A couple of months ago I wrote the following post about what to wear to a 35th high school reunion.  I sat on the planning committee for almost two years for my high school graduating class reunion and when I wrote the post it was a week prior to the big weekend of events  and I still had not decided what to wear. I did eventually find an outfit and I was off to the races.  Well in my case it was a walk.  We had planned a funfilled weekend as many of our classmates were attending from out of town, out of Province and out of Country. On the Friday evening of the long Victoria Day weekend, affectionately known in Canada as the May "two four" weekend, we planned an informal pub night at a local venue where classmates could pick up their registration packages, mingle and reconnect with old ... 07/20/2010

        When I took my Staging course I was given a credo. THE HIGHEST FORM OF SALESMANSHIP IS SIMPLY SERVICE A STAGER IS A SOLUTION PROVIDER HONOR THE CLIENT AND THEIR POSSESSIONS DO WHAT IS BEST FOR STAGING As the market fluctuates and people face harder times this credo is even more important. Sellers and Realtors that believe Staging is an expensive 'nice to have' rather than a 'need to have' are misguided. A Staging consult is about more than recommending replacing the client's furnishings with rentals. It is about Honoring the client and their possessions: We look at the home's condition to see if there is deferred maintenance issues, paint problems, flooring issues etc. We look at traffic flow We look at furniture placement We work out the best ways to highlight the features of ... 07/16/2010

       In life we often have to look at our options and choose. One of those options was to sell your home and you have chosen to do just that. You have chosen a Realtor that you feel meets your needs. It is time to prepare your home for sale. You have looked at the options and chosen a Home Stager to advise you. It is the Stager's job to present you with more options. During the consult your Stager will look at each area of your home and advise you on how to prepare your home for sale. If you find one of the suggestions impossible to do tell your Stager right away so that another option can be found to solve the issue. You may have an issue with budget, man power, time, ability etc. Discuss the fact that:  you have no help to make the changes                                   your chil... 07/09/2010

Midnight Madness - Downtown Oakville 2010 Friday July 16, 2010 Downtown Oakville will celebrate it's 33rd year of midnight madness on July 16th.  Lakeshore Road will be closed to traffic from Navy Street to Allan Street to accommodate the 50,000 plus crowd of Oakville residents and visitors for this huge annual retail event. All of the downtown shops and boutiques will keep their doors open until Midnight and many restaurants will offer up food and drinks on outdoor patios.  Various Charitable Organizations will also have tents and barbecues set up so the sounds and smells and sights will be awesome. It is like a huge block party only there are  a half dozen blocks with bands, performers, and entertainment at every corner along the way.  The Oakville Fire Department is always present wi... 07/08/2010

The heat wave continues in Oakville, Ontario.  I don't mind hot summer days.  Summer is fleeting.  It's the humidity that is a killer.  It is just too sticky and uncomfortable to sit outside or go for a walk during the day. The central air has been running 24/7 for the past 3 days.  Even that isn't doing the trick as it is still 28C in the house.   Oh how I wish it would rain.  Now would be an opportune time for a cooling thunderstorm. I had a meeting tonight at Oakville Town Hall for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee that I sit on.  When I left the building at 8:45 the sun was a huge ball of fire in the sky, just getting ready to set.  Having my handy camera with me I decided to head up to a favourite spot, a pond in Oakville's Oak Park subdivision. I had to make a pit stop t... 07/07/2010

Oakville, Ontario - Canada Day - July 1, 2010 Happy Birthday Canada.  Residents of Oakville can celebrate Canada Day by the waterfront in Bronte Village all day July 1, 2010.  Visitors are encouraged to wear red and begin the day with the annual Oakville pancake breakfast at 8:00 a.m.  Entertainment begins at 11:30 a.m. and the lineup includes local Canadian performers on two separate stages. For the kids there is face painting, bouncy castles and a  BMX skate park. Adults can enjoy the Beer and Burger garden and there will be lots of food and beverage venues. Some of Canada's Olympic athletes will be in attendance and there are lots more surprises planned.    Evening entertainment is provided by Ronnie and the Jets. The evening will conclude with fireworks off the Bronte Pier at 10:00 ... 06/30/2010

       The colour of the carpeting is not the memory you want your buyer to take with them. Once a house is on the market it quickly gets labeled. The house with the pink carpet.      The house that smells of animals.                                                    The house with the doll collection.                                                                     The man cave.                                                                       The one we saw with the stained carpeting.                                           These are not the labels you want a house to have. Preparing a home for sale and presenting it correctly means the viewers leave with positive memories about the features of the home. You want labels like: The house with the wonderful fireplace.          ... 06/26/2010

Sometimes we lose our way in life and in so doing, we lose the ones that we belong with. Not knowing what to do, we try to fit in with the closest thing we can find to our way of life and the individuals we are most familiar with. This works out fine, sometimes. Often we find it too hard to try and be something we're not and eventually, after misplacing integral parts of ourselves, we decide we miss our tribe and our old way of life. Then we pack up and go back to the place and people that feel like 'home'. Humans are lucky that way. They're able to remember where they belong and who they belong with. Birds aren't always so lucky. Such is the case with this lone Snow Goose who, for reasons we're not privy to, found himself living with a flock of Canada Geese. Being lonely and wanting a ... 06/20/2010

Driving over the Rebecca Street bridge in Oakville this morning I noticed a lot of people peering down below to the harbour.  Curiousity got the best of me so I pulled over, grabbed my camera and set out to see what all the commotion was about. The scene below was not the normal one that I usually enjoy while walking my dog and taking photos of our beautiful Oakville Harbour. One badly burned boat, one almost completely sunken boat and two neighbouring boats damaged.  Talk on the bridge was that the fire took place about 2 a.m. this morning. There was a hubbub of activity down below.  Divers were getting ready to enter the water.  A huge crane was about to lift the badly damaged boat out of the water, the Oakville Fire Department was present, and other assorted professionals were standi... 06/16/2010

     Your house is on the market and you are now in 'selling' mode. The trouble is your personal life has you under a great deal of stress. As a Home Stager I have met sellers who are selling but don't really want to give up their home.   Seller #1 has had the bottom drop out financially. They can no longer afford their home. They have no budget to prep their house for the market. Seller #2 divorcing. They are both still living in the house for the kids sake until it sells. Neither wants to cooperate with the other. One of them doesn't want to invest any more into the home. Seller #3 has recently lost their mate and feels they can't live with the memories in the home. Maybe they can no longer afford the home. Seller #4's mate has just become disabled and the house no longer suits their... 06/14/2010

             You are putting your home on the market. You are going from 'living' mode to 'selling' mode.                      You have turned your home into a product.                                                                                                   Presentation of your product is key.   Preparing or Staging your home for sale creates a positive presentation. Your presentation starts when the buyer arrives in the form of curb appeal. Once your curb appeal has drawn the buyer inside the interior must carry on the good vibes. Your decor should appeal to many decorative tastes.                  The home should 'talk' to buyers moving up, laterally and down in size.                                    The features of the home should be highlighted.    The rooms should open u... 06/12/2010

I had to share these photos with you as I'm surprised they even turned out.  It was a very dull evening and timing was everything.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  I was chuckling to myself and my dog was pulling her leash so hard becaue she wanted so badly to get to where the action was.  I was trying to zoom in and keep a steady hand. So technically and colourwise these photos aren't perfect but I hope the subject matter will put a smile on your face as it did mine. Bareback Blackbird Take Off Will You Is He Gone? 06/09/2010

Oakville, Ontario - On The Hunt For Nature Trails Living in Oakville, Ontario affords the opportunity to be "one with nature" within minutes.  Halton Region and neighbouring Peel Region offer plenty of parks, Conservation areas, hiking trails, ravines and forests, all of which are full of interesting types of wildlife, birds and waterfowl. Rattray Marsh in Mississauga, Ontario, just east of Oakville provides a great boardwalk that passes by the marshy area and weaves in and out of the forest.  You also have access to Jack Darling Memorial Park where you can enjoy a picnic along the shores of Lake Ontario and take in the magnificent Toronto skyline to the east. Hendrie Valley Park and Grindstone Creek in Burlington, Ontario, just to the west of Oakville also has a boardwalk and lots of t... 06/02/2010

Historic homes and buildings hold many stories and secrets from the past.  It's important that we embrace history and capture it to share with  future generations.  As time marches on, and land to build on becomes scarce in many areas, it is important to preserve our community's historic sites.  A big thank you goes out to those who work on our behalf to save these buildings for all to enjoy. Yes, we are losing many due to decay and no funds for restoration.  And yes we are losing far too many to the wrecking ball for new home development. I find nothing more gratifying than to find a charming old building and create a photo opportunity out of it.  If only those walls could talk.   Photos: Jenny Kotulak windows of the world photography copyright protected 05/30/2010

Attention Rain Makers of Ontario “If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”- Jim Rohn.I want to take a moment and invite you to something that I am sure will help anybody both personally and financially. In fact, I will be there! If you are like me – I am a little tired about hearing the usual financial advice – “study hard, get a secure job, get out of debt, pay yourself first, invest in well diversified mutual fund for the long term.” If you are like me then the FIQ seminar series is for you. The FIQ seminar series has been designed to change the way you think about money, to provide you with tools you’ll need on your path to wealth, and to set you firmly committed on that path with yo... 05/27/2010

With the impending introduction of the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) I had a few questions about CMHC Insurance Premiums and their own additional taxes. CMHC insurance premiums apply at the request of the Lender to provide additional comfort and security or by Legislation where a Borrower is required by the lender to provide Mortgage Insurance. The CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance premium is calculated as a percentage of the loan and is based on the size of your down payment. The higher the percentage of the total house price/value that you borrow, the higher percentage you will pay in insurance premiums.Remember: without mortgage insurance you may avoid the insurance premium but you’ll typically pay much higher interest rates and additional administrative fees. At the end of the day, for the ... 05/25/2010

When you put your home on the market it becomes a commodity. Your home is a product for sale. Like any other product it has to be marketed to the buyers. The goal of a Professional Home Stager is to help you prepare your home for sale. Staging your home helps it stand out against the competition. The focus of your decorating will change from 'living' mode to 'selling' mode. As you prepare your home for sale it will become less of your home and more of a house you have lived in. When the market swings to a 'buyer's market' it means there are many houses for a buyer to choose from. If your home raises any red flags to the buyer they can move on to the next home that doesn't. It is important for your home to keep up with the competition. If you live in a newer development there is probably... 05/19/2010

I'm a spur of the moment kind of gal.  I'm not big at planning into the future, I tend to take each day as it comes.  I do have an event coming up next weekend though that I have been helping to plan for almost 2 years. After a 100th anniversary reunion in May 2008 of the high school I graduated from, a group of us thought it might be fun to plan a reunion for our graduating class of 200 some odd.  A committee was formed consisting of 3 of us from Oakville, 2 from Georgetown, 1 from Vancouver, 1 from Denver and 1 from Philadelphia.  A website is up and running and getting a tremendous amount of hits.  More than half of the graduates have added their profiles.  www.oakvilletrafalgar75.com Over the last two years we have held a number of pubnights and old friendships have been revived and... 05/15/2010

Oakville has a great selection of Farmers' markets where you can purchase farm fresh fruits and vegetables and many other offerings such as honey, baked goods, maple syrup, fresh flowers  and much more. Check out the list below to see where to find these local markets.  Oakville Civitan Farmers' Market - Hopedale Mall 1515 Rebecca Street at Third Line view map   Open : 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - 1st Saturday in May until the last Saturday in November Oakville Place Farmers' Market - Oakville Place Mall 240 Leighland Avenue view map Open: Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. from the end of May until mid-October Harbourside Organic Farmers' Market - Centennial Square beside Oakville Central Library 120 Navy Street  view map Open: Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. June 20th until October 31st Kerr Vi... 05/14/2010

Oakville's new quad pad arena has been given a name.  Opening in September 2010, the state-of-the-art arena located on Neyagawa Blvd. just north of  Dundas Street received it's name from a contest that was put on by the Town. Sixteen Mile Sports Complex was the name chosen from more than 350 suggestions submitted by Oakville residents.  Oakville's mayor Rob Burton recognized the new name by announcing that the name reflects both the natural and historical features of the area.The Sixteen Mile creek runs through Oakville and flows into Lake Ontario at Oakville's downtown harbour.   The new 196,000 square-foot sports complex will be home to a 1500 seat Olympic sized ice rink and three NHL sized ice pads.  Sharing space with the ice pads will be concession stands, a restaurant, community r... 05/10/2010