Happy Thanksgiving from The Move!

The season is finally here!

The season of Thankfulness and Cheer!

Family and Friends together always, sharing love for all of our days.

The Move wishes you a very Happy Thanksgiving as we enter this beautiful time of the year and are so thankful for all of our readers. We know this season is full of joy but it can also have us reminisce on the pain of loved ones unable to be home and spend it with us. We are so thankful for not just our own family and friends, but our loved ones unable to be with us due to their service to our country, and you and your loved one’s service as well. No duty, no time in the military goes unappreciated here. We know the commitment and sacrifices made to make this nation great.

We are so grateful for such a beautiful country that provides such beautiful places to live and thrive. We are thankful to be in an industry that helps people receive homes to build up in love with family and friends, that the economy is affordable, and loans are obtainable to create houses into long lasting homes.

We from the Move with Susan Carroll wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

A Different Type of Thanksgiving

Think outside the Box. 

Each year, my family does the same thing as most families do; meet at a certain family member’s house, eat, and celebrate one another’s company. I am very blessed that most of my immediate family lives a mere 20 minutes away so it is very convenient holiday season.

For a lot of people this is not the case. A lot of people travel or have some other type of tradition. Unfortunately though, traditions change over the years, whether all of the grand-kids get older and move further away, family members pass away and change the location or travel plans, an emergency occurs and family cannot come in from out of town, or simply no one chooses to travel so far this year. Whatever the case, there is nothing wrong with change and there are many fun alternatives to Thanksgiving or Christmas rather everyone spending it around a dinner table.

For us in Henry County for instance, we have Atlanta less than 40 miles north on I-75, a mere 30 minutes away with so many holiday activities for us to join in! Starting today, November 24, begins all the holiday and seasonal activities which would be perfect to join in for Thanksgiving if you and your family are having to switch up plans and want to do something different and fun!

There are Theatres, concerts, Christmas Lights, ice skating, parades, the aquarium, etc. You just have to search for what your family would enjoy!

An Atlanta Thanksgiving

Atlanta Holiday Events

Moving for the Holidays

I was listening to the radio on the way home yesterday and they were listing the stress triggers of the holiday season. It included financial issues, family problems, health problems, family visiting for an extended vacation, traveling, and making your home holiday picture perfect. Those are all very valid stresses when it comes to the holiday season because we all long to enjoy every minute of our time off of work and school and truly want everything to go perfectly as we are spending time with our loved ones.

So can you imagine if someone (Aka YOU) were to move during this holiday season?

Some of you are already saying, “YES I CAN IMAGINE! HELP!”

Moving is stressful all on its own, not considering during the holiday season, when we are supposed to hunker down for the winter, gather around our fires with our loved ones and have decorations up.

Well that is what we all try to envision anyway, but that does not always happen, especially if we are in the process of moving. It is especially difficult to bring joy to your children while you are not at home and it is hard when you have to switch up family traditions because you are not in your own home.

The One Step Holiday Season Survival Guide:

Keep it simple. It doesn’t matter how much you have decorated, how many presents are under the tree, how much food you have prepared. Being together is all that matters. Remove the stress for a day and be creative with your family. Create a new tradition, become minimalist for a day, enjoy the outside and go to a park to play with the kids and pack a picnic. Do not be so dependent on a stationary house, but find something for the family to do elsewhere while you are in transition mode with boxes everywhere or in a Uhaul.

NEW! Holiday Recipes Pinterest Board!

Along with this magical holiday season is the beautiful times together with family and friends, cooking together, eating together, and laughing together. Many families have holiday traditions that involve cooking and/or baking together because there is just something about everyone gathering around a table to prepare food or devour it that brings everyone together and allows us to enjoy the holidays a lot more. Because of this, we have added a new board on Pinterest called Holiday Recipes, for you to follow, repin, try out, and enjoy with your loved ones. Pay attention to all of the pumpkin flavored desserts for Thanksgiving and the peppermint goodies for December!

Shop until you Drop in Henry County, Ga

Henry County as been developing so much in the past 5-10 years. So many new places to shop and eat have been brought in and been bringing in more people into Henry County which has greatly grown the economy here. That is so great for us in this upcoming holiday season. This means we do not have to travel as far (or at all with the help of the internet) in order to do our holiday shopping. Now that in the past 3 years Thanksgiving has been taken over by Black Friday and early shoppers, Black Friday “pre-shopping” has begun too. Some stores have found a way to give out tickets to open the store during off hours to have a select number of shoppers in while no one else is there and to have the same deals on the current merchandise. Many deals and sales are already occurring to help stores be able to sell more, keep inventory in, and lessen the Black Friday Craze. We all know that the Kohls, JcPenny, Academy, Hobby Lobby shopping mall, as well as Tanger Outlet, and the Target shopping area off of exit 221 will be hit hard by people from all over the Metro Atlanta area. So why shouldn’t we be wise pre-shoppers too? Some of us just enjoy pushing through the crowds for a good deal, its the experience that drives us, and for others they simply want the deal and not the chaos. Either way, there is one place we can go and see all the deals, current, upcoming, online, and in store. That place is www.theblackfriday.com. They have listed any store you can think of to have a Black Friday sale and pages upon pages of deals. You can get alerts and newsletters on the new items being offered and you can go ahead and order some items once you create a login. It is finally all in one place. You can successfully plan where you need to be when before Thanksgiving so you can enjoy the day with your family before everyone starts to get in line for the 6 PM and Midnight sales begin.  You will already have a plan. You can divide, conquer, and buy.

Shop until you Drop. Make Henry County, Ga your home, for Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Why Remodel when I am about to Make The Move?

Remodeling is a tedious and possibly expensive task depending on what is being changed in your house. I, personally have seen many remodels in my own home including: raising the kitchen ceiling, removing walls, adding on a closed in back porch, putting down hard wood floors, recarpeting, repainting, building fireplace hearth, etc. All of this to make our home more enjoyable and this also increases the value of the home. Two of the same reasons why remodeling is good for you too, remodeling will help potential buyers enjoy the house more and it will increase the value of your home. There are so many different ways to remodel, big and small, to make the house you are selling more appealing to the buyers. Sometimes, a simple paint job will do along with a deep cleaning of floors, other times, the kitchen needs to be renewed with cabinets and counter tops. It is all up to the seller, how much they are willing to invest into the house and what is suggested by the buyer. There can also be a negotiation between you, the seller, and the buyer, with finances, in knocking off an $X amount of the house’s price or fees to allow room for remodeling. Whatever the decision created, remodeling or freshening up the house in order to sell it is typically a priority for the buyer if it is needed in their future home. It is in the Seller’s best interest to check on prices of contractors in the area that have the ability and the skills to accomplish the remodeling, usually your realtor will have contacts and referrals to give you.

Your Child’s Educational Move

As a parent, moving your child into a new school district, new school, and new classroom is one of the most difficult things to do. You are pulling your child out of their familiar surroundings and into a scary, uncharted territory and you have no idea how this will impact them. This is why it is so important to know where your options for your child’s school system and there are plenty of resources to allow you to get to know the school system and what opportunities your child has in this wonderful new place! As we are based in Henry County and are Making Henry our Home I will take you on a tour through Henry County Schools web page by highlighting a few major features I see on the first web page followed by some needed to know information and helpful links to save you time and research.

On the Henry County Schools Homepage, the first item I see to date is a forum for Stopping Human Trafficking. This is such a large issue and for Henry County Schools to not only keep aware of the issue, but bring it to light for you as parents in the community and to create a public awareness. For a school district to show such compassion on a heartbreaking issue speaks volumes and concern for your children. The second item I see is the school calendar for the current year and even the 2016-2017 school year that has been approved. This shows organization, planning, and consideration for the county’s faculty and staff, as well as the parents and students. The third item viewed are the school session times for elementary, middle, and high school students which is excellent for you to know so you can be aware of transportation needs: if you need your children to take the bus, what times your children need to be taken to school, or to plan a carpool system with family or neighbors. The Homepage also lists so much needed to know information such as if there are dates coming up that you child does not have school and highlighting education professionals that deserve an acknowledgement for their hard work and compassion for their students.

In the upper left hand corner of the Henry County School Homepage is a scroll down menu that allows you to look at any school in the county and see what is going on at the school and any personalized information you might be looking for in order to make a better decision about selecting a home in a specific school zone.

On the column of links in the right hand section of the homepage are many links to make your research easier, even including how to enroll, enrollment zones, after school information, lunch information, etc. The website is so user friendly and allows busy parents such as yourself to save time and easily access what information you need.

There is also a map available to show you what school is located where in Henry county and  how close they are to other schools (Is the elementary, middle, and high right next to each other or will they be far apart if you have multiple children throughout grade levels?). I have provided the link to this in the list of links below.

I hope this post helped break down Henry County Schools for you, that you would make a great decision for your children for their education, and that you receive a great experience in Making Henry your Home as we have with Susan Carroll at BHHS Georgia.

Here are the links that I discussed:

Stop Human Trafficking- A Public Forum

2016-2017 School Calendar

Henry County Schools Map

Henry County Schools Homepage

Happy November!

Happy November, everyone!  Summer is officially over and Fall is in full bloom. The trees are changing color and school is in session. For some, this is a time to take a breath and work a little personal time into your schedule. For others, any personal time you might have had has been overcome with juggling the extra-curricular activities of students with your already busy work schedule.  Studies indicate that taking a few minutes each week to work out or review a schedule can help reduce stress.  They also indicate that you should write down or block out some personal time on your calendar each week and then actually take the time for yourself. You need to consider your time as a priority! Some people think they will find a little time for themselves and at the end of the week they are exhausted and realize they have done nothing for themselves. Every moment of the week was spent taking care of everyone else’s business or doing the chores that keep a household running (shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands, etc.)  If you don’t block the time on your calendar for yourself, other things will fill it!  Remember that you and your health is a priority too and just do it! Read a little, soak in the tub a little, and watch your favorite TV show, or do something creative with your time.

This month is also marked by a major U.S. Holiday – Thanksgiving! It is traditionally a time for gathering with family and enjoying a meal in a warm, cozy and inviting atmosphere. It is a time to give thanks for this wonderful country we live in and celebrate the end of Summer and the bountiful harvests that we have reaped. It is normally marked by a meal, football, parades and shopping.

At this time, I would ask that you set aside a little extra for those who are not as fortunate as yourself. If you are really interested in helping, consider volunteering at a homeless shelter for a day, a soup kitchen or even a nursing home. Just be friendly and take a little time to listen to them – many are starved for companionship and a little human kindness more than they are hungry.  If that level of involvement makes you uncomfortable, but you still want to do something to help, most grocery stores start donation bins that allow customers to buy an extra can or two of food or something else of value an drop it in. Make it a point to drop something in the bin every time you shop or at least twice a month. Local radio stations may be collecting donations as well. Be thankful that you can help!

I just wanted to tell all my family; friends; current and former colleagues; current, former and future clients; and anyone else reading this blog – Happy Thanksgiving. I wish you all the most wonderful of experiences, good health, and a sense of wellbeing and joy!