Today is the last day to early vote! Election Day is Tuesday, November 4. The polls will close at 7pm.

Two minor earthquakes have shaken the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but no significant damage has been reported. The earthquake with a 2.5 magnitude was reported at 11:25 last night. It was centered in the Grand Prairie area.

Ways to keep your kids flu-free… Avoid Doctor’s Office Toys,  Keep Surfaces and Toys Clean,  Try to Teach Kids Not to Touch Their Faces,  Sneeze In Your Sleeve,  Hand-Washing,  Have the Whole Family Get Vaccinated,  Keep Sick Kids Out of School.

Swedish researchers looked at 20 years of records and discovered that the number of heart attacks dipped on the Monday after clocks were set back an hour, possibly because people got an extra hour of sleep. Turning back the clocks, could be a good thing!

A Houston-area family just grew by five. Quintuplets born to Kelly and Bill Phillips of The Woodlands are expected to be released in a few weeks from The Woman’s Hospital of Texas. The three girls and two boys — Rebecca, Alison, Katelyn, John and David — were doing well this morning. Continue to pray for this family.

Early voting runs through tomorrow. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4. The number of voters casting early ballots surged on Wednesday, bringing the total to more than a half-million votes.

Fort Bend County has one of the highest numbers of foreclosures in Texas. Fort Bend County Clerk has piles of filings of foreclosures on her desk. November already has more than 400 foreclosure documents. If you are faced with foreclosure and need some help can call 1-888-995-HOPE.

How low will they go…the gas wars are on! Take the intersection of Eldridge and FM 529, for example. One of the gas stations was selling regular unleaded for $1.98 a gallon.

Top immune system-boosting foods
Yogurt - it packs a healthy dose of good bacteria that can protect the body against harmful bacteria and infections.
Garlic - Much of the immune-boosting properties of garlic come from its sulfur-containing compounds
Red Bell Peppers – They have twice the vitamin C of most vitamin C-containing fruits and vegetables.
Broccoli – has a high content of anti-cancer agents

Candy Calories Reveled!
Candy Corn – 1 serving which is 26 pieces, No Fat, 28 grams of sugar.
Tootsie Rolls (Small ones) 11 calories, 2 grams of sugar.
1 “fun size” Butterfinger has 100 calories, 10 grams of sugar
Reese’s peanut butter cup – 130 calories, 15 grams of fat, 25 grams of sugar, 6 grams of protein
1 regular bag of M&M’s 236 calories, 10 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein.

Early voting runs through Friday. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.

The president of the University of Texas Medical Branch told employees he is unsure whether they will have jobs. Pray for all those affected by this. And, remember all those still trying to get their lives back together in Galveston.

For the first time in over five years, all of the lanes of the Katy Freeway , including the new HOV lanes, are open. Construction was completed in less than six years. Historically, a construction project like this one would take 10 to 12 years to finish.

Someone in your house have the sniffles? Watch out for the refrigerator door handle. The TV remote, too. A new study finds that cold sufferers often leave their germs there, where they can live for two days or longer.

The IRS is looking for nearly 40,000 Texans — about 7,000 in Harris County — to give them their long-awaited stimulus checks or income tax refunds. The IRS said it has more than 30,700 rebate checks worth more than $19 million and an additional 9,000 refund checks totaling more than $8 million. The checks were returned by the U.S. Postal Service because of mailing address errors. To update an address or check the status of a check, use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool, which leads to the “Where’s My Stimulus Payment?” tool on www.irs.gov  for instructions. Also, you can call 866-234-2942. (From The Houston Chronicle)

If you have roof damage caused by Hurricane Ike, today is your last day to sign up for a free blue tarp.
There are some requirements for the Operation Blue Roof:
•  Proof of residency
•  Know the kind of roof you have
•  Less than 50% structural damage
There are 13 Collection Centers located in Harris, Galveston and Jefferson counties. To hear a recording of locations, Texas residents can call 1-888- ROOF-BLU (1-888-766-3258).

Five Fall Foods That Are Good For You
Taken from Woman’s World magazine.
• Love those pumpkins. One slice of pumpkin pie holds THREE TIMES your recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A. That’s great news for your skin – since Vitamin A’s critical for promoting the collagen which keeps your skin supple and flexible. Pumpkins are also loaded with healthful Vitamin E, and enzymes responsible for keeping skin firm and flake-free.
• Sweet Potatoes. In one study, researchers found more total nutrients in sweet potatoes than any other vegetable! People who ate a sweet potato every day for three weeks had 33% more T-cells in their blood – those are what your body relies on to fight viruses and keep your immune system strong.
• Apples. They’re in season right now and British researchers found that eating two apples a week can reduce your risk of developing asthma by 32%. They’re also chock-full of fiber!

Wanna lose 5 pounds in one week? 5 tips from Women’s Health and Fitness magazine. • Make sure one of your meals each day is just raw vegetables. • Don’t drink anything carbonated – it can bloat you. • Drink a ton of water – then drink some more. It’ll help keep you full and prevent you from retaining water. • Minimize carbs – no potatoes, rice or pasta. • Walk for 20 minutes twice a day.

Early voting started yesterday and runs through October 31st. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.

Hurricane Ike caused about $8.5 billion in damage to Harris County houses, apartments and mobile homes. Ike will be far costlier than any other Houston-area storm in recent memory.

The Greater Houston Builders Association has a few tips on how to avoid rip offs as you recover from hurricane Ike.. Check out the Houston Better Business Bureau Web site. There you can find a complete list of contractors approved by the BBB. The main thing is that when you get a roofer or anyone about to make repairs to your home, make sure that they are bonded and have some type on insurance.

Delta Enterprises is voluntarily recalling nearly 1.6 million older versions of its drop-side cribs after two infants lost their lives. The company says about 985,000 drop-side cribs made between 1995 and 2005 require safety pegs that consumers may have lost during reassembly. Another 600,000 cribs have spring-pegs that can become worn out after many uses. The company has set up a Web site at www.cribrecallcenter.com.

Save Money on Travel, Food, and Prescriptions
How to save money on three things – travel, food, and prescriptions. I found this in Reader’s Digest.
• We’ll start with how to save money when you TRAVEL: Talk to a human being at the airline. Why? Because a website – whether it’s an airline’s or a discounter’s – doesn’t always have all the cheapest flights. So before you make any decisions, try calling the airline’s 800-number for flight information.
• If you’d like to save money on FOOD, try this. Buy locally. It can cost $0.75 just to ship a cantaloupe from California to the East Coast and $2 to cover the freight for a watermelon traveling from Florida to your grocery store.
• The final money-saving tip is for PRESCRIPTIONS: Compare prices. You can compare the cost of FDA-approved medications at certified pharmacies in the United State at destinationrx.com. You can also check out the ‘Options to Consider’ box for money-saving suggestions.

Here is information for our interview with Sharon Hart..

It is the 3rd Annual Mongtomery County Women’s Council of Realtors, Operation Holidays for Heroes Campaign. We will be sending 1000 boxes to Montgomery County Soldiers (men and women) serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. Christmas donations needed: A T & T INTERNATIONAL Phone Cards I-Tunes Gift Cards Hand-held Video Games Disposable Digital Cameras. Snacks that are needed: Beef Jerky, nuts, and hard Candies. You will drop off all your donations to real estate offices, and title companies throughout Montgomery County.

Don’t forget tomorrow is “National Boss Day!”  When the holiday falls on a weekend, National Boss Day offers employees an opportunity to recognize those in supervisory positions.  Popular ways to say “thanks” include cards, a lunch in the boss’s honor, flowers, or gift certificates.

Tests on leading brands of bottled water turned up a variety of contaminants often found in tap water, according to a study released today. In some cases, it appears bottled water is no less polluted than tap water. The researchers recommend that people worried about water contaminants drink tap water with a carbon filter.

The city may ask TxDOT to deny vehicle registration renewals to any driver who’s caught by one of the city’s 70 red-light cameras and does not pay the $75 ticket. If approved, the vehicle registration holds could start before the end of the year.

Harkins House will have their annual golf tournament soon!

It will be November 3, 2008 at Oakhurst Golf Club. If you would like to play, and get more information please call 832-527-0795 or 281-446-6461.

“National Cake Decorating Day” is today!  It’s a day for people to try cake decorating.  Decorating adds to the enjoyment of cakes, cookies, cupcakes and other foods shared with friends & family.

The City of Galveston is lifting the curfew for the entire island except for downtown. The midnight to 5am will remain in effect from 20th to 25th Street and from Harborside to Winnie only.

The Lone Star Rally in Galveston has been rescheduled. The event was moved because the downtown area won’t be ready in time. It was supposed to begin October 31 but now it will start December 11.