The Segui-Kirby Smith House

If you are interested in American History, visit Saint Augustine Florida and you will find some interesting facts about the US. This house is the birthplace of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith. He is the last Confederate general to surrender. His mother, Frances Kirby Smith, lived in this house until she was exiled from the city for spying.When we tour the area and arrived in this place, it was already closed and it was getting dark so; all I did was take this picture. This house is now called, St. Augustine Historical Society research library which is open to the public for research. This library has the files and books on Florida history including those on the Civil War period and the Kirby Smith family. There are two bronze statues in the garden and a plaque inside commemorating its famous former residence.

Along the Gulf Coast

We arrived home safe and sound from our week vacation along the Gulf Coast. There is no changes after two years. Fort Walton and Panama City always have tourists around the area because there are shopping malls nearby, restaurants and bars are open for business. In fact, most of the high rise hotels are fully booked. The pictures here are rental houses along the Gulf Coast. It was like a ghost town really but, these properties are facing the Gulf of Mexico with awesome view of the beach. Not so many tourists came here because the locations of these rental properties are located further from the shopping districts. On the other hand, if you want peace and quiet, this is truly the best place to unwind.
The house above is not a rental property. This house is really beautiful and huge but, it is located in a remote place but, along the beach highway.Most houses and rental properties here are made of stilts. If there are hurricanes, the water surge can reach this area.Here is another huge house along the beach. As I have said, this neighborhood is away from the shopping districts and all they have is a nice beach view and the beautiful yard full of trees.

House in a Remote Place

Last Monday, we arrived in our friend's house in Alabama. I was expecting a dirt road but, from the main street to their house, it was all paved with concrete. From their mailbox which is a couple hundred feet to their house, they paved it with concrete at their own expense. I would say, that's a lot of money. See the picture below? You can't even see the mailbox on the main road. I enjoyed being there a lot because it reminds me of the province of my granny's when I was young. Anyway, their place is far and so many streets to turn which our GPS can't even locate. We pass by a big warehouse for cotton and peanuts because in that area, long stretch of cotton farms are endless. So, we arrived here at five in the afternoon while our friend was feeding the animals. They got a nice house and it's really huge for two occupants. I started to take photos of the surroundings and when I was about to get finish, I saw this big snake on the pathway at the back of the house. I was really running away from it and it never moves. So, I slowly take the picture of the snake and return to the front porch of the house. Whewww!.
Our friend told me that he do not kill this snake because it helps him eradicate the rats in his property. He only kill rattle snakes and he got plenty in his property. After knowing that, I quit going out the yard alone. Dang! They look like sticks on the ground, right?

House Washing in Ocean Springs MS

The house of my father-in-law is currently in the market and we have buyers. We are actually waiting for everything to run smoothly especially the inspection. When we moved out, my sister-in-law who is the executor of the state handled all the cosmetics of the house such as re-painting and clean-up of the entire house. Don't get me wrong, the house is beautiful but, we all wanted to show make it more presentable so that the house will be off to the listing right away. This is the company who we hired to clean the exterior of the house. He pressure-washed it and it looks like NEW! That was really amazing! Even the concrete on the driveway looked so brand new! If you want to clean the exterior of the house, call this number and look for Johnny. They are in the business since 1976, no wonder that their job is EXCELLENT! If you live in Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Vancleave, Guttier, Saint Martin and nearby these places, hire this cleaning company now. Call the number today and ask for an estimate. I assure you that this company is really reasonable! Don't forget to mention my blog (smile)!

Back to Florida

Finally, the seller accepted our offer. We found a condo in the neighborhood that we like. I really wanted to live in a house but, we have no luck of finding the house that we like. For now, we will settle in a condo with amazing HOA which is a good thing about this place. The tax is also great! If we can find a house in a year, we plan to rent this place and make this as investment. Anyway, the picture below is the newly painted wall in the house.
The realtor suggested to repaint the whole house using neutral colors and fixed the things which are negative from the buyers view. When we look at the houses and condos in Florida, some properties were sold "as is". There are so many fixer-upper and foreclosure that is why, the property looks bad. Well, we are thankful that the condo we bid was clean especially the bathroom.
The house of my father-in-law will be in the market soon. The next owner will be happy with this property. Huge backyard, two car garage with Florida room, huge living room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master's bedroom has a huge walk-in closet and a fireplace. Anyway, I am just so excited to move back to Orlando.

Favorite Place

We went to Florida to see some houses and we already have some preference. Hubby and I really wanted to buy a property nearby the lake or beach just like this one. This is the place of our friend in Florida and she had a private dock for her boat. A tiki bar beside the lake is truly wonderful. We love fishing and this area is good for that activity. We went boating one afternoon and it was the best place that I wanted to unwind. I am hoping to find a place like this to call home.

Houses For Sale in Jacksonville

Are you interested to move in other state? Have you decided where to live? Even though we live here in Mississippi temporarily, we plan to move back to where we once live. We wanted a place just like here where the beach is nearby. Actually, we already figured a price range for the house that we want. The property should be a three bedroom, spacious, more backyard space and nearby downtown. If you want to buy a house, do it now while it is very affordable. Make a checklist for what you really want in a property. The location is important depending on your preferences. As for me, nearby the beach is a must.There are so many units that you can find in Jacksonville NC houses for sale. If you want to move there, a lot of interesting property listed in that site might spark your interest. My husband and I decided that we need a bigger space because we plan to buy an RV and a boat. We love to travel and exploring the new place is better when we have these transportations. Having our own house again in the place where we love is what we look forward to. How about you? What kind of house do you want? Is it nearby the mall or the church? As long as you keep looking in both print ads and online, you will find it somehow.

Air Beds

Have you ever tried sleeping in water bed? It may sound good but, I prefer to sleep in full air beds. For one thing, air mattress can be rolled up, folded and storing is relatively easy. But, if you are planning to buy one, make sure that you do not use the manual foot-powered pump. It will take forever to inflate the air mattress. Better use the electric-powered pump to save your time and avoid the hassles. I rather use the air beds than water bed because I am comfortable sleeping on it. I don't like sleeping on water bed because whenever there is movement, the water moves with it. It makes me feel sick as if I am on board cruising. Anyway, air bed is popular in every household too because it is always used for camping and temporary home use for the guest. It is easy to inflate, deflate and to keep it clean, no hassles at all. Unlike the water bed, you need to change the water at a certain time and to unload the water takes your time. Air beds will never take your space unless if you use it but if not, you can fold it and store in the closet.

Home Theater Seating

Part of my plan for my home renovation in the Philippines is to build an entertainment room. When I saw this home theater seating at bostontables.com I was in great awe. I always love leather cover for my theater seats and the picture below is what I dreamed of having. There are two reclining seats on both ends and the middle is the love seat. Perfect for home relaxation and a comfortable seat for my theater enjoyment. This product has also a storage console wedges therefore, everything will be in place. This item is currently on sale with FREE shipping in all the US territories. I can only hope that next year, I can afford to buy one like this too. The price is reasonable and so far, their customers are satisfied with the quality and the style. If you are curious with the price, visit the Website today.

You can also find the products such as Berkline and Palliser. They have Berkline theater seats, Media room, entertainment centers, home entertainment furniture, recliners and many more. If you have any questions, you may call them at toll free 866-514-7665 or visit the Website and the customer service representative will handle your call. Check it out now.

Flowering Plants

I always love gardening. I just stayed home waiting for job to come to me...hahaha, kidding, I am just having this gardening to keep me busy. Here are some of the plants that survive the summer heat.

Though we have so many withered plants which I can't save really, I am satisfied that some survive.

The periwinkles survive because it grows through most of the year. It grows well in shaded areas without water and will grow fine in direct sunlight if watered occasionally.

This plant, I forgot the name....heheehe. More flowers in here.

I planted those flowers in the middle area- shown here.

I planted some seeds in a flower pot and have it grown already. I will transfer this in the ground once it's ready.

Here are the other flowers in that flower bed in the middle.
We have roses too at the front yard, they bloom a lot. We have less than 10 varieties of roses in the garden. How about you? Do you have a garden?

The Old House

This is the old house of my father-in-law. My husband's home for so many years. It was August 29 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana States. The water level reached at the ceiling of the house. Everything inside washed out. Cars was destroyed too. My Father-in-law and his wife evacuate to his daughter's place away from the shoreline. Just click the pictures to see how devastating that storm was. Everything inside the house was destroyed. What was really heartbreaking was all the pictures and memories too were washed out to the sea. I visited this sight few days ago. It was really the best. The community is nice, big houses and his property was really huge. The back area has swimming pool and as you can see, the water level left a mark above the roof top. The pool was filled with dirt water and debris. Their two cars swept by the current. If you visit Mississippi right now, towards the Gulf Coast, there were still ruins left by that storm.

There was no single item in the house that can be salvage. All the childhood pictures of my husband were gone too. My sisters- in-law kept a few so, I have glimpsed of the handsome face of my hubby when he was younger (Smile). Can't believe I married a Hollywood star...LOL!

The backyard of this house was huge. Pool and a Dock Area for his boat. That was really a huge boat. I think I will enjoy living in this place than where we are right now. The property was surrounded by the bayou/lake and the Gulf of Mississippi. You saw the view before in some of my posts. The place here is nice. Overlooking the water. Fenced. With private boat dock. Well, the boat was also gone into pieces. They got insurance anyhow for everything but, not worth it. The memories they created in this house is too precious. My father-in-law don't want to go back because of what had happened. Every year, people living in these states listen to warnings and take it seriously.

Favorite Houses in Ocean Springs

There are so many unique houses in Mississippi. These are just one of the many architectural designs that fancy my eyes. They are simple and unique in this location. We drove by the East Beach and Front Beach in Biloxi, Mississippi and I can't help myself but took these pictures. This is the favorite house of my husband. Probably, I will build him one like this when we go back to the Philippines. But, I will make it a vacation rental when we return back to the US. This is really a nice looking house built on the beach area. Its full view from the terrace would be the Gulf of Mississippi. The original house looks like this but was destroyed by hurricane Katrina. That's the history of this house.
I like the house below because you can see this often in the movies, right? Ocean Springs and Biloxi are places in Mississippi that has rich in history. You can see some of the architectural designs would bring you back during the French Colonization.

I like the simplicity of this house and the two colors. This house has the old and contemporary look in it. Most properties here have no fence yet, this house had one. I prefer to have one myself.

This house is located in the East Beach area in Ocean Springs. All the descending area on its front is planted with blooming flowers. This is really my best favorite among these houses.