NKC School District Receives Good News

NKC School Districts Scores Improve
The North Kansas City School District received good news last week that the district's test scores on the National ACT and Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) have gone up.

Their MAP scores outperform the state average in nearly every category measured.

Their ACT scores exceed state and national averages.

This was good news for the district since they were previously placed on the "No Child Left Behind" watch list.

President Bush is Reading My Blogs?

Evidence That President Bush Is Reading My Blogs

I wrote previously about the Saturday morning that we stopped by the Corner Cafe for some of their delicious bisquits and gravy. It was so good.... good enough for the President I guess.

There are many things President Bush did while he was in Kansas City yesterday: snarled traffic, addressed the VFW Convention and ate breakfast at the Corner Cafe.

The Corner Cafe is in Riverside, Missouri, a very small suburb of Kansas City. Most people don't even know that it's there and usually only locals go to Riverside. So I'm thinking that someone in the President's immediate group or the President himself has been reading my Active Rain blog.... how else would he know about their yummy bisquits and gravy?

Mr. President enjoyed his breakfast with other well known Kansas City figures such as George Brett, here's what Wikipedia says about George; Carl Peterson with the Kansas City Chiefs; Terry Dunn from Dunn Construction and Ann Dickinson.

The owner of the Corner Cafe, Ed Rule, just agreed to reserve a room for a "business meeting".... little did he know that it was the President.

So I say keep on reading Mr. President, I'll keep you informed on what's going on in Kansas City and the Kansas City Real Estate market.

Shatto Milk is Udderly Delicious!

You've heard of the term "milking it for all it's worth"

That's definitely not the case at Shatto Farms...Dairy Farming hasn't been a big money maker for cow milkers in this area because they had to sell it to a dairy co-op. Diary farmers sell milk by weight and 100 pounds is about 11.5 gallons.

For example, Leroy Shatto was making about $10.80 a hundred for his milk and it was costing him $11.00-$11.25 a hundred to produce it.

That was until Leroy decided to start bottling his own milk!

Leroy and his wife got a couple of grants through the Missouri Department of Agriculture to help do some market studies and develop a business plan for Shatto Farms. At the time they were milking 80 cows a day and he wasn't sure if people would buy his milk.

Well they did! In the first months the dairy sold all the milk it could get out of those 80 cows. Two months later they bought 80 more cows and now they have 260 cows.

There are even Kansas City restuarants now that are catching on and using their milk and cream. One restuarant owner who's been a chef in France says, "There is no product like it around here. His butter is as good as any butter I've worked with anywhere."

Hats off to Shatto Milk Company which is a small, family owned and operated, dairy farm located just north of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

I've had their milk and you can find it all over Kansas City now and some in Kansas. It's Udderly Delicious!!

Border Showdown in Liberty

Liberty Corn Maze Brings "Border Showdown"
The Liberty Corn Maze season will open Labor Day weekend.

This year the 1000 foot X 1000-foot corn maze will bring the "Border Showdown" to Liberty.

Arch rivals MU (Missouri University) and KU (Kansas University) logos are the design for this years corn maze.

What is a Corn Maze you ask? (Hesitating just a second while he gives a spit of tobacco and grabs his suspenders holding up his pants) Bubba Jones, a local corn farmer says:

"Mazes date back nearly 4000 years. In Roman times mazes were found in artwork, in the floors of public buildings (like the Courthouse) and in homes."

Mr Jones continues with, "I hear tell that they weren't considered puzzles back then but were used for rituals and processions."

"Later," Bubba said, "gardens were made in Europe and had some of them there puzzle hedges."

Mr. Jones went on to tell me that the point of the whole maze is to find the center and then go back to the beginning point. Just good clean fun is how he described it.

For more information on hours and ticket prices visit the www.libertycornmaze.com or call 816-781-9196

If you'd like assistance with Kansas City Real Estate, call me.... Fran White 816-682-3897

Kansas City Irish Festival

Kansas City's Irish Festival will take place once again this year at Crown Center on August 31st thru September 2nd.

It's a grand ole' time with everything Irish: music, food, dancing, clothing, jewelry, decor.

From the size of the crowd you'd think everyone who's Irish in Kansas City attends! This year plans to be bigger and better.

Here's what they are saying about it on their website:

New for Irish Fest '07:



Expanded festival grounds

Kansas City Irish Fest will expand out of Crown Center's Festival Plaza into the streets of Grand Ave. This new space makes room for another main stage, the Boulevard stage, to accommodate the festival's remarkable list of internationally and locally-known performers.



Celebrate the Fest's fifth with $5 off admission

Kansas City Irish Fest is offering a special promotion on Friday, August 31, in celebration of its fifth anniversary▬$5 off regular price adult admission. Discount is only available when tickets are purchased online at www.kcirishfest.com.



The green is getting greener

Kansas City Irish Fest is recycling this year, in partnership with Bridging The Gap and Kansas City Power & Light. Irish Fest expects patrons to empty approximately 25,000 plastic bottles of water and soda over the three day weekend and the festival's goal is to see that not one ends up in a landfill. Next to every trash can will be a clearly-marked recycling container and volunteers with handouts on how to make life "greener."



Show your inner Michael Flatley

Dance Dance Revolution is coming to Kansas City Irish Fest. The festival is putting its own spin on the dance game, calling it Jig Jig Revolution. DDR comes to the Fest courtesy of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Dance Dance Revolution Club.



Irish carnival

Kansas City Irish Fest loves children, as evidenced by the 10,000 kids that came through the Children's Area in 2006. This year, Kansas City Irish Fest is making the area bigger and better-and more of the kiddie carnival that it is. The Children's Area will feature several inflatable moonwalks, Irish-named carnival games and will even have its own ferris wheel.



Children's Ferris wheel

Ferris wheels have garnered international interest in the news lately for their popularity around the world. This year, Kansas City Irish Fest will have one too, albeit on a small scale for the kids.



So, you think you can bake? Knit? Photograph?

Kansas City Irish Fest is supporting a bit of friendly competition this year. The festival is sponsoring Irish soda bread baking, knitting and photography contests for great prizes, as well as bragging rights.



Granting an opportunity for the community

Kansas City Irish Fest is giving back to the community that has done so much to support the festival. Beginning this fall, the fest will award grants to individuals and not-for-profit organizations who are interested in pursuing Irish arts and culture. Applications are available at http://www.kcirishfest.com/.

Enjoy the fest, and who knows maybe you'll see me and my wee little Irish lad there!

Plastic Surgery For Antioch Center

New Site Plan Breaths Life Into My Old Stomping Grounds= Antioch Shopping Ctr.

I've written previously about Antioch Shopping Center and how it was dying a miserable death.

Well now they have a new and smaller budget to cover the cost of re-developing my old stomping grounds.

The new budget has been approved by the Kansas City Tax Increment Finance Commission.

The total cost of the project is now estimate at $72 million vs. $82 million

The size of Antioch Center is going to be reduced by 55,000 square feet. Sears will stay in it's current location and they will tear down the rest of the mall around Sears and rebuild it.

The area will be reborn and things should start thriving again once the project is done.

If you'd like to look at any Kansas City Real Estateby Antioch, please be sure and get ahold of me!

How to Avoid Being A Victim of Identity Theft - BE WISE

Help to NOT Being a Victim of Identity Theft

Imagine this: You are sitting at your desk or the kitchen table balancing your check book and preparing to pay your monthly bills. You open your credit card statement and you realized there's an $1100.00 charge you are sure you didn't make...

Unbelievably upset with that sick feeling in your gut you realize you've becom a victim of identity theft.

Immediately you wonder what you did or what you didn't shred to cause this.

Here are a few things you can do that could help prevent the headaches involved with identity theft:

Only give out your social security number when it's absolutely necessary. Some states give you the option of using your social or NOT as your driver's license number. NOT is the correct answer. And never carry your social security card with you. And for Pete's sake do NOT put your social security number on your personalized checks!

Cancel credit cards that you are not using or do not need. When canceling, be sure to request that a notation be made that the "card was cancelled at the cardholders request."

Don't leave outgoing mail in your own mailbox. I'm not talking about the birthday card to Uncle Bubba. I'm talkin about anything that includes your personal or banking information.

It's far too easy for identity thieves to target mailboxes even in nice neighborhoods, or perhaps I should say ESPECIALLY in nice neighborhoods. Instead, drop those off at the box at the post office.

SHRED, SHRED, and SHRED some more!!!
Shred credit card receipts, debit card receipts, insurance bills.... anything that you don't need to keep that even remotely tells and inkling of your personal information. This is a big prevention tool. Thieves will ransack trash just to make a buck.

Use complicated passwords on your computer, email and Internet accounts. The bst combination would be a the use of upper and lower case letters in addition to number. Don't use your house number, your birth-date, your phone number or maiden names that will help in making you a target!

NEVER (did I make that clear?) NEVER give out personal information over the phone, email or on the Internet. I bought my 81 year old father his latest computer, my rulse was simple. If you don't know who the email is from, do not even open it.... and if you do don't EVER give out personal information over the Internet. Most companies you do business with have a policy against asking your personal information over the Internet.

Call your bank or credit card company if you feel a statement or bill should have arrived and it hasn't. A missing bill or statement could indicate that you are being targeted.

Upon receiving your charge card bills or bank statements each month, take a careful look to make sure no unauthorized activities have occurred.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) an many as 9 million individuals have their identity stolen each year. It seems the thieves also like to target older individuals due to vulnerability issues.

My mother is a sharp old gal, but received a phone call from someone claiming to be with the FTC stating that someone was trying to get into her account. She freaked and spilled her guts to anything they asked her. She immediately realized after hanging up that her moment of panic could have cleared out her checking. She immediately went to the bank and closed the account.

No one immune to these predators.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lawn and Tree Information

Here's some Summer Lawn and Tree Information from My Ryan Lawn and Tree Turf Guy!
Lawn Diseases of Summer
Fungus problems common during summer months

To be sure, watering during the hot summer months is a necessity. Most lawns need 2" of water a week to thrive when it is hot. This should be spread out throughout the week so the turfgrass has the ability to absorb the water, instead of it running off the lawn.

Watering should be avoided during the evening hours, from 4p.m. until 4a.m., to avoid fungal problems. However, the rains that we receive often happen in the evening hours, leaving our turfgrass vulnerable to infection.

Although brown patch is on the decline, pythium blight can become more of a threat because the night temperatures are higher than average during this time. To learn more about brown patch and pythium blight, visit our resource library: Lawn Diseases.

Your RYANPro can apply a preventative fungicide to help protect your lawn against summer fungal problems. The product we use helps prevent both stress and fungus from occurring.

Look out for Yellow Leaves
Iron chlorosis common problem

Some trees, like pin oak and river birch, are commonly affected by a condition called iron chlorosis. Iron chlorosis is caused by the tree's inability to absorb the iron existing in the soil. Look for lighter green or yellow leaves with dark green veins.

If left untreated, trees may lose leaves prematurely or suffer branch and limb dieback. Death can result from severe cases.

If you have questions, or have a tree that needs treatment, give your RYAN Certified Arborist a call. We can provide the tree with the iron it needs by injecting an appropriate mixture of iron and water directly into the trunk of the tree.

Brown Spots in Your Lawn?
Soil Problems may be at fault

New homes are especially vulnerable to hot spots. These occur when there is little good soil and the rocks and cement left over from constructing the new house is left in the lawn and the sod is laid on top. The high heat that we are experiencing will result in the lawn being bleached out.

The best way to fix this problem is to remove the rocks or debris below the turf, followed by reseeding or sodding this fall.

Heavy clay soils, common to older areas of town, can hold water which can also cause brown spots to appear in your lawn.

If you have brown spots in your lawn and are unsure of their cause, contact your RYANPro today.
Sprinkler System Confusing?
Your RYANPro can help.


If you have a sprinkler system, you may be among those who are unsure of how to set them properly. Did you know that a common problem when watering with sprinklers is the length of time?


Drought stress is a common problem during this time of year. People are not watering enough. If you need help setting your system up to meet your landscape's needs, contact your RYANPro. Many of our associates are comfortable helping you set up your system. We also have a referral list of sprinkler companies that we trust. We can refer you to someone who can help set up your system and make sure all areas are getting hit evenly.



Lawn Not Performing Well?
Seeding may be your best option

If your lawn isn't performing to your expectations, consider seeding your lawn to improve the quality of grass. Some cool-season lawns contain inferior grass types that will never perform well. These lawns should be killed-out and reseeded, a process that can begin in August.

If you would like to thicken up your existing stand of turfgrass, consider overseeding with high-quality seed. Your RYANPro can advise you which method is best for you.

If you would like us to assist you with your seeding needs this fall, contact your RYANPro today for a FREE seeding estimate.
Landscape Calendar: August
Water your lawn and landscape plants with 2" of water if rainfall is lacking.
Check shrubs for mites and other insect pests. Call RYAN if control is needed.
Weed flower beds regularly.
Evaluate lawn for seeding needs this fall.

Fun in the Sun!

The Sun Always Shines on People Who are Cool!
It's going to be another hot day here in Kansas City!

Generally August is really how as you probably know if you've lived in Kansas City for any amount of time.

There are a number of ways to stay cool!

There is Oceans of Fun the largest tropically themed water park in the Midwest, offers 60 acres of splashing excitement and fun for every member of the family and all the sunburn you can handle!!

There's Tiffany Springs Aquatic Park with loads of fun for the whole family with reasonable prices.

There's also Gladstone Aquatic Center that's recently had a major face-lift.

Or you can visit a neighborhood pool and if none of these are an option..... try the old fashion cooling system of letting the kids play in the sprinkler while watering the yard. This way you kill two birds with one stone.

BUT REMEMBER to always use sunscreen...... and don't forget about your pets.

Try to remember not to leave your pets outside in this horrible heat and humidity.... ESPECIALLY if they don't have a dog house or any legitimate protection from the sun. Water in a dogs bowl outside in these temperatures heats up fast..... how would you like to lay in the sun with a fur coat on?

Have fun in the sun, but be safe!

How to Convert a Can Light to a Pendant Light

How to Convert a Can Light to a Pendant Light & How to make your Wife Happy

I've loved these Pendant Lights ever since I saw one. I think they are just absolutely stunning!

My wonderful husband promised me that when we moved into our new home I could have one!

To say the least, I was excited.... well today the Pendant light went up and replaced our can light over the kitchen sink.

It was a bit of a challenge because there was already a can light in that spot that had been put in by the builder. Personally, I don't like can lights.

Since it's a new home, I didn't want my wonderful husband going up in the attic and tromping around in the insulation so we wanted to find someway to replace the can light without going in the attic.

Being the genius my sweetheart is.... he figured out a way to get it accomplished.

First we TURNED OFF THE ELECTRICITY (we've watched and taken to heart all those electrical commercials about how you can get electrocuted!)

Then he stood on the counter and took down the guts and hangers from the can lights. Then he snipped the wires.
He drilled 2 small pilot holes in the bracket of the can light next to the light socket.

This allowed him to secure the bracket for the pendant light securely to the bracket of the old can light.

He re-inserted the can light assembly and then drilled 2 small sheet metal screws into 2 sides of the can light sides to further secure it.

Then he screwed everything together, wired the new light, installed the new fixture over the can light rim.

We put the globes on and then put new "energy saving spiral lightbulbs"..... turned the electricity back on and PRESTO CHANGO...... my husband has a very happy wife, who loves her new light!

* Yes, I was so excited to take these pictures that the cords on the new fixtures hadn't completely straightened out, but give them a couple days and they will.

I think this gorgeous light just added a great touch of flavor to our piece of North Kansas City Real Estate If there's anything I can do to assist you with your real estate needs, just give me a call 682-3897 or email franwhite@kc.rr.com
Until next time.....