The Pond

I just read in our local paper that nearly 40 percent of Indiana’s mortgage brokerages lost their licensing because on Wednesday because they have not complied with a “new” law aimed at raising the standards of the industry in a state with one of the nations highest foreclosure rates.

While I am glad they are making changes, I am mad that it took drastic measures to get these changes made. I could see the writing on the wall as far back as a few years ago. I read about the mortgages that people were getting and wondered myself how they were going to make the payment when the interest rate increased. I feel as though they took advantage of people. We trust lending institutions to not loan us money when they feel we are at risk. Isn’t that they way you understand the lending business to be? Are there not check offs they use to see if giving a person a loan is a good idea?

To be sure I was clear on my understanding of what a mortgage broker does, I looked up what Wikipedia gave as the role of a mortgage broker.

A mortgage broker acts as an intermediary who sources mortgage loans on behalf of individuals or businesses.

The majority of mortgage brokers are regulated to ensure compliance with banking and or finance laws in the jurisdiction of the consumer; however, the extent of the regulation depends on the jurisdiction. Only one state within the U.S. has no laws that govern mortgage lending.

By the way, the law the brokerage firms are not complying with went into effect in 2007. It requires that each brokerage firm shall name a principal broker with at least three years experience who has passed a state exam and will oversee his company’s business affairs. Maybe no one wants to be in charge.

My son has ventured out to get us an ice cream. Hey, we have to do our part to help the Children’s Miracle network raise funds. While he is gone I am surfing on the laptop. I hope he can get my ice cream back to me before it melts. He needs a fast ride. What am I saying?!! What mother hopes her son can zip to DQ and back in time for her to get her favorite dessert? He needs a cool ride with an Audi turbocharger. How does this work? Well, I looked it up. By forcing air into the system either with a supercharger or turbocharger, horsepower, torque and more can be vastly improved and make any ride a dream ride. So, whether you are in a hurry to get your ice cream home or just want to have a cool car, Turbochargerpros.com can fix you up! Visit the website today or call their toll free number at 800-923-0413.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a comment from Gaby Bruna on one of my posts. Just from reading my blog Gaby, videographer for the WashingtonPost.com, knew that I would be interested in a little video story on Doggy Happy Hours. Gaby was correct! You have to watch this video.

It is getting to the point where I hate to read the newspaper these days. Our little home town paper has at least four foreclosure listings per day. Some of the names I recognize. These are not reckless people who have spent money frivolously. These are normal people who because of circumstances beyond their control, have found themselves in need of debt help.

One particular couple is our friend’s son and daughter in-law. They have three beautiful, small children all under the age of 5. He has a good job. She has taken in children to babysit to have a little cash to get some debt relief. Having to pay for daycare for 3 children make it futile for her to work outside her home.

They bought a fixer up type of home and settled in to what they hoped would be their home for years to come. Now they are facing
debt consolidation and asking relatives for money to help them make ends meet each month. It is so sad.

If I was not afraid of embarrassing them, I would tell them about BillsIQ. BillsIQ is a wonderful resource to help people learn to manage their money. It is also informative and useful to those who need to improve their financial health.

I am afraid that the situation with people getting in over their heads is going to get worse. I hope more people get advice from a great resource like BillsIQ before they find themselves knee deep in debt.

My tackle today is to finish this rag quilt. I only have to sew around the whole quilt and it will be ready to send to my daughter. Stacy, my daughter, picked out the colors and cut the squares. My mom and aunt marked the squares for me. Wasn’t that nice? I sewed x’s on the squares and put the blocks together with the batting. Stacy is going to snip the edges so they will ravel. How do you like this rag quilt? I love the colors she chose. To see what others are tackling be sure to visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

I thought we would be awake all night or have crazy dreams last night. We went to a tasting dinner to experience the atmosphere and food that we will enjoy at Greg and Taryn’s wedding reception. We had all different types of foods and they were all delicious. Some were spicy and that can lead to some weird dreams. We had the pleasure of tasting one of the best cheese cakes I have ever tasted. I am not exaggerating. It was wonderful. We won’t be having cheese cake at the wedding since there will be a traditional wedding cake. I think they served it because not everyone at the tasting party was there to plan a wedding.

When Greg and Taryn announced their engagement, the wedding date seemed so far away. Last night we met at Bed Bath and Beyond in Indy so they could pick out a china pattern. On the counter was a cute little clock that gave a countdown. It counted the days left until the wedding and it counted it down to the second! LOL We only have ten months to go until the wedding takes place.

From Bed Bath and Beyond we headed over to our appointment with the reception people. We had a fun time tasting food and experiencing how the reception personnel planned to present everything. I think that Taryn and her mom have thought of just about everything. It is going to be a fun and beautiful day. I will be ready for one of those European cruises when this is all said and done. Weddings are fun but they do take a lot of planning.

Hubby and I just finished watching War Games: The Dead Code. It was very good. In fact, I need to watch it again so I can figure out some of the things that happened. Things happened quickly in some of the scenes. We were watching on DVD and could have gone back but it was an exciting movie and we couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. It seemed like only yesterday that we watched War Games, the movie about computer games and how they can quickly be confused with reality. That movie came out in 1983! That was 25 years ago!

This sequel was along the same story line as the 1983 movie. Though it was predictable, it was fun to watch Will, the computer genius kid, and Annie, the pretty girl, hide as they tried to figure out what was going on. Poor Nicolas Wright, the actor who played Dennis), needed to invest in some acne products. His skin was looking bad! Maybe the make up department was trying to make him look like a high school aged kid. Eeeew! It was cool to see the old computer, Joshua, and compare it with the technology we have today. There have been some major changes to say the least. Joshua was huge in size compared to the laptops of today.

On a side note, I read that MGM is suing a game company for using the name War Games on one of its games. Hmmm, I think that name has been around long before the movie.

I never saw this movie advertised as showing at the theater. It was released last week on DVD. I thought that was strange.

In case you don’t participate in the Four Foods on Friday meme, I am posting one of my favorite recipes again in this post. It is a great one to take to family dinners and pitch ins. It can be made ahead of time so you aren’t rushing to make something before church or a party.

Ice Cream Dessert

2 sticks butter
1 1/2 pkgs. Lorna Doon cookies, crumbled
1 1/2 qts butter pecan ice cream
2 small pkgs instant vanilla pudding
1 large cool whip
5-6 frozen Heath Bars, crumbled

Freeze the candy bars. Soften ice cream. Crunch up cookies. Melt butter. Mix cookies and butter. Spread in bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Mix vanilla pudding with ice cream and pour on top of cookie crust. Freeze 30-40 minutes. Spread softened Cool Whip on top of firm ice cream. Freeze 30-45 minutes. Crunch up candy bars and press into firm Cool Whip. Serves 24

Thank you everyone for your condolences on the passing of my uncle. I am still trying to wake up after getting up at 4:45 am to take my mom to the airport. I stayed awake with no problem until I stopped for coffee and a muffin on the way home. The muffin made me so sleepy. I had to turn the air conditioner temperature to run at 69 degrees and blow the air into my face to keep my eyes open. LOL

Mom said the flight was full and that she had reserved the last seat. It is amazing that so many still fly with the way the airlines treat their customers. I’ve heard that most airlines are taking the position of charging for each bag checked. I noticed on mom’s ticket it said that food could be “purchased”. Isn’t that nice. I wonder if they allow you to bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on board.

It has been awhile since I have even seen blankets and pillows offered on flights. When did they stop doing that? I am thinking of getting one of those Cabin Cuddler blanket sets. They come with a pillow and contoured blanket that fits your body perfectly and even keeps your feet warm. It is the perfect travel blanket. I plan to keep mine in the car. Don’t worry though. I will only sleep when hubby drives.