Use Your Android or iPhone to Shop This Holiday Season

Written by on December 6, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Shopping Apps to Make Holiday Shopping Easier

I have once again used the cuteness of Quinn to get your attention! Shameless, aren’t I? In my defense, this post DOES have something to do with the holidays and I DO love shopping for my littlest love! The following article was provided by Robin Baran of Wintrust Mortgage. It gives some great tips for shopping with our Smart phones. My favorite just might be Coupon Sherpa because I LOVE a great deal! From Robin:

With the most wonderful time of year upon us, finding the best deals or actually shopping can be exhausting. Here are some “SMART” phone ways to make the experience more enjoyable and actually fun! Warning: Some of these apps can be helpful and others can be harmful to your wallets!

 1. Google Shopper. Shopping has never been easier with the Google Shopper. Simply take a picture of anything or the barcode of an item. Another fun way to shop is the voice recognition feature. You can speak the name of the product and watch Google shopper work its magic in locating it!

2. Coupon Sherpa Say goodbye to coupon clipping. Download Coupon Sherpa and have instant access to coupons at major retailers like Coach Outlet, Banana Republic, Gap, Bath and Body Works, Ann Taylor and more. The cashier simply scans the coupon right from your phone!

3. Shopkick Shopkick turns shopping into a game. You rack up rewards with “kicks” or points just for visiting a store. Just walk into one of 1,300 Best Buy stores and almost 1,000 Old Navy stores in all 50 states, and hundreds of Target stores, Macy’s, American Eagle, Sports Authority, Crate&Barrel, West Elm, Wet Seal and the largest Simon malls! Open the shopkick app on your iPhone or Android phone in the entrance area, and wait for a few seconds. That’s it! Your shopkick app will reward you instantly. It’s fun. shopkick is adding more stores in more cities every month.

4. Gift Plan I am not sure how most people manage gift giving, but I like to brainstorm in advance and come up with multiple gift ideas, eventually narrowing the list down to the cheapest and most practical option. Gift Plan allows you to add any number of people manually, or by importing birthdays from your Contacts or Facebook. Do any of you need my info? Anyway, this app allows you to jot down ideas, sizes, likes and dislikes. The app’s “Occasions” tabs shows upcoming birthdays or holiday’s color coded. The “shopping tab” helps keep track of gifts you play to buy and the best part: password protected from prying eyes! Gift Plan keeps you organized! (NOTE from TERRY: I could only find this app for iPhone.)

5. Lemon Epic! Digitalize your receipts with Lemon. Scan your receipts with phone cameras and the service automatically identifies the name and location of stores along with the amount and the date of purchase. You can see the whole receipt if you want. It’s also great for online shopping. Online retailers can send your receipt to your lemon.com address so they are easier to keep track of.

6. Amazon Mobile One stop shopping! No need to worry if you are getting the best price or not. Amazon Mobile App allows you to quickly search and compare by barcode, text or snapping a picture. Great feature also is access to product reviews.

7. Redlaser Owned by E-Bay, Redlaser is amazing at finding items online and in nearby brick and mortar stores. Has a feature for making lists and “history” that records all items you looked up so you can find them later! You can also use this app to scan food items for allergy and nutrition information. This feature works with almost every brand name packaged food in the US.

8. Starbucks Mobile Maybe the most important Holiday app out there! Starbucks Mobile allows you to check your balances, gives you discounts, reload your card or just have the ease of scanning your phone.

If a new home is on your holiday list, I am always here to assist! If a refinance is in your plan, give me a call and I can give you contact information for Robin. Thanks, Robin, for sharing this article.

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St. Francis de Sales Lake Zurich Jubilee Garden Fall Sale

Written by on September 28, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Support Lake Zurich Area Food Pantries by Purchasing Pumpkins and Corn Stalks

As I drive down Route 22 in Lake Zurich, I can see the activity at the St. Francis de Sales Jubilee Garden as they prepare for their fall sale. The sale will begin on Saturday, October 1st, from 9 am to noon and continue on Saturdays in October. The Jubilee Garden is non-profit, self-sustaining and relies on volunteers and financial support from the community to stay in “business”. This is their only fund raiser this year. Available for sale will be orange pumpkins from $1-$3 each, Cinderella pumpkins @5 each, and corn stalks @$5 each.

The Jubilee Garden grew approximately 2000 pounds of produce and 500 ears of corn this year that is donated to local food pantries including Emmaus House Community Dinner, St. Vincent de Paul and Alpine Church. The Garden land is donated for use by a local family and garden volunteers come from many organizations including Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Helpers also come from high schools doing service projects. The Lake Zurich Fire Department lends a helping hand by filling the water reservoirs. Hawthorn Gardens provides a variety of plants. It’s great to see so many people in the community coming together to provide fresh, organic, locally grown produce to those who may not otherwise have it.

The St. Francis de Sales Jubilee Garden is located in Lake Zurich on Route 22, about ¼ mile east of Quentin. Pop by and purchase a few pumpkins and corn stalks to decorate the exterior of your home. You’ll be helping to purchase the items needed for next year’s garden. At the same time, you’ll be getting great prices on cool fall items to enhance the curb appeal of your home. I’ll be stopping by this Saturday before the Long Grove Apple Fest. Hope to see you there!

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Bushels of Fun at Long Grove Apple Fest!

Written by on September 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Long Grove’s 19th Annual Apple Fest Sept. 30, October 1, 2

Jane Austen said “Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness”. If you agree, then you’ll be absolutely blissful this weekend at Long Grove’s 19th Annual Apple Fest! Apple Fest is my favorite of all the Long Grove festivals. Cool, crisp weather, yummy food booths, entertainment, great shopping, and FESTIVAL DONUTS(!) are all great reasons to visit Long Grove Apple Fest.

Apple Fest has a full line-up of entertainment. There’s sure to be something that a-peels (sorry, I couldn’t help it!) to everyone. Bands and performing artists will be featured at the Gazebo, Towner Green, Beans and Leaves, Covered Bridge and Fountain Square throughout the weekend. Long Grove features its own “Man vs. Food” with the Ice Cream Eating Contest and Apple Pie Eating Contest.  There are child friendly activities including face painting.

While you’re strolling the cobblestone paths, stop in at one of the 70 Long Grove stores or restaurants. Many will have apple themed dishes and merchandise. Food vendors will be set up throughout the village offering not only apple creations but other goodies like roasted corn. You can create your own caramel apple outside the Apple Haus.

I can smell the food and hear the music from my Long Grove home. If you’d like to check out homes for sale in the Long Grove area, click here to see some of the homes currently on the market.

Apple Fest is fun for the whole family. The big challenge will be finding enough time to see everything. The second biggest will be to only eat one apple cider donut sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar that are made special for Apple Fest. I hope to see many of my friends this weekend at Apple Fest!

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Vernon Hills Police Department Organizes Veterans’ Coat Drive

Written by on September 22, 2011 · 1 Comment

Donate a Gently Used Coat and Help a Lake County Veteran

We owe our veterans a huge debt of gratitude. There’s an easy way for residents of Lake County to show their thanks. The Vernon Hills Police Department, in conjunction with the Veterans’ Assistance Commission, is collecting coats for Lake County veterans and their families. Vernon Hills High School (September 30) and Grayslake High School (October 14) join in the effort by organizing a collection of coats during one of their football games. The Vernon Hills Police Department is also accepting donations.

Mike Peck is the Superintendent of The Veterans’ Assistance Commission. On October 18, 2011, they will be conducting a Stand Down for homeless veterans and veterans in need.  A Stand Down allows veterans in need to receive a medical and dental assessment, a haircut, and a referral for other counseling services, if needed.  With winter approaching, the VAC has long strived toward the goal of providing each veteran in need with a winter coat. More than 300 Lake County Veterans are expected to participate this year. Last year the winter gear was all taken within the first two hours.  They need our community support!

The need is greater this year than ever before. 792 Lake County veterans have registered with the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program. These veterans and their families are at risk of becoming homeless as they struggle to make rent or mortgage payments.

Take a look through your closets and find a gently used men’s, women’s or children’s coat. Or, shop a sale and purchase a new one! Also accepted will be new hats, gloves and scarves. If you’re a fan, attend the Vernon Hills or Grayslake High School footbal games and bring a coat. I will also accept donations at the Coldwell Banker Buffalo Grove office (350 Half Day Road) and deliver them to the Vernon Hills Police Department (740 Lakeview Parkway).  If you live in the area and have a donation but just can’t get it to any of the donation points, contact me and I’ll pick it up!

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5 Fun Things To Do This Weekend In and Around Lake Zurich

Written by on September 8, 2011 · Leave a Comment

5 Free or Inexpensive Things To Do This Weekend

The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler. This is a great weekend to get some outdoor time in before it’s too late! Here are 5 fun and inexpensive things to do this weekend in and around Lake Zurich!

1. Take a Forest Fitness Hike: The Lake County Forest Preserve offers a Fitness Hike each week at a different preserve. This week’s is Friday, September 9th at the Half Day Preserve in Vernon Hills. It goes from 8 am to 9 am and the cost is $1 for residents and $2 for non-residents. For more information, visit their website.
2. Visit a Farmers Market: We only have a few weeks left to support our local markets! Visit one of these:
        *Long Grove Farmers Market – Sundays from 8 am to 1pm through October.  
        *Buffalo Grove Farmers Market – Sundays from 8 am to12:30 pm through October 16th. .
        *Hawthorn Woods Farmers Market – Fridays from 3 to 7 pm through October.

3.      Looking for a little more excitement? Attend the Wings Over Waukegan Air Show on Saturday, September 10th. It starts at 10 am and tickets are $5 for adults. Kids 12 and under are free.
4.  Visit the Chicago Botanic Garden. I haven’t been there in a while and can’t wait to see the changes in the Garden. There’s a plant giveaway today and a Roadside Flower Sale on Friday. Check out the full calendar of events.
5. Last, but not least, simply take some time to have an impromptu barbeque with family and friends. Play a little bocce or bags and enjoy the important people in your lives!

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Kirsten’s Garden at the Lake Zurich Farmers Market

Written by on July 26, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Meet Kirsten Halverson, Young Lake Zurich Entrepreneur and Organic Gardener

Anna (left) and Kirsten

Kirsten Halverson is a young woman who is embracing many things that I love: farmers markets, shopping locally and organic growing. I met Kirsten at the Lake Zurich Farmers Market along with her friend and growing partner, Anna Kaszuba. Kirsten and Anna will be seniors at Stevenson High School this fall. They were kind enough to take a few minutes to talk to me about their vegetable growing business.

Kirsten began growing vegetables simply because she loves veggies! She was encouraged by Robert Boyce, owner of Lake Zurich Florist and Natural Environments Landscapes, to expand her horizons. Mr. Boyce donated a part of his Lake Zurich greenhouse so that Kirsten could have more space and start earlier in the season. He encouraged her to grow organically and sell her crops at the Lake Zurich Farmers market on Fridays and at the Palatine Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Kirsten engaged the help of her friend, Anna Kaszuba. Anna tells me that at first she did it just to help Kirsten out but now she’s really enjoying it. We can encourage Kirsten and Anna by attending the Lake Zurich Farmers Market on Friday afternoons and buying some of their local, organically grown veggies.

The Lake Zurich Farmers Market is held on Fridays from 3 -7 pm at Lion’s Park (81 E Main). This is the first year that it’s been back and the vendors need our support if it’s to continue next year. Pop by; see Kirsten, Anna, and Bob. Tell them Terry sent you!

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Buffalo Grove Farmers’ Market Opens Sunday, June 19th

Written by on June 17, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Buffalo Grove Market Opens June 19th at 7:30 AM

The Buffalo Grove Farmers’ Market is back again this year! It opens on Sunday, June 19th at 7:30 am and will close at 12:30 pm. Because it’s Father’s Day, there will be a special raffle for dads. Stop by the information booth and enter a drawing for a Farmers’ Market gift certificate.

With over 25 vendors, there will be a multitude of items to choose from. Offerings will include meats, cheeses, produce, flowers, spices and bakery items. Fresh donuts will be made onsite. With the delicious aroma of cooking donuts, that’s probably a booth I’ll visit! Entertainment this Sunday includes an acoustic guitar and singing act of folk, kids and pop music.

The Buffalo Grove Farmers’ Market is a great place to meet local vendors and catch up with your neighbors. I’ve found that farmers’ market vendors are always glad to take a few minutes to talk about themselves and the items that they have for sale. You can learn a lot about sustainable growing and local crafters. While you’re there, pick up some fresh items for that Father’s Day dinner!

The Buffalo Grove Farmers’ Market is held at the Spray ‘n Play Park, 951 N. McHenry Road, Buffalo Grove. Visitors are asked to bring a nonperishable food item for donation to the Vernon Township Food Pantry. Stop by on Sunday and support local businesses!

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Nature and Life in Long Grove – Ducklings Hatch!

Written by on June 5, 2011 · 3 Comments

Ducklings Hatch in My Long Grove Yard!

Last week I wrote about the robins’ nests in my yard and gave a few tips on how to attract birds to your yard. I can’t tell you how to cause a duck to lay eggs in your yard, but I was so enthralled with the mama duck in my yard that I just had to share the story and pictures!

Rarely do we use our front door so it may have been a while before I spotted the duck nest. Located behind a whiskey barrel and protected from the wind by the house, a brave mama duck built her nest in the bark. It was hard to see – she was very good at camouflage. Each day after discovering it, we would look out there to be sure she had survived any area predators. Happily, she did. Although we were sure that our sweet dog Quincy wouldn’t bother her, we thought that he may be curious and accidentally disturb them. He never even noticed!

It takes about 28 days for duck eggs to hatch. Once hatching begins, all the eggs will hatch within 24 hours. I searched the internet to see how long they might remain in the nest after hatching. Reports varied from 6 hours to 24 hours. How was I ever going to see them? As it turned out, I was lucky enough to be home on hatching day.

Each time I would come near the nest to take pictures, Mama Duck would hustle her brood back into the nest and sit on it. I was so tempted to pick one up to hold the fuzzy little body just for a minute. Before I foolishly did so, I remembered that my son Michael tried that once at a lake in Michigan and it didn’t turn out well! I had to be satisfied with the pictures.

Periodically (about every 15 minutes!) I would check the nest to see if they were still there. I realized that I was really bothering them so I tried to stay away. Of course, I missed the voyage. My husband came in to tell me that my duck mom was taking her babies to the water. I grabbed my camera and ran down to the pond for their first swim. There were 11 ducklings! No wonder they can’t stay in the nest very long.

Last weekend the ducklings came to feast at the bird feeder. Wow, are they big! My husband reminds me that these cute babies that I love right now are the same ones that I will complain about next spring when they are quacking at 4:30 am. Ah, the circle of life.

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Nature and Life in Long Grove

Written by on May 23, 2011 · 6 Comments

Baby Robins Hatch and Fledge from My Long Grove Yard!

When can I fly?

Over the past few weeks I’ve heard from friends, clients and neighbors about how messy and disruptive the birds’ nests have become around their homes. A Buffalo Grove real estate listing client and a Palatine friend related how difficult it is to keep knocking the nests down. If you’re hoping that I’ll tell you how to discourage them, stop reading now! What I WILL do is show you how beautiful and fun it is to watch them and give you some tips to encourage birds to flock to your yard.

Robins have nested in the lights at both my front and back doors for the past several years. This year I was lucky enough to catch

Feeding my babies

 them in various stages of growth. It’s amazing how quickly they progress from featherless little creatures to the tiny birds that learn to fly with Mama Robin watching over them.

If you’d like to attract birds to your Long Grove area garden, here are a few tips:

1. FOOD: You can add feeders to your yard or feed them naturally with berries from shrubs and seeds from flowers. I have several feeders and use a “general” type of seed to attract different birds. My friend Sis and her husband Don have specific feeders for specific types of birds. Either way, you’ll attract enough birds to entertain you!
2. WATER: Provide a water source. It can be as simple as small dishes placed throughout the yard to elaborate, heated birdbaths. Whatever you use, it should slope gradually. Keep the water clean and free of debris.
3. SHELTER: Birds need a place to quickly escape from predators. Place feeders no more than 6 to 12 feet from shrubs or trees.

I know that it’s a little messy to have birds nesting in the convenient places around your home. I find it more than worth the clean-up to be able to witness the amazing transformation from tiny blue egg to fledglings. I hope that these cute pictures will make people think twice before removing the nests!

Starting to fly!

Later in the week I’ll be sharing a story and photos of the ducklings that hatched in my front yard. Maybe I’ll be a nature writer when I grow up!

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Terry Dahlem & Coldwell Banker Sponsor Shred Event

Written by on May 18, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Buffalo Grove Area Community Shred Event May 21st

If you’re like me, during spring cleaning you unearthed boxes of personal papers that need to be shredded! I’ll be bringing mine to the Coldwell Banker Buffalo Grove Community Shred Event on Saturday. We’ve hired Secure Eco Shred to set up in our parking lot from 10 am to 1 pm to shred sensitive papers for our clients, friends and neighbors.

As a Realtor, I am always concerned with my clients’ confidential information. I’ll be adding some of those files to the shredder on Saturday. Secure Eco Shred offers high security paper shredding. You can even leave the staples in so it’s nice and easy. One of the best parts is that all of the paper is recycled.

This event will be held at Coldwell Banker, 350 Half Day Road, Buffalo Grove on Saturday, May 21st from 10 am to 1 pm. Our community events are always fun, so bring your shreddables and stop by to see us!

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