The stars recently aligned for a perfect girls' night.  I had been hearing great things and really wanted to try Present Company.  My husband was traveling for work and my friend and fellow lady of real estate, Lisa, also found herself home alone with her significant other out of town on business.  She suggested that rather than sitting home and wallowing in the tears and sadness of our temporary separations, we do our best to enjoy at least one night out on our own.  So we pulled off our sweatpants, pasted on our smiles and gave it a shot.  Off to Present Company to try the fall tasting menu!  

We had a five course tasting paired with 5 delicious wines.  The theme for the fall 2017 menu is "A Homage to French Classics" and we tried a cream of artichoke soup, scallop au gratin, hen au vin, steak hambourgeoise, and for dessert we had the floating island which is a poached meringue dish.  I also don't want to forget to mention the amuse bouche which was a curried shirmp salad that was to die for.  Each and every course was amazing, service was outstanding and our entire experience was everything you could want when fine dining.  

Present Company has a small and cozy dining room divided from the "bar" area where the "bar" is actually a chef's table with front row seating for their open kitchen.  We sat at a high top in this area and were able to enjoy the dinner and a show vibe with a great view of everything happening in the kitchen.  

We visited on a Monday evening for a special event* with a 7pm reservation and the restaurant was full the entire time we were there.  .  Even though it seemed busy, service was stellar and we enjoyed visits to our table from both, Tom Gale and Chef Jeffrey Lizotte.   

If you enjoy fine dining, I highly recommend putting Present Company on the top of your list to visit on your next night out.  Take an Uber and add the wine pairing to all your courses! 

​PS- We weren't actually wearing sweatpants.


*Present Company is typically closed on Mondays and open Tue-Sat from 5pm-10pm.  
Check their site for up to date hours of operation.

My house is in desperate need of some exterior improvements and I'm all about the baby steps.  I like to pick one little project, get it done and then procrastinate as long as I can before starting the next one.  This year I decided to tackle resealing the deck the before another year of winter weather could take it's toll on the wood.  The first step in the resealing your deck project (according to google) is to power wash it and get it nice and clean.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Sure.  I started to make plans to borrow a power washer and then I started having traumatic flashbacks to the last time I attempted to power wash something myself...  Let's just say it didn't go well.  

I decided to be honest with myself an just admit that I am no DIY diva and that it would probably be best for me to call in a pro.  A quick Google search and I found some local companies and requested some quotes.  After comparing the levels of customer service and prices I went with Higher Powered Pressure Wash right here in Enfield.  

Higher Powered Pressure Wash is a family business owned and operated by David Watson.  After talking to Dave on the phone about what I needed, he was quick to come by and give me a free quote and tell me my options for cleaning up my home's exterior.  I decided to do the deck, the walk ways, the gutters and the roof.  The north facing side of my roof tends to grow some moss and these guys not only got rid of it, they guarantee it won't be back for 3 years!  I am very happy with the results and would highly recommend using Higher Powered Pressure Wash for all of your pressure washing needs.  

You'll rarely see me posting on politics, but local politics are important and have a big impact on you and where you live.  This November, those of us living in District 4 have the opportunity to get a great representative on the Town Council.  I'm so sure that Marie Pyznar will be a great Town Council member, that I took the time to write an endorsement  letter to our local papers and I wanted to share that here as well.  

To the Editor,
    
I am writing to support the candidacy of Marie Pyznar for Enfield’s 4th District on the Town Council.  

I first met Marie in 2014 when her mother moved into Parkway Pavilion as long term care resident.  At that time, my own mother had already been living at Parkway for some time.  Marie’s arrival as a regular visitor to Parkway had an immediate and incredibly positive impact on the residents and their family members.  Marie started the Parkway Residents’ Advocacy Group (PRAG for short).  She scheduled monthly PRAG meetings to help bridge the communication gap between the facility staff and residents’ family members.  All family members and loved ones were welcome to drop into meetings any time.  Marie took care of chairing the meetings, arranging for staff from different departments around the facility to join the group discussions and shared meeting minutes via email to anyone who could not attend.  Thanks to Marie and PRAG, I felt more connected to everyone at the facility, staff, residents and their family members.  She started a community there.  More importantly, she gave residents and their family members a voice.  Marie is one of the best advocates I’ve ever seen in action.  All residents benefited from her love and care for her own mother, those without their own family to visit were now a part of a community where everyone was looking out for their well being.  
​
I think Marie would be great on the Town Council because I think she would attack it the same way she did at Parkway.  She will listen to and advocate for residents in her district.  She has great ideas and she has the initiative to actually put those ideas into action and bring them to successful fruition.  Since I’ve known Marie I’ve seen her volunteer for events, organize fundraisers, ask questions, pursue answers and stick with her pursuits until she has seen them through.  If there is a job to do, Marie pushes up her sleeves and gets to work.  She cares about Enfield, and the people who live here and will do what she says she will do.  That’s why I’m voting for Marie Pyznar on November 7th and you should too! ​

Join us at BLUE UMBRELLA BOOKS on the green in downtown Westfield, MA for a FREE, informal, first time homebuyers workshop!  

We'll have a loan officer on hand to brief you on the mortgage process, an insurance rep from Liberty Mutual to handle the homeowners and rental insurance policy questions and of course, yours truly will be there to hype the benefits of using a realtor as a first time homebuyer.   We will also have snacks!  

FREE HOMEBUYING WORKSHOP
Wednesday
October 25th
​6:00pm-7:00pm
BLUE UMBRELLA BOOKS
2 MAIN ST
WESTFIELD, MA 01085
413-579-5383

My husband stopped home for five minutes at the end of one tour and before the start of another... what to do with that five minutes?  I know what you're thinking, but when we have five minutes together, we ALWAYS eat (first).  But where to go, where to go?  Let's try the new Commonwealth Kitchen on Route 5! 

It was a beautiful early October day and it was late-lunch time.  We opted to sit on the patio and were quickly greeted by the bartender/server.  We knew we would order sandwiches and wings and after a review of the menu we went with the Duck Fat Burger, Meatball Sandwich and 6 of the 25 Hour Chicken Wings, buffalo style.  We split the sandwiches in half so we could both taste each and the wings were served perfectly with 3 drumsticks and 3 flats.  (I'm a flat, he's a drum.)  Everything we tried was delicious and is pictured below.  Service was very friendly but on the slow side.  We were enjoying a leisurely lunch so that was not a problem for us.  ​We will return to try more of their menu soon.  

ATTN: Enfield residents!  Support your local independent businesses!  Next time you're thinking about dining out, try something different and choose an independent restaurant.  It's important to keep these businesses going in town!  

I was honored to be a "special guest speaker" for the Personal Finance class at Elms College in Chicopee, MA last Thursday.  The topic for the day's lecture was "renting vs buying".  Loan officer, Anne Johnson, handled the financing portion of the lecture and I discussed my point of view as a realtor.  The class was small but full of bright young adults with excellent questions.  

(Ever wonder what you looked like addressing the room?  Sometimes not knowing is better.) 

A big thank you to Professor Rick Sprinthall for having us and to the students for engaging us with great questions!  Go forward informed future home buyers! 

Happy to have rented this adorable, single family home to the Lee family who are packing for their move as we speak!  

6 Elm Corners
Windsor Locks, CT 06096
2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom
$950 per month​

Tonight!  Who is coming out to experience Wear Your Wounds?  I'll be there and it will be my first time, so I hope they are gentle.  If you see me, say "Hi!".  

I'm very happy that as an "alternative" agent, I get a lot of super cool clients.  Enter Justin and Una... 

These cuties were planning a wedding and shopping for a house at the same time!  Just the one major life change would not be enough for these love birds, they said "bring on all the stress at the same time!" and they handled it beautifully.  

Now that they are hitched and have moved into their new home, I wanted to brag a little about how talented my favorite newlywed couple are...

Justin is a tattooer at Body Graphics Tattoo in South Windsor, CT and his graphic style, clean lines and bold color impress me all the time.  I'm posting some of his work here, but definitely go check out his Instagram and if you live in the South Windsor area and are thinking about your next tattoo, look no further.  Justin is your man.  

Una is an esthetician at Headdress Beauty Lounge in Simsbury, CT.  Headdress is a full service salon focused on sustainable beauty, offering, hair & skin care, make-up, massage and outstanding service.  Una is intuitive, nurturing and has an incredible knowledge of skin care.  Let her customize a facial for you and make you glow!  

Congratulations to these guys on their recent nuptials, and may they have many happy, healthy years together in their new home!