A Treasured and Inexpensive Gift

Looking for a nice "Thank You" gift for business or professional contacts?  Perhaps during the holidays, you "forgot" to acknowledge your postal carrier, kids' teacher or babysitter, the lady that cleans your house.... Well, here's a great (and cheap) way to say THANK YOU.

Everyone LOVES Girl Scout Cookies.  They are a part of "Americana", and treasured tradition here in the US.  Ever wonder why?

You know the saying "Little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice".  Well, the that's only the first ingredient in Girl Scout cookies.  Then, we add entrepenurialism, individualism, morals, values, character, sunshine, and love of the earth, humanity and animals.... and you get Girl Scouts.

Girl Scout cookies represent all of this -  they put all those great things in a box and add America's favorite flavors - Chocolate, peanut butter, mint, coconut....mmmmmm! 

I can't think of a better gift you can buy for $3.50.  So, look around you... who do you need to thank? Then, place your order!  Click Here to Find Out How

If you are using these gifts as client gifts for your business, they may be tax deductible - check with your tax advisor.

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Following our series on GS Cookies, be sure to stay tuned for more information about LIVING IN LOUDOUN COUNTY.

For information on our local real estate market, please tap into the resources at http://www.therealestatewhisperer.blogspot.com/

To search for homes for sale, check out the HOME SEARCH option at http://www.vickychrisner.com/

If you time it right, your housewarming gift maybe Girl Scout Cookies

or perhaps a recipe made with Girl Scout Cookies!

Curious what the value of your home is?

Just click here for a free market snapshot.

The History of Girl Scout Cookies

As this is the final week we're taking orders on Girl Scout Cookies in Loudoun, this is likely to be my last post on this subject - at least until next year.  But, don't miss my prior posts with descriptions of GS cookies, and interesting recipes using GS cookies.  Remember, they are distributed but once a year, and they freeze well enough to have some for the whole year.... so order a lot!!

The History Of Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scouts started selling cookies in the 1920s as fundraisers.  Just like today's typical bake sales the girls, moms and leaders would bake assorted cookies and goods and sell them to neighborsand friends.  In an early GS magazine, THIS SHORTBREAD COOKIE RECIPE (Click Here) was distributed to all girl scouts with the suggestion that they could be made for about 26 to 36 cents for six to seven dozen, and should be sold for 25 to 30 cents per dozen.

In 1933, The Greater Philadelphia Council was the first council to do mass marketing for cookie sales, selling them in the city's gas and electric company windows for a price of 23 cents for a box of 44 cookies or $1.24 for six boxes sold in the city's gas and electric company windows.  A year later, the same council became the first to sell commercially baked cookies.  In 1935, the Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York sold commercially produced shortbread cookies in the shape of a Trefoil, and for the first time used the words "Girl Scout Cookies" on the box. 

In 1936, the national organization got involved in the cookie sales, and by 1937 more than 125 GS councils reported being involved in cookie sales... and so began the official custom.  Although some councils used commercial bakeries, at that time, many girl scout cookies were still being baked by girl scouts.  In the 1940's, however, there was a terrible shortage of sugar, flour and butter... and in order to continue the custom of annual sales, the national Girl Scouts council licensed 29 bakers to produce cookies for sales.

By 1951, there were three types of official GS cookies - the shortbread cookie (Trefoil), a sandwich cookie and a chocolate mint cookie (Thin Mints).  Today, there are far more options available and new cookies are often added, with less popular cookies being deleted from sales.  There are 2 bakers that are licensed to sell GS cookies, and the contract is renewed each year after reviewing competing proposals.  Bakers must produce the 3 official GS cookies: Trefoils, Thin Mints and Do-Si-Dos (the peanut butter sandwich, which is sold under other names by different bakers), and can not offer more than 8 choices of cookies.

In Nothern Virginia, we are selling cookies baked by Little Brownie Bakers - and you can find the choices available by clicking HERE. 

Again, I remind you - this is the last week to pre-order your cookies for home delivery!  If you're in Loudoun or the Dulles Area, my girls would LOVE to have your order.  Please email me directly vchrisner@kw.com for more information on placing an order!

Frostival!

Okay, well, it is technically in Fairfax County, just barely over the county line from Loudoun, BUT.... we had a great time anyway!  And, there's one day left, so hurry on out to check out FROSTIVAL, the newest winter festival sponsored by Celebrate Fairfax and MomsLikeMe.com.

FROSTIVAL is a kids festival being held at the Dulles Exp Center (just of Rt 28 in Chantilly) - NOTE: ALL EVENTS ARE INSIDE; and this year it's  running January 1st through the 3rd. 

Included with the cost of admission are several carnival style amusement rides, various inflatables - like moon bounces and such, arts and crafts, and live entertainment.  There are a few craft stations where you may have to pay $1 for the supplies, but several are free.  There are also trade booths and many of the vendors have giveways, games and prizes.

We went today and had a very good time; and my children came home with several treasures.

Admission is $12 for children, $5 for adults.  Get more details here: www.Frostival.com and hurry, because, like Frosty the Snowman, Frostival is only here for a short time before it has to disappear.

Now a veteran, let me offer you one tip: 

The food is expensive and burnt and the line is soooooo long. 
Eat before you go.

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Stay tuned to LivingInLoCo.blogspot.com

for more information on our community events and news

of interest to families living in and around Loudoun County.

"LoCo" and the Dulles Area are great places to live!  Thinking of moving in or moving up?

Search for homes for sale, check out the HOME SEARCH option at

http://www.vickychrisner.com/

For information on our local real estate market, please tap into the resources at http://www.therealestatewhisperer.blogspot.com/

Curious what the value of your home is?

Just click here for a free market snapshot.

Nutcracker in a Shell - All Jazzed Up

I just returned from taking my Daisy Girl Scout troop (ages 6 and 7) to see a shortened, jazzed up version of the Nutcracker Suite.  This show incorporated jazz, tap, modern, hip hop and ballet and was presented by The Institute of Performing Arts for Youth.

I chose this particular version because of the notarious lack of attention span that first grade girls have... but I wanted to expose them to this classic tale, as well as to different styles of dance.   It was perfect!  The show kept the attention of my squirmy little girls and inspired them to twirl their way home "ohhhh" ing and "ahhh" ing over the costumes and her own dreams of being a star ballerina that is whisked away by her very own prince. 

In fact, as I write this, my own little girl has (after being forced out of her holiday gown) dressed herself in a pale pink ballet outfit and black dress shoes and is prancing and twirling about like a ballerina, intermingled with the tapping of her feet; like an (almost) professional dancer.

The costumes and scenery at the show were fabulous.  The dancing was wonderful.  The afternoon was magical!  In fact, when I was little, I dreamt of one day having a little girl with whom I could share magical experiences like this.  Indeed, experiencing this performance with all my Daisies (including, but not limited to my daughter) completely fulfilled the expectations of that fantasy.

It's not too late for you to have such an experience!  You can catch tomorrow's show at 3:00 at Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Virginia.  For more information, check out this web site: http://www.ipayouth.org/nutcracker.html   You can buy tickets at the door for $12 per adult; $8 per child.

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Check out the picture of my Daisies each striking their very best dance pose at the "Spartan Head"! 

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Learn more about life here in Loudoun County by exploring http://www.livinginloco.blogspot.com/ often!   If you have ideas on things you'd like to see in the blog, please contact me privately, I do want to be your resource for all things Loudoun!

For real estate information, visit http://www.therealestatewhisperer.blogspot.com/  and/or http://www.vickychrisner.com/

Be "In The Know" In Your Community

Do you work, live or own property in Loudoun?  Do you like to be informed?  I do, and I am going to tell you how to do it.

As a resident, it's important to me to know about serious crimes that are going on around my home. Things like business robberies, hostage situations, murders, serious assaults... even though I'd like to think that things like these wouldn't happen in my community, no one is exempt, and I want to know if they do. 

I want to know about REAL Amber Alerts in a timely manner, and when there is a fugitive on the run.  It reminds me to keep my eyes open looking for threats and keeps me focused on trying to support my community by looking for these people.

I also want to know if my local government offices will be closing, because I often use their services, personally and professionally.

I want to know about weather related emergencies, like tornadoes, flash floods, or other sudden occurrences.

As a REALTOR, it's important to me to know of road closings (in Loudoun, in Fairfax or major arteries throughout the region)  due to accidents, floods, construction or other things.

As a mom, especially as a working mom, I need to know when school is being closed or let out early, if there is a lockdown order issued, or other time sensitive school related situations.  I also need to know when the federal government is closed, because weather related closings of the government mean no daycare for my son and no afterschool care for my daughter.

Loudoun Alert keeps me "in the know" on all these things.  I receive text messages and emails moments after they are sent through the system.  And, better yet, the messages come with no hype - just the facts.  Often, even if I am out of town, I know what is going on faster than people who are blocks away from, or in the middle of, an incident.  By the time they hear through the regular media or the grape vine, the story's been sensationalized and is greatly distorted.

Although I feared that being notified of all major incidents would frighten me, in reality it has helped me be informed and make sound decisions; and I also realize how lucky we are here in Loudoun with so few truly serious crimes.  I really appreciate this service, and I hope more Loudoun residents will sign up for it.  It is free, and to me, is invaluable.

Let's face it, Inquiring Minds Want to Know, and that means you!  You can sign up, it only takes a minute or so, and you can chose which alerts you want to get and how.  Just follow this link: https://alert.loudoun.gov

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And, if you really like to stay "In The Know", stay tuned to http://www.livinginloco.blogspot.com/... I'll tell you about the fun stuff here!

Vicky Chrisner

Keller Williams Realty, Leesburg, VA
Ofc: 703-669-3142

Email: VChrisner@KW.com