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DECEMBER 2008 HERSAM ACORN NEWSPAPERS

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Gifts That DelightAre Wrapped In Love

Christmas StockingsStuff Them With Care

Heirlooms For The HolidaysUnique, Cherished & Practical Gifts

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• 2 • • HOME • Hersam Acorn Newspapers • • December 11, 2008 •

In many homes, the Christmas stocking is the first gift opened on Christmas morning. In spite of Clement Clarke Moore’s advice to hang the stockings “by the chimney with care,” our family always hung the children’s Christmas stock-ings on their bedposts.

My mom used to tell me that she and her sister and brothers always hung their stockings on their bedposts, and I know that my sister and I always hung our stockings there, so, without question and quite naturally, the habit evolved into a family tradition ... until recently. Now that the family is grown up, we still hang the stockings but we hang them on the fireplace mantel.

Because Christmas stockings are usually pretty sizable, the tendency is to fill them with all kinds of candies, popcorn balls and little toys. My mom used to tell me that her stock-ings were filled with delicious fruits — a pungent ripe orange, a crisp red apple, walnuts, and shiny coins. They were hard to come by in the Depression years, so those gifts were very special treats.

That’s what got me thinking about the gift of the Christmas stocking. If it’s the first gift to be opened on Christmas morn-ing, shouldn’t it be special? Isn’t that the magic moment when young, bright eyes open to find a stocking, once empty, suddenly delightfully full?

Christmas stockings STUFF THEM WITH CARE

by Joanne Greco Rochman

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• December 11, 2008 • • HOME • Hersam Acorn Newspapers • • 3 •

Yes, you can still stuff the bottom of the stocking with a couple of popcorn balls, and yes, you can nudge a coloring book, pencils, crayons, cookies, candy, lollipops, candy canes, and puzzles in as fillers, but when you start getting to the top, that’s when you need to think about that first glorious moment.

I like gifts that excite the senses. When my children were young, they would find musi-cal instruments like pull whistles, recorders and kazoos at the top of their stockings, so those were the first gifts to be opened. (If parents are going to be awakened early, it might as well be to joyful sounds.) Another favorite top-of-the-stocking gift is a kalei-doscope, which intrinsically has a touch of magic in the brightly changing colored patterns. Soft and snugly stuffed animals, sweet-smelling clays and peppermint-scent-ed pencils are happily inhaled while little hands busily unwrap each surprise.

And speaking of surprise, half the fun of opening a gift is the element of discovery. So, if you’re going to fill a stocking, then you really need to wrap the individual items in gaily colored Christmas wrapping papers and top them with pretty bows. Again, since it’s the first sight the children see, go for the gold and the silver papers. If it’s shiny, it’s special.

I know you’re thinking how time-consuming this is, and I know you really don’t want to wrap every little toy truck or crayon box, but when the child sees that stocking filled with wrapped little presents, it’s a whole different experience from spilling a lot of “stuff” out of the oversized sock. (And the kiddies stay in bed longer, too.)

Of course, stockings are not just for little children. Teens and adults look for special treats as well. A popular CD, concert tickets, movie and theater tickets will light up the older set’s eyes pretty quickly. If your whole family enjoys the gift of the Christmas stock-ing tradition, then be sure to personalize the

contents. If there’s a golfer in the household, order some personalized golf balls and tees for the stocking. If there’s a budding cook in the family, by all means find some neat gadgets or utensils. Everything from tools to bubble bath soaps, copies of the Farmer’s Almanac and boxes of chocolate-covered cherries can manage to win a smile. And don’t forget the pets. My little dog always managed to sniff out her stocking stuffers before they made it to the stocking, but she got a kick out of the contagious excitement, as did everyone else.

As for the Christmas stocking itself, well, that’s just a whole ’nother science. These days, holiday stockings come in every imag-

inable shape, size and style. There are the simple red-felt stockings with white furry bands. There are the classic monogrammed type and the posh velvet varieties. Knitted and quilted ones have a special warmth to them, and satin and fancy stockings deck the halls as well as the fireplace. It’s all a matter of taste. Of course, the stocking itself makes a wonderful Christmas gift, especially if it’s handmade. With so many varieties to choose from, there’s a style for every person.

Christmas stockings also make great pack-aging. You’ll find stockings on sale just about everywhere this year. Tuck a bottle of wine, a box of crackers and a fancy cheese in a stock-ing as a hostess gift for the annual Christmas

party. For the traveler, fill the stocking with mini bottles of shampoo, soaps, toothpaste, and travel accessories. Got a teenage girl on your list? Fill that stocking with nail polish and remover, combs, brushes, hairspray, barrettes, and headbands. For the car aficio-nado, make sure you get a gift certificate to a carwash and a gas station, too. Roll up a calendar featuring a sports team for the ath-letes. Garden tools, seed packets and cata-logs will fill a gardener’s stocking quickly.

So whether “the stockings are hung by the chimney with care” or filled to the brim with bright, shiny packages, think of the Christmas stocking as the first gift of Christmas and make it special.

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by Karen Dydzuhn

Ever since I was a child, I have felt that December was the most magical time of the year. In the air, there does seem to be “a feeling of Christmas,” as the popular holiday song says.

As I grew older, I came to appreciate even more fully the numerous traditions that take place in the weeks leading up to Christmas, a time when my family cel-ebrates Jesus’s birth. Along with listening to yuletide carols (on the radio only at this time of the year), other special activities I enjoy are decorating our Christmas tree with colorful, blinking lights and hundreds of ornaments, many of which are home-made, displaying a Nativity scene, baking dozens of cookies in the shapes of angels and snowmen, and, of course, buying presents for loved ones.

I must admit that I am one of those crazy shoppers who wake up in the wee hours of the morning on the day after Thanksgiving so that I don’t miss out on any Black Friday sales. One of my favorite memories of last Christmas includes my oldest daughter and I sipping steaming hot coffee in our car at 4 a.m., as we waited patiently for the mall’s stores to open. With a car filled with goodies, we were both back in the comfort of our beds by 8 a.m.

Of course, the only presents children really want are toys, toys and more toys. Younger children are not too fussy, and I have found that if you wrap up any kind of game, doll, action figure, puzzle, or truck,

it’s sure to be a hit. Older children, how-ever, prefer expensive, high-end, technical items, such as video games and consoles, iPods, and, yes, laptop computers.

Receiving clothing of any kind, however, is a definite bummer. For example, my 11-year-old son, Michael, never looks forward to opening Aunt Mary Ann’s present each year because he knows it will be some-thing useful, like clothing. He is always disappointed, even if it’s a “cool” garment like an NFL shirt.

“You just don’t want to waste one of your presents on clothing!” he insists.

Fortunately, most parents, relatives and friends know what presents are sure to be a “hit” and which ones are destined to be a flop.

“Batteries!” my daughter, Anna, 15, replied, when I asked her to name the worst present she ever received for Christmas. “Yes, we may need batteries to work the Walkman that Santa brought us, but he should not have wrapped it up. That just makes us think there is another good present yet to open, but instead it’s only batteries!”

My own mother, Theresa, does not like to receive practical items for Christmas. I remember the year she almost broke up with her darling boyfriend Joe because he put two packages containing a shower massage and coffee maker under her Christmas tree.

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“First of all, I don’t take showers, I take baths,” she noted. “He should have known that. Secondly, I like my old coffee maker. It is a small percolator that fits perfectly on my coun-tertop. He is the one who prefers the larger, drip-method coffee pot. Not me!”

Knowing your loved ones’ likes and dislikes is definitely a must for successful holiday shop-ping. For example, although Fran Cambra received a leaf blower from her spouse of 47 years, Manny, she was thrilled.

She explained that she is an avid gardener and every year her grown children give her a variety of plants for Mother’s Day. Aware of his wife’s obvious green thumb, one year her hus-band gave her a big, red wheelbarrow.

“Not your average Mother’s Day gift, but it was actually quite nice because he knew exactly what I wanted,” Fran said.

In reference to the leaf blower, she said, “He knows that this is exactly what I need to get ready for my gardening in the spring!” she exclaimed happily.

However, take heed, gentlemen: Most women much prefer to receive something personal and romantic. In fact, loved ones cannot go wrong with a tried-and-true classic perfume, such as Chanel No. 5. (Hint, hint.)

To be fair to my husband, throughout our 20 years of marriage he has tried to choose pres-ents that I’d adore. He has been discouraged, though, by seeing me return item after item that emerged from the elaborately wrapped packages. Now we both agree to forgo pres-ents to each other in favor of concentrating on our four children’s wish lists.

With much humor, though, we both vividly recall a most unwelcome Christmas present he gave me when we were newly married. At the time, our oldest daughter, Caitlin, was a tod-dler, and it was a difficult time for me because I had just left a “dream job” as a magazine writer. Juggling a long commute, day care and my husband’s busy schedule, which included attending college at night, quickly became too stressful on all our lives. As the holiday season approached that year, we were broke and wor-ried about how we were going to make ends

meet on one salary, and I was feeling like a professional failure at 30 years old.

In an attempt to cheer me up, I remember how my husband enthusiastically got off the Metro-North train and thrust an unexpected Christmas gift into my arms.

Like a little kid, I tore off the paper and ripped the cardboard box open. “Oh, goody, it looks like some new clothes,” I thought.

I was correct. The material was a beautiful, soft crushed velvet in a deep shade of bur-gundy. I lifted it out of the box and then, to my dismay, realized it was a short (and I do mean

short) mini dress! Where was I going to wear something like this? To the grocery store?

I tried to feign happiness but instead I burst into tears.

“What’s the matter?” my husband asked, concerned. “Don’t you like it? I saw it and immediately thought how beautiful you would look in this.”

“But, I’m so fat! Since I’ve not been working, I put on 10 pounds and I look terrible,” I said, sobbing. “Also, where could I possibly wear this now? My disco days are over and now my work days are, too.”

“But I think you look beautiful,” Mark said, tak-ing me into his arms. “Couldn’t you just wear it for me when I come home from work?”

I then laughed aloud because he was so darn sincere. He really couldn’t see why I couldn’t wear this dress around the house as I picked up our cherished daughter’s stuffed animals and prepared meals for our newly formed family. No matter what changes had already occurred in our life together, Mark still saw me as the young, beautiful and desirable woman he had fallen in love with. This realization was the best present I would ever receive.

Knowing your loved ones’ likes and dislikes is definitely a must for successful holiday shopping.

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by Jane K. Dove

Like unwanted lumps of coal tumbling out of a Christmas stocking, the terms “credit crunch,” “underwater,” mortgage work-out,” and “jingle mail” are currently bedeviling area homeowners faced with keeping their mort-gages afloat.

But according to attorney Gary Seymour, head of Seymour Law Firm of Shelton, homeown-ers should not surrender to fear, confusion and lack of knowledge when they are threat-ened with losing their homes to foreclosure.

“Even if you have fallen months behind in your payments, help is out there,” Mr. Seymour says. “You need to reach out and say you need it. Don’t let guilt about your predica-ment keep you from being proactive.”

Harsh Economics

Gary said southern Connecticut, like the rest of America, is in a foreclosure crisis. “There are many, many people out there that simply can’t keep up their mortgage payments,” he said. “The overall debt picture is very harsh. And when you add the possible loss of a job, things get even worse.”

Gary said that back in the real-estate boom years of 2002 to 2007, people simply took on more debt than they could afford. “And now property values don’t support the amount of debt,” he said. “The real estate market is flooded with properties with no or negative equity. The numbers of bank-owned proper-ties are increasing dramatically and dragging down prices for everyone.”

However, Gary says homeowners who are “underwater” in their mortgages, meaning they are carrying more debt than the property is actually worth, do have some options to keep them in their homes either temporarily or permanently and allow them to keep their credit relatively intact.

“Unfortunately, a large number of people who purchased homes in 2002 to 2007 are now under water,” Gary said. “This is not a good situation, but it is tolerable as long as you can continue to make your monthly payments. If you have a loss of income, things become dra-matically worse. You are trapped and cannot sell your house for a gain or refinance your way out of trouble.”

Getting Help

Gary says homeowners in this situation should not ignore their plight when their mortgage payments become overwhelming, but consid-er a “short sale,” where the lender will accept less than the total amount of debt against the house in order to avoid foreclosure.

“To obtain a short sale, the homeowner has to go hat in hand to the bank,” Gary said. “He or she has to provide extensive documentation

to support their request Frankly, it can be a lengthy and excruciating process, but many homeowners do achieve success and stave off a foreclosure.”

Another option for beleaguered homeowners who want to stay in their homes is a loan work-out or loan modification. “Connecticut passed a new law earlier this year that enables quali-fied homeowners to actually force their lender into a modification,” Gary said. “Once again, you have to take a proactive approach and defend your mortgage and your home.”

Gary said more and more banks are will-ing to sit down with their customers and do loan modifications. “Some banks have even declared moratoriums on foreclosures, and more and more work-outs are available,” he says. “A big mistake many homeowners make is thinking there is no help out there, but that is not true. You must be proactive. I tell my clients, ‘Hope alone is not enough. You have to have hope plus action.’”

In addition to short sales and loan modifica-tions, Gary said filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy is another option. “If successful, you get to keep your home, get relief from other debts and can start to rebuild your life.”

The final, most drastic step in losing a home, known in the industry as “jingle mail,” is to be avoided at all costs, Gary said.

“Realtors use this term to describe homeown-ers who simply give up, mail in their keys and walk way from the property,” he said. “This is the absolute worst thing you can do. You lose everything, and your home probably ends up being trashed or destroyed by pipes bursting over the winter. If you have an income, you can get help.”

Gary said homeowners should also realize that time is on their side in staving off a foreclosure. “In Connecticut, you have somewhere between seven and nine months before you face actual eviction,” he said. “There is no reason not to use this time to save your home. Many people think it’s all over after the 90-day default period, but really that’s just the beginning. There is plenty you can do, even if you are many months behind in payments. The lender doesn’t want your house.”

Unfortunately, even with help out there, less than half of threatened homeowners seek help of any kind, Gary said. “They ignore bank notices, hide their problem and then it’s too late,” he said. “If I could say one thing, it would be, ‘Reach out.’ You owe it to yourself and your family to defend your home. There is help out there if you are willing to be proactive and seek it out.”

Seymour Law Firm, 203-924-6700; Web sites, theseymourlawfirm.com or justiceforhomeown-ers.com.

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Teaching the ‘Grands’ to giveby Polly Tafrate

December 18, 2007

Dear Children,

You keep asking me what I want for

Christmas. Now I’ve decided. Please take

your kids shopping and let them choose

a present for me. It doesn’t have to be

expensive — a fancy bar of soap will

do — but I want it to be something they

choose. Then take it home, give them

wrapping paper, scissors and tape and

leave the room. This way it will truly be

from them.Love, Mom

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My finger tapped the “send” button before I could reconsider. I anticipated a return e-mail or a phone call — neither came.

What prompted me to do this? For years I’ve been bothered by the frenzy of my grandchil-dren (the Grands) as they open their bonanza of presents on Christmas morning. When one of their parents asks them to hand me a beau-tifully wrapped present with everyone’s name on the gift tag, they do, but they never wait to see it unwrapped. And when I thank them, I get a blank stare in return.

I came up with this idea in the middle of the night when my mind was free- associating as it made its “to do” list. I remembered the excitement of the first grade classes I’d taught in the weeks before Christmas and Hanukah. One of our favorite activities was making and wrapping the presents. The kids brought in holiday paper from home, and I supplied the tape when their rolls ran out, which they all did. Their conversations weren’t about what they would get, but how much their families

would love this gift and where they would hide it when they got home. I was hoping to resur-rect this same joy in my Grands, but it was chancy.

My wait ended on Christmas Eve afternoon when my son, Chip, and his family arrived. His wife, Lauren, greeted me with these words, “When I got your e-mail, I was furi-ous. I said to Chip, ‘I already bought your mother a gift. Now she tells us what she wants.’ But I did what you asked, and you know what? It was one of the best things we did all week.”

She explained how she took each kid individually to Target to shop for Grandma. They pushed the cart up one aisle and down the next, until they found the perfect present.

I’d assumed the Grands would give me their presents on Christmas morning when the rest of the gifts were exchanged, but it didn’t

happen that way. Four-year-old Samantha was literally dancing with glee as she flung her coat on the floor and handed me a lumpy pack-age slathered with tape. “Merry Christmas, Grandma.”

I carefully removed the layers of pink-glitter paper, murmuring a few times, “What could this be?”

“It’s a surprise,” she answered and her bounc-ing intensified. I gasped when the paper fell away to reveal a ceramic Christmas tree music box. Samantha clapped her hands in delight as her mother took pictures. She helped me wind it up, so everyone could hear “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” dozens of times.

A few hours later, her seven-year-old brother, Jacob, handed me a package wrapped in his favorite outer-space paper. His enthusiasm wasn’t as overt as his sister’s, but there was a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face. He watched intently as I unwrapped a small,

blue glass pyramid — “To remind you of your trip to Egypt,” he said. I was touched by his thoughtfulness.

My daughter’s family had arrived a few days before and her kids were watching their cous-ins give Grandma gifts. Four-year-old Jackson kept pestering his Dad to get his from its hid-ing spot in the car, even though they’d agreed to wait until Christmas morning. When he handed it to me, he said with a serious expres-sion, “It breaks.”

With great care I peeled off the silver-foil paper. Four layers of newspapers cushioned his gift — a rectangular ceramic platter. He’d made it in school, and I just knew it was meant for his parents. I looked up at my daughter with a questioning look. “He insisted on giving it to you,” she said.

Jackson went on to tell me how he rolled out the clay, painted it with two coats of paint and then glazed it. When I turned the plate over, I was tickled to see his little fingerprints unintentionally embedded in the clay. “It took weeks to make,” he said, and then told me the steps again. We decided that this would be the plate for Santa’s cookies.

Jackson’s older sister, Isabel, waited until bed-time to give me her gift. We share a love of books, and she’d copied a passage from one of her favorites. She proudly pointed out the words she’d changed “to make it read better.” I admired her efforts at perfect second-grade handwriting, evidenced by the number of eraser smudges.

Of course, I lavished hugs, kisses and high-fives on each child, thanking them repeatedly. They couldn’t hear this enough, as throughout the next few days they’d ask, “Grandma, did you really love my present?”

After all the Grands were in bed, I apologized to their tired parents for giving them such little warning. “Your kids know me well,” I said. “Their presents couldn’t have been more per-fect.” I waited to hear their thoughts.

My daughter-in-law said that next year she’ll take her kids shopping for Daddy’s gift and he’ll do the same for her, which made the other set of parents nod in agreement.

To my delight, this giving wasn’t forgotten the next day, nor the next week or months. Jackson continues to tell me the steps it took to make the platter, Jacob always looks for the pyramid on my desk and reminds me, “I gave this to you, Grandma,” which encourages his sister to ask where the music box is. “Waiting safely in the attic for next Christmas,” I tell her. And the budding author, Isabel, just smiles. I hope she’s thinking of her next book.


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by Robin E. Glowa

Today’s homeowners are more interested in healthy living than ever before. Organic prod-ucts of all kinds are becoming the norm, and household furnishings are no exception. Whether building a new home or upgrading a current one, homeowners will find that floor-ing products made from natural, renewable and sustainable materials are an excellent way to integrate a greener, cleaner influence into the home.

Magnificent examples of green flooring prod-ucts can be found at Floor Décor in Orange. Owner Michael Phoenix has assembled a Green Island display, an exclusive selection of floors for healthy living. Michael says, “We are very big on green products for the home. We work with both architects and the homeowner to incorporate these products.”

Featuring cork, bamboo, linoleum, and hard-wood, Michael’s display emphasizes that these products are not only good for the environ-ment but are durable and quite stylish. Cork flooring, for example, is absolutely beautiful, with amazing tones of brown, caramel and green, and swirling sumptuous patterns that bring the beauty of the outdoors in. Cork also provides comfortable cushioning underfoot and is a material that bounces back, leaving far fewer marks from furniture. The resilient qualities of cork make it a warm and noiseless surface for any room in the house.

Bamboo flooring is elegant and versatile, hav-ing unique grains that can’t be found in other flooring. Homeowners may enjoy the varia-tions in shade and color of bamboo in its natu-ral state — a lovely golden hue — or choose to have it steamed or stained to achieve a slightly darker patina.

Linoleum floors are constructed of linseed oil, sawdust and resins. An attractive yet tough floor surface, linoleum is highly resistant to heavy foot traffic, making it a superb option for busy households.

Michael is quite passionate about the items he offers. “I’m not afraid to bring in new, higher-end products that are unusual. I have in stock now a gorgeous old-wood flooring sample with a beautiful oiled patina, and a wire-scraped wood flooring with a really cool texture that would be just perfect for a beach house. My interest in distinct style has been influenced by my wife, who travels extensively in Europe for her business as a clothing designer. We offer such unique and unusual flooring types that even Home Depot has sent customers our way, knowing that we have flooring that’s different.”

After 35 years in the flooring business, first as an installer, then as a sales rep, then as owner of Floor Décor, Michael knows how to please customers. He has staked his business success on satisfying the homeowner. Floor Décor, which has been in business for 10 successful years, has recently relocated to 363 Boston Post Road With a huge, gorgeous showroom, the store houses a massive collection of car-peting, tile, stone, hardwood-flooring samples, and area rugs.

Michael says, “The only way to survive in business is to take care of your customers. I’ve always been optimistic and passionate about what I’m doing — you have to be when you’re dealing with the public.” The public has responded with great enthusiasm, as evidenced by the many thank-you notes and testimonials found throughout the store. Again and again, customers mention the excellent service and superior installation work done by Michael and his crew. Michael handles most of the measuring, and each crew member has been with the company almost since its incep-tion. “We’ve got an excellent, reliable group of people working here who share my passion,” says Michael, smiling.

“We really take care of all the details,” he says. “Being located between Home Depot and Lowe’s means we have to excel at service. Anyone can sell flooring, not just anyone can install.” Michael goes on to say, “One of my favorite customer letters says, “Even though I always shop around for price, I always end up with you — it’s the service!”

Keeping ahead of the trends is an impor-tant aspect of the flooring business as well. “The green products are so important now,” Michael says. “People really want to be more

environmentally conscious. Also, for quite a few years, carpeting was at least 50% of my business. Now carpeting has been taken over by hardwood and laminates. Darker hardwood is extremely trendy.”

Michael points out that while the darker wood floors are attractive, they do require slightly more maintenance, as dirt will show up more quickly.” Carpets have had to become more stylish, and now you see lots of patterns — geometrics, diamonds, florals, and fleurs-de-lis.

“Big tiles continue to be very popular,” accord-ing to Michael. “The huge, oversize tiles are what you’re seeing, 18 to 24 inches. Porcelain tiles are more popular. They are made from denser, harder clay that is frost-proof, which makes them a great material not only for indoor use but also for outdoor living spaces.

Let Floor Décor be your guide for world-class and world-conscious floor fashions.

Floor Décor is at 363 Boston Post Road, Orange, 203-298-4081. Visit Web site at floor-decor.cc. Hours are Mon., Tues., Thurs. 10-8; Wed., Fri., Sat. 10-6; Sun, noon-4.

Green is in at Floor Décor

At Floor Décor in Orange, you’ll find an impressive selection of carpeting, tile, stone, hardwood-floor-ing, and area rugs.

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by Robin E. Glowa

In today’s challenging real estate market, a successful sale begins with properly packaging the home. Bobbi Reilly, staging professional and allied member of ASID, is the owner of Staging Directors. She has seen firsthand the incredible effect that staging can have on the selling process.

Bobbi says, “At its most basic, staging is mar-keting a home. It will make the home stand out. There is absolutely no question that staged homes sell better than unstaged homes, often selling in half the time. Staging prepares your home for sale by presenting it to the buyers in the most appealing way possible.”

Bobbi has been staging homes since the early 90s, and her clients have enjoyed spectacular results. With a background in art history, interior design, and personal shopping, and successful stints at Saks 5th Avenue and Bloomingdale’s, Bobbi creates stunning impressions, whether dressing people or dressing homes. She laughs and says “I always loved fashion and interior design. Even at 5 years old I was constantly rearranging my room!”

Bobbi became involved in the early develop-ment of staging while taking interior-design courses. At that time, staging terminology didn’t even exist. Since the director of her interior-design program was also involved in real estate, she shared her insights on how to successfully prepare a home for sale. Once Bobbi completed the program, she gradually began acquiring clients. Over the years, she has honed her particular talent for decluttering a home and presenting it in its most attractive light.

She says, “The trick is to make the house look key-ready. The buyer wants to envision themselves in the space, so the house must be completely depersonalized, yet still have

warmth and sophistication and feel homey and inviting.”

To achieve this state, Bobbi recommends removing all family photographs from walls and surfaces. A few well-chosen, attractive yet simple accessories will add color and allure. “I live in Target and Home Goods,” Bobbi says. “It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to spruce up the space.”

Bobbi stresses the importance of staging, say-ing “The decision to buy a home may take some time, but the decision not to buy hap-

STAGING DIRECTORS

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Clutter is a major prob-lem since many potential buyers can’t see beyond it to the home’s true potential.

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pens instantly. The ability of the buyer to imagine themselves liv-ing in the home depends on that first impression. You can achieve great staging results by spending just a few hundred dollars on the right props. With $500 to $1,000, you wouldn’t believe what we can do. The money spent on staging is always gained back in the sale of the house.”

She also serves as a consultant and general contractor for her clients. The initial meeting begins with Bobbi touring the home with the seller and real estate agent, assessing the needs for each room. She also examines the exterior. A few days later, she will have a detailed report with staging recommendations, general tips for preparing the house for sale, and checklists for making the eventual move easier.

Sellers can either hire Bobbi to implement the suggestions or they can do the work themselves. Bobbi says, ”More often than not, the seller and I end up working side by side. Depending on the situ-ation, we will rearrange furniture, remove clutter, shop for acces-sories — whatever is needed to get the home market-ready.”

“I have a stable of contractors and can take care of dealing with the plumbers, painters and carpenters,” she says. “The fee for con-sultations is $300, and the actual staging work is $75 per hour.” Often a redesign is all that’s required to perk up a home. Fresh paint, window treatments, rugs can make all the difference.

Other situations might merit a more extensive effort. “Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes,” Bobbi says. “If you’re kitchen is out-dated, new granite countertops will be the most effective upgrade, as granite is so desireable to homebuyers.” Lighting is extremely important; in fact, it’s “huge,” she says. Dark rooms need effective lighting to brighten them up.

She also reminds sellers that a house needs to be spotless — no dishes from last night’s dinner in the dish drainer, no remnants of the morning rush in the bathroom. Every detail needs to be attended to, right down to removing any rust on hinges. If you have carpeting covering hardwood floors, rip it up and give the home a cleaner look.

Each room needs a focal point to attract the eye and stimulate the buyer. In the master bedroom, the focal point would be the bed. Bobbi says, “You must stage the bedroom, it really makes a difference.”

Also important is to have some furniture in the house. “If the seller has already vacated the house, then renting furniture may become necessary. It’s not expensive and will prevent the potential buyer from being overwhelmed by an empty house,” she says.

For more staging tips, go to Bobbi’s Web site at stagingdirectors.com. She also recommends an HGTV show called “Get It Sold” for more inspiration and methods for a quick and successful sale.

Staging Directors LLC, 203-885-8220, [email protected].

Staging presents a home in the most appealing way possible. Note the changes in the before and after photos.

BEFORE

AFTER

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by Stacy Lytwyn Maxwell

Throughout many holidays, my mother-in-law has given me gifts of smart clothes and acces-sories. The woman knows style. She once owned a boutique in Greenwich.

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but nothing compared to her last present. When I opened the box, white pearls cascaded delicately through my fingers. I was touched when I learned the pearls had belonged to my husband’s late grandmother. As a first-genera-tion American, my own parents’ property was left behind in Eastern Europe during World War II. I now have the pearls to pass along someday to my now 14-year-old daughter, and she to the next generation.

Heirlooms, family possessions handed down from generation to generation, give you a claim to the past as well as the future. They may also make a commonsense holiday gift. Whether passing on an heirloom or gleaning a new one to spark the tradition, begin the process by rummaging through bookshelves and jewelry boxes, and search out the nooks and crannies around the house. It sure beats the holiday shopping stress, and there’s no immediate cash to fork out. Moreover, recy-cled attic treasures complement the green lifestyle movement. A far cry from regift-ing — rewrapping a previous, unwanted gift — the sentimental value of heirlooms can satisfy finicky or “got everything” types on the gift-giving list.

For additional keepsake ideas, explore the Fairfield Museum and History Center’s dis-play, Family Connections: Telling Our Stories Through Heirlooms. Curator and exhibit cre-

Heirlooms for the holidays UNIQUE, CHERISHED GIFTS, AND PRACTICAL, TOO!

Fairfield Museum’s curator Adrienne Saint-Pierre explained that the silk waistcoat on exhibit was worn by a well-to-do Weston farmer on his wedding day.

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ator Adrienne Saint-Pierre hopes to inspire visitors to re-evaluate their own heirlooms.

“Some of the items we have in the display were actually given as gifts originally, and passed along to a descendant as a gift,” she said.

Take, for instance, a silver cann (mug). Originally owned by Thaddeus Burr (born in Fairfield in 1700), it was bestowed to his youngest sister upon his death in 1755. The five recipients’ names engraved on the mug later helped historians trace this timeless gift through seven generations.

“People are interested in hearing the stories that go along with items. I think if it were purely about the dollars-and-cents value, it would become pretty boring. There is almost a universal desire to have a connection to your ancestors, to know something about them,” Adrienne said.

Unless a permanent record accompanies an heirloom, an object’s oral history can be lost through time. An engraved message on a 1740s three-legged coffee pot with a hole by its handle may have been salvaged from the junk pile. The Hebrew translation explains that a flash of lightning pierced the coffee pot, sav-ing the bystanders from severe injury. To this day, engravings memorialize metal and other objects. Alternatively, gift givers can videotape or record a CD that documents the signifi-cance of the heirloom.

“When I am dead in my grave, and all my bones are rotten, remember me when this you see, that I may never be forgotten,” a Colonial Fairfield resident once wrote on the bottom of his portable desk. Modern-day gift-givers of keepsake furniture, jewelry boxes and larger items can write the history with permanent marker directly on the objects or seal the writ-ten account in an envelope and fasten it to the heirloom.

Holiday celebrants could also write dedications in treasured books. In fact, the oldest artifact in the museum’s collection is a 1608 Bible.

Historically, inscribed Bibles serve as some of the earliest family records. Metaphorically, books denote the handing down of wisdom to the next generation.

Also on display, Colonial samplers, linen stock-ings and towels may encourage present-day sewers to stitch and personalize a one-of-a-kind present. Pointing to a framed fabric collage commemorating an Easton boy’s bar mitzvah — mementos were chosen to illustrate his sig-nificant remembrances — the curator noted it was an example of a new heirloom or an heirloom-to-be, created specifically with that in mind. Likewise, shadow boxes that preserve wedding, christening or other milestone gar-ments, scrapbooks, even recipe collections can encourage the tradi-tion.

Admiring showcased jew-elry, Adrienne commented, “Charm bracelets are something that people can do today. This one was started in the early 1900s. Some of the charms on it are particular to the woman it belonged to originally.”

Virtually anything can be a keepsake. Swords, guns and other wartime heirlooms, which may represent patriotic or heroic actions, are an interesting choice. In the collection, for instance, there is a pocket watch from a Civil War soldier killed in the Battle of Gettysburg, which was passed along to three generations of Fairfield descendants. Handmade toys at the exhibit are another unique example. Part of the display consists of questionnaires per-taining to personal heirlooms. One visitor noted how a play slide (once a rare commod-ity) is now being enjoyed by a third generation in California.

After producing such a thought-provoking exhibit, one cannot help but wonder, does the museum curator have a family heirloom? No. Her parents were originally from England. However, what better time for a scavenger hunt in the attic to maybe unearth a trinket or two as an heirloom-to-be? This holiday season: Hunt until you drop.

DETAILSThe Fairfield Museum and History Center, 370 Beach Road, Fairfield,

is open seven days a week. Admission: $5, adults; $3, students and

seniors; members of the museum and children under 5, free. Visit fair-

fieldhs.org or call 203-259-1598. Note: The gift shop is ideal to scout for

new heirlooms!

A long-handled, three-legged coffee pot dating to the 1740s

was struck by lightning, leaving a small hole near the handle.

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by Jackie Perry

Quick desserts bring to mind something picked up at the store or, for a more “home grown” effect, a combination of store ingredients creatively combined. Dessert Express recipes, however, are basically from scratch with a few “ready-mades” to speed up the process ... 30 minutes tops!

First you need to be sure you have the ingre-dients, and then you should read through the recipe to get everything organized, as if you were getting ready for a bake-off. Otherwise, not only will you wave good-bye to the 30-minute express, you also could find yourself ready to dump the whole thing in a fit of frus-tration.

If four children, aged 8 to 15, could put several of these desserts together for a group of 14 in less than an hour (with just a tad of adult assis-tance here and there), you know you’ve found a winner of a cookbook.

Every year our family goes to Cape Cod for two weeks of sun and fun. I’d just received a review copy of Dessert Express: 100 Sweet Treats You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less by Lauren Chattman (The Taunton Press, $17.95, Sept. 2, 2008), so I decided to bring it along for a fun activity. Well, the kids took a look and were immediately deciding which ones they’d try. Since there were so many of us,

they decided to make two different recipes, so everyone could have a sample of each.

First they made Mocha Marshmallow Mousse (which could be refrigerated for a day before serving), and the next day they knocked them-selves out making Warm Cinnamon Crisps with Hot Chocolate (we’re talking to-die-for hot chocolate!).

The crisps were made from tortillas and the hot chocolate from scratch (milk and heavy cream). The idea is to dip the crisps in the drink.

Even though we each got only a dollop of mousse and a hot chocolate to share with a cinnamon crisp apiece, we sat there in a stu-por of chocolate delight.

Another night they tackled Panini, which took longer because we tripled the recipe — still, it went like clockwork. Think about French-toast sandwiches filled with Nutella, raspberry jam and fresh raspberries, and sprinkled with con-fectioners’ sugar. First you put them together, dip them in the egg mixture, fry on a griddle, and sprinkle with sugar ... heaven on a plate!

Last of all, I made the Pepperminty Dark Chocolate Pudding, which is wonderfully easy because all the ingredients go into the pot at once. Now, chocolate pudding is about my favorite dessert, and I have a family recipe

that’s my favorite ... and I’ve tried many! I’d put this one right alongside it — chocolate vel-vet with a just the right hint of mint.

The Cinnamon Crisps came from the Quick Cookies and represents the diversity of approaches to cookies. For instance, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies were cooked on a waf-fle iron, and then there were Ricotta Fritters, dipped in maple syrup. The mix-and-match sandwiches will inspire you to create your own concoctions. How about Peanut Butter Cup S’Mores? Start with a chocolate wafer cookie, top with a smashed peanut butter cup, add some marshmallow fluff and heat under the broiler ... mmmmm!

Cakewalk offers madeleines, cupcakes, layer cakes, pudding cakes, upside-down cakes, bundt cakes, and on and on. Since these are single portions, an assortment of containers is used, such as mini muffin and regular muf-fin tins, ramekins, and mini bundt pans. Not only do you have your very own cake, but it takes half the time to cook. So, if you keep the ingredients on hand, should visitors stop by unexpectedly, you can whip up something special on the spur of the moment.

A sampling from Presto Pastry! finds Sour Cherry & Cheese Tarts, with English muffins as a base; Banana & Walnut Quesadillas; Apple Pizza; our superb Panini; and Biscuit Cobbler.

Hasty Puddings & Clever Fools are fast and simple because the recipes are keyed to des-serts for four to six people, tying into the theme of being prepared for any occasion. Blackberry Fools in White Chocolate Shells look and sound wonderful. Here’s another aspect of this super cookbook — mouthwater-ing photos to complement the recipes.

Fleet Sweets illustrates there are many candies and confections that can be put together within 30 minutes: Salty Chocolate Caramel Chews, Milk Chocolate Peanut & Raisin Bark, Candy-Coated Caramel Apples, White Chocolate & Green Tea Truffles, and Ginger-Spiced Caramel Popcorn & Pecans.

Lauren Chattman, a former pastry chef and a co-author of Dessert University with former White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier, is also a busy mother of two, who too often had found herself wishing for that sweet treat she could produce on the spot. So she challenged herself to come up with 100 recipes that could be ready in 30 minutes, using on-hand ingredi-ents, ones easy to stock or quickly pick up.

To say she has succeeded is an understate-ment. Ms. Chattman has put together a cook-book that you won’t set aside saying, “And this was supposed to be easy?” The challenge for readers is to subdue the temptation to keep right on sampling one recipe after another, since they’re so easy to make!

On board the Dessert Express

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As the Holiday Season is upon us, we would like to thank you for turning to us for your heating & air conditioning needs.

Everyone at NERO Inc. wishes you and your familyA very Happy Holiday & a New Year filled with peace and prosperity.

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Wishing you the best this Holiday Season from all of us

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LOCATION: This spacious colonial is in the popular Huntington Wood area of Shelton.

PROPERTY: Nicely landscaped with a backdrop of mature trees, this a home to enjoy, with outdoor mainte-nance at a minimum.

HOUSE: Custom-built in 2002, the house has many spe-cial features, such as a two-story foyer, vaulted ceilings in the family room and master bedroom, hardwood floors, and a pergola. There’s a living room, dining room, family room with fieldstone fireplace, sunroom, library, and a kitchen with granite countertops and an island, opening onto a deck. On the second floor is a master suite with bath and walk-in closet, and three more bedrooms. There are two and a half baths.

GARAGE: Three-car attached.PRICE: $897,900.REALTY: Keller Williams Realty.Agent: Maria Pereira, 203-650-2119.Photography: David Ames.

Home for the holidays■ HOME OF THE MONTH ■

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Documents

HOME for the holidays