Rose Cottage Ltd

So much for 2013 which for many people has been a tough year. Maybe once we get that “13″ out of things in less than 24 hours, the world will seem back on course!

Hope everyone has a safe New Year’s Eve and a successful and happy 2014.

Please don’t drink and drive and if you find yourself intoxicated with no way home, call AAA. As a last resort and if they have availability, someone more responsible than you will see you home safely. Just remember you will then be keeping THEM out on the road New Year’s Eve. I think most of us can and will do better than that…

If there is one subject that is constantly interesting with new ideas to keep the old brain cells firing, it’s real estate.

So starting January 4, 2014 I’ll be marking what would have also been my father’s 79th birthday with a new segment on Rose Cottage called “Real Estate Saturday.”

Credit: Campins Luxury Real Estate

From unbelievable luxury homes to small but perfect cottages and cabins, outstanding scenic property, and the nuts and bolts of DIY, and real estate investing…despite the tepid economy, something is always happening somewhere!

Should be FUN – and looking costs us nothing!!

Was watching a past episode of “Extreme Homes” on HGTV last night and of all the spectacular and huge homes I saw, the smallest house was the one that got most of my attention.

This is not a picture of it above – in fact this house is a good bit bigger than the 700 square-foot house that was showcased on Extreme Homes. I must admit getting a tad claustrophobic while seeing how little space there was – although what was there was very well organized.

How about this one? It has the rustic charm I always like and I LOVE the little porch out front. All this home needs is the right piece of land!!!

I’m heading over to Tiny House Designs to see if I can get some other ideas. I’m pretty sure I can’t manage to live in 700 square-feet, but I might get some good layout and kitchen/bath organizing ideas for my next home.

Food-wise anyway! The rest is up to you!

Chicago Steak Company is the premier provider of gourmet steaks, seafood and desserts. We are proud to continue the long and rich tradition of Delivering Mid-Western Corn-Fed USDA Prime, Black Angus, and Premium USDA Choice steaks to homes and businesses across America.

Our juicy steaks were recently showcased on the Discovery Science Channel’s Catch It Keep It, as the “Must Have” luxury item for any steak lover.

Not up for sirloin alone? How about suffering through some “Surf & Turf? It would not hurt my feelings to be served this for a very luxurious New Year’s Eve dinner!

More Ideas:

++ 3 Slabs of Chicago Style Baby Back Ribs – by Coach Ditka

++ Corporate Gifts

++ Filet Mignon Tips

I’ll be waiting for my invitation!!!

I’ve been saying for the past few years that I am going to keep count of how many mail order catalogs I receive during the holiday shopping season and this year I finally remembered to do it.

The grand total between October 15 and today’s Christmas Eve mail, which has just arrived, is…

237 catalogs!

WHOA! Good thing I have a lot of buyer’s resistance!!

Hope everyone has a great Christmas and a safe holiday week!

This is what you might think about when you get up in the morning and see that it is December 23rd:

Instead, I got up this morning – the heat having not run once for the past two days, and it was 72 degrees inside and 64 degrees outside. In Central North Carolina – in December!

Cooler temperatures are forecast to be here by Christmas Day and I like the idea of a few days that require no artificial heat, but it feels weird nonetheless. Reminds me of holidays past spent in New Zealand where Christmas takes place in their mid-summer.

Keep a early eye on weather if you are traveling over the next few days. Looks like a few surprises are still in the wind…

First, happy first day of winter! Now, back to our story…

Excess – it’s everywhere.

How big a house does a family with two children need? How big a SUV does one person need to drive? How big does your TV need to be?

I was watching a home improvement show one night this past week and was astounded at the size of some of the appliances chosen – for what appeared to be about a 1600 square-foot home with two adults and two children.

Here’s a reasonable facsimile of the range chosen:

This is (granted) a beautiful, full-featured Thermador range.

This 48-inch range also features easy-to-clean porcelain cooktop, ExtraLow® simmering featuring Star® Burners, 22,000 BTUs Power Burner, a large capacity Convection Oven and SoftClose® doors.

Price? How about $11,300 to $11,500.

Then we moved on to the refrigerator…

Yes, it’s pretty and yes, it fits nicely in with the chosen cabinetry and probably the whole kitchen.

But is it worth $6,000?

Do you really need 20+ cubic feet of refrigerator space? Do you need the all-LED sidewall and theater lighting?

Are you planning to move in or does this refrigerator just need to keep cold things cold and frozen things frozen?

Enough with the appliances – how about home size? Do three people really require a five bedroom house of over 4,000 square feet? Maybe, if they are planning to have a couple more children – fairly soon. Otherwise, why would you want to clean, maintain, heat and cool all that extra space? We won’t even discuss property taxes…

I tend to get claustrophobic if there is too much clutter and I like a bit of land around me, but I refuse to believe the home improvement shows and the marketing materials that are trying to convince me, on a daily basis, that I NEED all this luxury, these huge appliances, a huge house, a huge TV, and a big, bulky SUV to drive my 120 lb self around in.

I don’t. If I won a million bucks in a lottery I wouldn’t spend it on a $6,000 refrigerator and a $11,000 range. It just seems ridiculous. Maybe this is because I am in what is the second-half of my lifetime and have realized that some things are important and many are not. Or maybe I could just give a cr*p about what anyone else has or, what they think about my personal belongings.

Excuse the whining but during this season of commercial after commercial trying to convince me to shop and spend – I am just over the top on what so many of us are convinced we NEED to have and NEED to spend.

The definition of “need” is: to require (something) because it is essential or very important.

The definition of “excess” is: an amount of something that is more than necessary, permitted, or desirable.

Just make sure YOUR spending is at least a decent blend of the two, and make sure your decision to spend – if a little “excess” is involved – is because YOU made the decision based on your own preferences versus being “sold.”

Well I’ve had the Golden Euonymus growing in my yard for nearly a decade and I have never seen this:

Apparently I have never been able to have them in a location with enough late-season sun. This year’s change of location took care of that so, Merry Christmas from the Golden Euonymus!

And what better time to get them thinking about a new way to do things when so many of us “outdoor types” are in our Winter doldrums period – stuck inside lusting over seed and bulb catalogs and waiting for Spring 2014!!

Dealzer Hydroponics is one of the most popular online hydroponic gardening stores. Hydroponics are ecosystem for growing plants and are very popular.

Want to find out more? Click the link and check out the products they have to offer. You might find you have a whole new way to think about “growing” things! That will give us something to do until the Spring thaw!!

Quite a bold statement! But no doubt true when you give a gift of lobster. And since one rarely sees the words “free” and “lobster” in the same place, I thought this post was worth the effort.

Chicago Steak Company is the premier provider of gourmet steaks, seafood and desserts. They are proud to continue the long and rich tradition of delivering Mid-Western Corn-Fed USDA Prime, Black Angus, and Premium USDA Choice steaks to homes and businesses across America.

Their juicy steaks were recently showcased on the Discovery Science Channel’s Catch It Keep It, as the “Must Have” luxury item for any steak lover. Jim Johnson, a celebrity on Chicago Radio’s Roe Conn Show, stated “The steaks were great…quite possibly the most tender I’ve ever had!”

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