Brainerd, MN

This is the second in the series of quotes to start out your New Year with some wit.

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."

-Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress....
But then I repeat myself

-Mark Twain


I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle..
-Winston Churchill


A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.
-G Gordon Liddy


Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
-James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)


Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
-Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University



Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
-P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Paul Bunyan is part of the new 2008 Holiday Village located in the Westgate Mall Brainerd/Baxter Minnesota. Paul the Doll and his big wooden chair were found on E-Bay and were created by Designer & Fabric Artist Marilyn Lee and Craftsmen Kenny Kraeplin. His creators donated him to the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway Association.

This Paul is not small and it took 3 people to move him to the Holiday Village. He rode there in the Shores & More Realty van.

Paul will be promoting the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway , which is a 54 mile long Nationally designated driving route, which goes through Crow Wing and Cass counties.

The Holiday Village is open now and will stay open until Christmas Eve. Come talk to Paul , see some holiday performances and check out the beautifully decorated stores,

Re$ale Design & Home Staging

photo by ~ Mykl Roventine/Flickr

The early Americans were acutely aware that all they had was given to them by the hand of God. Whether they were in times of good and plenty or suffering through hardships, drought or war - they gave thanks to God for all that He provided and for all that He was.

America's history is deeply rooted in faith in God. Many today are threatened by that faith. They want to rewrite history and downplay God as just one of many things that some people seem to take comfort in believing. After all they think there are many roads to salvation and their goodness will surely get them admitted to Heaven. God's Word says otherwise and He is neither a liar nor a deceiver.

Listen to some voices from our past:

Samuel Adams, father of the American Revolution:

"It is therefore recommended ... to set apart Thursday the eighteenth day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor ..."—November 1, 1777 (adopted by the 13 states as the first official Thanksgiving Proclamation)

Virginia Governor Thomas Jefferson, in 1779:

"[I] appoint … a day of public Thanksgiving to Almighty God … to [ask] Him that He would … pour out His Holy Spirit on all ministers of the Gospel; that He would … spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth … and that He would establish these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue."

President George Washington’s first federal Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789:

"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.… Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 … that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection."

President Abraham Lincoln, making Thanksgiving an annual national holiday in 1863, in the midst of the Civil War:

"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy."

Proverbs 20:14 -

"Its no good, its no good!" says the buyer; then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.

Proverbs 23:10 & 22:28 -

Do not move an ancient boundary stone

Proverbs 10:9 -

The man of integrity walks securely but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.

Proverbs 11:13 -

A gossip betrays a confidence but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 14:1 -

A wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down

Proverbs 24:3-4-

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beatuiful treasures.

And for those in a slow market

Proverbs 15:16 -

Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.

With more homes going into foreclosure in our area - the former owners think that they have a right to strip out any valuables. This is not the way it works legally and they are unknowingly setting themselves up for more problems. Not only are they stripping homes, they are actually vandalizing the homes upon leaving. Somehow they feel that by taking their frustrations with their lenders (or themselves) out on the home - they will gain something.

The following items are assets, fixtures that should not be removed from a home that is in foreclosure:

• Cabinets and counter tops
• Appliances such as stoves, built-in microwaves, dishwashers, etc.
• Furnaces and air conditioning units
• Plumbing and copper pipes
• Romex or other electrical wiring
• Light fixtures and ceiling fans
• Doors and hardware
• Flooring, ceilings and walls
• Windows and vents
• Medicine cabinets, sinks, tubs, toilets and showers
  

photo by afroswede

• Sink drains and faucets
• Built-in shelving / bookcases
• Landscaping, fencing, built-in pools and spas

Assets Home Owners Can Remove from Foreclosed Homes

If a home owner leaves behind personal belongings, the lender will seize those items. If the lender stores them, the home owner could be charged for storage.

Here are items a home owner can remove without fearing prosecution:

• All personal items brought into the home by the owner such as furniture, clothing and common household items such as dishes, pans and silverware
• Mirrors
• Personal artwork and photographs from walls
• Stationary lamps
• Pets and pet-related items such as dog houses, aquariums, bird cages (please find them homes)
  
• Easily removable window coverings such as drapes or curtains - not the rods
  
• Refrigerators, televisions, computers and stereo equipment
• Throw and area rugs
• Indoor plants
• Portable fans and heaters