Royal Wedding... and Divorce :)

Ok so I will admit I was very excited to watch the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton ... but not excited enough to wake up at 4am, so I set my handy dandy DVR to record the entire thing and woke up this morning and watched it :) I thought the entire thing was breath taking, and all the detail and just "poshness" (may or may not be a word but you get the drift) was fabulous! I loved everyone's hats and head pieces the most... everytime I would see one I loved and say "that one is my favorite!" then I would spot another 15 seconds later that I loved even more!!! Kate looked spectacular. The cars... the maroon Rolls, was to die for. Prince William and Prince Harry both looked very handsome in their uniforms. The trees in the chapel really gave the garden feel that they said Kate was going for theme-wise. I just loved the entire thing :) And this picture is so cute...

 Just beautiful! Love it!

Lastly on the royal wedding talk... everyone knows I mean no disrespect to Chris and I do love him very much,

but HOT DAYUM did you see David Beckham at the wedding??

He literally is so hot, he is almost pretty. And I mean I am not a huge Posh Spice fan, but I do normally really like her style and her outfits, but today she really just didn't do it for me. I know she is prego again, so maybe she just wanted to cover up, but either way, the Navy was so drab and her hat was not even close to be one of my favorites from the day :( A little disappointing. But her husband sure made up for it! lol

With all the royal wedding talk, I thought it very appropriate to share this joke with you that I received from Cathi (Chris's mom) this morning and literally laughed outloud and loved it so much I had to share...

Why I Am now Divorced

Last week was my birthday and I didn't feel
very well waking up on that morning.

I went downstairs for breakfast
hoping my husband would be pleasant and say,
'Happy Birthday!',
and possibly have a small present for me.

As it turned out,
he barely said good morning,
let alone ' Happy Birthday.'

I thought....  Well, that's marriage for you,
but the kids.... they will remember.

My kids came bounding down stairs to breakfast
and didn't say a word..

So when I left for the office,
I felt pretty low and somewhat despondent.

As I walked into my office,
my handsome Boss Rick, said,
'Good Morning, lady,
and by the way
Happy Birthday! '

It felt a little better
that at least someone had remembered.

I worked until one o'clock ,
when Rick knocked on my door
and said, 'You know,
It's such a beautiful day outside,
and it is your Birthday,
what do you say we go out to lunch,
just you and me..'

I said, 'Thanks, Rick,
that's the greatest thing
I've heard all day. Let's go!'

We went to lunch.
But we didn't go where we normally would go.
He chose instead a quiet bistro
with a private table.
We had two martinis each
and I enjoyed the meal tremendously.

On the way back to the office,
Rick said, 'You know,
It's such a beautiful day...
We don't need to go straight back to the office,
Do We?'

I responded, 'I guess not.
What do you have in mind?'
He said, 'Let's drop by my place,
it's just around the corner.'

After arriving at his house,
Rick turned to me and said,
If you don't mind,
I'm going to step into the bedroom
for just a moment.
I'll be right back.'
'Ok.' I nervously replied.

He went into the bedroom and,
after a couple of minutes,
he came out
carrying a huge birthday cake ...
Followed by my husband
my kids, and dozens of my friends
and co-workers, all singing 'Happy Birthday'.

And I just sat there....

On the couch....

Naked.

Bahahahahahah loved this joke!!! Thanks Cathi!

Have a great Friday :)

Things I Love (and a few I am so over!!)

I love to find great things, good products, etc and I always love sharing with friends... so this post is just a randomness of things I am loving right now, along with a few things I am over and wish would disappear lol...
Some are cheap and funny and some are serious so I hope you will read til' the end and enjoy!! :)

Things I am Loving ...

I will honestly admit to anyway who asks, I am compulsively obsessed with whitening my teeth. Call it vain or not, I just like for my teeth to be as white as humanly possible haha. I feel like this is something I can control and I just enjoy white teeth. With that said, I was starting to show signs of overdoing the white strips and bleach because my teeth were KILLING me with anything cold... so I have backed off and no strips for about 6 months. (was a lot harder than you would think, don't judge ha) So my friend Steph told me to try this mouthwash... and I wanted to share because it TOTALLY WORKS and it does not hurt my teeth :) Now it may not be as strong as zoom or white strips... but after about 3 days I started telling a difference. It doesn't taste super good, but won't make you gag either. It's awesome. Period.

My hair has been absolutely OOC (out of control) for the past few months. It's breaking off, it's thinning, it looks dry and gross and I have just been so fed up I wear it in a pony tail all the time (which could be part of the problem also with the breaking, Leigh Ann, my fabulous stylist says). So last week when I went to get my hair did, she suggested this... It is an oil from the Kerastase line, which I honestly am hearing is better than the newly popular "Moroccan" Oil. It wasn't cheap... I think I paid $35 for this bottle, but you only need a small amount, I mean small! I really like it so far! I think it is helping :)

Ok you may see Estee Lauder and think your grandma if you're like me... however.... this perfume is THE bomb.com... it instantly takes you to the beach in your brain with one whiff. I love love love it and don't know how many more times I have to hint to Chris that I need this as a surprise! LOL I keep spraying it every time I go through Macy's but didn't buy because I just got a big new bottle of my old faithful Kate Spade perfume. But the warmer it is getting, the more I need this! It's amazing!

This one is silly and fun, but I am just LOVING having this blog :) I love reading everyone else's blogs and I love having my own little cute one! I can't believe I have missed out on this for so long! I just love it!

I love Joel Osteen. (not in a gross, have a crush on a pastor, kind of love ha) But I just love his positive attitude and uplifting words and messages. I caught him on TV the other night at midnight and am not DVR'ing him every week just because no matter what he is preaching about he always lifts me up, and I like that. If you have never heard him, you can download his messages on iTunes and also from his website. Also if you like to read, his books are all wonderful and I can't wait for the next one to come out! His wife, Victoria, also has a great book out that I have read and loved....

Ok this one is for anyone who is a Realtor reading this... or if you do any business with clients out of an office, like in your car, on the side of the road, at Starbucks, or at someones dining room table after showing their house lol (those are just a few of my recent spots ha).... Sign my Pad for iPad is the best app I have on my iPad! I am highly obsessed with it. You can actually sign and have clients sign on your iPad with their finger or a stylus, and then email the document, save, upload to a paperless system, etc without ever having to print, scan, fax or scan back! AHHHHHH changed my LIFE and my business! Thank you Apple & Adobe! Ha :)

Ok I will be honest, I thought I would hate this show and it would be so superficial and ridiculous (which sometimes it can be don't get me wrong) but for the most part I am loving it! This girl has got the patience of Job and even though sometimes her accent annoys me, ha, I really like her and the show. It's entertaining to say the least, which is what I like at the end of the day to wind down and get my mind on something light and easy.

Things I am SOOOOO Over ...

If these d*mn storms don't go away I will seriously lose it. EVERY single night for what seems like the past week, the tornado sirens have gone off and we are up and down, looking outside, turning on the news, watching the Doppler radar on our phones, calming Frankie, etc etc etc and I am getting horrible sleep! The sirens literally sound like they are on our back patio. It is so annoying. The rain is wearing me out... the air, the gloomy skies, just everything, and I am SO over it. However this picture did remind me of one thing...

TOTO! hahaha and can you not see a little resemblance here .... they kind of could be brothers....

HAHAHA Frankie looks a little like ToTo I think :)

Next thing I am over....

Headaches. I think this pertains to the weather too... but I have had a headache nonstop this week. I am overdosing on ibprofen I feel like and they just come right back! Ugh! :( So over headaches.

SO OVER TAMARA! Give me a break! She needs a reality check. Eddy is a joke, she is a joke, pulling the little "I'm a lesbian for 5 seconds joke" is a joke, haha, I could go on and on. I am ready for someone new on Real Housewives of OC ... she is just on my last nerve! Am I alone in this???

Ok I think that is it for now... Hope everyone is having a great Hump Day!

Skaneateles Waterfront Lots

Over the past 10 years I have watched lots come and go off the market.  I have personally sold the same lot a couple times.  I also participated in one of the last level waterfront lots to have been sold through the multiple listing service.  I can tell you that selling waterfront lots is difficult.

Currently there are 11 active lots listed as being on Skaneateles Lake.  They range in price from $69,000 for .4 acres to 1.5M for slightly over an acre.  One is on the market as a single family home and a lot, which I think is prudent.  I have my gorgeous 50 acres listed the same way, plus a separate waterfront lot for $250,000 (a bargain, I might add!).  Many of the lots come with names like "Bluff" or "Cliff" - but such is the lake.  The lowest priced one reminds you it is dangerous to go over the guardrail...

In the past two years three properties have closed described as Skaneateles waterfront lake lots.  Two were on the east side and again seem to involve a guardrail, though not for danger.  The third was actually lake rights, but in the Village and a prime location.

I have a good friend who refers to his camp as "The Lot."  The house would need more work than it is or would be worth, and he knows that once he gives it up the result would be a buildable empty lot within a year.  It is sad to see homes go, camps that were prized by families who spent summers there.  That way of life may be fading on Skaneateles, at least with the smaller, older places. 

Easter

First and foremost, I will admit, even though it may look like I was absorbed with Easter outfits, baskets, preparations, etc I want everyone to know that Easter is my fave holiday for all those fun things, but more importantly because it is a very special and meaningful day that symbolizes all of mine, and your, sins being forgiven forever! What a feeling! Truly indescribable. I am so blessed! Beyond words, and will be forever grateful. <3

With that said, I would be lying to you if I didn't admit I LOVEEEE Easter fun! Here are the after pics of the baskets I tried to copy from this previous post ...

Finished Project! :) Kids LOVED them, they were so surprised! I think Ella's exact words were "Oh my gosh this is like Martha Stewart" hahahaha that may be pushing it but at least it was the thought lol

These were such a hit, the Easter Bunny got them for all the kids ;) from PersonalizationMall.com They are personalized coloring books... sooo cute! Came with crayons and everything...

And the inside was all personalized too and told a story with the child's name in it... they were awesome!

We had a TOTAL Egg Coloring EGGstravaganza :)

We hid eggs and also did a game with our "Resurrection Eggs" that were so great... read through the whole Easter story by the little trinkets in these eggs, I got them at Hobby Lobby and am so glad because they will be a tradition from this year forward!

The kiddos looked so cute in their Easter outfits ... we went with a teal theme haha

Chris and I had fun too and I even got an Easter surprise ....

So thoughtful of him to get me a charm for my Pandora Bracelet... the "November" bloom charm! I love it! :)

I made my little cute sign thingy that I learned from Shasta Anne ... don't know that it's quite as cute as hers because I had no ribbon to make bows on the ends.. but it turned out ok!

My dad and I did some cooking... so I got to bust out my diva apron lol

Yes I have on house shoes and yes even though it is cute, it does kinda unfortunately make me look prego ha

My dad fixed the most amazing ham you've ever had with brown sugar and oranges, OMG my mouth waters just looking at this picture! The leftovers were even better for dinner tonight too!

And I had cute little plates and napkins for the table...

I got to spend some time with my cousins... Kenzy & Addison, and my mom too :)

Look at Frankie what a model he is, I'll tell you what, Pedigree or someone needs to sign him ASAP!

Of course I didn't forget him on Easter, and neither did the Easter Bunny.... ;)

A special little basket just for Frankie ;) He loved it! He played with his rabbit all night....

Hope you all had a great Easter too! XO

Abigail

Boy is this a story for ya... and for those of you who know me, you will not be surprised by my antics!

Yesterday morning I woke up with the mindset to have a wonderful Easter! My family was coming over, we were cooking and eating all of my faves, going to hang out and just have a fun day at the house. We went to Easter church service on Saturday night (seperate post to come to showcase the after pics of the Easter baskets!) so that we could relax and cook on Sunday. So, back on track, I woke up and decided to just run to Kroger real quick to get some last minute things. I figured mostly everyone would be at church and not Kroger, so I walked out the door without brushing teeth, purple leopard pajama pants, no bra (TMI sorry) and my hair was a hot mess! Oh well. I was in a hurry and it was a flipping MONSOON outside! Pouring rain, I mean absolutely pouring! So I am driving down Tates Creek Rd. in the hurricane and I see something dart across the street... a dog... great... I have been known to randomly stop traffic and risk my life to save a stray dog... so I kind of keep an eye on it, it's in the middle of the road, runs in front of a van and almost gets hit. I SLAM on my brakes (don't know if there was a car behind me didn't even look, didn't care) pulled onto the side of the road, get out in the monsoon and start calling her! I am drenched, soaking wet, after about 30 seconds. I open my back car door and surprisingly enough she runs into my back seat!

Call Chris... head back home.. tell him I don't have groceries I have a dog. He thinks I'm joking, a cruel joke that I have a sister for Frankie for Easter haha... no joke, true story, soaking wet dog in my back seat. :)

 Who happens to think she can fit in Jake's carseat!

She has no tags, the Humane Society is closed for the holiday, no signs up missing a dog, no leads, nothing. So I tie her up out back while I go inside to get her food and water and towels, 5 minutes max I am gone. I go back outside to take all the stuff to her, and guess what?

SHE IS GONE!! Chewed through the rope. GONE. No where in sight!
Who loses a lost dog??
Me of course! ha. PS. This is a true story. No exaggeration here.
So I get back in the car, not preparing the food I was in charge of for Easter lunch or anything, drive around, walk around, yell "here doggy" because I don't even know her dang name :( After 30 minutes I am about to give up and call it a day, and as I am driving through the back of the neighborhood I spot her!!!!! I get out, call for her, she runs and jumps back in my car haha. I have found the double lost dog! :)

I enjoy the day with my fam while she chills in the garage, no more ropes outside ha learned that lesson.
Then I go and make signs to put all over the place....

I think the zebra tape added a little extra, don't you?? ;)

By last night I was worn the heck out, she slept in the garage, Frankie was not a happy camper he knew she was out there and just couldn't quite cope with it ha.

This morning I wake up first thing and check on her. She's alive! Yay I didn't kill the lost dog! I take her to my vet and get her scanned and TA DA she has a chip!!! Praise the Lord! Long story short, I find the owner, call her from the vet, she is practically in tears that I have "Abigail" and comes straight to pick her up. We waited in the car for her mom.... and she was so happy!

When the lady pulled up to get her, she called her name and Abigail literally was so excited she JUMPED out my car window and ran to her and started jumping up on her, licking her, rolling all over her feet, it was the sweetest thing! I may or may not have cried hysterically like a freako and the lady was probably thinking OMG this crazy girl had my baby? haha I talked to her and she was so thankful and appreciate I didn't just leave her, she was 3 miles from home and never would have found her way back home :(

I left there feeling happy that sweet Abigail found her mom, happy that Frankie would still be an only child, happy that Chris wouldn't move out for me bringing home a dog haha, but would be lying if I didn't say I was a tad sad and cried driving home because I missed Abigail! Am I a crazy or what? I think I need help and admitting you have a problem is the first step lol ;)

Story of my life... I'm sure there will be another stray dog someday down the road (sorry babe), but for now, Frankie is happy it's still just me and him....

Carrie has done it again...Happy Easter!

I have so many pictures to share of our Easter festivities so far, but for now I just want to share this...
I hope you and your families have a very blessed Easter! My favorite holiday! I am so thankful and blessed only because Jesus died on a cross for me, and rose again so that I could be forgiven of all my sins. It is unimaginable, hard to fathom and today brought tears to my eyes while singing about it at church. I will be forever grateful! So to share that with you, I will leave you with Ms Carrie Underwood doin her thang... LOVE THIS video! PinkLouLou this is for you too ;)
 Happy Easter!
 (pause the playlist before watching!)

Click Here to Watch

(sorry I couldnt get the video clip to upload for some reason?)

You've Got Mail!

This week has been insane for me.... I have bene working like a dog, people are out, looking at houses, showing my listings, I love it! So happy Spring has finally sprung! Feels great to be busy!

Easter is right around the corner, still don't have our outfits planned (yes, I kind of like for everyone to match somewhat ha, Chris just loves this let me tell you!), still have some Easter things to gather, need to go to the grocery, etc etc. HOWEVER, did manage this little ditty that I almost forgot about until about 10 minutes before the kids got here... They got mail!!!

A Letter from the EASTER BUNNY hahaha so clever of him to send these out .... ;)

Even came with an envelope addressed to them @ our address and the return address from Mr. Bunny on Hippity Hoppity Lane lol (sorry if you think this is cheesy but I love it!)

So personalized.... They LOVED it... I'm pretty sure they read it outloud at least 5 times ha. So precious.

I am still working on the personalized Easter Buckets found in this post. Proved to be a tad harder than I imagined, lol, the Sharpie paint pens are amaze BUT be aware, they do get you high after using them for about an hour. I literally felt like I had a buzz. So I had a genius idea ... my nail girl, her name is Tee, I;ve been going to her for I don't even know how many years... well sometimes she says she gets high from all the nail polish so she wears those little masks you know ...

(this is not her ha just an example)

Anyway, long story short, I went to see her and told her about the baskets, paint pens, buzz, blah blah and she gave me a pack of 3 masks lol so now I will be looking like a cute little worker bee, mask wearin, basket painter... while finishing these bad boys up! ;) Pics to come.

This is my absolute favorite song right now ... I could listen to it on repeat forever! Love it! The video is kinda different, but the song and lyrics are my fave! (Mute my playlist at the bottom of the page first!)

Tomorrow I am getting my hair did, THANK GOODNESS, it is about time! My brown hair, (not really but feels that way when I look in the mirror, you know when your roots get so bad you basically have brown hair? That's me right now.) will be back to blonde in 14 short hours and I can not wait!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

My Office, & Your Social Media Reputation

Wow I have been swamped this week... which is a good thing, but I am exhausted! Yesterday was a "get caught up on work at my office" kind of day! I tried to get a little more organized, get caught up on paperwork and made all new flyers for my listings and open houses! Even though it's a little messy, I thought it would be fun to show you my office :) I know everyone likes to see pics! 

Yes, there are two framed pictures of Frankie on my desk ;)

 

Cute little accent Zebra chair from Hobby Lobby (love that place!)

I loved this bulletin board, it gives a blah one a little something extra with the frame around it, I got it at Home Goods I'm pretty sure, last year, but they have all sorts of cute ones!

(Kimberly Gail if you are reading this I am still using this white board, lol from you know where! ha)

While at the office, I received an awesome email about social networking that had some really good points about what we put on our social media sites and protecting our reputations. I thought I would share it with everyone too.

Thanks to Laura for sharing with me! :)

We have so many social media sites now that we all participate in, sometimes it is hard to even keep up! Facebook, Blogging, Foursquare, Twitter, Youtube, gees louise its overload!

Here are some tips (taken from Tuesday Tactics) to help us all manage our reputation while on Social Media! (the verbage is for Realtors but you can insert your occupation there because it applies to most!)

Whether or not you're actively using Facebook, Twitter, or other social media websites to grow your real estate business, you should be aware how your presence on social media can (and likely will) impact your relationship with clients, brokers, and other agents.

While you may be in the habit of keeping your personal and professional life separate, your ability to do so is highly compromised by the combination of social media and everyone's ability to Google your name. You can bet when researching an agent, your prospects will likely Google you and other agents they're considering.

It is safe to assume that everything you post online is public. Even with the strictest of security settings, the odds are that over time the information you're posting will be visible.

Now, if managed well, aspects of your personal interests and "public" life can help prospective clients get to know you a little before they meet you. They can, after browsing your status updates and photos, get a view of your hobbies and how you spend your recreational time. They might even share your interests, which can definitely help you get a leg up on building rapport.

But also consider this: If you're vocal about political and/or religious beliefs in social media, you should realize you risk alienating prospects. The same goes for excessive sharing of your "downtime" and even moments when you may be blowing off steam.

It may seem obvious, but the following are a few good guidelines for preserving your reputation:

1. Alcohol and social media do not mix. Don't have a few and pick up your smart phone for some quick updates.

2. Minimize polemic political opinions, unless you're comfortable losing out on those who do not share your views.

3. Never complain about clients, even if you don't name names.

4. Before you post a photo, ask yourself if it's one you'd put on the wall of your office.

5. Don't bad mouth other real estate professionals, companies, or business associates.

6. Nix any romantic relationship woes.

7. Never post what a great golf round you're having when you should be at an open house. :-)

Not participating may not be the best solution, by the way. If you don't define your story in social media, it might be done for you, through the posts, photos, and thoughts of friends, relatives, and other businesses. Proceed mindfully!

If you know someone who is self employed or works with the public a lot, it might be a good idea to forward this to them... sometimes people just don't realize that not "everything" belongs on facebook! I update a lot, blog, and sometimes do get personal haha but hopefully not too personal and never anything that I wouldn't want a potential client reading or seeing! (ok sometimes Frankie's poop talk or vomit issues may be a little TMI, but everyone poops and throws up people, give him a break! haha) For the most part, it is just about him being his cute little self....

Hope you found the article as interesting as I did! I'm pretty sure my social media reputation is "she is a workaholic, shopaholic, who is obsessed with her dog" hahahaha which is ok with me I guess :)

Enjoy your weekend!