Our Head Coach Pete Carroll

I am proud to be a Seahawks fan and proud to have Coach Carroll represents the Seahawks and our great city! He was born Sept 15th 1951 in San Francisco and began his coaching career in 1973. His playing days included multiple positions in high school and at Jr. College. After graduation he tried out for the World Football League but didn’t make the team. His only non-football job was selling roofing materials in the Bay Area; he decided that was not his calling. His smarts, energetic personality and positive outlook earned him his 1st coaching job and all these years later those attributes are his hallmark! He has been Head coach for 3 NFL teams and was Head coach for USC- winning 2 national championships. As Head coach he holds an impressive record of 239-123-1 including Super Bowl 48 win and Super Bowl 49 appearance. He recently signed a contract extension through 2025. I am thrilled to have him lead our Hawks!!

House Rich but Cash Poor

Are you “house-rich but cash-poor”? In other words, you spend so much on your mortgage (and building equity) that you don’t have cash to spend on other needs. The key is to get back into financial balance. Each case is different, so do your homework and consider these actions:  Sell your house and buy (or rent) something smaller. Sounds drastic, but it frees up assets and is particularly relevant if you are close to retirement.  Refinance your current mortgage (when mortgage rates are down). Talk to John Porter at Mortgage Masters (206-954-8736 or john@mortgagemasterwa.com) to see if this option would be beneficial to you. He would love to help!  Look into a reverse mortgage (if you’re 62 or older). This lets you access your equity but there are up-front costs and you’ll want to remain in your house for the rest of your life. Talk to a financial planner to fully understand this option.

Plan a Trip to Roslyn

Roslyn was founded in 1886 as a coal mining town and thrived with the addition of the Northern Pacific Railway spur and old growth forests to harvest. The last coal mine closed in 1963 so they are dependent on tourism and vacation property owners. Time to plan a trip, do some hiking, shopping, and explore!

Sleep Can Solve Your Problems

Did you know Paul McCartney composed “Yesterday” in a dream? Studies show that when you dream, you’re more open-minded and may see things from a different perspective. Here are two different approaches you might try to solve a problem or increase your creativity: 1. Clear your mind before you go to sleep. Read a book, talk about something else, go to sleep, and trust your subconscious. 2. Focus on the problem you want to resolve. Form it into a question (for example, “What should I say to have a successful meeting?”), write it down, and visualize a positive outcome. With either method, write down what you remember about your dreams when you wake up. They may be illogical, but the imagery or events could be a metaphor for a solution that relates to your problem. These techniques require a positive attitude and lots of practice, but they can help you! For further information, look up the work of dream psychologists, such as author Deirdre Barrett.

Donate Extra Clothes This Fall

Is it time for a wardrobe facelift? Before hauling your old clothes away to the same secondhand store or tossing them in the trash, consider these options. Blue jeans: Old blue jeans donated through bluejeansgogreen.org will be turned into insulation in communities that need it most. Shoes: Both soles4souls.org and oneworldrunning.com accept gently worn shoes to donate to people in need around the world. Wedding and formal dresses: Most people only wear formal clothing a few times, so if your wedding dress or formal gowns are still in great condition, pass them on! Soon-to-be-military brides are on the receiving end at bridesacrossamerica.com, and Project G.L.A.M. (wgirls.org) provides teenage girls with prom dresses. Eyeglasses: If you’ve updated your prescription lately, donate old frames and lenses to new-eyes.org, where they’ll be passed on to someone who can’t afford new eyeglasses.

Don’t Debit At The Pump

When it comes time to fill it up, don’t use your PIN. That’s the latest place scammers are installing those hidden card-reading devices that steal your personal information. If you do use your debit card, select the “credit” screen instead of “debit” or do the transaction inside the station.

Make More Closet Space

Is your clothes closet (or your teenager’s closet) a “hot mess”? Try these ideas to make it more functional. This is a great time to work on it with the change of season wardrobe. • First things first: Empty out your closet and donate or consign everything you haven’t worn in the last two years. • Install closet organizing products available at stores such as the Container Store. Save time by inviting a friend to help! • Neatly stack folded clothes on shelves using inexpensive shelf dividers (see stores above). Stack no higher than 10 inches. • Hang scarves/belts/purses on shower curtain rings attached to a wooden hanger. • Get piles of shoes off the floor. Try an under-the-bed container. • For a quick fix, buy a small dresser or a bookcase from a garage sale or thrift shop and put it inside your closet.

Learn to Lessen Stress

1. Master Your Thoughts. Stress and anxiety are actually a choice. You have the power to choose how you feel at any given moment. When you are feeling stressed out, take a moment to pause and close your eyes. Ask yourself, “Is there another choice I can make that will make me feel more at peace with myself or this situation?” 2. Breathe. It sounds so simple, but breathing has a tremendous affect on your mind, body, and your mood. Focus on your breathing when you find yourself feeling stress. If you put your finger on your belly button, you’ll begin to breathe from your belly and relax. 3. Exercise. Regular exercise can release stress and make you feel more in control of your life. Try a 30-minute brisk walk, bike ride, or play a game of tennis or racquetball. 4. Take Up A Hobby. Hobbies give our body and mind a place to relax. Whether it’s painting, woodworking, gardening, or playing a musical instrument, hobbies can give us that feeling of a vacation without having to go anywhere to get away. 5. Pace Yourself. Many of us have a tendency to over schedule ourselves or our family, and then become stressed when we can’t meet the demands. Prioritize your workload and concentrate on one task at a time. 6. Lighten Up And Take The Long View. If you’re feeling anxious and tense...take a moment and ask yourself, “will this really matter tomorrow, next week, or even five years from now?” 7. Strive For Peace of Mind. You can get more out of your life by actually doing less. Happiness comes not from the number of activities things we collect, but from the opportunity to enjoy our experiences. Doing less may actually make you happier...it’s your choice.

Home Health Hazards

Are you aware there may be hidden dangers lurking in your home? These little known health hazards could be causing you and your family health problems…and you may not know it. Here are six hazards you can avoid by eliminating them from your home, or being attentive to the potential danger: 1. Do not reuse plastic drinking water bottles. After exposure to air and mouth-borne bacteria, these bottles can contain enough bacteria to be a biohazard. 2. Throw out corroded aluminum cooking pans. Recent research has shown that foods cooked in these pans absorb toxic amounts of aluminum. This can result in kidney failure, affect brain function (possibly associated with Alzheimer’s disease), and possibly contribute to abnormal behavior. 3. Be careful using electric blankets, especially anyone with occlusive arterial disease (result of blockage in an artery). An electric blanket’s uncontrolled heat can cause gangrene by increasing metabolism, but not circulation. 4. Don’t take aspirin and Vitamin C together in heavy doses or long-term. This can lead to ulcers and gastritis. 5. Never burn or over-heat your food in the popular non-stick cookware. This can impart traces of toxic fluorocarbon resins to foods. Throw out pans if the non-stick surface becomes scratched or peels. 6. Use over-the-counter eye drops sparingly. They relieve redness by the action of constricting blood vessels in the eyes so they will look whiter. If drops are used frequently, they can develop permanent (and very red) varicose veins in the eyeball.

Composting

According to recent reports, almost 30-40% of the food supply is wasted, which is more than 20 pounds per person each month. Composting waste from your kitchen and yard is good way to help reduce this waste—and your garden plants will thank you. • Choose an outside compost container. Buy a plastic, metal, or wooden container for your yard (about 80 gallons is good). Check Home Depot (HomeDepot.com) for options. • Collect kitchen scraps. Use a small, lidded container to collect organic matter such as eggshells, coffee grounds, leftover vegetables, and fruit peels as you prepare food. You’ll need to empty this frequently into the outside container. Additionally, twigs, dead leaves, paper plates, and torn-up newspaper can be added into the compost bin. • Turn the compost material. Mix it up a few times a month with a pitchfork or shovel to keep moisture and oxygen circulating. Keep it damp but not soggy (you shouldn’t see pools of water). In a few months, expect your compost to produce a healthy, dark soil, which can then be used for plants in your yard.