Property Management Blog

I don't know about you but the change in time as really thrown my body for a loop. I always found it hard to get out of bed because it was so dark and it still felt like "night-time" to me. I just wanted to say in my bed and snuggle with my doggies. It was also harder for me to fall asleep because when I went to lay my head down at night time, it just didn't feel like night time. Now, with the change, I am hoping out of bed every morning and ready to go. The nights are where I am finding it super hard. When I get home from work it is almost 5ish. We get dinner done about 6ish. It is super dark out and I am so tired that I am ready to crawl in bed and go to sleep but I can't. I look at my clock and I find myself stunned that it is only 7pm. I know I am "old" but I am not THAT old. 

I also don't like the colder weather. I thought fall meant like low 60s not low 40s. I feel like it is getting colder sooner rather than later. Does this mean we are in for an early winter with lost of snow???? I sure hope not. I am not a BIG snow person. I can't wait until I can be one of the winter birds that head to Florida for the winter. With it getting cold make sure you check your furnace filters. I can say that enough. A dirty furnace filter can lead to all sorts of problems. Also,. make sure your gutters are cleaned. With the leaves falling like they are, you don't want to have a leak on your hands. 

One of my favorite things about fall is the smell. My husband brought home pine cones a few weeks ago and every time I walk into my house it smells like cinnamon. It is so good. Baking is another smell that I just can't help but love. The smell of cookies in the oven, YUMMY!!! I love making chocolate chip cookies from scratch. You want to know something funny? I can't make sugar cookies to save my life! They are one of the hardest things I have ever tried to make. Now, I can make a mean peanut butter pie but there is no baking involved in that. 

Thanksgiving is coming up and it is one of my favorite Holidays ever. It makes me happy to be around so much food and family. We have a lot of food. We do a turkey and a ham, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, rolls, and tons of desserts. We talk about how well all the kids get along and how much they have grown. We talk about remembering when we were their ages and how the world has changed. One thing that amazes me still to this day and I love.....the kids aren't on their devices. They are actually talking and playing with each other. It is so awesome. 

I have checked the forecast for the next several days and it is going to be cold. 

Check your furnace and make sure that it is running properly. 
If you have ceiling fans make sure you reverse it to push the heat down

Clean the gutters

Make sure all the water pipes on the outside are shut off. 

So a lot has gone on since I last did a blog. It has now gotten a lot colder. My son was asked to stay on and practice with the varsity football team which is great and all but GOOOOOOOD LORD! They practice 4 days a week and until 6:30. I kind of wanted a break before basketball season started but it doesn't look like I am getting that. It is really good for him because they are working towards playing for State and that would be awesome for him to be apart of.

My daughter has me running around all the time. I am so thankful for my grandma because she has been a big help. Ali has a lot of allergies and those allergies cause her to have asthma. She is on so much medication. We have been to a few specialist and they have decided to fight the allergies by pumping her full of what she is allergic to and hopefully she will become immune to them. She goes twice a week to get 6 shots in the back of each arm. She is pretty brave. She was also recognized as a "Special Person" by one of her teachers. He said that Ali Consistent achievement to the best of Student's ability, having a positive attitude towards learning, and contributes good nature and spirit to classroom atmosphere in a positive way. She is keeping to the family tradition. Her brother got one last year and I got one when I attended there years and years ago. 
                                                                 
We also got to celebrate our Famaiversary. I know you are like "What is a famaiversary" so let me tell ya. It is the day we legally became a family. We celebrate each year by having a wonderful dinner and dessert. We normally do something fun as well. This year my husband made homemade chicken fried rice, steak and chicken. Kind of like Benihana.

Then we had Halloween. Our daughter was the Statue of Liberty. I love how she really takes time and effort into her costume. She doesn't like to be the "norm". She always looks so cute too. She got SOOOOO MUCH CANDY. The problem is because of her braces she couldn't eat half of it. Luckily, my husband and son are helping her out.

                        
To start of the Holiday season we got out kids new pjs. How cute are these. My husband and I got some too but we are going to safe those embarrassing pictures for another time haha!


Now that all the cute pictures and family update is out of the way lets start talking about Fall. Here are a few chores you need to do around your house to get ready for the cold weather.

1) Rake your leaves~ you can also just mow over them while you can and use them for mulch

2) Clean out your gutters~ make sure you get your downspouts as well

3) Change your furnace filter~ this is important to do. Using a dirty filter can ruin your heating

4) Remember when it gets below 32* you need to leave your water at a slow drip

5) Now is the time to plant for your Spring Blooms and remember to cut down your annuals.

Until next time..........

I can't believe how long it has been since I last blogged. So much has happened. So lets just get started.

My son started his freshman year of high school ;( and he is on the football team:)  He practices 5 days a week and has a game on Saturday.

Our daughter is playing soccer and is currently a 7th grader. She is involved in choir. Seems to me that time is flying by. My very active kids have me staying busy.

The past few months have been a super crazy ball of emotions. We had to put one of our dogs down. Bob Marley had a tumor in his spleen the size of a softball and the doctor said there was nothing we could do. It broke our hearts because he was our baby. We had him for 7 years and thought we would have him much longer. I can't tell you how much we loved that dog. If I write any more about him I will be sitting at my desk bawling my eyes out.

Shortly after we said our goodbyes to Marley (the white dog), we received Hunter (the black dog). He came to us through a friend of a friend and he has brought so much happiness into our lives. He is so cute. I love his floppy ears. His personality is coming in and he just makes you fall in love with him daily.

Right after we got Hunter I found out that I had a massive kidney stone that needed to be surgically removed. It was really fast. It couldn't have come at the worst/best time. Worst time because we had planned a family trip to Michigan and my husband was NOT going to let us go on because of it. Best time, well frankly, my family needed a break. We consulted with the DRs and they cleared me to go sit by the lake and do nothing but relax so, that is what I did.

I wasn't able to get into the lake but it was okay because I got to enjoy a relaxing and peaceful weekend with my family. It was great seeing my kids laughing.

We also took a short one day trip to Chicago because 1) the kids have never been 2) I haven't been in like 20 something years. We walked around and ate at some of the "HOT SPOTS". I was super excited because we got to see the Firehouse that they use in Chicago Fire. We saw the "Bean" and many other great things. 

We are currently ripping the carpets out of our house and installing laminate floors. In doing so, I am realizing that it would be a good idea for me to do some Fall Cleaning. So if you get the bug and want to join me here are some ideas.

~Wash your windows inside and out (with 3 dogs and their noses pressed against my windows this might seem like a pointless task but one that should be done)

~Dust and wash your blinds

~Dust and wipe down your walls and baseboards

~Dust off the refrigerator condenser coil. You can use your vacuum brush to assist you.

~Declutter and reorganize your closets

~Replace your furnace filter

~Check your some detector

~Check weather stripping and caulking around your windows and doors

~Clean out your gutters and down spouts

Do a little at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself. You can do one room a day or a weekend, depending how much time you have. Good Luck and Until Next Time........

Well it has been awhile since I had a chance to blog. I started real estate school. I would go to school for 4 hours in the morning and work for 3 hours in the afternoon. I would have to rush home to pick my son up from football and start dinner, help the kids with their homework, do my own homework and work on stuff for soccer. If it wasn’t one thing it was another. I was obviously too busy to do anything, including getting sick which is exactly what happened as soon as football, soccer, and my school ended. I have had a runny/stuffy nose, my head has been clogged, a horrible dry cough, and sometimes it feels like someone is sitting on my chest for like 6 days now.

Enough about me and all my whining (as my friend Julie would say). Let’s talk about something else. What should we talk about? (I am looking around my office for inspiration). My office is filled with beautiful pictures of my family and letters from my kids but we always talk about my kids. So……………well that is just sad. Unless I am talking about my kids I have nothing to talk about.

I was talking with my sister in law Amy yesterday as I drove home and I was explaining to her how much I love driving up College Ave in the fall. The leaves are such beautiful colors. I love the burnt orange and the reds.

I was on facebook the other day and I was looking at my feeds and seeing my friends update their status. I loved seeing that a few of the girls that I hung out with in high school are all Moms now and are about to be again. I love seeing that they are making Apple Pies from scratch and helping build houses with Habitat for Humanity. Makes me realize that I hung out with some pretty awesome people.

I have a new friendship brewing with another old high classmate, Lauren. We have been helping each other out with the real estate class. She just passed her state exam and is on the road to being an Indiana Licensee/Broker. I am so proud of her!!! Those test are HARD!!! I have passed my class but have to now past the State Exam.

I am super excited because my best friend in the whole entire world, Erin is moving back state side. She currently lives in Hawaii and even though I am upset that I don’t get to visit Hawaii (plane tickets are crazy expensive) I am happy to have her state side. She will be coming home for a few days as I get to soak up some of her time.

Well….......I finally found something to talk about (besides friends) today is National Back to the Future Day. Back in 1985, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale wrote a movie about a boy who used a DeLorean to travel back and forth in time. The movie starred Michael J. Fox which was almost NOT the case. Michael was approached for the part and had to turn it down because of the show Family Ties. Michael J. Fox had to turn down the role as Marty McFly. Eric Stoltz took the role as Marty McFly however, after 4 weeks of shooting, the directors decided that Stoltz wasn’t right for the part and they turned back to Michael J. Fox. His schedule had opened up some but was told he could only do the movie if he made sure that Family Ties wouldn’t suffer.

The Character of Doc was played by Christopher Lloyd however, the directors originally wanted John Lithgow. Christopher Lloyd then turned down the role but then changed his mind after reading the script with his wife and they let him change some of the scenes.

Lea Thompson was cast as Lorraine McFly because she had worked with the 1^st Marty McFly, Eric Sholtz but they liked her in the part and decided not to recast her once Sholtz left.

Claudia Wells, who plays Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer was also a recast after Scholtz left. The original Jennifer was played by Melora Hardin but once Michael J. Fox signed on as Marty they felt that she was too tall for him and let her go. She never got to film one scene.

Back to the Future opened on July 3^rd, 1985 on 1,200 screens in North America. It spent 11 weeks at #1 at the Box Office. The film grossed $210.61 million in North America and $173.2 million in other countries.

Well that is all for now. I will send you off with these important dates

~10 days until Halloween

~11 days until Day Light Saving Time Ends

~36 days until Thanksgiving (My favorite Holiday)

~62 days until Winter

~65 days until Christmas

Isn’t it amazing how one day can change everything? Labor Day was on Monday and it was so hot. I was hosting a BBQ at my house. We had invited some friends and family over to eat a lot of good food and play corn-hole and euchre. We all sat around talking and having so much fun. It was a really beautiful day. Fast Forward one day and the weather is cloudy and the wind has a certain chill in the air. You can tell Fall is approaching fast. I couldn’t be happier. I love Fall almost as much as I love Spring. Fall has some of the most beautiful colors. I love watching the leaves change from green to orange and red. Driving down the road it seems almost peaceful. Like you are in a painting.

With the Fall like weather comes FOOOOOOOOOTBALL!!!! My favorite sport. I love my Indianapolis Colts. They are my team!!!! I turn into a total dude (minus the beer part). I love when my husband makes good food and we get to sit around and scream at our T.V. My poor husband, God love him, definitely drew the short in of the stick when he married me. That poor man cooks and cooks and cooks some more. Not only does he cook full time for his job but he got a second part time job as a private chef for a wonderful couple in Zionsville area. The husband was on dialyses because he was in kidney failure but because of an angel was able to receive a kidney this past Friday. He is now on the fast track to healing and is so happy to have mashed potatoes. Isn’t that funny? This man just went through hours of surgery to get a new kidney and he was super satisfied just having mashed potatoes. Makes you think about what is really important in life. NOW on top of all that cooking my husband makes a meal once a week for 25 hungry 8^th grade football players. I signed up for the job thinking I could be able to handle it when in fact I couldn’t and it got placed on my husband’s lap. Luckily for me, he has been a true sport about it all. Now for the real kicker…..he even cooks us dinner (including my mother) almost every night of the week. I definitely feel like I am the winner between the two of us.

Another one of my favorite things about Fall is bonfires. I love sitting in my back yard with a pair of sweats, a hoodie, and a glass of wine. It is serene listening to the wood crackle under the heat of the flames, the music lightly playing in the background, the fact that it gets darker sooner so I have to fight less with my kids about going to bed. Fall is calm to me.

Now with Fall fast approaching it is time to do some Fall cleaning. Time to get the jeans, sweatshirts, and warm blankets out and get them washed. It is time to open those windows that have been shut all summer long so you can let the cool Fall air in and rejuvenate you. It is time to wash walls, windows, clean carpets, and get ready to bunker down for the winter. Enjoy your last few weeks of being outside without seeing your breath.

Here are somethings to look forward to:

~Tonight starts off FOOTBALL SEASON

~3 days until the Colts start their season

~11 days until Fall actually starts

~50 days until Halloween

~51 days until Day Light Saving Time Ends

~76 days until Thanksgiving (My favorite Holiday)

~102 days until Winter

~105 days until Christmas

~112 days until the New Year

Until Next Time………….

Thanksgiving~

I can almost smell the turkey cooking in the oven, pumpkin pies out resting, and the sounds of friends and family members laughing. It is by far one of my favorite Holidays. It isn’t about anything other than FOOTBALL, FOOD and FAMILY. I like that the only thing exchanged are a few choice words at the t.v. while watching football or between siblings because they are fighting over who gets the wishbone.

Thanksgiving started back in 1621 however it didn’t become an annual tradition in the USA until 1863. This feast lasted 3 days between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. Thanksgiving is held on the 4^th Thursday of November. Thanksgiving is known for setting aside time to give thanks for one’s blessings.

I don’t know about your family but I am a part of a HUGE Family. My father in law is 1 of 9 kids. Some of those kids have kids of their own. Thanksgiving has always been so amazingly fun and entertaining. You have never met a family more loving. I remember my first Thanksgiving with their family and I was greeted with hugs and kisses. It was truly all about giving Thanks and about family. A Grandpa sneaking his grandson cranberry sauce under the table because mom said he needed to eat more meat, an Aunt meeting her niece for the first time, and so so so much love.

Traditions are a big thing in my family. Every year we get together at my sister in law’s house and my mother-in-law teaches her two granddaughter’s how to make Sweet Potato Casserole. I love hearing them laugh as they are crunching up the corn flakes and getting their hands all messy from mashing the sweet potatoes. I am always in charge of taking pictures because I always seem to have a camera in my hands. Plus I love getting to capture those wonderful moments.

And if 2 Thanksgivings aren’t enough welcome to my family and the 3^rd Thanksgiving. My mom is also a part of a big family. All of her brothers and sisters have kids and even some of them have kids. We normally all pitch in and bring some sort of side and one of us normally get stuck baking the Ham and the other the Turkey. Most of my mom’s family live in another state or not so close so when we get together everyone tries to catch up. We also take a LOT of Family pictures. It is amazing how much everyone grows.

One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving were the conversations I had with my Grandpa. We would sit at the dining room table and we would have very heated discussions about the new and hip things. My grandpa didn’t like change very much. Plus every year my grandma would ask what we wanted for Christmas and he would say that we weren’t getting anything for Christmas because he was taking my Grandma and going someplace warm. However, EVERY year we went to my grandparent’s house for Christmas.

My favorite food on Thanksgiving is the mashed potatoes and corn mixed together. I know you don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to have them but I just love them. I have really never liked Pumpkin pie or Sweet potato casserole. What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving? What is your favorite Food?

Until Next Time………

I LOVE LOVE LOVE fall. I love the rustic reds, burnt orange, and the smell of bonfires at night. My children spent the weekend raking the leaves in a huge pile in the back yard just so they could jump in it. They did it for hours. They would get the pile big, jump into it until it was flat and then rake it into a big pile again. Brings back memories doesn’t it. It was so beautiful this weekend it almost felt like the beginning of Spring and not Fall. My family had family photos taken on Sunday afternoon at a local park. They turned out beautiful.

Saturday was the perfect day. I spent most of my day out on my motorcycle with my kids and my mother. We went and got my son’s haircut, a few new pairs of jeans, and their Halloween costumes. I must admit that I HATE HATE HATE Halloween. I am not a big fan of Scary Clowns and the kids like to make fun of me for it and try to scare me every chance they get. Also, I am not a fan of scary movies and that is the only thing that seems to come on during the month of October. We spent the afternoon and evening on our back porch playing cards with my brother and sister in law while our kids and the kids I was babysitting were playing a weird form of tag in the backyard.

The biggest thing I love about the fall is it is the start of FOOTBALL SEASON!!!! I know that the season is almost ½ over but there is nothing I like more than watching the Indianapolis Colts play on Sunday. Win or lose I have been a fan of them since as long as I can remember. I think my next blog is going to be about them. They have a lot of history here in Indianapolis and this is their 30^th year here so why not.

Well a few tips for fall clean up.

1)    Clean out your gutters

2)    When raking leaves, rake them around the base of a tree. This helps mulch the tree.

3)    This is the time to start cleaning out your flower beds if you want to plant flowers that will bloom by spring time.

4)    Make sure your downspouts are not clogged when cleaning the gutters

Enjoy time with Family and Friends.

Until Next Time………

Labor Day~

Did you ever wonder what Labor Day was actually about? I did. So I googled it and I found out and it is about ME and YOU and any hard working individual. Here are some important facts about Labor Day for you.

1)      It is celebrated the first Monday of September  

2)      It was originally celebrated on May 4 back in 1886 but they moved it to September in 1887.

3)      It became a Federal Holiday in 1894

4)      It is known to a lot of people as the end of summer and the start of football.

Most families celebrate by having a cookout. Brats, burgers, hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans and lots of other good stuff. Others go camping and enjoy the peacefulness of Mother Nature.

Whichever you prefer I hope that you have a restful week.

Back to School

I can’t think of anyone more excited right now than parents. It is that time again. BACK TO SCHOOL. Do you have all your kids’ pencils, papers, crayons, markers, binders, folders, colored pencils, paints, so on and so forth???? It all seems so overwhelming doesn’t it? Luckily for me I waited, like a lot of parents, until the last minute. We were all scrambling around looking for things and we would hear someone say “Where are the red pens” and someone would kindly point them out. Eventually we were all shopping together calling out what we needed and when we found something the other needed. The hardest thing to find was multicolored highlighters. Which by the way were nowhere near the school supplies.

The night before school….kids are fed, showered, and ready for bed and you crash into your bed waiting for the alarm to sound in just a few short hours. It only like you shut your eyes when the alarm sounds and you are rushing around to make sure they kids are up, dressed, eating breakfast, have all their school stuff, get a couple of pictures, and out the door to make sure that you don’t miss the bus. You wait and wait and wait…….still no bus. Then it goes by and you are like WHAT?????? So you hop in your car and chase the bus down and get your kid off to school only to find out that your kids was at the wrong bus stop. Which isn’t too bad since I had some friends put their kids on the wrong bus that took them to the wrong school OOPs!

Now that your kids are at school you have some kind of relief throughout the day knowing that they are learning but worried and wondering if they are doing okay? If they made any new friends? If they are being bullied? If they are missing you as much as you are missing them? You have waited all summer long to get rid of them just to want to hear from them long enough to know they are okay.

So the night before school I always say a little prayer and I would like to share it with all of you.

Dear Bus Driver, Please make sure that you get plenty of sleep tonight as I am depending on you to take my children to and from school safely. Please protect them as if they were your own. I know that your job is extremely hard and I am very thankful for you.

 Dear Teachers, Please make sure that you remember that my kids are nervous, scared, and excited all rolled into one. I am trusting you to fill my kids’ minds with knowledge and to keep them safe. I am entrusting you with my kids and know that your job is extremely hard and couldn't imagine doing it myself. I very thankful for you.

                To all other drivers, Remember that there are innocent children at the bus stop eagerly waiting for that big yellow bus to come pick them up and carry them to school. There are kids super excited because Mom and Dad said they were finally old enough to ride their bike to school. There are moms/dads on their way to drop their kids off on their first day of school. Please be careful, take your time, and drive safely. Remember to slow down in the school zones and keep your eyes out for children.