Aroma Diffusers from California Inside & Out are beautiful wood presentation pieces that dress up just about any room.  I prefer placing these in a bathroom or on a vanity.  The product has a small reservoir of natural oils encased in a beautiful hardwood box.  Thin, wooden reeds are dipped into the reservoir for a few hours to absorb the natural oils.  When you are ready to diffuse a subtle aroma in the room, simply flip the reeds upside down to expose the oil dipped part of the reeds.   Nature and the flow of air will diffuse a pleasant hint of fragrance to the room.  My favorite aroma oils are Lemmon Grass, Jasmine, and Gardenia.  This company has a great future and is conducting a live product demo at the Issaquah Costco until Sunday, November 29.  I hope you enjoy this product.

I would also recommend a few strategically placed Votivo candles.  You want to be careful not to overdo these – given the Aroma diffusers.  The candles give a warm glow to a living area.  I like to place them on a coffee table or an end table.  We placed these in an expensive home on Sammamish plateau and the house sold in a couple of days.  Several people commented at an open house how much they loved the Votivo candles.  I personally like the Gingersnap scented candles.   Jon

Pumpkin Cheesecake – I love cheescake, but this had a little too much pumpkin flavor.  It was like eating a great cheesecake crossed with a pumpkin pie.  Next time, I think I’ll just eat cheesecake.

Delice de Bourgogne Cheese – I don’t have one clue on how you pronounce this stuff.  Maybe you do?  The Delice de Bourgogne tastes kind of like brie.  Salty.

Tyson Chicken Tenders with Rikki Rikki Miso Vinaigrette Dressing – Wow!  The dressing and the chicken were fabulous when combined.  I think the lady was watching me make laps around the refrigerator section (trying to secretly snatch a second taste) after my first sample.  I wanted another, but it was tough…

Oscar Meyer Turkey Bacon – This was better than the Louis Rich turkey bacon I sampled a couple of weeks ago; however, it is soft.  I like my bacon crispy.  I’ll stick with the plain old Kirkland brand bacon until the doctor says to cut bacon out of my diet.  Why don’t they offer Kirkland bacon as a sample?  I would buy some … I promise.

Orca Bay Salad Shrimp – I made a quick dash for the sample table when I saw the shrimp.  However, I was really disappointed.  First, the shrimp was still half frozen.  It’s really a strange feeling to eat half frozen shrimp.  Also, when I eat shrimp, I like a healthy dose of cocktail sauce.  No cocktail sauce, but I still love shrimp.

Kirkland Signature Egg Starts – I wasn’t even going there after my last experience with the Egg Starts.  I will mention that they tried to improve the Egg Starts by adding Kirkland Signature Lean Ham Slices.  Costco management probably read my last blog post.  The only way to make the Egg Starters taste better is to add … real eggs. 

Chudleigh’s Blueberry Blossoms – I thought I had died and gone to blueberry heaven.  These are unbelievable.  I was salivating while watching the lady snip these into small portions and sharing how absolutley fabulous these are.  I could barely wait.  I will say that I was not disappointed; these are terrific.  After leaving, I didn’t look back.  But … I wouldn’t be surprised if the server had kept the rest of the portions for herself.  I wouldn’t blame her.

Mrs. Patterson Chicken Aussie Pie – I didn’t try this.  The server did not have any prepared.

California Inside & Out Aroma Therapy Diffuser – this was a really neat demo.  This little company has a great furture!  They have created a great product.  I really enjoyed the Lemmon Grass, the Jasmine, and the Gardenia oils.  I am going to dedicate a full post to their product in a few minutes.  The Aroma Diffuser demonstration will only last until Sunday.  Stop by to visit the company’s representative, Sarah Hora.  She did a great job!  

Nature’s Path Flax plus Pumpkin Granola Cereal in an organic milk – this was a tasty breakfast cereal.  I would definitely buy this stuff.  I really liked the flavor of the pumpkin seeds.  I grabbed a small cup (filled with just cereal) until I noticed a cup of the cereal with milk.  I quickly took my hands off the first cup and said I wanted to try the cereal with milk.  The lady took the first cup and politely said she had to throw it away.  I apologized.  She said it was OK, it had been happening all day.  Nice server and a great tasting product.  Be sure to grab the right cup though.

Kirkland Signature Chicken and Vegetable Ramen – this was really tasty stuff and the server didn’t skimp on the portion size.  My big complaint about Ramen is the salty flavor.  The flavor was just right – not too salty.  I liked the Ramen.

Healthy Way Sprouted 20 Grain bread (toasted with Kirkland Butter) – Very good bread and the server, Christy, was very friendly.

Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup – I don’t need to sample chicken noodle soup.  I’ve had this a hundred times – nothing special.

Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars and Honey and Oat Granola Bars – The chewy trail mix bars were terrific.  I’ve always thought granola bars were too dry.

Spectrum Essentials Organic Flax Oil – No … I don’t care what the health benefits are.  Do not drink this stuff straight.  I tried it, and this stuff is gross.  It tastes like … well … oil.  If you want the health benefits, I would stir it into one of those berry smoothies from the food court.

At this point, I remembered the chicken tenders with the Rikki Rikki Miso Vinaigrette Dressing.  So, I made another lap around the refrigerator section to see if I could snatch up another sample.  Success!  Wow, now that’s a good sample!

Costco is providing flu shots at the Issaquah store for $18 on November 9th at 3:00 pm or Novemnber 11th at 10:00 am.  I don’t get flu shots any more, but many of my friends get them every year.  I had a sister that got Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and the doctors thought she contracted the disease from a flu shot.  She never fully recovered after contracting the disease.  As a result, I avoid flu shots.

Regular gas is priced at 2.41 per gallon today while premium was priced at 2.61 per gallon.

Costco is also having a sale on Michelin tires  – $60 off a set of 4 tiires until November 5.   Jon

One thing I dread about halloween, though, is pumpkin carving.  I try to find some excuse for avoiding this family activity, but Janeal usually wins at getting me to participate.  Maybe it’s just because I usually end up cutting something like my hand.  However, I may change my tune this year.

I found something that may motivate the techies like myself to join the pumpkin carving aficionados for this years festivities.  I may even develop my pumpkin carving abilities into a talent after seeing this -

Click Here for Step 1 Photos and Instructions

Click Here for Step 2 Photos and Instructions

Click Here for Step 3 (scroll all the way to the bottom)

And voilà …….

First, there was the Apple Macintosh; now the Pumpkin Pumputer.  I think the inventor should eBay this baby!

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he’s pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he’s not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also … Click Here to See the Full Story

There are 333 homes for sale in Bellevue today with prices from $319,000 to 7,498,000.  The median home price for Bellevue is $855,000.

There are 110 condos for sale in Bellevue today with prices from $189,000 to 2,798,000.  The median condo price for Bellevue is $399,450.

Prospective home buyers are still entering the market and begining to take notice as mortgage interest rates improve.  Buyer activity is up over the past several weeks and may continue to improve as the market seems to be picking up.  There are some great buys out there right now and not just in the upper end price ranges.

If you want to search Multiple Listing Service just like a real estate agent, we have created a Bellevue Home Search that allows you to easily by neighborhood.  No other search tool allows people to search by neighborhood.  Please let me know what you think of the tool.

Yesterday, Janeal and I spent the afternoon visiting some friends on one of our favorite islands, Vashon.  Vashon is a 20 minute ferry ride from the West Seattle Ferry dock, which is only 20 minutes from our home in Bellevue.  ”The Island,” as we like to call it, is one of the great Northwest paradises.

The ferry ride is breathtaking.  On a clear day, Mount Ranier will tower over Puget Sound as you look South.  Here are some photos we snapped on the ferry -

    Janeal and I at the stern of the Vashon ferry.                      One of the Vashon ferries headed to West Seattle.

While we were at Vashon, we met a family that grows Dahlias for some of the Seattle area flower shops.  I had no idea that Dahlias were grown in the Pacific Northwest.  Janeal was in heaven as we wandered through the Dahlia field with their family.  We brought back some beautiful flowers for our table.

              Dahlias on our dining room table.                              The Hitch family, Vashon Dahlia growers.

One of the highlights of my day was when Janeal and I visited Robert Crawford, a very special friend.  Robert Crawford is a champion and an advocate for the rights of the disabled.  Robert is very articulate and skilled in his legal training.  Robert is a gifted writer, and will be publishing a book soon.  Both of us have brothers that have suffered from the effects of cancer and who live with physical disabilities.  I feel very blessed that we have friends like Robert.  I think to understand Robert’s mission you need to read his personal note on his company’s website.  His words and his mission to assist disabled individuals are profound.  They will stir your soul.  I wish Robert the very best in his quest.  Jon 

Molbaks looks incredible at this time of year.  My mother in law thought she was in gardening heaven.  The store has lots of fall foliage ornamental cabbages and kale plants.  They are also beginning to set out the Christmas decorations.  Be sure to check out the elderly waiter at the Northeastern gift shop entrance. I wish we had a character like him to greet all of our trick-or-treaters this year.  For about $700 he’s all yours. 

Here is a link to the play’s schedule and some pictures of the family with the actors. 

For one, all of the Bellevue fire stations around Bellevue are having an open house for the public.  We usually take our boys and they get the chance to meet the fire fighters and climb into the fire trucks.  If you’re lucky, the kids may get to see the fire fighters in action.

Molbaks is having their annual Fall Festival.  We never miss this event as a family.  Each year, Molbaks produces a free professional play for the community.  The kids love it and there is usually enough humor in the plays for parents to enjoy.  The play this year is the Princess and the Pea.   Click on the link for event info.  Jon

          The Miller Kids.                                    Janeal with Larsen.

    Katelyn, waiting to pay.             I hear voices…If you build it they will come.