Month: September 2019

National Book Month – Best Reads of 2019 for Moms

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Motherhood.

It’s autumn, which means the kids are back in school and moms across the country have a few moments of precious free time in between helping with homework, volunteering at school, and chauffeuring the kids back and forth to activities.

But in those few moments of solitude, many of us try to take an opportunity to catch up on some of the books that have been stacking up on our “Want to Read” shelf on Goodreads. With that in mind, let’s do a run through with our pick for the best reads of 2019 for moms:

  • The Testaments by Margaret Atwood – This is probably the most anticipated book of the fall, if not the entire year. This book, a sequel to 1985’s dystopian classic The Handmaid’s Tale, is perfect for those who can’t get enough of the original book or the TV show it inspired. The Testaments focuses on three different narrators—Aunt Lydia, Agnes, and Daisy—as they explain their roles in the fictional nation of Gilead. For moms on the go, check out the audiobook which is narrated by Mae Whitman, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Ann Dowd (the actress who plays Aunt Lydia on the Hulu show.)
  • The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger – For fans of dark thrillers, look no further than this story of a woman dealing with the abduction of her two friends as pre-teens. Now an adult with survivor’s guilt, she is thrust back into the case when the kidnapper is murdered, and a vigilante is on the loose targeting other criminals who “got away with murder.”
  • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens – This book has gotten a lot of attention thanks to Reese Witherspoon, who has made it a selection for her book club and is developing it into a feature film. This beautiful story follows the “Marsh Girl,” a local legend who lives by herself in the North Carolina wilderness until she is thrust into modern society by two men from town. Check it out before the movie hits so you can say that the book was better.
  • If Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of “The View” by Ramin Setoodeh – If you prefer non-fiction with all the juicy details, check out this inside look at the TV show The View. One of the fascinating aspects of this seems to be the political backstage wrangling from hosts (both current and former) Star Jones, Rosie O’Donnell, and Whoopi Goldberg as they try to wrangle control of the show from creator Barbara Walters.
  • If Lock Every Door by Riley Sager – If you’ve got room for one more thriller, check out this one from the author of Final Girls. In this novel, a young apartment sitter winds up in a New York apartment building with some seriously dark secrets. Instead of just staying in and locking the doors, she investigates the disappearance of another young woman and facing down a killer in the building. Very intense and a great read if you want vicarious thrills.

Every minute for moms is precious. But this year, for National Book Month, spend some time with one (or all) of these great books. You will definitely appreciate the opportunity to recharge your batteries and enjoy some “me time.”

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Autumn Activities Bucket List for Families

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Motherhood.

Autumn is almost here, and for many of us it’s our favorite time of the year. Maybe it has something to do with the sights, the smells, and the cooler temperatures that require snuggling up under a warm blanket, but there’s definitely something magical about the fall.

If you’re looking for something to do this fall with your family, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at the following bucket list activities for autumn and find one to try this year. Who knows, you may create a lasting family tradition!

• Visit a corn maze — Cornfields and ears of corn have long been a symbol for fall. This fall, visit a local corn maze and have fun getting lost and trying to navigate through the maze. (Just don’t cheat and walk through the maze “walls.”) This trend has really taken off with some corn maze farms getting VERY elaborate with their designs, including some inspired by John Deere tractors and the television show Stranger Things.

• Get in the Halloween spirit — There are actually a few things that you can do this year to make sure your family is ready for Halloween. First, visit your local pumpkin patch and pick out the perfect pumpkins to take home and carve into jack-o-lanterns. There are hundreds of free patterns for pumpkin carving that you can find.

You can make your own costumes together then go trick-or-treating as a family. If you really want to go all out, choose a theme costume for all of you. I’m a huge fan of the Aladdin, Jasmine, and Abu the monkey family costume.

• Get spooky — If you like your Halloween experience to be a little spookier, try having a Halloween horror movie marathon. For the younger kids, pick out cartoons and family-friendly options like Frankenweenie, Hocus Pocus, or Disney’s Halloweentown.

Older kids may love to be introduced to the black and white monster classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, and The Mummy.

If you’re feeling really adventurous, see if any local tour groups are offering ghost or cemetery tours. These can be a great way to find out more about local history and legends while getting a good scare in!

• Autumn treats — Autumn has its own menu of delicious seasonal treats that you should definitely partake in. These include pumpkin lattes (there’s a reason they are so popular), roasted pumpkin seeds, and apple cider. Consider baking a homemade apple or pumpkin pie to celebrate the season and make an extra while you’re at it for your neighbors. Finally, fall wouldn’t be complete without a nice campfire and roasting marshmallows and making smores.

Autumn is a great opportunity to spend time together doing activities as a family. Now that the kids are back in school, take advantage of your evenings and weekends to cross these items off your bucket list.

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Inspiration for a Stunning Autumn Porch Display

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

With autumn right around the corner, many people are thinking about sprucing up their home’s exterior with a beautiful porch display for the season. Although many people wait until October to do something Halloween themed, you can find a way to express your style and creativity with a variety of porch displays throughout the season.

Here are ideas to get your brain spinning and your creative juices flowing so you can be the envy of your neighbors this fall:

  1. Start with a splash of color — When people think of the fall, they often think of pumpkins. The big color that pops into their mind is orange. This is a great starting point for your porch color scheme. Don’t stick with just orange, instead choose decorations or items that hit an array of fall “earth tones”—brown, gold, yellow, deep crimson, and even a rich purple.If you do want to use pumpkins, consider a variety of gourds that come in a multitude of colors. Make sure that the items are on planters of varying height. This makes the eye move a little more rather than feeling like a static straight line.
  2. It’s not just about pumpkins — Two other big hits with porch displays are hay bales and mums. You can easily find these at any nursery and the hay bales, being rectangular, work perfectly as the bases to put other items on top of.
  3. Don’t forget the seats — Be sure to include an area of your porch for rest and relaxation. These can be comfortable chairs, rockers, or even a porch swing. Whatever you choose, make sure that they are paired closely together so that you can entertain and converse easily. You don’t want two chairs on opposite sides of the porch, where you have to yell at each other to talk. Add warm blankets so you can snuggle underneath them on cool autumn nights!
  4. Get crafty — Another idea for creating unique planters is to use crates of varying sizes. These can give you the height differences that you want while being interesting eye-catchers. To add the fall sensibilities, you can either choose to paint these in fall colors, or you can get stencils from your local craft store and paint fall flowers or other designs on them.

This autumn, spruce up your front yard by adding something new and original to your porch display. If you follow the steps listed above, you can create an inviting and elegant feel that will add warmth and style to your home.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Top 10 Autumn Maintenance Tips for Homeowners

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Home Improvement.

It may seem hard to believe, but autumn is right around the corner. For homeowners, this means that it’s time to do a little basic maintenance for your home before the weather dips.

Here’s your top 10 list of home maintenance tips for this fall:

  1. Store your lawn equipment — Store your lawnmower and put it away. Drain and turn off your sprinkler system, then store your water hoses. If you own a swimming pool, follow the procedures for shutting it down and covering it up for autumn and winter.

 

  1. Weatherproof your doors and windows — When you turn your heater on this fall and winter, you don’t want that hot air going out the window! Make sure you seal cracks in your doors and windows and consider adding weather-stripping to make it more energy efficient.

 

  1. Inspect your roof — Your summer, hopefully, was a dry one. That means it is the perfect time to inspect your roof before the harsh rains and snows of autumn and winter move in. Get up there, if you can, and look for any loose tiles. If you really want to get high-tech, use a drone to do the checking for you!

 

  1. Take care of your gutters — When you’re done inspecting the roof, keep your ladder handy to work on your gutters. Make sure they’re clear of all debris so the rainwater that is surely coming can flow freely through and not accumulate.

 

  1. Clear the trees and shrubberies — While you still have that ladder out, now is the perfect time to prune back the trees and bushes (or hire someone to do it for you). It’s a good idea to keep those branches away from the home in the event of storms.

 

  1. Make exterior repairs — While you’re checking out your exterior, walk around looking for anything that might need repairs. A broken window screen, a crack in the sidewalk, or a loose deck plank can be handled now.

 

  1. Service the heater — Just like you get your AC serviced in the summertime, now is when you should get the heater/furnace checked out. You don’t want the temperature to suddenly drop without having a working heating system.

 

  1. Don’t forget the chimney — If your house (or parts of it) is heated by a fireplace, have the chimney professionally cleaned and maintained so that you don’t have any problems when you go to use it.

 

  1. Check your safety devices — Now is the time to change out the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

 

  1. Stock up on supplies — If you live where the fall months change quickly to snowy winter weather, it’s a good idea to stock up on supplies. Get the quilts and heavy blankets out of storage. Logs (for the fireplace) should be stockpiled. Also, if you don’t already have one, get an emergency kit and portable fire extinguisher for your home, just in case.

 

While the weather is still warm and agreeable, it’s a good idea to knock out some of these maintenance tips. That way, you can enjoy your autumn and prepare for the holidays!

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

Why You Should Buy a Home This Fall

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Most people think about buying a new house when the spring is approaching, the weather is nicer, and the temperatures are higher. But the problem with buying a home in the spring or the summer is that it’s when everyone else is buying one too.

If you want to get better deals and more options, then you might want to consider waiting until the temperatures dip and the weather gets a little softer in the fall.

Here are specific advantages to why you should consider buying a home this autumn:

 

  1. Reduced Competition — The most obvious reason why you should consider the fall for your home buying is because of the reduced competition from other buyers. This means that you have the chance to consider your options more thoroughly. You won’t have to jump at the first house because it might not be on the market tomorrow. Bidding wars are not likely during the fall months.

 

  1. Sellers are Motivated — This one goes hand-in-hand with the first point. Because there’s less traffic looking at houses, your sellers are motivated and willing to accept less for the home or to offer other things, such as flexible move-in dates and assistance with closing costs.

 

Many of these homes have been on the market since spring and the sellers may be willing to work with you because they’re frustrated with not selling their home. And with the holidays right around the corner and end-of-the-year tax advantages slipping away, homeowners are highly motivated to be flexible so they can unload their house.

 

  1. More Time with Your Agent — Another bonus of the reduced traffic is that your real estate agent is not going to be as busy as they might be during the summer. This means they can spend more time helping you search for the best house and the best deal. It’ll be easier to schedule meetings and appointments that meet your schedule rather than working you in around their other clients.

 

  1. Cheaper Home Goods — Many people don’t think about the deep discounts on home goods at the end of the year. These are products from appliances to bedding and window treatments that you may need when you move into your new home.

 

  1. See the House in a New Light — In the spring and summer, the neighborhood is likely to look its best and be less busy with people away on vacation. In the fall, you can see the house and the neighborhood in all its glory. If there are problems with leaky roofs or foundation issues, the fall weather will showcase these faults more readily.

 

  1. Better Rates — There are many other fields that all depend on the housing industry. Banks and lenders, as well as movers and contractors, all depend on making money from the sale of homes. When business is slow, such as in the fall, you can get better rates and deals from these businesses.

 

Fall time is becoming optimal for buyers who are looking for motivated sellers and more individual attention from your real estate agent. The lack of traffic and the end of the year deals makes all of this the perfect time to buy a home.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.