Okay, so now I am all about mocktails! They are all the rage right now so why not just embrace them!?! ((Picture me here sending a wink and a whispered "thank you" to Sue and Judy!!)) A quick internet search revealed that mocktails can be complicated and I am not into complications. My brand new rule for a mocktail is that it should be fairly easily made with ingredients which enhance my bar overall. So this was my first (and currently, likely forever, nameless) mocktail creation--pomegranate Italian soda, 3 ounces of pineapple juice, and a hearty squeeze of fresh orange juice. (Mike added vodka and said it tastes like Hawaiian Punch!)

Progress Update for Allspice! I can't tell you how much fun it can be to stop by our home prep projects to check on their status but you can probably tell from these pictures. Our anticipated list date for this house is February 25 so we will be seeing lots of changes soon! Clearly, it's not work when you love what you do!

Q: Do you know of any Dukes in the hood that have covered their wood with LVP by chance? We pulled up the carpet in ours and the original hardwood floors are in terrible condition. We aren't interested in the hassle of refinishing due to the smell and requirement to move everything. Thanks! ~Mitch

A: Hi Mitch! I'm going to be super annoying here and actively promote investigating having those hardwood floors repaired and refinished rather than covering them with LVP. In my experience, buyers prefer hardwoods and I think they will ultimately save you money. With LVP, you'll have a reasonable lifespan of 10 years +/- before it is either potentially showing its age or, way worse, out of style. The hardwoods you refinish today could be refinished again in 10 years to update to current trends--but you won't be buying new materials.

You've got me though on the ease of installation for the planks versus the hardwood refinishing. And as it seems this is a priority for you and your family, my biggest piece of advice is to find a flooring that has matching pre-made, single-piece stair treads. They are a game changer when it comes to LVT/LVP.

Within minutes of me putting the call out for a pet to feature in the newsletter, I had a response from Lisa Hughes with this exquisite picture of her adorable cat Louie! Lisa writes:

I'm excited for your renovation too, Lisa, and wow do you have a beautiful cat!

Growing up, if it was snowing when I woke up, I would immediately turn on the clock radio next to my bed and anxiously await the alphabetical rundown of school delays and closings. When the announcement was finally made and Fairfax County Public Schools were closed for the day, there was a wild dash to get the phone tree started and find out where to meet. I would dig out the snow gear and get outside as soon as possible to start having some fun! A Snow Day always involved sledding, a snow man, fort building and an epic snowball fight where it was inevitable that someone would end up running inside with a fat lip or swollen eye. After tiring of playing in the wet snow, we would walk up to Kings Park Shopping Center and head to Peoples Drug for a grilled cheese sandwich or Fortuna restaurant for some deliciously greasy food. The walk home always seemed colder and thankfully, my mom would have a huge pot of steaming hot chocolate ready on the stove for when we arrived tired, wet, cold and ready to start it all over again the next day.

Over the years the magic of a snow day hasn’t faded. I still wait for the school closings announcement, and I still get excited when I hear that I have an unofficial day off! I love seeing the neighborhood covered in a blanket of snow and hearing the sounds that a snow day brings. I still get bundled up and head out to enjoy the day. I love playing in the snow and coming inside exhausted and ready for a cup of hot chocolate, only perhaps not quite as ready for it to start all over again the next day!

~Barb Murillo (M&C Team Transaction Coordinator)

Our world feels a little more connected by your responses to our newsletters! I thought I would share some gems we've received and encourage you to share more of your stories with us!

I've been curious as to whether or not anyone would benefit from the cocktail recipes we've included so I really appreciated receiving photographic proof that they are not going ignored. Julie Christie sent me a picture of the Mississippi Bourbon Punch (left) and Kathryn Fox sent me a picture of her Bees Knees cocktail (right), while reporting "it was quite tasty!"

There are so few houses on the market, under contract, or recently sold in the KPW and/or in the Robinson/22032 market that I am skipping the details and charts breakdown this time! What I am sharing is the latest MLS graph for 2021 which illustrates the number of showings by week. Look at that sharp upturn at the end of 2021 and 2020! I predict 2022 will be another great spring for sellers with a gradual return to a more balanced market as more sellers jump in to try to ride this wave. Click on that chart to make it bigger!

I'm closing with a small request...well maybe it's a big request. If you have worked with us in the past, live near us, live with us, or if you have seen our work in the community, would you please consider leaving us a nice 5 star review on Google? We haven't done a ton of review collecting and only have five Google reviews! While we wish this weren't necessary and would love to be judged solely on our hard work and excellent outcomes, apparently having those online reviews matter. So thank you in advance to those who are happy to help and please feel free to throw some personality in your reviews--I happen to think we should have the jazziest reviews around! Here is a link!