Easter Egg Hunts, HOW FUN!

 

Burlington - North Ave Alliance Church  - 4/21 @ 11:45am

Colchester - Bayside Park - 4/20 @ 10:00am

Essex - Maple Street Park - 4/20 @ 10:00am

Milton - Bombardier Park West - 4/20 @ 10:00am

Shelburne - Shelburne United Methodist Church - 4/20 @ 10:00am

St. Albans - Taylor Park - 4/20 @ 10:00am

Williston - Williston central School - 4/20 @8:50am

 

One of the Top Home Trends for 2019 (According to Pinterest) is Vertical Gardens

Being that vertical gardens is a top home trend this year and most people, by April, are anxious to start planning their gardens.  We thought it would be fun to see what all the fuss is about and share. Once you start looking around, you understand why this is a popular trend, as the possibilities really seem endless.

You can buy vertical containers, you can stack containers, you can use ladders and furniture, crates, chicken wire, pipes, gutters, picture frames, shoe holders, soda bottles, lattice, where ever your imagination takes you. What a great way to grow and create a unique garden space. 

So, gaze at these pictures and get your imagination juices flowing, then click the links below for many more amazing ideas!

Homebnc.com

BobVila.com

CountryLiving.com

BalconyGardenWeb.com

 

 

 

      By 2020, all food scraps will be banned from the landfill in VT

 

BACKYARD COMPOSTING WORKSHOP - Offered April 4th, 9th, 20th or 24th

Green Mountain Compost at 1042 Redmond Rd, Williston, VT 05495

 

Learn the joy of home composting and digesting in a FREE hands-on backyard composting workshop by CSWD and Green Mountain Compost!

Discover the benefits of “closing the loop” with your own household food scraps in this interactive, hands-on demonstration of a healthy compost and digesting system.

Our compost guide will show you:

Þ What type of bin is best for you

Þ Where to locate your bin

Þ What to put into your bin (and what to avoid!)

Þ How to manage your bin

Þ Troubleshooting

Þ Harvesting your compost

Alternatives to a backyard bin (pick up service, or drop-off composting)

Attendance at these popular composting workshops is limited, so sign up early!

 

A NOTE FROM:

   PET POISON HELPLINE

While we applaud you for composting, make sure to do so appropriately – your compost shouldn’t contain any dairy or meat products, and should always be fenced off for the sake of your pets and wildlife. These piles of decomposing and decaying organic matter and molding food products have the potential to contain tremorgenic mycotoxins, which are toxic to both pets and wildlife.

 

Vermont's sugar makers welcome you on Maple Open House Weekend 2019! March 23rd & 24th

Maple Open House Weekend is Vermont’s most anticipated spring event and a celebration of the current season’s crop. When visiting sugar houses on March 23rd and 24th, visitors can expect warm welcomes from their sugar maker hosts, eager to educate and share with the public the process of making maple syrup from sap – an inside look at the hard work that goes into producing each jug of syrup. Traditional Open House activities include sampling syrup; tours of the woods; pancake breakfasts; horse-drawn sleigh rides; sugar-on-snow parties; and plenty of maple products to taste including maple donuts, maple cotton candy and maple creemees.

CLICK HERE for the Maple Open House Weekend Map and so much more!

St. Albans Recreation Department's 7th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade

Parade starts at 5:00 pm Saturday March 16 at the Court House parking lot on Lake Street

and heads up Lake, Over Main Street to St. Albans City Hall Auditorium! Click Here for more info.

Burlington Irish Heritage Festival Ceili     Sunday, March 17   1:00-3:00 pm

* Location: Contois Auditorium, City Hall, 149 Church St., Burlington             * Admission: Free! Donations welcome

* ‘Ceili’ is the Irish word for a music, dancing, hand-clapping good time!

* The annual Festival Ceili, co-sponsored with Young Tradition Vermont, is fun for the whole family with Irish step dancing and some fine traditional musicians.

* Area musicians are welcome to bring their instruments and join in for a lively seisiún.

* Bake sale; display tables with information on Irish language, culture and other events.

* Grand Prize drawing for “Luck of the Irish” raffle at the end of the Ceili.   Click Here for more info.

The Annual SD Ireland Cement Truck Parade

The parade will make it's way down Church St. on Sunday March, 17th arriving at 12:15pm. 20 Cement trucks will roll through parts of Williston, So Burl, Winooski and Burl as a fundraiser for cancer research.

Click Here for more info.

 

All of the new smart home technology

offering conveniences, energy savings and safety are tempting, but it is important to do your homework.  Assess your need, understand the cost, system requirements, compatibility among devices and most of all- follow these Safety Tips.

Home Security Tips for Smart Home Technology Users

(These tips were pulled from 2 different articles, click below to read more.)

Technology.org & PCMag.com

Use a hard-wired internet connection instead of a wireless connection.

Use of strong passwords.

Secure your smart phones and computers.

Increase your home's physical security. 

A few things you may consider doing to get the most out of your home assistant while staying safe include:

Using the remote feature instead of the voice activation mode for better control.

Disable the voice order feature and allow purchases via pin-activation only.

A few key ways to stay ahead of identity theft risks include:

Regularly updating your devices and apps.

Choose your Apps wisely.

Investing in high-quality identity theft protection. 

 

Spring is the perfect time to get your home on the market. 

Let Us help you, by offering you a Free Market Analysis, Our “Big List of Things To Do When Getting Ready to Sell Your House!” handout, and Share our generations of knowledge with you.  

 

This year Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday March 10th, when the majority of the USA will be “springing ahead” as they change the clocks. 

DST has and continues to be a topic of discussion by

states and countries, should we still do it?

 

HISTORY

*  “Summer time” was Englishman William Willett’s idea. He published “The Waste of Daylight” brochure in 1907 campaigning for the change.  Willett died before his idea came to fruition.

*  In 1916, Germany adopted the British idea in hopes of conserving energy for its war effort. The rest of Europe, along with the United States and other nations followed. 

Sites to read more history of DST; Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian.com article 2, &  History.com, 

PROS

*  Reduces crime during the summer.

*  More time to exercise outdoors during the evening.

*  Children would go to school in complete darkness all winter long in areas of the Northern Hemisphere.

CONS

*  The original reason for DST, to conserve energy, has not worked out.  We actually use more energy due to being active longer.

*  There is evidence that switching sleeping schedules twice a year screws up our circadian rhythms leading to adverse health effects. 

*  Not everyone in the US and only about 25%  of  nations observe DST. (In the US, each state currently decides whether to use DST though the start and end dates are set by federal law.)

What do you think? Keep DST or ditch it?

This form must be filed each year by every Vermont resident whose property meets the definition of a homestead. 

A Vermont homestead is the principal dwelling and parcel of land surrounding the dwelling, owned and occupied by a resident individual as the individual’s domicile on April 1. If your homestead is leased to a tenant on April 1, you may still claim it as a homestead if it is not leased for more than 182 days in the 2019 calendar year.

What you will need to file:

In addition to the property owner’s basic information, you should have the following available when filing:

· The property’s School Property Account Number (SPAN) printed on the property tax bill

· The property owner’s Social Security Number

· The code of the Vermont school district in which the property is located, which may be found on the property tax bill (the school code is the middle three digits of the SPAN).

How to file:       

Send the HS-122 form to the Vermont Department of Taxes OR File your claim online at www.myVTax.vermont.gov.

(NOTE: Form may be included in your tax return.)

If you need assistance filing this form, please consult your tax accountant.

 

                                                                       

10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues and Feel Great

By Madeline R. Vann, MPH    Medically Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD

To view this article; CLICK HERE

 

1. Lace Up Your Running Shoes and Get Moving

2. Set Your Alarm Clock and Stick to a Sleep Routine

3. Queue Up a Stream of Laugh-Out-Loud Films

4. Warm Yourself Up With a Mug of Real Hot Cocoa - See recipe we found below! 

5. Host a Festive Party-But Don’t Stress

6. Give Yourself a Manageable Task to Accomplish

7. But Don’t Let Your To- Do List Get Too Out of Hand

8. Book a Staycation- Even if It’s a Mini One

9. Consider Light Therapy if You Can’t Get the Sunshine You Need

10. Don’t Hesitate to See Your Healthcare Professional

Simple Hot Cocoa for One

CLICK HERE for the link.

KEMP MINIFIE  | GOURMET |  DECEMBER 2011

As with hot chocolate, use any milky liquid you prefer, whether it's from a cow, nuts (almond milk), beans (soy milk), or grains (rice milk).

For sweeteners, feel free to substitute maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar for sugar, but start with less, about 1 tablespoon, and taste the combination before adding more.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk or any combination of milk,

half-and-half, or cream

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION

Whisk together the cocoa, sugar, salt, and about 2 tablespoons milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until cocoa and sugar are dissolved.  Whisk in the rest of the milk and heat it over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until it is hot. Stir in the vanilla and serve. If you like it frothy, blend it in the blender. This recipe multiplies easily. When you get up to a quart of milk, use 1/4 teaspoon salt.

 

School Break could be a great time to do a kids room makeover. 

Below are highlights from a couple articles with great tips and ideas. 

We also recommend visiting hgtv.com & bhg.com - search “Kids rooms” as additional great sources.

ROOM TO GROW:

10 FUN WAYS TO UPDATE KIDS ROOMS ON A BUDGET

www.livingwellspendingless.com

Fortunately, switching up a kid’s bedroom doesn’t have to be a budget-breaker. If you plan ahead, you can come in under budget and accomplish a lot in just one weekend. Plus, when we work together and tap into our family’s

creativity—it can be a lot of fun!  When we get our kids invested in the process, they not only love their new room, but oftentimes they also gain a renewed commitment to keeping toys off the floor and school supplies organized.

1. GET YOUR KIDS INVOLVED

2. PLAN IT OUT FIRST

3. GO SIMPLE, AND CLEAR THE CLUTTER

4. ADD LOTS OF STORAGE OPTIONS

5. PICK A NEUTRAL PALATE AND ACCENT WITH COLOR

6. CREATE ZONES

7. ADD PERSONAL FLAIR

8. USE VINTAGE TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

9. DIY

10. REPURPOSE AND RECYCLE

 

5 Tips for a DIY Kids' Room Makeover

www.parents.com

The Statement Wall- This big-scale design makes an impact, but easily changes over time: We can hang art inside the shapes or add decals on top.

The Storage Plan-  I floated crates on the wall to create the illusion of more space. Inside them, bins corral smaller toys.

A Cozy Corner- Tossed all their stuffed animals into a hardy laundry bag. When it’s totally full, it works as a big floor pillow, but it’s easy to dump out when it’s time to play. 

Easy Seating- Now I want to make a whole forest of critter stools.

The Lighting- Blocks and a big shade? Perfect!

We'd love to see your before and after photos if you take advantage!