Making Your Home Your Winter Getaway

Canadian winters are famed for two things: their coldness and their length. While some people are able to break the winter monotony with ski trips or vacations to warmer climates, if your budget (or maybe just the price of gas) is keeping you at home this winter – don’t despair – there are plenty of ways of enjoying your home as a winter getaway. If you think about it, when you go away you’re usually looking for a change of scenery and different activities to participate in. So, when thinking about how to make your home your winter getaway – think about ways of temporarily changing your surroundings and plan activities you can do in and around your home. Changing your surroundings is easier and less expensive than you think – if you think “accents”. The infusion of fresh cut flowers, the addition of candles or even putting out a large bowl of fresh, luscious fruit, can change the feel of your living or family room. (You might want to put away a few of the toys and old magazines first, since clearing a bit of the clutter of your daily life will also make the room more inviting.) If you’re looking for inspiration, think of what you first notice when you walk into your favourite ski chalet, hotel lobby, or restaurant – the warm glow of candlelight or a fireplace, soft music playing in the background, small flower arrangements on tables and in corners, etc. Changing the smell of a room is another way of transforming it and mentally transporting yourself somewhere else – and we’re not necessarily talking about expensive aromatherapy oils. It could be something as simple as unplugging or putting away your normal air fresheners and brining out a tray of cinnamon-infused apple cider or mulled wine. Or, if a change of season is what you’re aiming for, candles smelling of lilac or freesia will help bring you back into your springtime garden. To enjoy your home as a winter getaway you have to change your behavior a bit too – you have to get away from your regular routines and normal activities. This means leaving your work (including household chores) behind and filling the time with some other planned activity. Sometimes this isn’t as easy as it sounds, since being in your home reminds you of aspects of your daily routine – but with a little commitment, you can do it. Once you and the other members of your household have “booked” the time off for your vacation at home, it’s time to consider various activities. In deciding what to do, there are two basic decisions. First, do you want a group activity – like a game or having friends over – or do you want to pursue individual pastimes – like reading or doing needlework? Second, do you prefer to do something fairly passive – like watching a movie or reading a book – or something more active – like preparing a gourmet meal or making and decorating cookies? (more) The key to enjoying group activities is to be creative in finding ways of involving everyone. For example, if you want to play a game but some in the group are a bit young or lacking in certain skills, make them members of a team and put them in charge of rolling the dice or moving the pieces. Or, if you’re planning a movie night – make it a double-header, starting with a family-oriented film and moving on to the more serious film after the little ones have gone to bed. And remember – just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you’re limited to indoor activities. If it’s snowing, for example, nature is providing you with the primary tools for snowball fights and snowman or snowfort building. You might even make a game of it by challenging your neighbors to a friendly game of snowball target practice against a fence or tree, with the promise of hot chocolate for both the winners and losers afterward. Using your home as a winter getaway – whether just for a weekend or for a more extended vacation – can be a wonderful way of relaxing. You’re far from the crowds and you don’t have to worry about driving in dangerous conditions. Why not give it a try this winter – you might just find that in doing so you’re creating new traditions you’ll carry forward for many winters to come.

How to make a festive Christmas wreath

1) Gather evergreen pieces about 40 cm long. (Be sure to ask permission from landowners first.) Use wire cutters to cut pieces into hand-size lengths. 2) Pile three or four pieces together to be wired to the wreath form. 3) Attach one end of your floral wire to the wreath frame and holding a length of greenery on the front of the frame, wind the floral wire around the end of the boughs and the frame. 4) Don't cut the floral wire. The idea is to use a continuous length of wire to secure the lengths of evergreen to the form. 5) Next, secure a second length of evergreen on the back of the frame, several centimetres further along the wreath form. Tie it in place with the floral wire. 6) Secure a third bunch of greenery on the front, overlapping the first, the fourth on the back, overlapping the second. Continue in this manner until the wreath is complete. 7) Secure the final length of evergreen with an extra twist, and cut floral wire. 8) Trim uneven pieces with wire cutters. 9) Decorate with ribbons, cones, or other items

Great Time to Sell-

Convent Glen remains a very popular area in which to live. So popular in fact very few listings have come up this year. Those that hit the market sell rapidly. Contact me if you are planning to buy or sell, I have many years experience working in your neighbourhood. Add Life to Your Home for a Fall or Winter Sale By Ian Ponting The fall and winter is often a great time to put a home on the market. With the summer holidays over and kids back to school, buyers often have more of an inclination and time to shop around for a home. So, during the fall season, take a little extra time to make your home stand out to prospective buyers and prepare your home for viewing. Make your home even more appealing to potential buyers by adding life and colour to in the interior and exterior of your house with plants and flowers. You may not associate fall with flowers coming into bloom, but there is an easy to grow and colourful plant that can make your home stand out in the crowd – and mum’s the word! Chrysanthemums! These gardeners’ favourites are hardy and easy to maintain - simply plant them and let them grow. Yellow, orange, white, red and purple chrysanthemums are available at nurseries and gardening centres now. These perennials will bloom constantly until the snow comes and will survive to flower again next year. Spruce up your front doorway with another fall favourite, spirea. This flowering shrub produces whitish and pale pink flowers or green and purple foliage and looks great in large pots on your doorstep. A fall wreath on your front door gives a warm, inviting look to your property and makes it stand out in the neighbourhood. Make a good impression by raking the leaves from your lawn! Make sure there are plenty of lights on or put them on a timer. Potential buyers may cruise by your neighbourhood day or night. Brighten up every room with flowers or green foliage. Your flower shop or corner store will stock a variety of hardy, green leafed house plants that are attractive and easy to care for. Three very popular, eye-catching and easy-to-care-for houseplants are Peace Lily, Chinese Evergreen and Dracena. Indoors, make a point of tending to greenery before a showing. Sad looking plants will not impress visitors. Wipe dust off green foliage and remove drooping, brown or dead leaves. A sickly looking plant may be evidence of cold draughts or excessive dry heat in your home. The days may still be warm, but the nights are cooler, so check the caulking around your windows and doors. If visitors see that you care for your plants and flowers, they will also be confident that you care for your home. For the classic touch, fill a clear glass vase with assorted fresh cut flowers. Ask your flower shop for an assortment of lilies, larkspur, snapdragons, alstromeria and gladioli. Lilies add an instant and very pleasant fragrance when there is less fresh air circulating in your home. Cut flowers will appeal to more than one of your prospective buyers’ senses and leave a lasting impression. The secret to distinguishing your home for sale at this time of year is to add life with plants and flowers. Remember, ‘mum’s the word!

Brief Update-

Market is set to begin. Once again we expect Convent Glen(areas 2004 and 2005) to be a desirable neighbourhood for buyers. Last year 81 homes sold. Fewer homes will be sold in this area in 2009. However prices will at the very least remain stable.