Midnight Madness in Downtown Oakville. Come on down!
July 15th, 2011 Categories: Downtown Oakville, Food for Soul and Spirit, Things to Do in Oakville
Outdoor Oakville Festival - Midnight Madness
Come on down to Downtown Oakville tonight! Midnight Madness starts at 7 p.m.
Last year over 50,000 people came out. It was a lot of fun as we went down with our two teenagers. The bands were great and there were soooooo many Oakville residents out.
One of the things that makes this town so great to live in is all the downtown festivals that go on annually, and the Waterfront Summer Festival at Coronation Park on the lake.
Make sure to bring your family or special person down to hear some live music, eat some great food and meet some new people.
Check out oakvilledowntown.com for more info on bands and what’s going on this year. See you there!! Wayne and I will be at the Royal LePage kiosk between 8 and 10.
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Walnut House: Award-winning B & B in Downtown Oakville
April 18th, 2011 Categories: Downtown Oakville, Food for Soul and Spirit, Historical Oakville, Things to Do in Oakville
Walnut House B&B Downtown Oakville
We recently dropped in on friends Gill and Barrie Sprawson at their lovely bed and breakfast, conveniently located in historic downtown Oakville adjacent to Sixteen Mile Creek, Oakville Harbour, and the Oakville Performing Arts Centre.
Designed by the Sprawson’s son Jonathan, architect and owner of DQI Design Quorum Inc., in Oakville, this unique home was given the name “Walnut House” because it is built around a 108 year old walnut tree! In fact, the unique design of this guest home was recognized by the Town of Oakville and awarded the 2002 Design Award of Distinction.
Walnut House has three guest suites equipped with TVs, DVD’s, ensuites and guest robes. One of the rooms has a small kitchenette and a whirlpool bath plus separate shower. The entire home is wheelchair accessible and has an elevator.
Wayne and Gill Sprawson- Walnut House B&B
Gill’s breakfast menu is flexible enough to accommodate your preference, ranging from a full breakfast to continental and vegetarian choices. Walnut House is open all year round and rooms can be booked by the day, week or month.
Originally from England, Barrie and Gill have been Oakville residents for 32 years and have 5 kids, two of whom live in Oakville.
I asked Barrie what initially attracted the family to move to Oakville. He said “it was a town where the downtown core was healthy, vibrant and thriving. Also there were lots of parks and green areas”.
That’s still a great reason to live in Oakville today!
Gill & Barrie, Hosts of Walnut House B&B in Downtown Oakville
If you are looking for a more intimate and relaxing atmosphere for your next get-away or business trip, the Walnut House would be a wonderful choice.
From this central location, the Oakville Harbour and waterfront, acclaimed restaurants, quaint boutiques and historic buildings of Downtown Oakville are at your doorstep and may be explored by foot. And, of course, the Sprawsons’ warm hospitality will make your stay memorable and comfortable.
For more information visit www.WalnutHouseBandB.com.
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Happy New Year!
January 1st, 2011 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit
New Year's morning 2011
It is early morning and I am enjoying a hot cup of coffee and listening to the smooth voice of Nat King Cole with those timeless lyrics: “I love you, for sentimental reasons….”, “Mona Lisa, the lady with the mystic smile…”, and “Unforgettable, that’s what you are”. They don’t write songs like that any more! I want to enjoy this quiet moment to reflect on the year ahead.
So, how are you feeling about the start of another year? Making new plans perhaps? Upbeat and excited about prospects? Or, perhaps not…
Thought I’d share a poem I clipped from a newspaper many years ago:
Let me remember as the old year ends,
That there has been no year without some new
and unexpected happiness that transcends
Through days that I believed so desolate,
That nothing beautiful could ever grow
in them; and let me not forget how great
Successes came, when hope had seemed to go.
Oh, let me not forget, beginning now,
A year that seems to promise little good,
How even the darkest years contained somehow
More lovely days than I believed they could.
For so I am assured I shall not miss
Some bright transcendent happiness in this.
So in this new year, let’s be watching out for the “lovely days”, “the bright transcendent happiness”, “the beauty that grows”. Let us not lose hope in the “desolate moments”, and always be kind to one another, through times good, and bad.
Happy New Year to you and family and my very best wishes for 2011!
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New restaurant in downtown Oakville: The Crepe Kitchen
February 12th, 2010 Categories: Downtown Oakville, Food for Soul and Spirit, Places to Eat, Things to Do in Oakville
Since the closing of Cafe Los Libros, my husband Wayne and I have been looking for a good breakfast spot in downtown Oakville.
We were glad to find out about The Crepe Kitchen, which had its official opening a couple of months ago.
I met Eduardo Siles, the owner, a couple of years ago at an Oakville networking event. Now he and his wife Ana Maria, a chef, have opened this new eatery in Oakville.
The Siles moved from their native Peru six years ago. The open concept creperie has an old-fashioned open kitchen, and Ana Maria’s sense of style shows in the rustic country decor with Peruvian touches. “No two pieces of furniture are the same” says the owner. It’s a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
We’ve sampled the Popeye, Simple and Good, and Mediterranean savoury crepes, so far…all good. Homemade soups, desserts and salads also on the menu. I like the French-press brewed coffee served in Bodum individual pots.
Already they seem to be doing a brisk business. Check out menu and website. The Crepe Kitchen is located at 88 Dunn Street, just south of Lakeshore in downtown Oakville.
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10th Annual Art and Artisans by the Lake at Appleby College in Oakville – April 19-20, 2008
April 8th, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Oakville Events, Oakville Real Estate News, Things to Do in Oakville, Why Move to Oakville?
Mark your calendars for an exciting Oakville art show Saturday April 19th and Sunday, April 20th.
This is the 10th Annual Art and Artisans by the Lake to be held on the beautiful 52–acre campus of Appleby College, located on the shores of Lake Ontario, 540 Lakeshore Road West. The exhibit will be held in the Arena, between 10 and 4 both days.
Sponsored by the May Court Club of Oakville, this annual event showcases original works of the highest quality from Canadian artists and artisans. Original paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography and mixed media will be exhibited. All entries will be juried.
Funds raised will go to the Halton Emergency Shelter and the Halton Women’s Place.
One of the artists being profiled this year is Jacqueline Dravetz, of Burlington, Ontario. I visited Jacqueline and her husband Warner in their lovely home in Burlington which they are currently renovating.
Here is Jacqueline after a day of horse-back riding in her dining room with one of her paintings.
Having worked for many years as a registered nurse, Jacqueline discovered her talent with the brush six years ago. Since then she has devoted herself full-time to painting, exhibiting and doing portraits. She is currently enrolled in the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto where she is learning to perfect the old master tradition of realist painting and portraiture.
Jacqueline has a special gift for portraits of people and pets. To find out more about Jacqueline’s work visit www.jdart.ca.
Hope to see you at the art show!
FOLKS, THE SPRING MARKET IS HERE! LOOKING TO FIND THAT DREAM HOME OR SELL YOUR CURRENT HOME? GIVE HILARY A CALL NOW AT 905–257–3633.
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Bright’s Gallery of Burlington Moves to Collingwood and Hilary Hooks Up with Real Estate Blogger Marg Scheben-Edey
March 23rd, 2008 Categories: Blogs, Blogging and the Blogosphere, Burlington Beat, Fifty-five plus, Food for Soul and Spirit, Lighten Up, Oakville Real Estate News
Our family spent a ski weekend up at Blue Mountain in Collingwood over March Break. (If you were noticing I didn’t post for a few days, that’s why.)
Having just received a note from Oakville resident and neighbour of mine, Peter Bright, that Bright’s Gallery of Burlington is relocating to Collingwood this spring, I decided to check out the new gallery site, right in the Village at Blue where we were staying.
Best of luck in your new venture Peter. I am sure visitors and locals will appreciate the fine collection of Canadian artists that you profile in your gallery.
This weekend was also an opportunity for me to meet Marg Scheben-Edey of ReMax in Collingwood who has been an inspiration to me as a Canadian blogger and REALTOR.
By the time we met in person on Monday in Collingwood, we were like old friends! That’s the kind of connection that real estate bloggers have with each other.
Marg has a zest for life, a razor-sharp mind and a warm and easy-going personality.
Marg and her husband John grew up in West Oakville. Marg recalls when the land behind their Pinegrove Road house (now Speers Road) was a strawberry field and they would ride horses across the QEW to their friend’s farm on Burnhamthorpe Road. The Edey’s have been living in the Collingwood area for the last 22 years where they raised their two kids.
Our family of four were treated to a tour of Collingwood in Marg’s van.
Development in the area since I was up here last, quite a few years back, is mind boggling! It is certainly the vacation and retirement destination for many in the Golden Horseshoe and GTA.
(I chatted with a lady in one of the Village stores who had just moved up here with her husband, having traded their fast paced life in Southern Ontario for the slower recreational lifestyle of the area. She sold me a very delicious piece of home-made praline fudge.)
“No bird soars too far on its own wings” is one of my mottoes. Staying connected to people like Marg helps me to keep growing and innovating in my business.
By the way, Marg and I are hoping to help get a “Canadian Real Estate Bloggers Conference” going so that real estate professionals on the vanguard of using the internet can exchange ideas and learn from each other.
Any Canadian REALTORS interested in this? Let us know.
Check out Marg’s blog. If you’re looking to buy property in the South Georgian Bay area, she’ll take good care of you.
DON’T MISS OUT ON THE SPRING MARKET! TO LIST YOUR HOME IN OAKVILLE OR BURLINGTON, PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL HILARY (905) 599–3311 TODAY!
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How to Beat the Boring Dinner Blues
March 21st, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Lighten Up, Oakville Real Estate News, Places to Eat
Do you get tired of making the same meals over and over? I do.
Here are some things I’ve done lately to spice up our mealtimes.
1) I discovered a wonderful free site www.allrecipes.com. I signed up for their daily recipe and it comes to my inbox. Sometimes it is just the right bit of inspiration that I need!
2) I try to plan out the meals for the week, before doing the grocery shopping. This way we have the ingredients required on hand and don’t have to keep popping into the store for this or that.
3) Every now and then I visit the www.allrecipes.com website. Most of the recipes are posted by ordinary folk like you and I. Usually there is a photo, but the best part is the reviews that people who have tried the recipe write. Readers suggest ways to modify or improve on the recipe, rave about the results or say “it’s just so-so, nothing to write home about”.
4) I use the online Recipe Box to store the recipes I like (it comes up under “My Stuff”).
Here are some new recipes I tried lately that turned out pretty well.
Marie’s Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast (We put this in the crockpot before church and it was all ready when we got home with our lunch guests)
Sugar Free Blueberry Coffee Cake (I made this for a coffee morning I had recently)
Creamy Mushroom Soup (My first time making mushroom soup from scratch, easy and tasty)
Dark Chocolate Cake II (easiest one bowl scratch cake I’ve made, moist and dark!) Goes well with Chocolate Cheese Frosting. (I had some frosting left over and froze it. Tasted just as good when defrosted.)
Why don’t you try a few recipes from www.allrecipes.com and let us know which ones you recommend by adding comments to this post?
CALL HILARY FOR ALL THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS when selling your home. Let me take good care of you and your investment!
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How Well Do You Know Your Ontario Birds?
March 10th, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Green Trends, Oakville Real Estate News
This is a beautiful gallery of Ontario birds, as captured by my friend Ashley Hockenberry, an avid amateur photographer. I appreciate the chance to share them with you.
Try to guess the name of each bird before placing the cursor over the image to find the name. How many do you know?
FOR A BIRD’S EYE VIEW ON LOCAL REAL ESTATE CONDITIONS, CALL HILARY AT 905–599–3311! NOW’S THE TIME TO LIST FOR THE SPRING MARKET.
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Want to try your hand at blogging? Here’s how to get started
March 4th, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Lighten Up, Oakville Real Estate News
What’s it like to blog?
It’s like being pulled by your pen to new places every day.
Writing is one of those things that the more you do it, the more you want to do it, and the easier it is to do.
Something comes to the top of your mind and you just want to record it so it won’t get lost. Perhaps someone else can relate or follow what you are thinking?
You have a desire to express something. A desire to connect with a reader.
I think we all have this desire inside us but we have been so indoctrinated into thinking that there is only one right way to write. We have had teachers that put red marks all over our feeble efforts at creative expression.
We have become writing-repressed and self-conscious.
The beauty of blogging is that you don’t have to get published. You just put it out there in the hope that someone will read it. Who knows? It might inspire someone else to write something. It might help spawn other writers out there. (I use the term writer loosely.)
You don’t have to be an English major or a prolific reader.
What’s the worst that could happen? What you write makes no sense at all? Still it would be your thoughts, a legitimate expression of what’s on your mind and in your subconscious.
It’s just a freeing thing to start typing on a blank page. Try it some time. Don’t think. Just put your fingers on the keyboard and let your pen take you where it wants to go. You might be surprised at the outcome.
I would be thrilled to read a comment from bloggers and would-be-bloggers out there who connect to others through your pen! On-line interaction is another fun thing about blogging but that’s for another post.
Like this Post? Read also:
What’s the Buzz in Oakville? Hilary Launches New Blogsite
Hilary Shantz, Oakville Ontario Real Estate Agent, Has Been Meme’d
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Very Inspring True Story of a 12-year old Child Prodigy
March 3rd, 2008 Categories: Food for Soul and Spirit, Halton Real Estate, Oakville Real Estate News
My friend Grace sent me a link to a CNN video tonight that is so inspring and beautiful I had to share it. Akiane is a twelve-year self-taught artist who expresses deep emotion and spirituality through her paintings. She began having visions that she depicted from the age of four.
Although her mother and her upbringing was atheistic, Akiane from a young age believed in God and was able to express her visions of heaven and God in her art. Her faith began to impact her whole family.
Take a look for yourself, folowing this link http://tinyurl.com/yxewot.
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