Local Living February 2015

is in the Air Romantic Stay-Ins Feel the Love in the Comfort of Your Own Home 2015 Tech Trends This Year’s List of the Latest in Technology Volume 5, Issue 1 $4.99 US

Cold Weather Recipes These Winter Dishes Will Be Sure To Warm You Up www.locallivingmag.com

Your Home. Your Community. Your Life.

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features

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24 Cold Weather Recipes 31 Romantic Holiday Stay-Ins 40 2015 Tech Trends

32

what’s cooking

fashion & beauty

57 The Forty Year Old Version and His Take On The 76ers 59 Exercising With Our Pets

23 Maize Restaurant

61 Fashionista on Updating Your Personal Style

20 Cravings and Crumbs – Winter Ice Cream

out and about

14 Top College Towns to Visit 32 Tropical Vacations 35 Seasonal Events in Southern Ocean County, NJ 64 Local Goes Local – North Conway Village, NH

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Local Living March | April 2014

46 Beauty From the Inside Out

home & entertaining

law & finance

10 Revamping The Family Room

13 Things to Consider After Buying a Home

health & family

17 Harvest Financial on A Woman’s Financial Reality

44 Winter Health and Exercise

37 Starting Your Business Off On The Right Foot

39 How to Simplify Your Life

51 Senior Perspective on Transitioning to a Retirement Community

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Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

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publisher’s page

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.

— Oscar Wilde

“C

old hands, warm heart…” was one of my grandmother’s favorite sayings. This winter is certainly making its mark with the cold weather we are already experiencing! Brrr!

The older I get, the faster the years seem to fly by. I can’t believe another year is upon us, yet I am always excited by the prospect of new beginnings. They offer us the opportunity to pause and reflect upon the choices we have made and determine if we want to continue along that same path or create different opportunities for ourselves. I hope to fill 2015 with more activities that broaden my mind, strengthen my body and feed my soul.

Maybe it’s time to make room for more love in your life.

Whether you’re single or companioned, this heart-centered season is a choice time to reflect on the physical and emotional health of our own heart and the most cherished relationship we have… with ourselves. Have you told yourself lately that you’re wonderful?

Elevate your relationships and connect with caring companions to boost your well-being. Loving oneself and others is the ultimate power designed to deliver better health, relationships, career success and happiness.

Valentine’s Day will be filled with gifts of flowers, chocolates and hearts. It will be a powerful reminder of love and a great way to shower our loved ones with acts of kindness and devotion. By all means, pour on the romance, candlelight and music but don’t forget to include yourself!

Hugs and kisses all around!

Karen A. Kovacs, Publisher

Volume 5 | Issue 1 Local Living

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editor’s letter

I

t’s been nearly 25 years, but I still have such a vivid image of dad entering my grandmother’s kitchen one winter evening. He worked outside on a bucket truck and was donned in layers of flannel. The frigid air lingered in behind him, as he took out his do-rag and wiped the cold from his nose. After a long day, the warm house must have given him an instant sense of tranquility and comfort.

My father’s face relaxed as he sat down at the table and greeted his mother-in-law, “Thank you. I’m starving… haven’t eaten anything since 9:30 this morning.”

Which of course prompted her to fuss, “Oh, Jack that’s terrible!” and pile more roast beef and gravy onto his plate.

Isn’t it funny how ordinary conversations will stick with you for decades? Both my grandmother and my father are now deceased, but I reflect back on this moment as a perfect demonstration of love and family.

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I encourage you to use the dreary months of January and February to welcome loved ones out of the cold and into your home for a comforting meal. Of course Local Living offers plenty of cold weather recipes for you to whip up, and even a list of “Romantic Stay-Ins” that will keep you and your partner excited for a date night at home.

When you read through this issue, you’ll be inspired to hit the refresh button on your life. From tips to simplify our lives and update the family room decor, to slowing down and enjoying a long meal at Maize restaurant, or incorporating new exercise routines with our pets (I’ve tried this, and my Golden Retriever is very thankful!)… Local Living has plenty to guide us into making 2015 the best year yet.

Whether you are outdoors embracing the cold or snuggling in, be sure to make these winter days simple, yet special, with the ones you love.

Lisa Walters Editor-in-Chief 12

Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

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HOME & GARDEN

Focus on the Family Room

By Pattie Krukowski

O

n New Year’s Day, sometime around 10:00 am, my sleepy husband, my wide-eyed son, and our hyperactive pooch welcomed flannel clad guests for a Pajama Brunch. Their slippered feet shuffled into the living room where a kidney shaped table by the wood fireplace served up an oversized pitcher of spicy Bloody Marys and all the traditional accoutrements. Slowly, everyone migrated to the family room where they would remain for several hours consuming a casual menu of strata, waffles and salty breakfast meats, while The Rose Bowl

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Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

Parade played on the television without any sound. As I refilled coffees, I started thinking about the function and appeal of this most used room in a home and how to improve it. Does your family room work? Could it work harder?

Does it have style but lacks polish? In the first few weeks of the New Year, the holiday decorations will all come down and be stored away. This is the perfect time to focus on the family room.

If you have a living room in your home, you have a separate space to use as a more formal sitting area in which to

regale guests, relax and read. It acts as a reprieve from the everyday. It is the perfect place to display art and house a bar cart. If you do not have a living room, your family room has to do double duty. It has to do all the above while also hosting family and friends who congregate to watch TV and play games. It is where homework is completed and violins are practiced. It becomes a makeshift guest room when all other beds are full. It is where highly competitive scrabble tournaments are played and where our furry friends nap for hours on end.

After systematically going through each piece of furniture in the room and purging its clutter, decide which furniture will stay and which will go. Then, spend some time predicting how your family room will be used for the next several years. Are you looking to start a family or will you soon be an empty nester? Don’t skimp on style. Think about the mood and tone you want this room to set. Is your goal open and airy or warm and lodge-like? Next, decide what the focus of the room should be. Is it the flat screen, the fireplace or the view?

Determine your seating needs. Then decide if you should reupholster the sofa you have or if you should get a new one. When shopping for a new sofa, make sure to spend some good quality time test-driving the sofas you are interested in at the show room. (My husband and I required our sofas to be wide enough for us to snuggle while watching a movie.) Contemporary and sleek designs can also be uncomfortable, so be sure to sit and lay down on them before making your decision. Current decorator trends utilize two matching, same size sofas in today’s family room. Long,

open floor plan designed homes can utilize two backto-back sofas. One faces the fireplace or entertainment center and the other faces the kitchen. Other trends couple a sofa with a super versatile, arm-less chaise. Frame your new seating area with a rug that sets the scene. Think chic yet durable. Low, thick, stain-resistant pile and sculptured styles can be cut and bound in custom sizes. Another tip: oversized rugs make a room appear larger.

A desk or tabletop is another important feature of the family room. For a small space, roll top desks hide all kinds of disorder. A bench placed against the wall or against the back of a sofa with a table in front and chairs or stools that fit completely underneath is an attractive way to save space.

Add a pendant light or a funky chandelier to add function and complete the look.

The right entertainment center solves a lot of problems.

Choose one that incorporates doors and drawers to organize all your living room essentials. Games, books and electronics are all neatly stored out of sight. Extra pillows and blankets occupy the bottom drawers for last minute sleepovers. Need more easy access storage? Use heavy toy chests as coffee tables with several small, matching fashionable ottomans.

Place one on each side of the fireplace or entertainment center or line three up to act as a bench.

Now that there’s a place for everything and everything’s in its place, bring the whole room together with a new conversation piece. Triptych style art is all the rage right now. Create your own by downloading a favorite panoramic photo cut into three sections and have them printed on three frameless canvases. Hang in order with a small space in between. Now kick off your shoes, cuddle up with a good book and revel in your sensible yet special new space.

Pattie Krukowski is a freelance writer living in Doylestown, PA

Volume 5 | Issue 1 Local Living

15

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Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

I Bought a House, Now What?

By Lauren Cronmiller

Savings

After buying a home, while it is fun to start decorating and putting in new furnishings, be careful not to spend all of your liquid assets. A good rule of thumb is to have 6-12 months’ worth of bills in a saving’s account. You must prepare yourself for a broken heater, air conditioner, a leaky roof, or any expensive unforeseen circumstance because it may happen. You could find yourself temporarily unemployed due to an unfortunate accident or if your company decides to downsize. Having a little nest egg in the bank is what I call “covering your assets”.

Your loan and what it means

When you purchase a home with a conventional mortgage, they give you a sheet of paper that states your loan amount, your monthly payment, and the amount you will pay at the end of the term. This number is scary! You may consider making an extra payment a year, which will take a 30-year mortgage to roughly 23 years. If your principle and interest payment is $1,500 a month, you are saving about $126,000. Talk to a financial advisor to determine what would be in your best interest. If the interest rate on your mortgage is low, it may be more beneficial to invest the extra payment than pay off your mortgage early.

Refinance

Mortgage rates have been at an all time low and many homeowners have been refinancing their homes to benefit from the record-breaking rates. As much as I enjoy saving a

dollar or two, when refinancing, we must look at the whole picture. How much money will this save me each month compared to how much money the refinance will cost?

Now determine how many years you must stay in the home for the refinance to be worth it. If a refinance will cost me $3,500 and save me $50 a month, I would have to live in the house for over five and a half years for it to be worth it.

But what if I was hoping to move out of my current place and get a bigger home in 2 years? Clearly, the refinance would not be worth it, as you would be losing money. If you are refinancing to obtain a new loan that no longer charges mortgage insurance or PMI, than yes, most likely the refinance would place more money in your pocket.

Some people refinance to pay off credit card debt or other loans. A 4.5% interest rate is much better than a 22.9% interest rate on a credit card but that 4.5% is over 30 years.

Talk to a financial advisor, regardless of your situation, to determine if refinancing is the best option for you.

Lauren Cronmiller is a real estate agent for the Cronmiller Team at Keller Williams Real Estate in Doylestown. She has been a realtor since 2006 receiving Philadelphia’s 5 Star Real Estate Agent award for the past 4 years. Lauren can be reached at her office 215-340-5700, always on her cell phone 215-870-2398, or through email lmcronmiller@gmail.com.

Volume 5 | Issue 1 Local Living

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Our Top College Towns To Visit in 2015 College towns can get a bad rep, but Local Living’s picks are rich in culture, entertainment and — most importantly — have food worth leaving campus for.

1. Charlottesville, VA Charlottesville, home to the University of Virginia, was recently named one of National Geographic’s 10 “World Wonders” thanks to Thomas Jefferson’s design. Beyond the campus’ Rotunda and nearby Monticello, the rolling hills and Blue Ridge mountains serve as a beautiful backdrop for the surrounding wineries and orchards. For its size, Charlottesville is incredibly well-read (it supports 2 weekly papers), has a plethora of art galleries, is overflowing with restaurants and attracts big-name talent to its open-air pavilion on the Downtown Mall.

2. Savannah, GA Centered around an art school (SCAD), there’s no question that Savannah is an eclectic town with a never-ending supply of culture. But aside from its rich Southern history and gorgeous antebellum architecture, its home to the rich home cooking of Paula Deen at The Lady & Sons, an everrotating selection of craft brews at The Distillery and the decadent pralines at River Street Sweets. And if that’s not enough, the beach at Tybee Island is only 30 minutes away.

3. Washington, DC Washington isn’t all politics. With 9 colleges and universities, the capital is also a serious college town, with a seriously diverse range of neighborhoods. U Street beckons with Ben’s Chili Bowl, and Georgetown is a great place for a pre-exam sugar high, courtesy of Georgetown Cupcake. A sports fix is also within easy reach, thanks to DC’s major sports arenas: Verizon Center, Nationals Park, RFK Stadium and FedEx Field. But nothing beats the National Mall, the 2.5-milelong stretch of green where you can enjoy everything from a game of soccer to an outdoor “screen on the green” movie.

4. Ann Arbor, MI If a town’s name references trees, it’s a good bet nature will 18

Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

figure prominently. At the lush, 123-acre Nichols Arboretum, gravel paths wind past blazes of yellow, pink, and white peonies and the occasional reclining student. The “Arb” is also frequently the setting for Shakespeare stagings. Slake your thirst amid more flora at Dominick’s, whose garden is ideal for enjoying any of the 10 local microbrews on tap.

5. Chapel Hill, NC Known as “The Southern Part of Heaven” and home to the University of North Carolina Tarheels, Chapel Hill’s main strip — Franklin Street – is the place for tailgating after parties, first-date dinners at Top of the Hill, boutique shops and Sunday strolls. As the University continues to grow and expand, so does the surrounding area: adding new shops, delis and inns to the already popular downtown Chapel Hill.

6. Madison, WI Madison is Wisconsin’s capital city and it’s also the largest city in the Dairy State. According to Forbes magazine, Madison ranks 2nd in education and in 2003, it had the highest number of PH.D.s per capita among all US cities. The city is home to few colleges and 1 university, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. And aside from hitting the books, students and locals can enjoy fun, local activities, which includes checking out a concert on Capitol Square, taking a swim in Lake Mendota or visit the Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

7. Berkeley, CA You gotta take in the view of the Bay Area from atop the 307-foot-tall Sather Tower, in the heart of Berkeley’s campus. Once you descend, your next mandatory stop is Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley’s lively commercial strip with local attractions like the historic Fox Oakland Theatre. Want to see an outdoor show? Head to the 8,500-seat Greek Theatre, and to keep the outdoor fun going — pony and

carousel rides, anyone? — Tilden Regional Park is the place.

Like any A-list college town, Berkeley’s big on sports, with nearly a dozen sports facilities that cater to track and field, soccer, field hockey, water polo and more.

8. Boulder, CO Where else can students wake up, go for a quick hike, stop by campus for a class, and hit the slopes by the afternoon? Even if outdoor activities aren’t your thing, there’s something for you: Go for a stroll down Pearl Street, a pedestrian mall lined with shops, world-class restaurants and fire-juggling street performers … all set against the stunning backdrop of the Colorado rockies.

9. TEMPE, AZ Located in the middle of 4 major cities in Arizona (Mesa, Gilbert, Phoenix and Scottsdale), Tempe is known as one of the more diverse cities in the state. Step right out of the classroom into the beautiful Arizona sun — the number of pools is endless, the sunbathing is top notch and the mountainous scenery with palm trees lining the streets isn’t too shabby either. Arizona State’s campus is highlighted by dozens of bars and restaurants that line Mill Avenue. And that’s not all, a 5-minute ride down the road will land you right in the heart of downtown Scottsdale.

10. Burlington, VT (University of Vermont) College towns don’t get more scenic than Burlington, where a 7.5-mile bike path on old railroad beds provides wind-riffled views of Lake Champlain. It’s understandable, then, that outdoor activities figure prominently here.

Rent a kayak to explore bays fringed with pines, or hike Burrow’s Trail to the summit of nearby Camel’s Hump, whose bald-faced 4,083-foot summit offers living-map panoramas.

Volume 5 | Issue 1 Local Living

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FINANCE

A Woman’s Financial Reality Your Financial Future Is Up to You ... and No One Else

by Rosemary Caligiuri, CASL®, RICP® President of Harvest Group Financial Services

W

omen are taking action to approach retirement with greater confidence. Some recent intriguing data indicates that women are planning their financial futures with some degree of pragmatism, but also with considerable motivation. One of the key motivations is receiving financial advice.

How much do you know about personal finance? The more knowledge you have, the more action you can take to define and pursue your financial goals and build retirement savings. You can also respond to a few financial realities common to women’s lives.

Where do you stand financially? Start by taking an inventory of your investments and savings accounts: their balances, their purposes. Then, take an inventory of income sources: yours, and those of your spouse or family if applicable.

Consider also your probable or possible income sources after you retire: Social Security and others.

This is a way to start seeing where you are financially in terms of your progress toward a financially stable retirement and your retirement income. It may also illuminate potential new directions for you: * The need to save or invest more (especially since parenting or care giving may interrupt your career and affect your earnings) * The need for greater income (negotiate for a raise!) or additional income sources down the road * Risks to income and savings (and the need to plan greater degrees of insulation from them)

Devoting even just an hour of attention to these matters may give you a clear look at your financial potential for tomorrow. If you don’t want to end up dependent on Social Security, then see that you have the financial education that will let you make major money decisions with confidence.

Study fundamentals of investing and read up on the basics of retirement and estate planning. Proceed from this step to the next: follow with another hour devoted to a chat with an experienced financial professional.

What you should look for in a financial advisor. Finding an advisor you can trust should not be difficult. You’ll want to be sure they have credentials such as RICP® (Retirement Income Certified Professional), CFP® (Certified Financial Planner), ChFC® (Chartered Financial Consultant), etc. that tells you they have the experience, knowledge and designations necessary to give you sound financial advice.

Securities and advisory services are offered through Centaurus Financial, Inc., Member FINRA and SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor. Supervisory Branch: 3902 State Street, Suite 101, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, 1.888.569.1982. Harvest Group Financial Services and Centaurus Financial are not affiliated.

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cravings & crumbs Ice Cream: A Winter Wonderland

By Sara Savini

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O

f course it happens just as we clean the last of our holiday leftovers from the fridge, pluck the remnants of wrapping from the soles of our shoes, and vacuum those final pine needles from the floor.

Winter is back. Those balmy days that had us leaving jackets in the car are gone, and like that ever so predictable liquid nitrogen in the molecular gastronomy episode of your favorite cooking competition show, it’s as frozen as ever.

Okay 2015, you can have your seasonal start. With all the hustle and bustle behind us, it’s the perfect excuse to snuggle up on the couch with a chai, watch The 100 Foot Journey, and order some good Indian takeout...

OR, we could get some ice cream.

Stay with me here, it’s really not that crazy of an idea.

After all, ice cream has origins in wintry weather. Just ask Alexander - Mr. “the Great” was said to have dined on snow drizzled with honey and fruit nectars. I’m not suggesting you go out and flavor some snow, but it is definitely a prime time to dabble in some seasonal ice cream flavors.

Take the west coast farm-to-cone ice cream at Salt & Straw. They have some tantalizing seasonal scoops like Central Coast Champagne Sorbet and Universe III (Black Mole ice cream with chocolate nut clusters) that will ship right to your doorstep. Or you could give the closer and just as trendy Little Baby’s Ice Cream of East Kensington a try.

They’re sporting a wintry mix of flavors like Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Nut Cracker, and get this… IRISH POTATO! It begs the question- Why not ice cream in winter?

Even if you’re not ready for more online shopping yet,

or just can’t manage to venture out into the cold, you could always make your own. Admittedly, my first attempts at ice cream were in the final days of the year. I had received an ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer and was eager to break it in. It sat nestled by the tree, taunting me.

I scoured my abode for possibilities: an overabundance of caramel Santas, a half carton of eggnog, and leftover candied ginger bought for turkey brining. Yes, my counter top now housed a smorgasbord of possibility.

Those early batches were certainly a schooling in ice cream fundamentals. It’s truly all about that base. Too much milk makes it icy; too much cream makes it grainy. Fold in the mix-ins at the very end for the best blend. Lacking in a machine or freezer space? You can let your favorite store bought flavor soften and mix in anything you like, then refreeze it in a loaf pan lined with parchment. Remember, like all food, ice cream is about flavor, texture, and your own personal tastes. Give making your own a try. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be resisting the urge to pull your Pizzelle Press out to make waffle cones.

Still too cold to convince you? Put a scoop of some store bought seasonal flavor in your coffee or hot cocoa, or traditional vanilla in your favorite tea. You might just find yourself warming up to a winter ice cream treat.

Sara is a freelance writer, culinary adventurer, and renaissance mom. She lives in West Chester with too many kitchen gadgets, her overly ambitious container garden, her husband Chris, and their two young sons (the Incredible Hulk and the Flash).

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Maize Restaurant

A Farm-to-Table in a League of It’s Own

By Lisa Walters

W

hen my husband and I began dating in our early twenties, I was a simple chicken fingers and Miller Lite kind of girl. Together we morphed into a wannabe “foodie couple”, searching for a great restaurant to share a bottle of wine, try a signature dish, and catch up with good friends. Even though our taste buds were evolving, it wasn’t until our honeymoon in Italy that we really experienced dining.

We all know that Americans are fast paced. Drive-thrus for coffee and burgers and ice cream… we eat not for enjoyment but rather to consume calories. At most restaurants there is a

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sense of urgency. Complimentary salads arrive seconds after the first bite of the appetizer, and you may even receive an evil glare from the hostess, if you remain at your table after paying your bill. The American way of dining is “get in, get out.”

And then there is Maize. A little slice of awesome nestled on Walnut Street in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. Head chef and owner, Matt McPhelin, has quite the resume having worked in many of the top-notch restaurants in Philadelphia; but a little over five years ago he was able to make his dream a reality, when he was able to open up a BYOB farm-to-table restaurant.

Unlike most restaurants, Maize’s kitchen does not include a microwave or fryers, and contains only one small mini freezer to house his homemade ice creams. He goes out almost daily to gather ingredients from local farms. With the exception of seafood items, everything that is served to your table comes from a farm located within in 2 hours of the restaurant. Truly everything from the meats and poultry and cheeses, to the tea and coffee, and even the flour used to make the complimentary buttermilk biscuit, comes from local farms.

Matt is part Native American Sioux, which may have a little something to do with why he named his restaurant Maize, the Native American word for corn, and welcomes his guests with a bowl of perfectly seasoned popcorn. Shortly after placing your order, that buttermilk biscuit I mentioned earlier is served hot out of the oven with honeycomb from Mondjack Apairies.

(A gluten-free version of this biscuit is in the works, and it will be perfected and available for customers in the next few weeks. Currently, the entire menu is either gluten-free or can be altered to be gluten-free.) These biscuits are heaven, and I keep telling Matt he should open for breakfast just to serve them with coffee, but then he wouldn’t have anytime to get his food shopping done all across Bucks County. He is after all, only one person.

One person, that prefers quality over speed. “Putting food out faster effects the quality,” says Matt. With an open kitchen, you can see that each dish truly is made to order. Since there aren’t any warming trays filled with precooked sides and sauces ready to dump onto your plate, every element of your meal is guaranteed to come out prepared to perfection.

Maize restaurant is not a place for you to stuff your face (although you will) and leave within an hour. Matt assures us, “That’s not what we are about. I want my customers to enjoy a long meal and the company they are with.” A typical dining experience for a party of two is a minimal for 2-2 ½ hours. For larger parties of 6 or more, plan for at least three hours. The packed dining room and reservations required for a table on Friday and Saturday nights, proves that the impeccable dishes turn most diners into repeat customers.

The menu changes frequently based on the ingredients Matt can get his hands on in a given week, but the bison and crab cake are almost always available. Although, their accompaniments change with the seasons… In the summer the crab cake is served over sweet corn and vanilla sauce, while I recently ate mine served over a butternut squash puree with pistachio sauce.

Every meal should end with something sweet. If you aren’t able to save room for the Chocolate Terrine or Polenta Cake served with braised blueberries, I recommend you try an ice cream sampler. Currently, Maize offers homemade flavors

such as: root beer, olive oil, caramel, and chocolate available.

Regardless of whether or not you decide to indulge on dessert, you won’t walk out the door without their signature parting gift- a miniature chocolate chip cookie. (Which of course comes fresh from the oven and will be sure to make you smile!)

As the success of the restaurant continues to rise, Matt is working on expanding and improving his dining space. New sound absorbing floors are being installed, and the upstairs is being renovated to accommodate more seating and create a small waiting area. “I hope to have all the renovations complete by late spring. The upstairs will be used for larger parties of 12-15 people,” says Matt.

With just a small team of 4-5 other people to assist him with running the entire restaurant, I don’t know how he manages everything and completing the renovations by himself; but there is no stopping someone with the amount of passion, patience, and precision that Matt holds. Maize

Maize Restaurant 519 West Walnut St. Perkasie, PA Phone 215.257.2264 to make a reservation www.maizeonwalnut.com

Open for dinner 5-10 pm Tuesday - Saturday

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Cold Weather Recipes to Keep Your Family Warm This Winter

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When it turns cold outside, there are certain dishes we gravitate to for comfort.

These best winter recipes will make your house smell fantastic and warm you up inside and out. There is no doubt that your whole family will enjoy sitting down to eat, with any of these creations are on their plates!

Baked Potato Soup

Here’s a classic, perfect for potato lovers—baked potato soup, made with mashed up baked potatoes, onion, celery, and stock, puréed and topped with classic baked potato toppings like crumbled crispy bacon, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and chives. It’s the perfect thing for using up leftover baked potatoes too.

Ingredients 4 pounds russet potatoes (about 7 medium potatoes) 1/4 pound thick sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch slices (lardons) 1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups) 2 ribs celery, finely chopped 6 cups chicken stock 1 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste) 1/8 teaspoon of ground white or black pepper 2 to 4 Tbsp heavy cream (optional) Garnishes: Grated sharp cheddar cheese Sour cream Minced chives Crumbled bacon (from step 2 in method) Directions 1. Scrub the potatoes clean and poke them all over with the tines of a fork or paring knife (this is so they don’t explode from internal pressure building up as they cook). Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 1 hour, or until easily cut through with a knife. Remove and let cool enough to handle. (To speed up cooling, slice them in half lengthwise.)

2. Place bacon lardons in a large, thick bottomed Dutch oven (about 5 to 6 quart pot). Heat on medium high until the bacon starts to brown then lower the heat to medium. Cook until the bacon has rendered most of its fat and the lardons are browned and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon and set aside.

Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan. (Do not discard bacon fat in your sink, it will clog the drain. Pour the fat into a jar and let it cool and solidify. Then either scoop it out and discard it or use it for another purpose.)

3. Add the chopped onion and celery to the remaining bacon fat in the pot. Cook for 2 minutes on medium high, then lower the heat to low, and cover the pot. Let cool slowly on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides to a bowl. Then add it to the cooked onion and celery mixture along with 6 cups chicken stock. Add a teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring the soup to a simmer and reduce the heat to

low. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes into the stock.

5. Cook the potato soup for about 5 minutes, then use an immersion blender to purée about half of the soup if you want a slightly chunky soup, or purée all of it if you want a smoother soup. Stir 2 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream into the soup if you want a creamier soup. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

6. Pour into bowls and top with grated cheddar, sour cream, chives, and crumbled crispy bacon.

Cheesy Skillet Cornbread

This cornbread is packed with cheese, onions, and whole corn, and flavored with bacon drippings. Need I say more?

Serve the corn bread at the table directly from the skillet, the benefit being that because the cast iron holds its heat so well, the corn bread stays warm throughout the entire meal.

Ingredients 1 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 Tbsp sugar 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

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1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 cup milk 3 Tbsp bacon drippings (warmed to liquid), plus 1 teaspoon to grease the pan 1 egg, beaten 3/4 cup of cooked corn, either fresh, defrosted frozen corn, or drained from a can Directions 1. Place a 9 or 10-inch cast iron pan in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, and salt. Add remaining ingredients, and stir until just combined.

3. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven (remember the handle is hot!). Place a teaspoon of bacon fat in the bottom of the hot pan and swirl it around until it is all melted and coating the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter from the mixing bowl into the pan. Remember to put a pot holder over the hot handle of the pan and return it to the oven.

4. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let the cornbread cool in the pan.

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is basically a casserole with a layer of cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked in the oven until the the mashed potatoes are well browned. When you dig in you get a spoonful of mashed potatoes, some crispy bits, meat, and vegetables all 30

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in one bite. It’s pure comfort food.

Ingredients 1 1/2 to 2 pounds potatoes (about 3 large potatoes), peeled and quartered 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) 1-2 cups vegetables—diced carrots, corn, peas 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef 1/2 cup beef broth 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice Directions 1. Place the peeled and quartered potatoes in medium sized pot. Cover with at least an inch of cold water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender (about 20 minutes.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until tender, about 6 to 10 minutes. If you are including vegetables, add them according to their cooking time. Carrots should be cooked with the onions, because they take as long to cook as the onions do. If you are including peas or corn, add them toward the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat starts to cook, as they take very little cooking time.

3. Add ground beef to the pan with the onions and vegetables. Cook until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Add the worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Bring the broth to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook uncovered

for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth if necessary to keep the meat from drying out.

4. When the potatoes are done cooking (a fork can easily pierce), remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl with the remaining 4 Tbsp of butter. Mash with a fork or potato masher, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the beef, onions, and vegetables (if using) in an even layer in a large baking dish (8x13 casserole). Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the ground beef. Rough up the surface of the mashed potatoes with a fork so there are peaks that will get well browned. You can even use a fork to make creative designs in the mashed potatoes.

6. Place in a 400°F oven and cook until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. If necessary, broil for the last few minutes to help the surface of the mashed potatoes brown.

Apple Cobbler

A favorite thing to make with apples is this apple cobbler.

The filling is seasoned with cinnamon, lemon, and vanilla and isn’t overly sweet. The buttermilk biscuit cobbler crust is speckled with bits of candied ginger. As much as we all love pie, cobblers are much less fussy. You don’t roll out a crust, but just spoon the crust dough on top of the filling. So you get the great taste of pie with half the work!

Ingredients Filling ingredients: 3 lbs of a variety of good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein 2 Tbsp lemon juice 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 Tbsp flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chopped apples (and the lemon juice from the bowl), sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss to coat with everything so that the spices and sugar are well distributed throughout the apples. Partially cover the pot and cook until the apples are just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, and toss to coat with a tablespoon of flour. Transfer the apple cobbler filling (including any juices from the apples) to a 10-inch pie dish, a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish, or a 9x9-inch baking dish.

3. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the cubed butter and toss to coat with the flour mixture.

Use your fingertips or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the largest piece of butter is no bigger than a pea. Stir in the candied ginger and zest. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. Use a fork to stir the flour and buttermilk together until the flour is all moistened. Do not overwork the dough!

4. Crumble the cobbler dough over the top of the apples in the baking dish. (If you want extra pizzaz you can sprinkle the top with a little brown sugar.)

5. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack in the oven (to catch any drippings), and place the cobbler on the next lowest rack. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F until the top is beginning to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 30 more minutes until the topping is cooked through and the filling is bubbly.

Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Crust ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 1 cup buttermilk 1 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger 1 teaspoon lemon zest or orange zest Method 1. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch chunks. As you prep the apples, add them to a bowl and toss with lemon juice to keep them from oxidizing (turning brown).

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MEETTMODERN MEDITERRANEANNCUISINE Small & Large Plates • Entrée Plates • 70+ Wine & Craft Beers

Carmel Kitchen is your neighborhood restaurant with the inviting urban vibe featuring mix-and match Mod Med interpretative classics such as flatbreads, chickpea fries or steak frites. Drop in and try one of our signature salads or sandwiches for quick, satisfying lunch.

The high-tech touch advantage of Carmel’s iPad ordering system is a fun way to find the perfect pairing for your favorite bite or beverage.

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Mon - Thurs: 11:30am - 10:00pm Fri - Sat: 11:30am - 11:00pm Sun: 11:30am - 9:00pm Carmel Kitchen Warrington 1613 Main Street Warrington, PA, 18976 PHONE 215.279.9607

Weekly Events MONNFRI • 5 @ Five Five shareables, five big pours, and five featured cocktails and regional beer selections - all offered for $5 from 5-7pm.

WED • Wine & Unwind Wednesday Kick back with half-priced bottes* every Wednesday night. *Available on any bottle that is available by the glass

THURS • Martini Thursday Classic or Creative? 9 choices, your pick just $5 all night.

LUNCH • DINNER • CARMELLKITCHEN.COM

Aroi Thai Bistro Authentic Thai food in a traditional Thai house atmosphere. Experience flavor honed by generations of past Masters when you enjoy Aroi.

727 Second Street Pike • Southampton, PA 215.322.8889 www.aroithaipa.com Open daily for lunch and dinner

Mt. Fuji Japanese Sushi & Steakhouse 459 Second Street Pike • Southampton, PA • 215.396.8985 43 Summit Square • Newtown/Langhorne, PA • 215.860.6888 Ardmore Plaza • 36 Greenfield Ave. • Ardmore, PA • 610.658.9888 Reservations Welcome • Gift Cards Available Join Our VIP Program Today!

Lunch Mon. - Fri. 11:00am to 3:00pm Dinner Mon. - Thurs. 4:30pm - 10:00pm Fri. 4:30pm - 11:00pm Sat. 2:30pm - 11pm Sun. 2:30pm - 9:30pm Volume 5 | Issue 1 Local Living

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Crystal Rose Catering & Special Events Solution

“Celebrating Occasions Together” Weddings • Graduations • Drop Off ’s

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Photos courtesy of Looking Glass Photography

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A Full Service Event Provider 215-651-0559 www.crystalrosecatering.com

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Romantic Date Night “Ins”

By Erica Wheeling

G

oing OUT for date night is tough to beat, but when you can’t go out (perhaps you can’t find a babysitter, money is tight, or the weather is bad) a date night IN is always a fun alternative.

1. PIZZA NIGHT Homemade pizza is one of my all-time favorite things. It is cheap, easy and, in my opinion, tastes way better than anything you can get delivered. Turn on some Italian music then get in the kitchen together. When your gourmet pizzas come out of the oven, turn out the lights, turn on the fire and enjoy.

2. CHOCOLATE COURSES I came up with this idea while watching Iron Chef.

Make a meal where CHOCOLATE is featured in every course. You can either make a meal together or divide up the courses and surprise the other with your sweet & savory creations.

3. DINING IN THE DARK In this era of information overload, visual stimulation has reached an all time pinnacle. But imagine, just for an hour or two that you cannot see, that you are abandoning vision in exchange for a new, more stimulating dining experience – this is “Dining in the Dark”.

How easy would this be to create this experience at home?

Close the blinds, cover the windows, and enjoy your dinner in COMPLETE darkness!

4. HOTEL STAY Surprise your husband, wife, or partner with a hotel expe-

rience at home! Make up your bed with crisp, white sheets and put a couple mints on the pillows. Have a dinner menu laying on the pillows for “room service”. Have dinner on serving trays in your room and eat on the bed while watching a movie.

5. FORMAL NIGHT Pull out your nicest formal dress from your last cruise light dozens of candles, and have a romantic, fancy dinner.

6. THEME NIGHT Pick a movie filmed in a foreign country and make a dinner to go along with it. For example, if you want to do a French theme watch: French Kiss, Chocolat, Sabrina, or even Ratatouille. For your meal, make French Onion Soup, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast!

7. FONDUE PARTY There is something about dipping food in cheese and chocolate that is just sexy. I love a spinach, artichoke & cheese fondue followed by a dark chocolate raspberry fondue. Light some candles, turn on some good music, and enjoy!

8. PICNIC AND A MOVIE Pack a picnic basket with some gourmet sandwiches, snacks, and sodas. Lay a blanket down in the TV room, start a good movie, and open up your basket. Go a step further and make indoor s’mores over tea candles.

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TRAVEL

5 No-Passport-Required Tropical Vacations

By Susan McGinley

T

1. Puerto Rico There’s plenty to do and see in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States and the smallest island of the Greater Antilles at 100 miles long and 35 miles wide. Here are a few highlights:

Here’s a rundown of tropical paradises that are part of the good ole U.S. of A:

Old San Juan: Amazing history, culture and nightlife converge along the hilly cobblestone streets of this vibrant neighborhood. Not to be missed is La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

he cost of a passport for one person isn’t too bad but can be staggering for a family of four. If you’re dreaming of a tropical vacation but your family is passport-less or the cost of renewing your passports would strain your budget, don’t worry. You can still kick back and relax in paradise without coughing up the passport fee to Uncle Sam.

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Fajardo: A popular tourist and boating destination in its own right, Fajardo also has daily ferries to the islands of Vieques and Culebra, where quiet, crowd-free, beautiful beaches reign.

El Yunque National Forest: The only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System.

Arecibo Observatory: The largest single-dish radio telescope in the world.

2. United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Purchased from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million in gold, this unincorporated United States territory known for its picturesque white-sand beaches consists of several dozen small islands and islets and the following three main islands: Saint Croix: In addition to beautiful beaches, the island is home to the Cruzan Rum Distillery, Buck Island Reef National Monument, and Point Udell, the easternmost point of the United States.

Saint Thomas: Duty-free shopping in the capital city Charlotte Amalie, historic Blackbeard’s Castle, breathtaking views from Paradise Point and beautiful Magens Bay Beach are just the tip of the iceberg on this 32-square-mile island!

Saint John: With the Virgin Islands National Park encompassing roughly 60 percent of the island, Saint John is the ultimate escape from the hustle and bustle of Charlotte Amalie. Not to be missed is Trunk Bay Beach, consistently rated as one of the top 10 best beaches worldwide!

3. Hawaii The sky’s the limit regarding things to do and see in our 50th state and of course, because it is a state, no passport is required for American citizens. Top attractions include: USS Arizona Memorial: The 184-foot Memorial at Pearl Harbor spans the sunken battleship which serves as the final resting place for many who made the ultimate sacrifice on December 7, 1941.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific: This memorial to men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces is situated in the Punchbowl Crater which formed 75,000 to 100,000 years ago.

Diamond Head Crater: This larger-than-life landmark at the east of Waikiki is a Hawaii State Monument.

Byodo-In Temple in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, Oahu: This is a replica of a temple of the same name in Uji, Japan which is one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Waikiki Beach: Stay and play on this world famous strip of sand in Honolulu.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: Located on the Big Island, Hawaii, this park is home to one of the world’s most active volcanoes, Kilauea, which has been erupting since January 3rd, 1983.

Flying to U.S. Territories in the South Pacific costs a fortune, so if you can afford the roundtrip airfare you can afford a passport. Regardless, here’s what you need to know: 4. Guam Atop the Orote Peninsula on Guam you will find the western counterpart to St. Croix’s Point Udall, which is also named Point Udall. The slogan “Where America’s Day Begins” is commonly used to refer to Guam because its location west of the International Date Line makes it the first place in America to be graced with the dawn of a new day.

5. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Known as America’s best-kept secret, this Western Pacific Territory consists of 14 islands, only three of which are permanently inhabited: Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

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Long Beach Island Region Invites You to Warm Up to Winter

by Redefining Beach Culture Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce Welcomes You to Take a Closer Look at What You Can Do at the Beach in 2015

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s everyone settles into a new year, Long Beach Island Region artists and area enthusiasts have been at work to present a new approach to a jersey shore vacation. Late summer, Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce began crafting a year round conversation of why to shop, dine or attend events at any time as way to rejuvenate the spirit and gain new perspective on the independent nature of the local businesses.

“Winter and spring are the perfect time to explore our area.

Attend brilliant live performances, or visit our small, independent businesses that take pride in what they do, galleries of artisans in every medium, and storytellers who interpret our local history and our environment. We also have one of kind boutiques, surf shops, restaurants, bakeries, and long standing cultural groups that help complete the full experience.” states Lori Pepenella Destination Marketing Director for the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce. “In 2015, we invite our visitors to take some time to disconnect from the everyday and connect with people and places that inspire.”

Embrace the season with an all-out winter blast hosted by local business members of the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce.

Celebrating 101 years, the regional chamber is creating an exciting pop up event in at St. Mary’s Parish Center off of McKinley Avenue Manahawkin from 10am to 2pm on Saturday Feb 28. Attractions include: outdoor gaming trailers and National Guard Call of Duty Virtual exhibit, disc golf lessons, and hot chocolate and treats. Inside we will have children workshops featuring birdhouses and other make and take projects, and local businesses will feature winter deals.

Spring previews at the Marketplace and Lighthouse International Film Society and Jetty will be screening their acclaimed film Landfall. Gourmet food specialties will be for sale, as well as a coffee house style seating area. (There is no charge for the public to attend or take part in any of the Winter Warm Up activities.)

Celebrate the annual Wings over LBI event on March 21.

The Southern Ocean Birding Group will be presenting ‘Here Comes Spring Migration’ at the LBI Foundation Science at 11 a.m. with an additional program at the Lighthouse Center at 1 p.m. on Wintering Waterfowl at Barnegat Lighthouse.

In spring, don’t forget to save the date for most trendy festivals to hit shore. Starting with the Wedding Road Show on Sunday April 19 featuring a self-guided tour to area wedding venues. The Hot Sauce Festival on May 30 in Beach Haven pairs up live bands, hot sauce, and craft beer tasting. June 4-7, Lighthouse International takes place at multiple venues on Long Beach Island, and mid-June attend the Pour into Summer Wine Festival featuring NJ Wineries.

For more information on the 100 year old business organization, the Beach Culture Redefined campaign, social media videos and other efforts within the Long Beach Island Region contact Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce at 609 494 7211, online at www.visitLBIregion. com, on social media as LBI Region and Southern Ocean Chamber (#beachcultureredefined) or stop into their visitor center at 265 West Ninth Street Ship Bottom NJ. Lori A. Pepenella, DS, CDME Destination Marketing & Communications Director Long Beach Island Region DMO Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce 265 West Ninth Street, Ship Bottom, NJ (609) 494-7211 Follow us on social media as LBI Region

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Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

LEGAL

Things to Consider Before Starting a Business

By James Shrimp

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ou’ve heard the names – Steve Jobs, Oprah, Mary Kay Ash, Mark Zuckerberg, Sara Blakely.

These names are synonymous with success, some through the invention of a product that would change the world, and others through the creation of a service that the public craves. Some of you reading this article might be in the process of developing that next product or service and wondering – what steps do I take to start my business off on the right foot? Surely, all the individuals listed above asked the same question and the answer is yes, there are things you should affirmatively do and other actions you should consider before making that commitment.

• Form a Business Entity: There are numerous types of business entities – including corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies. There are many reasons why you need to form a business entity and they include : (1) limiting personal liability; (2) reducing tax liability; and (3) if you have a partner or investors, creating rules to govern that relationship. Which of these business entities you choose for your business can be affected by a number of factors including (1) the type of product or service you are providing, (2) whether you have investors, (3) whether you want to avoid corporate taxes, and many others.

• Business Plan/Financing: Before buying or opening a business, you should prepare a business plan. The reason is twofold. First, by taking the time to prepare a detailed business plan, including marketing strategy, growth projections and financial pro formas, you can determine whether the business is viable. There are a lot of great products you can make for $10.00, and you might sell millions, but if you can only sell it for $5.00, you’re going out of business in a

hurry. And second, a business plan will be a prerequisite for obtaining any SBA or bank financing.

• Intellectual Property Protection: There are two types of intellectual property that are important to consider. First, if you have a product or process that you invented, you want to obtain patent protection for that invention. Second, if you are going to market/advertise your product or service, you need to obtain trademark protection for the name and/ or logo that you will utilize. You should consider patent and trademark protection very early on in any business that you start, because delay can be very costly, or even prevent you from marketing /selling your product or service.

• Hire a Lawyer: You might think this part of the article is self-serving, and of course it is. BUT YOU REALLY SHOULD HIRE A LAWYER. I’m sure you have heard all of the commercials on television and radio that promise the creation of a business entity or obtaining a trademark or patent without a lawyer for less cost. I’m not writing to disparage those services. However, a good lawyer can provide those services, answer any questions you might have and provide ongoing support – something those other companies cannot provide.

Mr. Shrimp concentrates his practice in the representation of businesses in a variety of matters including commercial contract disputes, discrimination cases, restrictive covenant cases, wage and hour disputes and business dissolution. He also represents businesses in trademark applications and trademark infringement matters and franchise litigation.

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Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

How to Simplify & Organize Your Life

By Jack Beckett

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ould you like to lead a simpler life this year? What would it mean for you to finally get rid of the energy draining clutter that surrounds you every day?

How would it feel to have all of your stuff clean and in order, while all distractions were reduced to a minimum?

Pretty sweet, right? But how do you go about it? Where should you start?

It can be tempting to want to attack your house (and schedule) with a giant garbage bag tossing things (and activities) out in the name of simplifying. Don’t. Pick one area to focus on and really get it streamlined, before moving on to the next thing. Simplicity is not about tossing things, but rather actively and consciously choosing what you want to make the cut in your life.

When you approach the act of simplifying one zone of your life at a time, you’re much more likely to do the kind of considered thinking that lays the groundwork for systemic simplicity — and the chaos and clutter is much less likely to creep back in. If you’re not sure where to start, I recommend beginning with the one zone of your life that is causing you the most anxiety and stress.

Then think about all the things that help you to feel grounded and centered, or that you’d like to have more of in

your life — like free time, satisfying work projects, regular exercise and good nutrition, a sustainable living environment, or opportunities to express your creativity.

Now, set a specific goal related to each of these issues — for decluttering your closets or reducing your monthly expenses or drawing healthier boundaries at work or whatever is going to bring your life back into alignment with your values. Even small changes can make a big difference, so start with those — then you’re welcome to work your way up to more radical ways of simplifying.

As you begin, you’ll quickly discover how our lives and decisions have been based on cultural expectations and societal norms far more than our truest pursuits. And you’ll notice how your life has been unnecessarily complicated in the process. But even more, you will find yourself forced to identify your greatest values.

After all, you can’t really remove the nonessential possessions without identifying which possessions need to stay… and you can’t identify which possessions need to stay until you discover what you most want to accomplish with your life.

Here’s to your success – Good luck with your simplifying and enjoy your New Year!

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Tech Trends of 2015: You Do Less and We’ll Collect More

By Drew Giorgi

Setting the Stage for 2015 In 2006, Time magazine named “You” person of the year.

The award was given to “You” for being the individual content creator on the World Wide Web. That year witnessed the advent of a wide array of user-friendly web-based tools on what was then being called Web 2.0 that resulted in more people being able to create and communicate on the web than ever before. No longer was the web to be controlled by technologists who understood HTML, CSS, XML, PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript. The big three icons of the era were Facebook (founded in 2004), YouTube (2005), and Twitter (2006). Collectively they offered services to broadcast every aspect of “You” in text, pictures, audio and video. With time, their services have only gotten better—faster, more comprehensive, and, above all, more connected. If the 1990’s were all about getting online, learning to do email, search on Yahoo! and how to order from Amazon, the 2000’s became the era of getting connected, getting empowered to create, remix and share; the most enthusiastic tech commentators saw it as a great trend of democratization, at least in the cyberspace.

Times change and trends change. In 2015, current tech are focused on automating life, collecting and managing more and more user data—even aspects of life that don’t seem to lend themselves to computational measurement— and getting users to pay on a subscription model. If the power of little brothers to watch big brother was celebrated in 2006, the developers of those web 2.0 platform have now made it possible for you—and them—to record and analyze every aspect of your life at the most granular level.

Automotive independence takes on a whole new meaning

This year Apple’s Car Play and Google’s Android Auto will be able to take over the dashboard on some 2015 models being sold with the connectivity options. Instead of using the system built by the car manufacturer, you will be able to use a limited collection of familiar apps such as Google Maps or the iOS music player repackaged to be safely used by the driver. So far Audi, Honda, and Hyundai have announced actual models that will have this capability. Other manufacturers that are part of the Open Automotive Alliance and those who have announced agreements with Apple may soon be showing off models at the upcoming car shows.

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story in car tech may be more under the hood.

For the past decade, cars featuring GPS systems and driver assistance technology have tracked driving habits. As Business Insider reported in January of 2014, a Ford executive told an LA auto show panel that Ford knows when people are speeding pretty much while they are doing it. While this may sound creepy—after all, wasn’t the point of getting your license as a teenager to be free and on your own—no real use was ever made of this data to change driving habits (or manage law breaking) on a massive scale. In a real sense, the car is a contemporary icon of American freedom, but there is also no icon of automation greater than the self-driving automobile.

As of 2014, Google, Mercedes, and Audi have all produced self-driving vehicles that can navigate to various destinations in all types of traffic and road conditions. Google is ahead of the rest of the pack with a promise that 2015 will be the year it debuts its car on the road. The company considers this one of its moonshot projects and wants to start replacing cars driven by humans within five years; established carmakers have expressed a preference for a more gradual timeline. A lot of questions may need to be addressed at various legal and cultural levels before these vehicles are fully embraced. Lawmakers will have to wrestle with accountability and assigning fault for when accidents occur. This type of technology also disrupts traditional notions of freedom and accountability: Is it acceptable to let a five-year-old use a self-driving car to go to the market to pickup dinner if her parents are working late? If the market were within walking distance many would not hesitate to affirm her right to get a meal, but add the level of freedom the driverless car provides and suddenly we have to ask what limits might make sense. Other notions are more amusing.

Right now insurance companies envision a driverless future with fewer accidents, but I imagine there are a number of drivers in New Jersey envisioning a future where they don’t have to pay for car insurance at all. Independence can be incredibly disruptive.

Wearable Tech: Your body, their marketplace

On a more immediate and personal level, wearable tech is receiving its biggest marketing push yet as the industry awaits the spring arrival of the Apple Watch. Unlike its competitors Apple enjoys a userbase exceptionally willing to try its new products and services (for example, Apple Pay took

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off the week it launched with more than a million users).

Wearable technology is more of a sleeper category than a new one, but it is one that Apple may rejuvenate just like it did with contactless payments. There are generally two wearable tech items that are popular: smart watches and fitness-based health bands. Smart watches tend to be the most featurerich of the two as they incorporate the fitness apps offered by the exercise-centric products.

Aside from the ur-smart watch, the Pebble, which connects to both iOS and Android, most smart watches work within a particular ecosystem and require a connection to your smartphone. Android Wear works with Android phones while Apple’s watch will require an iPhone to do most of its computing. Android Wear is now introducing more features that are independent of the phone. In a surprising move, Microsoft Band combines the best features of a smart watch and a fitness band and is compatible with all three smartphone ecosystems: iOS, Android, and Window Phone 8.1. Smart watches tend to be beefy, but look for trimmer second and third generation models to debut soon.

Perhaps the most well-known exercise band on the market is the FitBit, an excellent product used extensively by the Mayo Clinic. In 2014, there was no shortage of tech monitors for the body, but the fitness arena is about to see some seriously new and novel tech in 2015. For Crossfit devotees, runners and weightlifters, new smart clothing may become increasingly popular. The Hexoskin Smart Shirt tracks heart rate, breathing and speed during workouts. Couple this with the Athos Smart Workout Pants that have built-in electromyography (EMG) to measure what is happening with your muscles and you will have a near complete picture of how your body is responding to your workout routine. Into heavy 46

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lifting? Add the Push Band, which measures velocity and speed data while it counts reps and sets for a weightlifter. As with the smart watches, these enhanced clothing items all have apps designed to help you keep track of your progress.

As developers collect more data and make these apps more sophisticated, expect them to suggest foods, routines, and products to improve your health and change your lifestyle.

Pets are in the tech picture

Yes, you can still lookup cats that look like Hitler or see them ride a Roomba on YouTube, but there is an astonishing amount of pet tech available for 2015. Too busy to play fetch with your dog or move the laser pointer across the floor to entertain your cat? iFetch and FrolicCat make devices to keep your pet entertained for hours without involving you. On an offbeat note, it is worth pointing out that many savvy entrepreneurs are hard at work taking the ideas that are popular with humans and translating them to the world of our pets. For example, is your pet an aspiring filmmaker? GoPro’s Fetch is a harness that mounts the GoPro camera on your pet’s back to capture his perspective on the world. Worried that your pet doesn’t like the silence when you are away? Pet Tunes is a small Bluetooth speaker that emits soothing frequencies to calm them. Enjoy Skype?

Have you ever thought about video chatting with your favorite furry friend? PetChatz allows you to do just that—as well as give you the opportunity to tell him to get off the couch when you are at work.

Desktop Computing: User satisfaction is set to hit a whole new resolution

Perhaps the most unexpected trend of 2015 has to do with desktop computing. In 2014, users expressed satisfaction and

surprise at how good desktop computers had become. This was probably due to a variety of factors including dissatisfaction with Windows 8 and confusion in the mobile computing space caused by the reality that there are just too many form factors that seem like novelties—how many people in 2006 would have said a laptop needed to do the downward dog?

(Seriously, how many times have you seen a person use “tent” mode?) Additionally, most users had desktops from the late 1990’s or early 2000’s. The desktop machines of today feature sleek designs, a myriad connectivity options that often bypass the need for cables, and extremely powerful multicore processors that are so fast their actual capacity is mostly never used.

The big story (all puns intended) in 2015 comes on the heels of the arrival of the iMac with 5K Retina Display. PC manufacturers will be pushing displays with resolutions beyond the typical high definition display of 1920 x 1080, better known to consumers as simply high definition. This refers to the number of pixels used to make up a screen image. More pixels equals more clarity. This is somewhat dependent on screen size and how close you are when viewing the display.

A good rule to follow is that a 4K display is optimal at 24” (computer manufacturers will often list 4K or UHD at 3840 x 2160, but in the film/TV industry 4K is 4096 x 2160) while 5K can be 27” or 30” and still look flawless at a normal viewing distance. To compare HD to a higher resolution display, look at the icons and text. On a 24” or 27” HD display icons will pixelate at the edges. Companies like Dell and Asus already sell monitors and systems with 2K displays and higher, but look for this trend to expand in 2015, especially as Microsoft addresses scaling issues at these higher resolutions. This is the single point of contact where a person can literally see an increase in their experience immediately. Professionals and hobbyists who love photography and video, animation artists,

and gamers with a taste for bleeding edge technology will immediately realize the advantages of these high-resolution displays, but everyone will benefit from how easy these displays will be on the eyes.

The business model is changing and a final thought

The business model of technology is changing in ways meaningful to users and companies heading into 2015. 2014 saw the advent of Adobe’s Creative Cloud. Adobe, a company that used to offer software for sale in shrink wrapped packages, now offers all of its professional products one way: a subscription payment model with the software available only as a download. This trend was started when Microsoft’s introduced Office 365. Both companies offer a subscription package that requires a monthly fee. The benefit of being a subscriber is primarily one of receiving timely updates; when a new version of the program is out, you receive it immediately. Additional services offered include cloud storage and communication applications.

On the mobile and gaming side of the equation, 2014 saw not only the subscription model gain traction, but “in-app” payments become ever more popular among software developers; so popular that Apple no longer offers “free” apps in its App Store for fear of lawsuits over misrepresentation. Whereas app-makers used to offer free trial versions and full “pro” versions, the industry has changed somewhat with individual features offered as add-ons that can be bought à la carte.

This is similar to trends in television, where new competitors in the marketplace have speculated about a time in the near future when viewers may only pay for the channels or programs they watch.

Unlike 2006, which was all about creating and sharing, 2015 tech trends are about necessity— with the needs of the body figuring most prominently into the equation. Companies are mostly focused on making life efficient and automated, and then tracking and collecting user data or user dollars in return. Like the old Nielsen ratings (yes, they are still in business watching what you watch), tech companies want to capture as much data as possible. In part, this is to build better products to serve you and in part to turn you into a product they can serve to third parties who think they have products and services that may interest you. In this way, 2015 is a lot like 2006.

Drew Giorgi is a teacher of English at New Hope-Solebury High School. He is a graduate of LaSalle University and holds master’s degrees from The College of New Jersey and St. Joesph’s University in English and Educational Technology. He is a Fellow of the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project, a Keystone Technologist, and author of Blues for Beginners (an instructional music book), and many articles on Media Ecology.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Winter Fitness: Why Staying Healthy Is a Must

By Julie Davis

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inter weather conditions may make you reevaluate your outdoor fitness routine, but hibernation is not the answer, even if you live in the chilly northeast. To be most effective, fitness needs to be consistent. Staying active in the winter boosts immunity by keeping the lymphatic system active — as long as you don’t overtrain, which has the opposite effect.

Winter fitness also prevents weight gain that can occur from inactivity and holiday eating and drinking, as well as the aches and pains that arise from sedentary behavior.

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Get Walking

If you’re new to outdoor activity in winter, walking is a good way to begin. It’s an effective cardio workout that suits a range of fitness levels. Try to choose activities that are appropriate for your abilities, and those you truly enjoy. If you’re going out walking, you can warm up by doing some simple stretches and by walking at a slower pace for the first 5 to 10 minutes of your walking routine. Additionally, be sure to dress for the weather. Choose performance exercise clothes and outerwear that allow you to layer on a thin, thermal first

layer — a pullover and leggings, for instance — and then a vest, pants, and an outer shell that’ll give you warmth without bulkiness and enable you to peel off the layers as you heat up.

Head for the Hills

Winter is the perfect time for outdoor sports such as downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, and other snow-based activities.

If it’s nice out, even walking in the snow is great cardio because it takes more effort than walking on a clear sidewalk or track. Also, this is fun to do with friends.. Snowshoeing is another enjoyable seasonal activities that’s good for winter sports novices. It requires minimal equipment — just the snowshoes.

Go Out and Play!

Let your kids inspire you with winter activities that don’t feel like exercise. After a fresh snowfall, go out and build a snowman with them. Go sledding, snowshoeing, or take a nature walk through the snowy woods. If you’re tech-savvy, you can try geocaching — a treasure-hunting game in which you use GPS devices to find hidden geocache treasures.

If your kids are a little older, consider taking them crosscountry skiing, snowboarding, or out to the local pond to ice skate or play hockey. Playing outside can be fun at any age.

Indoor Activities at the Gym

Use the season as an excuse to expand your exercise repertoire and check out new fitness classes offered in your area. If you’ve wanted to try a new fitness activity at your gym, stop hesitating and sign up. Whether you’re interested in spinning, kickboxing, or salsa dancing or are looking forward to swimming in the heated pool or walking on the treadmill, now is the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself. Your new activity may even turn into your favorite winter exercise.

Indoor Workouts at Home

Be prepared with an indoor workout when the weather conditions keep you stuck at home. If you’re snowbound, put on a DVD that’s geared to your fitness level. The great thing about DVDs is that you can pause them if you need more time to get the position right. Don’t have a fitness DVD? Look for a fitness channel on your local cable or satellite television, or find a fitness Web site you like and get a workout online.

Restorative Activities

Don’t overlook gentle or restorative activities like yoga, tai chi, and qigong that can build strength, increase flexibility, and help you relax. They can also refresh your energy and

improve your stamina throughout the winter. Your energy can become depleted from the stresses of too much you did during the holidays.. This can lead to diminished immunity and colds & flu.

Household Chores

Unless you’re tuning in and working out with a fitness show, limit your downtime on the computer or in front of the TV. If you’re stuck indoors, get a jump on spring cleaning.

(Remember, when the warm weather returns, you’ll want to be back outside, not cleaning the house.) Collect and recycle old clothes and used appliances that have been taking up space in your closets, and take care of the various household chores you’ve been putting off since the summer. An hour of housework burns about 200 calories; plus, this winter activity will give you a great sense of accomplishment.

Turn Shopping Into Exercise

Mall walking is a popular winter exercise, especially if you get to the mall before the stores open and focus on a brisk walking routine. Walking and window-shopping at a casual pace burns about 68 calories in 30 minutes; that number jumps to 112 calories if you hurry along at a brisker, threemile-an-hour pace.

Keep Eating From Becoming a Winter Activity

Remember that eating isn’t a winter sport, so while you may indulge in some tasty treats, follow the same healthy eating guidelines that you normally would. Build meals with lean protein, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Practice moderation with alcoholic beverages, too — moderate drinking means one alcoholic beverage per day for women and two for men. At cocktail parties, exercise self-control and limit the number of appetizers and desserts you consume. All of these efforts will help you have a happy and healthy winter season.

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Eating for Beauty

By Erika Ringwald

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e do many things to take care of ourselves.

Healthy habits can include: working out, getting plenty of sleep, drinking water, abstaining from alcohol, meditating, and eating right. If I were to generalize eating right, it would be eating to maintain a healthy weight and eating a variety of foods to get all the nutrients your body needs. The healthy weight is fairly objective and easy to monitor. Getting all the nutrients we need, well that is a bit harder to monitor and doesn’t provide an aesthetic reward, or so you may think. Having a balanced intake keeps your body healthy and it shows from the inside out.

When a client sits across the desk from me and tells me that they generally eat well, I take a look at their skin. I don’t do this to judge them, but because our skin is actually a good indicator of our diets. Many people think health is merely the number on the scale, but it goes much deeper than that. I am using skin as an example of evaluating how healthy your diet is because, quite frankly, who doesn’t want their skin to glow?

The skin you see in the mirror today will be gone and replaced with new skin cells in about a month. In order for the new cells to provide us firmness, elasticity and luminosity, we need some key nutrients; those being vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids and proteins. There is a

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saying that if a food has the capability to rot, we should be eating it. Our body is organic and the food we put into it should be “alive” too.

I am finding that more and more people are making a concerted effort to take in healthy fats and to eat protein.

This is great, but do you know exactly how these things turn into compounds our bodies need? It happens with the help from vitamins and minerals. We get a plethora of nutrients from whole and minimally processed foods. If the majority of your food comes from a bag or a box, most of the nutrients have been destroyed or removed. Enriching our food doesn’t do us any justice. We need vitamins and minerals from their natural form. All the compounds of our food work together, just like a team.

Don’t evaluate how balanced and healthy your diet is by the number on the scale or the calories tracked with your cell phone app. Start by taking a look in the mirror. Glowing skin lets you know you are healthy from inside out.

Erika Ringwald is a Registered Dietitian with Erika Ringwald Nutrition. She focuses on bridging the gaps between nutrition information and making it work within your lifestyle. Erika can be reached at erika@ erikaringwaldnutrition.com.

Jay Fisher, MD; Michael J. Durkin, MD; James Gallagher, MD; Sudip Nanda, MD; Luis Tejada, MD; Francis Burt, MD; Jake Marais, MD and Marcus Averbach, MD

Our Team is Getting Bigger and Better Our Heart and Vascular Team is expanding to provide exceptional care for patients with heart and vascular

St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular – more physicians to serve your heart and vascular needs.

disease in the region.

We are expanding our office in Quakertown to better serve our Bucks and Montgomery county communities.

For a complete list of services available through St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Center, visit heart.sluhn.org.

Call 1-866-STLUKES (785-8537) to learn more.

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Maintaining a Healthy Heart

St. Luke’s heart & vascular center provides Advanced Specialty Care to the Community

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or years, researchers have concluded the key factors to maintaining a healthy heart are a low sodium, low fat diet, regular exercise, stress management, and avoiding tobacco. For the average American, that is easier said than done.

Cardiovascular care isn’t for the faint of heart alone. Studies have shown that even individuals who maintain a healthy lifestyle can suffer from heart attacks. The fact is, you may exercise regularly, follow a heart healthy diet, have no symptoms and have normal blood test results, but your arteries may not be perfect.

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“Today we have access to latest technologies and leadingedge diagnostic tests that allow us to identify potential highrisk individuals regardless of how healthy they appear to be,” says Francis Burt, MD, cardiologist with St. Luke’s Cardiology Associates. “In addition to reviewing a patient’s health history, it is important for us to identify other risk factors such as lifestyle and family history. If one or both parents have had a heart attack before the age of 50, a patient’s risk factor increases significantly.”

Heart disease is the result of a number of different factors that damage the heart and surrounding tissue, such as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. Over time the body develops plaque in the arteries, which is a culprit for heart attacks and strokes. As plaque builds up, blood flow is restricted and over time a heart attack can occur.

A heart attack causes damage to the heart and its support system. The damage or disease can be mitigated by making simple changes to your daily routine – what and how much you eat, how you manage stress, how much exercise you perform – all contribute to decreasing the damage, regardless of your genetic makeup. However, these changes need to be

adopted permanently as part of your everyday lifestyle. Getting regular check-ups and knowing your risk factors will help you stay on track.

The specialists at the Heart & Vascular Center in Quakertown provide convenient, full-service care. In addition to extensive diagnostic capabilities and testing on site, patients have access to leading-edge procedures including Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), a therapy available at exemplary U.S. hospitals for those patients deemed too high-risk for traditional valve replacement, and implantation of Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) which restores normal blood flow to an individual whose heart has been weakened by heart disease or heart failure. Yet another benefit of being part of the St. Luke’s network is access to state-of-the-art technology such as the Hybrid Operating Room. In 2012, St. Luke’s became the first hospital in the United States to install the Discovery IGS 730 Hybrid OR from GE Healthcare, an advanced interventional suite combining the advanced imaging world and the surgical world into one operating room.

In 2014, St. Luke’s University Health Network was named one of the nation’s 50 top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics for the sixth time. This achievement

symbolizes the extraordinary care provided by physicians and staff resulting in lower mortality rates and lower readmission rates, according to Truven Analytics.

Proudly serving the Quakertown region since 2012, St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Center recently expanded its staff and services to provide even more care to patients in the region. In addition to the highly trained cardiologists and vascular surgeons, the St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Center added an electrophysiologist to complement the existing team.

“St. Luke’s is committed to providing access to outstanding health care close to home”, said Dr. Burt. “Quakertown and the surrounding communities now have more resources available to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease and as a result, more patients will be able to receive the advanced care they need in their own community.”

Francis Burt, MD is a cardiologist with St. Luke’s Cardiology Associates, a medical practice of St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Center. Dr. Burt is a graduate of Temple University School of Medicine where he also completed both his residency and fellowship programs. He sees patients at the St. Luke’s Heart & Vascular Center in Quakertown at 1532 Park Ave and 2793 Geryville Pike in Upper Perkiomen.

Call InfoLink at 1-866-STLUKES (785-8537) for more information.

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senior perspective Words and Wisdom

Living the Independent Life

by Diane Burns

T

he year 2014 was one of medical challenges for me. In January, I became very ill and spent many weeks in the hospital. Later, I was moved to a rehabilitation facility. I would have to stay here for a few months of healing and physical therapy, before I could be fitted for a prosthetic leg.

Then, since it was not wheelchair accessible, it became apparent to me that I would have to give up my apartment. My physical mobility was compromised and now I would have to leave my home. This was difficult to come to terms with.

After a little investigating, it was clear that an independent living retirement community would be my next home for many reasons. First, and most important to me, I would be able to have my own apartment with my own furniture.

Secondly, I would still need a support system to assist my recovery and this was also available. It was comforting to know that transportation to doctor appointments and physical therapy was accessible to me, and it was just what I needed at this point in my life. Another consideration was how I would pass the time, while I healed enough to begin the prosthetic process. I knew how important it would be for me to keep busy in order to keep a positive attitude.

The independent facility I choose fulfilled all my needs.

There were a number of activities for me to experience: exercise classes, craft workshops, and educational courses to keep my mind active. Many outside trips were available for me to participate in with other members of the community.

Also on site, a beauty salon (we all know how we feel when our hair looks good!) and a bank. Having these two services right outside my door was very appealing.

The outside grounds were beautifully cared for with lots of trees, shrubs and flowers. All in all it had everything I would need to speed up my recovery and rehabilitation and begin a new chapter in my life.

Once I moved in I discovered a few more advantages, a lovely dining room to connect with new friends and weekly entertainment. It has been several months since my transition, and although the decision to give up my apartment was a difficult one to make at the time, it didn’t take long for me to accept that this was the best place for me. The encouragement and support from the staff and other residents has been an added bonus. Their support has helped me heal faster than I ever expected.

My life is not what I thought it would be at this time, but it is a very satisfying one. I’m healthy and doing well with my recovery and that is my main goal. Life is good again.

Diane Burns is a freelance writer residing in Chester County, PA

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Bellingham Retirement Community: A Place for Your Next Chapter

C

hoosing a place to downsize and enjoy your retirement years is an overwhelming process. Leaving your home, a place you and your family experienced many milestones and memories in, isn’t easy. Bellingham Retirement Community is more than just a place to live- it is a place you will quickly want to call home.

The beauty and appeal of Bellingham comes from its unique location on a picturesque 18th century farm in West Chester, PA. It is the perfect backdrop to begin a new chapter in your life. For decades you have put your personal interests on hold to focus on raising a family, building a career, and maintaining a home. Now is the time to fill your free time however you please. The Bellingham staff works at turning

resident suggestions into a reality through their “Fresh for You” dining program and life enrichment programs.

After two major renovations, the original farmhouse and barn are now common areas, which include a dining room, living room, library and craft room for residents to connect with other members of the community. You will soon be spending your days trying out new hobbies with new friends, instead of focusing on life’s typical tedious tasks.

Although the retirement community is secluded on it’s own 14 acres of rolling hills, it is just minutes from downtown West Chester. There is no need to worry about finding a place to park, since Bellingham offers transportation services to assist residents in exploring the vibrant West Chester community. You can easily spend your days visiting many of the boutiques, galleries, or museums (the Brandywine River Museum, Chester County Historical Society, and the Helicopter Museum are all nearby) or dining with friends at one of the many restaurants.

What happens when getting out and about and caring for myself is too much to handle? As time goes on, your needs will most likely change. Being a continuum of care community is another reason why Bellingham is a perfect choice.

Residents can access West Chester Independent Living, Personal Care, Memory Care, or Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation. A continuum of care setting offers residents and

families the peace of mind of knowing that if one’s needs change—even temporarily—there is an appropriate level of care available to them.

Their Skilled Nursing and rehabilitation facilities include a state-of-the-art therapy gym, where residents can fulfill their personalized therapy programs. Whether you need short-term care following a hospital stay or long-term nursing supervision due to chronic health issues or disabilities, Bellingham has an excellent reputation for quality care delivered consistently to their residents. A certified nurse is on staff 24 hours a day, and Bellingham even has Legacy Court, which has a security system in place for residents with dementia.

Surely the accommodations that Bellingham offers are appealing to you, but what about your financial concerns?

While some communities insist on new residents plopping down huge, non-refundable payments up-front, Bellingham does things a little differently. They care about not only the physical and emotional well being of their residents, but their financial health as well. That’s why residents will enjoy all the perks of country club living without the expensive buy-in—just a simple lease. Bellingham offers are a variety of spacious apartment styles and floor plans, which feature full kitchens with plenty of cabinet space.

If you or a loved one are preparing for that next chapter in life, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with a Bellingham representative. Call 888-316-6990 to schedule your appointment.

Volume 5 | Issue 1 Local Living

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Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

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The Forty Year Old Version

The Tank: It’s Worked Before

By Kenny Spaulding

F

or the last year or so, one subject has superseded all others when the Philadelphia 76ers arise in discussion. In fact, the subject of “tanking” is all anyone can seem to talk about these days.

I personally do not believe that the team is losing on purpose. However, the team is certainly not put together to win either. Not this year anyway. To say that Philadelphia sports fans are difficult to please is a gross understatement.

The same fans that complained about ten years of mediocrity now complain about “the tank.”

Most of us are aware of the plan, whether we concur with it or not. The Sixers have drafted four top lottery picks already in tow, with another two on the way in 2015. That will make six young, talented players to build around, with an awful lot of cash to spend on at least one or two star free agents. They could be competitive as early as next season, and could even be a serious contender as early as 2016.

Is the tank a guarantee? Not by a long shot. Any strategy employed when constructing a professional sports team is risky.

What is essential to note is that the 76ers are not being innovative here. Tanking is nothing new. Just ask Head Coach Brett Brown. He has four, count them, four NBA Championship rings that were, in essence, the result of a notorious tank.

Wait. What did he just say?!?!?

Yes, I just indicted the NBA’s holiest of holies, The San Antonio Spurs.

If you’re old enough to remember the 1996-97 NBA season, and if you’re reading my column, you probably are, then you may remember that future Hall Of Fame center David Robinson only played six games because of an injury.

The previous year, the team had won sixty-two games. That year, they won only twenty. David Robinson was great, but one man does not a team make. They lost on purpose, and were fairly blatant about it. Why would they have done this? The following year’s draft just happened to possess the closest thing to a sure thing, that any draft has had in

the past twenty years. I am, of course, referring to Tim Duncan.

The plan worked to a tee, the Spurs selected Tim Duncan with the number one pick, and have not had a losing season since. As 76ers fans, we know this well, as our team held the number two pick. Can you imagine Allen Iverson together with Tim Duncan for all of those years? Would the Spurs have won five titles without Duncan? Would they have won even one?

Now that we’ve gone over our history, the next time you hear a Sixers fan discuss “the tank,” feel free to quote the Version!

Kenny is a freelance writer, who just happens to write about sports (well, sports memorabilia) for a living. He is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, and is probably as frustrated with their basketball team as you are. He lives in Bethlehem, PA with his loving family.

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pets

A Healthy Pet for the New Year

by Carla Papciak-Glatts

I

t’s the New Year, a time when resolutions are made to lose weight, eat healthy and exercise. Do you think our pets make resolutions? Do they look in the mirror and say, “I need to lose weight”? According to the APOP (Association for Pet Obesity Prevention), cats carry the largest share of the obesity burden with 57.6%, while dogs aren’t too far behind at 52.6%. Our pets are getting fat and we need to take control in order to help them maintain a long, healthy life.

In order to start this resolution for our pet, there are two main factors that must be acknowledged: diet and exercise.

A pet’s diet needs to be well balanced. Protein, fat, vitamins & minerals, and water are four essential elements that make a healthy balanced diet for your pet. Many veterinarians recommend administering food twice a day, limiting treats, and no table food. A structured feeding time eliminates your pet from freely eating throughout the day and gaining weight.

Exercise is the other factor to a healthier, happy pet. It not only helps your pet maintain a healthy weight, but it also attributes to the prevention of bad behavior. Give your pet a purpose. When they become lazy and have no mental stimulation, weight gain and behavioral problems could result. Cats should engage in 10-15 minutes of activity a day. Popular activities for your cat tend to be movement exercises. Drag a string across the floor, wave a feather in the air, or play with a laser pointer up and down the walls. Cool motorized gadgets are another mechanism to engage your

cat in play. Anyway you can get your cat to move will help in maintaining a healthy weight.

According to PetMd, dogs of all breeds should exercise, however the amount of time will vary due to size, age, breed and health. A healthy, medium to large size dog should engage in 30 minutes to 2 hours of activity a day. Exercise helps the body and metabolic system, tones muscles, and keeps your dog from being bored or mischievous. Besides running, some fun ways to exercise your dog are playing fetch, inline skating, biking and agility. You can also go on a walk or hike, but let your dog lead the way with his nose. Encourage him to track the scents and take you the distance. They essentially are walking you and enjoying nature. If you are looking to shed some pounds this year, use your dog as your motivator. Dogs can be our own personal trainers. They are loyal, energetic and rarely cancel on an exercise session. Studies have shown that people who have dogs walk more often and longer then people who do not have dogs.

It’s a simple fact that diet and exercise, for ourselves and our pets, must be considered in order to live a happy, healthy, long life. Always check with your veterinarian, before you change the diet of your pet or start an exercise program.

Happy New Year and don’t hesitate to start this resolution with your pet, today!

Carla Papciak-Glatts is an animal activist, shelter volunteer, and busy mom of two girls and a German Shepherd. She resides in Upper Bucks County.

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fashionista

Style Refresh

N

ew ways to update your “personal style” may seem a daunting task, as we already have a view of ourselves that we are comfortable with. Any true changes in our personal style are typically the result of an outside force that has caused us to see ourselves differently.

Outside influences, such as a breakup with a boyfriend, starting a new career, or even simply moving to a new city can inspire us to make a change. The desire to change the world’s perception of us is rather exciting, but you will find that once on the path to creating a “new you” it is hard to stop and the temptation and take the change too far.

For example, when faced with a relationship not working out, a conservative and classic styled woman may push herself to dress in a more outrageous way or even dye her hair. As a result, she risks losing everything about the style she has been cultivating for years.

We have all done radical and impetuous changes in an effort to create a newer version of ourselves. Baby steps, small tweaks and updates to your developed style are the ones that last and define who you are aspiring to be.

When embarking on the journey to create a new look, reflect on what prompting you to feel this way. Is it a positive influence or a desire to show the world you don’t care what they think? (The latter may be based on a situation that did not go exactly as you planned.)

As for the negative influencers, don’t fool yourself into

believing that if you change your style the world and all things in it will go your way. You are better to wait until things settle down and make a rational decision as to what you want or need to change.

Personal style is an evolution of yourself and the image you want to project to the world based on how you feel on the inside. We all tailor ourselves to suit different occasions, this makes fashion fun to experiment with, but clothes and accessories are not a costume.

After deciding that change is necessary, be honest as to what you are willing to alter. Would you change your hair color? If you only wear flats and want to embrace high heels, is that realistic based on your career and life style?

Incorporating ways to mix up your style is a more long lasting road to travel. If you want to wear more dresses but only wear jeans and t-shirts, then create situations that you would need to wear a dress.

Updating your style can start by simply creating an environment around you that allows you to redefine and experiment with different trends. Exposure to new friends, cities and experiences inspires you to absorb from outside influences in a healthy way. One way to pick up new fashion tips is to go in stores you’ve never shopped in before.

Allow your style to be a reflection of the changes you created in your own world — Anonymous Self-Proclaimed Shopaholic

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TIFFANY

GOES TO THE HEART OF

Valentine’s Day

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Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

Photos Credit: © Tiffany & Co.

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Local

goes local

North Conway, New Hampshire

By Diane Burns

W

ith the hectic bustle of the holiday season behind us, now is the perfect time to think about enjoying a short winter getaway. If you enjoy cold weather sports such as skiing, ice-skating, and snowboarding, New Hampshire has much to offer.

North Conway Village, located in the beautiful White Mountains, is ranked by National Geographic Magazine as one of the top ski towns in the country. Trip Advisor also ranks it as one of the most affordable in the Northeast. If you prefer alpine skiing you will enjoy Attitash, Black Wildcat, Shawnee Peak or Breton Woods. Cross-Country enthusiasts should try Jackson Ski Touring Foundation right in the North Conway Valley or at Mount Washington Valley Ski and Snowboarding Center.

Other attractions include: hiking trails, kayak trips, ATV tours, dog sledding and rock and ice climbing. The kids will especially like the dog sledding, as they can have a chance being the “musher” (one 68

Local Living Volume 5 | Issue 1

who calls out the commands to make the dogs run). Lots of family fun can be found at Banana Village, the home to a very unique miniature golf course, which is built on the side of a hill. You’ll want to plan a trip during the warmer months to experience both that and Whales Tales Water Park. Luckily, the family can enjoy the indoor water part at Red Mountain View Resort during the winter months.

North Conway Village is a great place to do a little shopping in their great factory outlets. You can purchase winter gear and apparel, New Hampshire arts and crafts, artwork and even gourmet gadgetry. If you are craving something sweet, North Conway Village houses the 2012 winner of Cupcake Wars. The winning cupcake, an orange almond cupcake with orange marmalade filling and mascarpone icing, is always available. Be sure to make a stop and enjoy the awarding winning delight!

Before you settle in for the night, enjoy a sumptuous meal at one of the many eateries in the area. There are a variety of fast food places, quaint bistros and cafes like

The Stairway to the Muddy Moose Pub, and fine dining restaurants like The Wentworth, for your eating pleasure. There is also a great selection of gluten free and organic restaurants, such as Rafferty’s.

Of course you will find a variety of lodging accommodations in the Village and the surrounding areas to suit your needs. You may want to look into: Adventure Suites, Comfort Inn, and Farm by the River, Bed & Breakfasts and the Nordic Village. (Contact the Chamber of Commerce for further information.)

North Conway Village in New Hampshire seems to be the perfect place for your entire family to enjoy a short winter getaway, and cure any post holiday blues.

For further information contact: MVW Chamber of Commerce Corporate Communications Inc. Box 854 North Conway, NH 03860 Diane Burns is a freelance writer now residing in Chester County, PA