Shop Small, Think Local First

We easily fall into the habit of shopping online in the comfort of our own home. When we shop locally, we not only support a small local business, we also get to meet our neighbors and experience personalized customer service. Since moving to Newburgh, I’ve enjoyed shopping local year-round. Read more

Nesting time

With cooler temperatures, I find myself wanting to stay home. Nesting season is upon us and to create a comfortable environment at home, it helps to free up the space of things that are no longer working for you.

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Shop local for the holidays

Are you making a list and checking it twice? As we get closer to Christmas, the pressure rises and so does the crowds. Shopping small local businesses can make the experience less stressful. Here is my list of suggestions of local spots to hit to make the season merry and bright.

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Prepping your home for sale? This expert ‘Nailed It!’

During a staging consultation, I walk with the homeowners to offer suggestions on how to prepare their house for sale before putting it on the market. When questions come up, the best way to find the solution is to ask an expert. If I can’t answer it, I’ll find someone who can.

This column provides the answers for questions from recent consultations. The expert to answer them is Corinne Courtney, owner of Nailed It! Hardware Corp. on South Street in Washingtonville (496-3755). Read more

Plant a seed this holiday season

Take a moment to remember a holiday from your childhood. My hope is that you can recall some magical memories that warm your heart. My memories not only fill my heart, but my stomach, and are centered on the family meal and the preparation.

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Recognize the Hero in Your Life

With Veteran’s Day on November 11, I wanted to recognize the hero in my life, my father. William Tirabasso was born in the United States but his family went back to Italy where he was raised. To this day my dad speaks with a thick Italian accent so people think he was born in Italy. Read more

Project CARD ONE: Cards for our troops!

photo courtesy 366 Random Acts
photo courtesy 366 Random Acts

For the last few years I had the privilege to spread the word about a special project that sends greeting cards to our troops.

Michelle Little organizer of Project CARD ONE, says “There are plenty of cards to share and we can always use more to distribute. All of my card angels are fantastic and have been receiving the cards throughout the past year!” Read more

Coping with the almost-empty nest

September has always felt like the start of a new year. This one is bittersweet, as my youngest was dropped off at college last weekend. We drove over five hours to Vermont, and it seemed OK until it was time to leave. Let’s just say that solo drive back was intense. As I got closer to home, the tears started flowing. Walking into my home I realized my nest is temporarily empty.

Now what? It has me thinking what the future will look like. Will I stay in the house? For now, yes, but for how long? Read more