Sherry's Austin TX Real Estate Blog

Doesn't it seem like we just got all the clocks set from Falling Back...and now it is time to Spring Forward.  So Saturday night before you go to bed, roll those clocks forward!

But, it is just another great reason to stay in touch with our Sphere of Influence.  Send out your email reminders if you haven't sent out a mailing.

I am always surprised at how many folks didn't realize it was upon them.  With so many folks not taking the newspaper anymore, and just relying on the Internet and TV for the news...it just seems to slip by.

So, let's keep everyone informed and your name out there!

Austin was chosen as one of four pilot cities for the $1 Coin. The US Mint is hoping to make Austinites aware of the benefits of regularly using the $1 Coin.

When we use the $1 Coin, we are making a difference for our country. The coin is durable unlike the paper dollar bill, so it saves the Nation billions of dollars in the long run. It lasts for decades and is 100% recyclable.

Austin was chosen because it is known as a unique, yet all-American city. Upcoming events in the Austin area will encourage Austinites to appreciate the benefits of the $1 Coin.

The other three pilot cities are Portland, OR; Charlotte, NC; and Grand Rapids, MI.

$1 coins have been a part of our currency for many decades, but they have not been widely used. The US Mint issues four Presidential $1 Coins per year. They have minted more than one billion new $1 Coins since 2007.

You can visit www.usmint.gov for more information on the Presidential $1 Coin Program. They even offer a site for kids! http://www.usmint.gov/kids/

You may visit www.Luxury-Homes-in-Austin.com to search for homes in the Austin area.

Valentine’s Day and the Best Kept Secret about Men.

No matter how old, how successful, or powerful, there is a little boy who wants to be loved and made to feel he is special. He also wants to know that he matters more to you than anyone else in the world. He wants to matter to you more than your parents, your children, your friends, and more than your job.

I know Valentine's Day tends to focus more on women than men…But it shouldn’t. We are two halves that make a whole. He was once our knight in shining armor…our hero…and he still should be. He wants to be those things to us.

Looking for some idea’s for Valentines Day? See is any of these will work for you. It’s not usually how much you spend…But that you didn’t forget! We all want to be recognized and appreciated by the love of our life. Just spread the love..

Don’t have the bucks for roses, candy, cards and an evening out. Make a card and get drive-through on the way home so no one has to cook. Just spend more time together.

Not a poet? Just say that the recipient of this card is getting lucky tonight! Purchase a small candle…Cause you are going to light up his night!

To expensive to run an ad in the newspaper declaring your love? Call the radio station he listens to and declare your love on the air.

Buying them a shirt or gift certificate to their favorite store is out of the question. Just pin a few dollar bills to the crotch of a pair of sexy boxers.

Get out the video recorder…Visit your Valentine’s friends and family. Ask them to tell you why they love him or admire him. Then…Give him the video! Watch it together.

Just get naked….. Maybe you both can get away from the office for an “emergency”, or you can just consider it “Breakfast in Bed”. Or…well you know their schedule better than I do!

The German author Goethe said: “If you treat a man as he is, he’ll stay as he is, but if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be, and he could be, he will become the bigger and better man..” The way to get positive behavior is to reinforce positive behavior constantly.

Single? Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Pay the toll for the person behind you. Pay for person’s meal behind you in drive-thru. Visit your mother or grandmother or aunt or other family members. All they really want is some of your time and someone to talk to.

Buy a bag of Hershey’s kisses…and just give out kisses all day long to strangers!

Why can’t we all love one another every day like we do on Valentine’s Day?

Start everyday and end everyday by telling them you love them.

Cedar Park is north of Austin, and you if thought Lakeline Mall was in Austin…you would be wrong. It is actually in Cedar Park. Cedar Park is growing fast and furious!

In our search for something new and different, we gave the newly opened “Garlick Joe’s” a try. I ordered it as “Take Out” for this visit. We were not disappointed! My husband ordered the Meat Lovers Pizza, and was totally surprised. Said it was one of the best he has had in the Austin area! I ordered the Lasagna, and it was fabulous! I love Italian food, and you would be surprised how hard it is to find good Italian food in the Austin area. (They tend to be a little more Tex-Mex flavored here).

I had ordered the Wedge Salad, but it was too much meat for me. Meats were served on the salad just like they went on sandwich or pizza, so be prepared to chop if you prefer that way. We ended up splitting it for supper with left over pizza. Meatiest pizza I’ve seen!

Garlick Joes is located at The Commons at Buttercup Creek, off of 183 North (Bell St. in Cedar Park), and Buttercup Creek Blvd. It is a Sport Bar flavored set-up, so you won’t miss the game!

Search for Cedar Park Real Estate at www.Luxury-Homes-in-Austin.com

I used to quilt years ago. I still like to sew, I just don’t really have the patience for full hand sewn quilts anymore. However, I got my mother-in-law, Linda, started a few years back. She loves it and is doing so well at it! She has won several ribbons, and we all look forward to seeing what she is working on for her next project and what she has done for the holidays and hope we are a recipient of something.

This year, Linda gave us a quilt! It is a hand quilted Victorian Star pattern in the colors we have chosen to decorate our home in. It came complete with a bag for storage, an appraisal, and it was valued at $1495.00. And to top it off…Linda won a ribbon on it, and she included photos of it being made! It is something we will definitely treasure for years!

In celebration of Elvis’s birthday, we go to Chuy’s each and every year. Actually if they don’t see us at least once a week, the waitress said they would call.

Of course the husband always gets the Elvis Fried Chicken. That is a chicken breast flatted out, dipped in crushed Lay’s potato chips, deep fried, and served with green chili sauce and cheddar cheese. That is served with (in my opinion) the best refried beans on this planet and green chili rice. He usually orders it with some queso in addition and some flour tortillas on the side. The tortillas are made right in the restaurant, and you can watch them being made. They are the best!

I have tried everything on the menu, and you can’t go wrong with anything. My favorite is the shrimp taco’s, on the wheat tortillas. They have a Jalepeno Ranch dressing that we swear….well we call it “Crack Jalepeno Ranch”. You just want a quart of it with a straw!

On Elvis’s birthday, Elvis usually makes at least one appearance at each store, and usually 2 visits. They have Elvis/Chuy t-shirts for sale along with some freebie give aways. Don’t forget to check out the regular Chuy’s t-shirts too!

Get there before the Twinkies are gone!

Thank you…Thank you very much…

Search for homes with a Chuy's near by go to: www.Luxury-Homes-In-Austin.com

With its beautiful trees, numerous amenities and ideal setting, Forest Creek makes a great place to call home.

Forest Creek is a great community to raise your family. Situated in Round Rock, west of County Road 122 and a few miles east of Interstate 35, Forest Creek is bounded by Gattis School Road to the south. U.S. 79 is north of the community by just a few minutes.

This upscale community is close enough to Round Rock to be convenient, yet far enough away to maintain its own identity. Dell Computer and a host of high-tech employers are close by. A big part of Forest Creek's identity can be found in the Forest Creek Golf Club. The par 72, 7,147-yard golf course is the centerpiece of the community. The course has been "nationally recognized as one of the finest public golf courses in Texas." For the avid golfer, there are a total of three public courses within seven miles of the community.

Another feature that the community has is the on-site school, Forest Creek Elementary, which maintains an exemplary rating. Along with the golf course, the elementary school is a big draw for newcomers. The school undoubtedly plays a major role in the abundance of families with young children. Ridgeview Middle School and Stoney Point High School are the other nearby schools that serve Forest Creek.

As Round Rock has grown, it has brought recreation and shopping options to the residents of Forest Creek. In fact the area surrounding Forest Creek is a shopper's paradise. The La Frontera shopping center is within shouting distance and offers numerous places to have a meal and spend a few bucks. In addition to shopping and dining, Round Rock is home to the minor-league baseball team, the Round Rock Express, at the nearby Dell Diamond.

To search for homes in the Round Rock or Austin area visit:  www.Luxury-Homes-in-Austin.com

River Place on Lake Austin is one of the city's most naturally beautiful master-planned communities. The boundaries of this waterfront/country club community include FM 2222 to the north, the Balcones Canyon Lands Preserve to the west and Westminster/Glen Lake to the east. You can get there by heading west on FM 2222 and taking a left into the main entrance on River Place Boulevard.

It is just a twenty-minute drive from downtown Austin, River Place appeals to both urban dwellers and nature lovers alike. Of the 1,440 acres owned by the homeowners association, half is dedicated to preserved land never to be developed. The natural beauty of the unspoiled land, swimming and boating, fishing, a marina with private slips for non-waterfront residents, rare preserve home sites situated along the hills overlooking Lake Austin, a park with youth soccer fields, tennis courts, fifty acres of nature trails and a fishing pond, close proximity to River Place Country Club featuring Tom Kite Golf Course, nearby shopping, and an active neighborhood association make River Place an estate community that seems to have it all.

River Place is comprised of 1,200 to 1,350 single-family homes. Prices run from around $330,000 to well over $1,000,000 with mandatory membership to the homeowners association, River Place Residential Community Association, Inc. The community includes a diverse group of active people who are drawn to the wide spread of price ranges and home and lot sizes that River Place offers.

In addition to the residential aspect of the community, River Place includes an office park. River Place Pointe, a business/technology office campus, takes up 48 of the 1,440 acres and houses seven buildings right next door to River Place Country Club.

The development is in the Leander Independent School District so children attend either Laura Bush or Steiner Ranch Elementary Schools, Cedar Park Middle School or Cedar Park High School.

New Year’s Day. Most of us have heard about eating black eyed peas for luck. But my grandma taught me… you have to eat collard greens for money.

Absolutely nothing should leave your home on New Year's Day, including you, until a man has stepped foot in your home before you step foot outside your home. You may want to have a family member or friend visit you on New Year's Day to break the threshold of your doorway before you go anywhere on the first. Beware though, it's said that it should be a man, not a woman, and that blondes and redheads are bad omens. Otherwise you will be paying out or giving out all year long.

Also, don’t loan money on New Year’s Day either, or you will be loaning money all year. You aren’t supposed to pay off any loans on this day either. (It’s probably a good thing most places are closed!)

Don’t wash clothes, or someone will die in the household with the year.

And you are supposed to do some work, so you will have work all year.

Open your windows at midnight on New Years Eve to let the old year out and the New Year in.

Don’t cry and don’t break anything. Well, that is all I can remember. (But that is a lot to remember!) I think I am going to have a busy day tomorrow… but I better go get my laundry done quick!