Our hearts go out to the families of Newtown Connecticut. Such a terrible tragedy....

One of the many questions we get asked is whether or not it is a good idea to sell your home during the Christmas season? 

I would argue that it is...People looking for homes during this time of year are usually the very serious, qualified buyers. They have either sold their home already or need to buy.

Selling during the Christmas season and having your home decorated can actually make your home more warm and inviting. Although, you have to be careful not to decorate as you normally would. Less is always more....Which we usually say when staging your home by asking you to pack away as much as possible and setting the stage to showcase your home well. The last thing we want is to clutter it up with more stuff. Minimizing the space instead of maximizing it. Try to choose tasteful decorations sparingly. Leave presents hidden away until just before Christmas if you can. Otherwise, only have out a few. Try not to have too many religious things out. The reason is that you want people to be able to envision themselves in your home, but to see it as their home. Removing these things and photos etc, also helps to protect your own privacy.

 

If you get a fresh Christmas tree every year then Christmas Tree Fire Safety should be a major concern for you and your family. I was asked to share this and agreed as we can never have enough reminders about Christmas tree fire safety.

To ensure your Christmas remains a merry one, please take a few minutes to go over the tips and facts in the following link:

Christmas Tree Fire Safety

Much of what is shared is common sense, but every year we hear about families losing everything and sometimes losing someone due to Christmas Tree Fires. Please take a moment to be sure you are taking all the right precautions this holiday season.

We went out in the rain yesterday and my husband found his perfect 9' Christmas tree, probably the biggest and most beautiful Christmas tree we've ever bought. We usually get our tree from Art's Nursery in Port Kells on 192nd Street.  They had some beautiful trees this year, but none big enough for my husband. If it doesn't threaten to scrape our cieling it's not tall enough and then it has to be big enough around as well. He's very cute, always manages to find us the PERFECT tree.

This year he fell in love with a Christmas tree at Potter's on 152nd Street in South Surrey.

Both locations always have a great selection of the freshest Christmas trees and each year if we can't find the right height and tree at one we head to the other. The above photo is the tree we found at Art's Nursery last year displaying our Christmas families hampers.

Where do you get your Christmas trees?

Happy 1st day of Hanukkah from our families to yours. We wish you all the best during the holidays and all the best in 2013!

Looking for something fun to do with the kids this weekend? It's always tough to keep them occupied at this time of year, it's too wet and cold to go outside. Why not pop in to Clayton Heights Secondary this Saturday from 10-2pm for lots of fun Christmas activities for the whole family. It's FREE, all Clayton students and staff are asking for is a canned goods donation for the local food bank. 

Saturday Dec 8th 10am -2pm
Location Clayton Heights Secondary School
             7003 188th Street
             Cloverdale


Click on the schools website for more details:

Clayton Heights Secondary School

Christmas Crafts
Gingerbread decorating
Games in the gym
Face Painting
Christmas music
Christmas Classics in the theatre
Santa Photos from 11am-1pm
Tim Hortons coffee, hot chocolate and timbits

Admission - canned food donation for the Food Bank

Happy Holidays!!!

On this evening's news they featured a great company for the holiday season. Husbands everywhere love them and wives will too! ;)

The Lights Before Christmas provide professional Christmas light installation. No more concern about hubby going up on a ladder or steep roof. Leave it up to the professionals...this way, as one gentleman was interviewed he no longer gets blamed for doing it wrong. :) It's all on The Lights Before Christmas and their installation crew. 

Their prices start at $175 and they offer free estimates as well as suggestions on new trends or how to best display your lights.  Why not leave it up to the professionals this Christmas. 

No more lights up til Canada Day either as the quote includes dismantling in January!

For more information on The Lights Before Christmas visit the following link:

The Lights Before Christmas

One of my biggest weaknesses is chocolate, candy and cookies. Into Chocolate carries 2 out of 3 of my weaknesses and is a very dangerous shop for me to stop in and browse...:)

Today I visited the Cloverdale store for the 1st time and met one of the owners Delaine Wilms. Delaine helped me put together a custom gift package of delicious treats. Of course, I couldn't leave the store without buying a dozen of their artisan chocolates too. (Which my family devoured as soon as they saw them...:)

They carry a wide variety of specialty candies and chocolates. From novelty, retro, American, British to local and in house made treats and so much more. Their fudge is delicious! I had never tried bonbons before...never knew what I was missing until today.

I usually visit Delaine and her husband Doug's Into Chocolate shop in Fort Langley every time my husband and I take a stroll through town. I very rarely walk out without at least buying myself one treat. The new Cloverdale store is much bigger and offers a wider variety of yummy treats.

Click on the following link to visit their website and stop by their shop today...you won't be disappointed.

Into Chocolate

You don't have to wait for Spring to do your spring cleaning. If you were considering a move in the new year, now is as good a time as any to start to de-clutter and get your home ready to show. If you are already on the market and haven't done this yet....then now is the time to get that done.

In my house "If you haven't used it, worn it or even thought of it in the last 6 months...then it's time to get rid of it!" and we aren't moving any time soon. It is a good habit to get into. Stuff always seems to accumulate faster than we think and before too long we have piles of junk hidden everywhere.

When you are thinking of putting your home on the market you really need to use similar guidelines...you will realize just how much you can get rid of or at least start to pack away. I always tell my clients you are moving anyways, so why not start to pack things up.

Working with buyers there is nothing more refreshing and inviting than a home that is free of clutter and where the stage is set to entice a buyer to make a purchase. People naturally think with their senses and if there isn't a warm feeling the majority won't even consider it. First impression will be showcasing your home with great photos, you can't get good photos when your home is full of clutter.

If your home doesn't show at its best...then you will likely pay the price. Especially in a Buyer's market when there are so many other homes to choose from. Don't let yours be missed!

Having started my family in Ontario, every year in November since our daughter was 1 year old we would make our way into downtown Toronto for the Santa Claus Parade. Now our girls are teenagers and the twinkle in Santa's eye just doesn't do it for them anymore....I miss seeing all the little ones and the excitement in their eyes.

We have never been to the Parades here in beautiful British Columbia but my husband will be participating in this year's Cloverdale Santa's Parade of Lights this Sunday December 2nd starting at 5pm.

For the parade route visit the following link:

Cloverdale Santa's Parade of Lights

Vancouver also hosts the Rogers Santa Claus Parade in the afternoon starting at 1pm.

For the parade route visit the following link:

Vancouver Santa Claus Parade

If you are planning on taking your little ones, be sure to dress warm and head down early to get them a comfy spot where they won't miss out on anything!
 

I hate to admit it, but it's been over 20 years since I shopped for a grad dress...:) When I did shop I didn't really know where to shop and even had a hard time finding a dress. It's hard to believe my eldest is graduating and even though that's all her and her friends have been talking about, it really didn't sink in until we started shopping for her grad dress a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure why we were shopping so early since her grad isn't until May of next year...but after shopping and realizing it is going to take until March for her dress to come in, I am glad we did.

How different times are now, because I could have looked at a dozen magazines and had no idea what kind of dress I wanted nor where to look for them. My daughter knew exactly where she wanted to look for her grad dress and not only what styles she wanted to try on but the designers that she liked.

We started out in New Westminster where there are quite a number of shops. The only one I would recommend is the "Bridal Gallery" they have a very good selection and will be getting a lot more in over the next few months in preparation for grads next year. They were helpful and had a variety, from bridal to bridesmainds to grad dresses - short and long, formal and semi-formal.

Then last week we went to a shop here in Surrey, "Ruby's Bridal shop" on 160th Street and Fraser Highway she found her dress. At this point after previously trying on a number of dresses, she knew exactly what she wanted. The service we received by the staff at "Ruby's Bridal Shop" was top notch and they understood what it was that she wanted. They listened and even brought her a dress that wasn't even on the racks yet, then took the time to pin it on to show her how she will look in one her size. We didn't get that kind of service in any of the previous shops she had tried dresses on. They made my daughter feel comfortable and she walked out appreciating the service she received as well.

Ruby's Bridal Shop

Thank you Ruby's Bridal Shop!