Club Chaos Agents - All Things Hollish, Wacked, and Jacked

Being thankful is a great state of mind and one that we should all practice.  You can wake up feeling really poorly, but if you train your mind toward gratitude instead of grousing, it really does change the way you feel.  I've never been one to wake up happy.  I'm not sad, exactly, I'm just not ready to get up.  My normal body clock wakes me up around 7:30 AM, but my alarm clock wakes me up at 6:30.  At that point, I slam the snooze button and JJ, my little dog creeps up to my head for a cuddle, and we both fall back to sleep.  Until another rude jangling of music wakes us up again!  I usually hit snooze twice, but this morning it got hit a third time, and JJ, always ready for a snuggle, was just fine waiting for the next rude awakening!  

About the only time I can't sleep in the morning is when I'm upset about something, so in truth, my inability to get out of bed is a good thing!  Max is just like me in the morning while my husband Jack and my son Mike sort of bound out of bed and get started right away.  God save me from morning people.  

I am thankful for Lipton's tea bags.  I need two cups of Lipton's tea to get going in the morning.  I've never had a cup of coffee but I'm sure it's a similar thing.  I'm thankful that Max, while being a slow starter, rarely misses the bus.  I am thankful as always for JJ, because he just is.  Truly, woman's best friend.   Today I am thankful to East Goshen township for always being so helpful with issues that arise from my real estate business.  It's a great township to live and work in and the folks that work there are second to none in the customer service department.  

I still have some flowers blooming in the garden, and while the days are certainly growing shorter, there is still a lot of beauty to be thankful for.  There are always issues that take your mind to negative places.  Every day.  Most days, almost always, I can train my mind to look for something positive even in the most negative things.  It sounds too simplistic but it works.  On the days I can't seem to train my mind, I am surrounded by friends that never let me say down too long.  For that I am the most thankful.

All the best to you today.  Smell a flower.  Hug your dog.  Hold the door for a stranger.  Kiss your kids. It's all good.

Carpe Diem.

In support of the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, I would like to promote this event!  It sounds like a great time. West Chester is one of the most fun places to be and you can support a very worthy cause while enjoying a lovely day in town!

September 18, 2010 marks the 4th Annual West Chester Big Wheel Charity Watering Hole Tour!! 

The fun begins at 2pm at Barnaby's of America! Check back as we add more information on bars, prize, specials and more. Pre-registration price is $20 which includes t-shirt, drink specials, and a chance to win prizes. You will receive your t-shirt the day of the event.

There will be a contest for the best big wheel at Barnaby's, so break out your arts and crafts skills and get to work!

Register today at http://www.bigwheelpubcrawl.com/westchester

Once again, all proceeds from this event are donated to the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County. 

The mission of the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County is to provide intervention, programs, outreach and advocacy to prevent, reduce and remedy domestic violence in Chester.

Please follow DVCCC on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Domestic-Violence-Center-of-Chester-County/322308010863?ref=ts

*Although they are highly recommended, you do not need a Big Wheel to participate. You can still walk along and laugh at all the crazy adults trying to ride!

** They will also be collecting old cell phones to help their clients, so if you have any, don't forget to bring them!!!

East Goshen is a lovely township.  I am proud to not only work in East Goshen, but also feel privileged to live in such a beautiful place.  We've had a lot of rain here lately, but the other day, we had one of the most spectacular rainbows I have ever seen. 

If you have been thinking of moving to Chester County and want to know more about townships like East Goshen, contact me!  I'd love to show you around... maybe we'll find the house at the end of the rainbow!

This picture is the property of Susan Mangigian and can not be duplicated without permission. 

Rolling over this morning when my alarm went off, my immediate reaction to another day of rain here on the East Coast was a huge sigh and one word .... sh#t!  Good grief... is it ever going to stop raining here?  Not even the proverbial "farmers" that people always say love the rain, can be happy about all of the wet, gloomy weather.  Doesn't God realize I have to wipe JJ's paws every freaking time he goes outside in this mess?

Okay, enough grousing.  I'll be thankful for my green lawn and the fact that I haven't had to drag the hose all over the yard to water my precious flowers.  I'll be thankful that I haven't had to fill the pool up with a hose, not once this season.  I'd also like to take the time to thank the following people who've helped me through various issues in the last few weeks.

1.  Dan Moore.  Dan is my plumber, and a wonderful plumber he is.  I met Dan when my older son Mike played t-ball at age 5.  Dan was his coach.  Since then, Dan has helped me through many a plumbing mishap.  I called Dan one morning many years ago at 7:00 AM because I discovered my hot water heater had exploded and I was standing in my basement, ankle deep in water and couldn't figure out how to turn the water off.  Dan came right over, so I would not get electrocuted.  This month, my sink in the kitchen backed up.  I have a "fix it yourself" book that should probably be one of the first books to be banned and burned if society ever gets the urge to go that route again.  I followed the directions.  I got a big bucket.  I emptied the sink from above.   I put the big bucket under the sink and undid the traps.  Guess what that miserable book didn't tell me?  That the water on the other side of the wall, that was blocked up going to the street... well that was going to fill my bucket too.  Overfill it, in fact.  Who are you going to call?  Don't bother with Ghost-busters... just call Daniel Moore, Plumbing and Heating... 610-696-5149.  Not only will you NOT get a better job from someone else, you won't find a nicer man. 

2.  Brian Dunleavy, of B. Dunleavy & Sons.  Brian is a roofer and he just put a very nice roof on my home.  Brian's price was very competiive and he did a bang up job (literally... do you know how noisy roofers are??) on my home.  If you need a roof, or even a roof repair, give Brian a call.  610-733-7017.  Brian is the rare roofer willing to do small jobs too.

3.  Last, and most certainly not least in my heart is The Neighborhood Hospice program at the Chester County Hospital.  A friend has been spending some time here and I have to tell you, this is one of the nicest places I have ever encountered.  The staff, the volunteers, even the lunch ladies have been so unfailing sweet to my friend.  My forever thanks to them for making this time in her life so much better than it could be. 

I have had kind of a rough week.  Feeling sorry for myself because my list of clients that seemed so hopeful, that I worked so hard on, that I showed countless houses to, are all deciding. one by one, that this is not the time.  Tuesday, after showing homes to transferees all weekend and spending countless hours making appointments, scheduling showings, the buyers decided to rent.  Lovely young couple, I wanted to help them so badly, but the sticker shock was just too much for them. 

I literally went back to bed.  Sometimes, enough is enough.  But, I'm up and at "em" again.  I'm going to get on the phone, and start some new stuff happening.  I will be thankful that I am still standing.  That even though I'm having trouble with my right arm, and x-rays show nothing, I can still use it (sort of).  That while I could use some more motivated buyers, I have two more settlements coming up.  

Longfellow -
- Be still sad heart and cease repining;
Behind the clouds the sun is shining,
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life a little rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Mangigian -

Enough already.  Okay?

Thankful Thursday, 6/18/09

Carpe Diem!!

On Saturday, 5/17, The Pennsylvania Coalition of Motorcyclist, P.C.O.M. Patriots Chapter #03, along with their co-sponsor C.C. Iron, met in Honey Brook, laden with food and monetary donations, and made the trek, on a colder than normal day for May, to the West Chester Food Cupboard, located at 545 E. Gay Street. West Chester, PA.

They came in a group, the numbers down because the weather was so nasty, but they were flying the flag of The United States of America and they came with food!

Even their youngest member got in on the act, although he came in by car!

Here's a group shot of the big hearted bikers, that included men, women and one adorable child!

Two of the men are shown here behind the table where we separated their donations.

The flyer that they distributed to people in the hopes of getting donations said it best... "We believe all people are entitled to be treated with respect regardless of their financial plight". 

Larry Welsch, the Food Bank Manager for Chester County Food Bank, believes that any one of us can be just a circumstance or two away from needing the services of a food bank.  Nearly 1 in 10 people in Chester County miss meals due to lake of money to buy food.

There are many opportunities to volunteer your time and talent.  If you have the time, Larry has a job for you, volunteering of course!  Larry's email is lwelsch@chesco.org.

Volunteer opportunities are endless and include being a food mover, which would basically entail picking up food and delivering items to food pantries, centers and agencies.  Time commitment:  2 days a week, 2 hours in the a.m. 

Food Drive Schedulers would call companies regarding food drives.  This is something you can do any day of the week, any hour of the day, from your home phone.

If you are looking for a workout, you can work at the Warehouse, 2 or 3 days a week, you select your own hours, and you would be lifting food from delivery trucks and helping to organize the items in their Parksburg warehouse.

Last but not least, if you have a love of the outdoors, you can help with the Gleaning Program.  This is usually in the Spring and Fall, Mondays and Thursdays, 8:30 to 10:30 am at the 39 farms that participate in the efforts to grow food.

Anything is a help.  I was very proud of RE/MAX Preferred and Settlement Services of PA, because these lovely ladies and I donated our time and some of our baking abilities to provide refreshments for the motorcyclists and help Chris stock some shelves.  Pictured here are, from left to right:  Me (Susan Mangigian), Melissa Ford-RE/MAX PREFERRED, Chris Adams, the lead volunteer at the West Chester Food Pantry, Emily Ford-RE/MAX PREFERRED, Liz Facenda-RE/MAX PREFERRED and Evelyn Stilwell, Settlement Services of PA.  Liz Facenda and Evelyn Stilwell took all of the leftover goodies to a few local shelter

Volunteers can also call Chris Adams directly at the food bank, 610-344-3175 if there is an interest in volunteering locally. 

Right now Chris could use some donations toward the Summer Lunch bag Program for children. This is bagged lunches for the children they serve (about 360). Some suggestions:   Easy Mac, small cans of Spaghetti O's, peanut butter or cheese filled crackers (with pb or cheese as a filling between 2 crackers), small fruit cups, granola bars, microwavable soups, pop corn, meals (like you would take to work) and some lunch bags (plain or decorated by the participants. 

I am more than happy to pick up donations.  Cash or check donations, as well as gift cards to local supermarkets are also appreciated and can be mailed directly to West Chester Food Cupboard, 545 E. Gay Street, West Chester, PA  19380 or Chester County Food Bank, 692 Westtown Road, Suite 330, P.O. Box 2747, West Chester, PA  19380-0991, or you can go to the website, Chester County Food Bank Fund. 

A big thank you to C.C. Iron and P.C.O.M. Patriots for donating their time and coordinating the food drive.