Archive for February, 2012

Scenery – This is simply a beautiful place to live. The natural scenery creates a beautiful backdrop for the homes and properties. There is also an abundance of state parks such as Oak Mountain to hike and canoe.

Investment Opportunity – Real estate values in Birmingham are on the rise. Homes and properties here have become an excellent real estate investment.

Employment – There is a thriving employment atmosphere in Birmingham. There are many opportunities in various work fields.

Schools – Birmingham some excellent schools, both public and private. There is also a wealth of post-secondary options that cater to students of all kinds.

People – This city is has a fantastic sense of community. Friendly and welcoming people have created an atmosphere of community spirit and belonging that is highly desirable. Communities like Ross Bridge are great for all families

Shopping/Entertainment – Birmingham has tons of shopping! The Summit, Galleria, and even outlet malls offer loads of shopping. Birmingham’s culinary community is amazing. There are lots of restaurants from food trucks to fine dining that offer an array of culinary experiences.

Souce:

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/74723/europe_properties/why_relocate_to_birmingham.html

For new signature home owners or current home owners in the Birmingham, Nashville, Huntsville, and Baton Rouge areas open your minds and give wallpaper a second chance.  Wallpaper is unique way to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes to give inspiration to any room. Wallpaper is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste. Today, wallpaper has become a major trend in home decor. Many popular stores sell various patterns of the paper.  Wallpapers can come plain, textured, or with patterned graphics.

Like paint, wallpaper requires proper surface preparation before application.  First, one must prep the surface by measuring and prepping the walls. There are many hanging techniques being used to hang the paper.  Additionally, wallpaper is not suitable for all areas. For example, bathroom wallpaper may deteriorate rapidly due to excessive steam from showers. Check out these unique papers that give the rooms a vintage yet modern touch.

Source:

www.antropology.com

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/ask-sherwin-williams/wallcovering/

Homeowners currently living in or thinking of relocating to the Birmingham, Al area, last night was an eventful night for southern cooking. Birmingham’s own local chef Chris Hastings competed and won Iron Chef America.  Hasting vs. Bobby Flay aired Sunday, February 26th on food network.  Hot and Hot fish club is a southern soul restaurant located in downtown Birmingham.  Owner Chris Hastings, a four time james beard award winner,  has created a fine dining experience out of southern cuisine.  He also has a best selling cook book titled Hot and Hot Fish Club. Last night on Iron Chef’s sausage challenge, Chris and his crew cooked their way to victory with 5 amazing southern dishes.  Check out the full story on al.com and get Chris’s recipes out the Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook, and try Hot and Hot’s Tomato Salad recipe below.

Hot and Hot Tomato Salad

Tomato Salad

Ingredients

6 large red tomatoes

4 large yellow tomatoes

3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegarette

3/4 cup cooked lima beans

2 cups cooked whole kernel corn

1 cup cherry tomatoes

4 ounces thick-sliced smoked bacon (about 5 slices), cooked and crumbled

Fried Okra

Preparation

Wash, core, and slice red and yellow tomatoes. Toss tomato slices with 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette; set aside.

Combine beans and corn with remaining 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Arrange tomato slices on 6 individual salad plates; divide cherry tomatoes evenly among plates. Divide corn mixture evenly among plates. Top with bacon and Fried Okra. Drizzle with desired amount of Chive Dressing.

Source:

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/02/chris_hastings_of_birminghams.html

Recipe:

http://www.parade.com/food/blue-plate/2010/07/14-The-Fanciest-Tomato-Salad-in-Alabama.html

For those of you in new home communities in the Birmingham, Nashville, Huntsville, and Baton Rouge areas this Sunday night is the 84th Annual Academy Awards. For movie buffs, it’s the best night of the year to stay at home, eat a delicious meal, and pull for your favorite movie of the year. This year’s nominees for the movie of the year include: Hugo, The Descendants, War Horse, Midnight in Paris, The Help, The Artist, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.  Check out this custom meal on epicurious dedicated to Southern Home’s favorite movie,  The Help.

Hors D’oeuvres: Deviled Eggs

Main Course: Fried Chicken with Bacon and Pepper Gravy

Side: Roasted Potato and Okra Salad

Dessert: Chocolate Cream Pie

Drink: Sweet Tea

Source:  Epicurious

http://www.epicurious.com/recipesmenus/holidays/oscars/menus

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/menu/views/oscars-the-help

For those of you relocating to a Signature Home in the Birmingham, Nashville, Huntsville, and Baton Rouge areas here are some helpful hits for creating a moving timeline.  By organizing your time you facilitate the relocation process. The entire printable moving checklist is included.

2 Months Before

Sort through closets, drawers, and cabinets to weed out what you don’t want or need.

Hold a yard sale, or donate unwanted items to charity.

6 Weeks Before

If moving out of town, make travel arrangements.

Notify your children’s schools of the move and contact new schools for enrollment information.

1 Month Before

Inform utility companies to disconnect services the day after you move

Then, have new service activated several days before you arrive at your new house.

If you’re packing your house yourself, order supplies and start packing boxes.

1 Week Before

Finish packing boxes.

Arrange payment or deposit for movers.

Complete change-of-address forms at the post office, and send notices to magazine subscriptions, creditors, friends and relatives, alumni organizations, credit cards, banks, and any other necessary companies and organizations.

Pack suitcases you plan to move yourself with clothes, toiletries, jewelry, and important financial records and documents.

Moving Day

Pack your first-night box.

Lock windows, turn off lights, close doors, and take a final tour after the movers have finished to make certain nothing is left behind.

Source:  Martha Stewart

http://www.marthastewart.com/274838/moving-checklists/@center/276998/organizing-checklists

Printable Moving Checklist

http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/2009Q3/ms_checklist_moving.pdf

photo:http://blissfulb.blogspot.com/

President’ Day is Monday, February 20th. If you live in the Birmingham, Nashville, Huntsville, and Baton Rouge areas try this fun weekend project with your kids. This president pillow is not just fun for the kids, it’s fun for you. Not to mention it looks really stylish in your home. For full details and patterns check out the link below.

1.Create a Silhouette out Abraham Lincoln and George Washington’s silhouettes, or any president you choose.  Next, you need is heat transfer material and print the silhouette of the two of them on the material.  Trace and cut that out of heat transfer and you are golden. (Make sure you mirror the images).

2. Iron the transfers onto the pillow front and peel back the plastic protective sheet.

3.Prior to that you press each side under 1.5” and then make three buttonholes with your sewing machine.

4.Then add cording and sew the pillow all up.

5. Hand stitch a pennies or copper colored buttons in place and added a 12” x 16” pillow form.

Source:

I Am Mama Hear Me Roar

http://www.iammommahearmeroar.net/2011/02/guest-post-presidents-day-pillow.html

The idea of making any pie from scratch seems daunting. But, it can really be a simple and easy way to put your mark on these old time classics.  A home-made pie crust literally takes about 5 minutes!! Below is our favorite pie recipe. Check out the link to the video for a pie crust how-to.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon to sprinkle on top
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• Perfect Pie Crust, recipe follows
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut each apple quarter in thirds crosswise and combine in a bowl with the zests, juices, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Roll out half the pie dough and drape it over a 9- or 10-inch pie pan to extend about 1/2-inch over the rim. Don’t stretch the dough; if it’s too small, just put it back on the board and re-roll it.

Fill the pie with the apple mixture. Brush the edge of the bottom pie crust with the egg wash so the top crust will adhere. Top with the second crust and trim the edges to about 1-inch over the rim. Tuck the edge of the top crust under the edge of the bottom crust and crimp the 2 together with your fingers or a fork. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, and cut 4 or 5 slits.

Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. Serve warm.

Perfect Pie Crust:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Source:

Smitten Kitchen

http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/cinnamon-sigh/

Food Network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/deep-dish-apple-pie-recipe/index.html

Video Link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/inas-deep-dish-apple-pie/81126.html

“Pick a color, any color.” Picking a color for your home is one of the most difficult decisions you can make. Now, picking a color for your home can actually easy and fun. A new website called design seeds as really made picking colors for your home a creative and personal process. Imagine taking your favorite photograph, shirt, animal, food, or travel destination and designing your entire room around the color pallet of that memory or item. By visualizing and pulling colors from this object or place you can create an atmosphere that reflects exactly what you love about it. Below are some of our favorite examples of pulling hues from carrots, yarn, donuts, turkey feathers, a grecian hotel, and even a picture of a sheep! This project can be inspiring and give a personal touch of color to your home.

Source:http://design-seeds.com/

Okay, so today is February 14th and some of you in the Birmingham, Nashville, Huntsville, and Baton Rouge areas have waited until last minute to buy or make a Valentines gift.Here are some last-minute gift ideas for husbands and wives.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries- Chocolate dipped strawberries are a simple delicious treat. First, you melt semisweet chocolate over a double broiler, dip your berries, sprinkle with pistachios, then refrigerate. It only takes about 30 minutes

Candy and Tulip Bouquet- Pick your wife’s favorite flowers and loose candy. Arrange the candy in the bottom of the glass and then just add your flowers.

E-gifts- Online gifts are becoming more popular. Men and Women alike love e-gifts. Try getting an online subscription to nextflix, e-books, itunes, or even amazon gift cards to use to download electronic books.

Create a Romantic Playlist- Using itunes is a fast easy way to show you care. Create a mix of your favorite songs as a couple or romantic valentine mix. This will for sure be a hit.

Souce:

http://www.marthastewart.com/874690/last-minute-valentines-day-ideas/@center/276967/valentines-day#/272150