My house is already quite busy getting ready for my family coming home for Thanksgiving. Did I ever mention that I have 4 children, and 7 grandchildren?
This morning I was hauling out the special recipes everyone likes.
The children of one of my daughters, will eat anything and EVERYTHING that is put in front of them. They will even eat things falling from the table, if my dog doesn't reach them first.
Then there are the children of my youngest daughter, who are picky eaters. One of them, my 9 year old grand-daughter is an avid Macaroni and Cheese eater. She doesn't want any special gourmet Mac and Cheese, like Nana makes - She likes it straight out of the Kraft box, cooked with the directions of the side panel, and "unmessed" with.
My oldest daughter is a vegetarian, so you can begin to see what is involved while cooking up a Thanksgiving feast at my house. However, there is one particular soup that they ALL seem to enjoy.
Here's the recipe:
1 Butternut Squash - peeled, cut in chunks, steamed or baked
1 Pumpkin (small) - prepared the same as the Butternut squash, or can substitute canned.
½ Cup Peanut Butter (smooth)
1 14oz can Coconut Milk
2 14 oz cans Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon Ginger - grated
1 stalk Lemon Grass - cut into 3" - 4" lengths
Anistars (1 or 2)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
½ tsp. Nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Allspice
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
Preparation: Once Squash and Pumpkin have been cooked tender, put in blender and process with Grated Ginger. Place in large stock-pot with Chicken Broth, Peanut Butter, Coconut Milk. Simmer at low temperature.
Using a 12" square of cheese cloth, create a pouch to contain the Lemon Grass and Anistars. Add to soup and continue simmering.
One of my favorite activities in autumn, is attending the Harvest Festival - Original Art and Craft Show, which is held at Cal Expo each year. The event presents a wonderful opportunity to view delightful crafts and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.
I find it a great way to launch my holiday shopping. Always a great place to order personalized gifts for family and friends. . .Jewelry, and a multitude of other craft projects.
LOCATION -
Sacramento Cal Expo 1600 Exposition Blvd. Sacramento, CA
HOURS -
Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Sunday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Spotted in Puerto Vallarta, a tourist kid meeting a new pal dressed just like he is!
I take pictures for the purpose of remembering fond times. I do not impose copyright restrictions on this photo, so you may feel free to use, or distribute as you wish. However, should you need a Real Estate Professional in the Greater Sacramento area, I hope that you will contact me by email or by visiting my website www.myrljeffcoat.com - Thank You!
Hard economic times often take a toll on families, marriages and relationships. Real Estate Professionals are increasingly hearing of a trend - which may remind folks of the movie, "War of the Roses."
Current real estate market conditions have some divorcing couples looking to separate their lives, but realizing they can't afford to live apart until their home is sold.
Unlike a few years ago, when many homeowners had loads of equity to share, and really good credit, current times are providing many glimpses of reversal of fortune.
If you are one of those couples, and need to continue co-habiting until you get the house sold, and shore up your financial situation better, there are things you can do to make life a little easier for yourselves in the interim.
It is also important to understand that staying together can actually have a positive effect on marketing your home. Home Buyers have become quite sophisticated in recent years, and have a knack for sniffing out signs of Sellers in distress. Seeing that a couple continues to be together in a home can remove a bit of the appearance of distress - even if it is painful for you!
If you are a divorcing couple and find yourself in a forced cohabitation situation until your home sells, there are a few things that you can do to make the experience a little easier.
1) The two of you should sit down and discuss your situation as peacefully as possible. Perhaps putting yourselves into a mindset that you will continue as roommates for a few months until the house is sold. You are together in the house in the physical sense - even though the emotional sense has changed.
(2) Negotiate with each other the mortgage payments, utilities, and other household expenses, and address the duties for upkeep. Doing this early on, will help alleviate problems from popping up in the midst of this living arrangement - which weren't addressed early on.
(3) If there are children in the home, please put the children and their well being first and paramount in your consideration. Doing so, will help you focus on things more important than your own discomfort. If the children suffer less distress, it will be easier for all of you.
With a little thought and consideration, you can be successful in selling your home, and making what could be a bad situation work well, and to your benefit.
In addition to pure raw and perfect nature scenes showing little touch by human hand, I have an appreciation for structures that demonstrate a certain iconic flavor - bridges often contribute to that fabric.
The old cantilever swing bridge pictured above is known to Sacramentans as the I Street Bridge, which connects Sacramento County to Yolo County. It is in close proximity to Old Sacramento, and connects to West Sacramento a few blocks from Raley Field - Home of the Sacramento RiverCats Baseball Team. The bridge was built in 1911.
I take pictures for the purpose of remembering fond times. I do not impose copyright restrictions on this photo, so you may feel free to use, or distribute as you wish. However, should you need a Real Estate Professional in the Greater Sacramento area, I hope that you will contact me by email or by visiting my website www.myrljeffcoat.com - Thank You!
It isn't unusual for folks to call and express curiosity about trying to ballpark a mortgage payment based on an interest rate and number of mortgage years.
Although there are a number of mortgage calculators available on-line, some individuals enjoy having certain interest rate factors in their head - or pockets, that they can multiply per thousand of loan amount.
The table below provides factors for each interest rate between 4.00% and 5.95%. And does so for mortgages of either 15 years or thirty years.
These payments would include principle and interest, and would not include any additional costs for taxes and insurance.
It can be a simple way to calculate affordability, while out shopping for a home.
Simply multiply the approximte mortgage amount by the factor indicated for prevailing interest rate and the number of years desired,
After state budgetary woes threatened access at some of California's State Parks earlier this year, announcement of new hours for Sutter's Fort has been made.
The fort is now closed on Mondays, but all other days of the week will find it open as usual; other than on certain holidays. This is great news for Californians, and especially school children eager to learn about our rich California Gold Rush history.
In 1839, John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant acquired a land grant in the Sacramento Valley from the Mexican government. The land was used to create a growing agricultural enterprise, which Sutter named, New Helvetia (New Switzerland.) New Helvetia was Sacramento's earliest settlement and the first non-Indian settlement in California's Central Valley.
Sutter sent assistance and aid to the Donner Party In 1847. The group of immigrants had become trapped in a winter storm in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Ultimately, Sutter became known for his hospitality and for providing temporary refuge to travelers. New Helvetia became the destination for many early immigrants to California.
Less than a decade after the Fort was established, gold seekers overran Sutter's properties and the Fort is all that remains of New Helvetia. It has been restored to its former state based on an 1847 map published in Darmstadt, Germany and is open daily for tours.
Open Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm - Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day
Admission:
Adults $5 (18 years and older) Youth $3 (ages 6 to 17) Children Free (5 and under)
Location-Directions The park is located in midtown Sacramento between K and L Streets and 26th and 28th Streets.
Traveling on I-80, from San Francisco, take Business 80/Hwy 50 east. Take the Business 80 exit (north towards Reno) to the N Street turn off. Travel straight on 30th Street then turn left under the freeway at L Street to the Fort which will be located on your right.
Tuesday thru Saturday, bring quarters for the parking meters. Parking is free on Sundays.
Facilities - Opportunities The Fort is available for private parties and gatherings for a fee. Call for availability and information: (916) 445-4422.
In these tough times, it isn't unusual for real estate professionals to come across clients, who would like to purchase a home, but are a tad skinny on qualifying for a new mortgage.
It is interesting to note that in fairly short order, a buyer can improve their finances enough to more readily allow for easier qualification of a home loan.
For instance, if you are someone, who has a few credit card or consumer bills coming in each month, there are steps you can do which will help allow for a swifter loan payoff, or more readily get yourself out of debt.
One of the more notable ways is to ask for a lower credit card interest rate, from your existing credit card lenders. A major consumer group conducted a study to find out how easy it was to get a lower credit card interest rate. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of those who simply telephoned their credit card company and asked for a lower interest rate got one instantly. This rate was anywhere from 7 to 10 points lower than their credit card interest rate.
For success in this area, it is important to: (1) Have a good credit rating. There should be no late payment notations on your credit report and you should have a good credit score; (2) You should not have a high debt-to-income ratio, and you should not be carrying a big balance on your credit card; (3) You should also be trying to send in more than the minimum payment each month; (4) You should have an excellent payment record with that particular creditor; (5) The credit card ins not one that is categorized as a "sub-prime", meaning it is not a secured credit card or one marketed exclusively to those with bad credit.
When you call and ask for a lower interest rate, your reasoning should be based on the argument that you deserve it because you're an excellent customer or you're getting better offers from other credit card banks.
In addition to the suggestions mentioned above, another way to get out of debt faster, or to improve your standing, is to look at other consumer loans you have. For instance, perhaps you have a car loan, or are paying off some furniture. If the car or furniture loan is near the payoff date, and it is a hefty amount you are paying each month, perhaps you could go ahead and pay it off early. This removal of a high bill each month, could significantly improve your standing on a credit report.
From the time I first heard of the Navajo Code Talkers, either from documentaries or Hollywood renditions of them, I became fascinated by their history.
For those who are unaware, the Code Talkers, used their Navajo language-encrypted military terms to stymie the Japanese during World War II at Iwo Jima, and other Pacific battles. Between 1942 and 1945, they served in every Marine assault in the South Pacific - helping the U.S. to prevail.
The Code Talkers were sworn to secrecy about the code. Because of its complexity even other Navajo Marines were unable to decipher it.
This Veterans Day, of the 500 Code Talkers, there are only about 50 which continue to survive. However yesterday, thirteen of the Code Talkers - some in wheelchairs, and some using canes, arrived in New York City, for participation for in the country's largest Veterans Day parade today.
Awhile back, I watched a travel documentary, which spoke about the California Gold Rush, and the Nevada Comstock Load. According to what was presented, in TODAY'S dollars, the gold taken from the California Mother Lode would be worth approximately $13 billion, and the silver extracted from the Nevada Comstock would fetch $6 billion.
Consider for a moment, the government bailout of AIG has been $180 billion
That's multiple times more than the entire COMBINED current value of the gold and silver taken from the California Gold Rush, and the Nevada Silver Comstock.
It certainly puts into perspective the value of things, and adds new dimension to the term, "Too big to fail." Pretty amazing isn't it!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Posted by 
;)
;)
