The time of year is upon us when we gather together and indulge in our favorite foods.  It’s so easy to slip Fido or Kitty a little scrap now and then, but it may not be such a good idea.  See this list for human foods that may or not be good for your pets. 

• Turkey may be an ingredient in some pet foods, and a bite or two of cooked, white meat is a nice treat. The skin, however, contains fat as well as spices that can cause an upset stomach, or worse, pancreatitis.  If they get turkey, remove the skin. 
• If you’re celebrating with prime rib, or ham, a few bites of meat without herbs or spices is a nice snack.  
• Bones of any kind can be a real danger because of splintering, and could cause choking as well as a perforated digestive system. 
• Gravy is a yummy treat poured over their regular food, but limit it to a few tablespoonsful.  Gravies are usually too salty for animals, and are high in fats. 
• Before you turn your baked sweet potatoes or pureed pumpkin into pies, pass a spoonful or two along as a treat.  Both are rich in vitamins and high in fiber, and are a great anytime snack. 
• Onions are a definite no–they contain thiosulphate, which is quite harmful to dogs and cats. 
• Stuffing may not only be too carb-rich, but the onions, garlic and spices that most stuffing’s contain can be toxic your pets. 
• Going sugar free? Make sure your artificial sweetener doesn’t contain xylitol, and if it does, make absolute certain your pet doesn’t eat anything it’s an ingredient in. 
• Baked goods contain too much sugar, or may have chocolate, which shouldn’t be fed to either cats or dogs in the slightest amount.  Call your vet if you think they may have eaten anything containing chocolate. 

We usually end up going a bit overboard on Thanksgiving, but it doesn’t have to include our pets.  The extra people in the house and hustle and bustle in the kitchen and can be a bit much for pets, anyway.  Provide a quiet corner for them so they can get away for a while.  When you sit down for your meal, make sure guests know not to feed the four-legged beggars with the sad eyes.  If you really want to include your beloved canine in your family meal, try this little doggy casserole from The Bark, and cats will enjoy these turkey jerky nibblers that are easy to make! 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

Photo credit: http://humanesocietyofmacomb.org/

The annual Tree Lighting Celebration will be held on Friday, December 1 at Lake Eola Park. This free event will feature Mayor Buddy Dyer helping to light the 72-foot Christmas tree, performances by Trinity Lutheran School and The Crew, vendor booths and food available for purchase from TheDailyCity.com Food Truck Bazaar.

Performances begin at 5 p.m. at the Amphitheater, and the Tree Lighting Ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. Following the tree’s first lighting of the season, the Holiday Celebration Stage Show finale will begin.

The Salvation Army will be at the event collecting monetary donations in their classic red kettles, as well as conducting a text-to-give campaign. Donations will supply toys for children in need this holiday season.

Portions of the Tree Lighting Celebration will be broadcast live on News 6 WKMG for those unable to attend the event.

Entertainment Schedule

5 p.m. – Trinity Lutheran School Choir
Trinity Lutheran School students will share holiday music favorites as the festival kicks off with delicious food and beverages available for purchase from TheDailyCity.com Food Truck Bazaar.

6 p.m. – Performance by The Crew
7 p.m. – Tree Lighting & Holiday Celebration Stage Show

Parking and Transportation Information

Parking is available for a fee at all Downtown parking garages, lots and Smart Meters.

The free LYMMO circulator is recommended for Downtown residents and attendees parking at garages other than the Library Garage (112 East Central Blvd).

Downtown Parking Locations

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

In 2007, Congress passed an energy act that required new energy-efficient standards for basic light bulbs. Standard incandescent bulbs are being phased out and eventually will be unavailable.

The alternative bulbs differ considerably in price. LED bulbs are the most efficient but they also cost the most. CFLs are a less expensive alternative.  Interestingly, the more expensive replacements offer lower operating costs and longer economic life.

One approach will be to inventory the different types and quantities of light bulbs you need in your home. Then, research either online or a big box store to find out what each type of bulb costs. This information will give you a total budget for converting your lighting.

It could be a significant expense to replace all the bulbs in a home at one time, especially when most of the bulbs still work. That’s where a plan might make sense.

Replace the bulbs in the rooms where the lights are used the most such as kitchen, family rooms and bathrooms. There may be other “rooms” where the lights are used frequently like certain hallways or stairs. Outside flood lights for security purposes may be a large energy consumption.

Bulbs can vary in light output measured in lumens as well as color of light from warm white to bright white and daylight. The lighting label required by the Federal Trade Commission on all packaging will help you determine which will give you the most bang for your buck.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

In October, a breach was found in the most commonly used WiFi security, WAP2, used by homes and businesses worldwide. The breach was given the acronym KRACK, for Key Reinstallation ATTACK. It affects smartphones, laptops, pc’s, smart house devices–anything that connects to a WiFi router. Your personal information can be stolen, including credit cards, social security numbers, bank accounts as well as any other personal information you may have stored on your devices.  There are several things you can now do to keep your information safe. 

• Smartphone users should update their operating systems as soon as possible.  iPhone users should be updated to iOS 11.1, and Android’s update from the 2017-11-06 update release should patch the problem. 
• The MacOS 10.13.1 update issued October 31, 2017 for iMac, MacBook, and Mac Pro corrects the vulnerability for those devices.  If you’re unsure about your device’s operating system, check for updates from Apple here. 
• Your home’s smart devices are vulnerable as well.  Individual manufacturers are supposed to be providing protection in their own updates.  To make certain, call your device’s customer service number in the owner’s guide, or look on their website. 
• If you use a Windows PC or laptop, your KRACK protection should have come in the update on October 10, 2017.   
• WiFi routers should be updated by their makers as well. Check this list if you would like to make sure if your home or office router has been protected. If you can’t find your router maker, call your internet service provider, and they can tell you whether your protected or not. 

The good thing about whether your home is safe from attack or not is that the hacker has to be in range of your WiFi service.  If you see any strange behavior near your home or even in your neighborhood, call for help, and shut down your WiFi until you know no one is trying to steal your personal information.  Take care in public WiFi hotspots, and if a business cannot tell you whether they have patched this breach or not, turn off your smartphone/device’s WiFi connection, and use data.   

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

Photo Credit: Popular Mechanics 

You’ve taken the plunge, and put your home on the market.  How do you stage it for potential buyers, and keep it looking great while living your day-to-day? Follow this guide for some practical ideas. 

• Look at your front entry closely. Paint porch rails and columns, and your front door, if necessary. Replace the door, if necessary.  
• Landscaping is extremely important for first impressions–clean out the flowerbeds, put down some new mulch and fresh plants, if the time of year is right. 
• Get rid of clutter and anything that isn’t necessary.  Go ahead and pack these things for your potential move so you’ll have one less thing to do when the time comes. 
• Clean out closets, and throw away, give away or store anything that you’re not using or haven’t used in six months. Buyers will look in closets and cabinets to see how much storage is available. 
• Clean, clean, clean.  Your home needs to be spotless, but once it’s done, it’s easy to keep clean for realtor showings.  If you don’t have time, consider hiring a cleaning agency. 
• Using decorative containers to store things that you need while living in your staged home is a great way to hide extra clutter. Totes, benches with storage, and inexpensive shelving with baskets are great ways to hide your can’t-live-without things. 
• Rearranging furniture to make rooms appear larger is a huge plus–even taking out lesser-used pieces makes a big difference in how open your rooms will look.  If you’re unsure of this step, ask your realtor for the name of a decorator who specializes in rearrangement and using what you have to improve the space. 
• If your decor is bold and bright, go ahead and give the walls a fresh coat of neutral paint colors.   
• You don’t need to purchase new furniture once you’ve toned down the wall paint–slipcovers are an inexpensive way to make your pieces look like new. 
• Remove personal artwork/photos from your walls and replace with mirrors, inexpensive prints of landscapes or animals.  

Once you’re ready for your realtor to schedule showings, give everyone in the house a responsibility schedule, and stick to it.  Be diligent about keeping furniture dusted, floors vacuumed, countertops wiped off, and dishes stashed in the dishwasher. If you just take out an extra twenty minutes every evening or morning, your home will impress your potential buyers. 

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

Photo credit: pinterest.com

November 21 – January 7, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

Phone: 407-586-2000

Event Website

Multiple holiday activities, including ICE! Featuring 2 million pounds of hand-carved ice, a 60-foot-tall Christmas tree and Joyful Light Show, heartwarming visits with Santa, a captivating Cirque Dreams Unwrapped show, snow tubing and more.

Buy Tickets Here

Gaylord Palms
6000 W. Osceola Parkway
Kissimmee, FL

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

The Windermere Real Estate Market Trends Report shows the average sales price was $691,792 in October 2017 compared to $577,272 in October 2016. Homes were on the market for an average of 82 days compared to 95 days last year. Homes sold for 97% of the list price.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

The Kissimmee Real Estate Market Trends Report for 34741 shows 45 homes sold in October 2017 up from 44 in October 2016. The average sales price was $174,158 compared to $153,213 in October 2016 and homes were on the market an average of 47 days, down from 56 days in October 2016.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!

The Celebration Real Estate Market Trends Report for 34747 shows 99 homes sold in October 2017 compared to 95 in October 2016. The average sales price was $261,345 compared to $302,889 in October 2016 and homes were on the market an average of 102 days, down from 106 days in October 2016.

Access Teri’s one-stop Orlando FL home search website.

Teri Isner is the team leader of Orlando Avenue Top Team and has been a Realtor for over 24 years. Teri has distinguished herself as a leader in the Orlando FL real estate market. Teri assists buyers looking for Orlando FL real estate for sale and aggressively markets Orlando FL homes for sale.

You deserve professional real estate service! You obtain the best results with Teri Isner plus you benefit from her marketing skills, experience and ability to network with other REALTORS®. Your job gets done pleasantly and efficiently.  You are able to make important decisions easily with fast, accurate information from Teri. The Orlando Avenue Top Team handles the details and follow-up that are important to the success of your transaction.

Get Orlando Daily News delivered to your inbox! Subscribe here!