The Spanaway Source

This is a car show, costume party, and trunk or treat for adults!

Their website and flyer shown below instructs you to feel free to dress up and decorate your car. Bring a trick or treat for the other car show monsters. We will have great music, so bring your partner for some dancing, lots of laughs, food and a good old fashioned scary time!

From Spanaway Events

Labels: Spanaway News

On Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 10:00am, Spanaway Elementary teacher, Cathi Gouveia, was named STAR 101.5’s Teacher of the Week in a local contest conducted by STAR 101.5 radio! Cathi Gouveia, a 2nd grade teacher, was nominated by her student, Makayla Payne. STAR 101.5’s Afternoon Show Hosts, Curt Kruse or Corine McKenzie, made a SURPRISE visit to Ms. Gouveia’s Spanaway Elementary classroom in Spanaway, (215 166th St S, Spanaway, WA 98387). Read Full Article on Bethel School District's Website


To nominate your favorite teacher go to STAR 101.5

Labels: Spanaway News

Pierce County is now offering a Free emergency ALERT program. Sign up to receive get emergency alerts on your cell phone, work phone, text message, e-mail, home phone, and more. You can also choose the locations you want to be contacted about. You can receive alerts about emergencies that may affect your home, your parents' home, your workplace, and your child's school, as long as those locations are within the boundaries of the County.

Public safety officials will send alerts about emergencies such as severe weather, floods, gas leaks, or critical police activity. Emergency alerts will be sent 24 hours a day based on severity. Community Alerts will only be sent 9:00 am – 8:00 pm.

To sign up, or get more information please click here

Labels: Pierce County Resources, Spanaway News

If you are looking for a home, it is time to take a few days off work and let's go look at homes in your price range. The prices on these homes will blow you away! Before we will take you out looking at homes, you will need to have all your ducks in row. Otherwise, you will loose out every time. Only the homebuyers who have been pre-approved for a home loan get a shot at these amazing bank owned homes.

Labels: Free Foreclosure List

Sign up now for your Lowe's direct mail or e-coupon and also receive a FREE Lowe's Creative Ideas First Time Home Buyers Guide. Simply send me your email & mailing address, and I will set you up with a FREE subscription & coupons!

Monthly tips on selling, buying and moving.
Information about innovative home products and projects around the home that yield a high return.

Labels: Tips for Home Owners, Weekend Warrior Projects

Summer time and the livin' is easy...


Vacation anyone? Sure, it's Summer, and we could all use some time away at an exotic locale... but not everyone has the time or money. Instead, use these pictures as inspiration for creating a space to relax in without having to spend a lot of money to get the "retreat" look in your own back yard. Try these inexpensive tips and be on your way to living in paradise year round:

Tip 1. Use tropical plants in your space! You may not live in Tahiti, but using tropical plants in your outdoor space will help you feel like you do... Try planting different varieties of Palms, Banana trees, Bamboo, and colorful flowering plants like Hibiscus. If you live in an area where the temperature doesn't drop below freezing, these plants can live year round in full to partial sun... most flowering plants like full sun! If you live in a colder climate, plant your trees and flowering bushes in pots or urns to keep outdoors during the Spring, Summer, and Fall and bring inside during the Winter months. If you have an outdoor covered area like a lanai or veranda, try planting small indoor plants, like a Bromeliad, in a decorative pot and placing it in the shade. Birds of Paradise, Orchids, and a Peace Lilies are all indoor plants that can be placed outside in shaded living spaces to add to your tropical retreat look!


Hint: If there is an out of the ordinary cold winter freeze, wrap your trees at its roots with Christmas lights and then with a blanket... keep those roots protected!


Warning: When using Palm Trees, DO NOT plant Sago Palms if you have pets... these are extremely toxic and will kill them if ingested!
Outdoor Stringing Lights



Tip 2. Use ambient lighting! There is no better way to set the right mood than by using different forms of lighting. After you've planted your new tropical foliage, accent them with garden lights... at your local hardware store, you will find many different types of lighting that are all easy to install. Try using 50 watt spot lights to shine up the trunk of your Palms or lighting Tiki torches that are scattered around your outdoor space. Stringing up white Christmas lights on your pergola or around your Palm trees make great party lighting, and candles are always a sure bet when creating relaxing, spa-like retreats... use white unscented candles. If you like the idea of friends and family gathered around a fire, add a fire pit or outdoor fireplace to your space! If you have a pool in your back yard, try replacing your pool lights with different colored bulbs to create the right atmosphere at night.

Tip 3. What does paradise sound like? Think about it, if you close your eyes and imagine yourself on a tropical island getaway, what sounds would you expect to hear? The first thing that comes to mind is water... whether it's waves crashing on the beach, secluded waterfalls, or water cascading over the edge of an infinity pool. There are many ways to add the sound of water to your outdoor space... for those of us who don't have a pool or the ocean in our backyards, try adding a fountain to create a relaxing atmosphere. If you are going for a more "zen" garden feel, why not add a Koi pond with water trickling down a stacked stone wall or flowing out a bamboo shoot into the pond.


That other sounds do you hear? Chirping birds, the beating rhythm of congas, or your favorite beach band in the background... there are easy and inexpensive ways to introduce these sounds to your outdoor space. To attract birds to your garden, use bird feeders with exotic bird seed that you can find at any pet or local hardware store. Like music? Calling all Parrot heads... introduce your favorite beach music, like that of Jimmy Buffet, into your space by installing outdoor speakers or using a portable ipod stereo!




Tip 4. White is the way to go! When you visit spas or see vacation retreats flipping though magazines, there is always a common color scheme... neutral! The less contrast you have in a space, the more relaxed you feel, which is exactly what you are trying to achieve in an outdoor paradise. The tropical plants you have introduced into your space will give you the color you need so make everything else clean and neutral... and if you can, make it white! Start by hanging white sheer or outdoor curtains from your covered lanai and let them hang loose to blow in the wind or tie them back with a weathered rope for a beachy feel. Use white removable/washable cushions on your outdoor furniture... if your furniture is not placed under a covered lanai, make sure you bring it inside during bad weather or when not in use for a longer lifespan. Accessories are also good ways to bring in color (or lack there of) because they are inexpensive and easy to change... Candles, pillows, sea shells, pottery, beach towels, you name it, are all easy, inexpensive ways to add white or neutral colors into your outdoor space.
Warning: if you have pets or children, you may want to avoid using white furniture... try using off-white or stone colors in a removable, washable fabric.



Tip 5. Seating you could relax in all day! What do you like to do when you are on vacation? Sunbathe, lie on the beach, take afternoon naps in the shade, read a book in a hammock under a Palm tree... these are all things you can recreate in your own space! Add a couple loungers for lying in the sun... Use the white terry cloth washable cushions covers. If you can imagine yourself snuggling up with the one you love while taking an afternoon nap, purchase a double lounger or outdoor daybed and drape white sheer fabric across the top for added shade. You can't have a relaxing tropical paradise without a hammock... this is an inexpensive way to add a statement right when you walk into your outdoor space... "I am here to relax and enjoy the day." Hang a hammock between two trees or between two posts in your pergola. Another way to promote relaxation in your space is to scatter large floor cushions and pillows throughout your outdoor living room... this creates an inviting, relaxing feel that you and your friends will look forward to hanging out in all day!


Tip 6. For the more ambitious: Build a pergola! If you consider yourself handy or know someone who is, pergolas are a somewhat easy, inexpensive way to add an outdoor structure which provides shade and acts as a gathering area. Pergolas can be used to house outdoor kitchens, outdoor dining rooms, living spaces and can be built in just one weekend, depending on the size and detail. For added protection from rain and sun damage, try bolting plexiglass to the top of your pergola... this will still let in natural light but shield your furniture from weather, debris, etc. Use your imagination, your options are endless!

When you take the time to rejuvenate your outdoor spaces, you will increase your living area and ultimately increase your home's value and appeal. Not only will you benefit by enjoying your backyard paradise, but you will also see a larger return on investment when selling your home.

I hope you and your families are enjoying your outdoor spaces this summer!

Labels: Tips for Home Owners, Weekend Warrior Projects