Buying a house is a huge investment. Most families set themselves up for at least 30 years of debt when they buy a home. You shop around; look at many options, and chooser the best home for your budget and lifestyle. Most of us do not stop to think that the dream home we sink our life savings into to secure a down payment may have legal issues that could put our ownership in jeopardy in the future.

That is where a title insurance company comes into play. A title company has the means and experience to research the property you are buying to make sure it does not have liens against it or even inheritance issues. Once they determine there is nothing that will challenge your ownership in the future, they issue a policy that covers possible future legal issues and lawsuits attacking your claim.

Title insurance companies are often chosen by your seller’s realtor or perhaps your mortgage company. There are sometimes complicated professional relationships involved. You should be aware, though, that the law says you do not have to go with a title company you do not want to work with and may choose your own. In fact, if anyone tells you that you must go with a particular title company, you can inform them that they are breaking federal laws by telling you.

We went to the Pirate & Princess party this past Friday and also last February. Much has remained the same, but there were a few changes. Most significantly, when you go back to Mickey’s Toontown Fair to find the princess meet and greet lines in the Big Top Tent, you only have to wait in one line.

Last year, you needed to choose to wait in line for Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, or Snow White. Then, one you got to the front of the line you met the princess and her accompanying Prince. We waited in line for Cinderella and Prince Charming last year, but we got to Mickey’s Toontown Fair so late in the evening that we did not have time to wait in yet another long line to meet the other princesses.

This year, you wait in the line once and although you will not get to meet the princes, you do meet Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Snow White all in the same room. They each have a small tent they pose in with the children and you move from one to the other. It was quite pleasant and the little room where they have the met and greets is quiet and calm, which is a nice change from the rest of the park.

It’s almost like a scene out of Child’s Play, where the evil Chucky doll becomes murderous. In this case, though, the doll is red and fuzzy and last seen speaking n baby talk on Sesame Street. His name is Elmo and he wants to kill James.

What?

A family in Lithia, Florida (a suburb of Tampa) says that when their son’s Knows Your Name doll ran out of batteries, they replaced said batteries and the doll began to display an alarming new vocabulary. The doll is supposed to which connect to a computer to learn certain phases and names. The newest phrase is “Kill James”.

The Bowman family was not amused. Although the toy is James’ favorite, it is now being kept away from the boy. In the meantime, manufacturer Fisher-Price says it will give the Bowmans a voucher for a new doll and examine James’ model for the source of the problem and check whether other dolls are malfunctioning in similar ways.

One has to wonder if this doll was manufactured in China. If it was me, I’d skip the voucher and sell the doll on eBay. Of course, I would probably receive bad feedback when the buyer received the doll and realized the poor doll was just trying to say “Tickle James”.

Everyone collects something. My dad collects Roy Rogers memorabilia. My sister collects Precious Moments. I used to collect David Winter Cottages, before the line was sold to Enesco. My daughter likes Cherished Teddies. The entire family likes to give Willow Tree figures to one another for important life events, like the birth of a baby or a child’s first day of school. We do not have unlimited room to keep acquiring little pretties, but it’s lovely to be able to have some of the things you adore sitting near you on a special shelf or curio cabinet.

The UK Gift Company has a very old tradition of providing high quality collectables. They began in 1858 as Church’s China and for the past several years, they have been online and able to serve an international clientele. I like to browse the Lilliput Lane pieces they have, because they remind me of old David Winter designs. For me, there is just something endlessly charming about tiny details and themes that hint at simpler days.

Of course, one of the things I like best about the things the UK Gift Company offer is that they make sure to stay on top of the trends that drive new collectable lines. While Lladro will always be a timeless classic in their inventory, they also have new lines like the surreal Speed Freaks collection by Terry Ross.

What do you collect? 

I’m not as into the Mickey Mouse lore as some people who visit the Walt Disney theme parks. I enjoy the overall experience and agree that these are some of the cleanest, most well maintained parks you can find anywhere. Nonetheless, I am not one of the fanatics you see walking around with necklaces full of collectable trading pins. Heck. I even saw one older guy this weekend with a duster FULL of pins. That was kind of cute, though.

The friend we went with bought her daughter a starter kit for the Disney Trading pins, but I felt like we will not be going to the parks enough to do the same. Even so, one of the cast members at MGM did give my daughter a free Tinker Bell pin when he saw that it was her birthday!

Anyway, I know one of the popular things to do while at Disney parks is to walk around looking for “hidden Mickeys”. I saw my fair share, but I met them with an internal shrug. I did, however, think this one that I saw in the manatee tank at Epcot was pretty cool looking, so I snapped a picture. It would be easier to see, but there is a fish in front of it.