Look out world! Here come the SENIOR women and watch them strut their stuff and entertain you with their talents! The upcoming Ms. Missouri Senior America Pageant 2009 is going to be so much fun, I know you won't want to miss it! Schedule it now as it's coming up soon. July 11th, 2009 at 4:00 P.M. at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre. If you live in the St. Louis area and want some live entertainment and some fun, this is the place to be.
Hope to see you there!

Call: 314-921-5678 for Tickets!

Hi Everyone!

Here's the latest information for the 2009 Annual St. Louis Fall Festival! It's scheduled for Saturday, September 12th! Be sure to Mark Your Calendar NOW! Plan on having a FUN time and bringing your kids, family and friends!

This year the Festival will be held at the MAGIC HOUSE in Kirkwood, MO! It'll be a blast for everyone (young & old!) AND you'll know you'll be helping others in their quest to find a cure for brain tumors. ABTA gets NO support from the government...it's people like you that make this all work through your donations of labor, love and $$$! If for some reason you can't make it, your generous (& even small) donations will mean alot! Are you willing to help with time, money or items for the Silent Auction? It would be so appreciated and is so needed.

For more information or to volunteer: check out the ABTA website .

Too late to help our daughter, Terri, but she'd be so pleased to know you've helped to save others. So for Terri, I say Thank You for your past and continued support. You folks are the BEST! Blessings! Judy

I just received the following request for donations and thought you all may want to help spread the word (knowing good well what great Samaritans you all are!)! When we help others, we also feel better our self! May we all feel GREAT by our contribution!
Hey, you'll also be going "green", by recycling those items!
Please pass the following information on.

Following is a letter from the committee regarding the 2008 St. Louis Fall Festival. It was a fun event and for such a great cause! Everyone is a winner when they participate in this fund-raiser. Thanks to all that made it so successful! Our family appreciates your efforts immensely! Blessings, Judy

Thank you for attending the 11th Annual St. Louis Fall Festival to Benefit the American Brain Tumor Association at Grant’s Farm. Your generous support and participation resulted in a record year and to date we were able to raise $28,387 to support research to find a cure for brain tumors. Please know that you have made a tremendous difference in the life of brain tumor patients and their families.

Our website is still open for additional donations. Pictures from the event including those of you who had pictures taken with the Clydesdale are now available for viewing and downloading to your computer (free of charge) on our secure web site.
Thank you to Dr. David Silverman and Amiee Shank with Maryville University who so generously donated their time and talents in taking the pictures.

Here's a chance to Adopt A Family in the St. Louis County. Everyone needs help at times and you can make a difference in someones life. There are over 1,800 families in the area that need our help. They need food, clothing, toys, household items and help with utilities or rent. There are lots of groups that help, from businesses, faith-based and private citizens that endeavor to provide the needed services. The St. Louis County Department of Human Services (DHS) provides the support to organize distribution. They are in need of any donation, large or small, it's all appreciated. There is a special need for canned goods (no glass), grocery story certificates, cash and whatever can be used in a household. If you'd like to adopt a family or donate please call: Mike Nickel 314-615-4426 or Rose Terranova 314-615-2937. Blessings!

Thursday  brought a lovely evening and we were out on our deck, waving goodbye to my daughter. All of a sudden we heard a big WHOOSH sound. I looked to the sky and behind a bunch of trees, you could see a low flying hot air balloon. Way too low! I quickly ran to get my camera to film the excitement.

The balloon proceeded to float across the roof tops, just barely missing them and then down it went! It wasn't the best of spots to land, I thought, but it had.

It had landed in the cul-de-sac of the Pheasant Woods subdivision just behind us. My daughter stayed for abit and then we two, jumped into her car to go see what had happened.

The balloon was landed, barely missing the house tops, but grazing the trees that lined the street. I spoke to the pilot, Kevin Knapp; he said he hadn't realized it was going to be that tight of a landing. Kevin Knapp was last years winner of the Great Forest Park Hot Air Balloon Race. The balloon maker is Lindstrand. the Volume is: 105K cubic feet.  I asked what he charged to take people up and he responded he just hires out to Mayflower and does it for them. If you're here in the St. Louis area though you can call Steve Mroz of Balloons Over St. Louis. In the meantime you can check out the movie by clicking HERE 

Two Manchester Police cars came by to check things out, but everything was fine. The neighbors enjoyed watching the process of deflating the balloon too. Some of the kids were even helping!

Friday evening, at Forest Park, they had the 36th annual Balloon Glow. Saturday morning was a great time to have the Race.

Here's some information about a gentleman that is rescuing artifacts from the St. Louis area. I believe he deserves recognition for doing that. He recently had an article written by Dianne Keaggy in the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper about him. Read the article to find out what he does out of love for the preservation of the history of St. Louis! Some of the artifacts he's rescued can be viewed at the St. Louis City Museum. By the way, you can thank Robert (Bob) Cassilly,Jr. artist and founder for that great and fun museum! My thanks to my hero, Bruce Gerrie!

Not sure if you've seen this video (You Tube) but I enjoyed it and wanted to share it, as he'd had the exhibit here in St. Louis in 2006. Hope you'll see the creativity and uniqueness of German artist, Julius Popps liquid scuplture Bit.Fall. He speaks in a German dialect, but there are sub-titles you can read that will explain the process and his thoughts about it. You can find others he's done there too.

Enjoy!

Are you aware of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)?

If not, you may be missing out on a good thing!

This is the 6th year that Ballwin, MO will receive the grant. It's $40,000.00 this year, which is used to provide funds to benefit low to moderate income residents in the city. The funds are used for a Home Improvement Program (HIP). In order to qualify, (call Ballwin City Hall (636) 227-8580) first to find out the procedure. You can receive a five-year forgivable loan of up to $10,000. to repair your home and bring it up to minimum standards.

Current year funds have been used up, but you can still have your name put on a waiting list by calling: (314) 615-4025. Good Luck!

p.s. Other townships in the St. Louis area offer a similar program, so check it out!

I hope you all read the (finally!) positive comments made by the staff reporter, Matt Woolsey, of Forbes.com regarding the St. Louis area! Due to their copyright requirements & privacy policy, you'll need to do a search for the specific video or text. Click the above link & just use the key words "Top Home Selling Markets" or "Housing Trends" to locate the information. Like I've said before, "Bubble, What Bubble?" Not here in our river city. We still offer you one of the best areas to live and buy in! Welcome to our Mid-Western values & friendliness. Don't like the weather? Wait a day or so...you never know what's on the horizon! LOL!

Did you ever notice that the media seldom is regional specific? Lump all of us together, let the folks hear things are not going well. Watch the market begin to slump. Gloom & Doom! I swear, it's like watching the weather report. Do people still believe what they (media) tell you (in Missouri?) "SHOW ME" is our state motto!  We live in an area that is difficult to predict weather. We don't fit in the East/West coast mold. Question exactly where they are getting their numbers from and to what area it applies. Like I said, "Show Me"!

Well, I've been waiting to address this issue and finally have a report to offer you. I couldn't believe the report that had us (St. Louis City) being in the top 10 of crime cities once again. I heard a broadcast on KWMU radio this same subject on Friday, so I perked up and paid attention.

I've been in the city to see the Arch, taken my grandkids to the City Museum, been to Busch Stadium and sold property in the city. I've had buyers from the city, wanting to STAY in the city. They like their neighbors, the neighborhood and the school they had their kids in (parochial). Do we have crime here? Yes, we do.  Name a place that doesn't. (on Earth, I mean!). Are all areas safe? No, they aren't. So what do YOU think? Is this a Safe City?

Feel free to comment if you've been to visit us. While I live in the county (always have), I make frequent trips to the city and as you can see by my visits to the St. Louis zoo (County willingly helps support this gem!) and Missouri Botanical Gardens, among other attractions (see my blog entries!).

The East West Gateway Council has put out a report which is their 5th edition.  If you really want to know the nitty gritty about the city, you can start by clicking East-West Gateway Council of Governments "Where We Stand Report" !

This report ( Morgan Quitno Press's annual rankings) does not cover St. Louis County.This report is released every year and its methodology is always heavily criticized by many. Significantly, the reported statistics do not include the St. Louis metropolitan area, nor any make any distinction between St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and East St. Louis. If you want additional information, check out the St. Louis City website .

 Here's a great list of Independent Schools in the city. In my opinion, St. Louis City has been beleaguered by squabbling and a lack of firm effort to get most of their schools to create a great environment for kids. Many people, if they can afford to do it, choose private schools for their kids. We've seen other schools turn around and be successful and we all want that for the city schools too.

Prices of homes in the city have gone up. We're seeing blighted areas change into places that are welcoming. Check out Washington Avenue and see how the area is changing and other places that offer new homes and growth. Maybe we should try to keep St. Louis City a secret, as it's still one of the best places to live and find "bargain" housing!

Check out the Historic Neighborhoods located in our fine city. I think we've got a lot to be proud of, but I acknowledge that more needs to be done. Is our work ever really done? See you in the city!

What a wonderful day for a wedding! Bright blue skies and sun shinning, perfect temperatures and a slight breeze. Rejoice, for this is the day the Lord has given us!

After 8 years of dating and loving one another, they have chosen to be married. Tied the knot, as they say. Sworn to a life of commitment to one another. Blessings all around. Memories of other marriages, some long lasting, others not so. What makes it work or fail? Who knows for sure? What works for some, may not work for others. We wish them a lifetime of love and support from family. Always...and Forever.

The young couple have already purchased a new home out in a small town outside of St. Louis. Good for them; they KNOW a good investment when they see one! Why waste money on renting and paying off someone elses investment? I wish all young folks the sense to at least investigate the purchase of a home. So many put that purchase on a back burner, throwing dollars on rentals, never saving enough to get that down payment they need. With so many programs available now, there's really no reason that they can't make the purchase.

TIPS: Pay your bills on time (or earlier than the deadline!). Don't be a spendthrift. Ask these questions of yourself. Do you WANT or NEED that purchase? Will it make you money? Will it last? How quickly will it be out of date? Track your spending for 2 weeks.  Pay CASH or if you do choose to use your credit card, pay it off the next month or DON"T buy it. Don't let the credit card companies collect all that interest! This is just how they make their money and YOU lose yours. Don't let it happen to YOU! Choose to be in control of your finances.

This is such great thing that's going on here at the Missouri Botanical Gardens! I'm excited to tell you that they have extended the dates for showing the Chihuly glass sculptures! Check it out here!

 If you haven't seen these lovely pieces, you're missing a lot!

They're now going to be open Monday evenings along with the Thursday evenings starting September 18, 2006! We were so blessed to have those recent terrible storms that came through do NO damage to the glass sculptures. In the evenings the sculptures will be lighted to show off the lovely colors.

This is the oldest botanical garden in the country; but boy, has it been updated! They have a wonderful new play/learn area for the kids, too. Take a tour of the Henry Shaw home and the gardens. The rose garden is great as is the Japanese Garden. Take the tram if you're too tired to walk, but there are plenty of places to stop and rest. This is one of my favorite places to see at different times of the year. Certainly it's a photographers dream!