• ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Better Judgements eZine Terria Judge, Realtor CRS, ABR, GRI, Broker Associate Better Judgements is a newsletter on home matters, from Terria Judge, your Garden City, KS real estate agent! Contact Terria Judge at 620-271-2129! Terria Judge Coldwell Banker, The Real Estate Shoppe, Inc. John P. Judge, Broker 1135 College Dr. Suite E Garden City, KS 67846 620-275-7421 x 223 http://terriajudge.com http://gardencityksrealestate.com http://gardencityrentals.com Terria@TerriaJudge.com --NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!! Subscription Management at end of newsletter. Thanks for your subscription to Better Judgements, the newsletter from your Garden City Kansas Realtor, Terria Judge. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- In this Issue ============= 1. Facts About Ice Cream! The weather is getting warmer--it's almost ice cream "season!" 2. New Features at TerriaJudge.com 3. Featured Listings 4. Article: Creative Decorating Ideas Using Old Windows 5. Article: Where Are All the Good Contractors!! ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Fun Facts about Ice Cream by Alli Ross To this day, the history of ice cream remains a mystery. However, many say that the first ice cream is credited to Emperor Nero of Rome. It was a mixture of snow, nectar, fruit pulp, and honey. Others proclaim that Marco Polo, a 13th century adventurer, brought ice cream to Europe from the Far East. However, regardless of where it came from, today's average American consumes 23.2 quarts of ice cream per year, with the first ice cream parlor in America opening in 1776 in New York City. So, which countries like ice cream the most? The United States, New Zealand, Denmark, and Australia top the list. The favorite flavor is the classic vanilla. Then comes chocolate, strawberry, neapolitan, and chocolate chip. How do these line up with your own list of favorites? The most popular topping for ice cream ---- chocolate syrup. Who would of thought ; ) Around 13% of men and 8% of women will admit to licking the bowl clean after eating ice cream. Biggest ice cream sundae - 12 ft tall! This one was made with 4,667 gallons of ice cream in California in 1985. The average single-scoop ice cream cone takes 50 licks to finish. Try it out with the following recipe. Quick Strawberry Parfait: Ingredients 1 quart of strawberry ice cream 1 pint of whipped cream Instructions Mix the strawberry ice cream with the whipped cream at serving time. Serve in a glass of your choice and top with whipped cream, with a strawberry on top. (Feel free to top your parfait with other fruits as well.) This recipe will fill eight glasses. For other parfait flavors, simply use a different flavored ice cream. About the Author GranMamma is the webmaster at the Baby Names Box - http://www.babynamebox.com - Where you can explore over 20,000 first names and their meanings . Read articles on parenting, family, home and gardening. Be sure to say hi to GranMamma! ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- New Features at TerriaJudge.com ==================================== Terria Judge knows how important the Internet is for home buyers and sellers. She has had her own website for the past 5 years. Recently, Terria had some changes made to http://terriajudge.com to better serve her clients. Ever wonder how much house you could afford? Now you'll know with the handy mortgage calculator found at http://terriajudge.com/calculator.html. Wondering when Terria has some open houses? Terria now has an events calendar at http://terriajudge.com/calendar.html. Terria also features Real Estate news, and articles of interest to home buyers and sellers. And the best change for Terria's clients? She now creates an individualized website for featured listings! See this month's featured listings to see what we mean. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- FEATURED LISTINGS ================= 1. http://5765dolittle.com 2. http://702nseventh.com 3. http://1919pioneer.com If you're interested in listing your house with Terria, you might be able to have your own website like www.123yourstreet.com! Just visit Terria at http://terriajudge.com/marketevaluation.html to fill out an interest form! ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Creative Decorating Ideas Using Old Windows by Kathy Burns-Millyard A Room With A View Have you ever wished you had a great view right outside your bedroom window but all you see when you wake up in the morning is the wall of the next-door neighbor's house? Well then follow these easy steps to create your own window with a great view. What You Will Need for This Decorating Project: 1. An old window preferably with the glass still intact. You can find these at flea markets or salvage yards. 2. Poster or picture with a pretty view large enough to put behind the window. 3. 2 mug hooks 4. 1 nail 5. Wire 6. 10 thumbtacks 7. Hammer If you want to paint the window, do this before moving on to the first step. You should consider though that sometimes the weathered, antique look adds a lot of charm. How to Get This Look: - Put the window on the floor and put the poster or picture on it so that the front is facing down. - Use the thumbtacks to attach the picture or poster to the window. - Make sure the picture is right side up. - Lean the window against the wall so that you are looking at the back. - Put the 2 mug hooks on the back of your window in the top corners. - Make sure the opening for the mug hooks is facing down. - Use the wire to create a "hanger" for the window. Secure the two ends of the wire on the mug hooks. Make sure there is a lot of excess wire so that when you hang the window the wire creates a triangle with 4-inch sides. - Hammer the nail into the wall where you want your window. - You can now add window treatments to it just as you would a normal window or wrap silk flower garlands around the wire. Old windows can be used in a variety of ways. Here are just a few more creative ideas for the old window and a plain wall. Decoupage pressed flowers on the different panes of glass. Try using whole flowers or just petals for an interesting country garden look. Decoupage postcards from around the world into the panes or pictures of a favorite city, like Paris. Paint the frame to match your child's room. Attach clothespins (also painted in a coordinated color) all around the outside of the window. As you child grows attach school pictures to the panes and let them use the clothespins to showcase their drawings, report cards and other mementos. When the child graduates you have a ready-made decoration. Make etched glass designs in the panes or make faux stained glass out of the windowpanes. Your local craft store should have everything you need to do this, from instructions to materials. Use the window to create a fun decorative piece in the kitchen. Get a shelf the same width as the window and paint it the same color. Put the shelf on the wall just above the window so they look like one piece. Put mug hooks evenly spaced along the bottom of the window frame and use them to hold cute mugs, wire whisks, ladles, potholders or other items. Put recipe books along with a few decorative items that match your kitchen on the shelf, such as a vase of flowers, decorative plates or a nice clock. © 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. This article is provided courtesy of The Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network - http://www.diyhomedecorating.com - a large and growing decorating and decor website featuring articles, tips, advice, and popular decor shopping. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Where Are All the Good Contractors!! by Celise Bealer Have you ever had a bad experience with a contractor (ex. painter, roofer, plumber, landscaper, carpenter etc.)? Did problems such as these occur: contractor showing up late or not at all; poor workmanship and work ethics; missed deadlines? Have you landed in court because of a bad contractor? I can relate. Although finding a reliable and punctual contractor who takes pride in his or her work often seems impossible, contractors possessing these characteristics do exist. The key is knowing how and where to find them. Here are a few easy ways (outside of using the yellow pages) to find contractors who will make you want to smile at the completion of the job, instead of cry: ·Ask family members, friends and associates for referrals of contractors who have worked for them. People close to you are usually more than happy to give you the name of someone who did excellent work for them. ·Visit your local home improvement center. Employees and customer service representatives (CSRs) may be able to refer quality contractors to you. Contractors patronize these centers regularly and sometimes leave business cards with the CSRs. ·Attend local home and garden shows. These shows are packed with home improvement professionals who are eager to explain and demonstrate the type of services they provide. Visit the various vendor tables/booths. Retrieve information provided by the professionals and use this opportunity to ask any questions you may have concerning your next project and your search for a contractor. ·If your city or town has a real estate association, attend one of the regular meetings. The real estate investors, agents, brokers and others who attend the meetings can refer you to quality contractors. Some contractors are members of real estate associations. Remember, before hiring any contractor, do the following: ·Contact the Better Business Bureau to find out if the contractor is a member of the bureau. If so, obtain a copy of the bureau's report. The report contains general information about the contractor and will inform you whether or not the contractor has a satisfactory record with the bureau. The report also contains information such as the number of complaints, if any, the contractor received within a determined period of time (usually 36 months). ·Ask the contractor to provide references and pictures (if applicable) of his or her completed work from previous jobs. ·Make sure the contractor is fully licensed and insured. ·Try to obtain a minimum of 3 price quotes for the job to be performed. After you have selected a contractor for your project, be sure to PUT EVERYTHING IN WRITING! This can save you down the road in the event that something becomes a disputable issue in court. Your contract should include a detailed description of the work to be performed; materials that will be used; timeframes (dates) for the progression and completion of the project; a cost breakdown for the project and payment information. Penalty clauses should also be included for any breach of the contract by either party. The contract should be signed and dated. By looking for contractors in the right places and doing a little research prior to hiring a contractor, you will greatly increase your chances of having a satisfying and relatively trouble free experience that will be a win/win for you and the contractor. About the Author Celise Bealer is an independent distributor for Tahitian Noni International. TNI markets an a|| natura| health supplement called Tahitian Noni Juice, which helps people who suffer from ailments such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes and allergies. Tahitian Noni Juice, along with information about TNI's unprecedented home-based business opportunity can be found at http://www.tahitiannoni.com/cbealer. Celise's email address is cbealer@tahitiannoni.com. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- This newsletter is compiled and published by Mitone Griffith, http://brightideagraphicdesign.com

  April 27th, 2005 at 2:31 pm

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