Fun Photo from Portugal
Fun Photo from Portugal…
Here, my daughter and nephews stopped to asked directions from a very pleasant Portuguese man -
Summer Vacation in Portugal
My hubby and our oldest daughter, Melissa, went to Portugal this summer. Here are some photos of their wonderful trip in a beautiful country…
Algarve, Portugal
Traveling North to Chaves, Portugal near Spain
Arriving at Grandma’s house (my ma) in Vilarinha da Raia, Portugal
Famous Historic Bridge in Chaves, Portugal
Hubby having fun in the ocean
Awesome Views of Nazarre, Portugal
Chaves a Portuguese ~ Mamaroneck NY
Chaves a Portugues in Mamaroneck NY reminds me a bit of Portugal. I had the pleasure of going there for the first time a few weeks ago after showing a home in Larchmont. The custard tarts ~ pasteis de nata ~ were awesome and their homemade sausage ~ chourico ~ was wonderful!
Today, my oldest daughter, Melissa, arrives from Portugal after 2-1/2 weeks of traveling from the southern tip ~ Algarve ~ to the northern tip to visit with her grandma (my mom) ~ Chaves ~ and vacationed most of her stay in ~ Coimbra ~ with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins who are also all visiting from the states ~ including her daddy – my honey 
who will be there for a total of 3 weeks.
My Life as a Realtor – Day 247
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 247:
Thursday – Ma is leaving today for Portugal… a difficult day for all. Here are a few pics of Portugal when Hubby – Joe – went to this past summer…
My Life as a Realtor – Day 246
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 246:
Wednesday – last full day that my mom will be here before leaving for Portugal.
We went out to lunch and grocery shopping at A&P…
My Life as a Realtor – Day 245
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 245:
Out and about today with my mom – she is leaving on Thursday to go back to Portugal and I am very sad to see her go – so… I kept myself busy with work…
My Life as a Realtor – Day 225
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 225:
Another day of work… and shopping with my mom…
I don’t know where mom gets all her energy – and keeps track of all the shopping for gifts to bring back home to friends and family in Portugal.
In the afternoon, an appointment in New Fairfield CT …. CLICK to View
My Life as a Realtor – Day 138
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 138:
Today is a very special day – my mom arrives from Portugal! Yahoo!! She will be here for the Holidays and through the beginning of Spring – and I am thrilled!
While I worked, cleaned, baked and cooked, my brother-in-law, Richie, and nephew, Derek, made their way to Newark Airport. After picking up my mom, they made their way back to New Fairfield, CT – where we enjoyed celebrating mom arrival with my sister, brother and their families. We were all excited to have our Ma back!
Me and my Ma
My Life as a Realtor – Day 131
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 131:
Monday – back to work for many – back to dieting and continuing their holiday shopping since Christmas will soon be upon us.
I have already started making mental notes of what to serve on Christmas Eve – which will be spent with my side of the family. Christmas Day will be spent with Joe’s side of the family. Of course fish is at the top of the list for this special dinner. My family and husband were born and raised in Portugal and my husband especially, is a huge fish lover – shell-fish being his absolute favorite. When we go out dinner – he orders seafood and steak – and I… chicken. I am always saying that I am a cheap date!
The other special food is COOKIES! I have started posting Food Networks 12 Days of Cookies and this is helping me come up with some different and new cookies recipes to bake for the holidays. Sugar cookies are my favorite and I have not made Gingerbread cookies in years – maybe it’s time!
OK – back to work and enjoying that David has taken such an interest in our fish tank. He went out and purchased an air bubble device – more fish and a few toys for Remi….
Fish loving the air bubbles…
One of Remi’s new toys…
which he hid under the table from…
until he spotted his new ginormous tennis ball!
My Life as a Realtor – Day 79
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 79:
It’s Thursday – and my closing for tomorrow is confirmed – Yahoo! I am so happy for my clients. They are First Time Home Buyers and so looking forward to their first home.
More good news… Fo-Fo – my in-law’s dog that we have been watching since June – left today – another Yahoo! To everyone who didn’t know him, he looked like a cute Koala Bear – but get too close, and you’d lose a finger, or two!
Since my in-laws flew in from Portugal today, David gave Fo-Fo a bath and Joe drove him down to Mt. Vernon, NY. He also had dinner with his family in celebration of their parents return. The kids and I had a simple – easy – and inexpensive dinner – pasta. I also sauted peppers, onion and spicy portuguese chorizo – Yum, Yum. And Amanda made an oh-so-awesome Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake. Eating this cake warm is unbelievably delicious. The recipe came from www.Foodista.com
I ended the day by working and looking forward to tomorrow - and a 2nd slice of cake.
My Life as a Realtor – Day 49
Kids back to school after a long weekend… Boo-Hoo, no more wearing white! As I am writing this, Joe is in flight – somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, coming back from Portugal after 2-1/2 weeks. He’s due to arrive in Newark Airport in New Jersey at around 1:30 this afternoon. My dilemma will be picking him up from his sister’s house (Joe, his sister Isabel, brother-in-law Frank and youngest nephew, Daniel – are flying in together and our oldest nephew, Michael will be picking them up – Whew, I know!) OK, so all I have to do is be in Mt. Vernon, NY – which the distance from my home in New Fairfield, CT to there is about 50 minutes – which means I have to leave Connecticut at around 3:30. No problem, except… I also have an appointment in Southbury, CT – about 35 minutes in the opposite direction - and I have to make a special “Welcome Back” dinner. OK, time to have faith that all will work out – I get frustrated thinking that I can’t do it all – that I’ll have family and clients disappointed in me.
HAMED MASOUMI – Flickr.com
It’s a good thing I’m busy this morning with work and my household chores – this will help speed the day up. Starting this morning off – after my youngest 3 were all in school by 7:30 am – I read an article on AOL about a mother, Molly Chen, who was inspired to start a business while feeding her son and watching Oprah. Her business idea was clip on bibs – instead of tieing them around a babies neck, they snap on to a matching onesie - I thought of how many bibs I went through with my 5 children’s feedings and drooling. Check out her bibs for babies – Bibs and Match, LLC ~ CLICK ~
Southbury, CT
Got to work – cleaning – started dinner – and off I was to my appointment – David was picking up hubby hub - Hot Diggity Dog – problem solved! Melissa watched dinner in the oven while I showed a very nice home and was able to submit an offer – although, after speaking with the listing agent, I found out that there is a full asking price offer on the table – just came in this afternoon – but, I still have hope! I also spoke with 2 other agents – one giving me a referral for commercial property – the other to do him a favor and show a listing to clientsof his since he will be out-of-town – also spoke with a client who increased her offer on a multi-family home and gave some information and advice to another client who’s also interested in also submitting an offer. Busy day – and I Love Busy Days!
My Life as a Realtor – Day 48
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 48:
It’s Labor Day! And yes, I worked – all day long! I was mostly glad to have written a few Blog posts – I’m all set for the next few days.
Joe a week before leaving at his brother’s home for a BBQ
I’m still having issues calling Portugal – and Joe comes home tomorrow – Yahoo! I can’t believe how quickly 2 – 1/2 weeks have gone by.
My Life as a Realtor – Day 35
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 35:
What a gorgeous day out – in the 80′s – sunny, but comfortable. So comfortable, we were able to turn the air off and open our windows for some fresh air!
Enterance to Candlewood Town Park ~ New Fairfield, CT
Worked from home again – drove Jonathan to meet with some of his friends at Candlewood Lake Town Beach in New Fairfield – 5 minutes from home - to meet with some of his friends.
Then I dropped our car rental off at New Fairfield Auto Body so that Enterprise can pick it up in the am – Oh, that Ford Focus will be missed! When Joe gets back from Portugal, we will have to go car shopping and he’s insisting on a pick up truck.
Then -work, work, work…
Clean, clean, clean…
Back to pick up Jonathan -
Dinner, dinner, dinner…
Then Melissa and I went to Shaw’s - just a few things needed. And back home to -
Work, work, work… until about 2am since I have a busy day tomorrow.
My Life as a Realtor – Day 34
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 34:
Another day come and gone – summer is quickly coming to an end and it’s making me depressed. I LOVE SUMMER! Don’t care for the humidity, and this summer has not been bad. So, I really, really don’t want summer to end.
Worked from home today – phone calls, e-mails, potential new client…
Then a trip to the A & P in Danbury with Sara and Amanda. I enjoy taking one or a few of the kids with me. The girls did all the recycling while I covered over half of my shopping. They also stood in line at the deli and helped bag the groceries and pack the car – the rental from Enterprise – Ford Focus – that will be returned since Joe is in Portugal. Nice little car, has a built in I-Pod player and the girls and I had fun listening to all my songs! Ha! They only like a few of them – here’s one -
All I Want to Do – Sugarland
Then back home…
About to pull into my driveway…
And the best part of the day, I finally spoke with Joe! I had been trying all day, but he, his parents, brother and family and his sister and family – who are all there on vacation – went to Fatima – the Holy Land of Portugal.
Beyond Forgetting – Flickr.com – Fatima
We downloaded Skype to the girls mini Dell computers – since they have a built in web cam – so, we not only spoke with Joe – we saw him and he us – Skype is so cool!
Every year that my in-laws go to Portugal, they always visit Fatima and then take advantage of the over 2 hour trip and take in a few other beautiful places. One other place that they also always visit is Nazare – which is located on the Atlantic coast. This beautiful beach with panoramic views of crystal blue water is also one of my favorite places to visit. The view from the top is magnificent!
Family Photo ~ Nazare ~ Summer 2004
Portugal
Since Hubby Hub is in Portugal for the next few weeks, I am sharing with you some photographs from Flickr.com - showing the landscape, people and food of Portugal.
predrosimoes7 – Flickr.com – Tile Work
pereiraalexandre20 – Flickr.com – Batalha
Rui Ornelas – Flickr.com - Nazare
Joao Maximo – Flickr.com - Botanical Garden in Madeira
Gaetan Lee – Flickr.com - Sardines
Fr Antunes ( in Holidays) – Flickr.com - Sintra
Beyond Forgetting - Flickr.com - Fatima
Fr Antunes – Flickr.com – Fishing Boats
Pereiraalexandre20 – Flickr.com – Leiria
Vigour – Flickr.com - Madeira
Gaetan Lee – Flickr.com -Pasteis de Nata – Custard Pasteries
Colorful Kitchen Designs – HGTV
I love HGTV – they have so many wonderful ideas. While Joe is in Portugal, I’m trying to convince myself that I can paint our kitchen cabinets…. we’ll see!
Supershoppertoo – Flickr.com
Here are some Colorful Kitchen Designs from HGTV
What’s your favorite color?
laffy4K - Flickr.com
My Life as a Realtor – Day 32
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 32:
Rain, rain, rain… It came down as a heavy downpour and for quite awhile – flooding was everywhere, road blocks were up and even torn up roadways – it was crazy! And where was I in this mess – ?? Putting up a new sign in front of my Brookfield listing.
Before going to Brookfield – I went to our bank – HSBC in Brewster. Then off to show a condo in Danbury – here’s the pretty water view in the complex – where it had just started to rain.
After the sign was up, I went home – which took about 45 minutes instead of 15 due to the storm. I picked up my youngest, Jonathan, and took him to the local barber – Roberts Barber Shop near the New Fairfield Post Office. They always take their time and do a great job – better yet, with my crazy schedule, walk-ins are welcome. Then off to Shaw’s and… I couldn’t resist – since Joe is in Portugal – we had Chinese for dinner – Yum!
My Life as a Realtor – Day 31
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 31:
An early start today since Joe, hubby hub, was leaving for Portugal! We packed his suitcase, then he did a few things around the yard – we had lunch, dropped off Amanda at a birthday party in the Candlewood Lake neighborhood and then made our way to Mt. Vernon. I got lucky and didn’t have to drive all the way to Newark Airport in New Jersey. Joe and our brother-in-law planned to leave on the same day, so, our nephew, Michael, drove them. Whew! I was really, REALLY greatful that I did not have to drive more than I did in the storm. Which, when we left New Fairfield, was just a simple sprinkle. Then we arrived in Mt. Vernon – where Frank was waiting for us – when we looked up at the sky, this is what we saw…
Yikes! We better move our tails – this looks scary!
As they frantically got their suitcases into Michael’s car, I couldn’t help but think I better hurry and say my goodbye’s since I had an almost hour ride ahead of me.
This is the lovely view when I approached the Cross County Parkway. I made it to the office to finish preparing for an evening CMA on condo to list for sale in Danbury.
When I left, I couldn’t help but think how nice, really, really nice these people were – I have been very fortunate lately with all my clients – they are awesome!
My Life as a Realtor – Day 30
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 30:
Morning appointment – a CMA(Comparative Marketing Analysis) in Brewster. A lovely couple with a beautiful house looking to put it on the market – I can’t wait to share this with you!
Then – off to the office – just for a bit until it was time to show a home in New Fairfield – 3rd showing.
By now I was starving, so I treated myself to an iced coffee and an old fashioned donut at Dunkin Donuts in New Fairfield
Then it was time to shop for hubby hub – he’s leaving for Portugal… tomorrow!
So, I ran to Marshalls in Danbury …
and then to Sears at the Danbury Fair Mall.
I was able to buy all that was needed in both stores. Went home, made dinner – then back out to take photos of a foreclosure and to show a condo in Danbury.
My Life as a Realtor – Day 28
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 28:
It felt good to sleep in this morning – especially since I had gone to bed at around 3 am and was woken at around 4 am by Fo-Fo, my in-laws pup that we’re watching while they’re in Portugal… for 3 months!! Ugh! I feel a migraine coming on.
Worked at home for a few hours – then off to the office – got a potential buyer call looking for land – printed some listing sheets for my clients to have in their home during showings and to put some in the brochure box which sits by the For Sale sign outside for any pass-byers that may have an interest in the home.
Stopped at A & P in Brewster – then dropped everything off with my clients – made dinner – hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, beans and a salad. This was for hubby-hub since he leaves for Portugal on Friday and will not be having burgers and dogs for a few weeks – instead he’ll be eating lots of fish – yum for him – tuna in a can is the only fish I will eat. Sad, I know.
My Life as a Realtor – Day 19
My Life as a Realtor ~
Day 19:
A quiet, rainy Sunday. Had lots to do, both with work and home and I was able to tackle all… almost all. The rest will have to wait until tomorrow – set up appointments, swing by the office, order pellets for our pellet stove. My list consists of about 22 “To Do” things - I must be up early!
In between all I did today, I had a blast watching Remi and Tisha play. Tisha is our long haired Chihuahua from Portugal – small with a Napoleon complex. She chases deer and neighborhood dogs and cats – bad, bad, bad - but, adorable!
Tisha
Remi was David’s 19th Birthday gift. In April, when we brought him home- Remi was 8 weeks old. He was a rescue dog from Virginia. He’s a mix of german shephard, black lab and cattle dog- too cute! He’s my wuba-wuba, or I also like calling him Remi-Demi-Licious! He has brought so much life and happiness to us – including Tisha. Trying to keep up with a puppy has made her young again.
David & Remi – 8 weeks old in April
And look at him now!
Remi at 6 months old
Remi & Tisha having fun
Wine – A Great Closing Gift!
TheBusyBrain – Flickr.com
Wine – also pronounced Vino (in Spain & Italy), Vinho (in Portugal), Wein (in Germany), and Vin (in France) – has become one of my favorite “extra” closing gift. If I’m not giving a credit, I tend to give a gift or gift certificate that the new homeowners can use on a daily basis or for special occasions – and – I also like to give a bottle of wine for that special “First Dinner” in my clients new home!
Stringbot – Flickr.com
I’ve always given Portuguese wines, since they are my favorite – but there are so many “Fabulouso Vinhos” to be tasted! Gary Vaynerchuk with Wine Library TV has broadened my horizons in the “Wine World”. His latest video post shows Gary tasting and talking of wines from South Africa, California, Spain and Portugal.
Zest-pk – FlickR.com
I grew up in a home where my parents had wine with dinner every night. My dad, who came here from Portugal in the early 1950′s, would make his own wine. I loved going down to his wine cellar and smelling the wine ferment, but I didn’t enjoy drinking wine until my late 30′s! What a shame since drinking wine does have health benefits! Good excuse – right?
roblisameehan – Flickr.com
GETTING TO KNOW ME
As a full time REALTOR in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties in NEW YORK – and Fairfield and parts of Litchfield counties in CONNECTICUT , I am very pleased to have the opportunity to share my passions on REAL ESTATE, FAMILY, PETS, anything and everything in and around a HOME – including COOKING, MOVIES, MUSIC and more!
I have been married for 25+ years to my wonderful husband Joe. We have 5 children – Melissa, David, Amanda, Sara and Jonathan. After waiting anxiously – for almost 17 years, being home with my kids for 10 and a Nursery school teacher for 7 years – I FINALLY became a Licensed Realtor – first in Connecticut - where my family and I live – and then in New York – where my office, Century 21 V.J.F. Realty is located.
I was born and raised in Mt. Vernon, New York. My parents, who came to the US from Portugal, were extremely hard working – with even stronger ethics on being good to everyone – everywhere – period! “Faz bem, nao olhes a quem.” This has been instilled in me all my life, which has made me the mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and the REALTOR I am today. Thank You Ma and Papa. 
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