Forty West Builders will be collecting new or gently used coats, hats, gloves, scarves and other gently used winter items in both communities until December 31st. All items can be brought to Legacy Farms daily from 11am-6pm or to Taylor Preserve at Waverly Woods Saturday-Wednesday 11am-6pm. All items will be donated to local organizations.

Directions to Legacy Farms: 140 West  to Right onto Sullivan Road. Legacy Farms is about 1.5 miles on your left.

Directions to Taylor Preserve at Waverly Woods: Rt. 70 to Marriottsville Road North. Take Right onto Rte 99 East to right on Taylor Farm Rd.  Take a right onto White Dahlia Drive.

For more information or inquires please contact mgerman@fortywest.com

No 4th of July cookout is complete without some patriotic desserts to enjoy while watching the fireworks light up the evening sky. Below are a few easy desserts to add to your menu that are sure to please anyone.

RED WHITE AND BLUE STRAWBERRIES

-Strawberries, washed and dried
-White chocolate
-Blue sugar, edible glitter, or sprinkles (blue sugar is shown in the picture)

- 6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal

- 1 package marshmallows

- 3 TB margarine or butter

- Food coloring (red and blue)

1. Gather your supplies and divide the rice krispies and marshmallows in three for the three layers.

2. Microwave the marshmallows for a few minutes until they get really big and almost touch the top of the microwave. Take them out, stir well and add the food coloring. Then add the 2 cups of Rice Krispies and stir well. Press into well greased 9×13 or 9×9 depending on the thickness of your treats.

3. Do this for all 3 layers starting with the blue, then white and then red. Pat down all layers really well using wax paper.

4. Let set for a bit, then cut, serve and enjoy!

When most homeowners decide on the color or decor they want to use in a room most tend to lean towards what appeals to them visually. Very few take into consideration the psychology behind the color they are choosing and how it may affect your mood when you’re in a particular room. See below to learn how researchers believe each color can have on the effect of peoples minds and moods.

RED:
Red can evoke strong emotions and even cause headaches if used too much. It is recommended to paint only one wall red or use it in accessories. It does however encourage sociable and lively feelings as well as stimulate appetite, which makes it perfect for a dining room.

BLUE:
People tend to be more productive in a blue room because they are calm and focused, making it an ideal color for an office. Additionally blue is believed to keep hunger at bay so it may not be a fitting color for a dining room. Blue has been thought to help prevent nightmares which could make it ideal for a bedroom. Blue however can make a room look cold and unwelcoming so it is recommended to choose a blue with a warm undertone.

GREEN:
Green is a calming color that relieves stress and allows relaxation. It is a perfect color for a bedroom or living room. Green is also thought to help with fertility. Additionally research has found that green can improve reading ability. Too much green can make people too complacent or laid back. It is suggested to use some red or orange accents to counteract these feelings.

YELLOW:
Yellow is recommended for a kitchen as it can increase metabolism and gives people energy. It also causes the brain to release more serotonin causing people to be more optimistic. Yellow can also stimulate conversation making it a good color for the more social areas of a home.
However studies have shown that yellow is the most likely color to make babies to cry, so it should be avoided in a nursery.

ORANGE:
Orange evokes excitement and is not suggested for a living room or bedroom. It is however suggested for an exercise room to help get your blood pumping. Orange is also a good option for a dining room as it is thought to aid in digestion.

PURPLE:
Lighter shades of purple like lavender can create an atmosphere that calms the nerves and allows relaxation and is suggested for a living room or bedroom. Additionally brighter shades of purple can stimulate the brain activity used in problem solving so this could be a good color for an office or other workspace.

BROWN:
Brown is a soothing color that causes people to be comfortable. It is thought to be a perfect color for a family room or other room to relax in.

PINK:
Pink recommended for bedrooms as it is a peaceful and restful color. Hot fuchsia can be thought to evoke passion. Prisons have been using lighter pink rooms for years due to its ability to reduce angry behavior.

What do you think? Have you ever painted a room a certain color or used it to decorated due to its effects on moods? What was the result?

Marriotts Ridge High School in Marriottsville, MD has received a “Best High School” national gold ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
The school ranked 17th in the state of Maryland and 331is in the entire nation and was given a gold ranking.

The school received its ranking due to its opportunity for Advance Placement exams and coursework. The AP participation at Marriotts Ridge is 55%. Its 1,276 student body and 78 teacher give the school a 16:1 student to teacher ratio. Additionally the score was configured by its algebra and english scores on the Maryland High School Assessments which were higher than the state and county average. The level of college readiness was also a contributing factor to the schools score.

U.S News & World Report evaluated almost 22,000 pubic schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were given gold, silver or bronze medals based on their performance as well as how ready they prepare students for college as well as other factors. The full rankings and scores can be viewed here

Congratulations to Marriotts Ridge High School for their outstanding ranking!

Every year since 1875, Thoroughbreds from all over the U.S. line up at Churchill Downs for “the fastest 2 minutes in sports”. Today May 5^th marks the 138^th year of the Kentucky Derby and this tradition.

61 years ago as the racehorses lined up very few had their eyes on the 15-1 long shot Count Turf.  The starting gates sprung open and the horses were off. Count Turf was well positioned in the front middle of the pack. After turning the homestretch, Count Turf charged into the lead and never looked back…defying the odds and winning by four lengths.

Count Turf’s sire, a 1943 Triple Crown winner named Count Fleet as well as his grandsire a 1928 Kentucky Derby winner, Reigh Count became the first triple generation in history to have all won the Kentucky Derby.

After his legendary win at the 1951 Kentucky Derby, Count Turf was moved to Windy Hills Farm in Westminster, MD for retirement, the home of which is now Legacy Farms.

“A bit more than three years ago, when attendance began to falter at the monthly SMC breakfast series meetings, then incoming SMC President [and current Forty West Vice President] Ryan Houck conceived the notion of offering larger scale seminars just twice a year with the hopes of drawing larger crowds and providing more value to attendees. This notion turned into SMC SalesCamp!” – Buildermart 2012 Program

On March 21, the Forty West team as well of thousands of other Homebuilder Association members across Maryland attended Buildermart 2012 in Timonium, MD. Attendees enjoyed a filled day of scheduled speakers and seminars. The featured speaker of the day was John Harbaugh, current Baltimore Ravens head coach.

Harbaugh, who’s appearance was infront of a packed auditorium spoke about competition, taking responsibility, communication and respect. Watch the entire inspring session in the videos below.

The original article can be viewed here

Forbes recently compiled a list of the top 10 Richest Counties in the entire US and our very own Howard County landed itself a place at the number 5 spot on the list. This list was based on the median annual household incomes from 2006-2010 in each county in the nation, provided by the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey. The estimates are in 2010 inflation adjusted U.S. dollars.

Howard County which has an annual median household income of $103,273, the economies of the nation’s five richest counties are all greatly dependent on federal government spending. Howard County was noted as a fast-growing county situated between Baltimore and Washington D.C. and the excellent school system within the county is which is what attracts wealthy residents.

Interested in becoming a resident in this prestigious county? You better act fast, Taylor Preserve at Waverly Woods has only 6 homesites remaining.

Spring is finally almost here! Instead of trying to dedicate a few entire days worth of work to get your spring cleaning done, why not focus on 1 task a day that can be completed in 15 minutes or less. We have a schedule to help keep you on track that we will update every day. You can also follow our Spring Cleaning Challenge on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/fortywest

Day 1- Change the batteries in all of your smoke detectors.

Day 2- Clean out your fridge, freezer, cabinets and pantry. Look for items that are expired and make a list of items that need to be replaced. Especially look at items that aren’t used often like spices and baking supplies.

Day 3- Clean the dust and build up off your blinds. Dampen a cloth and wipe each blade individually by hand. You can knock this out in half the time by assigning a room to be done to each family member.

Day 4- Grab a damp rag or dust cloth and run it along each baseboard molding in every room of the house.

Day 5- Get an old pillow case and use it to clean your ceiling fan blades. Simply slide each blade, one at a time, into a pillowcase and wipe off the blade with the inside of the pillowcase. All the dust, dirt, and debris will stay inside. Then simply shake out the case outside and throw it in the laundry bin.

Day 6- Remove the pillow cases of your throw pillows on your couches or chairs. Wash them or get them dry cleaned. Same with slip clovers if your furniture has them.

Day 7-Determine the filters required for your furnace and buy new ones. Swap them out and mark on your calendar the next time they need to be changed according to the manufacturer guidelines. Need help changing them? Our very own John Walker shows you how easy it is in this video here

Day 8-Go through your “junk drawer” in your kitchen. You know the one that just gets filled with random stuff.  Toss useless items, organize take out menus in a folder or plastic sleeve, contain batteries in a small box ect.

If you have ever tried hanging an arrangement of frames before, you most likely ended up with a ton of holes in the wall before getting it exactly how you wanted. Don’t let this deter you any longer. Creating a beautiful frame arrangement is much easier than you think and we have some helpful tips.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT LOCATION

Hang your arrangement in common areas where they can be enjoyed. Such as a dining room, family room or hallway. Try to avoid filling too small of a space with too much artwork. On the other hand don’t do too small of an arrangement in a large space.  If hanging over a sofa, don’t leave too much space between the top of the sofa and the bottom of the largest frame. Same would apply for over a headboard on a bed. The center of the arrangement should also be eye level.

SELECTING FRAMES

You want your photos and artwork to stand out more than the frame. Choose simple, consistent frames for your arrangement. Metal, black or wooden frames with neutral mats are often the best choice.

LAYING OUT THE ARRANGEMENT

Carefully determine the layout you want before you start placing holes in the wall. Once you the select frames you want to use, trace and cut out each frame onto newspaper or kraft paper. Once you have each one cut out, determine where the nail needs to be placed for the frame to hang properly. Using painters tape, arrange the templates on the wall in the arrangement you would like. Once you are satisfied, hammer the nail into the wall where indicated on the template and gently pull the paper down tearing it through the nail.  Hang your frames and you’re done!

Still need some inspiration? Check out some of the layouts below