Did You Know: These Father’s Day Facts

As you know, Father’s Day occurs in the month of June. Here are some of the facts about our country's dads that you may not have known:

• Did you know that the concept of Father's Day was first proposed in 1909 by Washingtonian native Mrs. John B. Dodd? Her inspiration for the holiday was to honor her own father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran and single dad, widowed when his wife died in childbirth with their sixth child.


• Did you know that Mrs. Dodd's vision did not become reality until 63 years later? In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.


• Did you know that Americans aren't the only ones to celebrate their dads? In the United States and over 50 other countries around the world, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. The first Sunday in June is when Lithuanian dads are honored; and on the second Sunday, dads in Austria and Belgium have their special day.


• Did you know that there are 64.3 million fathers in America?


• Did you know that in families where the mother works outside of the home, 14% of fathers are full-time stay-at-home dads?


• Did you know that nearly a quarter of all married dads have three or more children living at home?


• Did you know two-thirds of children under the age of six eat dinner with their dads every day?


• Did you know that six out ten children under the age of six were praised at least three times a day by their fathers?


• Did you know that one in twelve men serving in the US Army are dads?
  

Lost & Found - Can’t find your pet? Here is how to get him back.

It’s every pet owner’s worst nightmare: Your furry friend is missing and you don’t know what to do. “The key is not to wait,” says Stephen Zawistowski, Ph.D. executive vice president of the ASPCA. “The sooner you start searching, the more likely you are to find your pet.”
Use this step-by-step guide to ensure a reunion

• Step 1: The minute you realize your pet is missing, search your home carefully. He might just be hiding.


• Step 2: Bring a recent photo of your pet and knock on neighbors’ doors and ask if they’ve seen her.


• Step 3: Call all the animal control agencies, shelter (municipal & private) and rescue groups within 20 miles of your home. If your town doesn’t have an animal control department, call the police.


• Step 4: Make a “lost pet” flyer with photo, description, and contact info. Hand them out at dog parks and dog runs.


• Step 5: Post & read lost & found messages on online animal forums such as the Center for Lost Pets. Also, consider placing a classified ad in the local newspaper, most will you run one for free.


• Step 6: Put your pet’s bed or favorite blanket on the porch or in the front yard in plain site as invite to come home.


• Step 7: Check in with all local shelters in person. Sometimes it is hard to match them to a written description.


• Step 8: Don’t give in to doom-and-gloom thinking. Pets are more resilient than we give them credit for.
  
  Best Lost-Pet Websites:
  — www.hecenterforlostpets.com
  — www.togethertag.com
  — www.fidofinder.com
  — www.tabbytracker.com
  By Maridel Reyes
  

Recipe Of The Month! - Banana Split Ice Cream Cake

There are lots of variations to this family favorite. I suggest you give this one a try. It is fun and easy to do. It would be a great one for the kids to make as the grand finale to a summertime cookout!
Prep Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes Total Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups crushed graham crackers


• 4 Tbsp. butter, melted


• 1-2 pints vanilla ice cream, softened


• 3/4 cup chopped peanuts, divided


• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips


• 1-2 pints strawberry ice cream, softened


• 2 small bananas, chopped


• Chocolate sauce for drizzling
  

Preparation: Combine crushed graham crackers and melted butter. Press into an 8-inch square pan. Freeze 10 minutes.

Spread softened vanilla ice cream over graham cracker layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the chopped peanuts and the mini chocolate chips. Freeze 45 minutes to 1 hour, until firm.
Spread strawberry ice cream over the peanut and chocolate chip layer. Freeze until firm, 2-4 hours.

To serve, cut into squares. Top each with chopped bananas, chopped peanuts & a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Makes 9-12 servings of Banana Split Ice Cream Cake.

Why Is June “The” Wedding Month

Traditionally more weddings take place in June than any other month of the year. Naturally, you might think that this is because of the wonderful weather that we enjoy nationwide during this month.. While that may be the deciding factor for a lot of brides and grooms, there’s a lot more to this tradition than just the weather. There are actually several good theories to the origin of this popular wedding tradition.

The custom for June weddings may have begun in ancient Rome. Roman mythology dictated a lot of their customs and traditions and the goddess, Juno, was the Roman goddess of marriage. Desiring their marriages to be blessed by Juno, they honored her by marrying in the month named after her.

Another theory to the origin of this custom dates back to the 1400’s when the ‘annual bath’ was held in May, making the large gathering for this type of celebration a little less offensive in the odor department. Still another theory suggests that since many brides became pregnant on their honeymoon, the newlywed wife wouldn’t be too far alone during harvest time if the wedding was in June and could therefore still be of help bringing in the crops.

Today many couples have to plan their weddings around school and work schedules, and typically, the summer months are a little easier to plan for.

Tame Those Student Loans

For people still saddled with federal student loans (the average debt these days is a hefty $23,000, a 24% increase since 2004), there’s a new program that could save you a huge chunk of money. The Income-Based Repayment (IBR) plan which became available last July, offers payment caps based on income and family size. For most borrowers, that amounts to less that 10% of their income.

“It’s a sliding scale based not on how much you owe but on what you can afford,” says Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties (Fireside).

Right now IBR is best for couples who file their taxes individually: A husband and wife each making $30,000 a year and owing $30,000 in student loans would have to shell out only $170 a month per person. That’s about half of what they’d be paying under a standard repayment plan, freeing up more that $4,000 a year for the family.

But the plan gets even sweeter come July, when the same provisions will be extended to married couples who file jointly. To learn more, check out ibrinfo.org or finaid.org. They also offer program where you could qualify to not have to pay off any remaining debt after 25 years—or just 10 years for teachers, government employees and nonprofit workers.
(Jean Chatzky, author of Money 911: Your Most Pressing Money Questions Answered, Yorur Money Emergencies Solved (Harper Collins).

John Wooden Quotes

• "It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."


• "Young people need models, not critics."


• "It is what we learn after we know it all that really counts."


• "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."


• "For an athlete to function properly, he must be intent. There has to be a definite purpose and goal if you are to progress. If you are not intent about what you are doing, you aren't able to resist the temptation to do something else that might be more fun at the moment."


• "The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move."


• "Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights."


• "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes."


• "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."


• "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."


• "Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."


• "Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but what you should have accomplished with your ability."


• "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"Adopted From www.basketball-plays-and-tips.com
  

Reel Partner Of The Month! American Lawn Care

Running Out Of Space On Your To Do List?

Give Us A Call(317) 525-1275

We Will Solve Your Problems!

American Lawn Care realizes that you may not have the time, energy or inclination to do everything needed to keep your lawn looking its best. For this reason we custom design each lawn care & property maintenance program that will fit virtually everyone’s needs & their budgets too! Please contact us & we can start a personalized plan to address your specific lawn care needs.

Darrin Burchfield

americanlawn@att.net

Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended Until 2011 for Some Military Home Buyers

If you are looking to buy a home in the Indianapolis real estate market, and you or your spouse is in the military… you may qualify for the Home Buyer Tax Credit extension!
Yes, if you or your spouse “served on qualified official extended duty service at least 50 miles from home for at least 90 days in 2009” you have an extra year to buy a home and take advantage of the $8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit or the $6,500 Long Time Resident of the Same Main Home Tax Credit!

Here’s the scoop…

“Members of the military and certain other federal employees serving outside the U.S. have an extra year to buy a principal residence in the U.S. and qualify for the credit. Thus, an eligible taxpayer must buy, or enter into a binding contract to buy, a principal residence on or before April 30, 2011. If a binding contract is entered into by that date, the taxpayer has until June 30, 2011, to close on the purchase.

Members of the uniformed services, members of the Foreign Service and employees of the intelligence community are eligible for this special rule. It applies to any individual (and, if married, the individual’s spouse) who serves on qualified official extended duty service (at least 50 miles from home) for at least 90 days during the period beginning after Dec. 31, 2008, and ending before May 1, 2010.” ( IRS.gov )

So, if you are in the military and want to take advantage of the tax credit (and low rates and great home selection) , this tax-credit extension may be your perfect option! Let us know how we can help you in your home search this Summer!
Call Us At: 317 590-7335

Qualifications for the $8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit

• Only first-time home buyers are eligible for the $8,000 tax credit. (This is defined as not owning a home over the past 3 years.)


• The home must be your principal residence.


• Income Limits: Single Home Buyers - $125,000. Couples - $250,000.


• Purchase Price Of Your New Home Is Under $800,000.
  

Qualifications for the $6,500 Home Buyer Tax Credit For Current Homeowners

• You (and your spouse if married) previously owned and used the same main home as your main home for any 5 consecutive-year period during the 8 year period ending on the date you purchased your new main home.


• Your main home is the one you live in most of the time. It can be a house, houseboat, mobile home, or condo

What are the Key Benefits of a VA Loan?

• 100% financing, no down payment loans are common.


• Sellers can pay all closing costs.


• No PMI on VA loans.


• No prepayment penalties on VA loans.


• Loan qualification is sometimes easier than if you were applying for a conventional loan.


• Less than perfect credit is usually accepted with VA loans.


• VA assistance to veteran borrowers in default due to temporary financial difficulty.


• Ability to finance the VA funding fee (no funding fee for disabled veterans).
  
  

Collage Student's Letter Home - No Money

Dear Dad,
$ummer $chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.

Love, Your $on.

Dear Son,
I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.

Love, Dad

Buy Real Estate & Save On Your Mortgage

In a New York Times article entitled Interest Rates Have Nowhere to go but Up, it is suggested that now is the time to buy as mortgage rates are not likely to get any lower for buyers looking to purchase in the Indianapolis real estate.

According to the article, after a historic 30-year decline in the cost of borrowing, interest rates are on the rise. The switch comes as no surprise, and is a natural facet of the ebb and flow of economics. Unfortunately though, the current rise in interest rates looks like it may continue for quite some time, at the very least through the end of the year when the 30-year mortgage rate is expected to hit six percent. This means that the small rebound that has begun to take shape is unlikely to last, and those looking to buy Indianapolis homes for sale will find it harder and harder to borrow the money that they need.

Thankfully, for buyers looking at homes in Indianapolis, interest rates on a 30-year mortgage aren’t going to come anywhere near their all-time high of 18.2% in 1981. A rate that high translated to a monthly payment of $1,523 on a $100,000 loan. To give a little perspective, the monthly payment on the same loan right now is $556.

Given that piece of information, clearly things could be worse, but that doesn’t mean that the situation isn’t bad for those looking to buy Indianapolis property. So what can home buyers do to better their chances of securing home loans?

The best piece of advice is do not buy unless you can afford to. If you’ve tried every option for a home loan and no one will give you a mortgage, you might want to take that as a sign that you’re not financially ready to invest in real estate. If you find you are in this situation, it may be worthwhile to discuss this matter with The Reel Team and figure out what measures you can take now so you can secure a home loan and purchase property in the future.

If you feel that you are truly ready to buy, choose your lender carefully for the best chance at securing a loan. Try to find a lender with a track record of excellent customer service who will answer all of your questions and make you feel comfortable. A Indianapolis mortgage lender that has the authority to approve your loan locally is ideal, because that lender will be most likely to know what the Indianapolis real estate market is actually like.

It’s also a good idea to know your credit score before you try to secure a loan. Equifax, Experian, or Trans Union will provide you with a free credit report through their simple request processes. Make sure the information in your credit report is accurate and do some research to figure out what you can do to improve your score that might mean reducing your number of credit cards or paying off your debt.