Merry Christmas

 I would like to thank you for following my Blog.  As we head into 2013,  I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all my  Blog followers in the many different countries.
If you would like different or specific information about Canadian Mortgages please email me with your questions.
akroemer@mortgagegroup.com

Thank you


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New Year's Resolution -Toastmasters May Be One

 

 

The Definition of a New Years Resolution is : A New Year's resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. A key element to a New Year's Resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year and new beginnings. People committing themselves to a New Year's resolution generally plan to do so for the whole following year. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous.

Last year I made a new years resolution to join Toastmasters. It took me until March to fulfill that resolution. Every week that went by, I had some excuse, In the Comox Valley where I live we have 3 different clubs- meeting different days, so it wasn't the lack of choice of the day that stopped me it was the fear of getting into the unknown. The big fear of speaking in front of strangers.

That first Wednesday in March, I took those fears, stifled them and headed to the Toastmasters meeting. I knew no one but I knew I wanted to become a better speaker.

I was warmly welcomed by the club, everyone introduced themselves and a member took me under their wing, introduced me to the club and sat beside me explaining what was happening as the meeting progressed. I did not feel confident enough to speak that evening and that was okay. Their is no harsh push for you to speak. It is a go at your own pace type of club.

The next week, I had a no excuse for not going. Let me tell you, I was looking for any excuse but could not. The club was warm and inviting, so I went.
In Toastmasters there is Table Topics, which is a time to practise speaking for up to 2 minutes without preparation. Thinking on your feet they say. You are asked a question usually to go with the theme of the evening and you answer the question to the best of your ability. The first night I went 26 seconds and that was fine. But, also that night I saw how much I needed the expertise of this club and their members to help guide me to become a better speaker.

I joined that night and I have never looked back.

There is a small fee when joining to pay for your books and rental of the room you meet in. The club I belong to is is less than $100.00 every 6 months. A bargain for sure.

What have I accomplished in 9 months at Toastmasters?
- Table topics for 2 minutes no problem
- Preparing and organizing a speech for 5-7 mins
- Preparing and organizing a educational speech for 8-10 minutes
- Prepared speech for 5-7 minutes without the use of notes (you can use notes for as long as you want)
- a confidence in speaking
- confidence in life itself
- new friends
- Leadership skills
Not bad for 9 months

Anyone and everyone can benefit from Toastmasters. Toastmasters is international. It is hard not to find a club in your area. Maybe this year is your year to join.

http://www.toastmasters.org This link will take to their introductory page as well as a club finder


Got questions about Toastmasters-- send me an email.

akroemer@mortgagegroup.com


So, What will be your New Years Resolution?

Welcome to NORAD Tracks Santa--Don't be disappointed- find out where Santa is

 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jb0gj_sIBdg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

 

 

 

Welcome to NORAD Tracks Santa

 

All of the preparations for Santa's journey are in place!

Santa's elves have been busier than usual this year preparing for Santa's launch on December 24th! Return each day to receive updates from the North Pole and to discover new surprises on Santa's Activity Page.

For even more fun holiday activities, visit the About Santa page.

Operation Good Will: Find out how you can help make this Christmas very special for those who serve our nation. Check out what each military service is up to these days, and learn how you can help keep NORAD Tracks Santa going for future generations!


Find out what NORAD does the rest of the year (while not tracking Santa) by subscribing to us on Facebook -- or visit us at www.norad.mil.

Track Santa on your Mobile Phone!
Download the official NORAD Tracks Santa mobile apps today!

Download the official NORAD Tracks Santa Windows 8 app!

"I Tracked Santa"
Official Licensed Products!

Contact NORAD Tracks Santa | Privacy Policy | Pressroom

Carney Pledges Clear Signal

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney speaks in Nanaimo, B.C., on Monday. (Chad Hipolito /The Canadian Press)

Carney pledges clear signal if household debts warrant rate hike

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney says that if the central bank opts to raise interest rates to deter households from taking on more debt, he would “clearly declare” what the central bank is doing.

“If we were to lean against emerging imbalances in household debt, we would clearly declare we are doing so and indicate how long we expect it would take for inflation to return to the 2 per cent target,” Mr. Carney said in prepared remarks for an audience in Nanaimo, B.C.

The pledge is significant because Bay Street investors and economists are at odds over the Bank of Canada’s forward guidance on borrowing rates. The central bank has held its benchmark rate at an ultra-low 1 per cent for two years, reflecting tepid economic growth at home and abroad.
Yet for several months, policy makers have indicated that they would like to raise interest rates at the earliest possible moment.
Tiff Macklem, the No. 2 at the Bank of Canada, reiterated that stance earlier this month, isolating Canada’s central bank as one of the few in the world that is leaning toward higher interest rates. At the same time, revised Statistics Canada figures released Monday show Canadians’ debt-to-income ratio reached 163.4 per cent in the second quarter, a heavier burden than U.S. households carried ahead of the housing crash.

Mr. Carney’s comment on the conduct of policy comes as he and his deputies gather this week to reassess interest rates and complete the central bank’s third-quarter report on the economy.
The Bank of Canada’s next interest rate announcement is scheduled for a week from Tuesday; it is set to release its latest Monetary Policy Report the next day. Mr. Carney said the central bank’s revised economic forecasts will take into account the impact of a pervasive sense of uncertainty, which the central bank chief said has paralyzed economic actors around the globe.
“We must take care not to allow uncertainty to dominate our actions, letting profitable opportunities slip away and, more generally, compounding the very real, but still manageable, challenges facing the global economy,” Mr. Carney said.
Mr. Carney urged European policy makers to act quickly and decisively to diminish uncertainty by setting in place a realistic three- to five-year plan for reforming the euro zone, including creating a banking union and closer fiscal union.
And U.S. politicians must act to avoid the fiscal cliff in 2013, when trillions of dollars in tax increases and automatic spending cuts would automatically be triggered if policy makers don’t reach a settlement. Without action, the U.S. economy would take a hit amounting to roughly 4 per cent of gross domestic product, Mr. Carney said.
“If authorities do not change these provisions, this massive fiscal drag will likely push the U.S. economy back into recession next year,” he warned. “That is not what we expect, but like others, we cannot be sure.”
With files from The Canadian Press

For more information on mortgages

 

Angela Kroemer, AMP

Mortgage Professional

TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.

TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

Local: 1.250.650.4182

TFP: 1.888.679.0190

Fax: 1.888.679.0192

akroemer@mortgagegroup.com

www.KROEMERmortgages.com

Know The Sources of CO in Your Home

Carbon monoxide has taken the lives of entire families, left scores of people with debilitating physical and mental handicaps, and, sent hundreds more to hospital. So why do so few of us have the one inexpensive safety device in our homes that protects us from this deadly gas?

Carbon monoxide safety comes down to awareness and education. First realize the danger is very real. Second, you need to know the potential sources of CO in your home. Many people think they don’t need a carbon monoxide alarm because they have electric baseboard heaters. But they may have a gas water heater or stove, a gas or wood fireplace, or a garage or carport attached to their house. All these are potential sources of CO.

So long as carbon monoxide is vented outside, there is no danger. But if appliances or heating systems are not properly maintained, or chimneys and vents become blocked or cracked, deadly CO can seep back into your home…and you won’t even know it.

And since exposure to CO mimics the flu, many people make the mistake of thinking the symptoms they are experiencing will just “go away” in time. So they stay home from work or school hoping to get better, when exactly the opposite happens.

Installing protection is easy and inexpensive. You can find CSA-approved carbon monoxide alarms in any hardware store that cost on average about two cents a day to operate over their lifespan.
Installing one CO alarm per floor is recommended by the National Fire Protection Association but, at a minimum, install one outside all sleeping areas. Canadians seem to prefer models that feature a continuous digital readout.

A digital readout shows you any level of CO in your home so you can take action before the gas reaches dangerous levels. Look for models where the display is continuous, not models where you need to physically push a button to get a reading. That way you get instant peace of mind every time you glance at the alarm and see its zero reading.

What are some common sources of carbon monoxide in the home or workshop?

Most carbon monoxide produced in homes comes from combustion of fuel for heating and cooking.
 CO may accumulate in the home when a blocked chimney, broken chimney flue, or damaged furnace heat exchanger allows gases to enter the home. It can also enter the home from the garage when an automobile, lawn mower, or other engine is in operation. Backdrafting chimneys and flues (common when ventilation fans are used in tightly sealed homes) may allow combustion gases, including carbon monoxide, to enter the home.
Gas stoves and ranges can produce CO, which can present problems if the appliances are used for prolonged periods or if they are not operated properly. Gas ranges are not intended to be used to heat the home. Some other common sources of carbon monoxide include unvented fuel burning space heaters and indoor use of charcoal for heating or cooking. (Note: charcoal should NEVER be burned indoors.)
Never run a generator in the home.

Posted on September 1, 2012 in Safety Updates

more blog info

My Favorite Turkey Recipe- Brine Turkey

For years I cooked my turkey just like MOM did, but was never very happy about they way it turned out. It was just a turkey.
I know this may be a fad for alittle while, just like the deep fryer turkey (which I never did), but I have to say, I will never cook a turkey any other way.


This is not my recipe, My family raves about the brined turkey because it gets flavored all throughout and stays moist. Even if you over cook it.


Ingredients Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, also featured in Food Network Magazine

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Directions

2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

You can change the brine as long as you keep the salt and the vegetable stock or you can use chicken stock. I use a package of fresh poultry seasonings instead of the ginger and the rest of the spices.
For the aromatics I use the package of fresh poultry seasonings found in the fresh veggie isles.

If you try it , I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as my family does.
Note: I cook my stuffing in a seperate container and not in the turkey

Angela Kroemer, AMP

Mortgage Professional

TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.

TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

Local: 1.250.650.4182

TFP: 1.888.679.0190

Fax: 1.888.679.0192

akroemer@mortgagegroup.com

www.KROEMERmortgages.com

Real Estate Investment Canada Or the US

While economic turmoil has flooded worldwide markets, Canada has become an economic safe haven. International money has been parked for safety and ROI, and has fundamentally became a haven to provide the world what it needs for at least the next couple of decades.

Though Canadians have been programmed to look elsewhere for opportunity, 2011-2020 will be the exact wrong time to be doing so. In fact, Canada is in its first year of what will prove to be Canada’s economic decade, and the best time in history to invest here.

Unfortunately, due to a misguided belief that cheap is good when investing in real estate, many Canadian investors have turned their prospects south of the boarder to the US as real estate prices continue to plummet.

Canadian media has been flooded with the tales of investors chasing the cheap price of US real estate, as well as their deals and steals. However, what these investors failed to consider were the metrics involved in analyzing a market’s potential, such as currency risk, taxation, unemployment rate, vacancy rates, property supply and demand, and have taken the ‘buy cheap’ risk anyways despite the reality.

Moreover, replacement costs mean nothing if demand is non-existent, however it is a wonderful tool to use when selling properties. Investors searching for long-term sustainable wealth also need long-term sustainable economic fundamentals. An economy that shows a downward progression will eventually spillover to the real estate market as well, therefore creating a high-risk real estate market.

GDP growth leads to job growth, with attracts migrations, leading to population growth and increased rental demand. This demand drives rental prices up, pushes people to buy properties, and eventually leads to property price increases.

This is exactly the situation in Canada right now, creating jobs by becoming the world’s safest supplier of four key commodities entering the supply and demand super-cycles – food, fuel, fertilizer and forestry).

Among some of the best Canadian cities to invest in real estate are in Alberta were more jobs are projected to be created in a month than the total jobs created in US over the next 10 years.

Source: Don Campbell – Canadian Real Estate Wealth

Are you Working For An Award Winning Engaged Company?

The 50 most engaged workplaces in Canada

 

Engagement, which describes employees' passion for their work and commitment to the company's vision, isn’t just a buzzword. Taking time to create a fully engaged workforce, where employees go above and beyond their job descriptions, can not only help boost a company's customer relations but also the its bottom line.

 

Companies that focus on employee engagement tend to perform better financially, attract and retain the best talent and enjoy improved customer service and client retention,” says Razor Suleman, founder and chairman of Achievers, a company that offers social recognition and employee engagement solutions to its clients.

The company recently released its third annual survey of the most engaged companies across the country. A panel of five judges, which included Mr. Suleman, evaluated applicants and selected the winners based on the following eight elements of employee engagement: communication, leadership, culture, rewards and recognition, professional and personal growth, accountability and performance, vision and values and corporate and social responsibility.

The 50 most engaged companies, listed below (in alphabetical order), will be honoured on Nov. 14 at Arcadian Court in Toronto.

1. 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
2. 3M Canada Company
3. Access Communications Cooperative Limited
4. Adecco Employment Services
5. All Weather Windows
6. Apex Distribution Inc.
7. Arrow Professional Services
8. Bayer Inc.
9. BC Housing
10. Bruce Power
11. Ceridian Canada Ltd.
12. CIBC Mellon
13. Contingent Workforce Solutions Inc.
14. Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc.
15. Edelman Canada
16. Eli Lilly Canada
17. Empathica Inc.
18. Enflick, Inc.
19. First Canadian Title
20. FIRMA Foreign Exchange
21. Flight Centre
22. G Adventures (formerly Gap Adventures)
23. Genesis Hospitality
24. GoodLife Fitness
25. Haute Culture Consulting Inc.
26. HR Downloads Inc.
27. Hydro Ottawa
28. IQ PARTNERS Inc.
29. Just Energy Corp
30. KPMG LLP
31. Mayhew
32. MD Physician Services
33. Meridian
34. Molson Coors Canada
35. Monsanto Canada Inc.
36. NetSuite Canada Inc.
37. Nurse Next Door
38. PEER 1 Hosting
39. peopleCare Inc.
40. Polar Mobile
41. PowerStream Inc.
42. Rogers Communications Inc. - Customer Support
43. Ryan, ULC
44. Scotiabank Convention Centre
45. Siemens Canada
46. Starwood Hotels & Resorts
47. TeraGo Networks Inc.
48. The Johnson Corporation
49. The Little Potato Company
50. TribeHR

Special to The Globe and Mail

Angela Kroemer, AMP

Mortgage Professional

TMG The Mortgage Group Canada Inc.

TMG Sharie Marie Mortgage Team

Local: 1.250.650.4182

TFP: 1.888.679.0190

Fax: 1.888.679.0192

akroemer@mortgagegroup.com

www.KROEMERmortgages.com