Wordless Wednesday - 12/24/08 03:55 PM

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Fantasy Football, AR Style! - 12/24/08 09:03 AM
I am a huge sports fan. Football is probably my favorite, followed closely by baseball and tennis. I am also a fan of Active Rain! When you combine the two, that is a winning combination. I was happy to discover in early fall that Active Rain had a fantasy football league. It was a well ran league with just the right amount of smack talk! Though I didn't participate in the verbal sparring, I did get a kick out of reading some of the comments.

There were a total of 14 teams in this league and it seemed that most … (14 comments)

Goodbye FHA Secure - 12/19/08 09:24 PM
As 2008 passes into memory FHA lenders will be saying goodbye to the FHA Secure program. In accordance with HUD Mortgagee Letter 2008-13, the FHA Secure program will expire on December 31, 2008. This program had offered expanded guidelines for borrowers currently delinquent on their mortgages due to ARM Rate Resets, as well as Rate/Term Refinance transactions from non-FHA mortgages to FHA Fixed Rate Mortgages. These provisions were only temporary.
As of December 31, 2008 HUD will no longer issue Case Numbers under the FHA Secure program. HUD is in the process of working on expanded guidelines to accommodate those borrowers … (12 comments)

Wordless Wednesday - 12/17/08 10:28 AM

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Knoxville's Empty Stocking Fund - 12/15/08 07:39 PM
On Thanksgiving Day I wrote a post on Knoxville's Empty Stocking Fund. This post highlighted the need in many communities of those who are less fortunate. This time of year often brings out the generous spirit in many people.

During times of economic volatility with many layoffs and firings, more people than ever are turning to charity organizations for assistance. The catch 22 is that the very economic issues that have prompted the need for more requests for assistance is the leading contributor to the decline in contributions. This year those who may have been contributors in the past to … (9 comments)

Comfort At Home - 12/15/08 03:37 PM
Like many people, I am not a fan of putting on the coat and tie unless I really have to. I definitely understand that there is a time and place for proper dress attire. As I work at lot from my home office I am permitted to wear or not wear what I want. Hold on a minute, let's let that image sink in a bit.
Seriously though, I am a person who likes comfort. I love to wear comfortable jeans, a t-shirt, and socks when I am working at home and know I don't have to be seeing anyone who … (9 comments)

Delivered To Safety - 12/14/08 04:57 PM
Have you ever been the instrument by which a life is saved? I bet if you think hard you can come up with several instances in your lifetime where your intervention has been instrumental in saving a life. Yesterday, Danny Thornton I got to save a life. Thanks to Gayle Balaban of The Best Spot Realty/Waterfront Real Estate/Ooltewah Real E, who facilitated the connection between me and the Caolina Poodle Rescue at Dreamweaver Farms, Danny Thornton and I were able to save Nigel's life. See the picture below, that is Nigel laying in the backseat of my truck during transport.

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What Is Your Response Time? - 12/11/08 07:53 PM
 
I came across this post today by my business partner, Danny Thornton. In a time when many markets are having a difficult time, I thought this post was especially important.  I realize that we are all very busy trying to drum up more business, conclude the business in progress, and tending to family obligations. Everyday living makes it difficult to be available all the time and that is perfectly understandable. It is important to have work / personal life boundaries. It is also important to recognize that those boundaries are quite fluid when they need to be. For instance, most … (21 comments)

Wordless Wednesday - 12/10/08 02:53 PM

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R & D Art: Alive And Kicking - 12/09/08 10:23 AM
Yesterday my business partner, Danny Thornton, hinted at the pending release of R & D Art. We have been quietly offering our design services for some time now. As our understanding and ability to utilize advanced scripting has expanded so too has our ability to build the blog site, banner, and website that suits your individual business and/or personal needs. Our Mission Statement gives a great overview of what this site represents for us and for our client.
R & D Art is a design, hosting, and support service for the way the world communicates today. We are proud to offer … (10 comments)

Beatriz - 12/07/08 09:24 PM
I am a very visual person. This is most apparent in my love for art. I have a real passion for art. Sculpture, paintings, photography, architecture, these are the things that captivate me. Now do not misunderstand, I love music and dance and words as well. In fact it seems that all of the creative arts help to inform one another and are woven together in such a way as to be a mirror of our very world.
Of course we do not always like what the world reflects back. If the perspective is a bit off it might highlight the … (9 comments)

A Sunny Spot MeMe - 12/05/08 12:05 PM
This is my second MeMe post in a row, so you know they have begun to run quite rampant in the past few weeks. That said, this Christmas MeMe is a pretty fun one and came my way thanks to Ann Allen! Fear not though as I tagged Ann back quite promptly with the Christmas MeMe that asks 25 questions!
The guidelines for this MeMe as I understand them are:
You have to tell what you wish for Christmas, and it has to be materialistic, not anything like Peace on Earth or Curing World Hunger (nevermind that those are admirable wishes).
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A Tofurky On Every Table; A Christmas MeMe! - 12/04/08 12:34 PM
Like the Crimson Tide surprising most of the NCAA this year with an excellent performance (hey, I live in Knoxville their rival and this also makes the analogy work), Eric McGowan threw a southern pine disguised with bright lights and shiny ornaments at me. The result would be what you are about to read, or you could always click away quickly before you see your name at the end...too slow, is that your name etched in glass and decorated with glitter that I see?
The Christmas MeMe. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a … (12 comments)

Wordless Wednesday - 12/03/08 03:18 PM

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World AIDS Day - Belated - 12/02/08 11:16 AM
In our busy lives some things that we really want to do occasionally fall by the wayside, this is sometimes simply the reality. Unfortunately this was the case with my participation in the Bloggers Unite initiative yesterday in recognition of World AIDS Day. Though this post comes a day late I felt that the message was important enough to warrant this belated post.
Perhaps you have noticed the badge in my sidebar; it has been there for several weeks. These badges became available with the last Bloggers Unite effort in concert with AIDS.gov and NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse, a … (5 comments)

The Vegetarian Hunter; Six Useless Things About MeMe! - 12/01/08 06:02 PM
Did the title hook you? It refers to the beautiful, vivacious, and seemingly innocent Chris Fisher!!! She is actually quite a clever woman who, by her own admission is not Magellan but may be Dr. Doolittle, and apparently has some sort of shoe fetish and Draconian fashion rules. Oh yeah, you Danielle Steele and Top Gun fans beware!!!
So enough delay already...according to the smiling Edina who may have had a nice cab to help enhance that smile I am supposed to divulge Six Useless Things About MeMe!
I am a huge Disney fan! I do know they are the … (18 comments)