Amarillo Texas Real Estate Weblog

New Year Resolutions ?:)!:(

Connie Taylor — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:06:57 +0000

Sunday, January 1^st, 2012, the start of a new week and a new year all in one day! Are you one of the estimated 44% that make New Year’s Resolutions? Do you have a plan to make them happen, or will you then become part of the estimated 80% that fail or quit?

Here is a list of the Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Eat healthier

2. Get a better job

3. Spend more time with family and friends

4. Get fit / Work out more

5. Get out of debt

6. Recycle

7. Save money

8. Volunteer

9. Quit smoking

10. Lose weight

We must be optimistic if we plan to succeed! Start preparing now, do some research if you need to on what you need to do to make a plan and outline your steps for your goals. You should always write them down and make them public. In our technology world, it is easy to get support and encouragement from others by posting your goals on twitter or facebook. You may have to start with one at a time. Remember old habits are hard to break and it can take 20 consecutive days of doing something to make it a habit!

Start today! Prepare for Sunday and surround yourself with positive reinforcement and have things already in place to make it a smooth transition and a successful start! You can always start smaller if you need to, with maybe taking care of the 5 or more email addresses you have that you never consolidated!

This information is presented by:

Connie Taylor

Keller Williams

ConnieTaylor@KW.com

www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.

Christmas in the Gardens

Connie Taylor — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:22:04 +0000

Are you looking for something to do this weekend inAmarilloTexas? Spend the evening at Amarillo Botanical Gardens for their second annual Christmas in the Garden. Enjoy caroling from different local groups each night from 6:45 – 7:15 PM. This is a free event with donations appreciated. Take your family on a stroll through the lighted gardens and have a hot beverage. The event is from 6 – 8 PM.AmarilloBotanical Gardens are located at1400 Streit Drive. Call them at 352-6513 for more details!

www.amarillobotanicalgardens.org

This information is presented by:

Connie Taylor

Keller Williams

ConnieTaylor@KW.com

www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.

Thanksgiving Thursday!

Connie Taylor — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:57:50 +0000

Yes, thanksgiving is this Thursday! Hopefully you have made plans with family and friends and everyone knows what they are bringing. We sometimes get absorbed in all the details, we forget something. The turkey seems to be one of those forgotten items. We buy it early to get our perfect size or we purchase it just a day or two before the holiday. Now we have a frozen turkey and it is Wednesday!

No fear! If you were prepared, you can thaw it in the refrigerator, at a rate of four pounds a day thawing. If you were not prepared, you will need to do a cold water thaw. Keep the turkey in the package, thaw in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes and thawing at a rate of 30 minutes per pound.

With all the different ways to make your turkey, you may want to have two! The most popular is the traditional oven roasted or using a table top roaster. You can also do a variation on that method with the new roasting bags and not having to worry about basting. Deep frying and smoking are gaining in popularity due to the unique flavor they have and known for their moistness. However you choose, remember 180 degrees is considered a done turkey. If problems do arise, you always have the Turkey Hotline to call – 1-800-BUTTERBALL.

www.butterball.com

This information is presented by:

Connie Taylor

Keller Williams

ConnieTaylor@KW.com

www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.

Keller Williams Green Week

Connie Taylor — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:12:11 +0000

Keller Williams Realty is going green this week. We hear about it all the time, what are you doing to erase your carbon foot print or just simply put, do you recycle? Many of the things to make a difference can be costly like, new appliances, new heating and air conditioning units, solar panels, new insulation or even buying an electric car. We can all make simple changes that we may not have even thought about.

- Go Vintage! Have you thought about looking in the very back of you closet, or a friend or relatives closet? Take a look at consignment stores or garage sales, be creative!
- Use a mug when you are at work or take it with you to the coffee shop.
- Unplug your chargers and small appliances.
- Turn off the dry cycle on your dish washer.
- Use cloth napkins.
- Caulk around your windows while the weather is still nice.
- Use a toaster oven.
- Fill up your car when it is cooler. This cuts down on emissions by decreasing the amount of fuel lost to evaporation.
- Do electronic subscriptions.
- Recycle your gift wrap and be creative on your wrap and bows!
- Replace your Christmas lights with LED’s. They use a fraction of the energy as conventional bulbs and are cool to the touch.

Sometimes we just need to think about how we can reduce our use and how we can be creative and reuse something in another way. National Green week is February 6-10, 2012 and Earth Day is April 22, 2012. Pick a week during this time and mark it on your calendar and have your whole family be involved in making some changes. Small changes can make a difference and you can always plant a tree!

www.thedailygreen.com

Heart-Warming Dishes In A Flash

Connie Taylor — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:54:35 +0000

Leaves turning to warm shades of orange, red and gold say it’s a great season to have fun outdoors. It’s also the time that will make you crave for heart-warming, tasty dishes. You don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen preparing savory dishes and miss out all the fun outdoors, do you? No worries. Here are a couple of romantic dishes you can whip up in no time.

Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

This soup requires a bit of time to roast the veggies but that’s the perfect opportunity to prep the remaining ingredients. A quick puree in the blender yields a smooth, creamy soup that’s utterly satisfying on a cool or rainy evening. Like to serve it with a tangy sour cream, cracked black pepper, tender microgreens for brightness and crackers for a bit of crunch, but feel free to include your favorite soup accompaniments, such as chopped nuts, fresh herbs or a drizzle of great olive oil.

Good for 4 servings

3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 pounds butternut squash, halved, seeds scooped out
2 pounds sweet potato, halved
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, cut into ¼ inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sage, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
4 – 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
hot sauce to taste
lemon juice to taste
Garnish (optional)
Sour cream, microgreens, and crackers

Procedure:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with the parchment paper or foil. Rub 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the cut sides and skin of squash and sweet potatoes. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Place the cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, until tender when pierced with a fork. Make sure to check large ends. When cool enough to handle, scoop out flesh and place in a bowl.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium- high heat. Add onion and celery, and stir until beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, sage, and remaining spices. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cooked squash, potato, a nice sprinkle of salt, and 4 – cups of broth. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender in batches or with an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce. Add more broth to reach the desired thickness. If the soup tastes a bit flat, add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten.

Hanger Steak in A Coffee-Peppercorn Marinade

This steak requires a bit of forethought for marinating a day in advance, but the results are entirely worth it. Coffee adds a depth of flavor that pairs perfectly with dark meat. Be sure to ask your butcher to remove the long connective tissue that runs down the center of the cut.

Good for 4 servings

1 cup brewed coffee
½ cup red wine
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed in a mortar and pestler
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to season steak
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 ½ pounds hanger steak, about 3 pieces freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:

Combine the coffee, red wine, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, crushed black peppercorns, maple syrup, sambal oelek, Worcestershire sauce, salt and garlic ina shallow baking dish or a large Ziplock bag. Add the hanger steak and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning the steak occasionally.

Remove the steak from the marinde and discard the marinade. Pat the steak dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast – iron skillet over medium – high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive and add the steak when the oil is very hot. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until dark brown. Turn the steak over and cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare or until desired degree of doneness. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain and serve with the kale and faro salad.

Connie Taylor

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

Office: 806-457-4810

Cell: 806-236-1370

www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Texas Real Estate Goes Green

Connie Taylor — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:16:50 +0000

Everybody’s concerned about saving the planet today. After all, this is the only one we have to live. At least, today and the next half of a century we’re sure of that –Earth is the only planet for human kind.

As the tide of ecological alertness sweeps on to mankind, building owners pitch in to save Mother Nature by attempting to make their structure LEED certified.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is granted to a building if it passes the LEED Green Building Rating System. The building is rated in four levels – LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold, and LEED Platinum.

Austin, Texas, has been the first to call for LEED certification in the United States. Dallas follows the Texas’ capital’s lead by issuing a resolution that all buildings owned by the city government should be at least LEED Silver – certified. Frisco also goes green by using requiring LEED certification on all commercial projects.

Just last year, the Greater Texas Foundation designed something that has never been done before – the first LEED Gold – certified building. The completed structure, also one of the first LEED buildings, is in Bryan, Texas.

Connie Taylor

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

Office: 806-457-4810

Cell: 806-236-1370

www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Wild Fires Set Most of Texas Ablaze

Connie Taylor — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:50:41 +0000

Wild fires have caused a lot damages in Texas, burning almost 4,000,000 acres of land this year as recorded in the Incident Information System.

Last week, the Texas Forest Service has been reported to have answered to over 100 fires including the 19 incidents yesterday which burnt 1,099 acres.

The wild fires have torched vast areas of land in the counties of Bastrop, Cass, Marion, Gregg and Palo Pinto. The disaster did not only leave charred trees and trails of ashes in several areas of Texas, but it also burned down a thousand homes and killed two in the county of Bastrop, and almost set twenty homes on fire in the county of Upshur, and a gas plant in Gregg county.

In Magnolia, main roads were closes as firefighters battled the fire. Residents helplessly watched the smoke rose, burning down properties and the forest.

Reports say that officials have declared that the fire near the state’s capital, Austin, is the most destructive among the 180 fires that have torched Texas.

In response to this disaster, Red Cross has provided a shelter for people and pets. The team also has mental health specialists to keep everyone calm after the catastrophe.

The fires did not only cause stress and worried the people who have lost their homes in the fire but also had the state firefighters worried about the winds picking up, damaging some more of Texas.

This information is presented by:

Connie Taylor
Keller Williams
ConnieTaylor@KW.com
www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.

Avoid making Moving Headaches turn to Theft Headaches

Connie Taylor — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:43:37 +0000

On the REBAC Hotsheet this week, an interesting tip list from Intersections Inc. on how to avoid having your important paperwork and numbers get into the wrong hands. This got me to searching for more helpful tips for all, and HireAHelper.com has a blog about good Moving Advice on how to avoid being the victim of any type of theft, including ID theft.

Moving is stressful enough, as is selling or buying your home. Taking steps before the end rush will help you and your family avoid having to deal with theft and ID theft!

This information is presented by:

Connie Taylor
Keller Williams
ConnieTaylor@KW.com
www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.

July 4th Trivia

Connie Taylor — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:41:57 +0000

With the long weekend ahead of us, I thought I’d do a quick post of July 4^th Trivia! You can be sure that these facts will be interesting tidbits to pepper your conversations with this weekend! May yours be fun filled and safe!

http://www.chiff.com/a/fun-facts-fourth.htm – This list is trivia about the current celebration of the 4^th, like who exports the most beef in the US (Texas), how many times have patriotic names (53 altogether), and other neat facts.

http://www.oldeducator.com/july4factsandtrivia.htm – This is trivia about more the history of the 4^th, such as who all signed the Declaration of Independence, American flag etiquette, and a lot more interesting history.

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/fourth-of-july/printable/26546.html – For those with 4^th to 8^th graders, this is an excellent document tailored to that age group so they can impress all your relatives and friends with their knowledge!

Not trivia, but for a fun, quick, and delicious treat this weekend, go check out the Red, White, and Blue Chocolate Covered Strawberries!

This information is presented by:

Connie Taylor
Keller Williams
ConnieTaylor@KW.com
www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.

Moving Tips

Connie Taylor — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:21:00 +0000

As with any summer, people are getting ready to move – sometimes as close as next door, and sometimes all the way on the other side of the globe. No matter how far the move, having a timeline to help prepare you, check lists of what you should look out for, and tips for some of the trickier parts of moving such as with children and pets, are always good things!

Google is a powerful tool in the search for tips and lists, but to help save you some time, I’ve collected several of the better websites I found!

www.MoveAdvocate.com – A great resource for moves, focusing slightly more on long distance moves.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/Flying_MovingTips.asp – More focused on women, but still a great source of information on how to not be overwhelmed in a move.

http://interiordec.about.com/od/moving/a/org_movetips.htm – From About.com’s Interior Design section, it never hurts to reiterate the great tips!

http://www.upack.com/moving-resources/checklist.asp – A weekly break down of things to accomplish to make sure it all gets done in a timely manner.

What are your favorite packing tips – did they make it on any of the lists? May your moves be safe ones, and if you need any help finding your home to move to Amarillo, Texas, just let me know!

This information is presented by:

Connie Taylor
Keller Williams
ConnieTaylor@KW.com
www.AmarilloDreamHomes.com

Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.