Retire In Style Blog Too

I'm very sorry...it has been a very busy month, week, day.  I am trying to wrap my mind around what has happened.  It started very simply.  My Granddaughter and Grandson had birthdays.  My son and his family flew in from China.  Then the grandson graduated from high school.  My blog was recognized on Virtual Granny and I received a comment from Brent Mycoskie , founder of Tom's Shoes, for a piece I wrote for Blog Critics. AND to top it all off my house sold today.  Two offers came in within 24 hours and it seems we have sold the condo. But other than that nothing much has happened.  Sorry to disappoint you.  Life as a retiree can be very slow.  But not today!!!! The house sale was huge and greatly desired.  My grandson graduating from high school was the best.  Being recognized by Virtual Granny is so important to me.  But a comment from Brent Mycoskie is beyond anything.  Really.  He has done such a wonderful ...

When I my husband and I are ready to buy another piece of property we will be looking for a real estate company and agent that serves senior citizens. I decided this when I discovered a  REALTORS ®  certification for agents called  SRES ® (Senior Real Estate Specialist).   This guarantees that the agent is trained and certified to serve seniors (50+). I just makes good sense. Yesterday I    discovered a real estate agency that not only employs  SRES ®  agents but they have a whole division that serves clients 55+.  The agency is located in NYC and the division is called  Seniors on the Move .  Real Estate Ad:   Established in the late 1990’s, Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Seniors on the Move Division is a dedicated team of real estate professionals that focus on the specific needs of the 55+ buyer and seller. Our Seniors Real Estate Specialist ( SRES ® ) are certified and have completed the educational requirements, which ensure...

     Part of my job here at Retire In Style Blog is to share products that will help you be comfortable living in a small space.  I have told you about downsizing, products that you might need and how to make that small space beautiful.  In every case I have told about things that I know first hand.  I am not an expert unless you want to call "living" an education but I do know what I love.      A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a company that sells home appliances.  The email started like this: NewAir AC-10000H  10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner  and Heater with Remote Control My name is Andreah, I work in the marketing department for an independent online appliance retailer called Air & Water, Inc.  We sell a variety of home appliances on our website Air&Water.com .  I heard about your blog through my mom, who is a regular reader.  She's always talking about your great travel ideas and lo...

Note: Article first published as   TV Ads with a Social Conscience? Chrysler and Tom's Shoes Show the Way   on Blogcritics. From   Blake Mycoskies  bio on Tom's website.   An article posted by AARP this week talked about a business that had found a way to connect consumers with a social conscience to a wonderful product. I had been aware of this small company for several years, but up until its commercial-within-a-commercial TV campaign, I had not been aware of the concept. It was pure genius on the part of some advertising agency. Tom's Shoes AT&T partnered with a small shoemaker, ( Website information Tom's Shoes), which provided free shoes to children around the world. The young Blake Mycoskie saw a need for children's shoes in poverty-stricken communities and he was looking for a product he could sell. So he started a business based on this need and found a way to do it profitably. As I remember the business plan, he hired people in third world countries...

First Day of Summer is coming! If we are going to eat in a restaurant in downtown Portland, we check with Yelp.com to see what other people think.  Words like "dirty" or "terrible service" make us take pause, especially if there are several agreeing opinions.  But out here in the west part of the metro area things are different. We are overrun with franchises and drive through in Hillsboro, so we are more apt to try a family owned restaurant no matter what the reviews.  If we are planning a special evening out we will check with Yelp but we know that the reviews may be submitted by people that are not locals.  That is very important. So yesterday when I had a very good meal at a local main street restaurant, I knew I had to tell you about it. My husband and I were shopping for a screen door knob at the antique stores in downtown Hillsboro when hunger hit us both right between the eyes!  Main street is turning into a trendy place for busy working people meet...

We own a cat that loves to hunt.  If he were a human he would be a card carrying member of the NRA. His need to hunt exceeds his need to eat by about 200 percent.  How do I know this.  Well, once he is full, he brings them into the house and turns them free in our kitchen. That, my friends, is where the quest for a better mouse trap began. In this day of miracle poisons and cardboard set them free traps, a real mouse killing machine is very hard to find.  There are so few hardware stores anymore that we must drive many miles to find one, so we generally opt for Target or the grocery store to get the mundane things like a package of various sized screws or nails.  But a mouse trap in the grocery store?  That didn't seem right. So we headed out to look for one. I encouraged a trip to Target.  You can buy clothes or a purse at Target even if you don't find a mouse trap. The trick at Target is choosing the right department. We thought that traps shoul...

I am inviting you to think about this...10 things that you could not live without.  I am retired, 69 and live in a small space.  If you were wanting to shop for my favorite things this is what you would look for: My Microplane Zester ...I yearned for one of these for years but just could not make myself buy one.  I even used a rasp from my husband's shop for a while. The exfoliating gloves I use in my shower.   My Kindle reader...this device has made it possible for me to read again. My Mac computer ...how would I ever live without it. The counter top oven/toaster Pacific Coast ® Down Around ® Standard Pillow (good for small food items). The Pendleton blanket that belonged to my parents. Hooks for clothing . The magnetic wall rack for my spices (a great space saver). My Dyson vacuum.  Really, I will never own another brand.  It is the best. My iphone ...I even take most of my pictures for this blog with it. There you have it. Give me a list of 10 thing...

In a recent article on the AARP website the writer talked about how easy the Internet has made genealogy research. " Your Family History is Just a Click Away " was the name of the article. The article includes many links and lots of information. This what they had to say: There's a bonanza on the Internet for anyone searching for their family roots. As more records go online worldwide, a click of a mouse can take you back in time by hundreds of years in a matter of minutes via websites designed to help you hunt down your past. I love it when a website like AARP does a lot of the hard work.  However, because my husband and I are nerds (all be it old nerds) we would rather do at least part of it ourselves.  Here what happened this last week. Genealogy our way! Genealogy is not my bag.  I just think "let sleeping dogs sleep" and I can not even remember what my Great Grandmother's first name was.  I'm funny that way.  My husband, on the other hand, has be...

Wassabi on Cornell near Streets of Tanesborne Great Pan Asian Food + a sports bar! Las Vegas, NV.  Giant California Roll Many of my friends are not biting, literally, when it comes to sushi. YUCK! they will say. The idea that something might have a raw fish in it or on it just does not rock their boat! Not that I am judging but I have an opinion retirees. Here it is! Last year I wrote a post on "looking old".  It included advice like don't wear a watch - just look at your cell phone and  don't be the office archivist ...even if you know you are right be quiet and  buy some new clothes because polyester is out of style and get a new hair style because long gray hair drags you down .   Now I'm on a new kick... please don't act old  when you go out to eat. Here are 7 things that bother me: Don't complain about the prices on the menu. Honestly, if you aren't in the Cracker Barrel or McDonald's, things are going to cost more. A very middle of the line...

My husband and I have eleven grandchildren. We are very proud of them.  Retirement and grandchildren just seem to go together. Isn't that wonderful.  I wanted to share some pictures with you today. GRADUATION DAY 2011 Ethan with his parents (my daughter and her husband) My husband and I with Ethan Family party! A DAY WITH THE SMALLEST Taking care of  Brycen and Brayden (3 years old)! Brycen (17 mos.) Have a wonderful day. b

I love our local farmer's market.  I walk the three short blocks on Sunday morning to pick up my produce, a bouquet of flowers and lots of information for my blog.  Hillsboro is the location for three of these markets. My Sunday farmers market is here in Orenco Station , Hillsboro Oregon  and downtown main street hosts one on Tuesday evening and another on Saturday morning. Here in the Portland Metro area you can find a farmers market somewhere every day of the week. Orenco Station Farmer's Market Sundays 10 AM-2 PM Oregon Farmer's Market Association  web page lists over 100 market from throughout the state.  The organizers like to support local farmer and artisans food creators as well as local artists.  As a result the market here in Hillsboro has some rules for what vendors can and cannot sell.  For example, importing vegetable from out of the area is not permitted.  The time the market can and cannot be open is set an...

NOTE:  all links are in orange . Take a backroad to a Carlton, Or. winery! Whether you are a visitor, new to the area or even a long time resident, there are things that you can learn about Portland if you do some research online.  While a few websites like City Search or Urban Spoon are just a given, there are others that give you a more personal and less commercial view.  Those are the ones I want to share with you.  I hope you find this helpful. MIX Magazine   (online edition)   is published by OregonLive.com and is an arm of our local newspaper, The Oregonian.  We received this magazine with our newspaper for a whole year and I was hooked. The online edition will give you a lot of information.  The very best of all restaurants in town are featured along with enticing pictures and personal information on bartenders, chefs and owners.  I love this website. Old Wheeler Hotel, Manzanita, Oregon On the Oregon Coast Portland Magazine   (o...

Living in the Portland Metro area is a delight.  Food, fun and friends springs to mind.  People from the Portland Metro area are friendly. Even new people to the region seem to pick up the vibe. Locals honk their horns when you are going to run into a tree not when you take a little too long at a stop light.  We use 4 way stops signs and yellow turn signals on red lights.  It seems to work out just fine. So I am going to spend next seven day taking about my favorites. I love to go on a date to a restaurant in the Pearl District in downtown Portland so I need to start there. On Mother's Day several weeks ago my daughter and her family took us to Andina for dinner. The byline for this eatery is "A taste of Peru in the Pearl!" My husband and I had stopped in for lunch a while back but we really didn't appreciate how unique this place is. The special event we attended featured a performance by a local jazz musician. The food was so spectacular I am not even going to d...

Feeling a little crowded?  Have too much stuff but still want it all?  Sharing an apartment with a friend?  Let's talk about living a studio/loft apartment or even in your bedroom. My first apartment was a studio on the top floor of an apartment house in La Grande, Oregon . I had a view down the alley of Mount Emily . I loved that apartment with it's drop leaf table and small alcove that served as our bedroom. I wonder now why we ever thought we needed more. Had it not been for children we could have spent our entire life in that apartment. We could have upgraded the furniture and painted the occasional wall.  That small space was so perfect for all ages. I have a feeling I might live in something like it again before I am gone. However, the next time I live in that kind of space, I will find a way to fit in my computer.  Things have changed a lot in the last 50 years. In fact, in the world of technology, a lot has changed in the last 6 months. It is hard to kee...