Monday, August 30, 2010

We've found Saint Paul's best weekend getaway!!!!!

The Covington Inn is one of America's few floating bed and breakfasts, buoyed and buffered as it is by the Mississippi River. Whether blanketed by snow or passed by summer's silent barges, its riverside setting soothes and captivates.
Yet the B & B permanently sits moored within the reflection of downtown St. Paul's towering skyline. The Capitol, the Science Museum, the Ordway, fine dining and shopping along nearby Grand Ave wait just across the bridge. Offering a place for both quiet getaway and city spree, the Covington does it all.

The two-story Pilot House Suite tops the Covington and its overnight experience. From the suite's second-deck sleeping quarters, ascend your private stairway to the uppermost glass-sided wheel house, now a sitting room. Enjoy the boat's most commanding view while standing at the original brass controls. Full ahead, Captain, it's all yours, and the private third deck too. Chairs and a pull-out couch accommodate private lounging and stargazing.

The view from The Masters Quarters room's brass bed takes in a scenic panorama by day and a tiled fireplace by night. The Master's Quarters is one of our most spacious and light rooms, with windows on three sides. Two doors open onto the 70-foot second deck. Wicker chairs, a coffee table and area rugs define the room's fireside sitting area.

For more information or to make reservations go to http://www.covingtoninn.com.



Monday, August 16, 2010

The Red Ring Of Doom (at least for your Ash Tree)

The Emerald Ash Borer has been a hot topic, especially lately in the Mac - Groveland and Highland Park neighborhoods.  In fact the week of July 22nd the residents noticed a red stripe around nearly every tree on the boulevard, indicating that the trees would be removed.  The city in an effort to save money and reduce street closures, planned to remove the trees while repaving the streets.  Unfortunately most of the residents had no idea that their source of shade and enjoyment was going away so soon.  They were noted as saying if they had just received a notice they may have not been so upset.  This was in addition to the 181 ash trees awaiting removal this month, along Hamline between Randolph and Highland Parkway; on Watson Ave on the east side of the St. Paul Academy; on Worcester Ave. between Morgan and St. Paul Ave; and on Montreal Ave between Fairview and St. Paul Ave.  In all there will be approximately 1,100 ash trees removed and replanted.

Thanks to a $722,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture plus $250,000 from the city to it will be a start on the 35,000 total ashes that the city has on it's boulevards, which pales in comparison to the estimated 150,000 ash trees in the city of St. Paul.  The current program to remove 1,100 ash trees started in January and is scheduled to be completed early 2011.

According to the USDA Forest Service, Emerald Ash Borers have:

 Killed tens of millions of ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The residents have asked about a possible treatment for the trees, however the issue becomes cost.  Requiring a yearly treatment, 150,000+ trees would be extremely expensive.  When residents asked about treating their own trees the Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hahm responded by saying, he would be uncomfortable with the possible environmental consequences of having residents treating their own trees.

So what can you do?  Well unfortunately we may not have a ton of options however the next community meeting is scheduled for Thursday August 26th at 6.30pm.  The meeting will be held at the Palace Recreation Center, targeted for residents of Ward 2 but open to all St. Paul residents.  There will also be a brief presentation by Forestry staff, and also plenty of time for questions.

For more information and a schedule of tree removal from the city you can visit their website here.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Lakeshore Home Tour 2010

This Sunday August 15th will be the big day!!  Lakeshore Home Tour 2010 is shaping up to be a great event, with 8 or more homes being held open from 1.00pm - 4.00pm all on the lake it should be a blast.  Most of these homes are typically not held open due to the value and location so it will be an opportunity for you to see more homes in less time.

You can start the tour at 711 Keller Parkway, Little Canada and pick up a guide to all the homes on the tour.

711 Keller Parkway
Little Canada
MLS# 3934883
$689,900
3 Bedroom 3 Bathroom
3599 Finished Square Feet
Almost 100 Feet of Lake shore
An immaculate house deigned to have great views of the lake!!






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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Property of the Week 1226 Englewood


Call today to setup a private showing 612.492.6423
This amazing home has been completely updated and is just adorable!
Featuring 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 2 car garage, hardwood floors, and amazing deck perfect for entertaining!



This gorgeous home will not last long call today!

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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Tips to save you time and $$ on home repairs

We all have those projects around the house that need to be done, it seems like they never end.  Especially with budgets tightening around the US it is getting more difficult to find the money to get those pesky repairs completed.  Hopefully with the help of this list you will be able to shave some time and money and be a little closer to being done!


1) Keeping your tools looking new.
With all the heat and humidity it is difficult to keep some tools from rusting, not anymore.  When you buy new items keep an eye out for those silica gel packets and keep them.  Put a couple in your toolbox or tool drawer and it will keep out the moisture.

2) Calcium making your faucet spay everywhere but in the sink?
Remove the dirty parts (you may need pliers if it's really stuck on there) and soak a cotton ball with white vinegar.  Place the cotton balls on the calcium covered parts and let soak.  After they are clean simply rinse off the vinegar and replace the parts.  Should be working like new!

3) Fix those loose banisters.
Simply take a toothpick with some wood glue on the tip and place between the top of the baluster (aka stair stick) and the banister.  Wipe away any excess glue and cut off the excess of the toothpick and your done!

4) Stop those pesky squirrels from eating your garden bulbs.
Take your flowering bulbs (may be a project for next spring) and wrap them in 1/2" hardware cloth as you plant them.  When the bulbs grow through the mesh they look beautiful but squirrels can't eat them.

5) Get those landscaping pebbles off the grass and back where they belong.
When those little stones get into the grass they seem impossible to get back out, well not any more.  Simply take your Shop-Vac and suck them back out of the grass and then empty them back out where they belong.

Have some great tips of your own add them as comments below or email us our readers would love to hear them!!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Calendar of Events St. Paul / Minneapolis 8/6 - 8/8

There are a few pretty exciting events going on this weekend...


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Uptown Art Fair 2010
This is the 47th year for the art fair boasting over 360 professional artists, 25 performers and more!
August 6th, 2010  12.30pm - 8.30pm
Cost: FREE

Calhoun Square
3001 Hennepin Ave. S.
(Uptown) Minneapolis

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Powderhorn Art Fair
August 7th 10am-6pm / Aug. 8th 10am-5pm
Cost: FREE

Powderhorn Park
3400 15th Ave. S.
Minneapolis


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Loring Park Art Festival
August 7th 10am-6pm / August 8th 10am-5pm
Cost: FREE

Loring Park
1382 Willow St.
Minneapolis


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Ride your bike with a Ranger
Saturdays 10am (ending September 18th)
Price: FREE
Locations vary check their website for more info.

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Meet the Raptors of Minnesota
Grand Re-opening of the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center
Saturday August 7th 10.00am - 3.00pm

Bloomington Visitors Center
3815 American Blvd. East
Bloomington



Thursday, August 5, 2010

Distraction-Free Driving Day

Today is 'Distraction-Free Driving Day.' according to our governor.  In order for drivers to fully understand and abide by this law, enacted in 2008, there will be over 100 different law enforcement agencies watching our roads today.  These will be accompanied by ads on various media outlets including radio, TV and newspaper focusing on the 'don't text and drive' campaign.

Distracted driving laws not only apply to those that send texts while driving it also encompasses changing your music, eating, or just plain day-dreaming.  It is understandable why distracted driving is such a big deal to law enforcement, with it being the cause in at least 70 deaths and 350 serious injuries and a major contributor to over 25% of all crashes in the state, they are trying to keep us safe.

Using a cell phone while driving is equivalent to having a blood alcohol content of .08% which is the state legal limit, and can reduce your concentration by 37%.

The law states that the driver may not read or compose a text or email, or access the internet while the vehicle is in motion or in traffic (i.e. sitting in rush hour traffic, at a stop light, etc.)  The law also makes it illegal for a driver under 18 to use a cell phone for anything while in the car.

What are your thoughts? Please feel free to share below!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

How does my spouses credit affect mine?

This is a commonly asked question and we have to gone to Valerie McKay from Lendsmart Mortgage for an answer:

Q: Could one spouse's bad credit negatively affect the other?
A: Each borrower has 3 credit scores.  Lenders evaluate based on the middle credit score for the lowest scoring borrower.  Credit scores can affect the interest rate available for that borrower.  Therefore, a spouse’s bad credit can potentially result in a higher interest rate.  In some cases, a strategy may be to qualify with only the strong credit borrower, as long as that borrower has the income to support the payment according to the lender’s guidelines.

Q: Can one spouse's low score negatively affect the couple's chances of securing a mortgage?
A: Yes, late payments, bankruptcy, short sale or foreclosures can all affect when a person is eligible to purchase a home.  Both conventional and FHA have guidelines as to how long a person has to wait in order to qualify if they have one of the above mentioned items on their credit.  Depending on the loan program, a person with a foreclosure may have to wait up to 5 - 7 years before they are eligible to qualify for a home loan.

Q: Does the lender use both people as a measure of creditworthiness, or is it possible to focus on the spouse with the better score?
A: If both people are on the application for a home loan then the lender will look at the lowest middle score of the borrowers on the application, rather than focus on the spouse with the better score.  Depending on the loan program, there may be a higher than market rate due to that lower middle score.

Q: How can credit be repaired or enhanced?
A: If you are looking at purchasing in the next 6-12 months, you should contact a trusted loan officer for a pre-approval.  A loan officer will be able to give you recommendations to help improve your credit scores over the short term or refer you to a reputable credit repair service.

Valerie McKay
Loan Officer
Lendsmart Mortgage, LLC
651-247-9982

Monday, August 2, 2010

Paws On Grand was a huge success!!

The turnout was amazing thanks to everyone that stopped by to say hi to us and introduce your dogs!  We handed out more than 600 dog toys!!  With dogs ranging from Chihuahua's and Yorkshire Terriers to the massive Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds it was a blast had by all, (okay maybe the dogs had more fun.)  There were treats everywhere a dog could look plus no shortage of attention for any of them.  Even McGruff the crime dog made an appearance at our booth and showed his Odd Couple Team pride by taking a few photos with our visitors.

Again we want to thank all our sponsors who donated so many great prizes.  We will be notifying the winners this week of which prizes they won.  We also wanted to thank the Speicher family for sending us a photo of their dog playing with it's new toy.  Check out some of the great photos below.





















Jason & McGruff Video