Lifestyle

Just in case you don't follow me on social media (where I've posted hundreds of pics), I just returned from a long awaited trip from Morocco. When I say long awaited, I mean LONG awaited. This was a group trip, scheduled pre shut down, and was rescheduled multiple times. But prior to that, Morocco was at the very top of my "must see" list from the time I was 15. Waiting that long to do anything puts a ton of expectations out there, but to say it met and exceeded my expectations is really any understatement. I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite thing about it, but here are a few: The people. The ones I traveled with (who I did not really know before I went, but who were so absolutely fantastic they just made the trip exponentially better than I could have imagined.) Find you a group of people who cause you to push yourself, ask good questions, and make your muscles sore from all the belly laughs. 10/10 recommend. The locals. All of the people we met were really welcoming, kind, and helpful. Culturally, I think, just fantastic people. The food. Wow. I could go on and on about the food. Orange and olive trees everywhere, and so many wonderful spices and flavors. I'll definitely be replicating, exploring, and recreating Moroccan foods for years to come. (I'm including a great recipe for a delicious, traditional Moroccan Harira Soup HERE. Perfect for the winter, or any time, and easy to freeze for later. The colors. Rugs, baskets, pottery, brilliant tea glasses, mountains of olives and herbs, and so many wonderful, brightly colored doors (that blue!). So much natural beauty and vibrancy. I'm definitely bringing color back into my home as a result. The architecture. We stayed in Marrakech, in the heart of the Medina (the original, fortified city- founded just after the year 1000), characterized by winding, labyrinthine cobblestone streets filled with studded wooden or often blue doors. Some magnificent, and some very discreet and unassuming. Traditional homes are called riads, and are built around a center courtyard. There are often (certainly in the old city) no exterior windows, but rather windows opening to the center courtyard and some sort of outdoor space on the rooftop. Really magical, actually. Other notable elements- lots of nature (trees, plants, and fountains), natural wood elements, lots of color and texture, beautiful tiles and plasterwork. ( I could go on!) After almost a week in Marrakech, we moved on to Essaouira, which is another fortified city, on the Atlantic coast. We all fell in love with the slower pace, wider streets, and ocean views of Essaouira, and it's no wonder there were so many Europeans there on holiday, even in January. We did a lot of moving in Marrakech, too, with no "free day" (thanks for the delay, Delta), so getting to the sea was a great way to relax and slow down a bit before the journey home. Take a look at some of my photos, and if you're planning to head to Morocco, or even thinking of it, scroll down for a quick rating of the events and things we did! Yves Saint Laurent Museum and Jardin Majorelle 7/10- Beautiful gardens and a very interesting (though not terribly large) museum about YSL and his time in and inspiration from Morocco. 7/10 if it's slow with no line. If the line is around the block like it was when we left, I think we'd all agree it would have been a 3/10. Souk shopping with a guide. 10/10- I highly recommend having a guide to give you the lay of the land, help with finding the "good stuff," and if needed, help with pricing/negotiating. Honestly, I feel like I'm a top notch negotiator (I'm in real estate, after all!), but I 100% know I paid more than I needed to for a few things. For example, one of our group paid ~$28 for a tagine cooking pot, and we all thought that was a great deal. On our last night, the Abdou, our cooking instructor, informed us we should not pay more than ~$5 for one. Our collective jaws dropped, and another gal promptly went out and purchased 2 for $5. (I've done the conversions here) Visit to the Ourika Valley and the Atlas Mountains. 10/10- Absolutely stunning vistas of the mountains, and so striking to see snow atop some of them. We hiked up the mountain to the waterfalls with a wonderful guide (@ourikatours on Instagram), but we were not well prepared for the rigor of the hike. (I had a handbag and a bottle of water, and was wearing athleisure. I could not have felt more ridiculous immediately.) Aside from that, learning the history and culture of the more rural area at Setti Fatma, eating lunch right on the rushing river, and catching the views? Definitely a 10/10 experience. We had dinner at Kasbah Bar Ourika, a luxury resort in the valley, and it was the perfect, luxurious end to our energetic day. Visit to the Berber EcoMuseum. They don't have a website, but if you're in the area, it's definitely a great learning experience- info about the Amazigh people (the indigenous people of Morocco, often referred to as Berber), how they used to live, how they live now, stories of how rugs are made and why. (Watch out to get bombarded with requests for money by teeming hordes of children. They can spot a tourist at 40 paces.) Agafay Desert. 8/10- We visited Be Agafay, a new luxury clamping resort, and had lunch there. It's very beautiful, and the drive there is fantastic. It would be an interesting place to stay for the night, although it's not inexpensive (~$300/night) Lunch was delicious, but it appeared they were working out the kinks, because it took forever. Camel ride. 0/10- (This would be lower, but I wanted to make it visually clear that we universally hated this.) It seems like this is something you'd have on the "must do" list, but trust me- if you have any heart for animals, do so at your own risk. There may be places that care for their animals well, but we did not feel like that was the case at the place we stopped. They were chained to the ground, seemed very stressed, and it felt terrible. We actually cut the hour down to maybe 20 minutes, and it was only that long because we could not get the man leading the camels to understand we wanted off. Essaouira. 10/10- Take a walk to the ocean, the blue boats, wander the the shops, and have some seafood tagine. Definitely catch the sunset over the Atlantic. We booked a cooking class through Airbnb experiences, and it was absolutely fantastic. Unfussy, laid back, and so much fun, with great hosts. (@weloveessouira on Instagram.) Are you thinking of planning a trip? Ask me questions! Want to know if you should go? You should!

Everyday Vinaigrette 1/4 cup oil of your choice (I usually use good quality olive or avocado oil) 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1 clove of garlic, grated 1 tsp Dijon mustard Pinch of salt Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste Put all the ingredients in a jar with a secure lid, and shake till well blended. Done. All oils and vinegars are interchangeable here. Use your favorite oil, and any vinegar you like- balsamic, flavored balsamic, red or white wine... Add herbs to your taste, and get creative! I love this with a hint of oregano when I'm cooking Italian, or a bit of dill or cilantro depending on your other foods. My tip for salads is always something with some crunch (nuts or seeds), something with some sweetness (chopped apple or pear, or dried cranberries), red onion or scallions, your favorite lettuce, and a cheese that you notice (like blue, feta, or goat), and whatever other vegetables you want to add (I'm obsessed with the little Persian cucumbers right now-so crisp and crunchy). Rotate your dressing and salad ingredients, add a protein if you like, and you've got a great meal fast that never tastes the same. (You can even make a large batch of dressing sans herbs and tweak it to suit the day.  

My favorite *home* items right now (that just might help you with those resolutions)... Sleep better- Linen sheets from OneQuince.com. I seriously sound like a commercial for these sheets, I love them so much. The perfect weight, soft without feeling heavy, breathable, but warm...I'm convinced they're perfect. Oh, and the price is great for the material and the quality, too. I swear I sleep better since I've had these, and that's definitely worth it! Save money- Ecobee thermostat. The ability to set this thermometer to your patterns is fantastic, and the ease with which you can change, from home or away (with the app) is fantastic. Set your perfect sleep temp, "at home" temp, and have it drop when you're away. The bonus? You'll save money, and you can get credits/rebates from Dominion Power! Be more environmentally conscious- BagUps. These garbage bags (yes, garbage bags are on my favorite things list!) are not only a small start up, but the company is veteran owned, AND, best of all, these bags are totally biodegradable. Additionally, the box is sort of like tissues, so the back up bags are always there for you. There's plenty we have to throw away, but I love that the bags, and therefore, much of the contents, break down over time. Get organized- This eyeglass organizer was a game changer for me. A person of a certain age, I use reading glasses. I don't like wearing the same ones all the time, and I had them everywhere. This corrals them all in one place- keeps them from getting scuffed, getting lost, and obviously, from the clutches of my little dog. Great for sunglasses too, perfect for your walk in closet, and good looking enough for your dresser! (and under $30!)  

Yep, I'm one of "those people." I love a goal. A plan. A resolution, if you will. So despite the cold, and the post holiday funk that many folks have, I am pretty energized at this time of the year. Reflecting and reviewing the past year and crafting a plan for what I want the next year to look like really is one of my favorite things to do. I've always done resolutions- for as long as I can remember, really, but I've definitely gotten better at making them work for me over the last ten years or so. That means gone are the days where I just say, "I'm going to.... this year" and hope that I can make it stick. I have a system, and a plan, for making those plans, and for sure, for making them come to fruition. So what is this special sauce, you ask? (At least I hope you ask if you've found yourself discouraged by resolution fatigue in the past!) First, take a look at your life now. Your WHOLE life- not just your appearance, your business, or your bank account. That means doing an assessment on your relationships with friends and family, your business, your money, your spirituality, your health, etc. You get the picture. Give them each a rating 1-10, even. That's always a great starting point. Jot down some notes about the good points and the areas of improvement you see. Likely a few things will start to reveal themselves, and more often than not, these are the areas you'll want to work on. I work on paper, but wherever and however works for you- once you get clear on those things you want to improve, get really clear on HOW to do that. If your goal is to grow your business, you need to get SPECIFIC on how much you want to grow, and how. For me at least, that specificity is the difference in getting to my goals, or falling off by February. I'm sure you've heard of SMART goals. If not, this stands for Specific - (Don't just say, "grow business." Say "Grow by 30%) Measurable - (Know your numbers, whether it's your weight or your biz growth) Achievable - (Make your goals ambitious, but attainable.) Relevant - (Does the goal actually make sense and work towards a greater goal?) Time Bound - (Set a realistic deadline, and progress points) I find when I chunk my goals into smaller pieces to achieve monthly, weekly, and daily, they are all much easier to manage than just creating a huge goal with no smaller steps. Creating a plan that you can work a bit on every day to get to where you want to be can make a world of difference in making those incremental changes that will, in time, lead you to achieving that goal- whatever it is. Whatever your goals are, or are not, I'm wishing you a happy, successful, and healthy 2023!

"If you're looking for one stop to know where all the biggest, best, lighting displays are around town (county by county), look no further! I've updated my tacky lights map for 2022, so check it out, grab some cocoa, and plan your stops!" Click HERE to follow along!

Full disclosure- this is not my recipe, but one I found a few years ago on ABeautifulPlate.com. I've made it many, many times since, though. The crispy, roasted Brussels sprouts, the creamy, slightly sweet chunks of butternut squash, studded with sweet dried cranberries, and tied together with the tart Dijon vinaigrette is simply amazing (and pretty festive looking as well.) If you're looking for something just a little different than the norm to add to your Thanksgiving table, this is definitely one to try! Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Squash with Dried Cranberries and Dijon Vinaigrette Ingredients 1 lb butternut squash peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks 1 lb Brussels sprouts trimmed and sliced lengthwise in half 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup dried cranberries (unsweetened or sweetened) Dijon Vinaigrette: 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or rice vinegar 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil two pinches kosher salt freshly ground black pepper   Instructions Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Place the butternut squash chunks and halved Brussels sprouts on a large baking sheet. Drizzle them with the 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and toss them with your hands to distribute the oil evenly. Sprinkle the vegetables evenly with kosher salt and pepper, and toss them again with your hands. Spread the vegetables out evenly onto the baking sheet. Roasting Tip: Place the Brussels sprouts cut-side down, this will allow them to caramelize more evenly against the surface of the sheet pan. Roast the vegetables for 20 to 30 minutes (time will vary depending on the size of your Brussels sprouts and butternut squash chunks), tossing them gently 1 to 2 times during the roasting time to ensure that they caramelize evenly on all sides. Scatter the dried cranberries onto baking sheet in the last five minutes of roasting time. Allow the pan to sit on a rack to cool slightly while you prepare the Dijon vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard and rice wine vinegar. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking continuously with your other hand, until the ingredients are emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently place the roasted vegetables in a large serving bowl or platter. Pour on the Dijon vinaigrette and toss the vegetables gently until they are lightly dressed. Serve warm, lukewarm, or cold.

Enter my first ever Great Big Thank You Giveaway! 2022 has been a pretty fantastic year, and that's in large part due to you, my clients, friends, and followers. I'd love to say thank you, and what better way than a great giveaway! I'll be giving away a Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 to one lucky soul, so here are the details! How to Enter: 1) Buy or sell a home with me between January 1 and November 15, 2022. (4 entries) (Yes, you get 8 entries if you bought AND sold with me this year!) 2) If we've worked together, leave me a review on Google or Zillow! (Obviously, a great review is preferred. I always say, "If you have a bad experience, tell me. If you have a good experience, tell everyone!") (2 entries) 3) Subscribe to my YouTube channel between now and November 15, 2022 (2 entries) - When you subscribe, just take a screenshot and send it our way! If you've done any/all of the above this year, you're already entered!  All entries will be entered into a drawing to win a SOLO STOVE Bonfire 2.0! Contest ends at midnight November 15th and I will draw the name of the winner LIVE on IG November 16th at noon! I can't thank you enough for your business, your kind words, and your referrals! **The finer fine print. You must be local to win, and all entries will be verified.

Over the last couple of years, I've helped lots and lots of people move to the Richmond area from other parts of the country and one of the biggest questions I get is obviously, why Richmond? What makes it so great anyway? So I'm going to give you my top 10 Of all the things that I love about Richmond that I think makes us one of the best places to live. 1. There is always something to do here. If you cannot find something to do, you are literally trying to be bored. 2. Second, history. With over 300 historical markers throughout the Richmond area, you can always find history. Again, you'd have to really try not to. 3. Third, art is everywhere from the VMFA to the murals all around town. You can find galleries you can find high-end art and street art. It is a really fantastic place to soak up some art culture. 4. Nightlife and adult beverages shall we say. From craft beers to spirits now to wines and everything in between. You can go on tasting tours that last all day or have a great night out with friends. 5. Festivals, we love our festivals here in the Richmond area. And that means any opportunity to get together with friends, have a food truck, have some music, and have some adult beverages. We are in with both feet. We are there in crowds, all four seasons. 6. I grew up in Richmond but I have lived all up and down the East Coast. And one of the best things about our area is we have four actual seasons spring, summer, fall, winter, and none of them last too long. Yeah, it gets a little humid in the summer. But you know you can deal with traffic. People move, from up north especially, and they want a 45-minute commute. No one here has a 45-minute commute. You really have to have a horse farm to get a 45-minute commute. So you can be almost anywhere in the area within 20 minutes or so. 7. Proximity in the Richmond area. Within two hours you can be in the mountains you can be at the beach, you can be in Washington, DC or Colonial Williamsburg take your pick, and you can be just about anywhere in under two hours. 8. We are 6% below the cost of living for the rest of the state of Virginia and about on average with the rest of most of the country so you get a lot of the perks of being in a metropolitan area without paying for them. 9. Food. National Geographic voted us a few years ago as one of the best places in the world to visit for food and we are holding to that whether you want something really unique and delicious that you can eat on the sidewalk or you want to go have a world-class dining experience. We've got it all for you here. 10. Last but not least, the James River. That is probably one of my favorite things and it runs right through the city. So you can literally be in downtown Richmond drop in with your paddleboard or walk right up and rent a kayak and hop right in the river, 10 minutes after you get off work. Where else can you do that?

If you’re looking for some fun fall activities in Richmond, Virginia, check out my 2022 RVA Fall Guide! Click the link below to get your copy today! https://bit.ly/3y8T9ev

As we head in to fall, having a great chili recipe (and a crockpot!) on hand is crucial. With back to school, football Sundays, and busy weeknights, it's definitely one of my favorites for making things easy.   Here's one of my favorite recipes: Crockpot Chili 2 pounds lean ground beef 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 2-3  garlic cloves, minced 30 ounces kidney beans, rinsed well and drained (2 15 oz cans) 15 ounces pinto beans, rinsed well and drained (1 can) 29 ounces diced tomatoes (use the entire can, including liquid) 3 ounces tomato paste 8 ounces tomato sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup beef broth 1 teaspoon hot sauce 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until mostly cooked through. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and garlic and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Transfer the beef mixture to a 6 quart crockpot or slow cooker. Add the beans. Top with diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and hot sauce. Next add the seasonings (chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper and cocoa). Stir to combine Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.