Friendswood is known for its beautiful majestic trees that thrive along the many creeks winding throughout the town. One tree in Friendswood is well­­­-known to locals…although most people have no idea why the tree is so special.   The Liberty Tree is a very beautiful old tree that is located right in the middle of “old Friendswood”. There is a small sign alongside its trunk, identifying its name, but there is no information on the sign about the significance of the tree. There is a time capsule commemorating the bicentennial celebration of the United States right behind the tree…which is a clue as to how it became the Liberty Tree.   The Liberty Tree got its name in 1976, the bicentennial year, when the city was putting in some new road improvements. A new road was being put in, and th... 09/22/2011

The Friendswood location has some sweet deals!  And the food is excellent!!! HAPPY HOUR!2:00-7:00 and 9:-11:00 3.00 Well Liquors 3.00 Domestics 4.00 House Wines 5.00 Call Liquors 4.00 Premium Beer 4.00 Birra Bellinis   BIRRA FOOTBALL!During ANY football game!!! Half off any pizza 2 for 1 appetizers Half-Priced Martinis Happy Hour Prices   09/20/2011

Meet Pauline, who celebrated her 91st birthday this week! Pauline is amazing – she still drives, and her vehicle of choice is a big red Ford F-150 pick-up truck! Pauline can often be seen zipping around Friendswood in her big truck, on the way to visit friends and spread some cheer.   I met Pauline through Stonecroft Ministries. Stonecroft women meet in members’ homes every week for bible study, fun, and fellowship. This week our group took her out for lunch to celebrate her birthday. We let her pick the place, and she chose Mexican food – she likes it hot and spicy!   Pauline always has a positive outlook, a sweet smile, and a gentle spirit. Please join me in wishing her a happy 91st birthday in the comments section below. I’ll print out the birthday wishes and give them to her next we... 08/19/2011

Academic ambition, excellent schools and good deeds by members of the community are just three of the reasons Friendswood, Texas was named one of the Top 10 towns for families in the August 2011 issue of Family Circle Magazine.   Friendswood is the only town in Texas to receive this designation!   Family Circle and Onboard Informatics, a New York research firm, looked at 2,500 cities and towns with populations between 15,000 and 150,000, and assessed which places best met their family-friendly criteria including:   ·         Low crime rate ·         Affordable homes ·         Quality schools ·         Financial stability ·         Access to health care ·         Green space ·         Volunteerism   Friendswood was ranked number 5 out of all of the cities and towns which were evaluated. ... 08/15/2011

School districts throughout Texas are dealing with reductions in state funding by cutting back in many areas. Friendswood ISD is finding ways to reduce some services, while still maintaining an exemplary education system for the community. The district will be looking for savings opportunities in the transportation department this year.   Bus routes in Friendswood ISD will change slightly for the 2011-2012 school year.  Some transportation services will be reduced or eliminated for some Friendswood Junior High and Friendswood High School students. No changes have been made for elementary or intermediate students.   For Friendswood Junior High students, the only change is that some walk-to-stop distances may increase for students living nearest the FJH campus in Falcon Ridge, Eagle Lakes... 08/10/2011

School starts on August 22 for Friendswood ISD students, but this year the high school students will get to sleep in a little longer every Thursday. Beginning the second week of school, Friendswood High School students will have late arrival on Thursdays, 45 minutes later than usual, with classes starting at 9:19 a.m.   On other days of the week, students will continue to begin classes at 8:35 a.m. and will be dismissed at 3:45 p.m.   This Thursday late arrival time will allow teachers and staff to participate in professional learning communities. With the loss of the common planning period for teachers this year, due to state-wide cuts in state funding, there is little time during the day for teachers to plan together within a team to review data, make curricular improvements, and lear... 08/10/2011

Back-to-school shoppers in Texas get a break from state and local sales taxes on August 19, 20 and 21 for the annual Tax-Free Weekend for school supplies. Most clothing and footwear priced under $100 will be exempt from sales tax, as well as backpacks used by elementary and secondary students.   School supplies that are exempt from sales tax on Tax-Free Weekend include the following: Binders Book bags Calculators Cellophane tape Blackboard chalk Compasses Composition books Crayons Erasers Folders Glue, paste and paste sticks Highlighters Index cards Index card boxes Legal pads Lunch boxes Markers Notebooks Paper – most kinds Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes Pencil sharpeners Pencils Pens Protractors Rulers Scissors Writing tablets If you are doing some back-to-school shopping ... 08/09/2011

School starts on August 22 in Friendswood ISD, and it’s time to shop for school supplies for the kiddos! Getting new notebooks, pens, markers and backpack is always a fun time for youngsters, and it helps get them excited about the start of a new school year.   Here is the school supply list for Friendswood Junior High and the Sixth Grade Center:   SIXTH GRADE CENTER (1) 200 ct. wide rule filler paper (6) Bic blue med. stick pen (6) Bic red med. stick pen (2) Crayola 7-in. presharp colored pencils 12 ct. (2) Crayola washable thick classic markers 8 ct. (24) no. 2 Dixon Ticonderoga pencil (1) 1/16” wood ruler, standard and metric (1) 70 ct. green spiral comp. book wide rule (1) 70 ct. blue spiral comp. book wide rule (1) 70 ct. yellow spiral comp. book wide rule (1) 70 ct. red spiral com... 08/09/2011

I love shopping at the HEB Grocery Store in Friendswood. It is a specialty store with organic veggies, fruits, nuts and a lot of exotic produce. There are also a variety of nuts and coffee beans. It has a very nice Wine selection along with seafood and a meat butchers area. They have a great Bakery and Deli.... try the zillion variety of olives....yummm But by far my favorite is the floral area.... they have many flowers to chose from if you need some. Below are a few shots I managed to get in a very crowded store.     So if you are interested in buy or leasing a home in the Friendswood area please click on one of the icons below to get in touch with me. 08/06/2011

For the third year in a row, every school in Friendswood ISD has been rated exemplary by the Texas Education Association, resulting in an overall exemplary rating for the district. The “exemplary” rating is the highest rating a school or school district can obtain from TEA.   Friendswood ISD was the only traditional public school district in the greater Houston area to achieve the state’s highest rating of “exemplary”.   Fewer schools achieved the exemplary rating this year, largely due to the increased standards applied by TEA. The ratings are based on student performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests in reading, writing, math, science and social studies. Schools’ graduation and drop-out rates also count in the ratings.   Friendswood ISD has six schools – two el... 07/31/2011

Well today was the last day to go into Borders and buy a book. They had a 40% to 50% sale of the entire book store. Of course you knew Boarders Books store was going out of business.   Yeah Boarders is going out of business... some say that Amazon killed this book store; that and the sales in electronic books. I still prefer to hold a book. I do see the good in having some type of electronic book because of the weight issues, if you are traveling or some where that is too cumbersome to carry a hard back book the e-book is the way to go. Of course I do like audable books too. I don't own any at this point but I have listened to them from the library. I may go to Audible.com and sign up; however, I am not sure yet. In any case I was not a Borders gal, but did go today so my husband, the "... 07/31/2011

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY Yeah me! I am so happy that I am still young at heart, love music, dance, joking around and being friends with just about everyone.... So everyone you have my permission to order cake and ice cream with your lunch or supper today!       07/11/2011

I am post less and can't think of a thing to write about. I guess it has a lot to do with the heat. I saw a squirrel on Monday which was sprawled and stretched out on a small tree limb trying to catch a breeze. He will have to wait 117 days more for that to happen. October 31st usually is the date that the air starts to cool off here in southern Texas. It is really hot this summer, 106 degrees in the car when I get in to leave, and don't forget to add the 100% humidity. It is all I can do just to show home to clients. These showings are scheduled early in the morning or late in the afternoon... People walking around looking half dead.... Click on one of the icons below if you would like to join my sauna to find your next home! 07/06/2011

This morning, when I let the cat in, I could tell we had been visited overnight by one of our residential wild critters...namely, a skunk. There is one living around here for sure (you can tell...trust me), but I have never seen the little guy. Obviously, my cat saw him last night, though. Friendswood is a sleepy suburb south of Houston, with lots of green space and wooded areas where the wildlife community thrives. Because our neighborhood is bordered on two sides by undeveloped areas, we have lots of critter visitors each day. There is an opossum (possum in Texas-speak) who comes every night to sit on the back porch. He might be coming to drink from the pool, but I have never seen him do that. Additionally, several fluffy squirrels have decided that our backyard trees are a great play... 06/08/2011

Want to have some great summer fun and stay cool at the same time? Check out the Friendswood Library.  They have plans to keep your children entertained this summer.  Your children will get to meet Scooby Doo on June 14th from 1:30 -2:30!  Can you imagine anything more exciting for your little ones?   You and your older children will enjoy hearing Pearl Harbor survivors tell their accounts at June 14th at 4 pm.  These brave men are making a visit to the Friendswood Library to Commemorate Flag Day. One of the greatest gifts you can give your children is a passion for reading.  The Friendswood Library offers story times for children and book clubs for adults.  For dates and times call: Friendswood Public Library 281-482-7135 416 S. Friendswood Drive 06/08/2011

For some people, a fresh cup of coffee or a mocha cappuccino is essential for getting started each morning. Fortunately for local coffee lovers, there's a new coffee shop in Friendswood! Dunn Bros coffee shop is now open at 201 S. Friendswood Drive (FM 518).  The new coffee shop opens at 6 a.m. on weekdays - early enough to stop for a cup of java and some delicious baked goods for breakfast on your way to work. Dunn Bros roasts their coffee beans right in the store for the freshest coffee available. They also carry an assortment of fruit smoothies and beverages for those who don't drink coffee (like me).  The new Dunn Bros coffee shop has an outdoor covered courtyard, plenty of comfortable seating inside, and a drive-through window. On Saturday nights, local musicians perform in the cou... 05/26/2011

It's Chili Today, and Hot Tamale!  If you are looking for the best HOT TAMALES in the Houston area, you need to stop by the Tamale Truck in Friendswood, Texas. The Tamale Truck is an institution and local Friendswood landmark. Everyone in the area knows where it is.  The Tamale Truck has been doing business on FM 2351 for 35 years. They have been in their current location just west of Beamer Road for the last 10 years. Every day at lunch and dinner you will see a long line of customers waiting their turn to purchase tamales from the Tamale Truck. Some people stop by to pick up enough for lunch, and others stop by to stock up. I like to do both...pick up hot tamales for lunch or dinner, and also some extras for the fridge or freezer. There is nothing fancy about the Tamale Truck. It's ju... 05/25/2011

It happens to all Realtors from time to time, and last week it happened to me when I was showing houses. I removed the key from the lockbox, opened the front door, and heard that repeating BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...that told me the burglar alarm was activated and was about to go off. I quickly closed the front door, and looked at my notes to see if I had missed the alarm code. I realized there was no code and nothing I could do to stop the inevitable alarm company phone call to the police. I called the showing service to see if they had just neglected to give me the code. Nope, no code, and nothing about an alarm. The showing service called the listing agent and the owners. Fortunately, both were close by and came to the rescue within minutes. The seller's teenage son drove up, ran into the ... 05/22/2011

Good customer/client service is essential for Realtors who want to grow their businesses. You've got to stand out from the crowd and go the extra mile to bring about a successful transaction for your people. Sometimes going the extra mile means doing things that don't fall into the normal Realtor job description. I have had to do some pretty odd things for my clients...but, I do whatever has to be done to help close the deal! HOUSE CLEANING  Yep, you can add housecleaning services to my job description. I've been known to help my clients clear away the clutter, mop the floors, wash the windows, dust the furniture, and even paint. Some Realtors would scoff at doing things like that for their clients, but if it means getting the listing on the market sooner, I'll do what I have to do. COU... 05/21/2011

As I drove out of the neighborhood today, I noticed that the water tower behind Friendswood High School is being dismantled. That particular water tower has always reminded me of a big mushroom - not the most sightly structure in the Friendswood area. I wondered if it was coming down for good, so I checked with the city projects department and got the scoop on the fate of the mushroom tower. It turns out, the tower is coming down, but it will be replaced with a newer, better version similar to the water tower on FM 528 close to Alvin. The city actually has a water well under the tower that serves as a back-up source of water if and when Friendswood cannot purchase their water from the City of Houston.  So the water tower is necessary, but it just needs to be updated. Residents living ne... 05/17/2011