Pizza comes in lots of shapes and sizes, with tons of options for sauces and toppings. It can be traditional Italian with minimal cheese and fresh toppings, loaded with cheese, or anywhere in between. It can come from a national chain like Pizza Hut, a regional chain like Cincinnati's well-loved  LaRosa's  or one of many wonderful locally owned and operated pizerias. Batesville is known for fried chicken and pizza, but on National Pizza Day, I just knew I had to celebrate our local deliverers of deliciousness. Pizza Haus  used to be part of Schmidt Bakery. The same pizza oven that was used at Schmidt is still in use today. You know the crust is amazing! Even with this, Pizza Haus is even better known for its toppings. Have you ever tried sauerkraut on pizza? Because you really should! Classic Pizza  has locations in both Batesville and Sunman, Indiana. If you check out their website you won't find much. But honestly, it's because they don't need to say much. Their f...

I mentioned Langen in a  previous post  but didn't have a lot of experience there yet. Now that we've lived in Batesville for a while (a year yesterday!) we've had more opportunities to check them out and I'm SO glad we have! Langen Meats first opened their doors in Cincinnati 1924 in and has grown to 3 locations on Cheviot Road in Cincinnati, Harrison Avenue in Harrison and Pearl Street in Batesville. I love how they've grown while still maintaining their local feel.  When you walk in, you're greeted by a friendly face, delicious meats and loads of local products. Hubs loves the pickles and the jerky and I can't wait to try the Bourbon Barrel Raw Honey. Can you think of anything better?! In addition to great cuts of meat, housemade deli sides and local products, the biggest thing I love about Langen is how much they make in house. The twice baked potatoes and homemade soups make having a homemade weeknight meal so easy!  The smoked potatoes are AMAZING and ...

You may have noticed some changes around here and on my  Facebook and  Instagram  pages.  It's because I've moved! Having grown up in Deaborn County and lived in Southeast Indiana all my live, I have strong connections to the community and love helping others develop the same. My husband and I recently moved to Batesville and I'm finding it even more important to make strong ties in my community. As such, we made the difficult decision for me to leave Sibcy Cline to find a brokerage better suited to myselve and my Indiana clients. It is with great pleasure that I announce I have found my new Real Estate home and have transferred my license to Lohmiller Real Estate. Not only is LRE an Indiana based, family owned company, they will allow me to cultivate my business in my new town, as well as even futher west and north. I am excited to see how my business, my experience and my expertise will grow with this new opportunity. My primary goal is to ensure that each client h...

My parents may not be as adventurous of eaters as Hubs and I are, but when they tell you a place is good, you can bet it's going to be yummy.  And when they tell you it's good food AND good wine, you can bet Hubs and I are going to check it out! Last week my mom texted my sister and I that Holtkamp Winery in Sunman, Indiana was serving brick oven pizza and hosting live entertainment on Sunday and wanting to know if we all wanted to meet there for the afternoon.  The response was a resounding yes and I'm so glad we went!  The pizza and wine were delicious, the weather was beautiful and the music was fun and upbeat without being too loud.  It made for a perfect Sunday afternoon and I can't wait to go back. Holtkamp Winery opened in 2013, a full 11 years after Doug Holtkamp started making wine independently.  He teamed up with Jeff McCann, who had over 35 years of experience in wine making and grape growing, and the two have become a great team making even greater ...

I have relatively consistent set of closing gifts I plan for my clients but when I received notice on Thursday that a house was closing on Tuesday I didn't have time for my standard personalized seller's gift.  I took to the internet for inspiration and ended up coming across the coolest lists of gift ideas! One thing I saw that I had never considered - people buy closing gifts for their Realtor?  Is this really a thing?  Sure, who wouldn't love a personalized coffee mug or an engraved business card case?  But to be completely frank... As a Realtor, I'm here to tell you: a referral or a positive (and honest!) review is the absolute best gift you can give your Realtor!   Some friends of mine are buying a home that is for sale by owner.  Yes, they wanted to use me as their Realtor and we had even looked at a few houses.  But they came across this house through an old friend and the seller specifically doesn't want to work with a Realtor.  I ful...

I have wonderful childhood memories of camping every summer with my extended family.  We all met in the middle of nowhere at my mom's cousin's farm.  They had a lake with zip lines, paddle boats, a floating dock, a water slide and the biggest firepit I'd ever seen.  It was truly a magical place.  After a long weekend of late nights under the stars and bathing in the lake, we'd all pack up our tents and campers and head back home.  The drive was so long, the whole family - aunts, uncles, cousins and friends alike - would stop at this wonderful fried chicken place for one last dinner together before we parted ways. Of course, when I grew up and realized this otherworldly gathering place was just on the other side of Oldenburg, Indiana, the drive didn't seem so long.  It lost a little bit of its magic, but that fried chicken place no longer has to be just a summer stop! Wagner's Village Inn opened their doors in 1968  and as of January, they are now...

With a (mild) wheat allergy, pizza has to be really  good for me to be willing to deal with the inevitable side effects, but Strong's Brick Oven Pizzeria is totally worth it.  There are a lot of good pizza places in Batesville, many of which offer gluten free (no, I'm not gluten free, but gluten free means wheat free) options.  I'm sure there are some I haven't tried yet that may rival Strong's, but at this point, when I'm willing to deal with the wheat headache, Strong's is the best and most worth it I've ever had. I do try to eat local, but having grown up in Bright, Indiana, I will always consider Lawrenceburg to be local, no matter where I live.  Because of that and the fact that Strong's is locally owned, it's an "eating local" favorite for my family, and definitely worth the drive! Bonus - because Strong's has four Greater Cincinnati locations, no matter where you are, you're not too far from a Strong's to consid...

I try to feature restaurants that I believe are #worththedrive no matter where in the Greater Cincinnati area you're from but with the current social distancing and more people cooking and eating at home, I thought now was the time to go a different direction. Who among us hasn't watched Cheers (oops, my age is showing!) and wanted that special place where everyone knows your name?  Would you believe I have that at a butcher's shop?  I grew up going to Stehlin's with my parents and to this day I think it's the best around. There are some very good meat markets closer to home, including a really good one right here in Batesville, but no one's smoked meats and sauerkraut compare to Stehlin's Meat Market on Colerain Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio.  I know I'm a bit biased because of my experience, but everyone I have sent to Stehlin's says the same thing, so I'm thinking I may be right on this one. Stehlin's Meat Market started as a meat wa...

House hunting is so much fun, but let's be honest - the real thrill is when you make an offer and we're all waiting with baited breath to see how the seller responds.  Today, you got that response and your offer was accepted!  Congratulations, you're going to be a homeowner! And now you're terrified because you're going to be a homeowner.  So now what?  I'm glad you asked. First, get your earnest money to your Realtor.  You will have already agreed on an amount and a timeline, so make sure you stick to that.  The sooner you get it to your agent the better, because she may need time to then get it to her office or the listing agent. Your Realtor should deliver your contract to your lender and your closing agent, who is most likely an attorney.  Check with your lender to make sure she received it.  Then watch for communications from both of them with instructions on next steps.  They'll be reminding you to obtain insurance quotes, sche...

Having lived in small town Indiana my whole life, I'm used to the only delivery options being pizza places.  Imagine my delight when Batesville ToGo opened and we can now get Skyline, Izzy's at Hillcrest, The Sherman and...wait for it... Big Four Cafe delivered! Admittedly, in this time of social distancing, I have not yet talked to the owner but I can't imagine they would mind a little free promotion.  Unfortunately this means that my information and my pictures are a both lacking, but I did get a little background when I talked to the owners of Big Four Cafe. Batesville ToGo is owned by the same family that owns The Cell Guy.  Arriving home from work particularly late one night, The Cell Guy had no desire to cook, but also no interest in the delivery options available at that time (hello, pizza).  He realized that Batesville had a lot of wonderful restaurant options, but no way to get those options delivered to his home, and the idea for Batesville ToGo...