OH Christmas Tree... Trivia and Joy... from MORALES!

NOVEMBER '12 STATS

 

St. Charles 

# Active 371

# Sold 55

MKT Time 156

Med Sold $ -- $290,000

  

Geneva 

# Active 149

# Sold 30

MKT Time 125

Med Sold $ -- $302,439

 

Batavia

# Active 141

# Sold 12

MKT Time 233

Med Sold $ -- $247,000

   

Elburn 

# Active 84

# Sold 8 

MKT Time 96

Med Sold $ -- $215,500

 

Sugar Grove

# Active 51

# Sold 9

MKT Time 104

Med Sold $ -- $238,387

Maple Park

# Active 22

# Sold 2

MKT Time 402

Med Sold $ -- $130,000

 

 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.... Thy leaves are so unchanging!

• 21% of US homes have a real tree - 48% have an artificial tree - and 31% have no tree
• Christmas trees take an average of 7-10 years to mature
• Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees
• The favorite tree is the Scotch Pine
• 82% of real trees are pre-cut.  Only 18% were cut-your-own
• Franklin Pierce was the first president to place a tree in the White House
• You should never burn your Christmas tree in the fireplace.  It can contribute to creosote build-up
• According to data analyzed from Facebook posts, two weeks before Christmas is one of the two most popular times for couples to break up.
• Each year there are approximately 20,000 “rent-a-Santas” across the United States. “Rent-a-Santas” usually undergo seasonal training on how to maintain a jolly attitude under pressure from the public. They also receive practical advice, such as not accepting money from parents while children are looking and avoiding garlic, onions, or beans for lunch.
• Some people bring roosters to the midnight mass, a gesture that symbolizes the belief that a rooster was the first animal to announce the birth of Jesus.
• In Poland, spiders or spider webs are common Christmas trees decorations because according to legend, a spider wove a blanket for Baby Jesus. In fact, Polish people consider spiders to be symbols of goodness and prosperity at Christmas.
• Each acre of land dedicated to growing Christmas trees will provide the daily oxygen required for 18 people.
• The average child receives 16 presents under the tree
• Rudolph" was actually created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's for a holiday promotion.
• For many years, only the tops were cut off the trees and used as Christmas trees.  They were usually no more than 2-3 feet tall and usually stood on a table.
  During the Victorian era this changed as people became fonder of large floor-standing Christmas trees and it became a status symbol to have the largest tree in your neighborhood.
• Around 1900, the Addis Brush Company started producing the first artificial tree.  It was made of the same material that they used for toilet brushes.  The material was simply died green.  The overcutting of trees for the holidays caused a legislation to be passed in some areas banning the cutting of live trees for the use of Christmas trees!  The artificial tree was a hit!

 

 

Although most mistletoe is parasitic, and, therefore, harmful to the trees on which it grows, the Celts thought it had magical powers for healing wounds and increasing fertility, so they placed it throughout their homes for good luck and to ward off evil spirits.  In ancient Britain, mistletoe was considered so sacred that it could only be cut with a golden sickle. Today, Americans decorate doorframes with this plant in hopes of catching a smooch from a sweetheart while standing under its leaves. This tradition is credited to Frigga, the Scandinavian goddess of love and beauty, and is said to date back to the eighth century.

 

 

One of the real joys of the Christmas Season
is the opportunity to say Thank You! 
So, THANKS for "sticking" around with me!! 
I appreciate your business!!

 

Discover the Diane Difference...
    Diane MOOrales
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
          630.709.9882

"Like"  MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!
     

http://pickyourownchristmastree.org/facts.php

 

http://facts.randomhistory.com/christmas-facts.html

 

http://egotvonline.com/2011/12/23/12-fun-facts-about-christmas-trees-infographic/

 

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/christmas-trivia5.htm

 

http://www.christmas-celebrations.com/trivia.htm

 

https://mail.google.com/mail/?tab=wm#drafts/13b76e1dc42cd321

YouTube - Videos from this email

A delivery... from MORALES!!

Did u know that October is National Pizza Month?? 
And I'm delivering a whole bunch of fun-facts...

• Saturday Night is the most popular night to eat pizza
• Kids 3-11 prefer pizza over all other foods
  
• Pizza comes from the Latin root word Picea
• 93% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month
• Pizza was designed to be eaten without utensils - and to use fresh produce to get rid of leftovers
• Pizza includes items from ALL food groups (bonus!)
  
• Eating pizza once a week can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer (as tomato sauce and olive oil have proven cancer-fighting powers)
• 36% of people like pizza for breakfast
• The most popular pizza size is 14" in diameter
• The average American consumes 46 slices/year

How long will your pizza take?  The answer is 3 years...

• The crust which is made from flour -- from seed to harvest:  6 months
• Tomatoes-- from seed to sauce:  7 months
• Sausage/Canadian Bacon/Pepperoni/ham-- from pig to pepperoni:  5 months
• mozzarella cheese -- from milk to cheese:  3 years (as a cow cannot produce milk until she has had her first calf at about 2 years old)
• mushrooms- 3 months
• onions- 5 months
• Basil- 3 months
• Garlic - 9 months
  

Top 10 favorite toppings! 

1. Pepperoni
2. Cheese
3. Sausage
4. Mushrooms
5. Pineapple
6. Bacon
7. Ham
8. Shrimp
9. Onions
10. Green Peppers
    
    AND just for fun... click on the link to check-out the favorite toppings in other countries!! 
    

Wanna hear a good pizza joke?

Nevermind, it's cheesy! 

Waiter, will my pizza be long?

No sir, it'll be round!

What kind of pizza does a person who hates salt like?

A pepper-only pizza!

I'm looking for a "bite"... IF you have the "dough"
and are looking to get out your current living arrangements,  call me today. 
We'll "slice" up the town looking for your new home!

        
Discover the Diane Difference...
    Diane MOOrales
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
          630.709.9882

"Like"  MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!
      

http://pizza.com/fun-facts
http://memebase.cheezburger.com/puns/tag/pizza

House Haunting... with MORALES!

Halloween FUN facts --

• The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.
• Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas.
• The word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, meaning “wise woman.”
• The owl is a popular Halloween image. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant someone was about to die.
• Fifty percent of kids prefer to receive chocolate candy for Halloween -- Well, duh!  The most popular candy for trick-or-treaters is Snickers.
• According to Irish legend, Jack O’Lanterns are named after a stingy man named Jack who, because he tricked the devil several times, was forbidden entrance into both heaven and hell. He was condemned to wander the Earth, waving his lantern to lead people away from their paths.
• Black and orange are typically associated with Halloween. Orange is a symbol of strength and endurance. Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness and acts as a reminder that Halloween once was a festival that marked the boundaries between life and death.
• Scarecrows, a popular Halloween fixture, symbolize the ancient agricultural roots of the holiday.
• Scottish girls believed they could see images of their future husband if they hung wet sheets in front of the fire on Halloween. Other girls believed they would see their boyfriend’s faces if they looked into mirrors while walking downstairs at midnight on Halloween.
• Mexico celebrates the Days of the Dead (Días de los Muertos) on the Christian holidays All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2) instead of Halloween. The townspeople dress up like ghouls and parade down the street.
• 11.5% will dress up their pets.
• Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
• If you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved on watching over you.
• Illinois, California, New York, and Ohio produce more than 100 million pounds of pumpkins each year. These states are U.S. leaders in pumpkin growing.  (Yeah Illinois!)

House Haunting?  Please call and let me be of service to you!! 

			July '12		Aug '12		Sept '12
St Charles
# Active			474		454		433
# Sold			69		64		42
MKT Time			148		176		143
Med Sold $			$275,000		$278,250		$277,500
Geneva
# Active			202		188		180
# Sold			31		45		30
MKT Time			128		137		170
Med Sold $			$335,000		$314,000		$327,975
Batavia
# Active			151		144		142
# Sold			24		36		23
MKT Time			111		114		155
Med Sold $			$237,500		$220,000		$195,000
Elburn
# Active			95		94		87
# Sold			6		10		7
MKT Time			124		133		339
Med Sold $			$229,000		$195,000		$199,900
Sugar Grove
# Active			67		68		58
# Sold			16		10		9
MKT Time			122		112		194
Med Sold $			$216,000		$219,500		$278,000
Maple Park
# Active			30		29		28
# Sold			3		3		3
MKT Time			199		148		250
Med Sold $			$162,500		$130,199		$191,000

Discover the Diane Difference...
    Diane MOOrales
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
          630.709.9882

"Like"  MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!
      

http://facts.randomhistory.com/halloween-facts.html
http://www.halloween-website.com/trivia.htm
http://tinyurl.com/8g7n5qw

Outgrown your shell? ... Call MORALES!!

			Jun '12		July '12		Aug '12
St Charles
# Active			492		474		454
# Sold			62		69		64
MKT Time			204		148		176
Med Sold $			$369,000		$275,000		$278,250
Geneva
# Active			212		202		188
# Sold			45		31		45
MKT Time			174		128		137
Med Sold $			$335,000		$335,000		$314,000
Batavia
# Active			149		151		144
# Sold			34		24		36
MKT Time			243		111		114
Med Sold $			$249,000		$237,500		$220,000
Elburn
# Active			90		95		94
# Sold			9		6		10
MKT Time			155		124		133
Med Sold $			$201,500		$229,000		$195,000
Sugar Grove
# Active			64		67		68
# Sold			12		16		10
MKT Time			158		122		112
Med Sold $			$243,000		$216,000		$219,500
Maple Park
# Active			28		30		29
# Sold			2		3		3
MKT Time			533		199		148
Med Sold $			$113,300		$162,500		$130,199

Have you outgrown your current home?  The real estate market is
full of great deals-- it's a wonderful time to make a move!
Call me for service will make buying your new home
feel like a day at the beach. 

Hermit Crab and Sand Crab were best friends. One day, the tide washes them ashore and they dry up and die. Hermit Crab goes to heaven and Sand Crab goes to hell. Hermit Crab likes heaven a lot, but he misses his friend. God gives him permission to visit Sand Crab in hell on the condition that the visit only lasts one day.

Hermit Crab takes the elevator from heaven to hell, and meets Sand Crab, who is glad to see him. Sand Crab tells Hermit Crab that hell really isn't a bad place. In fact, he has been made the owner of a dance club. Sand Crab takes Hermit Crab to the club. Because he has his heavenly harp, everyone there asks Hermit Crab to play a few gigs, so he does, and Sand Crab and Hermit Crab have fun all night.

At a few minutes before midnight, Hermit Crab knows he has to leave. After a tearful farewell, he steps on the elevator and returns to heaven. Once there, he says to God, "Wait, I have to go back!" God asks why. He says, "I left my harp in Sand Crab's disco!"


"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered;
the point is to discover them." – Galileo Galilei


Discover the Diane Difference...
    Diane Morales
Keller Williams Fox Valley Realty
          630.709.9882

"Like"  MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!
      

http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=71;t=001053;p=4

August, Olympics... and MORALES!!

August is the eighth month, meaning sixth, to honor their emperor, Augustus.August is the height of the summer time in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. The longest days of the year is passed, but the hot days remain. The birds are already planning to fly south for the winter. The insects are more noisier and numerous than in any other month. This is perhaps the busiest month for businesses, since most people take their vacations in August.

Not only did the Senate name a month after Augustus, but it decided that since Julius's month, July, had 31 days, Augustus's month should equal it: under the Julian calendar, the months alternated evenly between 30 and 31 days (with the exception of February), which made August 30 days long. So, instead of August having a mere 30 days, it was lengthened to 31, preventing anyone from claiming that Emperor Augustus was saddled with an inferior month.

To accommodate this change two other calendrical adjustments were necessary:

• The extra day needed to inflate the importance of August was taken from February, which originally had 29 days (30 in a leap year), and was now reduced to 28 days (29 in a leap year).
• Since the months evenly alternated between 30 and 31 days, adding the extra day to August meant that July, August, and September would all have 31 days. So to avoid three long months in a row, the lengths of the last four months were switched around, giving us 30 days in September, April, June, and November.

I'm truly enjoying this year's Olympics... Hope you are too!!

      

Wishing you a GOLD MEDAL summer --  “The six colours, including the white background, represent the colours of all the world's flags... this is a true international emblem.”

			May '12		Jun '12		July '12
St Charles
# Active			469		492		474
# Sold			53		62		69
MKT Time			180		204		148
Med Sold $			$260,500		$369,000		$275,000
Geneva
# Active			198		212		202
# Sold			28		45		31
MKT Time			162		174		128
Med Sold $			$324,500		$335,000		$335,000
Batavia
# Active			159		149		151
# Sold			22		34		24
MKT Time			224		243		111
Med Sold $			$243,625		$249,000		$237,500
Elburn
# Active			79		90		95
# Sold			12		9		6
MKT Time			263		155		124
Med Sold $			$248,000		$201,500		$229,000
Sugar Grove
# Active			58		64		67
# Sold			14		12		16
MKT Time			179		158		122
Med Sold $			$250,000		$243,000		$216,000
Maple Park
# Active			28		28		30
# Sold			2		2		3
MKT Time			31		533		199
Med Sold $			$123,950		$113,300		$162,500

As always, your kind referrals are warmly appreciated!
Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!
    Diane Morales          630.709.9882

http://www.entourages.com/barbs/august.htm
http://purpleslinky.com/trivia/history/august-history-and-unusual-trivia-facts/
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/history-of-august.html
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_six_colours-including_the_white_background/218792.html     

May... Memories... and MORALES!!

			Mar '12		Apr '12		May '12
St Charles
# Active			462		477		469
# Sold			39		43		53
MKT Time			217		193		180
Med Sold $			$385,000		$310,000		$260,500
Geneva
# Active			184		204		198
# Sold			24		34		28
MKT Time			129		154		162
Med Sold $			$358,750		$277,250		$324,500
Batavia
# Active			144		155		159
# Sold			18		19		22
MKT Time			165		202		224
Med Sold $			$171,000		$292,000		$243,625
Elburn
# Active			83		73		79
# Sold			13		9		12
MKT Time			245		257		263
Med Sold $			$185,000		$281,000		$248,000
Sugar Grove
# Active			56		65		58
# Sold			6		6		14
MKT Time			165		147		179
Med Sold $			$213,500		$196,000		$250,000
Maple Park
# Active			28		30		28
# Sold			6		6		2
MKT Time			707		203		31
Med Sold $			$287,000		$182,500		$123,950

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart & intuition… Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs, Stanford University, 2005

           

My little tribute to high school graduation... oh the memories!!

Savor the moments that are warm, special and giggly. - Author Unknown

Its not the days in your life you'll remember, it's the memories. - Author Unknown

I always knew that I would look back on the times I cried and laugh, but I never knew that I'd look back on the times I laughed and cry. - Author Unknown


Don't forget to remember me! 
Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

Flag Flying Fun... from MORALES!

Many of us use Memorial Day weekend as a reason for a vacation, family gathering, or barbecue.  But let us all remember the true reason for the holiday – to honor those who died serving our country.

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day;  It was meant as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers.

Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30 because he thought it was at this point that flowers would have bloomed to be at their most beautiful.

After World War 1, all American soldiers were honored. Up until this point Memorial Day only officially celebrated those soldiers who died in the Civil War. Since then Memorial Day honors all soldiers who served and died for the United States.

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

It was from this reference that people wear poppies as a small honor to US service men and women lost in battle.

Below are proper etiquettes for  displaying the American Flag. 
Many of these I knew, and some I just learned...
I hope you'll proudly display your flag on Monday!! 

• When flying the flag from a vehicle, attach it to the antenna or clamp the flagstaff to the right fender (or window).
• Hang the flag above any other flag on the same pole.
• When hanging the flag over a street, hang it with the field of stars to the east (on a north-south street) or to the north (on an east-west street).
• On multiple flagpoles, all poles should be of equal height. Hang the U.S. flag on its own right.
• Hang the flag vertically in a window or draped over a building, with the field of stars to the left of anyone looking at it from the street.
• The point of honor is on the extreme left from the standpoint of the observer ("the flag's right").  The order from left to right of flags flow together is:  the Stars and Stripes, other national flags in alphabetical order, state flags, county and city flags, organizational flags, personal flags.
• It is proper to fly the Stars and Stripes at night, but only if it is spotlighted.
• In a public gathering (lecture hall, church, etc.), The Stars and Stripes should be to the right of the speakers or on the wall behind them.
• The Stars and Stripes should be in the center of a group of flags only when the center pole is taller than the others or when a fan-like arrangement makes the center pole higher than others.
• When hanging the flag in a hall or lobby, it should be across from the main entrance with the field of stars to the left of anyone coming through the door.
• A salute (hand over heart for those not in uniform) should be rendered when the flag is raised, lowered, or carried by on parade; when the Pledge of Allegiance is played (unless the flag is not present).

As always, your kind referrals are warmly appreciated!
Follow MOVIN WITH MORALES on Facebook!

    Diane Morales

          630.709.9882

http://www.eldercounselblog.com/2012/05/memorial-day-facts-you-may-not-have-known/
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120525/memorial-day-5-historical-facts-know-weekend
http://proadvance.com/flagdisplay.html
http://www.flagandbannersupply.com/flag-etiquette.htm
http://blubabalu.blogspot.com/2011/05/memorial-day-never-forget-always-honor.html