About Sedgwick County, KS

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf - Just like Mom used to make, sorta!


Those of you who know me are probably spewing pop out of your nose at the idea of me posting a recipe! Ha! Just because I happen to know how to burn water doesn't mean that I'm not married to someone who can do more than push Start on a microwave!

This recipe was one of my Mom's and happens to be my favorite meal. It was very often requested for parties, where she did a Meatball version. Meatball making is time-consuming work, so the preferred method is now a Meatloaf, but it's yummy yummy nonetheless! Evertime I mention he cooked this for me, I'm asked for the recipe!

Here you go!

Ingredients

1 egg	1 1/2 lbs beef	2/3 c Cracker crumbs
1/3 c chopped onions/green peppers (optional)	1 1/2 t salt	1/4 t ginger
1/4 c milk	2 Tbs cornstarch	1/2 C dark brown sugar
1 20 oz can pineapple tidbits in heavy syrup	1/3 c vinegar	1 Tbs soy sauce

Directions

Mix egg, beef, crumbs, salt, ginger, milk, and any chopped veggies. Shape into a loaf pan or 1/12 quart dish and bake at 400° for 1 hour or until done.

In a bowl, mix cornstarch and sugar, then stir in the pineapple juice from the can, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth. Pour in a skillet and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it thickens and boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute, then add in the pineapple tidbits.

Serve meatloaf slices over white rice with the pineapple/sauce mixture poured over.

Voila! Now, go off and make Meatloaf! But don't forget the final step - inviting me to dinner! Ha!

Two Famous Country Acts Playing Wichita

If you're familiar with the Wichita area, you know we've spent a ton of time and money and breath in building our beautiful new Intrust Bank Arena! Whether you were for or against the building, noone can deny it's a very neat looking structure and destined to bring in some great talent to entertain the community!

First to bat, or the first listed so far, will be the award-winning Brad Paisley! I hear he puts on a great act with some pretty mean guitar-playing! Paisley will be the Arena's opening act on January 9th.



Probably not the next to play, but the next to announce for the area so far is Taylor Swift. Yes, THE Taylor Swift, one of few country stars to win an MTV VMA! Her music crosses genres and is played on country, pop, and many other stations. While she hasn't confirmed her venue being the Arena, she has at least confirmed she's coming to Wichita! She's aiming to be in town April 1st.


Ticket sale dates have yet to be announced, but you can find out more and keep up to date by visiting the Intrust Bank Arena's Website! Looking forward to a ton more great acts at our beautiful new facility - giving us even MORE things to do in Wichita, KS!

Deciphering Real Estate Ads

Over the weekend, I received a plea for help from a friend located in another state.  She'd been searching online for properties, and noticed acronyms that she just couldn't make out.  The one she finally gave in and called me on was FROG.  She was concerned that it was a new decorating style, like the roosters, chefs, or ducks that were popular!

In fact, it's generally a Finished Room Over Garage.

What other acronyms might you run across in real estate ads, why are they used, and what on earth could they mean?  

Originally the purpose of them was due to the high cost for real estate ads and the need to squeeze as much info into as cheap an ad as possible. Another reason was the limited number of characters original MLS systems allowed as well.    Hence the need to shorten terms.  

Here's some frequent ones you may run across:

FP = Fireplace
WBFP = Wood-burning fireplace
GFP = Gas fireplace
Kit = usually kitchen
W/O or WO= Walk-out (as in a walk-out basement)
V/O or VO = View-Out (as in basement, windows are above grade, view out onto yard)
BR = Bedroom
BA = Bathroom
FR = Family Room or Finished Room
BSMT = Basement
TLC = Tender Loving Care (needs work)
FIN or UNFIN = whether a basement is Finished or Unfinished
Det = Detached, as in a building not attached to the house, such as a detached garage
Gar = Garage :)
Mstr = Master, as in Master bath or Master bedroom
Hdwd or wd = generally referring to Hardwood floors or wood floors
Fam Rm = Family Room
Lg = Large
Bldg = Building
HWH = Hot water Heater
HBPP = Home Buyer Protection Plan
Mn Flr = Main Floor
CDS = Cul-de-Sac
Appl or Appl'd = Appliances or Applianced, generally referring to kitchen
DW = Dishwasher
OS = Oversized
Cpt = Carpet
DOM = Days On Market - how long a house has been listed for sale
TFLA, AGLA, BFA = Total Finished Living Area, which is a combination of Above Ground Living Area and Basement Finished Area

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August, 2009 MLS report

From

W.A.A.R for the

South Central Kansas MLS

YTD closings in August, 2009 were down 16% from August 2009. YTD closings for January through August are down 22% from 2008 levels. YTD closings are down 40% from 2006 levels.

Listings YTD for 2008 are down 4% compared to new listings from January to August, 2008. Total existing homes on the market are up 4% compared to August, 2008.

New home inventories are down 24% compared to August, 2008.

The average sold price of an existing home in August was $122,823 and the Average home sold at 96.95% of the last asking price.

We are starting to see more standing inventory of existing homes in the higher price ranges.

$0 to 119,999 showed 4.24 months of inventory with 1701 homes available based on August, 2009 closings.

$120,000 to 159,999 had 724 homes and 3.48 months of inventory

$160,000 to 199,999 had 536 homes and 5.47 months of inventory

$200,000 to 299,999 had 655 homes and 6.01 months of inventory

$300,000 to 499,999 had 377 homes and 13.46 months of inventory

$500,000 and up had 136 homes and 19.43 months of inventory

Wichita was just ranked the 10^th best priced real estate market in the nation in one poll and one of the most affordable markets in the U.S. in another.

Sedgwick County was ranked the lowest in tax burden of the 7 most populas counties in Kansas. Kansas was ranked as a state with lower than average tax rates.

Stan Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate recently spoke to a meeting of real estate brokers at the Kansas Realtors convention. He says the local real estate market is stabilizing but do not expect a rapid increase in sales. He does say an extension of the 1^st Time buyers Tax Credit could have a pump-priming effect on the local market. He also said the Wichita and Kansas City markets inventories of homes remained well below national levels. He does not expect any substantial declines in real estate activity but the recovery will be slow.

Smoke Alarms are Great, but Should you Sprinkler?

Tornado siren tests, ambulances, fire truck sirens, police sirens, fire tests, tornado drills, and more!

In a world where alarms are norm, would you even notice if the smoke alarm went off?
Would your spouse? Your kids?

I can say that I sleep through alarm clocks daily - I don't know if I'd wake up. I have one child who requires medication to sleep (yes, requires. Otherwise he does NOT sleep AT ALL) - he wouldn't wake up if a train drove through the house. The other 2 kids - I know for certain the baby would, but my 4 year old... hmmm...

The point being that a Smoke Alarm, while loud and obnoxious, has a chance to be ignored. And obviously if you're not home, it does no good at all. You may have one that's wired into your home security - which is definitely a better upgrade!

But have you considered having Fire Sprinklers installed? You see them in hotels, schools, offices, and more, but should your home be protected as well?

Here are some factoids to consider:

• Often, the sprinklers can contain or put out a fire before the fire department even reaches the house.
• Having both sprinklers and smoke alarms cuts the risk of death by a fire in the home by 82%.
• Insurance companies offer as high as 35% discounts for homes with fire sprinklers.
• Sprinklers operate independently, only those near the fire will activate, protecting the rest of the house from both fire and water damage.

Photo by dvs on Flickr Photostream by Creative Commons license.

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