Random Bits of Information

Thank you Shanna Schriner!

Wow, my mom, Terrylynn, just forwarded me an email from Shanna about a yearly charity event that she organizes.  Shanna and her husband, Christopher, own BrooksideGardens.com, they build gorgeous ponds and Shanna is a pond expert (check out our StagersLIST.com Ask the Expert, water features, she knows what she's talking about!)  Once a year they organize a Moonlight Pond Tour so people can tour some of the different types of ponds their clients have come up with for their yards.  The price is $20 per person, and this year it benefits:

Jerry Eggleston, Vietnam War Vet, Cancer Patient
Jerry served during the Vietnam war.  He was based in Guam and flew refueling missions over Vietnam.  Jerry was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma earlier this year.  He is completely unable to work right now. This has depleted his savings and he is now trying to figure out how to get by.  He is currently in the Veteran's Hospital in Boise, Idaho recovering from pneumonia that almost took his life last week.  His wife, Carol, works for a nursing home as a activities director.  She has used all of her vacation time to drive Jerry to his treatments and to be with him during this current hospital stay. Please enjoy our tour this year and know that you are helping to support a worthy family.

The event is October 3 and 4 from 5-9pm.  Click here for more information about the tour or to make a donation. Some of the water features you will view:

• 75 foot waterfall/stream on a hillside
• 100 ft. waterfall meandering throughout new, lush landscaping, ending in a 25 x 25 foot pond that includes underwater lights and koi
• Aquascape with a Wetland filtration system (the pond is basically 11 x 16 x 2 feet with three streems feeding into it)
• Tranquil waterfall with an 18 x 10 foot pond surrounded by a beautiful rose garden
• Multi-level waterfall that takes over entire front yard
• 12 x 20 feet with 3 waterfals, water lilies, cattails, and other water plants, koi and goldfish
• Beautiful tropical backyard pond

You are asked to bring a flashlight and be respectful of the homeowners' other landscaping.  Sounds like a lot of fun!

Great job Shanna & Christopher Schriner! I have not been fortunate enough to meet Shanna in person yet, but according to Terrylynn, "This is not the first thing like this I have seen her do, she is just a sweetheart.  She's one of those people who is always thinking about others."

Cuando: Domingo, 28 de Septiembre de 8 am a 3pm
Donde:  1175 Carey Drive, Concord (un cuarto de Cambridge Park)
Porque:  Salvamos vidas una milla a la vez!
Buenas Ofertas-Fantastica Causa

Algunas de las cosas que seran vendidas son:

*Ropa (tallas para ninos y adultos)
*Juquetes y munecos de peluche en buena condicion
*Muebles
*Decoraciones
*Marcos para fotos
*Equipaje de exercisio
*Articulos para la casa y cocina
* Y mucho mas!

Usted puede donar en
www.AdryonRocks.com o http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf08/Tpaculba

When:  Sunday, September 28, 2008 from 8am to 3pm
Where: 1175 Carey Drive in Concord
Why:  Because we’re saving lives one mile at a time!
Great deals - Great cause

Just some of our quality items:

Golf Clubs
Tivo
Clothing (children and adult sizes)
Good condition toys and stuffed animals
Furniture
Staging items
Photo frames
Good quality household items
And much more

If you are unable to come to our garage sale, please take a moment to make a tax deductible donation at:

www.AdryonRocks.com or

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/nikesf08/Tpaculba

This is a hard time for most of us, we are shorter on cash than we are used to.  Most of us, however, are lucky enough to have a place to live and enough to eat.  It's important to remember that our local food banks help families ALL YEAR LONG, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Can you take a moment to clean out your cupboards or pantry?  Maybe donate $15-20 bucks and make your coffee at home instead of visiting Starbucks this month?  Every little bit makes a difference!

Here's what I read in the Contra Costa Times, written by Tanya Rose:

The Monument Crisis Center, a Concord food pantry that serves 5,000 people a month, was forced to close its doors this week after it ran out of food to give away.

Sara Loquin, assistant program manager for the five-year-old pantry, said the hope is to get sufficient food donations, and to buy food at good prices, to be able to reopen Monday.

"We closed early Tuesday because we ran out of food - there is just nothing on the shelves here," Loquin said.

The nonprofit emergency pantry relies on food and cash donations from the community and from businesses to feed more than 1,600 families.

Despite continued support from community food drives and from large corporate donations, food reserves have been low since last year's Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday season, Loquin said.

At the same time, more people are coming through the doors each day asking for bags of groceries because of the ailing economy, she said.

"More individuals are losing their homes, jobs and spirits, and thus are coming to food pantries for help," said Sandra Scherer, the center's executive director.

Last week alone, she said, the pantry gave food to 75 families, and Scherer expects that number to rise each week.

Both women said they hope publicity about the center's plight will result in donations this week.

The center is located at 2350 Monument Blvd. To donate food or other resources, call 925-825-7751.

According to my mother, Terrylynn Fisher, who is a regular supporter of the Crisis Center, this seems to happen yearly around this time, I guess people just run out of steam of forget.  So let's take some time to help those less fortunate.  No one should go hungry.  Thanks!

The 87-year-old Broadway star fell last week and fractured her hip and femur.  She had to undergo surgery and her doctor said absolutely NO concerts, so the San Francisco fundraisers were cancelled. Ms. Channing has been known to go on stage with a broken rib, arm, fresh stitches, etc.  This is the first time she's cancelled shows in 70 years. She is a firm believer that "the show must go on".

Tonight's event was:

"The concert was to be the official kick-off event for HELLO, CAROL! A Celebration of Carol Channing, the first major retrospective exhibition ever mounted on the life and work of this Broadway and Hollywood legend, as well as the official launch of a major fundraising and public awareness campaign by the Dr. Carol Channing & Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving arts education in California schools (drchanningfoundation.org). The exhibition is still scheduled to run at the Museum of Performance & Design beginning Friday, September 26, 2008 and running through March 14, 2009." (- from BroadwayWorld.com).

Rhiannon is a very big Carol Channing fan and of course made her a get well soon card immediately.  We were lucky to see Ms. Channing and her husband at a fundraising event for their foundation at Sonoma State University a couple of years ago.  She's still got a personality about 100 times bigger than her body... and that giant smile. 

Carol Channing was in the news earlier this year when the dress you see pictured here was stolen from her hotel room.  It was, obviously, recovered and will be on display at the Museum of Performance and Design, but I don't know the details about the recovery.

I found an old magazine on ebay with Carol Channing on the cover promoting Hello Dolly and was able to have it autographed for Rhiannon.  She also has an autographed photo of Carol Channing prominently displayed in her room.  We're certainly hoping for a full, speedy recovery for this amazing entertainer.

 

As some of you know, my friend Adryon is running the Nike Women's Marathon to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  As some of you also know, I think that she is insane for doing this.  Great, doing it for a good cause, but insane.

One thing I can get behind, however, is the carb loading Friday nights before her run.  (She's currently running 20 miles in San Francisco as I type this).  She texted me this week & said, "I  need to carb load, want to go out & eat spaghetti?"  Um, Italian food, YES.

So we decided to go to Evana's Italian Kitchen.  It is in a strip mall with a Trader Joe's, a pet store, etc., but I've checked it out before and found the food to be delicious.  Inside, it's very cute, as you can see. Quite small with very good service.  Once I asked for just an eggplant appetizer (I have a lapband and can't eat a lot early in the day... I don't LOOK like I can't eat a lot, but I am aware of it).  Our server kept asking me, are you sure that is enough, like a good Italian mama would do.  Finally she said, "May I please put spaghetti with it?"  Basically, I felt I had to say yes to ease her worries about me not having enough to eat.  (I was not charged for the extra spaghetti).

Last night I had the Spinach Ravioli with Creamy Pesto Sauce and I am very afraid that this may become a craving that I will have to indulge more often.  The pasta was fresh, the sauce was perfect... Delicious.  Adryon had Chicken Putanesca and was also quite pleased.  Adryon had water, I had water too but also Pinot Noir (Hey, I'm not getting up at 4:30 to run 20 miles tomorrow!).  In fact, I'm already thinking about going back for dinner tonight.  My daughter loves Italian food... we could bring my grandma... sure, I can justify this!

Anyway, if you're in the East Bay Area of California, this is a restaurant worth trying. 785 Oak Grove Road in Concord, California.

Well, it was just going to be Marshmallow until I asked if she couldn't have a "real" name? Please? We have Oreo Cookie Maxwell & Snowball, obviously named for their looks. So there was a compromise and triple M was decided upon.  Miley was a rescue kitten who has been bottle fed since about 2-3 days old.  It is believed her mom was scared off by 4th of July fireworks.  Here she is with a canine companion.

She's a little bigger now, about 9 weeks and 2.7 lbs.  We picked her up tonight and of course we are in love.  Introducing her to the menagarie slowly so we don't step on any toes.  She's sleeping with Rhiannon right now.

The foster mom asked for a picture once she's integrated into the household. I'm hoping for a Miley/bunny pic.  Will share when that happens.  Welcome Miley!

On the third Saturday of each month, the Lafayette Pet Shoppe will host rabbit adoptions for the Contra Costa County Animal Services.  September's adoption day coincides with the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival, which gives us all even more reason to head over and check it out!

When:  September 20, 2008
Where: Lafayette Pet Shoppe, 3517 Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette, CA. 925-284-5212
Why:  Because rabbits make great pets! 

Did you know:

• Rabbits can be house pets (without a pen/cage)? 
• Rabbits can be litterbox trained? 
• Rabbits have unique personalities just like your cat or dog? 
• Rabbits can have attitude that rivals any cat's?  (I have one of these bossy guys, he's hysterical).
• Often people who are allergic to cats are NOT allergic to rabbits?

Come on down and learn more about why rabbits are such great pets.

Some buns you might meet when you drop by:

 

You are invited to attend the First Annual Pacific Northwest Staging Expo! Presented by: StagersLIST.com and MasterCraft Furniture PRESENT the First Annual Northwest Home Staging Expo September 13, 2008 Join other industry professionals for the opportunity to hear Christine Rae, Staging Expert/Trainer and Author of Home Staging For Dummies present Trends in Your Marketplace In addition, Kym Hough, Experienced Staging Professional, will present Marketing Your Business Daily Terrylynn Fisher, 31 Year Realtor Professional, will present How to Become a Collaborator With Your Realtor Mary DeBella, Home Staging Professional, will present Inventory and Warehouse Management Furniture Factory Tour AND MUCH MORE! WHERE: MasterCraft Furniture 10075 SW Commerce Circle, Wilsonville, OR 97070   (10 minutes south of Portland) 1-800-677-SOFA WHEN: Saturday, September 13, 2008 from 2pm-6pm Industry Suppliers will have booths available for great Resourcing of product INVESTMENT: $20 for RESA members, $25 for non-RESA members (includes refreshments) Once you register you will be entered into the Expo Raffle, a $1,000 Value! For more information, call Local Event Coordinator Mary DeBella of Northwest Staging & ReDesign at (503) 657-3295 or email Events@StagersLIST.com What Previous Attendees are Saying! "Stick with the trends of the business. Love hearing about what a difference staging makes in "all " markets, (good economy or bad). The topics you spoke to were great. Keep the same format. Great door prizes (even if I didn't win one)!!!" - Cynthia "Thank you so much for inviting me. The Expo was a success. You should be proud. As a former Fashion Merchandise Director for several renowned Retail Department Stores, and now launching a new Staging business, I was especially impressed by the Trend Reports as this was an important part of my job as Fashion Director. Most business owners do not understand that in order to be successful, and remain on top of the food chain, keeping abreast of current trends is a must and in all areas, not just Home. Trends crossover from many different areas: Lifestyle, Fashion, Politics, Auto Industry, Colors, Fabrics etc. We must keep in mind that our clients, (Homeowners, Realtors, Developers, Vendors as well as Buyers), are all influenced by what's going on the the world. Stay Tuned In People... It was a great event, can't wait until the next one!!!" - Felicia Sponsors Include: RESA CSP Training Program True Decor Staged By Design People's Furniture Rental Mead Smith Attorneys at Law Bellissima Decor Devine Paint Next Stage Furniture Lamps Plus The Plant Atrium

Netflix description:
As the 15th anniversary of a tragic high school shooting approaches, Diana (Uma Thurman) flashes back to a time when her teenage self (Evan Rachel Wood) and best friend, Maureen (Eva Amurri), dreamed of leaving their small town. As she relives the events surrounding the tragedy, drifting between past and present, Diana wonders if she can live with the choice she made that changed their lives forever.

Chris:
This was an adaptation of the book by the same name written by Laura Kasischke.  The book is very well written; it's a heart wrenching story.  Normally I am not a fan of movies that are made from books I really like.  They often just don't do the story justice.  For example, having read the book Memoirs of a Geisha made it impossible for me to finish the movie.  I turned it off part of the way through, infuriated at how they butchered it. (This could have been because I had only recently read the book before watching the movie).

This is not one of those movies.  It is very well acted, beautifully shot, and captures the suspense and drama of the book.  I have seen it in some reviews described as a dramatic thriller.  I would NOT call it a thriller, but it is a fairly intense drama.  The main incident (high school shooting) is obviously very disturbing and dealing with the aftermath and what leads up to it are fairly intense.  So don't watch it if you're not up to tackling this subject.  I think this book was successfully interpreted in the film version.  Let me know what you think/thought.

 

WOW!  This home is listed at $599,950.  For more photos & information, visit www.WallaceDrive.com.  Some highlights:

• 3 bedrooms, 2 baths
• .41 acre private lot with RV/boat parking
• Sparkling pool (child safe fence included - currently in garage)
• Spa
• Walking distance to Clayton library, park, downtown and Mt. Diablo Elementary School
• 2,114 sqaure feet
• Just refinished random plank hardwood flooring in family room
• Fireplace with hearth
• Updated kitchen
• More, more, more

You can contact my mom, Terrylynn Fisher, Realtor, at 925-876-0966 if you have any questions.

Just wanted to take a moment to mention how great Mary DeBella is.  The Staging Expo is heading to the Portland area 9/13/08 and Mary is our local event coordinator.  She has been advertising, lining up  sponsors (who bring cool stuff to give away), organizing food, accomodations, everything.  Mary is truly a professional and we feel very lucky to have her on board for this Expo.  It is going to be a lot of fun.

Some of the speakers & topics:

Christine Rae, Staging Expert/Trainer and Author of "Home Staging For Dummies" presenting about "TRENDS IN YOUR MARKETPLACE"

Kym Hough, Experienced Staging Professional from California will present "Marketing Your Business Daily"

Terrylynn Fisher, a 31 Year Realtor Professional from California presenting "How to Become a Collaborator With Your Realtor"

Mary DeBella, Home Staging Professional, will present "Inventory and Warehouse Management"

Plus there is a furniture factory tour, a $1,000 raffle prize, and more!

If you are able to attend the event, please visit www.StagersLIST.com to register.  There is a banner ad in the top left.  The investment is only $20 for RESA members and $25 for non-RESA members.  Our local (East Bay Area, California) was a HUGE success.  The feedback we've received is great, the staging professionals who attended seem to value the information provided.

Some of the sponsors Mary has lined up (there will be booths at the Expo for sponsors, as well as raffle prizes during the expo):

Thank you again Mary for working so hard to ensure The First Annual Pacific NW Staging Expo will be a success!

I just wanted to share my recently finished project. I had a lot of fun doing it, love the colors, and my client is very happy with it as well.

About his company: Established in 2006 by Markus Maguire - Sphere Effect combines the knowledge of three generations of printers. Starting in the early 1900’s with Markus’s Great Grandmother McConnell, his Great Uncle Richard McGhie, his Grandmother Marion Maguire and his Father Alexander Maguire who is now retired after 52 years in the industry. Alec remains an important source of information and understanding for Sphere Effect today! Almost 100 years of Scottish legacy and commitment to clients makes Sphere Effect like no other in the San Francisco Bay Area.



My mother recently obtained her Green Real Estate Certification and completed the course to be a trainer. Markus and his company have environmentally friendly equipment and options to assist her in her marketing and training.

Anyway, just wanted to share my "Woohoo! That was a fun one!" with my AR friends. : )