Sorry to make this short, but sometime this morning we’ve got 7 yards of slate stone coming. We’re going to continue our landscaping renovation with Phase 2 by spreading this stone throughout our garden beds. My back and legs just recovered from last week’s labor, so I can hardly wait to get back to it! After this we’ll be installing some electric garden lights. … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 4/14/2012
Lifestyle
Why Is It So Hard To Buy Something?
Have you ever gone to buy something and it seems like all the forces of the world are against you? I’m talking about walking into a store with money in hand, and yet the staff seems to do everything in their power NOT to help you? I know that sounds pretty ridiculous, but this is something that I observe all the time. And to make matters worse, I can think of a lot of other people that have brought it up as well! Why is this?? When I’m about to make a relatively huge purchase, shouldn’t there be a little more eagerness to work with me? Or are employees really just that apathetic? Here is an actual example that will illustrate my point. It took place last week when I went to buy some flagstone pavers for my gardens. To set the stage, … [Read more...] about Why Is It So Hard To Buy Something?
What is Happening to the Middle Class?
Is there any coincidence that unemployment rates seem to be improving in the year before the next US presidential election? No matter if you side with the Democrats or Republicans, the issues of job creation and the economy will be hot ones for each of the candidates – in particular to the ears of the middle class voters. But will any of them have any fresh remedies to reverse what has been happening to the middle class for decades prior? The Slow Erosion of the Middle Class: Unfortunately, it seems doubtful. According to a recent article from Fortune Magazine featured on CNN Money, the issue goes much deeper than any policy set forth by the Obama or Bush administration. Consider the following turn of events: … [Read more...] about What is Happening to the Middle Class?
Weekend Wind Down 4/07/2012
Weekend wind down??? Yeah right!! Tell that to the 6 tons of flagstone that the semi-truck dropped off on Friday morning! Phase 1 of our landscape remodeling project was in full effect. For a long time now we’ve wanted to line our gardens with flagstone pavers and fill the beds with slate rock. It took about 8 hours to move it all and get it in place, but in the end it looks great. Fortunately it was exactly the right amount of stone we needed. Unfortunately, my back and hamstrings are killing me! Here are some more pics: … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 4/07/2012
Do You Fake It?
Fake. Phony. Plastic. Two-faced. Poser. Any of these sound familiar? They’re the names we give to people who are pretending to be something they’re not. Perhaps even you’ve been called these once before! But does faking it just have a bad rap? Or can there really be some benefit and well-placed intentions to pretending to be something you’re not – both in your personal life and professional career? Is it possible to really become the thing you’re pretending to be? … [Read more...] about Do You Fake It?
Weekend Wind Down 3/31/2012
Another exhausting week of work! I’m glad to be finally sleeping in this morning. The week started off with the actual birthday of our daughter. Unfortunately because we had already celebrated her birthday in the combined party with her brother (and because it fell on a Monday), we gave her her presents and brownies and that was pretty much it. During the school week you’ve still got homework and spelling words to study for even on your birthday. It was the end of the marking period for our kids – one more to go until Summer Vacation! Both of them did really well on their report cards. And what does every 7 and 9 year old want for getting good grades? – Red Lobster! Yes, they love Red Lobster. It’s been a fascination for them since … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 3/31/2012
Weekend Wind Down 3/24/2012
Spring is in the air! Mrs. MMD and I are ready to get to work on the yard and get it looking beautiful as soon as possible. We both thoroughly enjoy landscaping. First on the list is getting the gardens edged and covered with weed-block material. Once that is complete, we’ll be ordering the flagstone retainers and then covering the beds with some dark slate rock. So long dried up, old wood mulch! The kids are also enjoying the un-seasonably 80 degree weather. Last weekend, we built their basketball hoop (that they got for Christmas) and we’ve used it a few times already. But the really big hit of the warm weather has been the Razor Rip Riders. We cannot get them off those things! One of the bikes has a lever that makes sparks fly out the … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 3/24/2012
Let Curiosity Guide You, But Common Sense Protect You
One of the biggest challenges to being new to investing is that you simply don’t know where to start. Sure you may start by reading a few magazine articles. But it can be overwhelming when they start talking about things like asset allocation, Index funds, P/E ratios, Large cap, Growth sectors, Valuations, etc. What does all this stuff even mean? The truth is that you don’t need to know everything about everything to get rich. In fact, I would venture to say that most people don’t. In reality, you really only need two things to get started on your investment journey: Curiosity and Common Sense. We All Start Somewhere: No one comes into this world being a financial genius. It is something we learn along the way. And if you feel left … [Read more...] about Let Curiosity Guide You, But Common Sense Protect You
