Day 171 of 365 Things To Do In Roseville CA – Lakeshore Learning Store

Day 171 of 365… Lakeshore Learning store in unique to Roseville. It is both a store for teachers to buy classroom supplies and a store for the public to buy fun and educational toys.

The teachers love Lakeshore Learning because they have lesson plans already prepared. They also have teaching aids, classroom decorations and learning tools. With the budget for education shrinking, many teachers buy their own material, and Lakeshore Learning store has just what they need.

It’s a great place for the public too. The store has a section of games and toys that are perfect for little ones. The toys are educational as well as being fun. They have a big selection of books and puzzles that every child should have. Too many kids get mesmerized by TV commercials about popular toys that may not be appropriate for them.

Lakeshore Learning has craft classes on the weekends. They have a schedule of activities printed out, so the parents can decide in advance if the class is something their child would enjoy.

Lakeshore Learning was the brain child of Ethelyn Kaplan in 1954. She started by selling toys to parents, but soon teachers began calling her for art material and classroom supplies. She gradually started adding merchandise for teachers, and as she did, her store began to grow.

When Mrs. Kaplan’s two sons joined the business, they expanded operations and turned Lakeshore Learning into a multi-million dollar business. They now have 50 retail stores (at last count), two catalogs, plus a full service website.

With the Christmas season coming, take a trip to the Lakeshore Learning store and check out their toys. Chances are you will be impressed at all they have to offer.

Carol Buljan Langley – Realtor – 916-206-9035 – DRE# 01031075

Hackers

By now most of you have realized that someone has hacked into my 365 site and is leaving spam messages. I apologize for this. I am working with a computer person to block the hackers, but so far it hasn’t worked.

Anything about iphones is not from me.

Day 170 of 365 Things To Do In Roseville CA – Thanksgiving Project

Day 170 of 365… I was excited to find a Thanksgiving event in our city. It’s going to be on the 20th at the Roseville Exploration Center at 1501 Pleasant Grove Blvd from 10:00 a.m. to noon. It’s a Green Living Workshop-Thanksgiving art class for kids. The cost is $12.00, and you can register by calling 96-746-1550

There is another thing you can do for the Thanksgiving season – donate to the Salvation Army. They need turkeys and other supplies for their annual Thanksgiving dinner. They are also requesting cranberry sauce, green beans, pies, yams, olives, stuffing and marshmallows.

If you want to make a donation call 916-784-3233 or visit 100 Lincoln Street.

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November 20^th is going to be a busy day. There is going to be a Spirit of Giving arts and crafts festival and community outreach event. It’s from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Family Church, 1529 Eureka Road. Art vendors will sell and showcase their wares. The admission is free and you can call 916-390-5211 for more information.

Carol Buljan Langley – Realtor – 916-206-9035 – DRE# 01031075

Day 169 of 365 Things To Do In Roseville CA – Mr. Pickles

Day 169 of 365… I’ve seen the cute Mr. Pickles guy waving his sign so often that I thought I’d stop into one of the stores to see what it’s all about. I knew it was a sub shop, but I also knew there had to be more to it than that.

I went to the Mr. Pickles on Foothills Blvd., and I must say that I was a little surprised when I walked in. I thought there would be a display case full of pickles. You know, dill pickles, sweet pickles, kosher pickles and more. Turns out that the only pickles they have are the ones going in the sandwiches.

The next thing I noticed was that the shop was all about Jim Carey. There were posters of his movies and pictures of him on the wall. When I looked at the menu I saw sandwiches named; Fire Marshall Bill, The Cable Guy, The Grinch, Liar Liar and so on. It seemed kind of strange to me.

The two young ladies working at Mr. Pickles were very friendly. They told me the store was a franchise, and all the stores had to have a theme. It is up to each owner to decide what the theme will be. I guess the guy on Foothills is a Jim Carey fan.

They didn’t have a veggie sandwich on the menu, but they did make a special one for me. They heated it up a bit which made it taste even better. They also have soups and salads.

About those arrow signs they have out on the sidewalks. I was told some of the stores actually have the Mr. Pickles outfit. The Foothills store only has an arrow. They believe the arrows bring in business, and the arrows help people to identify them with Mr. Pickles.

There are four Mr. Pickles in Roseville. I challenge you to have lunch at each one to check out their themes. They make a good sandwich, so it will be worth your while to visit all of them.

Carol Buljan Langley – Realtor – 916-206-9035 – DRE# 01031075

Day 168 of 365 Things To Do In Roseville CA – Holiday Parade

Day 168 of 365… Make a day of it next Sunday, the 20^th for the 49^thDay 168 annual Sylvia Besana holiday parade and the Christmas tree lighting celebration. The parade starts at 3:00 p.m. and begins at the Riverside Ave, /Douglas Blvd. / and Vernon Street intersection. From there it goes down Vernon Street and turns right on Folsom Road. After the parade turns on Vernon Street, it goes down Folsom Road and turns left into the back of Roseville Square Shopping Center where it ends.

Get there early to stake out a place to sit. Anywhere along Vernon Street is a good choice. The parade is fun to watch. Many local groups build floats for the occasion, and there are always horses and classic cars. The SPCA group usually walks the parade with their dogs. It’s not too late if you want to join the parade. Contact the chamber at www.rosevillechamber.com.

Following the parade there will be craft vendors, music, entertainment and soup tasting at the MCYG Elite Celebrations Center located at 240 Vernon Street, and at 6:30 p.m. the lighting of our Roseville Christmas Tree will take place right across from City Hall. You know Santa will be there to kick off the holiday season.

If one tree lighting ceremony isn’t enough for you, stop by the Fountains on Sunday. They are going to have a tree lighting at 5:00 p.m. There will be a Northern California Children’s Choir performance and refreshments for everyone. The event is FREE, with any donations going to Make-A-Wish.

All the events are FREE, so plan on attending one or all of the celebrations.

Carol Buljan Langley – Realtor – 916-206-9035 – DRE# 01031075

Day 167 of 365 Tings To Do In Roseville CA – Real Estate Trends

Day 167 of 365… I wish I could tell you we are out of the real estate slump, but unfortunately, that’s not the case yet. We still have a bunch of people who are selling their houses short. That means that they owe more than the home is worth. They go to the bank and ask if the bank will accept less than the mortgage amount.

Buyers love short sales because they come on the market at a very low price for a quick sale. Buyers write an offer, the bank eventually accepts the offer and the home closes. The problem is that short sale lowers the value of other homes in the neighborhood.

We also have bank repositions on the market. These are homes the bank has taken back from the owners. They tend to lower the value of other homes as well.

As far as actual listings of homes go, let me give you a few statistics. In September of 2009 there were 2,229 homes for sale in Placer County. In September of 2010 there were 2,594 homes for sale. In October of 2009 there were 2,181 homes for sale, and in October of 2010 there were 2,473. So we are up a bit on homes for sale from last year.

On the sale side we see comparable patterns. In September of 2009, there were 407 sales in Placer County. In September of 2010 there were 421 sales. In October of 2009, there were 435 sales in Placer County.  In 2010 there were 362 sales. So our sales are dropping from last year.

Real estate hasn’t had the boost we were hoping for, but I really believe that 2011 is going to see a change. With prices of homes so great and loans in the 4% range, I know Buyers will be out getting bargains of their lifetimes.

Carol Buljan Langley – Realtor – 916-206-9035 – DRE# 01031075

Day 166 of 365 Things To Do In Roseville CA – Christmas Boutique

Day 166 of 365… I know there are some Christmas Boutiquers in the crowd, so I will keep you up to date on holiday craft shows.

Today is the 3^rd Annual Holiday Craft Faire at the Roseville Commons Senior Community at 275 Folsom Rd. It runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The indoor show will have more than 40 crafters selling hand made goods, food, pictures, jewelry and there will be entertainment. There will be pictures with Santa too. The admission is FREE, and the event is today (as I said above) but you have plenty of time to get there because it goes on until 3:00 p.m.

If you are having a Christmas event, let me know and I’ll post something for you. There are a lot of activities going on for the next 6 weeks or so, and I don’t want you to miss out on anything.

Can you believe it’s 6 weeks until Christmas!

Carol Buljan Langley – Realtor – 916-206-9035 – DRE# 01031075