September Edition
Get Ready to Fall Into our SWELL Blog!
Inspirational Quote of the Month
“And then the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep, and autumn was awakened.”
The Autumnal Equinox is almost upon us as we bid farewell to Summer.
Not to fear, though, there’s still plenty to do in Wilmington!
This month’s edition of SWELL Living has:
Fun Fact: Food!
Homeowner tips from our favorite home inspector, Neil Sims
SWELL Streaming
And a whole lot more!
Exciting Area Events!
Really SWELL Interview: Katelyn Mattox from Nourish NC
Cool-weather herbs & veggies
Delicious cocktails recipes
Alonzo Bodden
Dead Crow Comedy Club is opening back up!
After a long break due to COVID and a bit of relocation, Dead Crow is finally opening its doors and is happy to welcome famed comic, Alonzo Bodden.
Friday, September 3 at 7:00 pm
511 N Third Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
Little Shop of Horrors
Bellamy Mansion screens Sci-Fi movies on the lawn.
Don’t forget to bring a blanket and chairs to relax while the large outdoor screen takes you all the way to Skid Row, courtesy of the 1960s.
Price is free, donations accepted!
Friday, September 17 at 7:30 pm
503 Market Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
For more info:
Gov't Mule and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Classic all-American jam band, Gov’t Mule is teaming up with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at the new downtown Riverfront Amphitheater!
Thursday, September 23 at 7:30 pm
10-A Cowan Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
Don’t miss out! Get your tickets here.
Meet Katelyn Mattox
Program Director of the Wilmington non-profit,
Nourish NC!
Katelyn Mattox and her amazing team at Nourish NC are working hard to make sure no child in New Hanover County goes hungry.
Nourish NC has expanded so much in the past few years that they are about to expand locations as well!
Exciting things are happening for all those in need in our community thanks to Nourish! With your help and the incredible dedication and leadership of those at Nourish, they are in the process of building a new home.
Located in the heart of Wilmington on Market Street, this new building will be more centralized to all the families and children who need their services. The building will be large enough to become a kind of supermarket where eligible families can pick and choose healthy foods to keep their kids happy!
Click the button below to find out how Nourish NC is helping Wilmington’s youth and ways that you can help/get involved!
Enter to Win!
SWELL home & living is proud to partner with great local businesses to give you the chance to win a Wilmington Adventure Pack!
Here’s how it works:
Subscribe to SWELL Living: your source for area events, interviews, gardening tips, & a whole lot more!
Once subscribed you will be automatically entered to win the next raffle.
You will also be entered to win every raffle going forward, pretty sweet!
So be sure to register using the form below
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September SWELL Prize
~ $100 gift certificate at Anne Bonny’s
~ 2 tickets to Wilmington Water Tours Sunset Cruise along the Cape Fear River
~ 2 tickets to a Haunted Pub Crawl by the Ghost Walk Tour of Wilmington
~ $30 gift certificate to Kilwins of Wilmington
That’s a $250 value!
Want to grow your own food, without sweating through the summer months?
There’s still plenty to grow in the cool season!
Discover how to direct sow deliciousness into your garden this fall with ease.
Broccoli
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea) is a nutrient-rich vegetable that can be used in a variety of ways.
A cool-season plant that prefers full sunlight with moist, but not soggy soil.
Direct sow into garden spacing seed 12 - 24 inches apart. Germination only takes a week!
Spinach
This leafy green vegetable is packed full of vitamins and nutrients. It is delicious both raw and cooked!
Like broccoli, spinach plants enjoy full sun with plenty of water!
Direct sow seeds in rows 12 inches apart, and barely wait a month for your first harvest!
Cilantro
If you’re a fan of this herb (Coriandrum sativum), then you’ll love having access to it all winter long!
Direct sow seeds 6 inches apart in a spot of the garden that’s partly shaded.
Let the plant go to seed and you’ll have a fresh stock of coriander for you kitchen as well!
Want more help? Check out the North Carolina Cooperative Extension for details.
Now that you can grow your own
Cilantro
Why not try it in a cocktail…?
While green and leafy, like parsley, cilantro brings a fresh, nearly citrusy flavor to foods and drinks.
Refreshing Margarita
1.5 oz. your favorite Blanco Tequila
2 ounces watermelon puree
OR
Chunks of fresh watermelon
0.5 oz lime juice
A handful of fresh cilantro
Optional garnishes include lime, cilantro, or watermelon chunk.
Ice
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth!
Try with a sugared rim, if you’ve really got a sweet tooth <3
2. Coconut Dreams
1.5 oz your favorite vodka
2 oz Coconut cream
0.75 oz Sweet Chili Sauce
A handful of cilantro leaves
Add all ingredients to a shaker and shake! Add ice to the shaker and shake again to get the coconut cream nice and fluffy.
Strain into a martini or wine glass. Garnish with cilantro leaves, and enjoy!
3. Havacado in Your Drink
1/8 of an avocado in chunks
1/4 Jalapeno deseeded
A handful of cilantro
0.25 oz lime juice
1.5 oz your favorite rum
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a shaker and muddle. Add rum and ice, then shake vigorously. Strain and pour into a rock’s glass with ice. Garnish with cilantro ;)
Now it’s time to sip and enjoy!
Did you know that food security is the measure of the availability of food and an individuals ability to access it?
There are 34,950 people in New Hanover County alone that fit this description.
There are so many things we can change to help those in need.
1 in 5 children in North Carolina are hungry. While you may not have everything you need, when you think about it, you have more than most. We all live in this town and call it home, the fun fact is: together we can make it a better place!
Selling a home doesn’t have to be hard.
We believe selling a home should be simple, easy, and even a little fun too.
Make your next move a smooth one and move confidently with SWELL!
We also offer industry leading rates for home-sellers. Many firms charge as much as 3% of the sales price to sell your home. The most we ever charge is 2.5% and for qualified clients, we only charge 2%! To save thousands of dollars as well as time and energy, click the button below.
Home Owning In September…
Tips, tricks, and things to be aware of, courtesy of:
Professional Home Inspector, Neil Sims
Did You Know?
The outside of the house is often referred to as the “envelope” of the house.
This term is often used to describe areas that separate the outside and inside. So many larger items found during inspections are found due to defects with this “envelope”.
Pro Tip: “pay attention and protect the envelope”.
Give your home a routine check-up where you walk around and take note of windows and door frames to make sure there are no possible leaks. Take pictures, or even a video walk-through of your home once a year, and always before a big storm!
You don’t need to be in the process of selling your home in order to get a home inspection!
Think of it as a check-up from the doctor…
Interested in a home inspection?
Well, good news! Neil has his very own company…check him out here.
Meet 103 Travelers Court
Quiet Home Backed Up To Woodlands: Built in 2000, this home has 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a half bath and 1,702 sqft of living space. Located in the quaint neighborhood of Tidalholm, this home is just a short, leisurely stroll along the walking trail to Veteran’s Park and the Anderson/Murray/Ashley schools. Tucked away on a cul-de-sac, this home nestles back into a large wooded lot, 0.41 acres. Inside the home features vaulted ceilings in the foyer and living room, giving the spaces a sense of scale and grandness. The floorpan flows well from room to room and the kitchen features a reverse osmosis water filter.
The primary bedroom is on the first floor and also features a vaulted ceiling. The ensuite bathroom has a double vanity, garden tub, and walk-in closet. Upstairs are two more bedrooms along with another full bathroom. At the top of the stairs is a landing area where you can look down onto the living room. The bamboo flooring was installed in 2016 and the upstairs HVAC system was replaced in 2017. Out the back door is the large raised deck that looks onto the deep green of the woodlands behind the home. The deck also features a connection for your propane grill, never run out of gas again! This home is only 3.5 miles from Carolina Beach and 3 miles from the restaurants and shopping of the Monkey Junction area. Don’t miss this home, schedule a tour today!
SWELL is working hard to find them the perfect place to vacation. But homes are moving quickly on the islands these days, so if you have a great tip for a Vacation Home or Investment Property for this sweet couple, give us a shout!
Discover New TV, Movies, Music, & More
Ty covers the TV & Movie recommendations, here are his picks this month:
For light-hearted TV to binge: Schitt’s Creek
I tried to watch this show years ago but it just didn’t seem like it was going to be my cup of tea. The same thing happened for my wife Monica. But recently we kept hearing from people how amazing it was and that it doesn’t really get good until episode 3. They were right!
So glad we took their advice because Schitt’s Creek is good on so many levels. It’s a comedy at heart but you get to watch the main characters grow over 6 seasons. The show revolves around a family of 4 who were ultra wealthy until their financial manager took all of their money and fled. Having nothing left except the title to a small town they once bought as a joke, the town of Schitt’s Creek, they are forced to move into a rundown motel where hilarity ensues. The episodes are only 21 minutes long and each is a gem.
The stories behind iconic movies of the 80’s & 90’s: The Movies That Made Us
One season with another on the way, this show is set in the not-so-distant future. When an alien artifact lands on Earth, a small crew of astronauts leave to find where the artifact came from. Meanwhile, back on Earth, things start to go sideways. A longer format show, with each episode about 45 minutes long, it will draw you in as the characters develop and drama ensues. Also streaming on Netflix, this show is engaging on many of levels making you want to come back for more.
For a Date Night movie: Ride the Eagle
Flawed 30 something Leif finds out his estranged mother has died and wants to leave him her cabin. The catch is, she’s created a series of tasks to complete in order to get his inheritance.
Starring Jake Johnson, Susan Sarandon, & J.K. Simmons. This short and quirky film is a story of people coming to grips with loss, regret, and new beginnings.
Music on Repeat: Anthony's Monthly Picks for Featured Tunes
Bleachers: Take the Sadness out of Saturday Night
The latest Bleachers album “Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night” was released in 2021 from RCA Records, and you've probably already heard “Stop Making This Hurt” about a thousand times on the radio. While that track is indeed wonderful and catchy and worthy of radio airtime, the bigger story for me is that Jack Antonoff is still putting out amazing music.
Check out an interview with Antonoff about writing “Chinatown”.
This is the third album under the band name “Bleachers”, but Jack Antonoff is also a virtuoso bad-ass and Grammy award-winning producer for Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana del Rey, St. Vincent, the Chicks, Clairo... there is just so much good music pouring out of this man! Take the time to give this entire album a listen: there is high art here mixed in with a ton of fun and a fair dose of Jersey-style angst. There's so much Springsteen-iness that the Boss even shows up for a duet on “Chinatown.” Buy this album. Then travel back in time to 1992, get an old brown Buick, and blast these tunes while cruising the Turnpike.
Y'all enjoy!
Lorde: “Solar Power”
Speaking of Jack Antonoff's endless talent, his super-minimal production on Lorde's new single asks can we kick it, and yes we can!
This is the Song of Summer 2021 (Fine, I know, there are more than one, but this one is my song of Summer 2021). Minimalist yet bellow-able, especially when you feel it kicking in, with lyrical clap-backs to classic hip-hop and 90's chick rock, cheeky jokes about prettier prophets, and plentiful pool vibes. Basically, it's perfect pop. I'm certain the dance remix will be in clubs for Summer 2022, and I can't wait to hear a punk rock band try covering this track!
Enjoy!
For the love of Podcasts: Marisa’s favorite this month
Everything is Alive: A podcast in which all the subjects are inanimate, ordinary objects.
Ever wonder what a bar of soap feels like when you use it? Or how a lamppost feels about seeing all, but rarely being seen?
Maybe not…but the unscripted dialogue embodying these everyday objects is hilarious and wildly entertaining.
“What starts out as a clever send-up, with its ticklishly absurdist dialogue…is also more than that, with surprising moments of poignancy.”
-The New York Times
Check out Emmy’s interview…she’s just trying to stay positive ;)
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