1557 Tattersall Way

5 bedrooms,

3 1/2 baths

Finished, walk-out basement.

Loads of woodwork and hardwood flooring.

First floor study.

Backs to gold course.

Lovely views.

Reduced to an incredible $499,900!!

Call me today for a peek at this gorgeous listing!

Susan Mangigian

RE/MAX PREFERRED, WEST CHESTER

1450 E. Boot Road, Suite 600-A

West Chester, PA  19380

Main number:  610-719-1700

cell:  610-299-6237

After soccer today, and before showing houses, Max and I picked up his friend Garrett and the three of us went to lunch at McDonalds.  Garrett is a very cute 12 year old boy with rosy cheeks and light eyes with long dark lashes.  We were all eating, I looked at Garrett and told him that he has really pretty eyes.  Max then apologized to Garrett, as if I just told him he had bug eyes or a big nose or something!  I said, oh come on, people must tell you that all of the time.  Max chimes in, "no Mom, because he's a guy, not a girl".  What in the world does this have to do with anything?

At about this point, Max got up to refill his coke and Garrett sat staring down at his chicken fingers box, all of a sudden fascinated with something written on the inside.  In other words, he desperately didn't want to have a conversation with me while Max was gone and was pretending that there was something intensely interesting written inside the box so as not to make eye contact!

I don't know about you, but I enjoy exasperating my children.  I think they secretly get a kick out of it, but I could definitely be wrong about that!  Max loves to watch those wilderness shows on Discovery,  "Man versus Wild" and "Survival Man".   I love to make him crazy by suggesting that while Survival Man is  wondering out loud how he can collect rain on an upturned leaf, that perhaps the camera man can offer the poor guy his canteen.  Or when one or the other of them dismantles a car in order to build shelter, or cook food, or whatever it is he is trying to do, I always suggest it might have been easier to drive that very same car to the nearest hotel or restaurant.  Either my sons think I am a hopeless idiot, or they know I'm messing with them.

When Mike was little, he used to wonder funny things, like what would happen if Spider Man suddenly got Superman's powers, or what would happen if Batman and Robin ever ran into Superman.  I used to always very sweetly ask him if realized that these people weren't real.  He used to get so mad at me.  "Thanks Mom.  Thanks a lot!"

When we are watching a sport, I love to mess with Max and comment on how cute certain players are, or how I think that baseball uniforms are not very sexy, or wonder aloud how professional wrestlers can walk around in public in those little panties!  It drives him crazy!

Max also has an aversion to my singing in the car with the windows open.  Go figure!

My older son seems to be somewhat immune to embarrassment.  In fact, when we were visiting college on parent's day, I asked him if he wanted me to "tone me down" just a bit.  He put his arm around me and said, "you never embarrass me mom, just be yourself".  High praise indeed!

I intersperse these teasing moments with lots of love and affection with my boys.  I often ask them if they would rather have a more normal mom.  They tell me being normal is highly overrated!

Yikes!  My life is flying by.  It seems like yesterday that I got my little puppy, who lights up my life and now he's one year old.  Of course, we've only had him since July 17, 2008, at about 11:00 AM to be exact!  We took one look at that face and asked to hold him.  He was just a natural little love bunny, but to be sure, Max, my 12 year old, asked to hold the other two cockapoos.  JJ's brother was nice, but not as interested in licking our faces.  Another one bolted out of the cage like a bat out of hell and while he was a beauty of a dog, we didn't want one quite so wild.  So, we adopted the little love bunny and it was one of the best things I've ever done!  Being a lifelong cat owner, I never realized how much love can fit into such a tiny body!  JJ's heart is totally pure and his intentions are only to please.  It's hard to even get mad at the little tootsie rolls he leaves me in the laundry room, or the fact that he considers cat poop out of the litter box a delicacy!  Or the 6 pairs of reading glasses he has managed to scarf off the end table in the family room since July and chew to smithereens!

Since we celebrated JJ's 1st birthday on Monday, I'd like to dedicate today's Thankful Thursday post exclusively to JJ, my first ever dog, my first blond haired love, my constant companion and truly woman's best friend.

I mean honestly folks, is this little guy not the cutest thing?

Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith, 156th Legislative District, Chester County, is one of my all time favorite people.  Notice I didn't say favorite politicians, even though she is hands down, my favorite politician.  She's one of my favorite people as well because she's forthright, honest, hardworking and has a wonderful personality.  I never see her around that she doesn't graciously come over to me like we are old friends.  I've met other government officials, time and again, and they introduce themselves to me each time, like it's the first time we've met.  Not so with Rep. McIlvaine Smith.  I first met her when she was campaigning for her first term and she was going door to door in my neighborhood.  She does an outstanding job as our Representative and her website is very helpful and informative. 

This Saturday, April 25, Rep. McIlvaine Smith is hosting a free community shredding event from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (or until the truck is full)

You will be limited to 2 to 3 boxes so that as many people as possible can take advantage of this excellent way to thwart identity theft. 

What should you shred: 

All unwanted documents that contain personal information, including Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and bank account numbers, such as:

• Credit card statements
• Credit card applications
• Bank statements
• Canceled checks
• Income tax information
• Insurance records/information, including medical Retirement/pension fund information

A big thank you to Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith for always thinking of ways to help her constituents.

Well, top 10 lists seem to work nicely for folks like David Letterman.  I don't have a team of writers, nor am I even an 1/8 as funny as David Letterman, so this list won't be funny.  Without further adieu, here is my top 10 list of things to be thankful for today, Thursday, 4/16/09.

1.  The sun is shining here!  We have had two days of the most miserable and cold kind of rain.  It's glorious to see the sun shining.

2.  My never ending thanks for my little dog J.J.  He's an endless source of love and humor and he's got to be the cutest dog I've ever seen.  Pictured here, as a favor to Pam Pugmire, is JJ and me doing a school project for Pam's daughter, I think it was called Flat Stanley!  You can see, he's giving me a little smooch, one of his specialties!

3.  HAPPY HOUR!  RE/MAX Preferred has decided to kick off Spring with a happy hour for the agents!  With the sun shining, the birds singing and a happy hour to look forward to, this day can't be beat!

4.  Meals on Wheels.  I'm thankful to this organization for allowing me a place to volunteer my time and to make a difference.

5.  My Momma!  This little lady is always there for me, with a hug, advice or a kick in the butt... whatever is needed.  I am grateful everyday for my mom!

6.  Spring flowers.  This spring has been very wet, and the flowers are loving it.  The daffodils are gorgeous and I am loving driving around and admiring the forsythias everywhere!

7.  My flowering pear tree is in full bloom this morning and it's a beauty!

8.  Active Rain.  Once again, I'd like to publicly acknowledge the Active Rain site for allowing real estate professionals to post their thoughts, share their knowledge and make lasting friendships.  I have made so many good friends here.  Friends that have become part of my everyday life and I am thankful for that.

9.  Facebook.  I have tons of fun keeping up with people on facebook and even though my teen shuns me there, most others seem happy to see me!  I also recently completed my first real estate referral through facebook!

10.  Life in general.  Life is unarguably full of surprises, both good and bad.  Just as winter makes the spring time so much sweeter, the bad in life makes the good stuff so much more wonderful. 

Here is wishing my friends and loved ones much more good than bad, more sunshine than rain, more flowers than weeds and more laughter than tears.   Today is a gift.... make the most of it!

This beautiful townhouse is just reduced to $364,900!  It has so much to offer... charming, comfortable and cozy, with 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a gourmet kitchen that will be a dream to entertain in! 

My 19 year old was home for Easter Weekend.  This is my firstborn, the child for whom my life changed forever when I became his mom.  The child who stretched my size 4 body into unrecognizable proportions that never settled back into quite the same shape, one that never fit back into a size 4.  The child who's response to my outpouring of love and physical affection said three words with hands held up, as if to ward off a smack in the face when I went to kiss him again at about age 2... "too much Mommy, too much". 

This child went off to college without so much as a look backward.  I am happy for him.  I am proud of him.  But I am hungry for details.  I want to share this college experience.  I want to know about all the ups and downs, all the fun he is having.  Details are not forthcoming.  How are your classes.  Fine.  How are your grades.  Okay.   What did you guys do over the weekend.  Not much.  How is your girlfriend.  I am not going to talk to you about that. 

This child has a facebook.  I asked him to be my friend on facebook and he accepted.  Now, he hates that I am on facebook.  He tells me that I spend too much time on facebook.  He never responds to my comments on his wall.  He calls me a facebook stalker.  Now, I pop over to facebook several times a day.  It makes me happy to keep up with my friends there.  Most of my friends there are also my Active Rain colleagues, and there is a funny, spontaneous quality to our comments on facebook that I really enjoy.  I like to see what they are up to, the funny things they say they are doing, and we reciprocally comment on eachothers lives.

Not my son.  He sees this kind of interest in his life as stalking. I asked him the following question, tongue in cheek, on his wall: 

Why do you write notes on every else's wall but mine? Would it kill you to write on your mother's wall?

He responded with this:

yes, yes it would. It would LITERALLY kill me to write on your wall

There you have it.  The shutting of a door.  The little boy who used to wonder aloud to me about what would happen if Superman and Batman ever met, would rather not share his life with his mom.  The little boy that I used to lay alongside of, in his car bed, reading Dr. Seuss and laughing out loud, rarely calls, and never just to say hello.  My shy little boy has flown the coop, to be replaced by an aloof young man who holds me at arm's length! 

I know I should be more mature about this.  I hope that this is just a phase that he will outgrow.  But, somehow, in my heart, I know that it's not.  My little boy is all grown up and really doesn't need me anymore.  Our relationship will stretch and grow to accommodate this new young man who doesn't need me, who doesn't want to confide in me, who doesn't seem to care about my opinion.   It seems that as he has changed, a change is required of me.  I am having a little bit of a problem with it, but it will come. At least I hope so.  I am tempted to "unfriend" him on facebook, so I will no longer be tempted to check out what he is doing and laughing about.  But just not yet.

Having been down and out with a terrible cold for over a week, I was thinking I would have to dig deep to think of something to be thankful for, but as soon as I wrote today's date in the title of this post, it hit me.  One of my best friends growing up in South Philadelphia was Doreen Pietromartire.  Doreen lived at 2638 S. Warnock Street and I lived at 2638 S. Percy Street.  We met in 4th grade, when I skipped over third and we've been friends every since.  Doreen was my friend when I had thick coke bottle glasses and a silver boot over my front tooth, put there by a sadistic dentist to straighten it out when it came in sideways.  Picture me homely, in a pixie haircut, glasses and a big silver thing sticking out of my always laughing mouth.  Yep.  Even all of that didn't keep the laughter from bubbling out of us as we went through grade school, junior high and high school together! 

Doreen was, and is still, a good friend and shared my love of boys!  Doreen was even beside me when I followed more than a few of them home from school!  Doreen knew the boys that my goldfish were named after, boys that didn't know I existed!  In other words, Doreen knows where all of the bodies are buried! She sat next to me in many of our classes through the years, let me cheat off of her paper in 10th grade Biology, knows all about my first kiss, and pretty much my first everything else!  Doreen has a mind like a steel trap and she is still the person I go to, when I need to remember something from my past, since my brain is like a sieve... can't keep anything in there!

The reason I thought of Doreen as soon as I typed in today's date, is because today is her mom's birthday.  Florence Pietromartire has sadly passed away more than a few years ago, but Aunt Flo as I always called her, has a permanent place in this almost 50 year old heart.  Aunt Flo taught me how to iron a man's shirt.  She taught me how to wash dishes in water so hot you thought you'd burn your hands, so they would dry spotless.  She taught me not to press my nose against the glass door and peek in while I waited for Doreen to answer the door.  She taught me all about the importance of a clean window, no finger prints!  She taught me about a normal marriage, as I spent many, many hours at her kitchen table, away from my alcoholic father and my long suffering and wonderful mother.  Aunt Flo packed Doreen the best lunches and I would sit and salivate as Doreen would take out her re-used brown bag, neatly folded and take out her meatball sandwich, her tastykakes and her drink.  Poor Doreen... how she hated sharing that tastykake with me!  But she always did.  She shared her family with me too. As a teenager, I would pick Doreen up in the morning on the way to high school, a bunch of us would walk together.  I usually had a bag of chips and a bottle of Pepsi in my hand... breakfast, Carlini style.  Aunt Flo would shudder and say...Susan, you must have a  cast iron stomach!  This was on the days that I didn't stop with my Pepsi and have two white creme donuts from the local bakery!  I miss South Philly with an ache that just won't go away!

All through my life and well after my marriage, Aunt Flo's kitchen table was a meeting place for all of us.  She was the heart of the group and we could talk to her about almost anything.  A fierce warrior of a mom, she was always on our side.  She had a gravelly voice and a beautiful face, with lovely salt and pepper hair, done every week at the local beauty parlor.  Those were the days... sitting at her table, smelling freshly fried meatballs and gravy simmering on the stove.  There was a picture of Aunt Flo in her living room that I have always loved.  It shows her, in all of her beauty, holding a fan, head tilted fetchingly.  After she passed, Doreen made me a copy and mailed it to me in a silver frame.  It sits on my dining room shelf, smiling at me every day. 

In addition to always being thankful for my friend Doreen,  today, 4/9/09, I take a moment to love and remember Aunt Flo, a lovely woman with a big heart, a wonderful mom and good friend.  I am thankful for her in ways that you can not imagine.  Happy Birthday Aunt Flo!