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Mother's Day and Everyday...

Scrolling through my twitter feed a few weeks ago, I stopped on a link to "2019 Best Mother's Day" gift suggestions that had me scrunching up my face like "What the...? Nobody's mother would want that." Each item I scrolled through was more awful than the one before. A new synthetic robe? How about a fill-in-the-blank book? A brownie pan? A tortilla toaster? Really? How about a puffy recliner chair from the 70's? Or maybe a Mickey Mouse tee shirt? A cutting board shaped like a state, a lint roller, cartoon socks, owls with succulents planted in them or a blanket with a picture of your family on it rounded out the choices. Ugh, my face is doing that thing again... Instead, I've put together my own suggestions because, Ahem... I'm the mom. You're the mom too, or you know other moms and we have a few things on our radar. Unique, thoughtful, surprising gifts that we'd be happy to give and would really love to receive. And not just for Mothe...
Recent posts

All the Single Ladies!

Cheers to all the single ladies! All over the country single women are far outpacing single men in homeownership and they aren't slowing down. Considering the average woman in the U.S. is earning just 80% of what the average man does, that's quite an accomplishment!  On both coasts the statistics show that women are literally "owning it". In Los Angeles single women own 77% more homes than single men and in New York single women own 82% more homes than single men. In New Orleans women own almost twice as many homes as men.  While there are higher rates of single women owned homes across the country including cities like Miami, Birmingham, and Las Vegas - statistics vary. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the area where single men own the largest share of owner occupied homes. What does this mean? Women are making homeownership a priority for themselves in greater numbers than ever before, and you know what that means... (hint: more wealth, more freedom, more choic...

Go Gift Yourself...

  It's the holidays and we're all busy hustling to make the season merry and bright for those we love but remember, this is your holiday season too. Don't you deserve a little pampering? Some of us start gifting ourselves accidentally at first. We'll be shopping and then "oh, look... I'll just buy it for myself now instead of hoping someone else might get it for me later..." For me it grew into a more intentional habit each year. This year I'm most looking forward to the gifts I'm giving myself! Being generous is an indulgence for us whether we're giving or receiving. Here are some things we can all wrap our sugar plumbed heads around... now go gift yourself! Shop Local There are so many great options for shopping local in LA and it's so nice visiting with my neighborhood vendors year after year and I know they appreciate it. This year I'm gifting myself my favorite sweet treat Little Johns English Toffee . It's the most deli...

Get to know a Real Estate Agent Before You Need One!

Finding the right Realtor to work with when you need one can seem overwhelming. Successfully closing a sale or a purchase of real estate is a big deal. Who to choose? That depends… the agent you choose should be someone you can relate to and communicate well with who can collaborate with you to prioritize your goals and help you examine possibilities you may not have otherwise come up with on your own. You should feel comfortable with them getting to know you and your financial resources. It makes sense to get to know the person you’ll be working with before you start working together. Whether you meet them socially, at open house or through professional or referral sources, a great agent is a valuable resource for you that can help take the stress out of the process as you navigate your way through home ownership. Where are they? Everywhere. Maybe you don’t always recognize them or worse, the ones that stand out aren’t necessarily anyone you’d like to spe...

Knock, knock...

  It's Springtime and you know what that means... Bikini season is right around the corner - Gasp! Are you ready? Are you ready for this? I don't think you're ready... I know I'm not. So here's what I'm up to: a 30-day detox reboot with #30daystohaealthyliving. Today is day 15 and I've lost a few (ahem, over 6) pounds and the best part; I did it the healthy way - not the crazy way. What is it? Eating clean, balancing blood sugar, increasing nutrition, it's getting the bad stuff out, the things that become addictive - and getting the the good stuff in - think lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbs and good fats. There's a lot more to it but you get the idea. Here's what I've learned so far: I can live without all the stuff I thought I couldn't live without like coffee, sugar, bread and alcohol (What, no wine? no tequila?). I know, it totally doesn't sound like me, does it? Here's what I think was going o...

Still renting? Find your way home...

The first quarterly rental market data for 2017 is in and LA and Long Beach ranked among the top cities in the U.S. with the largest increase... but you already knew that. Rents in LA have jumped 3% over just last month alone and over 5% for a two-bedroom in just one year. The information was gathered by Zumper (my favorite app for finding rentals!) and was pulled from over 1 million rental listings. Imagine buying instead of renting for a moment. No more increases in rent. No more landlord rules. No more throwing away your hard earned money with no return on your investment. No more paying for someone else's real estate portfolio. Renting means you're paying your landlord's mortgage and they're benefiting from the equity growth and likely some tax benefits too. It might make better sense to pay yourself instead by purchasing your home. You've gotta live somewhere, right? It might as well be your mortgage you're paying and your return on investment that ...

Mother's Day Cool

It's Mother's Day on Sunday and you want to get mom something cool - something that just might bump you up to the top of her "favorites" list. Okay, so your mom doesn't have favorite children, but she does have favorite gifts! Hurry, you've got a little time but not enough to wait. Here are a few ideas... Brunch at the Sunset Marquis Hotel Meander the lush landscaped path past the pool and across from the waterfall to the Cavatina Restaurant for a legendary buffet on the patio prepared by James Beard award winning chef, Michael Schlow. It's time well spent catching up over a crisp mimosa. Need some more brunch ideas? Check these out Best Brunches in LA . She'll love her coffee in a chic French Press Rose Gold French Press   And she'll want to display everything delectable on a glamorous Marble & Wood Cutting/Serving Board She's into some very stylish lounging on the round beach towel from  The Beach People ...