LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, in partnership with Katy Visual and Performing Arts Center (KVPAC), welcomes Making A Mark®, the Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Hematology Service’s touring art exhibition presented by The Periwinkle Foundation.

The extraordinary display features the works of young artists whose lives have been touched by cancer and blood disorders. It provides a unique focus on their personal issues.

The exhibit will open to the public Wednesday, April 14 at 5:30 p.m. in Ste. C 140 of LaCenterra (between Simply Cinco and Panera Bread) and run through April 28 before moving to KVPAC gallery for an additional two-week showing.

Making A Mark encourages all patients and their siblings to participate in sharing their feelings through applied art or creative writing. Often deep-rooted feelings and fears are given a positive outlet.

Every participant is a winner because so much has been gained in the process, and all submissions for the show are exhibited at the opening each September at Texas Children’s Hospital and then a selection of artwork travels to various locations throughout the year.

Guest are invited to fill out a “Postcard from the Road” that will be sent directly to the artist or the artist’s family to let the artists know the effect that their artwork has had on the lives of others and to offer them encouragement.

While this exhibit serves to shine a light on these amazing artists, it also highlights KVPAC’s “Healing Arts” programs and commitment to Texas Children’s Cancer Center by way of volunteer art lessons at the Texas Medical Center campus and the future Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

More than 400 patients and their siblings from the Texas Children’s clinic participate, free of charge each year.  Making A Mark is open to children from all pediatric cancer treatment centers, and has attracted art and writing submissions from around the world.

To highlight Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Hematology Service and The Periwinkle Foundation have proudly displayed more than 200 entries each year since the first exhibit in September 1991. Past exhibits have been shown in Japan, Washington, D.C., Virginia, North Carolina, and numerous cities throughout the state of Texas.

LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch is located at 23501 Cinco Ranch Boulevard in Katy.  Gallery hours will be offered from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily (excluding Sundays) with extended hours offered until 8:00 p.m. each Wednesday through April 28.

Groups of 10 or more schedule your visit by contacting Kristin Miller at kmiller@kvpac.org.  To learn more about LaCenterra, please visit LaCenterra.com.  For KVPAC gallery hours, programs and general information, visit KVPAC.org.

For information about all Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404 or via email. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 20 years. Experience does count!

Being a Mom takes precedence over being a Katy TX Realtor. (Unfortunately, I don’t think my kiddos would necessarily agree with this statement. Do you have the same guilt-induced scenarios with your children?)  I was a Katy Realtor long before I adopted my children. My career, like motherhood, is very time-consuming. It’s also extremely rewarding but never as meaningful as parenting my children.

Most of this time, I’ve been a single mother and have continued selling real estate with the exception of a  two-year break when my son needed intensive physical therapy. I love my children and I love my professional life, too. However, when faced with a decision between being a Mom and a Realtor, of course, I chose parenthood.

My daughter turned 17 on Saturday. It’s almost impossible to think about how old she is and how soon she will be college bound! The older I get, the faster time flies. No longer are we celebrating at Chuck E. Cheese but, rather, she picked Friday’s at Katy Mills Mall for her birthday dinner. Her boyfriend, whom I really like, came, too. My, how times have changed.

It’s never bothered my daughter that her birthday is so close to Christmas. Now, that she “only wants money”, she thinks the timing is awesome considering the pre-Christmas sales. It’s all about spending that birthday money, as quickly as possible, on clothes! From my vantage point, it’s all about fighting those crowds, inside and outside in the parking lots. Gotta’ be a good Mom so, into the chaos, I venture.

Saturday afternoon, once I hit the streets inside the Katy Mills Mall perimeter, those with the stop signs, things really unraveled. I am not exaggerating, it took more than 10 minutes to get through each stop sign. There were three stop signs! Are you headed to Katy Mills Mall for the pre-or-post Christmas sales? Here’s my advice: Do what I did when returning for dinner, take the Pin Oak exit!

For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 20 years. Experience does count!

News Bulletin: Announcement from the North Pole! Santa Claus will be at LaCenterra in Cinco Ranch at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 23rd. Pick up lunch and join Santa where he will read stories to the children. Bring your wish lists and your camera. This is Santa’s last stop until his busy night.

Tongue stuck on the icy pole. Bullies defeated. Chinese Christmas carols and incorrigible language. I don’t know about you but “A Christmas Story” is my all-time favorite Christmas movie! It just doesn’t get any better; every year I enjoy it more and more.

Come celebrate the 25th Anniversary of this holiday classic at LaCenterra in Cinco Ranch on Saturday, December 20 at 6:30 p.m. Bring a lawn chair, holiday snacks and blankets, if necessary. (Who knows–one day freezing and the next hot!) The outdoor event will be in Heritage Square.

Enjoy a warm bag of popcorn. While the popcorn is free, donations go to Carrie’s Heart, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting educational and community programs for children with disabilities worldwide.

For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 20 years. Experience does count!

LaCenterra and the Katy Chamber of Commerce invite you to participate in their Annual Tree Lighting fesitivies! Find your holiday cheer on Saturday, November 29, starting at 5:30 p.m. Cinco Ranch High School’s Bravo and VIVA! choirs will perform holiday favorites.

There will be special events for children including the Teddy Bear Parade. Little ones are encouraged to bring their favorite stuffed animal(s) to help guide Santa to LaCenterra’s Christmas tree.

The Salvation Army’s Bears and Blankets Annual Drive will kick-off at the tree lighting and continue until December 12. Please bring stuffed animals, blankets or winter wear for donation to benefit the Salvation Army’s Angel Christmas Tree tradition.

For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 19 years. Experience does count!

Sorry to be late with this announcement, I just received the press release. Tomorrow’s party sounds like a blast and a chance to win prizes, always my favorite.

On October 27th the Farmers Market at LaCenterra celebrated it’s One Year Anniversary!

Tomorrow, Saturday, November 1st, the Farmers Market is holding a Customer Appreciation Day Celebration and you are invited to attend. Like the market, the party will be from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Prizes will be given away every hour during the celebration!

The Farmers Market at LaCenterra sends you, “A great big thank you for your loyal support and business in the last year. We appreciate your patronage.”

The Farmers Market at LaCenterra, a weekly Saturday market, is located at LaCenterra at the southwest corner of Hwy 99, The Grand Parkway, and Cinco Ranch Blvd.

For information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, contact me directly at 713-818-2404.  I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 19 years. Experience does count!

During the 26.5 years I’ve lived in Katy , there have been reoccurring rumors that the downtown section of Buffalo Bayou will be transformed into a tourist mecca a la San Antonio’s Riverwalk. I’ve seen the plans in the newspaper, even way back when we had two daily papers.

TV stations have touted the “upcoming” developments. Real estate investor/developers have been paraded before the media. Will we ever see the Buffalo Bayou Riverwalk? Fat chance, that’s my take on the project and I’m sticking to it!

Similarly, periodically, there has been talk of an upscale shopping mall to built in the heart of Katy. At the time that Katy Mills Mall was announced so were plans for a Foley’s, now Macy’s, anchored mall. It was to be located directly across I-10 from Katy Mills Mall on the north side. Have you happened upon that yet?

Times change and I’m (hesitantly) pleased to announce the real thing is coming to Katy! According to The Houston Chronicle, “Simon Property Group, the owners of the Katy Mills Mall, is planning to build a 1.1-million-square-foot mall on the north side of the Katy Freeway near the Grand Parkway and Mason Road.”

According to the Simon Property Group website, the shopping center will be called The Grand and feature a town-center style shopping center. It will be an open-air design not a traditionally enclosed mall. It is described as a “super regional town center featuring a mix of traditional and fashion department stores, big box tenants, specialty retailers and unique restaurants. Big name stores include Macy’s, Dillard’s, Old Navy and Barnes & Noble.”

Okay, here’s the kicker: While the company website has a scheduled opening of 2012, they have not yet announced a start day. The project is listed on their “On the Horizon” page. I don’t know about you but, the way I see it, the horizon can go on forever and ever. Neighbors, let’s hope…

For more information about Katy area homes, you can search the entire Houston MLS from this blog. For questions or to tour any area homes, just contact me directly at 713-818-2404. I have specialized in Katy real estate for over 19 years. Experience does count!