One night stand with Willie Nelson

I mean, one nightstand with Willie Nelson!  Grammar and spelling can make all the difference in the world.  I'm going to keep this post short because I'm setting out tomorrow to write a novel in the month of November.  I'm not kidding.  www.nanowrimo.org

Happy Halloween!!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Hurricane Sandy

A couple of days ago I said I was pleased that my cousin had gone with my mother on her trip to Washington, DC for the Marine Corps Marathon.  It is always more fun to travel with a good companion, but it turned out to be especially nice for my mother since Frankenstorm was bearing down on the eastern seaboard while they were there.

I've spoken with my mom and exchanged texts with my cousin.  In spite of the very heavy rains and high wind they are safe and well provided for.  Would I prefer that they be cozy and warm in their own homes?  Of course!  Am I grateful that they are safe where they are?  Unbelievably so!

This has been quite an adventure for Mom, with or without the hurricane!  She signed up for last years' event almost as a fluke.  It is VERY difficult to get in because it sells out so quickly.  And in spite of the fact that she was encountering problems with her very slow Internet connection, she got her entry and started training.

And then one morning while walking my brother's dog, she stepped off a curb and broke her ankle.  She's a tough old gal, though, so she walked on it for two weeks before seeing a doctor.  I swear nurses and doctors make the worst patients!  The ankle took too long to heal so she had to defer her race entry until this year.

So she's been training like a champ...while working...while helping my sister while my niece had her brain tumor removed...while anxiously awaiting the arrival of my handsome new nephew.

The thing about the MCM is that they have strict time limits.  For the safety of the runners and volunteers they have to cut people off who aren't making it to specific checkpoints in a certain amount of time.  She made it to the 17 mile marker and was cut off.  She is, of course, very disappointed that she was unable to finish because she felt great.  (So great, in fact, that my cousin sent me a picture the following day of Mom on the treadmill.)

Mom is funny.  She said this was going to be her last marathon.  Her last "hoo rah" as it were.  But a few short hours after she was cut off she tells me it is a must do event.  She says it just so inspirational that the organizers and volunteers are all Marines and they cheer you on the entire time.  In one breath she is saying that it is her last marathon...in her next she is saying how she will do it differently next time.  At 72 Hurricane Sandy and a 26.2 mile run can't keep her down.  I guess at 46 I have no reason not to run another marathon.

Any reader recommendations for which one I should run?!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Drag someone along

Friday evening I didn't know which was making me more nervous...the fact that my 72 year old mother was going to be running the Marine Corps Marathon Sunday or that I had just a few days of sanity before I jump in to the November National Novel Writing Month challenge.

And then I got a text message from my cousin Devera.  She and my mom were finishing dinner at Union Station and have a good time.  Knowing that my dear mother wasn't in a large, unfamiliar city by herself about to undertake a grueling physical effort with no support crew lifted a huge weight off my shoulders.

Awesome mom before the Marine Corps Marathon.

I was having wine, veggies, cheese and crackers with my neighbor Vykki and we'd been talking about, well, everything, because we're girls and hadn't seen each other in at least four whole days!  NaNoWriMo came up in conversation...oddly as a tangent to a conversation about Halloween costumes.  I was dressing up as a one night stand...I mean as one nightstand!...and needed a Harlequin-style bodice ripper.  And when you talk about bodice rippers it is natural to talk about how simple it would be to write one.  Ha!  How we kid ourselves!

And because "a trouble shared is a trouble halved" I suckered Vykki into doing NaNoWriMo with me!  We've asked some of our loved ones to submit opening lines, we'll pick one, and then both start our novel adventure with the same line.  It should be interesting to see where the two stories end up!  Let me know if you'd like to join us!  Or if you have a great idea for an opening line!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

KW Tacos

I have a lot of reasons to love my job at Keller Williams Group One Sparks - great clients, great agents, great brokers, great staff, and - this may come as a surprise - great food!

The folks I work with a wonderful cooks and someone is always bringing something delicious to share.  We have luncheons and cookoffs and the variety is vast and tasty.  Today we had a taco feed.  Everyone signed up to bring various ingredients and then paid $5 per person with proceeds going to KW Cares - a public charity created to support Keller Williams Realty associates and their families with hardship as a result of a sudden emergency.  Whether it be a single individual or an entire community such as those affected by the Colorado wildfires or the Missouri tornado KW Cares works to help their own. 

At lunch today the chicken, beef, and pork tacos warmed our tummies; the companionship and support of a good cause warmed our hearts.  Thank you Keller Williams for all you do to support your agents!

The aftermath:

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Running In the Night

Running in the Night isn't just a song by Lionel Richie it is something I do when the days get shorter and shorter.  I prefer not to and will do it only rarely by myself.  I've got the treadmill and don't mind putting in the miles on that.  But my husband hates it and so out the door we go with headlamps and reflective gear.

Last night as we prepared to do our 5.8 mile route he asked me how fast I'd do it.  When I gave him my prediction he said, "You do realize, don't you, that that is 2 minutes faster than you did it a couple of days ago?"  I said, "Yes, I realize it, but I'm fast in the cold and dark."  He thought that was kind of funny but it is true.  To a certain degree it is easier for me to run in the cool air because I don't love running in the heat and there are fewer pollens to interfere with my breathing.  And when I'm running a little scared (yes, I'm still afraid of the dark) I go faster.

I tried to temper my goal and said, "Okay, I'll be one minute faster."  I was one minute faster at the turn and almost always run a negative split on that course.  And I did. I was two minutes and seventeen seconds faster than my previous run.

I take a small life lesson from this experience:  Performing outside your comfort zone can often produce your best results.

Please feel free to share your comments about situations where you've also found that to be the case.  I'd love to hear from you!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Market Report

I'm exhausted!  I've been showing houses to three different families, working with a seller on an offer on their property, covering for an agent that is out of the office on her honeymoon (congratulations Melissa!), working on a food drive, and cheering like a madwoman for the SF Giants!  So far everything is going fairly smoothly...but it all takes energy.  And just when I think I can take a break I look at my calendar and realize I'm scheduled to run 5.8 miles tonight. 

So rather than ramble on and on about all of that I thought I'd share some market information I got from my account executive at First Centennial Title.  There are so many great people that pull together to make a real estate transaction happen and the folks at FCT are some of the best!  Thank you Kris for this excellent information!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Rain in Reno

It rained here today.  It was just for a short while but it was enough to convince me that autumn has officially arrived.  I'm pretty sure it is my friend Sarah's fault.  She and her family arrived on Wednesday last week and left on Sunday morning.  The entire time she was here she reveled in the blue skies and warm weather that we were experiencing.  Since she is from Seattle, Washington she's had her fill of gray, rainy, chilly weather. 

Several hours after we dropped them at the airport we found a pair of sunglasses that belonged to Sarah or Damon.  I sent her a message about them and she said that I might as well hang on to them since they sure don't have any sunshine. 

The great Reno weather is a draw for a lot of people.  But my friends were here because their adorable and brilliant son was interviewing with the Davidson Academy.  This school for profoundly gifted students is housed at the University of Nevada Reno.  I'd heard of the Academy previously, but I learned so much more about it after visiting with my friends about their experience that I couldn't begin to adequately describe it.  It addresses the academic, emotional, physical, and social needs of these phenomenally bright children.  The requirements to get in are very strict and the school is not for everyone...but it is so wonderful to know that this great city has such an amazing offering.

So while Sarah may have left me with some gray skies and rain, she also left me with the warm memories of time spent with good friends and information about a school that, for those who qualify, is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  If you think you know of a child that could benefit from this program, give me a call and I'll share with you what I know.

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

My 'big why"

Why do you get out of bed in the morning?  What drives you?  What drives your goals?  What is your big why?

My big why is my family.  My desire to spend a comfortable retirement with my husband traveling and eating delicious food in beautiful settings.  My desire to see my mother and mother-in-law comfortable in their twilight years.  My desire to be able to help my nieces and nephews with their life goals.  I don't have children of my own and have been blessed to have brothers and sisters-in-law and a sister and brother-in-law that share their wonderful children with me. "Share" is such a weak word for what they do.  It is an incredibly selfless kind of sharing.  They love their children to the very extent of their being and let me do the same because no child can be loved enough, be made to feel special enough or believed in enough.

I feel truly fulfilled and happy with my lot in life and would say that my biggest "I wish" would be "I wish I had more time to spend with those kids".  And now that some of them are becoming adults I am more keenly aware of that.  I can't change the past...I did what I could with what I had...but I strive every day to be effective, productive and successful so that I can travel to those beautiful children so that they know how very special and loved they are.  My parents had a way of making each one of us children feel like we were the favorite child...which is a pretty amazing feat with 7 boys and 2 girls.  I hope that I'm doing the same for my 'kids'.

Now I have an even dozen.  Kael Keenon Stewart was born late Thursday night and even though I haven't met him yet he is already my favorite!  You know...because they all are! I can't wait to kiss his cheeks and the bottoms of his feet and smell his baby smell and see the pride and joy in Charlie and Amy's beautiful faces.  This auntie is in heaven.  I'd better go sell a house because, after all, I have a new big why!!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Counting blessings

I have a lot of blessings to count.  A wonderful husband, home, family, job and my health to start with.  And Wednesday evening we picked up some great friends at the airport and get to spend the weekend with them showing them around the beautiful city of Reno.  There are some really big changes on the horizon for them and we are excited to be a part of it.  We spent most of today driving around familiarizing them with the different neighborhoods and will go visit some homes on Saturday.  (If you're shopping for a home or want to sell one, let me know!)

But the blessing I'm counting over and over is a new nephew born at 11 pm on Thursday night.  I got a call at 9 pm on Wednesday that he was on his way and all these hours later I got an even better call - he arrived and he and mom and dad are all healthy and happy, if not more than a little tired.  No full details yet, heck, they haven't even decided on a name, but I'll post those and a picture just as soon as I have one!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Happy Birthday family!

October is a big birthday month in my family.  Some cousins, a niece, a nephew, a sister-in-law, a sister-in-law-to-be, my nephew-to-be that my sister-in-law-to-be is carrying, and my mom all celebrate this month.  It is a lot of fun and I miss being close to them for the cake and presents and parties.  My nephew celebrated by staying up all night with friends.  My niece is going to a pony farm.  Or ranch.  I don't know ponies.  How is my mom, who will be turning 72 this month, going to celebrate?  She is going to run the Marine Corps Marathon!  She has run Los Angeles repeatedly, New York, Chicago, Hawaii, and Portland and while I'm always as proud as can be of her accomplishments there is something very special about this. She is the most patriotic person I know...and has passed that on to her children...so I think it will be particularly meaningful for her.  Any marathon finish is a success but for her I suspect even getting to start the MCM will be one for the history books.  Good luck Mom!  Now, and always, you are an incredible inspiration to me!

jerianne.rnohomes.com

Recipe Request

How exciting is this? I got my first request for a specific recipe!  The fall weather and apple harvests have put apple butter on my cousin Jada's mind so she asked if I had a good recipe.  Pssshh!  Do I have a good recipe?! Of course I do! Turns out my mom makes the best apple butter I've ever tasted.  And Mom thinks her mother-in-law, my Grandma Mugs, had a great recipe. And my brother's beautiful wife-to-be has a ginger apple butter recipe I'm dying to try.  Could I lay my hands on any of those recipes?  No, of course not, because I had an important blog request to fulfill.  So you get my mom's backup recipe for now and can look forward to the others as I dig through my recipe box.  Maybe this will force me to get organized!

4 cups apple juice or cider
4 lbs of apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon

In a heavy 4 or 5 quart pot, bring apple juice to a boil over high heat. Add apples; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
Stir in sugar and cinnamon until well blended. Cook over medium low heat, uncovered and stirring occasionally until mixture is thick and smooth (1 1/2 to 2 hours).
Meanwhile prepare 5 half pint canning jars, filling jars to within 1/4 inch of rim.
Makes 5 half pints.

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Reno does not equal casinos

When I moved to Reno just over a year ago I really had no idea what to expect.  I knew that Reno = casinos.  At least I thought I knew that!  Turns out Reno = hiking, fishing, museums, shopping, dining, family fun, entertainment, music, running, cycling, education (UNR and TMCC for example), and so much more.  Oh yeah...and casinos!  If you're thinking of relocating here, or even thinking about thinking about it, you should visit this web site and then call me to learn more!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Chocolate creme brulee

When I got up this morning and looked out my window it felt like fall.  I suppose we are fully 11 days into the month of October so it was bound to happen.  The sky was a little gray, the leaves on the trees are changing colors and starting to drop onto the lawn, the air was cooler than I'd noticed even yesterday.  And even though it wasn't even 8 a.m. I wanted to make soup!  My indulgent potato bacon corn chowder?  My sister Sheila's hearty lentil?  My sister Lori's savory and very festive pumpkin?

Then I remembered that I'd told my Facebook friends that I'd share a recipe for chocolate creme brulee.  So I'll get to the soups and stews in the weeks to come, but today it is creme brulee.

As with any recipe I strongly urge you to read the recipe all the way through before you begin.  There's nothing more frustrating than to get part way through preparations to learn that the author has sneaked in an ingredient that isn't listed with the others or requires a fancy implement that you don't have.  When I share a recipe I try to modify it so that those surprises are eliminated or minimized but you still want to take the 3 minutes to peruse your recipe ahead of time.

A few quick tips about the creme brulee -

• When it calls for finely chopped baking chocolate, I grate mine.  It takes longer but you get a much smoother creme out of it and it takes less time on the stovetop.
• Make sure your custard cups (aka baking dishes or ramekins) are broiler safe.  Some aren't and you can have a disaster on your hands if you superheat the wrong glass or ceramic.  Mine are not broiler safe so I use a butane torch.
• Put a teapot of water on to boil.  The spout will make it easy to pour when the recipe directs you to do so.
• This is a make-ahead recipe.  Make it early in the day or a day or two before you plan to serve it.
• Little sugared orange peel spirals, mint leaves or raspberries make a lovely presentation detail.

Chocolate Creme Brulee

2 cups whipping cream
3 squares semisweet or bittersweet  baking chocolate, finely chopped
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp brown sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Heat cream in medium saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer (do not boil).  Remove pan from heat;  stir in chocolate until melted and smooth.  Set aside to cool slightly.
2.  Beat egg yolks and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens and becomes pale in color.  Whisk in chocolate mixture and vanilla until well blended.
3.  Divide mixture among 4 (6 ounce) custard cups or baking dishes. Place cups in baking pan; place pan in oven.  Pour boiling water into baking pan to reach halfway up sides of custard cups.  Cover pan loosely with foil.
4.  Bake 30 minutes or until edges are just set.  Remove cups from baking pan to wire rack to cool completely.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or up to 3 days.
5.  When ready to serve, preheat broiler.  Spread about 2 teaspoons brown sugar evenly over each cup.  Broil 3-4 minutes, watching carefully, until sugar bubbles and browns.  Serve immediately.

Source:  Favorite Brand Name Chocolate cookbook, Copyright 2008 Publications International, Ltd.

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Why I blog

I started a blog a couple of years ago as a way to build writing habits for NANOWRIMO, also known as National Novel Writing Month.  If you've ever dreamt of writing a novel you really have to check out their website.  I've had marginal success following their challenge. I haven't actually written a novel, but I've come closer doing this than I'd come on my own.

I was so reluctant to blog before that I don't even remember what my blog site is. Or was.  And I certainly didn't blog regularly.  Or at all.

So what is different now?  Well, for me, it was finally finding a topic (or topics) that I'm passionate about. A blog for the sake of a blog wasn't enough.  A blog to share my love of real estate, my love of cooking and eating, my love of running and some baseball love thrown in for good measure made all the difference in the world.  I committed to doing it as a career tool.  But it has been such a great outlet for me that I actually look forward to doing it!

I attended a really great presentation yesterday by another Keller Williams Agent about blogging techniques.  Guy Johnson is further proof that KW attracts the best of the best!  Check out his blog  renorealtyblog if you want to see how a really effective blog looks or you want some excellent real estate information.  My "home" portion of my blog has been more about homes and less about the housing market.  Prepare to see some changes in that regard.  I still believe in building a wonderful home environment for yourself and will still touch on that, but I'll be pulling in more hard housing information.  Because it doesn't matter if you own a home or not, if you're selling or buying a home now or in the future, if you're renting - REAL ESTATE AFFECTS YOU!!

If you'd like to chat about blogs or about real estate, give me a call.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and help you find answers to your questions!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Beautiful D'Andrea Listing

I've been so busy the past few days I didn't realize until this morning that I had started a post about my new listing in Sparks and never got around to posting it!  This beautiful three bedroom, two and a half bathroom home with attached two car garage is close to everything...schools, shopping, Vista Blvd and a hop, skip and a jump to the interstate.  Call me for details about this beauty or other Reno/Sparks listings you're interested in!

2165 San Remo Drive, Sparks, NV  89434

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Up to speed

Just a quick note to bring you up to speed on Home. Run. Recipes.

Home:  Real estate is hopping right now.  I showed houses to clients on Saturday and Sunday. Attended one open house on Friday and another on Sunday.  I received 2 new internet leads inquiring about homes in my area.  I got a lead from a call in to my office.  And my most recent listing is getting quite a bit of attention.

Run:  Because of my crazy schedule late last week I missed a Thursday run.  So I did 7.1 miles on Saturday.  I felt great and logged my fastest time for that course.  I think it helps that I was well rested, that the temperatures are a bit cooler and that I was feeling so good about all my work activity.  Plus I mowed the lawn before I left the house and that always serves as a nice little warmup.

Recipes:  My darling Burner Sylvia sent me another message with more carrot cake praise.

Baseball:  The Atlanta Braves lost the one game wildcard National League East playoff 6-3 against the Cardinals.  I'd like to say that it was due to a bad infield fly call, but in truth it was their errors that hurt them most.  Sad way for a really deserving team to be put out of the running for the World Series and for a player like Chipper Jones to end a career...but it is what it is.  There is always next year.  I'm looking forward to seeing where Chipper lands because I'm certain he'll be coaching in some capacity soon.

Gotta run...I've got some houses to sell!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

Work Hard and Be Nice

In a cute little shop near my home there is a sign that says "Work Hard and Be Nice To People".  The first time I saw it it made me chuckle.  It still makes me smile every time I see it.  They really are words to live by.  I'm pretty sure if you followed just those two rules you could make a pretty good life for yourself.

It is interesting to me that so many people can be nice to other people, but have such a hard time being nice to themselves.  No one deserves your kindness, respect and patience more than you do.  So think about it, DO it:

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com

This is NOT German Chocolate

When I shared the recipe for peach pie I also shared the story of my husband's underwhelming opinion of German chocolate cake.  I'd made it every year for his birthday...because his mother made it every year for his birthday...under the assumption that it was his favorite.  When I actually asked his preference he opted for the peach pie.  After I posted a blog about it we had another conversation.  He can take or leave cake.  He vastly prefers pie.  And my assumption (I've GOT to quit doing that!!) that his favorite is pecan was also wrong.  Truth be told (20+ years later) he prefers strawberry pie.  I did NOT see that coming!

And because I love my husband and love making pies I set out to find a good recipe.  I'll probably keep trying because there was no singing from the rooftops, but this one is simple and reallly delicious.

Strawberry Pie II

(from www.allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked*
• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream**

Directions

1. Arrange half of strawberries in baked pastry shell. Mash remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell. Chill for several hours before serving. In a small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

*  I made a crust from scratch and it was delicious but it was too delicate.  It wasn't able to support the weight of the berries as it was served.  So while it tasted amazing, it didn't plate very well.  Poor husband got the ugliest piece too.
**  I cheated and bought Cool Whip.  Kinda silly that I would go to the trouble of making my own crust and then skimp on the whipped cream but I was taking it to dinner at a friends house and thought it would hold up better.  My friends loved it so I call it a success!

www.jerianne.rnohomes.com