It’s Ground Hog Day and while most of the country watches Punxsutawney Phil, in the Raleigh area, we watch Sir Walter Wally. That’s right, we have our very own ground hog!  One of the beautiful things about living in the central region of North Carolina is the fantastic weather. So it really doesn’t matter that Wally saw his shadow.   The average temperatures for this area in January are highs in the mid 50s and lows in the mid 30s.  That’s not bad at all, but this year we are enjoying even better weather with highs in the mid 70s!!!  Some evenings are only dropping down into the 50s which make for a wonderful temperature to take a stroll around Southlake’s lake or bike ride through the neighborhood.  My family and I enjoyed a picnic at Fallon Park just 4-1/2 miles from South Lakes. Next weekend we’re planning to have some of the neighbors over for a cook-out in the back yard. Who know, we may even break out the fire pit and roast some marshmallows!

It’s great to live in a community where you really enjoy your neighbors and can get together for some greatly needed rest and relaxation!  Come check out South Lakes for yourself. We still have room for you! 

You all did a great job decorating your houses for the holidays!  The judges were out in the community this week and have selected the winner. 

Congratulations to Alicia and Brian Coleman and their son Brian Patrick for winning the South Lakes Holiday Door Decorating Contest!  The Coleman’s won a $100 gift certificate to Daniel’s on Main – YUM!  The judges were allowed to only judge on the door/main entryway into the home.   The Coleman’s door featured a wreath from D Vine Designs located in the Shoppes on Main. In addition, they accented the doorway with lights and strategically placed holiday accents around the bottom.  Fuquay-Varina Town Commissioner Charlie Adcock presented the gift certificate to the Coleman’s on Wednesday.  Congratulations Coleman’s!

We hope each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday.  Here’s to looking forward to a prosperous New Year!    

What’s your Thanksgiving tradition?  For me it’s having my entire family over to our house, completely gorging ourselves on way too much home-cooking, and then everyone falling asleep watching football all afternoon.  Occasionally, my brothers (both in their 40’s) will break out the remote control cars and have the Indy500 in the driveway. Ah, the memories! Now we have children who are about the age my brothers were when they first started the Indy tradition.  It’s like a step back in time watching all the fun.

Indeed, Thanksgiving is the time of year we slow down just a bit, reminisce and ponder about the things we cherish most.  Family, job security certainly come to mind…but surrounding all of those thoughts is home. I am grateful to have a wonderful home for my family.  We have created so many memories here in South Lakes that my children will cherish in years to come.  I wonder what they will remember most when they are in their 40’s.  Will it be grandma threatening to never give away Aunt Gladys' famous stuffing recipe, the dog stealing the turkey, or perhaps those Indy races in the front yard…

Happy Thanksgiving!   

Can you believe that Christmas is less than 2 months away?  This is the time of year when the cool weather and the panic of realizing it’s now November turns our thoughts to the holidays. Stores quickly restocked the empty shelves with red, green and white glittery decorations for Christmas.  So, how will you decorate your house this year?

As residents of South Lakes, we already know we have one of the best looking communities in Fuquay. It will only get better with the upcoming holiday season. To help everyone get into the holiday spirit, Preston Development decided to hold a Holiday Door/Wreath Decorating Contest in South Lakes.  The grand prize is a $100 gift certificate to Daniel’s on Main. YUM!  So, get those creative juices flowing.  Let your imagination be your guide.  Please note, we will only be judging your front door, not the entire yard.  Judging will take place on or around December 12^th.  Who will have the Best Looking Door in South Lakes?  Stay tuned…we’ll announce the winner by December 16^th.  Ho-Ho-Ho!!!   

Halloween is just around the corner. Preston Development and the builders of South Lakes, (D R Horton, Impact Builder Guide and M/I Homes) would like to invite all of the children of South Lakes to stop by all three sales centers on Monday, October 31^st between the hours of 3 to 5 pm. We have a special Halloween Treat for you.

I did a little research to see if the town’s website had any “official” trick-or-treating hours and here’s what their website reports. They also had some great safety tips and listed some fun activities happening around town.

The Town of Fuquay-Varina does not recognize an official day to celebrate Halloween. Traditionally, Halloween is on October 31^st which falls on a Monday this year, but it’s up to parents to decide when their children will trick or treat. Here are a few safety tips to keep the evening fun and safe:

•  A responsible adult should accompany children at all times.
•  Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home or car for a treat.
•  Pedestrian injuries are common on Halloween. Children should stay in groups; Remain on well-lit streets; Use crosswalks if available; Never cross between parked cars or out driveways.
•  Don’t assume the right of way. Just because one car stops doesn’t mean others will!
•  Call the Fuquay-Varina Police at 552-3191 to report any problems.   

Fuquay-Varina is simply a great place to live and raise your family.  There are so many things about this Southern Wake County town that is appealing.  One of them took place last Saturday, September 24^th – the Downtown Bounty.  This fun day featured a Brunswick Stew cook-off by local organizations, a children’s play area, local farmer market vendors, even the high school drama group got in the fun.  

South Lakes was a huge sponsor of the event. In our booth, children in three age groups could color their dream home. South Lakes teamed with local vendor, Cupcake Bite, to award our winners with a special prize. Thanks Cupcake Bite!  Everyone did such a great job. It was very difficult to choose a winner.

The winners were:

Avery Adams – Winner – 1-4 age group
Kelsey Lambalzer – 1st Runner up in the 1-4 age group
Logan Spanone – Winner 5-7 age group
Terri-Lynne Bunn – 1^st Runner up in the 5-7 age group
Jonathan Gertler – Winner 8-12 age group

Congratulations to each of our winners.  If you’re looking for that wonderful bedroom community to live in, be sure to check out Fuquay-Varina.  South Lakes is the town’s first master planned community and is just a short 15 minutes to downtown Raleigh and only 35 miles to Ft. Bragg. Check us out!   

So, if you’re like me, you love going into decorated model homes.  In South Lakes, we are fortunate that we have two fully decorated models on the Parade of Homes this year.  Parade weekends are always scheduled for the first 3 weekends in October, but you can stop by any time!  Our Parade homes are the model homes for D R Horton and M/I Homes so they are open for you to tour 7 days a week!  Stop by and see how special theses 4 – 5 bedroom homes are. Both of them have 2-car garages and each has its own unique personality. 

The neighborhood is simply beautiful surrounded by mature hardwood trees and a gorgeous lake. It’s the perfect time of year to sit out on your back porch and enjoy the company of a great neighbor or take a stroll along the meandering streets or around the lake.  I’ve even seen some folks sitting around their fire pits winding down after a long day at work.

Come out and see for yourself.  South Lakes is can be the perfect place for you to retreat to this Fall!   

So, last week we got the kids back in school, now it’s time to take a big, deep breath.  Did you feel that?  It’s Fall.  Indeed, Fall is in the air. We can feel it with every breath we take. The evenings are getting cooler and the days are more bearable with temperatures in the 80s.

Someone in my office made the comment today that she knew it was Fall because Starbucks has put the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s back on the menu!  Not that any of us watch the calorie county, but here’s a link to the Starbuck’s page showing the “nutritional facts” about the Pumpkin Spice Latte. http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/pumpkin-spice-latte   And best of all, Starbucks is just 2.76 miles from a South Lakes!!

If you look closely, you will see the beginnings of Fall colors coming out in trees.  Just take a stroll around the lake and you’ll begin to see the colors dotting the skyline.  Throughout the next month, the colors will become even vivid. Last year the colors were so brilliant.  I can hardly wait for this year!   

As the school bells ring once again this year, I’m brought back to the memory of a television commercial that Staples ran several years ago.  It had an image of a dad riding a shopping cart up and down the store aisles while two children walked reluctantly behind him with long drawn-out, pouty faces.  The funniest part was the music playing in the background…. “It’s the Hap, Happiest Time of the Year” – yes, the Christmas carol!

In all honesty, while children idealize the thought of summers and summer vacations, most of them are very excited to return school, get back into a routine and of course, see their friends. 

There are many school options in the Fuquay area, from Wake County Public School system to many private, magnet and charter schools. The list is vast.  Great Schools is a wonderful website which allows you to check out schools in a given area. Their web address is http://www.greatschools.org/north-carolina/fuquay_varina/ .  The site also contains links and overviews to many private school options as well.

Wake County Public Schools has a very informative website as well: http://www.wcpss.net/ .  On this site, you can watch for the latest updates from the school board, get school assignments, school calendars for the year, even see what’s on the lunch menu at your child’s school.

Perhaps one of the convenient things about living in South Lakes this time of year is that we do have a Staples store in Fuquay-Vari