Failure has such a negative connotation.  Just hearing the word makes me frown.  We generally think of failure as the end of the road, the assurance that we just don’t have what it takes.  Failure is indeed very discouraging.

But when you look at it differently, failure itself isn’t such a bad thing.  I see failure as a sign that I didn’t do something quite right, but I have the chance to fix it and try again.  It’s when we let our failure define us that it becomes detrimental.

Sure, failure isn’t fun, but it also isn’t a deciding factor.  Only you can decide to keep going despite failure.  The way I see it is that you only truly fail when you stop trying.  Accept failure as part of the process and let it motivate you to improve!

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”     – J.K. Rowling

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Do you dream of harvesting your own home grown vegetables, but just don’t know where to start? Wondering which vegetables are easy to grow? From pots to plots, there are vegetables to suit gardens of every size. ‘Growing your own’ isn’t complicated. Read our quick overview of our top 10 easy to grow vegetables, then start sowing.

Salad Leaves
Crunchy fresh leaves with a fantastic range of textures and flavors. Try sowing throughout the summer months, and you’ll be cutting fresh leaves for your sandwiches just 3 weeks later! Better still, they will continue growing so you can harvest them again and again.

 

Scallions and Radishes
Okay, so we cheated by listing these together but they are both so easy and quick growing that we couldn’t resist! Spice up your salads with scallions and peppery radish. Scallions and radishes make easy vegetables to grow in pots, or sow them directly into the ground throughout the summer for a succession of crunchy, colorful crops.

Potatoes
A really fun crop to grow! Plant potatoes during late February and March in potato bags that are only part filled with compost. When the green shoots begin to appear above the soil, simply cover them with more compost. Repeat this until the bag is full, and then you only need remember to water them! The fun comes at the end of the season, 10 to 20 weeks later, when the foliage starts to yellow and die back. Tip the bag out and rummage around in the soil to collect up your own home grown potatoes. Potatoes are such easy vegetables to grow at home!

Peas
Peas are a trouble free crop that enjoy cooler weather. Sow them directly into the ground from March to June and look forward to the incredible sweet flavor of fresh picked peas from June to August. All they require is support for their stems – simply erect some chicken wire or netting between supports at each end of the row. You’ll be amazed at how good fresh peas taste and the more that you pick them, the more they produce!

Mint
Well if you’re growing potatoes and peas then you might as well grow the garnish as well! Mint is so vigorous that it will grow on almost any moist soil so it’s best to keep it in a pot to stop it spreading too far. Use it fresh picked from the plant or you can freeze it in ice cubes to use later on.

Fava Beans
What could be simpler! Sow fava beans in spring in small 3-inch pots of compost, and within a few weeks these quick growing beans will make sturdy plants that can be planted out in the garden. If that sounds like too much work then sow them directly in the ground. Watch the bees pollinate their pretty flowers and before you know it you will be harvesting a bumper crop of fresh picked beans from June onward, with a flavor that puts supermarket beans to shame.

Runner Beans
Almost as simple as fava beans and you can sow them in the same way. Runner beans are climbers so give them plenty of space and train them onto wires or a plant support frame. Keep them well watered and they will reward you with a constant supply in summer. Regular picking is essential – but that won’t be a problem when they taste so good!

Onions and Garlic
These crops are virtually maintenance free and really are such easy vegetables to grow! Simply plant onion bulbs and individual garlic cloves on well drained soil in spring or autumn – then leave them to it! In late summer when the foliage yellows and dies back, you can lift them and dry them in the sun before storing them. What could be easier?

Tomatoes
Tomato plants are so quick that you can almost watch them grow so they are the ideal easy vegetable for kids to grow. Choose a bush variety like ‘Cherry Cascade’ that can be planted in hanging baskets and window boxes. Bush varieties don’t require training or side-shooting so you only need to feed and water them. If you don’t feel confident enough to grow them from seed then order tomato plug plants.

Beetroot
For an easy to grow root vegetable try beetroot. Often used in salads but equally tasty eaten warm and freshly boiled as a vegetable. Beetroot can be sown directly into moist ground from March to July. As they grow, thin the seedlings to about 3 inches  apart. From May to September you can look forward to harvesting your own colorful, succulent beetroot.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Lafayette is in the midst of a cupcake craze, thanks to Sophi P Cakes!  Lafayette natives and ULL alumni Dustin and Jennifer Melancon opened Lafayette’s original “cupcakery” in 2010 and quickly gained popularity for their yummy and unique cupcake creations.

Sophi P’s cupcakes are made fresh every single day and are thoughtfully crafted and decorated with icing, fondant, sprinkles, candies–you name it!  But as adorable as they are, Sophi P’s cupcakes aren’t famous for their physical appeal.  What’s got Lafayette cupcake lovers addicted is the sweet, sinful deliciousness, a level of flavor that can only be achieved with fresh (never frozen) ingredients and a passion for making the best cupcakes around.

The staff at Sophi P Cakes offer a multitude of products and services.  As many as 15-20 different cupcake flavors are available daily, and other sweet treats such as cheesecakes are also available.    Both walk-ins and pre-orders are available, and your order can be customized with tinted icings, edible photos or logos, fondant details, and more!

The Melancons and their staff take pride in their work and greatly value their customers.  They have made it their mission “to provide high quality treats, that are consistently beautiful and delicious, at a reasonable price, that can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life; from Young-to-Old, Sophisticated-to-Punk, and Everyone in between.”

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Price is only one cost related to buying a home. Unless you are paying all cash for your home, you’ll need a mortgage loan. Rates are going up, and the terms of your mortgage loan will impact how much your home costs on a monthly basis as well as how much you pay in interest over the life of the loan.

There are a number of things that impact the interest rate including the kind of loan you are getting such as FHA, jumbo or conventional, whether your rate is fixed or adjustable, how good your credit scores are, and how much money you are putting down so that the lender can lend you less money.

The best way to lower the borrowing costs of your loan is to have your credit in pristine condition. Lenders are requiring credit scores of at least 700 to obtain the best rates, and in some cases, higher scores are needed. In other words, the loan rate that you see advertised may not apply to you and your situation.

Jumbo loans for upscale homes are above normal qualifying limits, so their rates are higher.

Conventional loans require 20% down as payment from the borrower, while FHA and VA loans require less, but they may cost more in other ways. For example, FHA loans require private mortgage insurance, and they have more exacting requirements for the condition of the home.

Loans with less than 20% down cost more than loans with 20% or more down. That’s because the lender is assured that the borrower is less likely to walk away from a large cash investment. If you put less than 20% down, you may have to obtain mortgage insurance with the loan, so that the lender is paid in case of a default. Your mortgage insurance should end when you’ve been in your home for at least five years or if home values have risen giving you approximately 22 percent equity.

First, choose a fixed rate or an adjustable rate. If you plan to be in your home less than three to five years, an adjustable rate might be preferable, but if you aren’t certain, a fixed rate is better.

The most expensive loan is a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, but the advantage is that the cost of your loan won’t go up, because the rate is secure, although you may pay more as time goes on for property taxes and hazard insurance. If you want a shorter term, your rate will go down and you won’t pay as much in interest, but your monthly payment will be higher. However, more of your payment will go to reducing principle in a shorter term loan.

If you can qualify for a $360,000 home at 5%, your P & I (payment and interest) would be $1,933. But when interest rates fall, you can afford “more house.” At 4%, you could qualify for a $400,000 home and your P& I would be $1,910.

Mortgage interest rates are likely to move higher. The long-term mortgage rate generally gets its cue from the 10-year Treasury borrowing rate, because most mortgages get retired within 10 years from people moving to buy a new home or because of refinancing.  The 30-year Treasury has already started to move up, and the 30-year mortgage rate will soon follow the upward trend.

It’s better to buy a home and let it lose a little value that can come back later, than to pay more for an interest rate that can’t be lowered.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Is anyone else having a hard time believing it’s already December?  With Christmas just around the corner, there are so many upcoming holiday events to check out, you probably couldn’t make it to all of them!  Here are just a few events that’ll be happening next week:

 

Tuesday, December 8 – Food for Families Food Drive
This isn’t exactly a holiday-themed event, but it still applies.  Having enough food to get us through the day–let alone a holiday feast–is something we take for granted, and there are some people and families who are in need of food. While grocery shopping this weekend, pick up a few extra non-perishable food items or toiletries and drop them off at the Cajundome on Tuesday.  Together, we can ensure that everyone has enough to eat this holiday season.

 

Thursday, December 10 – Chef Payne’s Gingerbread Workshop
Visit the Iberia Parish Parkview Library at 4:30 PM with your young ones (ages 4-8) to decorate some yummy gingerbread men under the instruction of Cypress Bayou Casino’s Chef Blake Payne.  Space is limited, so register here to reserve your spot!

 

Friday, December 11 – Noel Acadien au Village
LARC’s Acadian Village will be donned with half a million Christmas lights, and lots of fun family activities such as carnival rides, live entertainment, holiday shopping, photos with Santa, and more will be offered from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM.  Tickets can be purchased at any local Shop Rite or at the gates.  All proceeds benefit LARC, a non-profit organization that provides vocational and residential services to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  (This attraction is actually open until December 23!)

 

Saturday, December 12 – Old Time Christmas
Take a step into the past at Vermilionville, where you will experience Christmas as it was for our Acadian ancestors. Each building on the grounds offers a different activity for your family to enjoy.  Learn about and sing Christmas carols, have a try at soap and candle making, listen to the tale of Papa Noel (the French Santa Claus), and so much more!  This event is both fun and educational and is perfect for all ages.

 

Sunday, December 13 – The Nutcracker
This full-length classical ballet in two acts features Lafayette Ballet Theatre professional company dancers, principal guest artists from Pacific Northwest Ballet (Seattle) and more than 150 children studying ballet in local academies. Enjoy a magical experience as talented artists, dazzling stage sets, spectacular special effects and Peter Tchaikovsky’s delightful musical score bring this engaging E. T. A. Hoffmann tale to life before your eyes.

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Originally posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News