Last fall, the Aegela Centers for Middle Eastern Dance celebrated our 2nd Annniversary at our studio in The Common Space Too (The Martin School) 10 South Holland-Sylvania, at Hill Ave., Toledo.

This was my first 'professional' cake!!! I think she looks like a belly dancer, but I want to try again!!

Kindergarten Graduation

So, danielle and I had another cake to make. A friends' son was graduating from kindergarten and she needed a cake. We made a marble cake with a fudge frosting between the layers (yummm!).

We made the little graduation hats out of fondant and they turned out pretty well.

Cupcakes for kids!

So my friend, Danielle, found this book called Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make. A VERY cool book if you are into cupcakes.

So, I am a Junior Achievement volunteer (JA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs) and I had to make a treat for the students that I volunteer for at McGregor Elementary (Toledo, Ohio). I teach 1st and 4th graders so Danielle and I found some great cupcakes in this book.

For the 1st graders, we made the alligator cake. Is he not adorable???!!! The kids went crazy and had frosting all over their faces!!!

For the 4th graders, we needed something a little more sofisticated!!!! So we made puppy cakes.

These turned out equally cute!!!

Active Rain

Have you heard of ActiveRain? ActiveRain real estate network allows real estate agents, mortgage professionals and brokers create a customized profile.

So I created a profile thinking, ok this will be fun, give me something to do, a way to meet other Real Estate Professionals.

I am SO ADDICTED!

I am on the site day and night, meeting agents and lender from everywhere, learning all sorts of new things, and not just for the industry. There is even a group for people who like to cook!!!

What are you still Carrying?

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there were 2 holy men traveling together through the countryside. They came upon a beautiful young woman sitting and sobbing by the side of a stream. She said she was afraid of drowning and asked them if they would help her cross to the other side of the water. Without saying a word, one of the monks picked up the girl and carried her to the other side of the stream where he gently put her down. She thanked him and went on her way. The two men then continued their journey. After a while, the monk said to the one who had carried the young woman, "How could you do such a thing? We have taken vows of chastity. It is forbidden to even talk to a woman let alone touch one." The other monk lovingly replied, "When I came to the other side of the stream, I put her down. Why are you still carrying her?"

This is one of my favorite stories. I reminds me that I need to let things go.

Girls Night Out

So last night, the girls and I went to dinner as we tend to do on Tues. nights. As usual, we had a great time! This week, it was Danielle and myself, as well as my dance buddies Rachel, Sandy and Tina.

We went to Capers Pizza on Byrne near Heatherdowns.

We started off with some beer and wine (it was tax day, I needed something), and for me, the wine selection was pretty good! We had a great Reisling.

For an appetizer, we got the onion rings and they were very tasty! For dinner, of course we went the pizza route, splitting the Chicken Ranch and Taco Pizza. Both were very good!

Bonus, their prices were so low, I was able to eat and drink for under $15 including tip!

Capers Pizza Bar:
2038 S. Byrne Rd.
Toledo, OH 43614
(419) 389-9900

Who Packs your Parachute?

This is one of my favorite stories and I need to think back on it often. Enjoy!

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man grabbed his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."
Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb kept wondering what the man might have looked like in a Navy uniform. He wondered how many times he might have seen him and not even said good morning, how are you or anything, because you see, he was a fighter pilot and the man was just a sailor.Plumb thought of the many hours that sailor had spent in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he did not know.

Now Plumb asks his audience, "Who is packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day.

Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down. As you go through your week, month, and year, recognize the people who have packed your parachute and enabled you to get where you are today!

No more 100% Financing

No more 100% financing available, effective immediately all mortgages going forward will require a minimum of 3% down. PMI companies will no longer insure 100% financing for any lender. If the loan is locked and registered prior to 4/7, and closed by 5/9 they can still use 100% financing products. After that there will be no exceptions and a minimum of 3% down.

Why Now is a Smart Time to Buy

Daily Real Estate News March 11, 2008

Why Now is a Smart Time to Buy
Now is a great time to buy a home, say the financial gurus at the Wall Street Journal.The Journal calls it a buyers market and offers these suggestions for first-timers getting their feet wet. While their advice is solid, it’s not revolutionary, but some potential customers might find it reassuring.Remember this is a place to live not a stock market investment, they say. Lenders want buyers to spend no more than 28 percent of their gross monthly income on mortgage payments, real estate taxes, and home insurance. Buyers shouldn’t count on stretching further because lenders won’t approve their loans.

Cash is king. Having enough money in the bank to pay closing costs that are typically an additional 2 percent to 3 percent of the price of the home is necessary.

Location. Location, location. As any good real estate professional knows, homes in good school districts where the crime is low are much more likely to hold or increase their value.
Compare. Besides just looking at the comps, buyers should examine what it would cost to rent a similar house in the same area and they might consider what it would cost to buy land and build a comparable home.

Think long haul. It will probably take at least six or seven years of living in the house to be able to sell and come out ahead.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Shelly Banjo (03/11/08)

Buying Bank Owned Properties

You've heard the term REO, but do you know what it is? An REO (Real Estate Owned) is one that goes back to the bank after an unsuccessful foreclosure auction. What many don't know is that most foreclosure auctions do not result in sales. That is why the property ends up on the foreclosure list.

Foreclosure sales begin with a minimum bid that includes the loan balance, any accrued interest, plus attorney's fees and any costs association with the foreclosure process. In order to bid at a foreclosure auction, you must have a cashier's check in your hand for the full amount of your bid. If you are the successful bidder, you receive the property in "as is" condition, which may include someone still living in the property and other liens against the property.

Since what is owed to the bank is almost always more than what the property is worth, very few foreclosure auctions result in a successful sale. Then the property "reverts" to the bank. It becomes an REO, or "real estate owned" property.

For more information on REO properties or if you would like a list of those in the Toledo area, contact me!

Sell It At 7!

My listing on Aldringham got some action from NBC24 Toledo!
Check it out!!
VIDEO: Watch This Video!

If the link doesn't work, cut and paste this address:
http://www.wnwo.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=104532

Marine Graduation Cake

My friends' boyfriend's son graduated from Marine Bootcamp recently and she asked me to bake the cake for the occasion. I started out by using the Marine Globe and Anchor for the centerpiece.

I wanted a fun flag in the background and I saw a picture that inspired me

I LOVE the finished project!!!

3405 Aldringham, Toledo, Ohio

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS GORGEOUS 2 STORY HOME WHICH FEATURES A NEW ROOF,WINDOWS AND SIDING. THE BASEMENT HAS BEEN WATERPROOFED. MUST SEE FOR YOURSELF. ENJOY THE SCREENED IN BACK PORCH WHILE ITS WARM OUT AND WHEN THE WEATHER COOLS COME INSIDE AND ENJOY THE WARMTH IN THE GAS FIREPLACE!

Learn Free Vocabulary & Give Free Rice

A very cool, yet oddly strange concept! Try it!

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Re/Max Preferred Associates Founders' Day Luncheon

We recently celebrated Founders' Day in my office. I was asked to bake the cake! I had a great time making this. If you can't see it too well, it is the RE/MAX Balloon with a picture of my brokers inside!