Sugar Mommas is coming to Catonsville!  This new local candy shop and bakery should be a popular stop with their Grand Opening on May 11th from 8am - 8pm. Click here to read more about Sugar Mommas bakery and candy shop!     The McIntire Luxury Home Team Are you are planning to move to Howard County or Catonsville and you want a Buyers Agent that really knows the area? Find out why Goldilocks would use the McIntire Luxury Home Team and you should too (hint - we are just right)!Visit www.FindAHowardCountyHome.com or www.FindACatonsvilleHome.com ****** Don't take my word for it, see what other happy families have said about their home buying or selling experiences:Ellie McIntire Client Reviews on Zillow. The McIntire Team Real Estate Services.Keller Williams Realty Centre 443-418-7668 (Ce... 05/10/2013

Catonsville has great elementary schools - just check out the test scores!   Right now however, those popular schools, namely Hillcrest ES, Westchester ES and Catonsville ES, are running at over capacity.   Hillcrest and Westchester regulary have scores well above 95% in Math and Reading so it's extraordinary to think the kids are performing at that level in large class sizes.  A true testament to the quality of their teachers and instruction! Hillcrest is by far the most overcrowded with almost 200 more kids than the 666 students the school was intended to instruct.     There has been a lot of conversation in the community over the last several years regarding classroom crowding in our part of the county.   Now the Baltimore County Public School (BCPS) board is ready to join the conver... 05/06/2013

The Catonsville Heritage Home Tour is back!  Eight lovingly restored private homes and gardens in historic Catonsville will be on display this Saturday, May 4th.     Click here to know more about the Catonsville Historic Homes Tour!   The McIntire Luxury Home Team Are you are planning to move to Howard County or Catonsville and you want a Buyers Agent that really knows the area? Find out why Goldilocks would use the McIntire Luxury Home Team and you should too (hint - we are just right)!Visit www.FindAHowardCountyHome.com or www.FindACatonsvilleHome.com ****** Don't take my word for it, see what other happy families have said about their home buying or selling experiences:Ellie McIntire Client Reviews on Zillow. The McIntire Team Real Estate Services.Keller Williams Realty Centre 443-41... 05/02/2013

It's National Park Week from April 20th - 28th which means free entrance to over 400 parks throughout these gorgeous United States!     According to a recent survey, most Americans live within 100 miles of a National Park which are true treasures.Visiting a park is the perfect family pastime not to mention a great place to take a date. Hiking, biking, fishing, canoing, camping - the sky is literally the limit!Here in Catonsville we are lucky to have parks all around us including the Patapsco State Park and the McKeldin area.  The lovely swinging bridge that takes us into walking and hiking trails at Patapsco is a family favorite and lots of folks camp over at McKeldin.  They are each less than a 5 minute drive!Enjoy your state parks in Catonsville and really love it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... 04/27/2013

Catonsville Residential Market report for March 2013   The spring market started early in Catonsville. March was a very robust Real Estate month with 33 homes sold. Inventory is painfully low and many homes are selling quickly.   The classic charm of Catonsville prevails and many of the older homes are selling the fastest. April statistics should prove to be interesting as less homes are available and yet demand remains high.     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Are you are planning to move in or to the Howard County or Catonsville area and you want a BUYERS AGENT that really knows the area and all that it has to offer? You need a LOCAL REALTOR. I would like to apply for that job.      Click here to start your search. (Person... 04/20/2013

Catonsville "Family Time Festival Concerts" offer a great Family event.   We love live music here in Catonsville and are excited for a new concert series - Family Time Festivals - sponsored by Hub Bicycle Shop at 821 Frederick Road.     Click Here to read more about Catonsville Family Time Festival!     The McIntire Luxury Home Team Are you are planning to move to Howard County or Catonsville and you want a Buyers Agent that really knows the area? Find out why Goldilocks would use the McIntire Luxury Home Team and you should too (hint - we are just right)!Visit www.FindAHowardCountyHome.com or www.FindACatonsvilleHome.com ****** Don't take my word for it, see what other happy families have said about their home buying or selling experiences:Ellie McIntire Client Reviews on Zillow. The M... 04/13/2013

Let's go fly a kite in Catonsville!This Saturday, April 13th is the 2nd Annual Catonsville Kite Flying Contest.  From 10:00 am to noon on the grounds of the Charlestown Retirement Community on Maiden Choice Lane - kids from Kindergarten up to seniors 55 and older will be flying their colors! Pat Kasuda, a resident of Charlestown founded the contest last year after she noted that the retirement community's field was frequently visited by perfect winds for flying a kite. She thought it would be fun to have an event that brought Catonsville youngest and oldest residents together!She was right - last year the competition had 40 entries and they are hoping for more this year.  Contestents are grouped by age and the kites will be judged by the highest flying, most creative, and the design wit... 04/12/2013

Spring Hasn't Sprung Quite Yet in Maryland!  Winter's Last Hurrah!   The forecaster's have promised snow over and over again this year in Maryland.  While our neighbors to the North were socked in with snow, our schools got called for RAIN!   Well, today it finally happened, SNOW!  Sydney finally got a chance to don her winter wardrobe -overalls, hat, gloves and of course pink boots and headed to the hill at the Community Colleges of Baltimore County -Catonsville.  I grew up sledding down and trudging up this hill and the family tradition continues.   Hope you enjoy the glimpse of the day!     03/25/2013

Camp Puh' Tok in Baltimore County is a kids paradise! My sons' elementary school had a recent field trip there at this sixty acre camp surrounded by Gunpowder State Park in the northern part of the county.  Just 1/2 hour from Catonsville and you find yourself surrounded by hundreds of acres of state park.  I love Maryland!We came for an Outdoor Science Education event sponsored by Baltimore County Public Schools. The staff that ran the parent training and the field trip were very knowledgeable and great with kids!  The parent training part?  That would be me and the other 10 parents who helped run the actual field trip and came for a 1/2 day training the month before. The field trip centered on how the Native Americans (in this case, the Maryland Indians) figured out how to get sap out ... 03/23/2013

THINGS TO DO IN CATONSVILLE  MARCH 16th SPRING FLING! I am so bummed that our family will be out of town this weekend and won't be able to make this great FREE event.  I hope that YOU will be able to make it to: THE FAMILYTIME FESTIVAL SERIES at Strawberry Fields SPRING FLING  2013 Come to the ISLANDS at Strawberry Fields!     Check out the lineup!  Not only is this going to be a super fun local event, the proceeds will benefit local non-profits. It's being held  from 10 AM-5 PM  Just off Frederick Road at Strawberry Fields Just head to Catonsville Gourmet, C'Ville Bikes, The HUB, You Scream Ice Cream and you can't miss it! Continue the party at one of Catonsville's amazing restaurtants- there are so many to choose from! ...And THIS is why Catonsville is called MUSIC CITY, MARYLAND! THI... 03/12/2013

Home Sales in the Metro Baltimore area were up in 2012. The Baltimore area region finally saw housing prices increase on 52% of homes sold in 2012.  Such a big change from 2011 when 80% of houses sold for less than the previous year.  Great news for home sellers who are hoping to break even on their sale or even make enough profit to buy a bigger house themselves.  Additionally, there were more homes sold in 2012 vs. 2011 in Baltimore, Howard, Carroll and Anne Arrundel Counties.The zip codes that saw an increase of 10% or more include a number of areas surrounding Baltimore City:2122921230212232122421207Catonsville (21228) was an area that saw home prices increases of 5-9%.A recent report showed that even though total home sales were down slightly in February 2013 compared with 2012 - t... 03/12/2013

Catonsville is #2 in Baltimore County - at recycling that is!  2012 set a record for recycling in Baltimore County with 52,000 tons of materials. When you compare that to 2009 which had 36,000 tons you can see the difference this program makes! That amount of recycling saved Baltimore county $3 Million dollars by not having that stuff go out as trash!The Baltimore County Executive announced this week that the recycling program really increased since the county changed over to single stream recycling in 2010.  Before single stream - we had to recycle paper items one week, then bottles and cans the following week. It was just one more thing to keep track of in daily life! Now everything goes into one recycling bin which goes out every week - a much easier plan to work with!  At our house ... 03/11/2013

You can't get business from Facebook! I see some "business professionals" that write every post on their regular facebook feed as a commercial.  If you ask me, that is NOT the best way to get business.  It makes me want to block those folks like Farmville or Build your restaurant or those other annoying apps. Several months ago I was referred to a wonderful client (Ms. W) by another fabulous friend/client.  Ms. W. tagged me in a post raving about her refi in what seemed like minutes after I left the closing.  I got a call the next day from one of her friends.   This is the message I was tagged in today on Facebook...talk about a raving fan!  I have blocked out the pictures and names to protect their privacy.  The original referer jumped on the bandwagon on this post too! I have already ... 03/07/2013

A snow day in Catonsville in March? Weird - plus it turned out to mostly be a rain day...  So I took the time to think about nicer weather to come and pick some summer camps!The times of kids playing their way through lazy summer days are gone! Working parents need places for our children to go during the day so it's great that there are tons of camp options around here.  See some of our favorite options below in Howard and Baltimore County: Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) - Their Summer Learning Adventure Camps have been running for 40 years so parents can send their kids to some of the same camps they attended - cool!  Camp locations are at the community colleges of Catonsville, Dundalk, Essex and Owings Mills.  Full and half day camp opportunities mainly for kids over 7 ... 03/07/2013

"Bill's" is music to Catonsville's ears.Catonsville is sometimes called "Music City" and one of the reasons is the Bill's Music store on Frederick Road in the heart of Catonsville. The Frederick Road Fridays outdoor summer concert series takes place just down the street from the store and it couldn't be more appropriate! (They sponsor this event through the Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce)This store is an institution - Bill Higgins started it in 1965 by giving guitar lessons in a room the size of a closet. He and his family still own and operate the store but guitars are clearly his main love.You see it when you enter the store - acoustic guitars take up the a big part of the right side - the electric and bass guitar section runs through the middle. Every guitar you see is more ... 03/06/2013

THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING! You have probably heard that the east coast is bracing for a huge storm.  While the midwest has been hit hard this year, and many of our neighbors to the north have had more than their fair share of snow, most of Maryland has missed out on significant snowfall so far this season.  The forecast is calling for anything from slush to 18 inches.   If you ask me, that is a PRETTY WIDE RANGE!  How can we be expecting 18 inches of snow when I didn't even wear a jacket when I was out of the office today?  The temps were in their mid 50's!  Most kids and teachers are expecting to be out of school and many offices are already announcing snow emergency plans in effect.   I even got an automated call from Baltimore Gas and Electric to be aware that heavy snow... 03/05/2013

I have heard about Aldi's stores for years from thrifty friends but haven't had the chance to shop at one until now.  The discount grocery recently opened a store in Catonsville off Baltimore National Pike near the Babies R Us.  This small scale grocery chain has about 1,000 stores spread out among 31 states and the concept is growing! Aldi's has several ways they keep prices down but the main way is that they have their own food brand.  Ninety five percent of their products are their own brand with a scattering of name brand items mixed in, usually on specials that end when they are sold out.  They buy from US farmers and local farms as often as possible and carry organic as well.The stores are much smaller than a Giant or Safeway store. The Catonsville store just has 6 aisles which in... 03/05/2013

  Hillcrest Elementary School in Catonsville wins a local history competition! Congratulations to Hillcrest Elementary in Catonsville for winning the elementary division of the Black Saga contest here in Baltimore County! The kids will go to the Maryland State competition on March 16th at Towson University.   Elementary kids in 4th and 5th grade and middle schoolers in grades 6-8th can participate.  The kids are responsible for knowing as many as 800 questions about African American History so the studying and practicing is no small accomplishment!  It is the 16th year of this competition here in Maryland and it has become a showcase of the brightest kids in the state.   The kids work in teams and compete within their school.  The best 2 teams from each school compete with other element... 03/04/2013

  Catonsville High School Spring Musical 2013 - It's Not Too Late!   March 1st and 2nd   7 PM Catonsville High School If you are looking for something fun and local to do on Saturday, March 2nd,2013,  look no further.  The Catonsville High School production of Guys and Dolls is a great place to take a date or take the kids.   I remember my days in high school theatre fondly, I am sure that these kids will look back on this production with pride! What a fun show...gangsters and gambling, romance and come to Jesus, showgirls and LOTs of song and dance.  What is not to love? I was very impressed by how talented these kids are and I am sure you will be too!  Directed by Lauren Deutschman, the huge cast did a fabulous job of transporting the audience back to 1920's underworld of New York Ci... 03/01/2013

The great big search for balance! At the start of my Real Estate career I attended a Brian Buffini "Turning Point Retreat" . An "Aha" moment was the need to have true balance in life to be successful. It's a constant battle with a busy life. A recent article about a new book,"Secrets to a Happy Family"  in Parade Magazine caught my eye so I flipped to the multiple choice quiz to see what his research on happy families had found.   Best selling author (& Dad of twin girls) Bruce Feiler makes the case that there are ways we can all make our homes, kids and families better adjusted and happier!  The 19 queries (see link above) weren't the standard cookie cutter questions and answers - but thoughtful and sometimes unexpected findings such as:    1.    What do surveys show that children want... 02/28/2013