There will be ActiveRain families taking off today or over the weekend to be with family over the Thanksgiving week. Many will be the destination point for other family members to come help celebrate. 

Be careful and take time in the hustle and bustle to remember what the holiday is all about. 

Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson) sums it up best:

"Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life...a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seed time and harvest, and the ripe product of the fear and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God."

Happy Thanksgiving!  It is wonderful to have many things to be thankful for this season.

When we were in Athens several years ago we visited the "Theatre of Dionysus" (Dionysus means Greek baby boy).  It was a major open air theatre in ancient Greece built at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis and forming part of the temenos "Dionysus Eleuthereus".  This is dedicated to Dionysus the god of plays and wine (among other things).  The theatre could seat as many as 17,000 and the acoustics are almost perfect, even today!

Thursday morning a friend and I made sure we made our trek to The Christmas Affair breakfast and shopping event the Austin Junior League sponsors each November the week before Thanksgiving.  This makes their 34th production and each year they surprise us with a unique and exciting theme.  With "It's A Wild Holiday" theme guests experience a magical trip back in time to a classical African Safari. 

Browsing the merchant's stalls, peaking at all the baubles is a fun way to kick off the holiday season. We feel smug in the knowledge we are also supporting the Austin community as the money the league makes goes into community investments.  It's a win/win!

 Our eye was drawn to a classy booth in all white "Kendra Scott Design".  One of the gals in the booth was wearing a gorgeous pair of dangling earrings and I suddenly realized she was one of my favorite clients ~ Heidi Harrod from a year ago! 

I listed her home in Canyon Creek, got top dollar and had fun in the process!  She made more cookies than any other seller but they were delicious and the buyers loved them!  Heidi is in blue with my friend Roxanne and me!  Don't you love her earrings? If you are going to The Christmas Affair, be sure and stop by the "Kendra Scott" booth!  

The Christmas Affair is a tradition for many that feel it is the start of the holiday season in Austin. Take time and go to Palmer Events Center and join in the fun!  Market will be open through Sunday, November 22nd.  Photos with Santa are available.

 Whether you're ready or not, the holidays are officially here!

Friday, November 20th       10am - 9pm
Saturday, November 21st   10am - 7pm
Sunday, November 22nd    12noon - 3pm

You are busy negotiating offers and repairs, checking on closings, working on your business plan for 2010 and the holidays are creeping up like a mouse trying to tease your favorite cat! 

Better Homes and Gardens Online can help you out and you might win $5K...how sweet is that??  Check out their best-ever holiday pies @ BHG.com/pies.  Check out their email newsletter for their free "100 Days of Holidays" giving you all kinds of holiday inspirations @ BHG.com/100days.  

Need to bring your closet up to performing at maximum potential? Go to BHG.com/closet.  Want to earn some extra money this holiday season? Go to BHG.com/win and enter...the more days you enter the better chance you have of winning!

Canyon Creek deserves a round of applause for officially becoming one of four Austin neighborhoods to receive the coveted award from the Austin City Council for taking on the "Green Challenge" and becoming a "Green Neighborhood"!  

Canyon Creek is now listed in the City of Austin website: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watershed/greenneighbor/gn_canyon_creek.htm.

The City of Austin offers a program "The Green Neighbor Challenge" to encourage neighbors to adopt earth-wise practices to protect and improve Austin's environmental resources.  Canyon Creek jumped at the chance to participate. 

Kudos to Gladys Poorte for getting this project initialed and the many Canyon Creek neighbors who volunteered their time to make this possible.  Just another great reason to live in Canyon Creek!  Your NW Austin premier master planned community. 

Call Dorie Dillard, your resident Coldwell Banker Real Estate agent, at 512 346-1799 or email her at dillard@reloaustin.com.

While we were in Dallas we thought we'd try a spot close by our hotel called "Campisi's".  The place was packed, the staff was inviting and the patrons friendly (we even shared some of our pizza with a couple as we had way too much and their kids were starving).  

This restaurant has been family owned since 1946 and when they found we were from Austin they wanted us to share in the history of their business.  From the warm greetings to the great service, food and the thank you for coming in; the experience was exceptional.  

Isn't that what we are all looking for ~ a great experience?  Keep that in mind when dealing with  your clients, title companies. loan officers and fellow agents throughout a transaction.  Each sale can be memorable for all particpating.

Leaders in the 2009 index, which ranks U.S. metros based on their ability to create and sustain jobs gives the nod to the 2009 top 10 performers of the 200 largest metros.  Why is Austin rocking and rolling? They have a favorable business climate.  

Austin in particular has been helped by its strong tech industry.  It is the first metro to ever be ranked number one twice on the index, the last time being in 2000.  Another factor helping Texas metros move up in the rankings is that state's favorable business climate and its abillity to attract jobs and corporations away from higher-cost states.  Look who's #1!

As builders draw up blueprints for the house of the post-recession future, builders are struggling to distinguish among what home buyers need, what they want and what they can live without!

Most builders say the post-crash buyers of new homes want smaller and simpler.  I'm seeing they are attracted to quality not quantity.  Some of the things the home buyer appears not willing to give up is 4 bedrooms, a powder room down, at least a 2 car garage, a master bedroom with its own bath (with separate shower and tub) and granite countertops! 

For the first time in almost four decades in the luxury-home market executives of many builders are thinking the unthinkable: Maybe houses don't need 4,700 square feet of living area, or fireplaces or private theaters with 100-inch screens or supersized foyers! 

The American housing market continues to drag, with the Mortgage Bankers Association reporting last week that applications for home-purchase loans have hit a nine-year low.  U.S. home sales of newly built homes have fallen sharply as well, from 1.3 million in 2005 to 485,000 in 2008.  But, people will always need to move...some to new jobs across the country, some into smaller homes now that the kids are off to college and some to larger homes with expanding family.

The main ingredient changed in the buying decision is the "impression factor".  We had an ego-driven market where "bigger" was considered better and now "conservative" translates to "smarter". Resale has just become the "key" in home sales. Sometimes less is more. 

NW AREA ~ MILWOOD COMMUNITY ~ BACKS TO GREEN AREA ~ ROUND ROCK ISD ~ CLOSE TO RATTAN CREEK PARK

3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, year built: 1986, sq.ft.: 1857               $178,888

                 *** $3,000 ALLOWANCE FOR CARPET OR CLOSING COSTS - BUYER'S CHOICE!  ***

This value priced home is strategically located on a quiet interior street a stone's throw from Rattan Creek Park where the little ones will love frequent visits.  Nestled behind mature oaks this lovely 2 story home sits on a flat lot. Whether choosing to watch a favorite show in the family room or spend time with the chef as dinner is being prepared in this well-designed kitchen, the lifestyle triangle of this open floor plan allows for plenty of good conversation and laughter. Step outside and experience year-round outdoor enjoyment from the spacious wrap around deck and revel in the solitude backing to a green area.  Enjoy a favorite drink while grilling hamburgers on the BBQ. At the end of the day retire to the upstairs spacious master suite for a quiet moment or a soothing soak while reading a chapter in your favorite book.

Dorie Dillard is a Residential Real Estate Consultant with Coldwell Banker United.  For more information, visit our website at http://www.reloaustin.com or contact Dorie at 512 346-1799 or email dillard@reloaustin.com.

Friday, the 13th, was not going to stop my husband from having a needed medical procedure at Baylor Hospital in Dallas.  We drove from Austin on Thursday afternoon to beat the traffic and decided to stay at a fun  hotel close to Baylor Hospital called The Joule.  It is housed in the landmark 16-story 1920's Dallas National Bank building and adjoining 10 story tower, featuring 129 guest rooms and suites.  The cutting edge design is created by Adam D. Tihany.  He conceived the bold and modern lines that compliment the neo-gothic structure, as well as the Charlie Palmer restaurant and on the 10 floor the hotels most dramatic feature, the 39 foot infinity rooftop pool that cantilevers out over Main Street!

There is a fabulous slow black iron rotating gear feature in the back of the lobby serving as a focal point and generating energy to the hotel.  The building's legacy of scale allow for high columns which are enhanced with the new sweeping dark lime oak beams detail which mimic the framework of the oil derrick in the fields. 

The lobby offers warm, inviting, elcoming gathering places, including a lobby loung and espresso bar with WIFI access and a library. 

Friday morning we saw many business types (some looked so young) freshly showered and dressed in suits looking ready to conquer the world.  We wondered if they indulged in the attached restaurant/bar "Charlie Palmer" Thursday night....it was packed!

Adam Tihany commissions original art work for each guestroom and suite and all through the hotel.  I was grateful to relax and absorb the gift Joule gives to each client of the chance to enjoy the art collection.  It's provided to stimulate the senses and that it does!

The Eye Flower by Richard Phillips is an eye-catching piece (no pun intended).  It might be seen as a satire of the fashion industry while also glorifying the pursuit of glamour.

Friday,the 13th, worked out famously for Geno ~ in and out in record time.  He could not eat Friday morning before the procedure but I enjoyed a quiet moment in the Charlie Palmer and relaxed in the lobby watching a beautiful fall day emerge. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Kudos to a hip, retro, hotel with a very friendly staff who made lemonade for us when we came to town with lemons!