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August 2009

2 Friendship Day
5 Full Moon
19 National Aviation Day

10 tips for reinventing your home

Recognizing that larger is not necessarily better and that less can actually be more, many homeowners are looking for ways to make the homes they're in more useful, comfortable and enjoyable.

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo

Homes Sales Rise for Third Consecutive Month

A recent release from the National Association of Realtors® has good news: Existing-home sales rose for the third consecutive month with inventory easing and home prices declining less sharply in June.

Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – increased 3.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million units in June from a downwardly revised pace of 4.72 million in May, but are 0.2 percent lower than the 4.90 million-unit level in June 2008.

“The increase in existing-home sales occurred in all major regions of the country,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “We expect a gradual uptrend in sales to continue due to tax credit incentives and historically high affordability conditions. Despite the rise in closed transactions, many Realtors® are reporting lost sales as a result of new appraisal standards that went into effect May 1 of this year.”

The national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 5.42 percent in June, up from 4.86 percent in May, according to Freddie Mac, though mortgage interest rates have trended lower in recent weeks.

According to the release, total housing inventory at the end of June fell 0.7 percent to 3.82 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 9.4-month supply at the current sales pace, down from a 9.8-month supply in May.

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The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Six Tips on Teaching Golf to Your Kids

Golf is one of those rare sports that you can play from youth, well into old age. While fun may be the motivation for many, there are also many benefits, including exercise, competition and socializing. If you'd like to get your kids playing, follow these six tips:

1. Keep It Simple -- Don't use a lot of technical jargon, just start out by hitting some balls or practicing putting. As the child gains hand-eye coordination and starts hitting the ball, move on to chipping. Chipping is a great way for kids to practice because it requires little backswing and you have a fair chance of successfully hitting the golf ball. Once the child is pretty good at chipping, move on to the driving range where you can instruct them on a full golf swing. Once again, keep it simple, emphasizing only the basics: keeping your feet on the ground, keeping your eye on the ball, and making contact with the golf ball.
2. Be Patient -- Let your kids learn and progress at their own pace. When just starting out, let them practice what they enjoy most, whether it's putting, chipping or driving.
3. Make It Fun -- This is the key to getting your child to play. Just like most things in life, if it's no fun, or if it's too stressful, they won't want to play. Praise and encouragement will go a long way.
4. Purchase the Right Equipment -- Until you know for sure your child is going want to play, you might want to consider used equipment. If you can't find children's clubs, you should consider women's clubs as they are generally lighter, easier to control, and often a bit smaller.
5. Professional Instruction -- If you discover your kids truly enjoy golf, consider professional instruction. Just make sure the instructor is experienced with children.
6. Golf Etiquette -- Teach your kids golf etiquette, such as standing still and remaining quiet when another golfer is hitting the ball, letting other players pass through if they're moving too slow, and learning and playing by the rules.
   

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The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.
~Harry Golden

5 Steps to Installing a Programmable Thermostat

If you're tired of waking up to a cold bathroom, or coming home after work to a blazing hot living room, consider a programmable thermostat. It's easier and cheaper to install than you think, and can help reduce your energy bill by only heating or cooling your home when you want it to. Follow these steps:

1. Turn off your home's electrical power at the breaker box; turn off the master switch if you are not 100 percent certain which one controls the thermostat.
2. Remove the faceplate from the existing thermostat. Label the wires so you know which connection they go to in case your new thermostat uses a different color coding system; now disconnect the individual wires from the terminals.
3. Read the instructions for the new thermostat; connect the wires of the new thermostat to the appropriately labeled wires.
4. Place the thermostat into the existing fitting and tighten into place; flip the master switch to turn on the power.
5. After carefully reading the manufacturer's instructions, program the new thermostat to your liking. Test it by setting different temperatures and times.

That's it! It's not much more difficult than changing a light switch and costs less than dinner for two.

2031 MEADOWOOD STREET

Total Sq. Feet: 3,624
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
 

5322 SACAGAWEA

Total Sq. Feet: 2,624
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2

818 S 28TH STREET

Total Sq. Feet: 1,267
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2

Be pleasant until ten o'clock in the morning and the rest of the day will take care of itself.
~Elbert Hubbard

Trivia Challenge

Question 1.) This New Mexico town renamed itself after a popular radio show in the 1950's.
a.) Hopalong Cassidy
b.) I Know A Secret
c.) Lone Ranger
d.) Truth or Consequences

Question 2.) Which author wrote "Atlantis Found"?
a.) C.J. Cherryh
b.) Tom Clancy
c.) Clive Cussler
d.) John Grisham

Question 3.) Who sang "When You're Gone" in 2007?
a.) Avril Lavigne
b.) Green Day
c.) Hinder
d.) Simple Plan

Question 4.) Which of the following movies is a about a family trying to get to a beauty pageant?
a.) Accepted
b.) Dreamgirls
c.) Little Miss Sunshine
d.) Talladega Nights

Question 5.) Which of the following is an Asian city?
a.) Bucharest
b.) Cairo
c.) Dushanbe
d.) Moscow

TOP | ANSWERS

Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of.
~Charles Richards

Eating Healthier During the Work Day

If you're eating out for lunch more than a few times a week, you're probably not doing much for your waistline -- or your pocketbook. Following are a few tips to help you eat better during the work week and save a few dollars at the same time.

• Pack your lunch the night before. Sure, this one is obvious, but that's because it works. Pack your favorite sandwich, last night's leftovers, soup, a frozen entree, or even a salad.
• If you work in a big company, check out the cafeteria. Forget the stereotype, many cafeterias offer great soups, a fresh salad bar, light sandwiches and other healthy choices. Just be sure to skip the hotdogs, deep-fried foods, brownies, chips, etc.
• When you go grocery shopping, buy snacks with the office in mind. That way you don't have to pay convenience store prices and will have control over what you eat at the office. Some healthy snacks include cut-up vegetables, popcorn, peanuts, pretzels, yogurt and fruit.
• If you have the flexibility to rearrange your work schedule, set it up so you can eat breakfast at home, lunch at the office, and be home in time for dinner. It's been proven time and time again that people who plan their meals stay healthier than people who eat on the run.
• Plan your meals in advance and make a little more than you'll need for dinner so you have a delicious lunch to pack. If your leftovers don't taste better than most of the fast food out there, consider cooking lessons.

You don't have to go cold turkey, just start off packing a lunch two or three times a week. If you do it right, soon you'll prefer eating in the office, saving time and money, and enjoying a healthier lifestyle.

I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.
~Abraham Lincoln

Fiery Fish Tacos with Crunchy Corn Salsa

Ingredients - Serves 8

• 1-1/3 cups corn
• 2/3 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup peeled, chopped jicama
• 2/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1-1/3 cups fresh cilantro leaves -- finely chopped
• 1-1/3 lime -- zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons salt
• 8 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 16 corn tortillas, warmed

Directions

1. Preheat grill on high.
2. Mix the corn, red onion, red bell pepper, jicama and cilantro. Stir in lime juice and zest.
3. Combine cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, and salt. Brush each fillet with olive oil, and sprinkle with spices.
4. Arrange fillets on grill and cook for 3 minutes per side. For each fiery fish taco, top tortillas with fish, sour cream and corn salsa.

Wine Pairing

• Château Gaillard Touraine Sauvingnon Blanc 2007

Who lies for you will lie against you.
~Bosnian Proverb

How to Delete Old Information Off Your Drives

If you're upgrading to a new computer, be sure to properly delete any highly sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, tax returns, driver's licenses, social security numbers, and your business' customer's confidential information. Note that simply deleting the files does nothing for security -- and in fact -- even reformatting your disc drive is not sufficient.

Keep in mind that information thieves have very powerful software that can retrieve data that most of us thought was long gone. So, depending on what type of information you had on your computer, here's what you should do to clear data from your hard drive before selling, donating or recycling it.

1. Gather all your personal files and put them in one folder.
2. Encrypt the entire folder using encryption software. If you don't have the software, there are dozens of free ones available you can download, such as TrueCrypt.
3. After successfully encrypting the folder, use a "wipe" or "shredder" program to completely clear the hard drive. Once again, if you don't have the software, download one, such as Wipe File or DP Shredder, for free.
4. Reformat the drive and reinstall the operating system.
5. To be certain your drive has been completely erased, run a data retrieval tool like Disk Investigator to examine the raw data on the disk. You can search for keyword, like "social" or "certificate" to see if anything comes up.

If you follow the steps above, even the CIA will have trouble retrieving your data. But, if it's vitally important that nobody ever see the data again, you should totally destroy the hard drive, especially the CD-looking platter inside the drive.

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If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree.
~Jim Rohn

Cool/Free/Fun/Trendy: Google Scholar

If you've been looking for a useful research tool, check out Google Scholar. Just go to the Google website, find the scholar link, and perform a search. You'll receive results from multiple disciplines and sources, including books, articles, academic publishers, preprint repositories, professional societies, universities, and other recognized scholarly organizations. In short, Google Scholar easily brings you the most relevant scholarly research from around the world with a few clicks.

Learn more at: http://scholar.google.com.

Trivia Answers
#1. d.) Truth or Consequences; #2. c.) Clive Cussler; #3. a.) Avril Lavigne; #4. c.) Little Miss Sunshine; #5. c.) Dushanbe

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Dana Wagenhals
2029 Grand Ave.
Billings, MT 59102

This eNewsletter contains information, facts and opinions from various individuals and organizations. This eNewsletter is provided on an "as-is" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. I/We are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Consult with your doctor, fitness consultant, attorney, accountant, or other professional advisor when necessary. © 2009 eNewsletterSolutions.