Brainerd Lakes Real Estate News

              photo by daju

Social capital is a hard term to describe, but when Mike Burton gave it a try, he came up with the "web of relationships that gives us a sense of connection, belonging, and community".

     How do people in your community interact?  Are they friendly, helpful, and how do they deal with strangers?  Do you volunteer for anything?  What do you do in your free time?

     These are the types of questions that 500 Lakes Area residents will be answering by telephone survey calls.  Answers will take about 12 minutes and are anonymous, confidential and will be measuring  our social connectedness.

     Robert Putnam, Harvard professor and author of "Bowling Alone" says Americans are becoming increasingly more isolated.  That means less clubs, dinner parties, blood donated and family sit down suppers. From my  own experience, I would say that is becoming increasingly the case.

     If you get a call, please do the survey if possible - the resulting data will be helpful to community organizations who serve our people here in the Brainerd Lakes area. 

I  planted red cabbage this year in my Minnesota garden,  instead of the white variety. I got four beautiful heads and made one into this beautiful and very tasty salad.  You can add even more colors by putting in julienned carrots sticks. Make sure they are thin. I use chopped onion instead of the powder, but we really like our onions. I also throw in some mustard seeds. So there are my variations and the original recipe - enjoy!

PREPARATION:

     OK - this is not a blog about staging , but I just want to give you a heads up on this recall because I already ate my pie.  That is right, the whole pot pie all by myself and then I find the recall article after lunch.  The colors on the box are very trendy although don't you think?  They lured me in for the buy. 

     Minnesota officials are advising consumers to avoid eating all varieties of frozen pot pies produces by ConAgra Foods, because of a possible salmonella contamination.  Earlier they advised that only certain types of Banquet brand pie pies should be avoided.

     The USDA says that ConAgra is voluntarily recalling an undetermined amount of pot pies that may be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

     So far six Minnesotan who ate Banquet pot pies developed Salmonella infections and at least 174 cases have been confirmed in 32 states.

     The Omaha, Nebraska based ConAgra puts out the following brand names :  Banquet, Albertson's,  Food Lion, Great Value, Hill Country Fare, Kirkwood, Kroger, Meijer, and Western Family.   Besides Banquet, the brands that are available here in Minnesota are Great Value sold through Wal-Mart stores and Kirkwood sold through the Aldi stores.

     All varieties of the recalled frozen pot pies bearing the establishment number "P-9" or Est 1059 are in the recall. The pot pies should be thrown away.

     The package in the photo is the one I ate and is a P-9. My daughter ate a Est. 1059  at her home. So far I am still blogging, but check back later and see how I am doing. Is that photo looking a little blurry to you or is it just me?
 

We recently had a blog or two on whether stagers should decorate with seasonal or Holiday decorations.  Those who decided  that seasonal would be good , may like this little idea from Martha Stewart  that I adapted for stagers.

Instead of the traditional floral arrangement on a dining room table , buffet table, or counter  consider a simple, elegant arrangement of seasonal produce.

Think about fall's unusual fruits and foliage, and let them inspire you. Search your local farmer's market or grocery store for gourds, nuts in the shells, and  bring out your faux fruits and or veggies. Use treated or silk oak and maple leaves with real dried twigs.  When arranged on tiered cake stands, these harvest-time items make a centerpiece that takes only minutes to create and you know how we like that idea!

Tools and Materials:

• Cake stands, assorted sizes
• Glass bowls
• Assorted fall foliage, such as oak leaves and branches - preserved or silk
  
• Assorted fall produce such as gourds,nuts, faux fruit &/or vegetables

Harvest Centerpiece How-To:
Stack two or three glass cake stands on top of each other to create tiers. You may wish to place a small glass bowl on top of the highest cake stand to complete the tier. Start placing the leaves and branches on the cake stands. Arrange an assortment of  perhaps faux pears, grapes, artichoke, nuts and gourds on top of the leaves.  Dried gourds would work well also. That is the fun creative part - so do what looks best to you.

It looks like Martha used two stands in this photo.  There are some acrylic stands that look good and milk glass ones are still easy to buy up at garage sales.  This also works with the tiered desert trays, although unless they are large and with widely spaced tiers, you can't get as much stuffed in. Abundance is the key term. I would also place something around the bottom of the stand or a loosely wrapped velvet or richly textured fabric. 

A little hot glue, or melted paraffin (if you want it off later) to secure each tier would be a good idea for us. If it is buried well enough you can always duct tape it together.  Duct tape comes in seasonal colors, too.

Have a fun time  - you may need to practice at home and re-create it at the staged home. 

See my blog on making a Fall wreath 

    Randy, a computer science professor, has pancreatic cancer and was giving his last lecture to his  400 students

and colleagues. They had come to see him give what was billed as his “last lecture.” This is a common title for

talks on college campuses. Top professors are asked to think deeply about what matters to them and to give

hypothetical final talks. In Randy's case - doctors predict that he has only a few more months to live.

For the audience, the question to be mulled is this: What wisdom would we impart to

the world if we knew it was our last chance?  His lecture, using images on a giant screen, turned out to be a

"rollicking and riveting journey through the lessons of his life".                                              photo by Jacksen

Although he has great things to say in this and it will be well worth your reading or you can watch the entire

lecture like I did, I am disappointed that  if he is a believer he didn't speak of his faith.

We shouldn't hold off until we are dying, however, to tell people what we believe and why we believe it.  

     The funeral of Princess Diana was a huge venue and people around the world watched and yet learned

nothing of salvation. If any of you happen to make it someday to my funeral, that is what you will hear.

It will be for you - I will already be with my Savior, Jesus, and I want to make sure as many of you, as

possible, hear the truth and  make your own choice to accept it.

          What wisdom would you impart to the world, if like Randy, it was your last chance? 

Congratulations to  1993 Brainerd High School graduate, Turena Johnson Lane,  who will be inducted into the Luther College Athletic Hall of Fame . The inductees are honored for their achievements in college sports, professional careers and community leadership.  Turena hit the athletic scene in Brainerd after I was done coaching Boys and Girls Cross-County, but I have followed her career since she had and has proven her potential. 

     Among other successes she has been a nine-time All-American, five time National Champion, won the USA Track and Field 20K National Championship in 2005 and the 25K in 2006.  She qualified for 2 Olympic marathon trials and in 2005 the IIAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland where she was the first American finisher, placing 26th with a time of 2:34.43.

                                                                                                                 photo by innusa 

      " Since I’ve moved to Miami, this (running) is what I’m doing for the moment. For the two years that we were living in Indiana, I started my own business doing professional organizing for people- going into people’s homes and helping them sort through the stresses in their lives and helping them to simplify their lifestyle, and reducing the amount of clutter that they have. It really can be debilitating for people; it really can be a serious issue. When people learn to let go, they really learn how much their stuff is weighing them down. Hopefully, after the marathon, in Miami I’ll be able to do a little bit more of that, there’s been one thing on the plate, and that seems to be enough." i ~interview excerpt of Turena

     Lane and her husband now live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Todd is an assistant track and field coach at Louisiana State University.

     Brainerd is proud of you, Turena, keep on running.
 

                                                photo by brendernickle

I admit that I am a perfectionist, when it comes to staging.  However, not all my clients are compliant over achievers and I am coming reluctantly, to accept that fact.  Their furniture is not always as nice as what I have sitting in storage ready to be rented.  The colors aren't quite right and the style is not a big hit.

     Now how am I going to play the game with the cards that I have been dealt?  One thing to establish is that I am an authority and that I am there to make less stress in their lives (not more).  Also, by cooperating and getting in the game with me - they will end up with a better product.

      I am empathetic - I do know what is is like to live in a home that is being shown - no fun - so follow these tips to make it much simpler.  "Why are they moving?"  "Where are they going?"  I am interested and I do care.

     I thank them for calling me in or allowing me to come, if the Realtor is paying.  Then everything is "We".  "We could play up the fireplace."  "We could lighten up this master bedroom with a latte paint color, instead of that dark and mysterious burgundy."

      I try to choose my battles carefully.  "OK, if we leave the burgundy, you will need a light  colored comforter set, burgundy accent pillows and the cream chair from the living room."

    If all the above things don't work - I let it go (this is the hard part!)  If it is a major item - I have them sign off on it on my consult sheet.  That way they acknowledge that they, for whatever reason (stubborn, lack of funds, didn't accept me as the authority) are not going to do what I recommend.

      It happens!

      MY JOB IS DONE - I HAVE DONE ALL THAT I CAN TO MAKE THEIR HOME A BETTER PRODUCT. 

   photo by nat-chan       

                                                                                             photo by the messyfolliesfamily

  Here is a Fall Wreath that just about anyone can manage and is very seasonal, but not holidayish (new word). For those of you who stage with seasonal decor or for those who offer seasonal decorating, as I do, this is an inexpensive big impact piece.

• The basic wreath I got at Wal Mart for $20.00. 
  
• Then I added some of my own fall leaves that I had soaked in a solution of warm water and glycerin.  I did a 2 water:1glycerin ratio . I soaked them for many days, until the leaves were glossy from the inside out.  These will keep for years and remain fairly flexible.  That makes them easier to use and to store. I turned them several times a day and then finally spaced them out on several layers of newsprint to dry.  I did hundreds, but only used  15 for this project.
  
•  The wreath comes  already on a wrapped grapevine base with silk leaves and berry clusters.
  
•  It could stand alone or you could add in extra real leaves, as I did.
  
•  Small faux pumpkins could be wired in also, as I am doing with one for my own home. 
  
• The tassel is from my inventory.  You need to hang a substantial one in order to balance the arrangement.  Mine is a curtain tie back, that I got on clearance because there was only one.
• This would need to be hung indoors or in a sheltered doorway.
• I hung mine with a 3-M Command Utensil I/2 lb. hook, that will peel off when I am done.
  

      I will later pull together a blog or video on how to make tassels - that should be fun!
 

      Instead of just having a one day high school homecoming event, this year Brainerd celebrated the week as a community.  It didn't come close to our Fourth of July celebration, but that  would be hard to compete with.  I believe it to be the best in the State of Minnesota.

     Todd Lyscio, our Community Education Director was in charge of the event and had a lot of help to pull this one together.

     The parade on Saturday organized by Nancy Cross, had over 60 entries.  Washington Educational Service Building held a memorabilia display on Friday.  Both the Brainerd High School and the Central Lakes Community College celebrated their homecomings this week end.  Community pepfests, decade gatherings at various locations, golf tournaments, softball tournaments, outdoor family movies. Brainerd Area Youth Ministries Rally and a concert by Peggy Kriha-Dye.

      I would say that is was a great success and others agree - plans are already underway for next year.

  Brainerd High School Warriors 56

            Fergus Falls 6

    Central Lakes Raiders 44

     Fond Du Lac Thunder 26 

                                                                                                                        photo by kcadams - Flickr
 

     When furniture that is on carpet is moved,  it leaves behind a crater.  These are quite obvious in some carpet piles and need some help.  My easy method is to put an ice cube in each hole and let it melt down.  The moisture is just enough to plump most carpet pads (the real offenders) and carpet piles back into standing at attention.

     Sometimes you need a faster fix and then I try a small amount of warm water and a fork.  Put the fork tines down into the pad and gently fluff.  I guess I really am a House Fluffer after all!

For help with your design dilemmas call Re$ale Design and Home Staging - serving the greater Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota and the surrounding communities.

                  ~ We  take the stress out of selling and help you get your game plan in gear ~

                                     photo by Lunatic the Unknown - Flickr