While walking through a park in Maplewood, Minnesota last summer, I came across directions posted on how to plant prairie butterfly garden. How fun to be able to attract bumble bees and butterflies to your property with blossoms this spring and summer. Gardens and perennial flower beds boost curb appeal by making a home cheerful and inviting if you should ever decide to sell too. So plan (and plant) your own...if it ever stops raining that is!
A visit to Como Park Zoo just wasn't complete as a kid without stopping for a hot wax molded animal from a Mold-A-Rama machine. These machines were a favorite stop for kids with extra change for a inexpensive souvenir back during a grade school field trip in the 1960's and 1970's. (I can still smell acrid scent of that weird hot wax.) The price was only 50 cents back then. I remember taking my nieces to the zoo in the mid-80's and they were also intrigued by the squished hot wax mold of a Como Park lion or gorilla to take home. … (7 comments)
speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday (Almost)--It's Hard to Hide an Elephant
- 09/22/13 02:09 AM
You know the old saying about ignoring the elephant in the room, right? It goes to say, that an elephant can be hard to hide too. This translates to real estate when selling your home. If you need to make a repair, don't just gloss over it. A buyer (or buyer's inspector) will find it. I have shown homes where substandard repairs were made by unskilled homeowners. It doesn't help. You have to make the repair correctly or "the elephant" will be easy to spot! Are You Ready to Make a MOVE? … (8 comments)
speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday (Almost)--Beautiful Light!
- 12/16/12 03:00 AM
To find what is beautiful in the world sometimes you cannot just look forward. Often you will have to take the time to look up, down and past the obvious. This beautiful light fixture was hanging high above our heads in the Moroccan Village in Epcot. I love the stained-glass features and it's intricate beauty. People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
We hung out woodpecker suet on our front deck a few days ago. We were hoping to attract some of the beautiful birds we have living in the pine trees on our Ham Lake acreage. In Anoka County, we have many beautiful birds and we have seen cardinals, blue jays, sparrows and small woodpeckers in the trees. Earlier in the week, we had a squirrel hanging from the feeder...but this poor guy (a pileated woodpecker) couldn't figure a way to make it work.
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speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday (Almost)--It's ALL About BALANCE!
- 01/01/12 08:49 AM
As we embark on a brand new year, I wanted to share a photo I took on a recent family vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We had to see what was drawing such a huge crowd at the France Pavilion and were treated to a show where this man stacked chair after chair into a tower on which he balanced on top. To do this with a crowd of several hundred onlookers must be a difficult task...more likely impossible for most of us. But this performer did it with ease (and lots of concentration). Hopefully the real … (7 comments)
speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday(Almost)--Pictureque Minnesota Acreage with a Silo that Sells!
- 09/11/11 02:58 AM
Years ago I travelled along Hwy 101 almost weekly on trips from college in Mankato to my home in North St. Paul. There were a few icons that marked the trail and the big 7up silo was one of them. The barn was aging as was the fading colors of the giant 7up can. On a more recent trip, I noticed a remarkable facelift. Cambria, the natural stone counter surface that is an alternative to granite, has it's manufacturing plant just down the road. They repaired the barn and silo and gave the aging 7up can a whole new look. … (9 comments)
Many people dream of living on a Minnesota lake...Or even just close enough to fish every night after work. This summer it could be a reality as lake homes are selling at rock bottom prices. Depending on what your needs are you can live on a private full recreational lake in Lino Lakes for around $350K, enjoy the banks of Shoreview's Lake Wabasso for just under $325K or dock your boat on Coon Lake in Anoka County for $69,900! Yes...Minnesota's beautiful lake shore is affordable and this summer there are plenty of options! … (12 comments)
Any good real estate agent would have to suggest decluttering and packing the collection before putting a house with a room like this on the market. For the record, this isn't a client...it is just a quick photo we took on vacation of a display in One Man's Dream in Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL. … (16 comments)
speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday (Almost)--I Miss Snowmen at our Ham Lake Minnesota Home!
- 01/23/11 10:38 AM
Don't let the date fool you. This photo is from my archives. This year we have had record breaking snow in Ham Lake, Minnesota....Recordbreaking all over the Twin Cities metro in fact. Yet, our yard is snowman-free. The boys are now much older. This photo was taken when we first moved to our home on Anoka County acreage...before the front porch had a railing and hydrangeas in front. I am a native Minnesotan but really never got into skiing, snowmobiling or ice skating. I always liked snowmen however...and I real miss having them in our Ham Lake yard! … (10 comments)
speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday(Almost)--lolCat Goes After What He REALLY Wants!
- 11/21/10 09:55 AM
To get what you want in lfe sometimes you have to get your feet wet or in this case jump into the lake with both feet all paws! Though it is doubtful Muffin's submarine costume will help him to find fish in any lake, it would have been an aggressive move toward what he really wants in life! (Note: The cat was really stretched out on the couch just trying to wiggle his way out of the doggie Halloween costume his owners picked up on clearance to torture photograph him.) In this real estate market, you need to jump in … (14 comments)
speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday (Almost)--Colors to Signal the End of Summer!
- 09/12/10 06:45 AM
It's coming...Fall will be making a comeback next week...it's Minnesota's perfect season. Okay that may only be my opinion but I love fall in our beautiful state with the cooler breezes of the lakeshore and the bright spectrum of yellows, golds and reds that radiate off the brilliant blue sky. While the leaves are not in full color yet, there is a hint of color on a few trees. But the weather forecast for the week is typical fall...some sun, a few raindrops and 70's during the day! Enjoy the season...Remember we often get the first snow of the season … (24 comments)
RE/MAX real estate professionals are known to go above the crowd...usually in the famous red and white balloon. (Okay, if you want to see the balloon pictures I took in White Bear Lake last year, click here.) But I took the opportunity to take a quick trip above the crowd on the Skyride, one of the permanent fixtures at the Minnesota State Fair, last summer. Quite a view that shouldn't be missed if you are going to the fair this summer!
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speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday(Almost)--This is MY Chair! Obstinate lolCat!
- 07/25/10 03:53 PM
Our stubborn cat likes to take over almost every chair in the house. Yes...they are all HIS chair! The other day a pillow and stuffed toy were in one of his many favorite spots but that didn't deter our cat from perching on the edge of the chair to try show there was still room for his somewhat oversized rear end! Even in this obviously uncomfortable position, our obstinate feline managed to claim HIS chair! … (14 comments)
Wishing all my clients, friends and family a very happy, safe independence day with a mosquito and storm free fireworks display tonight! The flag remains one of our best symbols of freedom in the United States. Remember to thank a veteran or soldier for all the freedom we enjoy in America and our ability to celebrate these freedoms today and every day! … (16 comments)
speechless sunday photo: Speechless Sunday (Almost)--Serious Icicles!
- 02/21/10 06:40 AM
I took this photo a few days ago of the icicles on a home in North St. Paul, Minnesota. Sadly, it wasn't the only home in the area with serious ice dams and scary icicles. It seemed every other home was decorated with these seasonal visitors. While pretty in some respects, they are dangerous....and not just to someone walking underneath either.As a REALTOR® in the Twin Cities north metro, I have often see the damage that ice dams and icicles cause to homes. Icicles are often indicators of a serious threat to the roof and interior of your home. They are often the … (13 comments)
Theresa "Teri" Eckholm/Boardman Realty assists Minnesotans to find their way home with helpful tips and quality service. Dedication to customer service has made Teri the REALTOR® of choice for families in Blaine, Forest Lake, Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and Wyoming areas. Licensed in MN.
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