About McCurtain County, OK

Sweet, Sweet, Sweet! I love the smell of peonies.

Every garden should have some for their sweetly fragrant smell.

These white peonies with large blossoms about 6 inches across are in my garden.

Peonies thrive and prosper in Southeast Oklahoma. If you want to bring the fragrance of a flower garden into your home, clip a couple of these and drop them into a bud vase. They bring both their fragrance and beauty in flower arrangements or alone.

Judi Barrett,

Integrity Real Estate Services

Our Name Says It All.

Idabel, Oklahoma 74745

Specializing in Lake Raymond Gary Properties

If you're shopping for wood blinds and don't want to pay the price for them, you might consider faux wood blinds.

The best place that I have found to buy faux wood blinds is Payless Decor. I have ordered from this company 4 times now and have been pleased each time.

One of the orders had a valance miscut by a small fraction and it left a tiny gap in the corner. I called them and they sent another one with no questions asked. At the time that I called them, I had placed an additional order. I told them that if they wanted, just to send the valance with the new order but they did not want to do that. They were concerned that it would confuse the issue. I had the valance at my front door 2 days later.

Their prices are great and so is their service.

No shipping!

Faux wood blinds sure do dress up windows at a nominal price so if you have your house on the market and are in the process of staging it or looking for ways to increase it's appeal, this is one way that is fairly easy to do and DOES make a difference in the look of your windows.

Payless Decor's Signature Series Faux Wood Blinds come in several wood tone colors and are textured with a wood grain. The Clearance Rauxwood blinds come in cherry and natural colors and have a textured finish also. This produce ships within 5 business days and is at a great price right.

Be sure to insert the coupon code "weekend".

Whether just decorating or getting ready to sell, be sure to check out Payless Decor. I have been very happy with them.

Till next time,

Judi

-------------------------------------------

Integrity Real Estate Services
Our Name Says It All.
Judi Barrett, Broker
Idabel, OKlahoma
580-212-5946

The first time home buyers tax credit does have its limitations. It has income limitations. The First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit Form has the limits spelled out on the instructions.

The tax credit has reductions kicking in for incomes above $75,000 for an individual or $150,000 for married filing jointly. Incomes $20,000 above these limits do not qualify for the credit and the credit is reduced within those boundaries.

Now granted that lower incomes need the credit more, but many people do not realize that they will not qualify even if they are purchasing their first home if they make more than $95,000 as an individual or $170,000 as a couple filing jointly.

Neither can you qualify if you purchase from a relative or a corporation or partnership in which you own 50% of the value.

When I was younger I needed everything, it seems that I was always shopping and always shopping for bargains.

God and time have been good to me...I am blessed. There are very few things in life that I lack. It's that time in life when the children and grandchildren say, "I don't know what to get Mom (or Gram). She's so hard to buy for."

One of my granddaughters got the idea that I wanted to collect frogs because she was with me one day at a garden store when I was looking for a garden frog similar to one that my grandmother had had. That year on my birthday she brought me a frog.

Each year she added to them. The whole story of the frog is another post because it is bigger than I want to write today. BUT my point is, Gram has become a collector of frogs... little ones, big ones, frog cards, frog jewelry, etc. When we bought the lake house, the frog collection went to the lake house. It fit right in. The youngest grandchild has developed a new game. Each time he goes to the lake house, he has to count the # of frogs there to see if I've added any in. I am giftable now because I collect something. When in doubt, buy gram a frog for her collection.

Recently I've decided that all of the trees in the yard need tree faces. I purchased the first one to get the idea going and told the grandchildren that they could select a name for each tree to match it's face.

This one's mouth is a birdfeeder and his eyes glow in the dark. Now I'm double giftable. They have fun with it and I do too.

Even though by nature I'm not a collector of things... this has made it easier for my children and grandchildren to "surprise" me with something and these things are pretty easy on their pocketbooks.

Frogs and treefaces come in all sizes, shapes, colors, and prices.

Is there something that your family knows will always work as a gift for you? Are you a collector?

I've found that the collection is also a great way to start a conversation with people whether they are at my house or I'm at theirs and I notice that they have a frog, tree face, or other colletion...we can talk about collections, how they got started, where each piece came from, or special pieces that were handed down through the family or given by special friends.

Collecting... what a great idea! And with 50 trees waiting to get their faces, I'm giftable for many years to come!

Valliant, Oklahoma in Southeast Oklahoma is a great place. Pine Creek Lake is to the north of the town with great fishing and hunting. Pine Creek is a Corp of Engineer Lake. There are several parks with rv spots, boat ramps, picnic areas, playgrounds, and tent camping available all around the lake.

Lost Rapids Park on the north side of the lake has Lost Rapids Estates directly across the highway from it where you can own your spot close to the lake to build a cabin or home on.

Most of the area around Valliant is excellent for rural housing. There are many homesteads that have cattle or horses or just a place in the country.

International Paper has a large paper plant at Valliant and is the largest employer in the city.

Places to eat: Catfish Platter, Big Belly Barbecue, and Shirley’s. There was a third choice, Peggy’s. It burned recently. They all know how to feed you.

The people around Valliant are good country folks.

If you have property for sale in Valliant, we would like to visit with you about listing it and our marketing plan to get it sold. If you are a buyer looking for property in the Valliant area, give me a call and let our expertise go to work for you to help you find just the right spot.

Integrity Real Estate Services, Judi Barrett, broker - Realtor. 580-212-5946 Visit our website for 24 hour a day 7 day a week. It’s an online open houses on all of our properties. Lots of pictures, virtual tours and streaming videos.

To view our listings:

Quick to load format

Graphic Rich