Nature reminds us how simple and clear our lives can be.

Photo courtesy of Arvin Design

I appreciate your friendship, your business, and the opportunity to serve you.  Wishing you every happiness this Holiday Season and throughout the coming year.

Recently, a client asked me “Exactly when did we start viewing our homes as an investment rather than the place we live with our family?” I didn’t have an answer for her. I knew what she meant though. Originally, we purchased a home for shelter and then because we needed more space or wanted our children to go to a particular school or needed to be closer to our job. Now, we have those same needs but also ask ourselves the question, “How much will this house appreciate; how much money will I make?”

Do we ask ourselves that same question when we buy a car, furniture or clothes? Okay, you are correct if you said that a house is a much more expensive purchase but exactly when did we start expecting a large return on investment on our house? I took that question to a Certified Public Accountant who replied with a bit of history on when mortgage interest became deductible on our tax return and how initially the government wanted to encourage us to have our mortgage paid off in 30 years so that when we retired we would not have a mortgage payment thus assisting in our retirement planning. The CPA then explained how instead, many people began using their houses as piggy banks. No real answer on when we starting viewing our homes as investments.

Perhaps we would be better served to view our home as the place we live instead of a part of our financial portfolio.

Today, I was inspired to take a moment to walk a new path and reflect on all that I had to be grateful for. Try it yourself!

Well, it’s back to work for me. I took the weekend off for my daughter’s wedding. It was the perfect day all around. The weather was a sunny 75 degrees, perfect for a garden wedding. The bride and groom so happy and joyful – it was contagious. There were so many family and friends to share in our joy. It was a perfect day.

This has been such a “full” year and as it draws to a close I want to share my thoughts on 2008. Even though many of us have experienced some negative impact from the financial issues of our country and the world, I wanted to pass on a comment from my Yoga teacher. “These are first world problems,” she says. She is right. People in other countries would gladly trade places with us. We live in a safe environment, we have comfortable homes, we are warm, we are well fed and really have all our basic needs met.

And so I want to finish off this year in a moment of gratitude for all that I have – radiant health, unlimited love, fabulous family, wonderful friends, lots of laughter, a lively-bustling real estate career with honest/fun/motivated clients, financial security and a beautiful location in which to live and work.

May your New Year be filled with joy and gratitude.

Are You Confused About Plastics? That is the questions posed in an excellent article from C.A.R. Newsline from California Association of Realtors. I was confused and found this article informative and I pass it on to you:

You’re not alone. Experts have reached a consensus and recommend that you avoid these varieties — identified by a triangle and number on the bottom of most containers — for the following reasons:

#3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) commonly contains di-2-ehtylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), an endocrine disruptor and probable human carcinogen, as a softener.

#6 Polystyrene (PS) may leach styrene, a possible endocrine disruptor and human carcinogen, into water and food.

#7 Polycarbonate contains the hormone disruptor bisphenol-A, which can leach out as bottles age, are heated, or exposed to acidic solutions. Unfortunately, #7 is used in most baby bottles and five-gallon water jugs and in many reusable sports bottles.

For the last five years, a friend and I have hosted a Tea Party and Cookie Exchange. It is so much fun that we hold it twice a year and each invite 5 other guests. Each guest brings their own tea cup, 12 containers each filled with 6 of their favorite homemade cookies, 12 copies of their cookie recipe, 12 cookies on a serving plate for the tea party and an appetite for really delicious cookies!

We brew exotic teas and then sit down for three hours and enjoy great company and great cookies. We talk, we laugh, we eat (although eating all twelve cookies is not required). It is so relaxing and so much fun! It’s like being on a mini vacation. We all leave with smiles on our faces and are heroes when we return home to our families with a huge bulging bag filled with 12 decorative containers of cookies. My family waits with anticipation as we open each container and they taste the different cookies. Then they negotiate for their favorites.

It has grown to be quite an event with the guest list filled weeks in advance for the next party. Actually 2 of our guests have been to all the Tea Parties and we have had our recipes from the Tea Parties appear in cookbooks. It’s always such an nice group of women and we always learn something new about each other.