Christmas Shopping - Stocking Stuffers - Snacks -Movies

Do you do stocking stuffers?? I was doing last minute Christmas shopping today, mainly stocking stuffers. If you want to share some ideas, suggestions...would love to hear some of yours. I had a coupon for Borders. They were swamped, but very efficient with their checkout. Even tho there was a looong line of customers, the wait was surprisingly short.

Our family's favorite Christmas movie is the Christmas Story with Ralphie, the Red Rider B-B gun, the leg lamp delivered in the Fragile box, etc. Last year I was lucky enough to buy a leg lamp at Hope Ministries Thrift Store. My friend, Tina, does displays at Denny's Gift Den. She borrowed the leg lamp to display with the Dept. 56 village pieces from Christmas Story. She did a very innovative display. She found a 50's era T.V. set, with the convex glass, wood case - took the insides out and used it for a display for the village pieces. The picture above is of the display - not the best picture, you'll have to go to Denny's to see and appreciate the real thing.

Office Max had a few good stuffers for me. Learning Post is a favorite stop. I could browse there for hours. Naturally I found some good small items there.

If you like a bit of chocolate for someone special or other imported grocery items, try European Flavors at the intersection of 73rd and University (Sam's Club neighborhood). The owners are originally from Russia. They are very helpful and knowledgeable about their inventory. If you're not sure about an item, they are happy to offer a sample. Good sales people!

So that was a rambling post, but hope you're finding everything you need for a Merry Christmas. And I hope you know that "everything you need" is Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And everything you need for real estate is the Eisenlauer Team. Call Bill 770-2455 or Bob 979-2883. Merry Christmas!

FROSTY SIGHTINGS

Frosty was in Olde Town Altoona with the Eisenlauer Team last Friday. He posed for pictures with children (and adults) while the rest of us were busy working. We served pumpkin bars and had a craft station set up. After the kids had their picture taken, they could decorate a frame for the picture and make an ornament. Wed. night Frosty showed up again at the Pleasant Hill HyVee. The Eisenlauer Team was scheduled to ring bells for Salvation Army. Frosty encouraged them in the cold weather and even led them in some songs while he was there. Let us know if you'd like Frosty to show up anywhere. We have a special line of communication with him. Just one of the talents of the Eisenlauer Team, your real estate experts in Des Moines, Pleasant Hill and the rest of Polk County. Bill 770-2455 or Bob 979-2883.

TRYPTOPHAN - Action Photos

This is tryptophan in action. Turkey has in it an amino acid called tryptophan. It is an essential amino acid, the body can't manufacture it. So we must (over)eat turkey in order to get tryptophan, which in turn helps our body produce serotonin which acts as a calming agent in the brain and plays a key role in sleep. Just study these photos if you don't think it works.

Kick off the Christmas Season in Olde Town Altoona

Christmas in Olde Town Altoona - Friday Nov. 28

There will be Fun for the Whole Family! This will be so much more fun than spending time at the mall with the masses. Some of the activities:

• The Eisenlauer Team will be hosting Frosty the SnowMan from 1:00 - 5:00. You can have your picture taken with Frosty, then decorate a small frame to put it in!
• Visit Santa Claus in his house.


• Enjoy Cocoa and Cookies.


• Get a Tatoo.


• Do the Cake Walk.


• Have fun with Spin Art.


• 1:00-8:00 Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides.


• 1:00 Chili cook-off serving.


• 5:00 Christmas Parade


• 5:45 Light the Christmas Tree.


• Just for Kids - Visit Angel Hall 1:00-5:30 and 6:30 - 8:00. Kids can find the perfect present for Family & Friends - Fine Gifts only $1.00 each!


• Location of Olde Town -At the Hyvee on 8th St. go north to 2nd St. SE. That's where the activities will be.


• And don't forget if you need a Professional Realtor call the Eiesenlauer Team. Easy to work with...Hard to Beat! Bill 770-2455 or Bob 979-2883

Happy Birthday Grandma Doris

My mom turned 88 today! Here's our birthday message to her! Happy Birthday Mom! You don't look a day over 80!

I had my packages all ready to go to the post office, when I was reminded that it is Veteran's Day. There should be a guide as to what is open on what holidays. Is the library open? Are the banks open? How about Wall Street? We know the gas prices can go up no matter what day it is. I did find this fun site that answers one question. Does the mail run today? You can type in any day, any year, and it will simply tell you yes or no! Now if we can only find a solution for city, state, federal and private holiday closings....

VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN...oops, I mean VOTE!

It's your duty, your obligation, your privilege, your right....No matter how you consider it, and who you're rooting for - Make Sure You VOTE! Just in case the mere act of making a difference isn't enough - here are some promotions for those of you who keep your " I Voted" sticker on throughout the day.

Free star-shaped donut at Krispy Kreme. You have to go to the store on 86th between University and Hickman for this one.

Free cup of Coffee at Starbucks

Free music download at Rock the Vote

The Chick-Fil-A at Jordan Creek will give you either a free chick-fil-a sandwich or a free milk shake. Your "I voted" sticker will be your coupon (they will take it from you...), so you might want to save this one for last.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DILLON - 15 YEARS!

What fun! I think its a parents duty and obligation to show up at school once in awhile to embarrass your child in front of his friends, don't' you? Bill, Bob, Pam & I went to Grandview Park school today. We timed our visit so we would be there during the high school lunch time. Bob had a Happy Birthday trophy for him, we tied helium balloons to it, took 50+ cupcakes and with the help of some students presented him with the trophy and sang Happy Birthday. HAPPY 15th DILLON!

Many Musings

Does anyone else get tired of hearing gloomy national news? If we believed it all, we'd all curl up in a fetal postition! Real Estate is Local! There are great deals in real estate, the mortgage rates are still low...and most people CAN obtain a mortgage loan! The Register did an article this week about the local market being close to where is was one year ago. So call your LOCAL experts (Bill 770-2455 Bob 979-2883) and don't hunker down and hide. Life is good here in Des Moines!

Early OctoberFest. Beat the rush, celebrate Octoberfest in September! The Des Moines German celebration is this weekend.

Sport Season Lap The sport seasons seem to have more of an overlap. Highschool football and volleyball are coming to the end of their season. World Series is starting. And winter is knocking at the door of the MidWest.

My Favorite Season...

Fall is my favorite season. Some reasons why...

Color - love the colors of fall.

Walking through crunchy leaves.

Warm days, cool evenings.

Making homemade soup.

Peanuts and Candy corn, eaten together.

What are your favorite thing about fall?

The pictures are of Taste of Altoona. It was a fun night, we got to see a LOT of people and try some good foood.

Don't believe all the bad news you hear. Real Estate is local, and the market in Des Moines is not the same as the east and west coast. There are bargains to be bought and the mortgage interest rate is still excellent. Price of gas in down. Your favorite Realtors are still anxious to serve you with buying or selling real estate anywhere in the Des Moines area. Bill 770-2455 or Bob 979-2883.

Taste Of Altoona - Thur Oct. 9, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Come get a "sampling" of what our business community has to offer! Enjoy food samples, door prizes, and business showcases! This event is open to the public. Sponsored by the Altoona Area Chamber of Commerce and Prairie Meadows. Read more about the event in the Des Moines Register. Then if you want to attend call your favorite professional Realtors to see how to get tickets. You can reach Bob at 979-2883 or Bill at 770-2455. They are the guys to call if you're buying or selling real estate in DesMoines, Altoona, Pleasant Hill - anyplace in the Polk co. or nearby communities. The Taste of Altoona will be held at the Event & Conference Center at Prairie Meadows - north end of the facility.

Two People can win Two Tickets

As big as it sounds! Unprecedented in scale and scope, 'Walking With Dinosaurs-The Live Experience' lets you get up close with 15 "live" dinosaurs designed and brought to life by The Creature Production Company. T-Rex, Stegosaurus, and the gigantic Brachiosaur are among the giant stars of the show, based on the award-winning BBC TV series. The show chronicles the entire evolution of dinosaurs over their 200 million year tenure on Earth. The realism is astounding, and you'll feel as if these mysterious creatures have returned to the present day.

This is the description of the Walking With Dinosaur production that starts at Well Fargo Arena this week. The tickets that we have to give away are for Wed. Oct. 1, 7:00 pm. They are $35 tickets - club section 116. Please call BOB at 979-2883 if you want to claim two tickets. Don't forget the Eisenlauer Team are your favorite Realtors! When you need a professional call Bill at 770-2455 or Bob at 979-2883

The recipients of the tickets were Cindy Zinzer and Kathy Long. Both said the show was very entertaining and fascinating - watching the amazing technology that made the dinosaurs "come to life". Stay tuned for more opportunities for tickets.

Super Hero Day at Grandview Park Baptist School

Last week was Homecoming at Grandview, so there was a different theme each day for the students to dress up for. Thursday was Super Hero Day. My thrifty 3rd born and 2 of his friends were D.A.V. Super Heros...guess where they purchased their costumes???

East High Golf Friends

It's always fun to see someone you know in the funny papers, I mean the newspaper. There are pictures of a golf meet between East High and North High. Here are pictures of two of our favorite golfers/drummers. James McCourt and Kase Heuermann.

Year Book Yourself.... A Fun Time Waster

This website is too much fun! Go to this site and upload a picture of yourself or someone's face you want to have fun with. You need a face shot looking forward, and little hair around the face, forehead. Then the site lets you put that face in different era hairstyles and clothes from the 60's to 2000. What do you think of these two pictures - do they look like brothers from a different mother???

Regardless of how they look here, they are two of the best Realtors in the Des Moines area. They love to sell real estate in Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Ankeny, Runnells, etc. . Give them a call and let them know if you want to buy or sell a house or just make fun of them in these pix. BOB 979-2883 BILL 770-2455

New Sports Shop in Altoona

Bob and I went to a ribbon cutting on Thursday for a new shop in Altoona. It is L & K Sportscards & More, 827 17th Ave. SW, Altoona, Iowa. 515-967-5342. The shop is located in Younstville - the little stripmall on the west end of 8th St. It's the area that has a railroad car as part of a bar and the long-time home of Breadeaux. The store has all sorts of collector cards and items with your favorite pro and college teams (especially Iowa and Iowa State), as well as S.E. Polk shirts with their new logo. They are working hard to get Kyle Orton jerseys in...(without a lot of cooperation from Reebok). The owners, Laura & Kathy, also hope to have Kyle in for an autograph session. Stop by and check it out..you won't be disappointed.

Glad to be Living in Des Moines

With all the bad national news - with the economy, weather etc. I am thankful I live in Des Moines Iowa. The real estate market here in Des Moines stays relatively stable, in spite of what is going on around the country. I was once told that it has to do with Des Moines having such a strong base of employers in the insurance industry vs. manufacturing type base. From the viewpoint of the Eisenlauer Team, the market is doing good. Our market activity gauged by phone calls, listing and sales - things are on the rebound. The flucuations here are always milder than on the East or West (Right or Left) Coasts. So give a big cheer for where we live and work. I even heard the price for an acre of farm land is up from $3,800 to $4,300. There are still more listings than buyers - so if you're thinking about a change - its a good time to sell or buy real estate in Polk County. Give us a call, we'd love to represent you as your Realtor. Bill at 770-2455 or Bob 979-2883.

Mini Saga - Rainy Football

A Mini Saga is telling a story in exactly 50 words, not 49 or 52...50 words. Here's my first try.

Friday night high school football. It's raining. My son is playing. I don't like football. I love my son. I really dislike football in the rain. Do I love watching my son more than I dislike football? Does enduring hard bleachers, cold, wet weather equate a parents love and devotion?

Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow

This weekend - Sept. 13 & 14 are the last two days to enjoy the Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow. And again we have a quiz - 3 questions to win TWO tickets to the Renaissance Faire. Here they are:

1. The period of Queen Elizabeth's reign is part of the Renaissance era. Who was Queen Elizabeth's mother?

2. Who wrote The Divine Comedy?

3. What was the original purpose of falconry?

I have tickets for three people to win a Pair. Good Luck!

(Do you think Mona Lisa could be a self-portrait of Leonardo...and that's why she/he is smiling?)

KATINAS TICKETS - WIN YOURS TODAY

Click PLAY to the right to hear some of the Katinas music. They are a Contemporary Christian band. They are brothers from the island of Samoa, sing a lot of accapella and are very energetic. The best thing - They will be in Altoona Sat. Aug. 30. 7:30 at the Lutheran Church of the Cross. We have a limited number of tickets to give out. The only thing I want from you is - Promise you'll use them...or give them to someone who will. I know you'll like them. We will have the tickets at our office - Re/Max Real Estatae Group in Pleasant Hill, 932 N. Shadyview for whoever wins them. They will be available for pick-up on Thur. or Fri. So 2 tickets per person to whoever can tell me the title of their new album --- until the tickets are gone. Thanks - Worship God with the Katinas Sat. night in Altoona!

Winner of Contest AND State Fair Pictures

The winner from the Local Eating Establishment replies is Diane Cline! Congrats Diane and thanks all for your replies. We have some new "places to try" on our list.

It's State Fair time and we really need some pics of the strange and interesting folks you see at the fair. Do you have any? Send them and we'll post them (unless they are indecent). We didn't get to do a booth at the fair this year. Des Moines Area Association of Realtors has been doing a booth, but didn't this year because of a price increase. But if you have need of a Realtor, especially in the Polk Country area, Call the Eisenlauer Team. Bill at 770-2455 or Bob at 979-2883. We'd love to be your family's Realtor.

Keep coming back to see the pictures. Here's one our 16-year old snapped.

Eating Local

I recently received a request to answer a questionnaire about "buying in the golden circle", or buying from local vendors. So - in that regard we will be asking for you to post some of your favorite local businesses. This time - your favorite local place to eat. Anyone who knows the Eisnlauer family, knows that we love to eat at local ethnic "Mom & Pop diners". We even enjoy taco trailers! So the question is - Where is your local non-franchise place to eat?? (You can include a franchise if they are locally owned and operated and the owner is around to meet and greet customers.) Please reply with a post at the end of this so that others can get some ideas for new places to try.

I'm listing three of my favorites. El Salvador del Mundo is located at 2901 6th Ave. (south of Hull Ave). It has parking in the back of the building. Their specialty is papusas. They are handmade tortillas with filling of beans/cheese/ meat. They are served with a cabbage slaw and hot sauce. The owner is very personable and he welcomes newcomers.

Cafe Fusion is located at E 14th and University. It serves Thai food. My favorite is Vermicelli. It is sort of a salad - noodles on the bottom, then beansprouts, other veggies and fresh herbs. You can choose to have meat and/or egg roll to top it off. A small bowl of dressing is served with it. My sons enjoy the pad Thai. The best dessert - sweet sticky rice with fresh mango! It's DELISH!

Kin Folk Barbecue is located in a strip mall on 8th St. in Altoona (3160 8th St. S.W.) It's down-home cooking. To order you go through a cafeteria style line, choosing your meat and sides. Don't be afraid of a line - they serve quickly and efficiently. My favorite here is beef brisket and potato salad. The potato salad is better than homemade (because you're not making the mess at home!) For desert you can get a huge warm chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup. They'll serve it with as many spoons as you have people. Definitely big enough to share with the family.

So - Cant wait to hear your suggestions. We will pick a winner to give a prize to. So vote early, vote often! And don't forget to pass our names on to anyone you know wanting to buy or sell real estate in the Polk County or Des Moines area. Two experienced Realtors to assist you. Bob at 979-2883 or Bill at 770-2455.

Grandview Park Defenders at Principal Park

The first thing when we got to Principal Park Monday night for the 6:00 game - we saw the grounds crew covering the infield. The wet weather was coming they reported, so instead of starting the game and having to stop, they would wait for the rain, and then begin. So after almost a 2-hour delay the game started. That long wait for already anxious players didn't help. The opposing team was North Sentral Kossuth. How good can a school be that can't spell central ?? Well - they were good! They beat the Grandview Defenders 12 - 2. But that certainly doesn't take away the achievement of making it to the State Tournament. Who knows...maybe it's the beginning of a tradition! Way to go Team! And Kudos to the coaches!