Taking a Moment to be Thankful

How often do you pause and take a moment to be thankful? I'll admit I don't do this often enough. Sometimes I let my life get overrun with seemingly important things, that at the end of the day are not all that important. I find myself busy, too busy in fact to step back and be thankful. Luckily for me, I always seem to realize the error in my ways, and come back to a place of gratitude.

The other day I was taking a stroll with my daughter and stumbled upon the scene pictured above. It made me thankful. Thankful that I live in a nice neighborhood that's relatively safe with beautiful gardens. In Baltimore, there are many people living in neighborhoods that look like this

And here I was walking around my neighborhood so many times, not remembering to thankful for my surroundings.

Later in the day I began to notice other things to be thankful for. It was amazing how one moment of gratitude could become contagious and begin to illuminate all the other things I had to be grateful for, that often go unnoticed. Do you take out time to be thankful? What have you been thankful for lately? Please share.

"It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich." ~Deitrich Bonheiffer

Community Announcement: Lake Walker Plant Exchange

Photo: House in Baltimore's Lake Walker neighborhood

Hi neighbors! This Sunday at 10am Deb Pickett will be hosting the Lake Walker plant exchange. All are welcome to come, even if you don't have plants. I hope to see you there.

Won't You Be My Neighbor: 512 Hollen Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212

A newly renovated bungalow is now on the market in Lake Walker for $379,900. The 4 bedroom 3.5 bathroom house has been fully gutted, and reconfigured to maximize living space. It has a two car garage, large deck, family room, and finished basement. Sounds nice, right? So without further ado, here's a sneak peek at the home.

 The family is open concept and leads to a very spacious deck and nice yard.

The kitchen is the true highlight of the home. It has a good amount of counter space, beautiful light fixtures, and ample space for counter seating.

There are two nice full baths on the upper level, and one full bath in the basement.

The master bedroom is well appointed with its own bathroom, a decent sized closet, and easy access to an adjoining bedroom that would make a nice nursery.

And here's that kitchen again. I just had to include a second picture, because it's so beautiful. You can see more pictures and learn more about the listing HERE.

Around Town: Pure Chocolate by Jinji

Hello everyone, long time no post. I am making my absence up to you by telling you about the greatest chocolate on Earth. Yes, seriously, pictured above is the GREATEST chocolate on Earth! It can be purchased at BELVEDERE SQUARE at PURE CHOCOLATE BY JINJI. The small store offers an array of healthy chocolate treats made from nutrient dense raw ingredients. The flavors of the items are bold, intricate, and very distinctive. I've tried many of their offerings and liked them all, but I'm particularly fond of the pots de creme. You must try it! For those of you in the DMV, visit Jinji's website to see where you can purchase her products in your area.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?: 6109 Ready Ave., Baltimore, MD 21212

A lovely new victorian home just hit the market in Lake Walker. Nestled on one of my favorite blocks in the neighborhood, it gives you small town charm mixed with urban amenities. With four bedrooms and two full baths it provides plenty of room for growing families. Come take a look around.

I adore the dining room's chandelier. Believe it or not it's even more appealing in-person.

The bench in front of the bay window provides a nice place to curl up and read a book. 

 The kitchen is newly renovated with high-end appliances and an open view.

One of two full baths is on the first level. 

 The home features gorgeous original hardwood floors, including in the bedrooms.

The bay window in the master bedroom provides a quaint green view.

 The property has been wonderfully landscaped, and offers beautiful pops of color that vary by season.

 Can't you see yourself relaxing sipping tea on the wrap around porch?

The owner's are asking $349,000. You can learn more about the listing HERE.

FREE & SALE ALERT

Hi locals, I have a few sales and free things to tell you about.

Mambo Combo Performance - Baltimore based Latin music band Mambo Combo will be performing Friday 6/20 from 6-9pm asa part of Belvedere Square's FREE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES.

Lake Walker Garage Sale - Our neighborhood's annual garage sale will be held Saturday 6/13 at 9 am.  Come out and grab yourself some deals!

Hampton National Historic Site - Hampton Historic Site is a preserved plantation where you can go to learn about Maryland's history. It's located just past Towson Mall. They are offering a FREE COOKING CLASS Sunday 6/14, where they will teach participants how to make recipes from the past.

Spring in Lake Walker (2015)

Spring is such a fantastic time in Lake Walker, in large part due to all the wonderful flowers. I especially love all the azaleas that can be found in the neighborhood. Here are a few images I snapped not too long ago when they were in full bloom. 

I'm big on garden inspiration these days, as the hubs and I are planning a large landscape overhaul soon. There'll be more to come on that adventure shortly.

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." ~Dale Carnegie

One Baltimore

Thank you to the members of my community, from all walks of life, who came together to peacefully assemble yesterday. Your presence helped to protect our neighborhood from harm, and to demand an equitable and reasoned resolution to Freddie Gray's death. A special thanks to Councilman Bill Henry for his impeccable leadership during this time. I am proud to call myself a Baltimorean!

"We are already one. But we imagine that we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be is what we are."

- Thomas Merton

Around Town: Clark Burger

One of the things I like most about Baltimore is it's amazing food scene. Some of the chefs in this city are ridiculously talented, and in order to partake in their wonderful fare, often times you don't have to spend much money. Case in point, the newly opened CLARK BURGER. For those of you familiar with northern Baltimore, Clark Burger is located right next door to Senator Theatre.

The hubs and I stopped by the other day for a bite to eat, and we both were incredibly impressed. The hubs called it one of the best burgers he's ever eaten....and don't worry vegetarians they offer veggie burgers too! Another serious plus is that in addition to awesome burgers, they also have wonderful fries. I find many good burger places lack tasty fries. However at Clark Burger the fries are clearly not an after thought, they even come with a large variety of creative dipping sauces.

Be sure to check them out if you can!

Craftsman Bungalows

(photo: Bungalow in Baltimore's Lake Walker neighborhood)

If you can't already tell I'm a huge fan of craftsman style bungalows. Craftsman homes were primarily built from 1905 to 1930, making many of today's bungalows at least 100 years old. This style of house grew out of the broader Arts and Crafts Movement, an attempt by artisans to bring simplicity and design integrity back into the mainstream. The movement rejected prevailing trends of the day that centered around heavy ornateness and mass produced cheaply made homes. It emphasized the importance of structural integrity, beauty, function, and making things by hand.

Here in Baltimore there are multiple neighborhoods that feature craftsman homes, Lake Walker of course being one of them.

Across the nation we are seeing a resurgence in the popularity of these homes amongst many buyers who value quality over quantity. Though typically much smaller than newly built suburban homes, craftsman bungalows offer a level of workmanship uncommon in the new homes of today. Because of this, many homeowners and developers are purchasing and restoring these older homes.

Figuring out how to improve a historic property, while keeping its integrity and character can sometimes be difficult. So I’ve decided to write a series about how to best do this, and where you can find helpful resources. For those of you who have an interest in restoring bungalows, stay tuned for more!

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort." ~John Ruskin

Around Town: Tooloulou

Locals I've got some good news. There's a new scrumptious eatery in town, called TOOLOULOU. They've only been open a few weeks. I happened upon it on my latest visit to BELVEDERE SQUARE. The quality of the food is seriously out of this world. I had the oyster po'boy, and it was amazing. They have a creative menu specializing in artisan pizzas and southern style subs. You can get your food to-go, though I suggest eating there for the best experience. They offer brunch, lunch, and dinner. Portion sizes are a little large so come with an empty stomach. It's a nice place to take the kids.

Around Town: Atwater's Bakery

Every now and then I like to treat myself to an indulgence. It doesn't have to be anything super expensive, just a little somethin' somethin' to add some pizzaz to my daily routine. The other day I walked to ATWATER'S a local bakery down the street. As an added bonus my workaholic work-from-home husband decided to stop working and join me on my stroll. I love it when he does that, it makes feel on top of the world :-)

After looking at the bakery's many dessert options I decided to get the chocolate cupcake pictured above. It was scrumptious!

"She did not need much, wanted very little. A kind word, sincerity, fresh air, clean water, a garden, kisses, books to read, sheltering arms, a cosy bed, and to love and be loved in return.”  ~Starra Neely Blade

Won't You Be My Neighbor?: 707 Hollen Road, Baltimore, MD

A newly renovated bungalow just hit the market in Lake Walker. Reconstructed by the team at JOHN YAKER HOME it boasts 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. If you love modern finishes or the feel of a condo inside a single family detached home, then this might be the house for you. It's currently listed at $299,990. You can find the listing HERE.

The entire first floor is open concept and includes a powder room and beautifully redone kitchen.

Off the kitchen is a stairway leading to fully finished basement with a full bath, bedroom, and living space.

On the second level are three bedrooms and two full baths.

The master bedroom features a raised ceiling and very convenient en-suite.

There is a another full bath down the hall.

As an added bonus the house comes with really awesome neighbors ;-)

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

If you're interested in the property you can contact the listing agents Eric (eric@theatwoodteam.com) and Tom (tom@theatwoodteam.com). If you're interested in renovating your existing home you can contact the builder at JOHN YAKER HOMES.