• Supervise all children at all times, especially children ages 14 or younger.
• All pools should be completely surrounded by a barrier fence that is at least 5 feet tall with gates that automatically close and latch. Children drowning after wandering in to an unenclosed pool account for over half of the children who die from downing every year.
• Drain entrapment is another evil danger that haunts swimming pools. Pools must have anti-entrapment drain covers on all of the drains. There also needs to be a safety vacuum release system. This system prevents children from being trapped under water when they are captured by the drain’s powerful suction.
• It is a good idea to install pool alarms around you Gainesville FL home’s pool area. Pool alarms can be installed on gates to detect when someone is in the area. Specialized pool alarms can also be installed to detect when someone gets in the water.
• Get training and become certified to perform water rescue skills, like CPR and first aid.
• To take extra precautions complete a lifeguard certification course.
• Always keep rescue and first aid equipment readily available and easily accessible in the actual pool area.
  
• It is important to keep a phone handy in the pool area to make quick emergency calls.
• Keep toys and other pool accessories in secure storage while the pool area is unoccupied. These things can attract unsupervised children and block the view of potential emergencies.
• Encourage children to learn proper swimming techniques and develop strong swimming skills. Parents should enroll children in swimming lessons when they reach age 4. Many local Gainesville FL organizations offer free or affordable swimming lessons.
• Inflatable swimming devices, such as rafts, water wings, noodles, and lounge chairs are not flotation devices or rescue equipment and they do not prevent drowning.

Be safe!!

That’s right! Gator Homes Realty has 2 complimentary football tickets for each of the upcoming home games.

As a valued customer, you are invited to attend a southern style tailgate party before heading to the Swamp.

2010 Home Schedule includes:

September 4      Miami (OH)
September 11    South Florida
September 25    Kentucky
October 9            LSU
October 16         Mississippi State
November 13     South Carolina
November 20     Appalachian

Just email me at linda@gatorhomes.com and let me know which home game you and your family would like to attend. It’s that simple…Go GATORS!

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in November, fell 16.0 percent to 96.0 from an upwardly revised 114.3 in October, but is 15.5 percent higher than November 2008 when it was 83.1.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said a drop was expected. “It will be at least early spring before we see notable gains in sales activity as home buyers respond to the recently extended and expanded tax credit,” he said. “The fact that pending home sales are comfortably above year-ago levels shows the market has gained sufficient momentum on its own. We expect another surge in the spring as more home buyers take advantage of affordable housing conditions before the tax credit expires.” 

Let’s look at December Gainesville FL real estate sales statistics to see how the housing recovery is progressinglocally. 

The Gainesville FL area single family home sales saw a 20% increase in sold listings in December 2009, when compared against December 2008.  New listings saw an increase of 9%.  Pending sales saw a 8% increase and the average sales price decreased by 1% to $197,731, while market times decreased by 4 days.  

 The Gainesville FL area Condo/Townhome market saw the average sales price decrease by 19% to $121,802 in December 2009 compared to December 2008.  While new listings were down 5% and sold listings decreased by 5% in December 2009.  Pending sales decreased by 18% when compared to December 2008, while the average market times decreased by 18 days. 

For the latest Gainesville FL real estate market conditions in your area, please call me at 888-424-8841 or visit MyGatorCondo.com.

Food for Thought

THANKSGIVING TIDBITS AND TIPS

 ”Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.”
                               ~ Edward Sanford Martin

Although some historians claim that the first day of giving thanks in the New World was on December 4, 1619, at Berkeley Hundred in Virginia, it is commonly believed that the first actual celebration of the harvest and blessings from God took place in Plymouth in 1621.

The festivities lasted three days and included feasting, entertainment, and competitions. President George Washington issued the first governmental National Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789. In 1863, during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, Thanksgiving became a federal holiday, and FDR, in 1939, designated the fourth Thursday in November as the official Day of Thanksgiving.

Food Fact: The first Thanksgiving feast most likely did not include turkey, mashed potatoes, or pumpkin pie, but the early settlers did enjoy seafood of all kinds, seals, swans, geese, corn, turnips, and spinach. 

Here are some great sites for Thanksgiving recipes!! Here you will find food from the past (chestnut stuffing, mince pies), meals for the vegetarian or diabetic, healthy adaptations for old favorites, gourmet dishes, treats for kids (Daddy’s Popcorn, cheesy ranch Chex mix). Also visit the websites of Ocean Spray, M and M’s, Pepperidge Farm, and McCormicks. And get all your Turkey cooking questions answered at Butterball.com or call  the Turkey Talk Line – 800-288-8372.

“What we’re really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?
                                  ~Erma Bombeck
                                    “No One Diets on Thanksgiving,” 26 November 1981

Tasty Tip:
To make basic cornbread stuffing crunchy and delicious, simply add lots of toasted pecans and moisten the mixture with sweet apple cider. You can also add liquid bacon for a smokey flavor. For extra zing, do this while softly singing, “Oh, turkey dear, oh, turkey dear, how lovely are thy feathers…” and drinking spiked hot cider punch!

More tips: To calculate amount of food and drink you’ll need, follow this guide.

• Whole turkey–1 lb. per person
• Bone-in turkey breast–¾ lb. per person
• Boneless turkey breast–½ lb. person
• One bottle of wine = about five glasses

Time required for thawing the bird: for each 4 ½ lbs. of frozen turkey, allow 24 hours of thaw time in the refrigerator. Once fully thawed, the turkey may be refrigerated for 1-2 days. And still another…Suggestions for turkey leftovers include dumplings, patties, chili, tetrazzini, barbeque, turkey/wild rice soup, turkey/ginger/apricot salad, all sorts of casseroles, and a myriad of others found at www.allrecipes.com and many, many others.

Want to share Thanksgiving greetings with friends and family? AmericanGreetings.com, BlueMountain.com, 123Greetings.com, Hallmark.com will send them out for you free of charge. 

And speaking of greetings–and gratitude–Xerox has a web site that lets you send a message of thanks to soldiers currently serving in Iraq. This is a FREE service and only takes a minute to do. What a great way to spread the spirit of the season! Visit LetsSayThanks.com today.

Thanksgiving Myth:

Ever feel sorry for the poor Pilgrims always dressed in drab shades? Not so, say many historians. Those early settlers used vegetable dyes to produce colorful attire, and although the colors weren’t as bright as they are today, it was not at all unusual to see clothing made of wool, linen, fur, and leather in hues of blue, green, violet, red, yellow, orange, and purple. Many of the Pilgrims were skilled in clothing related trades, and they produced fashions which mirrored those of England at the time. And no buckles on shoes or hats, either–those didn’t come into style until much later.

HOLIDAY DECORATIONS–EXERIOR AND INTERIORCreate a warm and thankful holiday mood by decorating your doorstep with nature’s bountiful harvest.
REQUIREMENTS: Cornucopia or Baskets, Yellow and Orange Christmas Tree Lights,
Ears of Indian Corn, plain Wooden Wreaths, Gourds, Pine Cones, Oak Leaves, Pumpkins, a yard long Velvet Ribbons, glue.  

INSTRUCTIONS: Purchase a cornucopia (horn of plenty) basket and arrange pumpkins, corn, gourds, apples and nuts inside so that some of them are spilling out onto the walkway. Create garlands of autumn leaves and orange and gold Christmas lights and wrap them together around any poles or columns.  Place pumpkins, stalks of Indian corn and gourds along the edges of walkways and steps. Buy a plain wooden wreath and decorate it with artificial autumn leaves, nuts, pine cones and berries. Add a fall-colored velvet bow.  Hang the wreath on the door.  Tie around orange and gold lights in any trees or plants near the doorway.  Wrap garlands of artificial autumn leaves in the branches along with colored lights if some of your trees are bare from cold weather, Make sure none of your decorations block the peephole in your door.

CAUTION:  Check to make sure that your outdoor decorations are not in the direct line of your sprinklers. 

AND INTERIOR…A PAPER CHAIN OF BLESSINGS

You’ll need:  Construction Paper, Scissors, Markers, Stapler

Directions:  Cut out 2 inch by 6 inch strips from various colored construction paper. Have everyone write one thing they are thankful for on the strips. Form the strip into a circle and staple. Make sure the writing is side out!  Take the second strip and stick it through the center of the first circle you made then staple. Continue doing this until you have used all your strips.

These hints–and hundreds of other craft ideas, songs, turkey jokes and one liners, and games are found here. A GREAT source of ideas!!

And now Kid Stuff…

Turkeys made from paper, pine cones and gourds. Download Thanksgiving screensavers. Make special Indian Corn Napkin Rings. Enjoy Thanksgiving crossword puzzles, jokes, and trivia.

Get kids into the Thanksgiving spirit with a festive turkey hat.  Make a turkey out of yarn and paper. And dress up the fridge with Indian corn magnets.

Read beautiful Thanksgiving stories, sing Thanksgiving songs, and learn about Thanksgiving around the world.

Help children make the most of Thanksgiving by planning activities that become family traditions. During dinner, have everyone tell what they are most thankful for.  If someone is thankful for food, plan to share a meal with someone less fortunate. If the kids are thankful for toys, collect unused or nearly new toys for a toy drive.

GIVING BACK…

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to share our blessings with those less fortunate than we are and to spread the spirit of friendship and community. Opportunities for helping others during the holiday season are many and can involve one individual or the entire family. Some ways to foster goodwill and embrace the idea of sharing include:

Contribute non-perishable foodstuffs for a local food bank. Give money to local agencies who feed the hungry. Volunteer your time to sort supplies, set up and/or clean up, or serve meals on Thanksgiving Day.

Invite a neighbor who lives alone to join you for dinner. Take a warm plate of Thanksgiving food–and a big smile–to a shut-in.  Contribute to holiday food collection bins in grocery stores. Purchase pre-packaged boxes of food (generally around $10.00) to be distributed by local grocers. Check with your local place of worship to see where your help is most needed.

So there you have it–facts, myths, tips, websites, and everything you have ever wanted to know about Thanksgiving. May yours be an enjoyable celebration shared with friends and family and filled with gratitude for all your blessings!

Gainesville

The rankings are determined by a series of metrics established by Forbes ranking factors including local colleges, educational attainment of residents, and quality of life offerings.

Gainesville came in #77 for ‘Job Growth Projection’, #63 for ‘Cost of Doing Business’, and #13 for ‘Educational Attainment.’

Once again we are proud of live in Gainesville!

Cities were ranked according to how well they are creating and sustaining jobs and economic growth. The ranking depicts those U.S. metropolitan areas that are recording the top economic performance for wage and salary growth.

Nationally, Ginesville ranked #34 in wage and salary growth for 2008, moving up from the #52 ranking in 2007. In other rankings, Gainesville is # 79 for 5-year job growth, and #63 for 1-year job growth. In Florida, Gainesville ranked fourth behind Orlando, Ocala and Pensacola.