is watching The Biggest Loser! I love this show.

Home sweet home gets a renewed focus on comfort and warmth in '09

This Afghan lambswool blanket is just like the ones your grandmother used to make. Use it to cozy up. Jane Austen wrote, "There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." Some of us are natural homebodies, but when both the weather and the economy turn frosty, we're all headed indoors for some reassurance. Nancy Molitor, a clinical psychologist based in Wilmette, Ill., says the home is for many people an adult version of a blankie or pacifier: a symbol of security and warmth. And this new year will see us seeking both. "The dynamics of cocooning are fairly simple," says Molitor. "I would expect to see more emphasis on soothing, pleasurable products so people can both stay home and feel more warm, secure and content at the same time." If snuggling up seems like a good idea, here's an array of products designed to calm and cuddle. -- Garnet Hill offers some beautiful throws, including a fisherman's cable knit, luscious ribbed cashmere, and a colorful afghan just like Mom used to make. At Homegoods, faux fur blankets are best-sellers at a great price point. For your real estate needs got to http://www.sallyandj.com/ -- Whip up a batch of chocolate fondue or hot milk, and throw another log on the fire. No fireplace? Then consider Burley's electric fire, a free-standing appliance that offers either flames, heat or both, all from a simple and energy-efficient electrical connection. There's even a model that lets you mount and retract a plasma TV. -- Pottery Barn has a faux fur beanbag chair that beckons, assuming you can keep the cat from settling in. Plush pile pillows provide warm support for the sofa; they're the color of a frothy mug of eggnog. And a colorful collection of wool Pendleton blankets gives off a great cabin-y vibe. If some midwinter redecorating were in order, the Pearce chair, upholstered in sumptuous velvet, would be a good choice; velvet wears well, and its softness is inviting. -- Rare Device carries — from the ultimate cozy designer, Alyssa Ettinger — knitwear-patterned bowls and little cups perfect for candles or hot drinks. When the cold winds blow, even the dishes can dress in warm mittens. Sourcebook: -- www.raredevice.net: Alyssa Ettinger's knitwear-patterned ceramics, $50-$65. -- www.homegoods.com: Faux fur throws, $24.99-$40; chocolate fondue set, $9.99. -- www.garnethill.com: Fisherman's cable-knit throw, $148; ribbed cashmere throw, $268; Haverhill afghan blanket, $328. -- www.potterybarn.com: Pearce velvet armchair, $999-$1,399; low pile cream fur pillow covers, $19-$29; faux fur beanbag, $249. -- www.burleyfires.com: Electric fires, various configurations, $7,500-$9,500.

A turn in the South

Dec 30th 2008. CHARLESTON - From The Economist print edition. A blue-collar military town transforms itself into a white-collar security cluster. UNTIL the government closed it in 1996, the navy base in Charleston was the region’s economic engine. The navy was Charleston’s largest employer, directly providing work for more than 22,000 people. But after a decade of decay, some 340 acres (140 hectares) of the site is now part of a 3,000-acre redevelopment plan in North Charleston called Noisette, billed as “a city within a city” and costing $3 billion over 20 years. The redeveloped navy shipyard has already attracted a number of green businesses. Clemson University’s research campus has also moved there. Partly as a result, the region’s economy is healthier and more diversified than it was a decade ago. Job growth for the Charleston region was 16.5% between 2000 and 2007; nationally, it was less than half that. Charleston’s growth in GDP, wages and bank deposits all outpace national averages. Household income has increased by 30% since 2000. In July Inc, a magazine for entrepreneurs, described it as among the best cities for doing business. The armed forces still have an impact, generating $3.5 billion a year. Charleston is still home to an air force base, a training school for nuclear-power engineers, a naval weapons station, a Coast Guard training centre and Project SeaHawk, a model multi-agency anti-terrorism programme. Convoys of “mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles” (MRAPs) drive along conspicuously in South Carolina’s picturesque Lowcountry. They are heading for Charleston’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centre Atlantic (SPAWAR), where they are outfitted with communications, command and control equipment and prepared for shipment to Iraq and Afghanistan. SPAWAR is the navy’s engineering and research arm. The heavily armoured vehicles offer better protection against improvised explosive devices than Humvees do. Since their use has increased, troop deaths from roadside devices are said to have fallen by about 90%. MRAPS are mostly built by manufacturers based in Charleston, such as Force Protection, with much of the technology developed by local companies like SCRA and Science Applications International Corporation. Some 80% of SPAWAR’s projects involve partnerships with private business, according to Philipp Charles, the centre’s technical director. All these defence and security companies are attracting highly skilled workers. In September the Milken Institute declared the Charleston metro area, which includes North Charleston and Summerville, to be among the leading ten cities for job creation. Between 2000 and 2007 the number of people working in IT grew by 52% in the Charleston region; nationally, it went up by only 9%. The numbers of scientists, architects and engineers grew by 52%, while dropping 3% nationally. South Carolina has the second-highest concentration of industrial engineers in the country, after Michigan. Manufacturing is growing in Charleston, as factories expand and new ones open, even as it seems to be dying a public death in the rest of the country. As a result, the area’s population has grown 10% to 603,000 since 2000 and is forecast to grow to 624,000 by 2010. And to top it all, National Geographic recently ranked Charleston as being among the 50 best places to live. Not all is rosy. Charleston’s port has been struggling to compete with neighbouring Savannah. On December 18th Maersk, the world’s largest ocean carrier, announced it would leave Charleston by 2011, citing high costs and union intransigence. This is a big blow: Maersk accounts for 25% of Charleston’s container volume. But for the most part Charleston is weathering the economic downturn well. Defence contractors are not relying solely on America for revenue. Force Protection, for instance, is building MRAPs for America’s allies. A hybrid carmaker plans to open there. The economy has slowed since the summer, according to Karen Kuchenbecker, of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance. But, she says, “We are holding our head above water.”

For all your real estate needs go to http://www.sallyandj.com/ or call me direct at 843-568-3603.

CROSSING PATTERN :Centex Homes shows off townhome neighborhood just north of Wando bridge

Brick accents highlight the exteriors of Cain Crossing townhomes in lower Berkeley County. Centex Homes is building 109 units, priced from $163,990 to $213,490. A fireplace distinguishes the open family room in the 2,003-square-foot Kensington floor plan at Cain Crossing. The neighborhood is off Clements Ferry Road. The models at Cain Crossing come with three or four bedrooms, and some plans have the master bedroom downstairs. Garden tubs and separate showers are standard attractions in the master bathrooms. It’s there, in a clearing off the southern tip of Clements Ferry Road, a community of well-trimmed townhomes clustered among grand oak trees. The dwellings are like small houses, 1,470-2,339 square feet with three to four bedrooms, separate tub and shower in the master bathrooms and a full complement of kitchen attractions such as microwave, stove and dishwasher. Yet even the largest units are less than $215,000. And the monthly regime fee is a modest $140 month that includes lawn care for yards around the townhomes, pest control and a power wash once a year. The neighborhood is Cain Crossing. Launched a year ago, the village will have 109 dual- or tri-level dwellings. Sales representatives for builder Centex Homes have sold 32 townhomes, most in the past few months. “We just had eight people move in last week,” says Dave Friedman, sales consultant. “We have a great value, for what you get, the price per square foot.” Centex saved costs with low-maintenance vinyl siding and energy-efficient construction — residents even receive a monitor to keep track of energy use, Friedman says. The townhomes are 40 percent more efficient than a 10-year home, he says. In doing so, the builder could craft accessories such as laundry rooms and attached garages, an unusual feature for townhomes; while giving buyers the chance to visit its showroom on nearby Daniel Island to pick out paint schemes, flooring and countertops and extras such as gas fireplaces and refrigerators. Cain Crossing has amenities, too, with more on the way. There’s a park, a separate place for dogs to run around and a handful of retention ponds. Plans call for a swimming pool, to be open by fall, Friedman says. The property is situated in the Charleston city limits, and children would attend Daniel Island School from first to eighth grade. Dwellings are priced from $163,990 to $213,490. The builder showcases 10 floor plans, the Hampshire, Oxford, Avalon, Kensington, Manchester, Dalton, Carlisle, Newbury, Bristol and Walden. Depending on the model, options include screened porches and third floor bonus room or loft. In addition to the base price, Centex helps out other ways financially. A 10-year structural warranty comes standard. The company offers ongoing incentives such as $2,500 off to “hometown heroes” including police officers, firefighters, teachers and military personnel and $4,000 toward closing costs for using its preferred lender CTX Mortgage. A special promotion will be launched this month specifically for Cain Crossing buyers. Details are coming out soon, he says. Going forward, the neighborhood should attract a mix of buyers such as empty nesters, Friedman says. “It should be good for young people, too,” he says. To reach Cain Crossing from downtown Charleston, cross the Ravenel Bridge in the left hand lanes onto U.S. Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant. Follow Highway 17 north to S.C. Highway 41 and turn left. Take Highway 41 across the Wando River bridge into Berkeley County. Veer left onto Clements Ferry Road. Cain Crossing is less than a mile ahead on the right. An alternate route is to take Interstate 26 west to I-526 toward Mount Pleasant. Exit on Clements Ferry Road. Take Clements Ferry north for about eight miles. Cain Crossing is on the left. There are two entrances, off Reflectance Drive and Clements Ferry. For your real estate needs please visit http://www.sallyandj.com/