Tuesday, August 13, 2019

I Must Confess

So what do I need to confess? Well...I did leave work early today, before noon even.  No, I'm not confessing that I went home sick. It was just one of those days where, after a bit,  they really didn't need as much staff and I, out of the goodness of my heart, (Ha!) volunteered to head out! It was a rainy day today. A nice gentle rain that fell all day long. A dark, dreary, curl up in a chair and read a book kind of day. And that's what I did! I even rested my eyes a bit...hehe.  I did get up and can some more pickles and made dinner.
See how lovely the rain looked? It's actually been a bit dry the last few weeks and it felt nice to have a gentle soaker.
I made shrimp orzo..a recipe I found some time back and we really like. 
Elderberry pie anyone?  It's one of Jack's favs and no I didn't make it. I'm not much of a pie maker.  Ellen who works in Jack's office made it. I thought I should snap a pic quick since it was going fast! Thanks Ellen, it's delish!
 I'll confess to loving my new screen door Jack put in. It's not crooked, just my photography! So what am I confessing about? Well, I guess I should tell you that I'm a stalker.  NO, I don't stalk people or do weird things like that.  I guess you could say I stalk real estate. I love to look on Zillow or Realtor.com at properties here and there and sometimes anywhere! Am I looking to move us?  Not really although you never know if that perfect house on a lake would pop up and tempt me!  I like to know how the market is going and also the prices.  I've learned a few things along the way. If you're going to sell your home and post it for folks to see here's some tips. 1. Clean the house. Don't leave the dishes in the sink, a thousand shoes by the door, laundry on the floor, beds unmade. 2. Close the toilet lid...just sayin..and while we're at it..put away the plunger, the toilet bowl brush, and any other personal items you  don't want the public to see. 3. When you make the bed, really make it neatly with the bedspread, duvet, comforter, whatever, straightened. 4. Get rid of the dead animal heads on the wall.  Now guys may like that but a whole room of Bambi and antlers isn't appealing. 5. Creepy basements don't photograph well. 6. Hide the real animals in your life. Get kitty off the counter and fido off the couch...atleast for the pics. 7. Too much religious things hanging on the walls, doors, windows...like tons of crucifixes or something might make some people think you're trying to purge the house of evil spirits. Not that I would ever think that. 👻  So that's my real confession for today. Yep,  it's a slow blogging time! Ha! Enjoy the rest of this week! 


9 comments:

Shady Del Knight said...

Hi, YaYa!

I see you are still using that creative header with the grandkiddos contorting themselves to form the name "Starkey."

There's nothing like a long, steady rain to get you in the mood to curl up in a chair and have a good read. I'm glad your property is getting its moisture replenished. Your shrimp orzo looks delicious. I'll have to ask Mrs. Shady if she would be interested in making that dish for us. That's a nice screen door Jack installed. Soon the cool breezes of late summer and early fall will be blowing through it into your house. It was fascinating to learn that you are a Zillow zealot! :) Thanks for sharing the tips you have learned for properly staging your house for real estate ads. I personally regard a creepy basement as a plus, but that's just me. :) I am also attracted to pics of homes that show an eight foot tall medieval knight's suit of armor standing in the living room. :)

Thanks for catching us up, dear friend YaYa. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

jack69 said...

I will say it was very nice of you to offer to leave early, sweet. I like the screen door design also.
To be sure these are some good points at showing or picturing the house.
As a former builder I am watching the housing market heading for the sky, as it did a few years ago. Banks were appraising homes for what ever the asking price would be. It is sorta scary, but as a small investor I know if they bottom falls out many people will lose their homes. I hate the thoughs of that.
Anyway, I do hope that house on the lake shows up (and you can keep Whispering Pines also. ;-)

CHERI said...

I looooovvvvveeee the screen door. I wrote a post a few years ago about my love of screen doors...brings back childhood memories for sure! Elderberry pie???? That is not a dish we eat here in the south; at least I've never heard of anyone serving it or never seen it on a restaurant menu. Apple, blueberry, peach, lemon, etc. are much more popular. I wouldn't know an elderberry if I saw one!!!! We will probably have to sell our 2-story one day and downsize to a one-story, so these are good points. A really good friend (like a son to me) is a real estate whiz so I will get him in here to "stage" everything...he LOVES doing that:) Now I've got to run and try to kill this pesky fly that keeps buzzing around the lamp....it's driving me absolutely CRAZY!!!!!!!!

betty said...

That is a cool looking screen door! I remember eating elderberry pies (they were delicious) when I lived in Pennsylvania growing up, but none since so I'm thinking they are a berry that grows in just a specific area? Pie looked yummy!

Too cute about your stalking on Realtor/Zillow. I haven't done it in awhile but every so often I'll google our zip code on Realtor and see what houses are going for that are comparable to ours. I agree with you about the touches not to have when taking pictures of a house or showing a house. I read somewhere it wasn't good to leave pictures of the family around when having the house on the market. You wanted people to want to make their own memories in the house, not see others who had lived there. And while my realtor and me snooped a bit when we were in people's houses and tried to figure things out (she was such a hoot, I loved working with her) I found the best houses were the ones that were empty because you could envision your furniture in it, etc.

We could use some rain here, so I'm "envious" of your rainy day!

betty

Gin said...

“Nice” day to check out and go home. I like to be home in rainy days. Another thing I have in common with you (I feel like I’m your double in so many ways - bday month, love of family, etc) is real estate. I look on realtor.com every single day. I look at houses in my neighborhood, in my hometown, and even at houses in my kids neighborhoods they could have bought instead of the house they’re in. I know I’m really obsessed with houses. And my confession — just last week I had my husband drive by a persons house I stalk on Facebook. I’m facebook friends with her aunts (we went to school together back in the day) so naturally I came across her profile and I look at her page everyday. So when I realized where she lived, I made my husband drive by. It was on our way home from down home. And guess what? It was just as perfect as I saw it on Facebook. I’m a stalker I guess.

Kay G. said...

Get rid of dead animals on the wall! Ha! I remember telling my aunts when I was about 4 years old that when I grew up I would not have dead animals on my wall! They laughed and said my husband might have other ideas and that I would have them. Thank goodness, my English husband agrees with me!😄 love your rainy day description.

Julia said...

h, Yaya, you have such a good heart to offer to take the day off, lol, In reality, I'm sure you deserve it. Yummy, elderberry pie. The pie looks so good. How does she make the pinch print on the edge so exact? It looks like its made by a machine.

Are you toying with the idea that your house is getting too big for the both of you now since you are getting closer to retirement and perhaps you would like to find something smaller? The housing market can get scary at the best of time. I personally would like a smaller house now that I'm getting older but I love my big imperfect house, especially when the family visits, mostly in summer. In the winter it's cost more to heat, even with a wood stove.

We have been eating our Yaya carrots and they are the best.
Take care and enjoy the rest of summer. It won't be long before the first frost.
Hugs, Julia

Sandi said...

The rain looks so refreshing. It makes the day quiet and clean. :)

Andrea Ostapovitch said...

Oh how I love the sun after a rain! Is there anything more refreshing? I've been doing some canning too - dill pickles and my favourite, dilled baby carrots. They're a bit time consuming, but very worth it.

Have a lovely rest of your week,
Andrea