nia's bright spot in dickinson. week 2.

02.08.2012

well, its official friends: wednesday has now become my favorite favorite favorite day of the week because of this wonderful opportunity that i have to visit, recognize, and showcase the 'bright spot of the week' every week as nominated by you, our favorite fans of dickinson. so without further ado, i am proud to announce that this weeks 'bright spot' is.. (drum roll please)

moe moe's garden baby boutique!

 i had the splendid chance to visit with jayme heick today about this awesome store she recently opened in downtown dickinson.

the first question i of course had to ask was where that adorable name came from.. with a name that cute i knew there had to be a sweet story behind it, and there sure was.
'moe moe's garden' came to be in part by her beautiful daughter ramona. ramona's young cousins had trouble saying her name hence giving her the nickname 'moe moe'. the word 'garden' is in reference to the stores encouragement of earth and environment friendly options in products and lifestyle.

here i am with jayme and the one and only 'moe moe'. precious!

what inspired her to open this store in dickinson?
the opportunity to offer this experience to dickinson providing additional options for families of young children.
oh boy, does she have some fabulous ideas for the near future including classes, groups, playdates and so much more. check out her facebook page more information. this store really will make dickinson a better place. yay!

what is jayme's favorite product in store?
everything!
but if she did have to pick just one favorite it would be the ju.ju.be diaper bags. very cute and oh so functional.

the most useful can't live without product in store?
planetwise wet bags. little machine washable dreams. perfect for wet/dirty diapers, cloth diapers, spilled on/spitup on clothing, sweaty gym clothes, swimsuits.. you name it, anything and everything. just plop it in the bag and zip it up; no smell, no germs, no contamination.. perfect!

customers favorite pick?
lifefactory glass bottles.
let me tell you from personal experience, these bottles are fantastic. the colors are way cool and they pretty much last forever growing with you as you start your babies on the bottles and updgrade the nipples as they grow. then, you just switch the top off of the same bottle to the sippy topper. when they outgrow that, they are a basic drinking glass bottles. wow! every stage, baby through adults. (plus they were even featured in last weeks 'us weekly' buzz worthy products!)

of course i had to take my turn and go shopping for my favorite item to share with you..
and believe me, shopping is something i feel very confident that i am quite good at.

this, however, was not an easy task to narrow down the super options to just one special favorite.. from the very cute clothes, baby legs (halle berry is a big fan!), nursing gear, boba carriers, lotions and baby care, blankets (aiden and anais swaddle - incredible!) cloth diapers and accessories, kids dishes (love!), hair pieces, chew beads for mommys to wear and babies to safely chew on, discovery toys offering layers of learning and so much fun... yes, i could just go on and on! but at the end of the shopping experience, i had to hold true and find you my one favorite, and i am very proud to share with you..

bison booties!

friends, these are as good as it gets! and even better yet, they are made in mandan, nd. they are pretty much the cutest thing ever, are so unbelievably soft and they actually stay on those little feet.  skip the socks that keep falling off and treat that special lil one true bliss on their toesies. i only wish they came in my size!

 

in addition to the fantastic products you can already shop for in store, there are new products arriving all the time. some of the sneak peek 'products that i totally need!' coming in are:

amber baltic teething necklaces
*what is this you may ask.. ( i did! ) 'a baltic amber teething necklace is made for wearing (not chewing) when a baby is teething. the warmth from the skin releases the active ingredient in the baltic amber, succinic acid. recent scientific research has proved that succinic acid has a very positive influence on the human body. it improves immunity and the balance of acids when absorbed into the bloodstream; it stimulates the thyroid glands to help reduce drooling and soothes red inflamed cheeks. amber's anti-inflammatory and therapeutic properties are recognized by allopathic medicine as a natural analgesic, which will help to relieve teething pain and calm a baby without resorting to drugs. the skin's warmth releases healing oils from the amber, a resin, which is absorbed into the bloodstream.' yup, sign me up, i am totally sold on it already!

piggy paint
*finger and toe nail polish and remover; nox toxic, odor free, safe for kids.. and as natural as mud! cute!

melaluca
*moe moe's garden will now carry all things melaluca. the wellness company sharing greener, cleaner living for home, health, and life.

well, all good things have to come to an end i suppose. but, first i just have to leave you with this priceless image from today..

as any mom that has brought her children into the store knows, it is pretty much impossible to get them to leave. they have an incredibly fun play area full of toys and activities to captivate children and allow them to make wonderful memories that they will never forget.. or want to leave! as jayme noticed this struggle parents were having, she came up with the wonderful idea of a penny market that she placed conveniently by the door to help parents in distracting their children to get to pick a fun prize for a penny all the while assisitng the parents in getting their kids out the door. that makes me (and the kids) smile. brilliant, she is!

i hope you enjoyed this look into moe moe's garden located at 32 1st avenue west here in dickinson. be sure to stop in and check it out tuesdays-fridays from 9am-530pm and saturdays from 10am-4pm. from my personal experience at moe moe's garden, i can honestly say it is truly a blessing to have a store like this with someone who really cares about and appreciates her clients and takes care of them treating them like family and helping to encourage them and offer them more than just a product. jayme, it was such a pleasure, i thank you for allowing me to blog all things moe moe!


happy shopping!

nia home.

nia's fab 5, week 2

02.06.2012

hello again friends! i am here with your monday fab five week 2. grab a cup of coffee and join me as i give you 5 bonuses of choosing the real estate co.

aside from the standard advertising of being in the monthly preview (which is a great read by the way! if you need one stop on in, we have them at our office all the time) the dickinson press and advertizer.. we do a whole lot more.. a lot more 'outside the box' for you my friends. i thought itd be great for yall to take a closer look..

5. the real estate co's very own youtube channel & twitter account
www.youtube.com/therealestateco    &   www.twitter.com/dknrealestateco

we are more than excited about the possibilities of these wonderful social media exposures. we love having the ability to podcast and share a little bit more about the real estate world and all things dickinson with you through these fantastic outlets. if youve noticed we also like to give you a sneak peek into how much fun we have being a part of the real estate co. too! if you like what you see, you let us know, we have been testing the waters with all of these possibilities and love love love to hear if you are a fan!


4. our website
http://www.therealestateco.co/

we cant wait to share our revamped site in the next short while. we think you are going to love it even more!! you can find everything listed in our entire mls as well as get to meet this fabulous team and links to all things dickinson.



3. facebook
www.facebook.com/therealestateco

have we mentioned how much we appreciate each and everyone of our super friends on facebook who give us the wonderful opportunity to pop into your lives (or your newsfeeds) daily to share whats going on with us, new listings, fun games, prizes, trivia and more. this is truly the place to be. heres the sneak peek at our feb. facebook campaign.


2. the real estate co. mobile app

who wouldnt love to have the entire mls in the palm of your hand anytime, anywhere. just text the letters trec to 87778 or scan this and there you are. how cool is that?!


my favorite part of the real estate co. mobile app (besides that its free! yipee!) is that it can use your current location and list the houses closest to where you are in order of location. so, if theres a certain area of town you'd like to live in or if you would like to take your very own drive by tour of listed homes in dickinson its absolutely perfect!

1. the real estate co. showcase

the real estate co. is proud to have the opportunity to showcase our exclusive listings on the real estate co. showcase in conjuction with consolidated channel 18. you can check it out on sundays from 9am-5pm on consolidated channel 18 or anytime online at http://www.ctctel.com/local_prog_realestate.asp. what a great show it is! we feel so blessed to hear how much you all love it and look forward to watching it! keep on tuning in!



so, there you are, the fab 5 real estate co. exposures going above and beyond the norm to offer you the very best here in dickinson and sw nd. i hope this leaves you thinking, 'um. yeah. why wouldn't i work with the real estate co?!'

wait a second.. maybe this blog could be part of this fab 5.. is that even possible?? hmm.. i do personally think its quite cool that the real estate co. has its own blog... but, since im not one who likes to toot my own horn.. i'll leave that up to you to decide! lol!

until next time,

nia home.

feature friday!

2.03.2012
good day to all of you! in case you didnt know today is friday. :) yay!

so, that means its time for feature friday. on fridays i look forward to featuring something i find to be quite exceptional that i just have to share with you. and todays feature is really special.

as many of you have hopefully noticed, we here at the real estate love to support dickinson and local businesses. we are all about spreading the word whenever we hear about good causes, ideas, and events. and this one here is an amazing opportunity for all of us in the community this valentines day, thanks to faith expressions.



faith expressions here in dickinson in conjunction with kslt 'power 107.1' is part of the 'my golden valentine' project. its really quite simple and so very wonderful. they are looking for handmade valentines to be dropped off at faith expressions prior to february 8th. these special valentines will then be delivered to local senior citizens as a sweet valentine surprise. oh, do i love this idea!

i know this little kiddos hands are working extra hard to spread some cheer, and having fun while doing it!
quite simply over the moon excited to be working on all of these different valentines!

we are asking for your help in making some homemade valentines and
being a part of this touching event! find some
supplies, get some family, friends, kids, groups together and make this a
valentine memory that youll never forget!
(and dont forget to add glitter.. adding just a little sparkle always makes life a bit more fun!)

you can drop them off at faith expressions, 28 1st street west before february 8th or bring them on over to the real estate co. at 235 sims street and we would be more than happy to get them where they need to be! we look forward to spreading some smiles and helping deliver these extra special lil gems. so honored to be a part of spreading the word to you all about this!

'be nice to someone for no reason, you never know when youre going to need someone to be nice to you for no reason.'

check out the website to learn more
 http://www.kslt.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=155.

valentining,
nia home.

nia's 'bright spot in dickinson' week 1

02.01.2012

every wednesday i am so excited to blog about an area business (nominated by you my friends!) and feature them as a 'bright spot' in the community. today's 'bright spot' is...
(drum roll please)

java junction!

what a treat to get to stop by and visit with karla welsch today, such a delight!

lets take this opportunity to get to know a little more about java junction with the following tidbits:

karla purchased the business in 2000 and has been loving running it ever since.
thats a whole lot of coffee this wonderful woman has blessed our community with!

hours are monday-friday 7am-5pm and saturdays from 7am-3pm. drive on through!

karla's favorite part of the business is handsdown the people she has come through everyday.
* one of our facebook friends shared that one of the things she loves most about java junction is that

no matter how long its been since shes been there, karla always always remembers her drink order.
and that, my friends, says alot! we sure love love love customer service like that! way to go karla!! :)

her personal favorite drink is an americano.
for all of us non coffee experts.. thats an espresso with water. now, thats real hardcore coffee love!

the most popular drink of customers tends to be the 'feature drink of the week'.

this week the feature drink is a real neat one.. a super bowl sundae (latte, frappe or tea, however you like it,  they makes it) seriously, how cute is that drink name? love!

and for the random question of the day - karlas favorite holiday is.. easter!
yup, i sure love asking random questions!

so in stopping by today i, of course, had to get a lil something..

and let me tell you, i have a story.. i fell in love.. (nope this isnt going to get personal) with coffee approximately 6 1/2 years ago (i remember exactly because it was when for the very first time in my life sleep was not on my list of things to do daily, thanks to a super cute lil baby girl :)) and java juntion introduced me to my first coffee love, the vanilla hazelnut iced latte. mm mmm! i loved them so much, i have a confession, i would get one right away in the morning and wait until someone new was working later that same afternoon so i could get another one  without anyone knowing i had a slight 2xday addiction. lol! so today i revisited my first love..

..and (ahhh!) it was even better than i remember.
ps. do you see that i am drinking an iced latte outside at a park on february 1st
in dickinson, nd. seriously, how awesome is that!?!

there is nothing better than a yummy mommy treat.. except enjoying one with a special lil kiddo enjoying a yummy treat as well.

wild berry goodness.

looking for some other tasty ideas to try? here are some fave recommendations from java junction from some of you special peeps:

chai tea vanilla latte
trail mix latte
caramel vanilla latte
peppermint latte
chai tea
white chocolate frappe
fat free white mocha
can i just say, its official, i am already thirsty again.

a special thank you to karla for giving us the opportunity to spotlight this wonderful business. and listen to this, as a thank you to all of you karla is offering anyone who stops in and orders a 16oz beverage or larger 10% off their order for the rest of the week if you mention this blog.. how sweet it is!!

dont forget to keep sharing your favorite spots and nominations. we look forward to keep recognizing the 'bright spots' in dickinson every wednesday.

loving dickinson,
nia home.

nia's fab 5

favorite real estate co. memories/doings of twenty eleven.


g'day friends! i wanted to take this splendid opportunity to welcome you to nia's fab five monday. join me as i take you on a journey through memory lane of our favorite doings of our first year, as compiled by our stellar team.

5. the first ever (now annual!) facebook halloween photo extravaganza
this was quite simply the cutest thing ever! friends of the real estate co. were invited to share their favorite halloween photos on our Facebook page. there was amazing support, campaigning, and fun throughout this contest to find our winner. there were some really fantastic costumes.. i wonder if we will be seeing any little nia home costumes out trick or treating next year, how cute would that be?!

our first winner!

4. the real estate co. yard of the week
we were so pleased to showcase spectacular yards that really set themselves apart. whether it be christmas lights, holidays, 'that yard' (you know the one i am talking about.. landscaped to a tee, the one we all wish we could drive into the driveway of and call home). winter, spring, summer, fall.. we want to surprise people by showing them that someone really does notice the extra effort they put in and appreciate it. we took nominations from the community, showcased them online and with a super cool yard sign and gifted them a way fun treat basket that hopefully brought a true smile to their faces and warmth to their heart.

our first christmas decorated yard of the week winner... love!!

3. games, games, games... prizes, prizes, prizes & more prizes
how fun is it to win something? oh my, so fun! winning a little somethin somethin can definitely turn a frown upside down. give away super prizes.. yes, the real estate co. did. all year long. contests on facebook were never ending. the games and friend support exceeded anything imaginable. contests included oodles of trivia, (i think we've pretty much covered everything.. from how many steps to get up to see us (20) to justin beiber (mistletoe). any topic really is fair game!) the i spy game of  'where in dickinson is this?, best day EVER in dickinson and my personal favorite the real estate co. version of  'you deserve it' where contestants played along all day trying to piece together random clues and having the opportunity to gift the prize money to a person/organization of the winners choice that they felt truly deserved it... proving it does feel better to give than to receive.
 

the domestic violence and rape crisis center received the donation. so deserving!

2. breast cancer awareness month
in october the real estate co. truly turned pink to spread awareness and support for breast cancer. an absolute wonderful time was had by our entire team putting together a very memorable 'pink glove dance.' we were all touched in so many ways by being a part of something so important to so many of us.  in case you missed it... http://youtu.be/symwQrG2NyU. in addition, we tied pink ribbons to our for sale signs and designed official real estate co. breast cancer shirts to wear and give. such a special month that we will always remember.



1.the real estate co. night of hope

hands down this was one of our favorite nights of the entire year of twenty eleven. the real estate co. hosted the night of hope where we invited the community to join us in bringing books to gift the excitement of getting lost in a good book to the dickinson dvrcc for christmas. (the number of books was truly humbling!)  the evening was filled with incredible local entertainment, delicious food, and the unveiling of the magnificent trees of hope. these trees were filled with 'stars of hope' giving everyone the opportunity to gift the magic of hope to someone in need in our community.

simply priceless.

i hope this look back at this fab 5 of twenty eleven gave you a peek into the heart of the real estate co. to put it simple; we sell real estate. we love it. we work hard to be the very best at it. we also give back. we are a part of this community. we strive to make a real difference. if we made one person a little happier because of something we did or said, we feel like that we have succeeded. thank you for giving us the ability to be us and for supporting what we believe in and stand for.
now, wait til you see what we have in store for twenty twelve!
signing off with glee,
nia home

if you or anyone you know 'nia home' .. you know who to call. the real estate co, of course.