Do You Celebrate May Day?

I'm curious what your memories are of past May Days and what are your current traditions? I grew up in the country, so it was fun to ride our bike to the closest neighbors, sneak up to the front door, leave the basket, knock and hide. Our tradition was that the recipient was to chase the giver and if you caught them, you kissed them. Our "basket" was usually some sort of decorated cup filled with some candy and some freshly picked wild-flowers.

My kids have celebrated in every neighborhood we've lived in. One year we moved on May Day. It was the best neighborhood welcome we ever received. I think every kid in the neighborhood left a May Basket on our front step for the "new kids".

Our funniest story was when our youngest two left their baskets on a neigbors porch, rang the doorbell and hid. The lady came out of the house yelling at them for ringing and running. They peeked out and said they left a May Basket - she said WHAT? they pointed and said...a May Basket...OH...and she went back inside. I guess that was her initiation to the tradition. Here are two links to sites that tell you history of May Day, and some craft ideas to help you celebratae

What will you be doing?

Expelled- Have you Seen It??

If you have had a chance to see this movie, I'd love to hear your reaction to it. Also what was your reaction to the style of the film?

Bill & I went to see it the first night it was shown at Copper Creek Theatres. The theatre where they showed it was packed. I thought the humor used by Stein was more subtle than I had anticipated. Even the style - with the close close-ups of the people being interviewed seemed to be a satire on documentaries. I loved the old black-and-white clips that were used. But I was definately not expecting the parallels he drew from history - with the Jews during the holocaust and the wall coming down in Germany. Very impactful. Oh, I almost forgot to report this- at the end of the movie - the audience at Copper Creek applauded!

Please post your comments.

This Weekend in Des Moines

Like always there are a plethora of choices - no shortage of activities to entertain you in Des Moines Iowa. If you have any reservations about the acceptance of academic freedom in the educational system, there is a great movie opening this weekend - Expelled-No Intelligence Allowed. It will be playing at Copper Creek Theatre in Pleasant Hill. One of the examples in the movie is a professor from Iowa State University who was denied tenure because of his studies on Intelligent Design. The host of the movie is Ben Stein, so needless to say there is humor. If this is a subject you are concerned about be sure to attend so that the "powers that be" are alerted to the fact that there are numbers (and dollars) in agreement. For the trailer go here. To get the showing times at Copper Creek go to http://www.fridleytheatres.com/.

Billy Graham's daughter, Ruth Graham Lotz will be here in Des Moines at the Wells Fargo Arena. There is no admission charge. Billy Graham has said his daughter Anne is the best speaker in the family! Don't miss out! The schedule as printed in the Register is here.

If looking at real estate in Des Moines or the surrounding area is on your weekend schedule give the Eisenlauer Team a call. Bill @ 770-2455 or Bob @ 979-2883.

When Choosing Your Lender

1. 
   
   We hear a lot of talk in the news about the mortgage foreclosure problems. What we don't hear about is the predatory lenders that caused the majority of this "crisis". Here are 6 clues that the lender is predator.
   
   1. Excessive service fees. Common is 1 % of loan amount
   2. Teaser rates and baloon payments. You want to know what your rate could be raised to.
   3. Delayed closing. Unscupulous lenders may delay a closing until a more favorable rate expires.
   4. Overinflated appraisals. Higher values allow for higher fees to the lender - added cost to the borrorer.
   5. Prepayment penalties. Penalties for prepayment try to make it too costly for borrowers to lower their rate by refinancing.
   6. Unexpected settlement costs. These will make your fees at closing significatly higher than you were told earlier.
   
   Any of these situations should raise a red flag in your mind. If you have any easiness about your lender call us or other trusted professionals. The Eisenlauer Team deals with real estate issues on a daily basis,making us more familiar with these situations. It's unfortunate that a few lenders have caused such monumental problems. However there are lots of trustworthy lenders available.Please allow us to use our experience and knowledge to help you with your real estate needs. If it's buying or selling property in Polk County, or beyond..we'd love to represent you.
   

LOOONG Vacation...Color Trends

That was a long vacation from blogging. Sorry, won't do that again. I'm back, it's getting to be spring...and time for new birth! Don't you feel like changing wall colors and re-doing this time of year?? I was looking on line at color trends for spring/summer 08. Here are some of my faves.

GREEN Everyone is thinking environmentally green, and visual green. "green is on its way to a starring role as the newest "neutral" color. Mid-tones of fern, palm, pine and sage used alone or with clear blue or aqua create living spaces that conjure a sense of outdoor-friendly living."

BLUE Leatrice Eiseman of Pantone Color Institute "As a reflection of the times, Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspect of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast."

CREWEL In our high-tech world, we crave simplicity - warm rich colors of jewel tones, deep reds, browns, spicy orange and deep-toned blues.

ETHNIC ACCENTS Still a trend to accent with ethnic pieces..Asian, Indian, Island..you choose. It really livens up a room and reflects your personality.

One trend that doesn't change..Eisenlauer Team is still your local Real Estate experts. We'd love to help you buy or sell a home in Pleasant Hill, Altoona, S.E. Polk, or anywhere in Des Moines. Two full-time Realtors to serve your needs.

Ever Ignore a Prompting?

Amy Kolln came to our office last week and presented SendOutCards to the Eisenlauer Team. It's a great product for anybody who wants to simplify staying in touch with family, firends, clients or co-workers. You buy a "level" of membership that suits you, then you can log in to the website and create. You choose a card that fits the occassion, choose the text that you'd like to add, you can even add a gift card or gift of food to be sent with the card. Enter the recipient's name and address, push the send button and its done! The address is written on the envelope, it's stamped with a first-class stamp, the card is written in and signed in your handwriting. No more trying to coordinate shopping for the card, find a stamp, find an envelope...catch the mailman. That game is obsolete. Just make the choices on-line, and the card is sent. All for about $1 a card. Let me know if you want more info. Look in my companion blog for a bit more info.

Lions Club Soup Supper

The Pleasant Hill Lions Club hosted a Soup Supper Sat. night. It was great fun, good food, interesting conversations with a plethora of people attending. There was Potato Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup and Chili - all home made. AND some of the BEST homemade desserts that I've seen in a long time. I had the BEST carrot cake...it was thick and moist, loaded with nuts and topped with creamy delicious cream cheese frosting! Bob said his favorite was a moist white cake with pastel colors of jello, and topped with a light whipped topping. There were young dancers from the area that kept us entertained and drawings to keep us sticking around to see if we'd win. If you are interested in joining the Pleasant Hill Lions Club, give Bob a call. In addition to selling real estate in the eastern Polk county area, he's a member of the Lions club. They do a lot of service projects, including assisting people in purchasing hearing aids and eye glasses. Bob's Ph.No. 515-979-2883 Also, if you have prescription eyeglasses or hearing aids that you no longer use, please let Bob know. The Lion's Club International are able to recyle these.