This Saturday, 2/28, girls (I prefer to call them young ladies) ages 16 to 18 years old can participate in a free day-long conference on “Girls Empowerment”.  Beginning with a light breakfast and check-in at 8:30 a.m., a who’s who of female power hitters will be speaking and leading these young ladies to explore their talents, strengths and learn from these inspirational leaders of our community.  The program will conclude with a fitness session on yoga and zumba. The conference takes please at CSI High School, 100 Essex Drive.  To pre-register call 718-370-6900, ext. 2401, or e-mail Annette Lentini at alentini@schools.nyc.govhttp://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/girls_empowerment_to_be_focus.html

The Parkside Boot Camp takes place at Silver…

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As if we haven't already had enough of the bad weather, it doesn't look like it is going to be ending anytime soon.

According to weather.com, we're expecting approximately 1 inch of snow this Saturday, followed by frozen rain, automatically turning it into a sort of icy slush mixture! The Staten Island area is under "Winter Weather Advisory" until 8am Sunday morning. 

Homeowners - take extra care to protect your home from all the possible mishaps that can take place in such extremely cold temperatures! Make sure your windows and doors are properly sealed, your heater is working correctly, and that you have enough salt to keep the outer areas of your home from building up ice. Stay off the roads if at all possible, and definitely mark this weekend as…

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Chain restaurants pop up everywhere - but why are they the most popular in New York City? Our friends at The Real Deal magazine have provided us with some interesting numbers.

Dunkin' Donuts has the most chain retail locations in all of New York City.

There are only 4 Zip Codes out of all 74 Zip Codes in Manhattan that contain zero chain retail outlets. Last year, the city saw an increase in chain retail stores of 2.5%. That's an incredible 185 new national retail storefronts! 

But why New York City? According to a quote provided by The Real Deal, Chase Welles, executive vice president of SGG Retail, said it's more than just the money. Although companies to like to put themselves "where the financial industry that backs them can see their…

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How many of you attended the Pink Carpet Affair Girls Nite Out at the NYC Cypher Arts Building on Saturday?  Did you plan your Italian vegetable garden at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden on Sunday?  Did you celebrate Fat Tuesday at a local pub or eat pancakes at one of the Staten Island churches on Shrove Tuesday? 

I am happy to announce that Spring is on its way, and I look forward to saying “adios” to Winter.  I started my seedling garden in my windowsill with herbs to get a head start this year.  It’s good to get our minds off of boots, heavy coats, long johns and instead think tulips, crocuses (or croci) and warm weather.  How’s that for positive thinking?

Do you know a child between the ages of 5-12 who needs help with his/her…

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Another snowy week embraces Staten Island and the Northeast (How many weeks has it been?), and we look for ways to enjoy life and stop kvetching about the weather!  I stopped in to visit my friends at Wicked Stitches at 840 Castleton Ave. in West Brighton during a brutally cold day. 

These two charming ladies, Nancy Nix and Carolyn Buckheit, welcome their customers as friends.  Are you looking for a unique anniversary gift? Wicked Stitches should be your first stop.  How about a wedding gift, birthday, bridal party, house warming gift?  You will find it at Wicked Stitches.  They custom embroider every gift.  You will see sweatshirts with neighborhood names embroidered on them.  Who isn’t proud of their neighborhood?  Westerleigh, New Brighton,…

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In my last blog I commented that, like me, many of my readers are watching their budget with some even living pay check to pay check.  To that end, I try to showcase events each week that are free or low cost.  I wrote about a City Harvest presentation at the new Key Food in Port Richmond on Saturday.  Between real estate showings, I took a self-guided grocery store tour.  Stations where set up where you could sample healthy foods; recipes were also available.  The employees were very knowledgeable and showed us how to shop economically and healthily.  After speaking to the City Harvest folks, I discovered I am remiss in reading labels. Where I thought I was buying whole wheat “lite” bread as noted on the front, the back showed that it contained enriched…

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Need a few last-minute Valentine's Day ideas? FEAR NOT! Check out our latest Pinterest Board that includes all sorts of ideas like...

... this super cute idea! Give your sweetheart a year of pre-planned (and already paid for) dates! Wrap them up accordingly and put them in a box with a cute message!

Check out the whole board for fun filled Valentines Ideas, for you, your Valentine, and the whole family!

 

View the whole board here.

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Today in our Market Updates series, we have some interesting information on why this winter might be the best time to put your house on the market!

The infograph above shows that the months where the most listings come on the market are April, May, and June, (the second quarter of each year).

In the infographic above, we can see that the time of the year that most people put their houses on the market is the Spring. April, May, and June are recorded as the most popular months for houses to be put up for sale. So why should you put yours up for sale NOW?

Because if you wait for the Spring, not only do the number of buyers rise, but the number of sellers rise as well. You suddenly have so much competition, and it could be much harder and take a…

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Our friends at KCM (KeepingCurrentMatters.com) have provided us with yet another amazing infographic, and 5 reasons why you're not doing yourself any favors by listing your home as "For-Sale-By-Owner."

Pictured above is the beautiful infographic from KeepingCurrentMatters.com where they compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of putting your house up as "For Sale By Owner" over using an agent.

1. There Are So Many People To Negotiate With

The buyer, the buyers agent, the buyers bank, the inspection company, the appraiser, and the title company are only some of the people you're going to have to speak to and negotiate with. It's not the ideal situation for someone  who doesn't know much about the industry, and it can also be a…

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Have you been coping with the cold, wind, snow and icy rain that hit the Northeast and especially Staten Island in the last couple of weeks.  Staten Island Chuck predicts 6 more weeks till Spring.  I think I’ll rely on our favorite prognosticator for a brighter, warmer future.  So tell me what you have been doing to entertain your children and/or yourselves?  Did you participate in “Drawing from Memory”?  Did you take your honey dancing at the Old Bermuda Inn or enjoy Super Bowl Sunday?  http://www.gillanihomes.com/blog/weekend-events-on-staten-island-130-21.html.  Did you encounter any angels as I did to help with snow shoveling?  http://www.gillanihomes.com/blog/winter-snow-ice-and-sleet-sno-fun-part-ii.html 

As a youth, my large extended family…

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