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Wayne Johnson 210-483-6329 · SearchingBexarCounty.com wjohnson@cbharper.com

San Antonio, TX 78258

Boxes, and packing tape, and moving trucks, Oh My! The time as come to talk about that thing you would rather avoid: Moving Day. Fear not gentle reader, we have just the articles you need to get you in the moving spirit and on the road to your next home.

This month in Welcome Home magazine find your new apartment the right way with Apartment Hunting 101. Need a reputable moving company ASAP, but confused by all the options out there? We have your go to guide! Is the thought of packing everything driving you crazy? Never fear, we have that covered in our covers too! So moving checklist ready and come read along with us!

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Wayne Johnson 210-483-6329 ·

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San Antonio, TX 78258

Recipe and Design Lemonade Pie

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • •

1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk 2 (3.4-oz.) packages lemon instant pudding mix 1 tablespoon lemon zest 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed 1 (9-inch) ready-made graham cracker piecrust Thawed frozen whipped topping Garnish: crushed lemon drop candies

“Family” Art Work

What You Need: •

6 Wooden Kitchen Utensils

•

Paint - white for the letters plus 4 more coordinating colors of your choice

•

Letter Stencils

•

White Canvas

•

Frame

•

Cardboard big enough to fit the frame.

•

Hot Glue gun + glue sticks

Preparation: 1. Whisk together evaporated milk and next 2 ingredients in a bowl 2 minutes or until mixture is thickened.

2. Beat cream cheese and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add lemonade concentrate, beating until smooth; add milk mixture, and beat until blended. Pour into crust. Cover and chill 8 hours or until firm. Dollop each slice with whipped topping. Garnish, if desired.

Southern Living, August 2010

Instructions: 1. To make, buy several wooden spoons -- one for each letter.

2. Paint the ends of each spoon; let dry.

3. Using a letter stencil, lightly blot white paint to make one letter on each spoon; let dry.

4. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit the opening of a picture frame (make sure the frame can fit all spoons with a 1/2-inch border on all sides).

5. Wrap white canvas around the front of the cardboard; hot-glue to secure.

6. Insert in frame; hot-glue spoons to the canvas.

Courtesy of Better Homes and gardens.com

6 Tips to bring down Moving Costs

There are many reasons why people moved. It could be due to a job transfer, getting married or even due to the upgrading of their home. When moving from one location to another, costs will definitely be incurred but the costs need not be high. We will look at some ways on how to bring the costs down.

1)

Seek help from your friends. Instead of engaging a moving company to help you move the stuff, just give a call to ask your friends to help you out. If they have a car, ask them to drive your stuff to your new location and you can treat them to a nice dinner after that.

2)

Get free boxes. Go to your supermarket or drug store and look for their designated area where they usually dump their boxes. They would be glad to pass you the boxes because you save them the hassle of bringing it to the rubbish dump. By doing so, you would have easily saved $100 or more when buying new boxes.

3)

3) Use clothing to pack fragile items. Buying special materials to pack fragile and expensive items can be expensive. A cost saving tip is to wrap all these fragile items into your blankets, unwanted clothes, bathroom towels and even bed sheets. After you have moved to the new location, you can put them into the washing machine to wash.

4)

Go shopping for a moving company. Log on to the web and check for moving company that are in your area. Compare rates between them and be sure to call them to ask for any hidden charges that might not be shown on their web page.

5)

Check for insurance coverage. Check with your insurance agent if your homeowner's insurance will cover any damage to your stuff while moving. If the stuff is covered, you do not need to purchase additional insurance from the moving company.

6)

Check gas rates in truck rental. If you are renting a truck to move your stuff, be sure to ask the rental company for the average mile-per-gallon of the truck. With the current exorbitant cost of gas prices, estimating the cost will help you to ensure that you won't go out of budget since you are responsible for paying for the gas in the truck.

Written by Justin Koh, Courtesy of Isnare.com

Things To Look For When

Signing A New Apartment Lease

Found the perfect apartment and all ready to move in? HOLD IT! There are a few things your need to considerer before signing your life away on lease.

You went out apartment hunting and found the perfect place! Its close to your job, nightlife, restaurants and everything you wanted. Now that you have found the perfect place you need to sign a lease.

A lot of people will tense up when looking over a lease for the first time, you don't want to miss any of the fine print. A lot of leases are the same, but a lot of leases can be very different.

Your new apartment lease has to follow the local and state laws that govern both the tenant's and landlord/management companies rights. The local and state laws include regulations on security deposits, the eviction process and what happens if the lease is broken.

With a lot of leases varying as far as state and local laws there are a lot of things that should be included on every lease signed. You will want to keep the following things in mind and make sure you look at them before signing.

1.Make sure everyone's name is on the lease! This is a MUST! If they are over 18 years old they need to sign the lease also. If you move someone into your apartment and they damage it, but the lease is only in your name then you will be the only one help responsible. Just because you like someone and think they will make a good room mate that doesn't mean they will take care of the apartment the way you would.

2.The exact name and unit number should be listed on the lease. You really don't want to sign a lease thinking you are getting one apartment and it turn out you get another one.

3.What is your rental rate? This should be somewhere on the lease. If it is not indicated somewhere on the lease you need to make sure it is before you sign it. There should never be any discrepancies as to what your rental rate is and what you are going to be paying each month. Again if the rental rate is not on the lease then don't sign it.

4.Make sure the start and end dates are on your lease. This way you know with out a doubt when your lease starts and when it ends. Breaking a lease early could carry some heavy penalties and could cost you a lot of money. The most important date you should have on your lease is when your rent is due. If you don't know when your rent is due you could end up paying a lot of late fees and penalties or even be evicted.

5.Make sure you security deposit amount is noted in the lease. Some apartment complexes don't charge security deposits, they charge a move in fee. Make sure this is noted and you understand what is going to happen when you move out.

When signing the lease make sure you look over the rules and regulations also. You do not want to move in and find out that your apartment complex has rules you can't live with. Take note of the policies on visitors, parking, subletting, repairs, renters insurance and on pets and types of pets that are allowed.

Try not to rush or let someone else rush you when signing a lease. The lease can be long and complex but its better to read over it now than make a costly mistake later on.

Written by Jay Morris. Courtesy of Isnare.com

In The Kitchen

Strawberry Muffins Instructions Ingredients

·1 Stick Unsalted Butter ·1/2 Cup Evaporated Cane Sugar, plus a bit extra for sprinkling ·1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar ·2 Large Egg ·2 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder ·1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt ·2 Cups All-Purpose Flour ·3/4 Cup Milk ·1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract ·Zest of 1 Lemon ·1 Cup Diced Strawberries

Equipment: Standing/hand held mixer, 1) 12 cup cupcake pan, parchment paper, and a pastry brush.

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F and position rack in the center. Lightly grease each of the cups with butter and lightly dust with flour, taping out the excess.

2. In a large bowl beat butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add in baking powder, salt, vanilla, and lemon zest.

3. Mix in half of the flour, followed by half of the milk, then in two more additions mix in remaining flour and milk. Once just combined, fold in diced strawberries.

4. Dived batter evenly amongst the 12 molds, and sprinkle a bit of sugar over the top of each muffin. Place tray in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Allow muffins to fully cool in the pan, before serving.

Courtesy of The Broken Bread

Health & Wellness

Diet Plans Dieting may seem like something that you will not be able to succeed at. Despite that negative attitude, you can succeed on a diet plan and lose those extra pounds you have always wanted to shed off yourself!

Many of the most successful diet plans are simple. You do not need to have a plan that will keep you eating only certain types of foods, or avoiding a certain group of foods all together. Not only does this put a lot more work on the individual dieter, but it requires that the person who is on the diet be much more disciplined than many individuals can be.

Once you have decided that you want to diet, you need to pick a diet plan that you can stick to. One of the best types of plans that you can choose is one that relates to your weight loss goals. In order to determine your weight loss goals, you need to look at how much weight you want to lose. Are you trying to get rid of ten pounds or fifty? The more aggressive you want to diet, the more strict of a diet plan you will end up needing. Sometimes, a planned diet may just not work, know your limits, or you may regret beginning to diet at all.

One of the most popular type of diet plans is the Jenny Craig plan. Most people on this type of weight loss plan are trying to lose only a small amount of weight. People who are trying to lose a large amount of weigh and try the plan are usually disappointed, because even over time, the plan is simply not successful.

Another popular type of plan for people trying to lose weight is the Weight Watchers plan. Many people on this plan love to use it as they say that they can lose as much weight as they want by eating only specially prepared meals and exercising. However, what ends up happening in most cases is that the people do eat the specially prepared food, at least for a while. Then, they either begin to add in old food, or stop exercising as much as they are supposed to. This can cause their weight to continue to stay steady, or even go up even while they remain on a diet plan.

When you are looking for a diet plan that will allow you to lose the weight that you truly need to lose, you need to look for a plan that will look at your goals. You need a plan that is dealing in the amount of weight loss that you want, not that someone else wants. Make sure that you are ready to deal with any potential problems, and are dedicated to your goal of weight loss. If you are not determined, you will end up failing at your weight loss goal. People often think that they can lose weight by just eating special food and not exercising, this is not true. A diet plan must include both a diet and exercise, otherwise you will not lose the weight that you want to lose.

Written by J. Travers, Courtesy of Isnare.com

Finding A Good Moving Company Find the right company for your moving needs.

The process of moving can be one of the most stressful times of your life. For a period of time, you are out of your element. You don't have a relaxed home atmosphere to go to and you are living out of boxes. Part of the process of moving is finding a good moving company to help in the process. Finding the right moving company can result in a smooth process all the way around. Finding a bad moving company can be a nightmare that costs you a lot of money and headaches in the process. If you're looking for a good moving company to help make your life easier, here are a few tips.

There are a number of different ways to find a moving company. However, you don't just want to find any moving company. Anyone can get online and find a moving company within a matter of seconds. You want to find a reputable moving company that has been doing this successfully for years. You want a business that has been in business for at least 10 years and doing things the right way.

In most cases, you will want to find a company that has an office in your local area.

Hooking up with some random internet company has resulted in many horror stories, when people did not do the proper due diligence.

Things will be a lot easier if you find a company with a local branch to work with. You might start out the process by asking your friends and family members who they have used in the past. Many times, a word-of-mouth recommendation is one of the best things you can get. Your family and friends won't lie to you and they have real experience with a company.

Find three or four moving companies that you would like to evaluate. Start by calling them up and asking them questions. Many times, you will be able to get a feel for them immediately after doing this. If they value customer service and seem like a professional company, they will display this over the phone, the first time you talk to them. Ask them to come do an in-home estimate for you. All reputable companies will do this for you and they should not charge you for the service. If they do not offer this service, you'll want to forget about them and move on to the next company.

After you have talked to them, go check out their operation. Look at their business and their equipment. Do they look like a professional company to you or just some "fly-bynight" operation. Do their trucks have permanent logos on the side? Are they wearing uniforms? There are a lot of little things that add up to professionalism and they can give you a better idea of performance.

Once you feel good about a particular company, go ahead and set up the move. They will be able to help you plan everything out in advance. Most of the time, they will give you a moving checklist and help you assess your needs for moving day. Now it's time to pack up and get moving.

Written by Joel McDonald, courtesy of Isnare.com.

Apartment 101 A Guide To Apartment Shopping

"When looking for the perfect apartment, there are several things you will want to keep in mind. The main factors to consider when apartment hunting include: • The cost of the apartment • Your freedom to decorate the apartment • The terms of the apartment lease • The neighborhood in which the apartment is located • The available amenities • Transportation and parking options • Appliance options • Pet rules Some of these factors may be more important to you than others. Nonetheless, you should take each of these into consideration before committing yourself to a new apartment.

The Cost of the Apartment Of course, the rent is the most important factor you must take into consideration when shopping for an apartment. The best deals are those that include utilities as well. That way, you will only have to make one payment each month and all of your housing costs are cared for. Other factors to consider include the amount of the deposit and how much of it is refundable.

Decorating the Apartment If you want to personalize the apartment and make it “home,” you will want to rent from a landlord that will allow you to do a bit of decorating. This may including painting the walls, hanging shelving, and making other minor changes to the appearance of the apartment. Be sure to discuss this ahead of time with the landlord if it is important to you.

The Terms of the Lease Even if you get a great rental rate on the apartment, you don’t want to sign a lease that is going to commit you for several years. After all, if you were looking to live in one place for several years, you would like be more interested in purchasing your own real estate rather than renting an apartment. Similarly, take the time to read all of the fine print so you don’t get yourself stuck in a bind.

looking to actually buy the property. After all, you are going to spend a great deal of time in your apartment. Therefore, you want to be certain to choose one located in a neighborhood where you feel safe and where you can enjoy yourself.

Living the Good Life with Amenities Amenities may not be a great concern to you. But, many apartments do offer amenities that can be quite attractive. Some of these include fitness centers, pools, and more. If you are not interested in these amenities, don’t pay extra for an apartment that has them.

Getting Around While the apartment is not likely to have its own built in transportation system, you should keep an eye out for one that is nearby to various transportation options if you do not have your own car. If you do have a car, find out about parking options available to apartment tenants.

Updating Your Appliances In addition to considering the appliances that come with the apartment rental, you should also consider your options. For example, if the kitchen does not come with a dishwasher but you would like to have one, you want to make sure you can hook one up in the apartment.

Keeping Pets in the Apartment Even if you are not a pet-owner, you might want to look into whether or not pets are allowed. If you are not a pet lover or if you suffer from danderrelated allergies, you might want to stay clear of those apartment buildings that allow pets.

By carefully considering each of these factors, you should be able to successfully find an apartment to suit your needs while remaining within your budget."

Considering the Neighborhood Location is always an important consideration in the world of real estate – even if you are not Written by Kinan Beck. Courtesy of Isnare.com.

Products To Love In May Mothers Day Flowers: As lovely as a Spring garden, this arrangement is filled with a mix of premium blooms in soft, soothing shades of peach, pink and yellow. Artistically handdesigned by our expert florists in a reusable grey ceramic pitcher, it’s truly the gift that keeps on giving! Please click here for more information.

UBoxes Bigger Boxes Kit saved the day as your friends wrapped and stuffed those big, awkward items ever-sostrategically. With more than 35 cubicsquare feet of storage, these inexpensive, durable moving boxes got the job done!

The room labeling tape is great for easy organization while packing your home and unpacking in your new home! This kit comes with a tape dispenser which will fit the clear tape as well as the room labeling tape for easy application. Also, the kit comes with supplies to wrap your valuables as well as a marker to mark the boxes as needed. This is all around a great kit for a small apartment or bedroom! Please click here for more information.

Moving And Packing For Winners: Outsmart Your Upcoming Move is a dedicated project that best summarizes the modern packing practices by offering a great deal of moving tips, including DIY relocation advice, a complete packing guide for a successful move, and more. The book centers on your moving arrangements: your mental preparation, great organizing ideas, the top moving mistakes and how to avoid them, as well as how to proceed when the law prohibits movers from taking some of your household items.

The ultimate packing guide comes next where you get valuable information on how to best pack your stuff for moving. Specific techniques, useful guides and practical tips – it’s all there. Please click here for more information.

DYI Project - May

How To Make Whipped Body Butter: Ingredients: 1.

• •

• •

• •

•

1/2 cup of organic cocoa butter 1/2 cup organic mango or shea butter. (You can also substitute another 1/2 cup cocoa butter. It will be a smidge less “light” when whipped up, but it is amazing!)

1/2 cup coconut oil 1/2 cup of jojoba or a mild olive oil.

Almond oil can also be used but it will decrease shelf life because it is more vulnerable to oxidation.

1-2 teaspoons peppermint essential oil, depending on preference 2 tablespoons pure cocoa or cacao powder. If you would prefer a “white chocolate” version that is not a bronzer, substitute arrowroot powder or cornstarch.

2 teaspoons naturally derived vitamin E, optional

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and fitting a smaller bowl inside. The inside bowl needs to be able to hold at least 4-5 cups of liquid.

Using a double boiler or a pot of boiling water with a smaller pot fitted inside, melt cocoa butter and mango butter over a low simmer.

Add coconut oil and melt until completely liquid.

Remove cocoa butter/coconut oil mixture from heat.

Measure 5 teaspoons of cocoa powder into a small bowl and gradually add several tablespoons of jojoba/ almond/olive oil. Mix thoroughly and then add to cocoa butter/coconut oil mixture along with remaining jojoba/ almond/olive oil.

Place mixture in chilled bowl (which should still be resting above the ice bowl) and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Remove mixture from ice bath and whip until stiff peaks form. If after a few minutes it does not seem to be thickening return the bowl to the ice bath and whip there.

Store in an airtight jar – Amber or cobalt are best but a clear jar is fine if kept out of direct sunlight (which promotes oxidation).

Courtesy of mommypotamas.com

Planning A Move?

Instead of being an experience that homeowners usually look forward to, it becomes an experience that they dread due to the 101 little details associated with moving. Starting from gathering of the packing materials, sorting through the items that need to be packed, to the packaging and the moving itself – it all seems to be a task that is difficult for one person to handle.

But this should not be the case at all. As long as you have organized everything prior to the move, you will be able to successfully transfer all of your personal possessions from one place to another.

It All Starts with the Packing Materials & Supplies The minute that you finalize the date of your move, that is when the packing should start. It is a good idea to reserve one room in the house where you can do all the packing. Start with the non-essential items first. Give yourself at least two weeks prior to the move date to pack everything up.

Now, what exactly are the packing materials and supplies that you will need? Naturally, you would need a lot of carton boxes which you can use to store all of your things.

Collect moving boxes from your relatives, friends and even the local grocery store. Just make sure that the boxes are still sturdy enough for you to reuse, otherwise the bottom of a box that you packed might fall off if the content becomes a tad too heavy.

The other packing supplies that you need include: - Tissue paper or craft paper - Bubble wrap for packing fragile items - Packing tape & gummed tape - Colored markers, pencil & notebook - Used newspapers, blankets or old area rugs which you can use as 'fillers' for carton boxes - Cutter, a pair of scissors or a sharp knife

the boxes. It would help if you will use colored labels to identify which boxes go to the kitchen, living room or bedroom.

Random Packing Pointers for You to Remember Now that you have an idea about how you can organize your packing supplies and materials, here are a lot of random packing pointers which you can use during your move: - Again, make sure that the boxes are clearly labeled and do your packing well ahead of your move date.

- When packing items on individual boxes, place the heavier things on the bottom and the lighter things on top.

- Make sure that each box has a 'maximum' weight limit to make lifting and moving easier.

For example, each box should be no more than 50 pounds in weight.

- When packing your dish ware, make sure that the box is lined with crumpled packing paper and each individual plate should be covered with paper sheets. This way, they will not bump against each other and break during the move.

- Make sure to mark all your dish ware boxes with a "Fragile" sign, and the glassware should be placed in an upright position, with the gaps filled with crumpled paper to prevent breakage.

- There are also special packing instructions when handling the food items on your fridge, and when packing delicate and valuable items. This includes your clocks, drapes and curtains, lamps, television and personal computer sets, power tools, mattresses and all the other household items that will be included with your move.

After sorting out the things that you will bring along with you, make sure to clearly label all Written by Paul Stephens, Courtesy of Isnare.com

A post box (British English and others, also written postbox; known in the United States and Canada as collection box, mailbox, letter box, or drop box) is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intended for collection by the agents of a country's postal service. The term post box can also refer to a private letter box for incoming mail.

In 1653, the first post boxes are believed to have been installed in and around Paris. By 1829, post boxes were in use throughout France. The first public post boxes in Poland were installed in Warsaw in 1842. A post box originally installed in the wall of the Wakefield Post Office is dated 1809 and believed to be the oldest example in Britain. It is now on display at the new Wakefield Museum.

In the British Isles, the first red pillar post boxes were erected in Jersey in 1852. Roadside wall boxes first appeared in 1857 as a cheaper alternative to pillar boxes, especially in rural districts. In 1853 the first pillar box in the United Kingdom was installed at Botchergate, Carlisle. In 1856, Richard Redgrave of the Department of Science and Art designed an ornate pillar box for use in London and other large cities. In 1859 the design was improved, and this became the first National Standard pillar box. Green was adopted as the standard color for the early Victorian post boxes. Between 1866 and 1879 the hexagonal Penfold post box became the standard design for pillar boxes and it was during this period that red was first adopted as the standard color. The first boxes to be painted red were in London in July 1874, although it would be nearly 10 years before all the boxes had been repainted.

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