Happy Anniversary to ME!

I can NOT believe I almost forgot to blog about this...

 

Monday marked the 1 YEAR Anniversary of my bloggy!!

 

I can not believe it has been a year since I started this whole thing... I feel like there are positives and negatives to it ... and I thought it might be appropriate to share some of them today ha.

 

But first... my facebook status update on Monday was as follows:

 

 

LOL ... ok two things about that...

#1 So thankful little miss PLL helped me get started and got me all set up :) I haven't changed one thing about my blog because she made it just as I wanted! Which also leads me to remember when we met for dinner and wine to discuss le bloggy for the first time... and I believe we got so darn excited about it that we walked right out and didn't pay for the drinks! Hahaha do you remember that Allison? I remember calling you from the car... ummm... did we pay for that wine? I think not. Ha.

 

Ok #2 -- How sweet was Chris's comment... :) Aw. He has to put up with my crazy picture taking for the blog, for my crazy outfit pics I force him to take of me 40 times until I like the pic lol ... and my computer screen all bright in his face at night when he is trying to sleep, while I'm not tired at all and blogging away :)

 

Even though he is pretty wonderful.... don't let him totally fool you...

 

Take a look at this little ditty later that same day ...

 

 

Yea... not so Mr.Nice Guy .. hahahahah jk!

 

But isn't that mean he won't build Frankie a summer "playhouse" ??

Raise your hand if you agree Frankie needs this...

 

 

Clearly Frankie's would have a nice fabric covered bed to lay on in there.. and maybe some pillows and blankets on his balcony at the top ;) How cute is that?

 

Ok back on track...

 

Maybe you'll agree, maybe you'll disagree.... but here are my 1 yr blogging pro's & con's:

 

Con's

•  Sometimes I find it hard to think of things to blog about, and when I look at fellow bloggers who blog literally almost every day and never have a boring post (like Katie over at KC&CO, love her!) haha I get a little bit jelly of how much they have to talk about! :)
• I sometimes feel like the time I spend blogging, I could be cleaning, or working or reading a book or taking Frankie on a walk, or cuddling with Chris .... and feel a little guilty for spending so much time on it.
• I got a HORRRIBBBLEEE virus on my computer trying to find pics to blog about the damn Kim Kardashian wedding/divorce hahaha. 3, almost 4 weeks later, and several hundred dollars spent on that...no more crazy celeb googling here.. lesson learned there friends.
• I know there are crazy people from my past (ex's especially) who secretively read my blog and it makes me kind of freak out because I feel like I don't want them knowing anything I do or looking at my pics or even uttering my name hahaha... does anyone else feel like this? But what do ya do? It is what it is I guess. If they have time enough to stalk read my blog, then I guess that's their issue not mine.

PRO's

• I could go on and on and on about all the fun reasons I love to blog! #1 reason it is just a big stress relief for me and something fun for me to do to get my mind off work, and daily tasks ha.
• I enjoy so much reading and following everyone else's blogs and linking up to others and helping my blog and other blogs grow and become more popular!
• It is a great way to keep my friends and family and Chris's family up to speed with fun things we do, funny little tid bits about Ella, Ava & Jake and just a way to keep in touch when we don't see each other every day!
• I hope to one day, very soon, be able to make a little cash money from this little bitty ha. I am in the works of advertising now and going to get some local places to sponsor ads also... just need to find the time to work on this more!
•  Mostly, this blog makes me HAPPY! I love meeting new people, having new friends in the blog world, and just chatting up about randomness, from the Bachelor to fashion to all our furbabies we adore! Love it!!

My goal for this year is to get some sponsorships, grow my followers (which what is the deal with this? If you are reading, you should be following! ha!), and also do more linking up and guest posting! So with that said, if you would like to link up, do a guest post, trade buttons, etc. please message me! I am happy to do so! :)

Thanks so much to all my friends and blogging friends who are followers and to everyone who reads from Facebook... everyone who comments, emails, etc. I am so happy I did this! I can't wait to turn it into one of those binded books also... that is another goal for this year... I want to get my blog over the last year binded into lots of volumes and display on a shelf in the house! Brit over at Dave an Brit Plus One More has done this with her blogs... turned them into the binded books... and it was so cute! I need to get the company one more time from her... Brit if you are reading this please comment with it haha! Thanks lady! :)  

 

Sorry for the long post... just wanted to share all of this on this little anniversary of mine ha.

Happy Hump Day!

 

Tomorrow will be sharing my bracket picks for those of you who are on the up and up with basketball. Can't wait to watch my Wildcats bring it home!!!! #BBN

 

XO,

Skaneateles Real Estate - The Weekly Update

Do we have to talk about Syracuse basketball?  I think we do.  Alex texted me yesterday in the midst of an offer signing, and everything stopped.  "No fab melo?!!!!" he wrote.  "Tell" I wrote.  And then the sad but true tale came out.  We had just gone to the Big East tournament and watched SU lose from our seats under the basket.  Then the championship game (after seeing the bartender at an Irish pub nearby for our tickets that I had purchased online).  Good loss, I kept saying as the rest of the upper-ranked teams lost too.  It will make them think they are not perfect and they might pay attention more.  But now "no fab melo."  How do you disappoint people?  Even young ones like our Liam?

But there are still houses for sale in Skaneateles.  As a matter of fact, there are 90 total, with 25 of them in the Village and another 25 considered waterfront.  Four new ones came on the market in the past week.  A ranch just outside town is listed under $200,000. Also in the town is a huge 3-BR home for about $500,000.  A sort of relist in the Village has a reasonable price in the mid-$300,000 range.

Five are marked contingent, six are under contract, and eight are in the pending column with one new one, a ranch just outside town.  We still have 12 closed sales - an amazing number, highest it's been at this time of year since 2009.

I looked at other areas too this week.  Marcellus is also doing well, beating the last three years.  Elbridge is so small...but last year there was only one closing by March 14th and this year there are five.  Camillus has been totally consistent the last several years, coming in in the mid 20s.  But if you go back to 2008 there's a spike of 42.  Before things started slowing down.

So by this time next week we will know if SU is one or two and done in the NCAA Tournament.  Sad, sad, state of affairs.

Pinterest Loves!

Happy Monday... how is the time change workin' out for ya?

I overslept today by an hour... no joke... could not go to sleep last night, which has led to me being so tired today!

I love the time change, love the daylight until 8pm... just need  a day or two to get used to it!

Ok before my Pinterest finds for the week...

feast your eyes on my recent real life obsession..

These fancy cowgirl boots :)

How cute are those??

My work/game day outfit to watch the CATS play!

I have been wanting a new pair of boots for a long time... was a little nervous to go to The Boot Store lol but once I got there I tried on a million pairs and loved them all! Stephanie, I thought you would be so proud of these... are they Texas approved?? :)

Don't think I could forget to get my sweet angel a present... I facebook'd this and every about lost it.

Look at Frankie's now toy... he is such a fashionista ;)



Ok, now for a little Pinterest!

Obsessed with these pink earrings!

And these too...

Love the mixing and matching of the arm candy!

I am on a MAJOR spring cleaning kick... this house is totally more under control, but I really would like the kitchen a little more organized..sooo glad I found this... I am printing it off today and tackling the kitchen next!

Look at this PINK tiled shower! Dying. Love it ha.

I may have shared this oe before I love that wallpaper in the nursery! So cute. 

Love the SPARKLY tiled backsplash with that hood.

This is a cute idea.. the bench with the table.. love that look.

Stripes in your pantry or storage room closet! So clever! Give an ugly closet a fun, clean look!

Chalkboard pedestals.. how to make those.. really pretty would be great for a party to display around the food or whatnot!

Totally me.. every morning ha

hahahaha love that. very true.

Oprah says it best! 

Oh and I almost forgot the new line of OPI Spring colors.. I love all of these! Wish they came in gel!!

Happy Monday!

PS. I am looking for a couple guest bloggers... any takers?? Message me please!!!! Or I will come find you maybe :)



Private Quarters

Happy Spring Forward!

Did everyone remember to set their clocks last night?? ;) I love this time of year because I am so excited for it to stay lighter outside later now!! I hate getting dark at 5pm... ugh! Major depressing!

I wanted to share about a party I had today... have yall heard of Private Quarters???

It is new in KY, but it is in other states... it's an upscale line of bedding... sheets, comforters, feather beds, pillows, crib sheets... and they also have scarves, wraps, robes etc. My mom's friend is the KY rep and today we had a party and let me tell you what.. it is literally the nicest bedding I've ever seen!

I am afraid after what I've ordered... I might never get out of bed again! HA!

The good news is... my party hit the party special of ordering more than $500 SO that means that until tomorrow at 6pm the "seven layer bedding" is 60% OFF! I get nothing from doing this so don't think I'm trying to sell something ha. But I really did want to share because it's such a great deal and I am so excited to get my stuff and I just wanted to offer my discount to anyone who might be interested!

It is so hard to tell how nice it is without seeing it in person... but I assure you.. I am picky about my bedding and cheap stuff doens't fly with me! ;) That is whyI love this line... because it's now affordable and really luxory bedding!

Ok here is the skinny...

The most popular things today, just so you'll know... were the sheet sets (Bamboo & Brillance), the Delux and Superior Featherbeds (which were sooo comfy!) and the crib sheets!

Just so you'll have an idea... here are some of the discounted prices:

Feather Beds The King Feather Bed reg $250 ... is $100 now! (I got this one!!)
The Queen Feather Bed reg $200 ... is $80 now!
 

Sheet Sets
 The Bamboo Sheet Set King Size reg. $250 .. now $100 (these are what I got they are probably the best sheets I've ever felt in my life!)
Bamboo Queen Sheet Set reg. $219 ... now $88

The Brilliance Sheet Set King size reg. $190 ... now $76
The Brilliance Sheet Set Queen size reg. $170 ... now $68
 

Crib Sheet The Serinity Crib Sheets which were the softest thing in the world... reg. $39 now only $14!! (Comes in cream, baby pink, baby blue, and chocolate) 

 Here is the website to look at :
http://www.privatequarters.net/content/PRODUCTS.aspx

This blanket was also a HUGE hit... it is super soft and cozy.. comes in a throw size or a bed blanket!

The grey was my fave!! Very neutral and a good color!

Pricing for this is now:

Queen  Reg. $99.99   NOW... $40

King Reg. $109.99  NOW... $44

THROW Blanket Reg. $39.99  Now... $16

A great deal!!  

Ok that's it I think! Party ends tomorrow at 6pm.

If you've been thinking of buying new sheets, comforters, blankets, etc... this is the time! Don't go to Bed Bath & Beyond and buy some with your coupon haha they will be more expensive and not near the quality.

I have Restoration Hardware sheets right now that I've had for about 3-4 years and paid a LOT for ... and the Bamboo ones I bought today for about 1/4 the price, I know I like better!

Email me if you'd like to order something and I will put you in touch with the rep so she can do the credit card thing and place your order! It comes in 7-10 days too how awesome is that?!?!

PS... look at this cute fruit we Kelly made for the party!

Thanks Pinterest!

(PS Go over real quick and follow her blog... she is having a give away once she reaches 50 followersand she is a GREAT gift giver let me tell ya! And she is hysterical you will love reading her posts! Plus she is quite the Martha Stewart and a new mommy so she's got lots to share... and she keeps it real ladies haha)

Ok lastly, I had our bedroom ceiling painted this weekend... and I am obsessed with it :)

This is such a crappy pic I will try to take a better one and post... but the color is really nice...

Ceiling: Sherwin Williams "Cardboard"

Walls: Sherwin Williams "Believable Buff"

And because I know you might ask... several people have emailed asking me about my window treatments :) Thanks for the compliments... they are my favorite fabric... and yes Tori and Dean have them in their Dining Room BUT I did have mine before I saw them on her show just FYI haha! My mom makes window treatments and actually made them but the fabric I bought a couple years ago from a local store in Lexington, The Rag Peddler, off Harrodsburg Rd. but I'm sure it could be found online! Houndstooth... then mom put a black out backing on the other side so if you close them it would be dark in the room!

Ok ... go look and order yourself some bedding :) You won't be disappointed! I promise!!

XO!

Skaneateles Real Estate - The Weekly Update

Ah, what a day!  The dogs and I were outside on the deck and when Alex texted that UConn and West Virginia had gone into overtime I turned on the game inside - then listened from outside.  SU will have trouble with UConn, I'm afraid.  But then, this is a special team and past predictions ("hard to beat a team three times in a season") go out the window.

This blog actually encompasses two weeks, as I explained in the last blog.  And there has been activity!  Five new listings came on the market in the past two weeks.  Actually six, but that one has already sold!  Think Village and good price...  One of the "new" ones is a re-list, but at such a reduced price and after being off the market for well over a year it's hard to call it a re-list.  The new ones include four outside the village, three large ones and a sweet 2-bedroom home.  Come and get them!  There are only 85 active listings entered in the Skaneateles area - 24 are in the village and 22 are waterfront. 

Six homes are marked contingent, the first step towards closing.  Three are new in the past two weeks.  One is the Village home that just opened its doors, and the other two are in the town -both good-sized homes that have been on the market for a bit.  Another that has been dropping in price has been changed to under contract, bringing that total to six also.  There are no new pending homes, or at least none that haven't been noted previously.

And yes, two more have closed, continuing our great year.  Both were Village new construction in Parkside.  The interesting piece of the closings is that we usually have about a third in the village and a third listed as waterfront, with some overlap.  The same is true this year - 4 Village, 4 waterfront.

So let's add a home in the town!  Please come to the open house at 1650 Coon Hill Road on Sunday, March 11th, from 1:00 until 3:00.  I have another appointment, but Roxanne Plummer will be there to show you this great home - three bedrooms, plus a family room and a sunroom and a fireplace with hardwoods throughout.  Hopefully the weather will be as lovely as it is today so you can walk out into the deep backyard to the creek that runs behind the property.  Syracuse University will have won the Big East Championship the previous evening, so there won't be basketball to watch - hah!

Go Orange!

The Past Few Weeks

It's been a very difficult past few weeks and I apologize for missing the weekly update on the 29th.  I just couldn't do it.

I had worked with Doug Bohrer recently to list a house and then the lots at Parcell Woods in Sennett.  He passd away on the 1st of March.  A month ago we were texting about pricing, septic tests, new beginnings and what we would do if one or two of the lots hadn't sold by this time in 2013.  Then he got sick, and the next thing I knew he was in ICU and his parents had been called up from Virginia.

We knew he wasn't coming back on the 28th and that it was "just a matter of time" as they say.  He passed away on March 1st.  Calling hours were Sunday, with an hour and a half wait, the line out the door into the freezing cold and snow.  The funeral was yesterday, with very few dry eyes in the overflow crowd. 

Today we go back to "normal," but with a difference.  Doug was only 48, with three amazing children and many friends.  Normal would be Doug driving around in his truck with his ride-along dog, Dublin, at his side. 

I learned a bit about life in the past month, lessons I certainly would trade.  Life is short, as they say, but not only short but precarious.  And precious.  It's not always about the future, but mostly about the moment.  There was an incredible multimedia presentation at the funeral.  Pictures upon pictures of Doug and the kids, or Doug and his little sister.  Mostly outside, mostly hanging out.  Mostly smiling.  The moments in life that are precious.

I stood around after the service with women who had come in support of his dear friend Jean who had supported him and his parents over the past year.  I heard it several times - "I want to go home and take more photos!"  And not only photos, but to create the occasions at which photos are taken.  The Grand Canyon, a lake in the Adirondacks, just being with friends and family.  Memorialized, but also lived.

I went out and walked last evening after showing a house.  I happened to be in Liverpool, so I walked by the lake then went to India House for Punjabi dal takeout.  I came home and shared the meal with Bob, had a Grail Ale, and we talked.  We agreed to try for more awareness of each day.

My old friend from the charter school days, Colleen Hassett-Mastine, passed away a few weeks ago.  I hadn't seen her in years, and I was saddened that I didn't have time to tell her that I, too, had become a grandmother.  She was the quintessential grandmother.  When her Declan was born, she kept saying "You just don't know...." how wonderful it is.  I do now!

So I will do my real estate, sell those lots that Doug worked so hard to develop, help first-time buyers through the process...and remember that life is both precious and precarious.

A little bit of everything...

My poor blog is getting so neglected lately!! :( Makes me sad! I am just slammed with work and haven't even had time to catch up on anyone else's blogs either! Tonight I am getting with the program! This blog will be full of randoms... so bare with me lol ...

First order of business... my cousin Anna's baby shower pics... I never got to really share them and have been wanting to because it was adorable! Her friends in Knoxville did an awesome job!!

We clearly know that a shower is not a shower without some cute monogrammed loot ha!

My girl Jandyce did an amazing job per her usual :) She's awesome!

Don't you love the name "Graham" ?? I am obsessed with it!

My favorite is the Ladies Man burp cloth ... adorable!

We played a funny game that I thought was such a cute idea! The hostess had purchased a variety of baby related products from WalMart and then when she held each item up, we had to write down the price of what we thought it cost... then at the end we added up and whoever was closest to the real price won a prize and the "mom to be" got to keep all the goodies!

The Price is Right...

How cute is she?

My brother, Anna and Me ... little family photo op ha

I had SUCH a great time in Knoxville! Thanks ladies for a wonderful day!

Anna, I can't wait to meet sweet Graham and hold him!!!!!!!! XOXO

Next... have yall seen these???

New at Staples... the Martha Stewart office supply line... my life is now complete!

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you, those are indeed chalkboard labels you can stick on something to then label it with chalk, and reuse!!

So I decided to use them on all my filing cabinets in my office :) (Duh!)

I am OBSESSED with them! I have been walking around the house thinking of places to use them ha

Yes, that is kinda sad, I am aware. ;)

My mom's birthday was last week!! We finally were all able to get together for dinner...

It was a fun night! Was happy to spend time with everything and hang out for her birthday!! <3

For you Lexington peeps... I have listed a SUPER cute condo... great location... very convenient to UK campus in a gated community w/ a pool for Summer! Take a look at a couple of these cute pics..

(This condo may or may not belong to this beautiful lady who needs to get her blogging butt back in gear too, haha! XO)

SUPER ADORABLE 2 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath Condo, don't you think???

That is just a sneak peak.. if you happen to know someone who might be interested ... send them this link and they can view the full listing! :) Perfect location, and rates are still super low! You can own this cheaper than you could rent in most cases!

You will die on this...

I am LOVING my Initial Laptop Decal that Angela over at The Manic Moose sent me!!

It is literally so cute!

Sorry the picture is really crappy but you can get the gist... pretty fancy huh? :) I love it!

Hop (it's almost Easter so I felt that the appropriate verb lol) on over to The Manic Moose and order yourself one! They are super cheap and look really good on your laptops, iPads, etc etc. She is also the one who has all the photo booth props and the mustaches I ordered for the kid's Valentine's Day card... lots of fun goodies at her Etsy store!

That would be a great gift for somene's Easter basket too :)

Gosh I know I have more to catch you up on... but for now I think that is it!

I am Spring cleaning our house, like MAJOR cleaning.. as in cabinets, closets, bathroom vanities, everything! I have already filled 6 large Rubbermaid's with stuff for a yard sale as soon as the weather gets pretty again! I think it got to a point where I was having anxiety that the house always looks clean (because I have OCD, poor Chris ha) but then as soon as I opened a closet, or cabinet, stuff would just fall out!!! Absolutely ridiculous. We have too much stuff I guess. So no more is coming in this house until crap goes out ha. I have gotten some shelves, and organizing bins and am getting it under control!

 I may even do before and after pictures so Chris and I, you can really see the progress haha.

Have you started your Spring cleaning? Any tips??

Have a great week!!

PS. My Sunday night now consists of ... in no particular order ha ...

Army Wives (started back new tonight! So excited!)

 Desperate Housewives (Orson is up to something!?)

The Good Wife (mine & Chris's favorite show)

Real HW of ATL (drama, drama & more drama!)

Khloe and Lamar (love them!)

annndddd Watch What Happen Live w/ Andy :)

My DVR is in FULL effect tonight!