Courtesy of Darci Sellers

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Seniors Real Estate Specialist

darci.sellers@century21.ca darcisellers.com C 250.575.1733 O 250.869.0101 Assurance Realty Ltd. 251 Harvey Avenue, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 6C2 Each office is independently owned and operated.

Volume 16 | Number 7

HOME OFFICE DESIGN

Having a practical and dedicated home office that you enjoy will benefit your productivity whether you work from home everyday or periodically. Perhaps now is a good time to take a look around and see about enhancing your home office. Aside from the necessities (computer, accessories, chair, desk) you'll want to follow these guidelines from designers, entrepreneurs and productivity specialists when setting up (or updating) your space. First look for a quiet place where you’ll be able to focus on work and not be distracted by the television, children, pets, etc. Not only will your productivity increase, but having a quiet space will appease clients and colleagues when they’re on the phone with you or in virtual meetings. Nothing is worse than trying to talk to a customer over the sound of your dog barking at the neighbours. Next, try to choose a room with plenty of natural light as it will help boost your mood and provide energy. Additional lights can be added in the form of lamps and desk lights, but natural light is ideal and more cost effective on sunny days. Another way to keep your productivity levels up is to have a neutral-coloured office area. Think of painting or accessorizing with natural, earthy tones, off-whites, blues or even greens. These colours tend to be more calming and less distracting. Finally, decorate the room to suit your tastes. Consider bringing in plants to keep the air fresh and add a boost of colour. Personal items to help keep you motivated, inspired and in a good mood throughout the day too.

BBQ CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS WITH STRAWBERRY-CHIPOTLE SAUCE

INGREDIENTS : 1 lb ripe strawberries stemmed 3 chipotle chili peppers in adobo 2 cloves garlic 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp honey 1 tsp kosher salt plus more for seasoning 10 -12 chicken drumsticks about 4 pounds Ground black pepper for seasoning

DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat grill to medium heat. Clean grill grates and brush with oil right before you put the chicken on. 2. Make the sauce by blending strawberries, chipotles, garlic, vinegar, honey and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour 1 cup of sauce in a liquid measuring cup and reserve the rest for serving. 3. Meanwhile generously season chicken with salt and pepper on all sides. 4. Grill chicken with the lid down for 15-20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to make sure it is not burning. 5. After 15 minutes (or when chicken meat starts pulling away from the bone), generously brush one side of the chicken with the measured amount of sauce. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn and generously brush the other side of the chicken with sauce. Cook, covered, for another 5 minutes. You should use almost all of the 1 cup of sauce. Discard any leftover sauce that you’ve been using to brush the chicken with. 6. Once chicken is cooked all the way through, remove from grill and serve with reserved sauce.

Courtesy of californiastrawberries.com

WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES ANOTHER OPENS; BUT WE SO OFTEN LOOK SO LONG AND SO REGRETFULLY UPON THE CLOSED DOOR, THAT WE DO NOT SEE THE ONES WHICH OPEN FOR US. - Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell (1847 to 1922) is most widely known as the inventor of the telephone, but did you know he also co founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT & T) in 1885? Bell was born in Scotland but resided in Canada for a period of time in Brantford, Ontario, and the house where he lived, Melville House, is now a National Historic Site.

CHOOSING CURTAINS THAT ARE THE RIGHT SIZE With the sun shining longer these days, window coverings are a must to keep rooms dark, cool and comfortable. Hanging curtains is relatively easy and with a few measurements taken beforehand, can be stressless as well. First, determine how many panels you need by measuring the width of your window from the outside of the frame. Double the width to find out how wide your curtains need to be at minimum. Add anywhere from 8 to 12 inches to the total width to account for the curtain rod extending beyond the window if you want to stack the fabric on the side to let the light in. Doing so will allow the panels to hang loosely and not have any gaps between the panels and at the ends of the window. Curtain length is important as well. Curtains that are too short can make the room look shorter and therefore smaller. Curtains that are too long can collect dust, be a tripping hazard or an enticing toy for children or pets to pull on or climb. The right length would hang just above the floor by an inch or two. Typically, you'll hang the curtain rod about six inches above the top of the window, so calculate accordingly. Be sure to take into account the distance from the top of the curtain to any gromets or casings where the rod will go. If you are attempting to make your ceilings appear taller and thus the room larger, you can hang curtains just below the ceiling. This is a handy trick for basements or small windows. Remember, you can always hem curtains, so if the length you need is between two of the standard sizes, choose the longer option. With your measurements in mind, you can choose the proper sized panels for your windows. Don’t be afraid to mix panels that come in different textures, fabrics or colours to add a unique design element to your room.

INEXPENSIVE AND CREATIVE WAYS TO FILL A BLANK WALL

Sometimes leaving the wall blank can be a décor statement in and of itself. It draws your attention to the space and can make a room appear larger. However, sometimes filling a wall with art, photos, furniture, etc. can help make a room feel complete. There are numerous ways to decorate a wall that can be inexpensive and more interesting than your typical photo or art wall. If you like the idea of making the room look larger, hang mirrors – either small mirrors in a grouping or a large mirror with a decorative frame – the reflection will make the room appear larger and there will always be something to look at. If the room’s size isn’t an issue, consider hanging a large statement piece like a tapestry, quilt or rug. Framed or not, these large pieces can add a vibrant and unique detail to a room and can be a focal point to which you base the rest of the

room’s décor around. Something more family friendly, or even a great idea if you frequently entertain guests is a chalk wall. Paint the whole wall, or a portion, with chalk paint or adhere an old-school chalk board at eye level. There are many different chalk pens on the market or the basic white or coloured chalk sticks for kids or guests to let their creativity flow. The best part is, this type of wall art will always be changing and you can decorate it for the season. A final idea to add some pizzaz to a blank wall is to create a plant wall. Living, or artificial, plants can be hung in a giant configuration or a pattern or randomly in smaller groupings. Plants tend to make you feel more relaxed and if you go the live plant route, are a great natural air filter. Think outside the box if you have a blank wall and have a little bit of fun with filling it up.

SEASONAL TIP Here’s your summer time reminder to make sure your ceiling fans are rotating in a counter-clockwise direction. Having them rotate this way will help move the cool air down leaving your rooms more comfortable.

WORD SCRAMBLE Can you unscramble these letters into popular computer terms?

____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________

SOWTFERA

DEYKRBAO

SEOUM

HEAKRC

UMNASREE

Solution: Software Keyboard Mouse Hacker Username Monitor Server Download Password Printer

MTONRIO

ERVESR

DNLDWOAO

RSDAWSOP

NITERRP

Courtesy of www.thinkablepuzzles.com

Vacant Land for Sale!

Views, privacy and near 10 acres land and only fifteen minutes to city essentials in Kelowna or Lake Country. Rare and well priced opportunity that is not in the ALR! Four minutes from Ancient Hill Winery and only six minutes from Sunset Ranch Golf Club! Build your dream home or RU2 zoning allows for many possibilities such as: accessory home, winery, cidery or AIR BnB. • High output well system with new pump - 5 GPM Grundfos 26 stage stainless steel submersible pump. Environmental Assessment Complete. • DP approved to build 2 homes + quonset if desired. • Geo tech complete.

• Septic plan approved for secondary home. This rare opportunity is yours. MLS#: 10277096. More info at: DarciSellers.com OR www.LotAFarmersDrive.info

Central Okanagan Stats

BENCHMARK PRICES

$1,63,800 detached DOWN 3.1% year-to-year

$533,100 condo/ apartment

UP 0.9% year-to-year

1,316 NEW LISTINGS

SOLD LISTINGS 546

5.3 MONTHS OF INVENTORY

52 DAYS ON MARKET

2,901 ACTIVE LISTINGS

96.7% LIST/SELL RATIO

Statistics reflect market activity in June 2023 | Source: Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board (OMREB) | Market values stated are of the benchmark of the city of Central Okanagan. Individual home market values will vary and are affected by factors such as location, size, interior and exterior condition. Please call to get an up-to-date evaluation of your home.

Seniors Real Estate Specialist

darci.sellers@century21.ca darcisellers.com C 250.575.1733 O 250.869.0101

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