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Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes - the Best You've Ever Had

Imagine enjoying this yummy recipe in your huge kitchen with bar & separate eat-in area! I found it at this great recipe site and with this time of year, I thought many of you would like to enjoy some nice, homey, comfort food! ENJOY!

Ingredients

* 2 lbs potatoes
* 1 head garlic
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1/4 cup sour cream
* 4 tablespoons butter
* milk or cream, if needed
* salt
* white pepper

Directions

1. Separate head of garlic into individual cloves.
2. Toss in olive oil and wrap tightly in small piece of aluminum foil.
3. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 45 minutes.
4. When the garlic has cooled to the touch you should be able to squeeze it out of the 'paper' shell of the individual cloves.
5. Mash the roasted garlic with a fork, or force through a fine strainer.
6. If you use a ricer as recommended below, simply rice the garlic along with the potatoes.
7. Peel and boil potatoes in salted water until tender.
8. Force the cooked potatoes through a ricer (recommended) or mash by your usual method.
9. Put the riced potatoes, garlic, sour cream, butter, and salt and white pepper in a mixer bowl, and whip at medium speed until smooth.
10. Add cream or milk to adjust consistency.

Independence Day Neighborhood Parade - 4th of July 2009

8 a.m. starting at the Emerald Mountain Volunteer Fire Department
Each year, residents participate in this fun family time, and opportunity to get to know the neighbors. Families decorate bikes, wagons, golf carts and riding lawn mowers in a festive manner and join neighbors as they parade down the parkway to the clubhouse. Everyone brings snacks and beverages to hang out at the clubhouse for a brunch and fellowship time.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

First Day Of Redland Elementary School Coming Soon!

Redland Elementary School will house students in kindergarten through sixth grade and cost $10 million to construct. The first day of school is August, 10, 2009.

Read more here.

Emerald Mountain Neighborhood Yard Sale

TOMORROW, Saturday April 25, from 6 AM until 11 AM!

Great weather and GREAT BARGAINS! The annual yard sale is always a HUGE event with tons of homes participating and SWARMS of people coming from all over to take advantage! It's so much fun!!

This year, several homes are selling things to raise money for the new Redland Elementary School. Other fundraisers may be out there too so be ready to find a good deal this Saturday!

Snow On The Mountain!

It's not often pictures this beautiful can be made in Alabama! What a lovely treat, even just a week before Spring weather arrived, to have a couple of inches of snow on Emerald Mountain in Wetumpka, Alabama.

Redland Elementary PTO Meeting This Saturday!

Redland Elementary will have its very first Parent Teacher Organization meeting this Saturday, January 24th, at 9:00 AM. The meeting will be held at Mulder Methodist Church and welcomes all families living in the Emerald Mountain neighborhood.

The Drive Home

Here's a nice video of how it looks to drive home in the fall.

There's A Clubhouse, Too!

Overlook Clubhouse is available to the community and has a breathtaking mountaintop view with fun children's playground! There are several neighborhood functions at the clubhouse and private functions can also be held here with discounted rates for Emerald Mountain residents!

Redland Elementary Names Principal!

WSFA News covered the excited news of Redland's Elementary School principal! What an exciting development for the families of Emerald Mountain! Dan Aude, a longtime Redland resident, will be the first leader of this great, new school!Click here to read WSFA's story!

Redland Elementary School Update!

Look at the pictures taken today! The Redland Elementary School (lovingly called Redland Road Academy) is scheduled to open for the 2009 school year. And by the looks of these pictures, they are right on schedule!

Isn't it beautiful? Look at that gorgeous treeline behind the school!


And it is exactly 5 miles from driveway to driveway from 1660 Emerald Mountain Parkway to the school!

River Region Escapes Housing Crisis!

A snippet from WSFA:

While many parts of the country are still suffering through a horrific housing slump due to the sub-prime mess, the River Region seems to have escaped the pain.

"We're actually seeing investors taking a look. You've got the military, state government and Hyundai," said Fain.

There is another reason. Alabama is a conservative state and lenders didn't dabble in exotic loans.

"Those programs never arrived here and I think it's paid off," said Vicki Williams of Anchor Mortgage Services, Inc.

Find the full story here.

Autumn Colors On Their Way!

It won't be long now...

Look at these amazing signs of Autumn!


On the drive down Redland Road, you can enjoy the beauty of nature's singing in the cooler days!



A golden beauty in the front yard!



The view through the arched window in the dining room.



View from the front porch.



This beauty in the backyard is singing praises, too!


As you're driving out of the neighborhood, you get one more spectacular view as you come off the great Emerald Mountain!

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee!

Beds, Bath, and Beyond!

On the front hall of the house, there are 3 very nice-sized bedrooms and a beautiful bath with a double vanity and a sectioned-off toilet and shower area. The front bath also has a generously-sized, double-doored linen closet with nice wired shelves.


This pretty sage-colored bedroom also has lots of closet space!




One of the two mocha-colored rooms has a large window with beautiful plantation shutters to let in lots of natural light!




The other mocha-colored bedroom is spacious and inviting for both children and adults alike!

Emerald Mountain Homeowners Have New Website!

What a wonderful resource! I love being able to do my connecting and researching from the comfort of my own home and it's quite often during the late night hours. That's why the Emerald Mountain Homeowners Association website is so perfect! It's where I can look up contact info about neighborhood activities or rare needs (like where to buy the proper mailbox paint for touch-ups! Don't worry, though...a fresh can of mailbox paint can will be in storage for the buyers of this house!)

My favorite feature of this site, though, is the neighborhood directory! Neighbors post as much or as little as they'd like about themselves...things like phone numbers, email addresses, jobs (great resource for carpooling!!) kids ages, and even pet information! That sure does help the animal lovers help one another in lost pet situations!

What kind of things are going on with the neighborhood right now? Check it out here!

Bonus!! Office? 5th Bedroom? Storage?

This large bonus room is wired and ready for cable and internet service and has phone hook-ups, too of course! And to put a cherry on top of this great bonus space, there's a nice-sized half-bath and large walk-in closet! With features like this, the bonus space really is available for a large number of uses, including a bedroom!

What about storage in this house? First we should mention the pull-down stairs leading to the large, partially floored, attic space. This area's size could just about suit all of your storage needs but since we all know we don't like to put EVERYthing in the attic, let's talk about floor-level storage as well. In the 3 non-Master bedrooms there are large closet areas including 1 very large walk-in (our Girls' Room.) There is also a large "french-door" linen closet in the hall bathroom. In the Master, there are two large walk-ins as well as another large linen closet with nice shelving. And if you got REALLY needy for space, there is also storage room above the two master bath closets. And in the kitchen, there are just oodles of cabinets and above-cabinet storage and as was mentioned earlier, the bonus room has the large walk-in closet space off of the half-bath.

And what about a laundry room? Here's the answer to that question! TA DA! It's a wonderfully spaced laundry room with tons of extra cabinet space, a large pantry, an alcove (where we keep ladders and other big items) as well as a mud sink and counter top! With a door shutting off this area, you have lots of opportunity to use this work space without it being a nuisance to the beauty of the rest of the house!

Master Bedroom & Bath

Ahhh! A real place to chill out and kick up your feet! Whether it's in the large, jetted garden tub or in your own cozy bed, you'll love this large and luxurious place. This area is the area that has always received the biggest "oohs" and "ahhs" when we've given our house guests a tour of our home. The Master Bedroom is extremely spacious and a wonderful place to regain your balance and energy.

We have immensely enjoyed the way this area has encouraged quality family time as well as quality escape time. We put our family piano in here and enjoyed many hours of music and singing with the children. Even with the space required for such a large instrument, there was still more than enough room for a king-sized bed, two large bedside tables, dressers, and a television! We even had a chair and sitting area for watching the TV together.

Of course, with our large family, the bathroom never failed to be a gathering place during the mornings or any getting-ready-to-go times. The double-vanity is split and corneredd with lots of counter space so that several people can primp together at the same time. And under those counters are cabinets and drawers that hold all of your daily hygiene and personal care needs!

In this big Master Bath you will also find two separate walk-in closets with high ceilings and shelving that allows for tons and tons of storage. And these spaces have been tested to extreme limits with us! (Psst, let me just say that a certain holiday gift-giving occasion can find this extra space QUITE useful around November and December!)

Besides there being a relaxing and beautiful garden tub, there is also a separate shower and closed-off toilet area. WIth such a large and inviting bath area is this, it's nice to have the ability to keep at least a little privacy when the pitter-patter of little feet wander in during those times when you'd rather be alone. And thanks to the original builders of this house, there's even a telephone jack on the wall of the enclosed toilet area so some phone conversations can be handled during, um, some of your quieter moments! But even if the idea of royal throne conversations grosses you out, let me assure you that having that phone handy is WONDERFUL when the calls start coming in during shower times. For some reason, your most important callers just don't know how to wait for you to be completely dressed when they make their calls!

Living Spaces

Look at the spacious living areas in the Great Room and Dining Room. Entertaining really is a breeze with the open areas of this space. Family and friends can mingle and stay involved with each other as they move about for parties or just evenings home together. Even the biggest of furniture looks homey here!

Big families can go formal in this splendid dining room with classy chandelier. The modern accent colors painted along the octagon-shaped recessed ceiling really makes this a distinctive showcase of your beautiful dining ensemble. Holiday meals and special occasions will be fondly remembered when celebrated together here.

The Great Room is perfect for lazy movie nights and restful Sunday afternoon naps! But even in the most casual of moments, there is an air of elegance with the high ceilings and extensive crown moulding. The fireplace is designed for propane tanks but has never been used and is, therefore, extremely clean! The mantle area is beautiful and is a great place to showcase family photos and collectibles or the lastest designer accessories. The corner space is a great place for an entertainment center and allows for large furniture to be utilized without taking up a lot of space. There aren't many living areas that can have arrangements like this with a media center and fireplace both being focal points.


This room is also enjoyable with its large wall of windows and plantation shutters! Lots of sunlight allows for a beautiful glow. These back doors open up to a wonderful covered porch with ceiling fan and extended deck! The party can extend for as long as you're willing! Or if you've got kids, the big windows provide a great view of their activities in most areas of the backyard. I know in our case, the kids enjoyed being on the porch just about as much as they liked being on the trampoline or play fort! Maybe it's the shade on hot summer days? You'll see in this picture that there's LOTS of room for spreading out and having a good time!

A Few Steps Closer!

That Redland Road Elementary School is getting closer and closer every day! Groundbreaking occurred February 7, 2008 and the school is planned to open in 2009! The Emerald Mountain subdivision is one of the super-fortunate neighborhoods to be zoned for this great new school!

It's been a long time coming! A special thanks to my friend, Barry Mask, for all the hard work he has put into bringing this important need to fruition!

"It's An Exciting Time" said Superintendent Jeff Langham

WSFA covers the exciting development of the new Redland School! What a blessing for the families of Emerald Mountain!

New School Breaking Ground Feb 7, 2008!

We are finally seeing the work move forward faster with the new Redland Elementary School in Wetumpka. This Emerald Mountain Parkway home will be in its school zone and ready for stdents in the 2009-2010 school year!

Read the article about the new Redland Elementary School here!