My Thanksgiving dinner went well. The brined turkey was delicious! Not enough left for leftovers, like hot turkey sandwiches which I love.
My oldest brother and his family came and they brought their new puppy. It's a viszla. How beautiful and well behaved this dog was. Of course, now my kids want one. Guy paid $1200 for this one and we're not in any position to pay $12 for a dog right now, let alone $1200. I guess that's good, because I really don't want anything else to take care of.
Renee is starting to show, and she's trying to "mature". She proved it by actually staying in the kitchen with the women after Thanksgiving dinner, and washing dishes (which, trust me, no one else around here volunteered to do). Her "baby daddy" is coming up from Atlanta on Saturday, and I'm anxious to meet him. I think.
We still don't know anything else about our mortgage situation. There's a hearing on January 18th with the new banks. There's also one that was arranged by our state senator that's the 10th of December. We'll see how that goes. We got a foreclosure notice in the mail on Tuesday. That's not a piece of mail anyone should have to open, especially weeks before Christmas.
Tonight I have book group, we read "Digging to America", by Anne Tyler. It was okay. Nothing to write home about. Tomorrow I have to grocery shop and then when I get home, I'm going to decorate for Christmas. Sunday we have JJ's football banquet.
I had Braden's school conference last week. I heard all positive things. He has a great bunch of teachers this year, and I was practically blushing from all the compliments. He's even getting moved out of his last learning support class, math. He's so proud of himself, and we're so proud of him.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Since you asked
We’re doing the same thing we do every year. We forego dinner on Thanksgiving day (when we were first married, this was the day to spend with inlaws-instead of cramming two meals into one day – but, since Keith’s mom passed away, I don’t have any inlaws) and I have my big get together on Sunday.
This year, I’m going to brine my turkey the day before (a new recipe). I found a new cranberry sauce recipe that I’m going to try too. Other than that it will be: Wedding soup, asst. appetizers, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and broccoli. For dessert, my brother is bringing some sort of pie, and I’m going to make bread pudding with a warm brown sugar sauce. I might add another meat…so there’s a little choice, but I’m not sure yet.
We’ll have 18 people over for dinner. I’ll run around like a nut the day before and the morning of. I always stress myself out over these things and they usually go well, so it’s for naught.
Keith’s having surgery today, nothing major---just his knee. But, that means I’ll also get to spend the weekend playing Florence Nightingale. You probably would never guess this about me, but being nurturing isn’t my strong point. I’ll probably make up excuses to leave the house as often as possible. “Honey, I think we’re out of liquid plumber, I’ll be right back.” “Keith, the neighbor just called, she needs me to clean out her eaves, see you soon.” “I have to run to the DMV, it shouldn’t take long.”
I will, however, enjoy having five days off of school so I can sleep in.
This year, I’m going to brine my turkey the day before (a new recipe). I found a new cranberry sauce recipe that I’m going to try too. Other than that it will be: Wedding soup, asst. appetizers, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and broccoli. For dessert, my brother is bringing some sort of pie, and I’m going to make bread pudding with a warm brown sugar sauce. I might add another meat…so there’s a little choice, but I’m not sure yet.
We’ll have 18 people over for dinner. I’ll run around like a nut the day before and the morning of. I always stress myself out over these things and they usually go well, so it’s for naught.
Keith’s having surgery today, nothing major---just his knee. But, that means I’ll also get to spend the weekend playing Florence Nightingale. You probably would never guess this about me, but being nurturing isn’t my strong point. I’ll probably make up excuses to leave the house as often as possible. “Honey, I think we’re out of liquid plumber, I’ll be right back.” “Keith, the neighbor just called, she needs me to clean out her eaves, see you soon.” “I have to run to the DMV, it shouldn’t take long.”
I will, however, enjoy having five days off of school so I can sleep in.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
"She's having my baby...."
Things are progressing around here like they usually do this time of the year. Nothing too exciting, but lots of little stuff to keep me busy.
I have to start getting ready for our big Thanksgiving dinner next weekend. I saw this recipe where you brine the turkey 24 hours ahead of time, then just rub it with olive oil and roast it. I might try it.
Braden and JJ are both doing well. First marking period report cards came home. Braden missed honor roll by one stinking point. JJ wasn't close to honor roll, but got all C's and B's. I'll take it. They both had positive comments from their teachers.
Renee is starting to show. She was here last weekend and raided my closet looking for pants she could get around her waist. Unfortunately, she didn't like any of my pants. Maybe that's fortunately. She did, however, manage to smuggle my Ugg boots out with her....which of course I didn't realize until I went to wear them yesterday. This week she's talking about moving to Atlanta where her "baby daddy" lives. I've learned to wait and see with her, as he plans tend to change every other week.
The other day, Braden came into the room and said, "Mom, I have a surprise for you. I wrote to Oprah to tell her that you should be on her show. I said in the email that, 'my mom says sometimes I need to think about someone besides myself, so I'd like her to be able to come and see your show because she loves to watch it'." I asked him which show he signed me up for, and he said, "the one about liposuction." I told him that I don't want/need liposuction and he said, "why?" What a great kid ~~0~~0~~
I have to start getting ready for our big Thanksgiving dinner next weekend. I saw this recipe where you brine the turkey 24 hours ahead of time, then just rub it with olive oil and roast it. I might try it.
Braden and JJ are both doing well. First marking period report cards came home. Braden missed honor roll by one stinking point. JJ wasn't close to honor roll, but got all C's and B's. I'll take it. They both had positive comments from their teachers.
Renee is starting to show. She was here last weekend and raided my closet looking for pants she could get around her waist. Unfortunately, she didn't like any of my pants. Maybe that's fortunately. She did, however, manage to smuggle my Ugg boots out with her....which of course I didn't realize until I went to wear them yesterday. This week she's talking about moving to Atlanta where her "baby daddy" lives. I've learned to wait and see with her, as he plans tend to change every other week.
The other day, Braden came into the room and said, "Mom, I have a surprise for you. I wrote to Oprah to tell her that you should be on her show. I said in the email that, 'my mom says sometimes I need to think about someone besides myself, so I'd like her to be able to come and see your show because she loves to watch it'." I asked him which show he signed me up for, and he said, "the one about liposuction." I told him that I don't want/need liposuction and he said, "why?" What a great kid ~~0~~0~~
Friday, November 09, 2007
Well, it's a step in the right direction.
This is a press release from the US Dept. of Justice about the guy that ran the mortgage company we used. Hopefully this is good news for the 823 mortgage holders.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 9, 2007
CONTACT: Martin C. Carlson
Acting U.S. Attorney
(717) 221-4482
BERKS COUNTY MAN AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY
Martin C. Carlson, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced
today that his Office has charged the Berks County man at the center of a multi-million-dollar, failed
mortgage business with Mail Fraud and that he has agreed to plead guilty to the charge.
WESLEY A. SNYDER, age 71, of Oley, Pennsylvania, is charged in a one count Information filed in
U.S. District Court Harrisburg today with Mail Fraud Affecting a Financial Institution, 18 U.S.C. § 1341.
The Information alleges that between 1988 and September of 2007 SNYDER defrauded more than 800
individuals throughout Central and Eastern Pennsylvania via his “Wrap Around, Equity Slide Down
Discount” Mortgage Program and his “Mortgage Participation” Investment Program. The charge carries
a potential penalty of 30 years imprisonment and $1,000,000 fine.
SNYDER has agreed to plead guilty to the charge pursuant to a written plea agreement filed with the
Court. The agreement requires SNYDER to cooperate with the government and to make restitution to
his victims as ordered by the Court. The agreement stipulates the loss in the case is somewhere
between $15 million and $32 million dollars, the exact amount to be determined by the Court prior to
sentencing. Under the terms of the plea agreement the government has reserved its right to
recommend any sentence, up to and including the statutory maximum. No date has yet been set by the
Court for SNYDER’s entry of his guilty plea.
The plea agreement SNYDER signed is expressly contingent upon SNYDER making full and complete
disclosure of his assets to the government. The agreement acknowledges that SNYDER provided the
government a comprehensive Financial Statement on October 24, 2007, which detailed all of the assets
he owned and controlled. The agreement requires SNYDER to “freeze” his assets and not transfer,
dispose, sell, cash, assign, or otherwise encumber any asset, including but not limited to any bank
account, insurance policy, or interest in real estate, without the express knowledge and written consent
of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The agreement also requires SNYDER to submit to interviews regarding
his financial status and, if necessary, to undergo a polygraph examination to ensure his compliance.
The agreement provides that any violation of the agreement by SNYDER would subject him to
sanctions and the possibility the government would ask the Court to be relieved of its obligations
under the plea agreement. SNYDER filed for bankruptcy approximately 7 weeks ago on September 18,
2007, on behalf of six Reading-based business entities he owned and operated, primarily under the
names of Personal Financial Management and Image Masters, Inc. Four days earlier SNYDER had
notified more than 800 customers in Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Berks, and
Schuylkill Counties that he could no longer make required mortgage payments on their behalf.
U.S. Postal Inspectors from Harrisburg executed a search warrant at SNYDER’s Oley, PA residence on
October 12, 2007. The Information filed by the government today alleges that between 1988 and 2007
SNYDER took in more than $65.6 million from 811 Wrap Around mortgage customers but only
forwarded approximately $39.1 million of that amount to their lenders. The Information also alleges
that SNYDER defrauded 31 individual Mortgage Participation investors out of an additional $3,000,000.
Carlson praised the work of the Postal Inspectors in Harrisburg on the case, noting that they quickly
and efficiently investigated an extremely complex and sophisticated white collar fraud. Carlson also
commended the assistance the Inspectors and his Office received from the PA Department of Banking,
the PA Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 9, 2007
CONTACT: Martin C. Carlson
Acting U.S. Attorney
(717) 221-4482
BERKS COUNTY MAN AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY
Martin C. Carlson, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced
today that his Office has charged the Berks County man at the center of a multi-million-dollar, failed
mortgage business with Mail Fraud and that he has agreed to plead guilty to the charge.
WESLEY A. SNYDER, age 71, of Oley, Pennsylvania, is charged in a one count Information filed in
U.S. District Court Harrisburg today with Mail Fraud Affecting a Financial Institution, 18 U.S.C. § 1341.
The Information alleges that between 1988 and September of 2007 SNYDER defrauded more than 800
individuals throughout Central and Eastern Pennsylvania via his “Wrap Around, Equity Slide Down
Discount” Mortgage Program and his “Mortgage Participation” Investment Program. The charge carries
a potential penalty of 30 years imprisonment and $1,000,000 fine.
SNYDER has agreed to plead guilty to the charge pursuant to a written plea agreement filed with the
Court. The agreement requires SNYDER to cooperate with the government and to make restitution to
his victims as ordered by the Court. The agreement stipulates the loss in the case is somewhere
between $15 million and $32 million dollars, the exact amount to be determined by the Court prior to
sentencing. Under the terms of the plea agreement the government has reserved its right to
recommend any sentence, up to and including the statutory maximum. No date has yet been set by the
Court for SNYDER’s entry of his guilty plea.
The plea agreement SNYDER signed is expressly contingent upon SNYDER making full and complete
disclosure of his assets to the government. The agreement acknowledges that SNYDER provided the
government a comprehensive Financial Statement on October 24, 2007, which detailed all of the assets
he owned and controlled. The agreement requires SNYDER to “freeze” his assets and not transfer,
dispose, sell, cash, assign, or otherwise encumber any asset, including but not limited to any bank
account, insurance policy, or interest in real estate, without the express knowledge and written consent
of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The agreement also requires SNYDER to submit to interviews regarding
his financial status and, if necessary, to undergo a polygraph examination to ensure his compliance.
The agreement provides that any violation of the agreement by SNYDER would subject him to
sanctions and the possibility the government would ask the Court to be relieved of its obligations
under the plea agreement. SNYDER filed for bankruptcy approximately 7 weeks ago on September 18,
2007, on behalf of six Reading-based business entities he owned and operated, primarily under the
names of Personal Financial Management and Image Masters, Inc. Four days earlier SNYDER had
notified more than 800 customers in Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin, Cumberland, York, Berks, and
Schuylkill Counties that he could no longer make required mortgage payments on their behalf.
U.S. Postal Inspectors from Harrisburg executed a search warrant at SNYDER’s Oley, PA residence on
October 12, 2007. The Information filed by the government today alleges that between 1988 and 2007
SNYDER took in more than $65.6 million from 811 Wrap Around mortgage customers but only
forwarded approximately $39.1 million of that amount to their lenders. The Information also alleges
that SNYDER defrauded 31 individual Mortgage Participation investors out of an additional $3,000,000.
Carlson praised the work of the Postal Inspectors in Harrisburg on the case, noting that they quickly
and efficiently investigated an extremely complex and sophisticated white collar fraud. Carlson also
commended the assistance the Inspectors and his Office received from the PA Department of Banking,
the PA Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of
Pennsylvania.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
"trick or treat, smell my feet...."
Not too much going on here. Well, let me change that. There's a lot going on, just not a lot of interesting things.
JJ's brother (the one that came to visit a couple of weekends ago) came up last night to go trick-or-treating with Braden. His caseworker/therapist drove him the nearly two hours each way so he could go. He was bragging to me that he is the only kid in his unit getting to go. (what he doesn't realize is that he's the only 17 year old, with the mentality of a 12 year old in his unit) Oh well. He came back with a huge bag full of candy and was tickled pink.
There's only one more week of football left, thank goodness. Our varisty team has only won one game all season, but the jv's (the team JJ is on) is 7 - 2. Hopefully they'll end the season 8 - 2. One of the players is hosting a brunch this Sunday in celebration for the last game. I'm making a pancake cake that's served with peaches and whipped cream.
As far as the whole mortgage/bankruptcy proceedings go....first a judge ordered that we can continue to pay our old amount until it all gets settled, then a federal judge said no, that the banks and customers have to learn to work together. He did say we could pay 75% of the higher amount until the next hearing, at the end of this month. There's a website created by some of the people involved, and I try to check it everyday. Everyday there is something new, "send this form to this person, write a letter to that person, call this office," but we never hear anything back, so we don't know what's really going on. Representatives of our group went to Harrisburg on Monday and met with state senators, representatives, banking officials, etc, but I don't know what anyone is going to be able to do. We're in a state of limbo.
JJ's brother (the one that came to visit a couple of weekends ago) came up last night to go trick-or-treating with Braden. His caseworker/therapist drove him the nearly two hours each way so he could go. He was bragging to me that he is the only kid in his unit getting to go. (what he doesn't realize is that he's the only 17 year old, with the mentality of a 12 year old in his unit) Oh well. He came back with a huge bag full of candy and was tickled pink.
There's only one more week of football left, thank goodness. Our varisty team has only won one game all season, but the jv's (the team JJ is on) is 7 - 2. Hopefully they'll end the season 8 - 2. One of the players is hosting a brunch this Sunday in celebration for the last game. I'm making a pancake cake that's served with peaches and whipped cream.
As far as the whole mortgage/bankruptcy proceedings go....first a judge ordered that we can continue to pay our old amount until it all gets settled, then a federal judge said no, that the banks and customers have to learn to work together. He did say we could pay 75% of the higher amount until the next hearing, at the end of this month. There's a website created by some of the people involved, and I try to check it everyday. Everyday there is something new, "send this form to this person, write a letter to that person, call this office," but we never hear anything back, so we don't know what's really going on. Representatives of our group went to Harrisburg on Monday and met with state senators, representatives, banking officials, etc, but I don't know what anyone is going to be able to do. We're in a state of limbo.
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