Wishing You and Your Family a Merry Christmas!

As I write this my mind is scanning the completed 'to do' lists for anything forgotten. Tree trimmed, cards sent, gifts bought, gifts wrapped, groceries for Christmas dinner all gathered, all check, check, check (I hope:)

And while it's a festive time, the Christmas season is also a hectic time. We feel stresses and pressures to fit all this preparation in on top of our everyday lives and hope that by the time the big day arrives, it was all worth it and nothing was forgotten.

It's also a time that provides more challenges for some than others. Whether it be a first Christmas without a loved one or another challenge that changes the face of the holidays for someone, we must recognize that the holiday season also provides an opportunity to reach out to those that need us-to those that may be or feel forgotten.

And so while I give thanks for my family and look forward to celebrating the holiday with them, I will remember those no longer with us and also, make an effort to reach out to the forgotten. Won't you do the same?

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and I wish you a great 2011~ The possibilities are endless!

Thank you for your friendship and your business.

Joanne

The Seven Days of Christmas!

It's Saturday morning and I'm sure many of you are looking at that list that you have been carrying around for weeks. It's probably a bit doggy eared and crumpled, making it hard to read but it's become almost a bible of sorts reminding you of all that has to be done in time for the holidays. Christmas is a week from today and hopefully there are more items on the list marked complete than not.

But if not don't worry. We tend to get ourselves a bit worked up around holiday preparations as we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We have our everyday life to continue on with and then throw Christmas prep in the mix and it becomes very busy. And with the goal being to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, that should be another item on the list - don't sweat the small stuff, it will get done and be wonderful!

With 7 days to go it's a good time to take some time for yourself. Grab a hot chocolate with a friend and enjoy a nice visit before conquering any more items on THAT list and enjoy the moment for what it is. Life is made up of moments and often we are too busy to enjoy them.

And with that I leave you with a few tips that might help make this last week a little more enjoyable!
*Delegate - when you can, give someone else in your household an errand to do
*Get out early - the malls are less busy first thing in the morning
*Wrap as you go - it makes a huge difference
*Make writing the holiday cards a family affair and put everyone to work helping
*Don't fret about not baking enough -compliment some of your homemade baking with some nice treats at the store. Your family and friends will not mind!

Enjoy your weekend.

Joanne

Winter Ready

Good Morning!

As I write this from my cozy den I can't help but be thankful to be inside as the freezing rain hits the window! A coffee and fire going in the fireplace makes it a perfect day to be inside. And even though it's a hectic time of year with lots to do outside of the house i.e. shopping at  the mall for the perfect gifts, picking up baking supplies at the grocery store and hitting the craft store for supplies to enhance the holiday season decor both inside and out, sometimes it's nice to just stay in and enjoy time with the family on a day like today.

This weather is a great prompt for preparing an emergency kit for the car. You never know when you might get stranded and having a few key supplies in your vehicle can really be helpful. A blanket, matches, candles, a flashlight, some food items that have a longer shelf life like some chocolate and a box of crackers and a couple of bottles of water stashed in for good measure. You can buy a great first aid kit at Canadian Tire, Walmart or Shoppers Drugmart and then just add another kit for the car with the above mentioned items. It also doesn't hurt to join a service like CAA . Also, check to see if you have roadside assistance with your vehicle as they provide a lot of the same services as CAA.

As for vehicle maintenance in the winter months you should try to keep your gas tank healthy. Never go below a quarter tank of gas in the winter. You never know when you may get stuck in traffic extra long and the last thing you want to worry about in the cold weather is running out of gas! Also, check your tire pressure and oh, make sure you have invested in some winter tires. They really do help with the different road conditions you will experience over the next few months. Additionally, it doesn't hurt to have an extra bottle of -40C windshield wiper fluid in the car as we go through a lot more of it in the winter months. And, if you notice your windshield wipers smearing on the windshield, it's probably time to change them and picking up a pair made specifically for winter is best.

Drive safe and have a great Sunday!

Joanne

Happy Holidays - Themes & Dreams

*As you receive this issue of Home by Design you may be in the throes of holiday planning and chaos as well as looking forward to the start of a new year!

The topic of theme rooms in this month's edition mirrors well with the time of year as we can take the idea of a theme and apply it to our lives and our goals. We can even plan our New Year's resolutions around a theme to make them more attractive and enticing to follow through on!

With this in mind, I have embarked on a 'theme' involving my business and connection with my most valuable resource, you, my client. I am embracing new ideas and concepts within my business so that I may continue to serve you efficiently and thoroughly. Following the rapid growth of online business and its strong presence in the marketplace, I am embracing social media and see it as a powerful tool that provides an interactive form of communication between my clients and myself as well as offering current information on everything to do with my business. I look forward to hearing from you!

Themes & Dreams

I think it's safe to say that we all have ideas and plans. This never seems to be the problem. Rather, it is often executing those great ideas and plans that provide a challenge. Small and wrinkled little bits of paper float around from bulletin boards to notebooks and usually the list gets longer before much gets checked off as finished.

This is where attaching a theme to a project might come in handy. Picking a theme allows you to break down your project and itemize a list of decisions to make. For example, if you ant to modernize a tired powder room and are overwhelmed by paint choices alone, a theme might help. An ocean or beach theme would allow you to focus in on blue as a paint colour, white accents and perhaps some shells in a glass hurricane lamp and an ocean print for the wall.

Why not pick one project on your list and try this approach? Explore the possibilities and see what you come up with. I think you may be pleasantly surprised and even enjoy the process. Drop me a line and let me know how things turned out!

Working for you every day.

Joanne

*These articles are taken from the December/January issue of my 'Home by Design' Magazine.

Time Goes By......

Happy Friday!

It's hard to believe that the calendar has rolled over to November already! Halloween is behind us and the holidays are beckoning from the shop windows and the 'to do' list is getting longer and longer before we can even get to it. So many things to jot down on the calendar and what seems like so little time!

And speaking of the calendar, watch your mailbox for my 2011 calendar which is full of vibrant colour photos that capture each season at its best. It's on its way to you now. I hope you will enjoy it and that it helps you to keep track of important dates and events. And if you don't receive one and would like to, leave a comment or drop me an email and I will pop one in the mail to you.

I also want to take this opportunity to remind you that this Saturday, November 6 it will be time to turn the clocks back 1 hour at midnight. An extra hour of sleep or an extra hour to work on that 'to do' list-your pick.

In closing I would like to once again invite you to visit my business Facebook page and Twitter account. Both links are on the main page of my website. There you will find an offering of headlines and other newsworthy notes that you may find of interest both as a homeowner/client and as someone living in the Capital Region.

As always, I encourage your comments and questions. Drop me a line-I'd love to hear from you!


Joanne

This 'n That! Trick or Treat!

It's hard to believe that we are almost into November. October is fleeting fast and there is still much to do to get ready for the colder months. With that in mind I am posting some great links to important and timely topics for this time of year.

There are bulbs to get into the ground, precious trees and plants to protect in the garden and air conditioners to wrap up tight to combat old man winter~! Click here for some tips for fall bulb planting.


With the cold weather fast approaching it's a good time to think about making our home more energy efficient so at least if we can't be in sunny Florida, we can be warm and cozy in our own homes without breaking the bank on heating costs (and maybe get to Florida on our savings!). Click here for a great resource to check out on this topic.

With Halloween less than a week away, I bet there are lots of sewing machines and debit cards working overtime to get that mummy or princess costume just right as well as parents and kids alike creeping the aisles at the grocery store to find the yummy snacks for the treat basket! If you are having a party or just want to make some homemade goodies for the occasion, this site offers easy to make festive snacks  

And don't forget to gut and carve your pumpkins for the walkway. Here's a great recipe for baking pumpkin seeds.  


Safety should always be a top priority on Halloween and the Ottawa Police Service has put together some great Halloween safety tips.

  Happy Halloween!   


  Joanne

Turkey and Stuffing and Pie Oh My!

It's hard to believe that we are about to enter the double digits of October on the calendar. I'm sure everyone is wondering where that first month of fall went. I know I am! It's definitely been a time of transition as we prepare to put our gardens to bed for the winter and prep the wardrobe as we exchange t-shirts for comfy sweaters. The sun is sleeping more and we are reminded every morning that the days are getting shorter as it's now dark when we wake up in the morning and every week the streetlights are coming on a bit earlier.

It's also Thanksgiving and like everyone else, I look forward to this breather from the busyness of everyday life with work, kids and other responsibilities. It's a great time to take a nice drive to look at the changing colours and perhaps stopping for lunch or a little snack somewhere  along the way.

It's a time of relaxing, enjoying family and friends, a good meal and giving thanks. Giving thanks takes many forms and we are often so busy that we forget what we have. It's great to take a few minutes to reflect on all the good in our lives and at the same time, think of a way to give back to others.

I've added some links here for those that may be looking for a 'Sunday drive' destination this weekend and I've included a turkey link for those making their first family bird this year! Good luck and enjoy!

An afternoon in Perth    http://www.beautifulperth.com/

Driving the Loyalist Parkway  http://www.waterfronttrail.org/trail-p-loyalist.html

Hunting for apples and delicious cider and donuts!  http://www.mountainorchards.ca/english/index.htm

How to cook a turkey  http://www.howtocookathanksgivingturkey.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Joanne

Welcome Fall

 www.joannehutchinson.com

Welcome to my blog. My name is Joanne Hutchinson and I am a real estate agent with Royal LePage Team Realty in Kanata, Ontario. Kanata is a west end suburb of Ottawa and is also where I make my home with my husband and children. It really is a plus living and working in Kanata. It's a city that I love and because I live here I am very familiar with local amenities including where to shop, schools, how to sign up for hockey, where to grab a great lunch or sumptuous dinner! It's a win win all around and when it comes to your real estate needs, I make it my top priority to be prepared and up to date on the latest aspects of our real estate market for my clients


I plan to write about a lot of different things here and it is my hope that you; my readers and clients, will read my blog and offer both comments and suggestions. My goal is for this to be an interactive form of communication between myself, my community and most importantly, my clients.


If there is an event coming up that you think I should know about or attend, please don't hesitate to send me a note or leave a comment. I will also be highlighting events that I attend or think may be something that my readers and clients may be interested in.


I hope you will join me on this ride! There will be information on everything from decorating trends to mortgage rates relating to real estate and at the same time I will balance this with fun events, humour and everyday  stuff.


Have a great day!
Joanne

Hello World