;quot;Shay, run to first! Run to first!&amp;quot; Never in his life &lt;br /&gt;had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to f irst base. He scampered &lt;br /&gt;down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Everyone yelled, &amp;quot;Run to second, run to second!&amp;quot; Catching his breath, &lt;br /&gt;Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to &lt;br /&gt;the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right &lt;br /&gt;fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his &lt;br /&gt;first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball &lt;br /&gt;to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher&amp;#39;s &lt;br /&gt;intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over &lt;br /&gt;the third-baseman&amp;#39;s head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the &lt;br /&gt;runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All were screaming, &amp;quot;Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him &lt;br /&gt;by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, &amp;quot;Run to &lt;br /&gt;third! Shay, run to third!&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, &lt;br /&gt;were on their feet screaming, &amp;quot;Shay, run home! Run home!&amp;quot; Shay ran to &lt;br /&gt;home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the &lt;br /&gt;grand slam and won the game for his team. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;That day,&amp;quot; said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, &lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity &lt;br /&gt;into this world.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shay didn&amp;#39;t make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never &lt;br /&gt;forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home &lt;br /&gt;and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the &lt;br /&gt;&amp;quot;natural order of things.&amp;quot; So many seemingly trivial interactions &lt;br /&gt;between two people present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little &lt;br /&gt;spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and &lt;br /&gt;leave the world a little bit colder in the process? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it&amp;#39;s least &lt;br /&gt;fortunate amongst them. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;May your day, be a Shay Day.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Go out and spread some kindness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:11:56 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/264721/Kindness-We-all-make</link>
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      <guid>248957</guid>
      <title>Operation Cookie Bake Brings Sweets To Troops</title>
      <description>&lt;table bgcolor="#fafad2" cellspacing="2" bordercolor="#000080" border="3" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;&lt;img title="American Soldier" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/0/8/6/9/ar119500473796806.gif" height="194" align="right" alt="American Soldier" width="203" /&gt;Operation Cookie Bake Brings Sweets To Troops&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#39;s holiday baking like you&amp;#39;ve never seen before. It&amp;#39;s Operation Cookie Bake and Amber Jones is the general. Last year, Jones baked more than 6,000 cookies for the troops overseas. Mary Richards Team of Reece and Nichols will be assisting Amber in getting donations for this project and will be on hand when the cookies are baked on Saturday, November 17.&amp;nbsp; All donations need to be received by Saturday, November 10.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;#39;d like to help by volunteering or by donating items, please contact Barbara Squires, Client Care Coordinator for&amp;nbsp;Mary Richards Team, at barbarasquires@reeceandnichols.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;DONTATIONS NEEDED&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;All-Purpose Flour &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Baking Powder &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Baking Soda &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bread- To in Put with the Cookies So They Stay Fresh &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Brown Sugar &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Chocolate Bark &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Circular Pretzels &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Eggs &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Ground Cinnamon &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Hand Gloves for Cooking/ Hair Net&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Milk Chocolate Candy Kisses &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Miniature Marshmallows/ Fluff &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Peanut Butter &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Plastic Wrap &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Postage&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Quick Cooking Oats &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Rice Krispies &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Salt &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Semisweet Chocolate Chips &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Shortening &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Unsalted Butter &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Unsweetened Cocoa Powder &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Vanilla Extract &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Wax Paper &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;White Sugar &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Zip Lock Bags Gallons &amp;amp; Quart Sizes &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;ITEMS NEEDED TO BORROW&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cookies Sheets&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Measuring Cups&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Measuring Spoons&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Mixing&amp;nbsp;Bowls &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:55:52 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/248957/Operation-Cookie-Bake-Brings</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>241886</guid>
      <title>9220 N. Campbell Court  Kansas City, Missouri 64155 - Sold!</title>
      <description>&lt;table bgcolor="#ccff99" cellspacing="2" bordercolor="#669900" border="3" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td valign="top"&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9220 N. Campbell Court&amp;nbsp; Kansas City, Missouri&amp;nbsp; 64155&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Quick Possession Available." src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/0/3/4/9/ar119281441694308.JPG" height="291" align="left" alt="Beautiful 2 Story Home!" width="396" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You will be impressed the minute you step inside!&amp;nbsp; This home features 4 large bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 2 car garage.&amp;nbsp; The walk-out basement is waiting to be finished and walks out to a patio.&amp;nbsp; The exterior has fresh paint.&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Fenced corner lot in great neighborhood. Students who live here will attend the new Staley High School that is scheduled to open for the Fall 2008 school year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img title="Formal Living Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/0/2/1/ar119281455812063.jpg" height="240" align="right" alt="Formal Living Room" width="320" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This formal living room has newer, upgraded carpet and a bay window.&amp;nbsp; This would make a great office or music room.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;img title="Formal Dining Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/6/8/0/9/ar119501503690865.jpg" height="240" align="left" alt="Formal Dining Room" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;This home is beautifully decorated with Pottery Barn colors.&amp;nbsp; Oh, so soothing!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Kitchen" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/3/8/2/ar119281448928363.jpg" height="240" alt=" " width="320" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title="Back View of Home" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/3/7/2/8/ar119501458382739.jpg" height="240" alt="Back view" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As they say, &amp;quot;The kitchen is the heart of the house.&amp;quot;&amp;nbsp; This large kitchen&amp;nbsp;will draw&amp;nbsp;you and your guests in.&amp;nbsp; There&amp;nbsp;is lots of counter and cabinet space here.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;You can step out onto the deck from this&amp;nbsp;room. The garage, 1/2 bath, &amp;amp;&amp;nbsp;laundry room with tile floors are conveniently located off of the kitchen.&amp;nbsp; Look at this lush, green lawn!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Family Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/7/2/5/5/ar119501412055276.jpg" height="240" align="left" alt="Family Room" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The family room is open to the kitchen.&amp;nbsp; Great for entertaining!&amp;nbsp; Notice the pretty fireplace.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title="Master Bedroom" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/8/2/7/3/ar11950134737281.jpg" height="240" alt="Master bedroom" width="320" /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;img title="Sitting Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/9/4/0/7/ar119501364670495.jpg" height="240" alt="Sitting Room" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;Master Retreat offers vaulted ceilings and a sitting area.&amp;nbsp; There is a lot of natural light here.&amp;nbsp; Good for the soul!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Master Bathroom" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/2/7/1/ar119501384717222.jpg" height="240" align="left" alt="Master bath" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This bathroom has plenty of elbow room.&amp;nbsp; There are two walk-in closets plus a bonus space off of one closet.&amp;nbsp; The jetted tub is of generous size.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There are 3 other BIG bedrooms on the 2nd level,&amp;nbsp;each has&amp;nbsp;a walk-in closet.&amp;nbsp; You&amp;#39;ll appreciate what you see in this value-priced home!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Mary Richards &lt;br /&gt;Reece and Nichols Realtors &lt;br /&gt;www.kcmoves.com &lt;br /&gt;816-420-5060 direct 816-853-9698 cell &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click on the link below for a Virtual Tour &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1244686" rel="nofollow"&gt;http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1244686&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;LOW DOWN PAYMENT &lt;br /&gt;No Payments Until Nearly 2008! &lt;br /&gt;24 Hour Free Recorded Message &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1-888-209-9114 Ext. 86036 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:34:57 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/241886/922-N-Campbell-Court</link>
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      <guid>241884</guid>
      <title>$105,000 Move-in Ready with Quick Possession Available! (Metro North Mall) - Sold!</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Located on a treed, fenced lot. &lt;br /&gt;8113 N. Summit Road Kansas City, Missouri&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img title="8113 N. Summit" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/5/4/7/9/ar119281462497451.jpg" height="336" alt=" " width="448" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;New roof &lt;br /&gt;New vinyl siding &lt;br /&gt;New A/C &lt;br /&gt;New carpet and vinyl flooring &lt;br /&gt;New dishwasher &lt;br /&gt;Freshly painted &lt;br /&gt;3 bedroom &lt;br /&gt;1 Bath&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1 car garage&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click on the Link below for a Virtual Tour &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1163713" rel="nofollow"&gt;http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1163713&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Mary Richards Reece and Nichols Realtors &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.kcmoves.com"&gt;www.kcmoves.com&lt;/a&gt; 816-853-9698 cell &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/8/1/4/9/ar119325135394185.JPG" height="336" alt=" " width="448" /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This kitchen has been updated including a new dishwasher and stove.&amp;nbsp; The laundry room is conveniently located off of the kitchen.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:33:30 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/241884/-1-5-Move</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>241881</guid>
      <title>3010 Charlotte Street Kansas City, Missouri  64109</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;$125,000 Beautiful Home in Historic Longfellow Neighborhood (Kansas City, MO)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Updated home, yet still has the charm of the original woodwork &amp;amp; butler&amp;#39;s pantry &lt;br /&gt;3010 Charlotte Street &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="3010 Charlotte" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/7/4/2/1/7/ar119281473471247.jpg" height="336" alt=" " width="448" /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;LOW DOWN PAYMENT &lt;br /&gt;No Payments until nearly 2008! &lt;br /&gt;Ask us how?? &lt;br /&gt;24 Hour Free Recorded Message &lt;br /&gt;1-888-209-9114 Ext. 86062 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;New exterior paint summer &amp;lsquo;06. &lt;br /&gt;Brick Fireplace &lt;br /&gt;Wood floors &lt;br /&gt;Updated kitchen with glass front doors &lt;br /&gt;Gas Range, Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Disposal &lt;br /&gt;Washer and dryer stay &lt;br /&gt;Updated bath &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mary Richards &lt;br /&gt;816-853-9698 (cell) &lt;br /&gt;www.kcmoves.com &lt;br /&gt;Reece and Nichols Realtors &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click on the link below for Virtual Tour &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1020527" rel="nofollow"&gt;http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1020527&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Living Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/7/3/5/7/ar119281476675376.JPG" height="229" alt=" " width="361" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The rich wood floors and woodwork highlight the tiled fireplace.&amp;nbsp; Look at the detailing in the window to the right of the fireplace.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Dining Room" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/4/6/7/6/ar119281478967645.JPG" height="260" alt=" " width="366" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The formal dining room is open to the living room.&amp;nbsp; You can see the butler&amp;#39;s pantry through the doorway.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/4/7/5/9/5/ar119281481659574.JPG" height="310" alt=" " width="415" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You might think that Martha Stewart decorated this kitchen!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/5/6/1/5/ar119281488351652.jpg" height="336" alt=" " width="448" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Notice the detailing in the newel post of the stairway.&amp;nbsp; The plants love all of the natural light.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:31:11 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/241881/3-1-Charlotte-Street</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>241792</guid>
      <title>Home Maintenance Tips for the Fall</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Fall is the perfect time to get outside and get to some of those home repairs&amp;nbsp;that&amp;nbsp;need to be done.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I have listed just a few of these items below:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Change/clean the furnace filter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Drain several gallons of water from your hot water heater&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Drain outside faucets, remove hoses from faucets and winterize sprinkler system.&amp;nbsp; Make sure you unhook the hose from the faucet before the first frost.&amp;nbsp; There is nothing worse than a burst pipe in the wall.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Clean filters for kitchen exhaust fan&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Check driveway for cracks and reseal as needed&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Check the grade around your foundation.&amp;nbsp; Make sure that the ground slopes so the water will flow away from your home&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Check your gutters to make sure the water can flow freely.&amp;nbsp; Gutters that are overflowing can cause water to come into your basement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Pass a lit candle around doors &amp;amp; windows to check for drafts and winterize&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Add foam insulation covers under outlet and switchplate covers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;middot;&amp;nbsp;Check the rubber gasket on the bottom of your garage door.&amp;nbsp; These can be replaced easily and for little money.&amp;nbsp; Pest experts are predicting that mice will be more&amp;nbsp;of a problem&amp;nbsp;this year due to the late frost we had this Spring.&amp;nbsp; This may help keep a tighter seal so they can&amp;#39;t squeeze under the door or through a gap.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;I hope this helps.&amp;nbsp; Now get outside and enjoy that fresh air! :)&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:44:40 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/241792/Home-Maintenance-Tips-for</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>241757</guid>
      <title>Kids Eat Free in Kansas City! (or at a discount&#9786;)</title>
      <description>&lt;table cellspacing="2" bgcolor="#FFFFCC" bordercolor="#FF9966" border="3" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt; &lt;tbody&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td valign="top"&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Offers may vary by location so check with your favorite location. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Every day&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;O'Charley's Restaurant&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children 10 and under&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pizza Street&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children 3 and under eat free&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sunday&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jose Pepper's Authentic Mexican Food&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children's menu is only $2.00&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;La Mesa Mexican Restaurant&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children ages 12 and under eat for 1 penny from the from kid's menu&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sunset Grill&lt;/strong&gt; - 4pm-close Children 10 and under eat 1/2 price / Free magic show from 6-8pm&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tommy's&lt;/strong&gt; - all day- Children ages 12 and under eat free from the kid's menu with drink purchase&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Monday&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Atlanta Bread Company&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. to close Children eat free with purchase of adult entr&#233;e&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buffalo Wild Wings&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Children ages 12 and under eat for 99&#162; from the kid's menu&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chartroose Caboose&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. to close Children 10 and under free per paying adult&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CiCi's Pizza&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. to close.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cinzetti's&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. - 9 p.m / 2 Children 12 and under for each paying adult&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fuddruckers&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. Children ages 12 and under eat for 99&#162; from the kid's menu. Drink is included&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IHop&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children eat free&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Red Robin&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Children ages 10 and under eat for free (Independence location only) &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tuesday&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Backyard Burgers&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. Children eat free with the purchase of a combo meal&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buffalo Wild Wings&lt;/strong&gt; - all day - Buffalo wings .40&#162; each&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chick-fil-a&lt;/strong&gt; - 5p.m. - 8 p.m. Free child's meal with purchase of adult combo meal&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cinzetti's&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. 2 Children ages 12 and under eat dinner free with 1 paying adult&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Denny's&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. Children 10 and under eat free&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fazoli's Restaurant&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Children ages 12 and under eat off the kid's menu for 99&#162;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fuddruckers&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. Children ages 12 and under eat for 99&#162; from the kid's menu. Drink is included&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IHop&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children eat free&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lone Star Steakhouse&lt;/strong&gt;- all day Children eat free with purchase of adult entr&#233;e&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Perkins Restaurants&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children 12 and under eat free with the purchase of an adult entree&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pizza Street&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Children ages 9 and under can purchase a child's drink and then the child eats free &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Planet Sub&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. to close. Children ages 12 and under free kid's meal with paying adult&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ponderosa Steak House&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. to close 2 Children 12 and under receive free buffet with adult meal purchase / Drink not included&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Salty Iguana Mexican Restaurant&lt;/strong&gt; - all day. Children ages 12 and under eat free off the kid's menu w/paying adult&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Wednesday&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buffalo Wild Wings&lt;/strong&gt; - all day - Chicken legs .50&#162; cents each&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IHop&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children eat free from kids menu&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rainforest Cafe&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. to close Children's menu price is $1.99&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zarda Bar-B-Q&lt;/strong&gt; - all day Children 10 and under eat free form kids menu with adult entr&#233;e of $7.19 or more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thursday&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Backyard Burgers&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. Children eat free w/purchase of combo meal&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Saturday&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Denny's&lt;/strong&gt; - 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. Children ages 10 and under eat free from the kid's menu&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lone Star Steakhouse&lt;/strong&gt;&#160; - Lunch only Children eat free with purchase of adult entr&#233;e&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sharp's 63rd Street Grill&lt;/strong&gt; - 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 1 free kids meal with purchase of each adult meal &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;List provided compliments of Mary Richards.&#160; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;/tbody&gt; &lt;/table&gt; </description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:20:18 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/241757/Kids-Eat-Free-in</link>
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    <item>
      <guid>240811</guid>
      <title>Reduce Global Warming, plant a tree!</title>
      <description>&lt;table bgcolor="#CCFF99" cellspacing="2" border="3" bordercolor="#669900" cellpadding="2" width="100%"&gt; &lt;tbody&gt; &lt;tr&gt; &lt;td valign="top"&gt; &lt;img title="Trees" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/4/0/7/5/ar119500693657049.jpg" height="201" alt="Trees" width="328" /&gt;Scientists believe that carbon dioxide is a contributor to global warming and that planting trees can help reduce the effect of this gas on the environment.&#160;&#160; The average tree consumes approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.&#160; So, not only will you be helping the environment, you'll also be improving the value of your home.&#160; Trees add to the curb appeal of your home&#160;and they help shade the home, lowering utility costs.&#160; They also can add privacy which is appealing to most buyers.&#160; Fall is an ideal time to plant a tree.&lt;/td&gt; &lt;/tr&gt; &lt;/tbody&gt; &lt;/table&gt; </description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:56:05 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/240811/Reduce-Global-Warming-plant</link>
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      <guid>240379</guid>
      <title>15490 Rule Lane  Smithville, Missouri  64089</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img title="Hill Top Setting" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/2/6/4/8/ar119263890584622.jpg" height="176" align="left" alt="Hill top view" width="271" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;$215,000 Beautiful Spot to Build Your Dream Home &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align="center"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;21.5 Acres (Platte County)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This could be your view!&amp;nbsp; Gently rolling hills, meadows, lots of trees and even a creek. Water and electricity hookups on property. Soil Morphology test has already been done-will take a conventional system. There are deer and turkey on the property. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Only 15 Minutes from Zona Rosa, Metro North, &amp;amp; Airport, only 10 minutes to the YMCA in Platte City!&lt;br /&gt;Convenient Location close to highways, shopping and schools &lt;br /&gt;Halfway between Smithville and Platte City-Smithville Schools &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click on link below for Virtual Tour &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=729043" rel="nofollow"&gt;http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=729043&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <author>Mary Richards (Reece &amp; Nichols Realtors)</author>
      <pubDate>Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:32:21 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/240379/1549-Rule-Lane-Smithville</link>
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