Here’s an opportunity to see some very expensive homes — all in one afternoon. Read my full story here in House to Home. The picture here is from the million-dollar home on Manchester Farms Road.

I was lucky enough to see these homes with just a dusting of snow, and what a treat.

Dennis and Lorraine Dolan’s 1860s home at 550 Dutch Road once belonged to Spike and Kay Payne Spicer. Builder David Haller bought it in 2006 and remodeled the entire house. It has become a beautifully restored 4,400-square-foot residence listed at $699,000 with Kathe Rafferty of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.

Less than a mile away, a home at 6715 Manchester Farms Road is open to the public — a million dollar home built in 1994 by John and Bobbi Kozlowski. John Kozlowski, a builder who owned Bernard Brick, and Bobbi Kozlowski, an interior designer and former bakery owner, meticulously designed the 4,500-square-foot ranch that sits on 12 secluded acres. Kathe Rafferty lists this one at $1,125,000. We have a lot of other great stories — click on them below:

Our local columns include:

Rainforest Sunrise is Hosta of the Year – Our expert gardener Sue Scholz shares another hot selling hosta — a real beauty.
Small updates make big change – Sabrina Fischer shares an Erie home’s kitchen with a beautiful update — that preserved cabinetry and flooring.

And our other trending tropics cover:
Sink into contemporary kitchen update – apron sinks — are they for you? 
Cut glass etched place in history – get out your cut glass — it’s never out of style.
Some wall cracks cause for concern – find out if  that crack in your house is dangerous or not.
Emerald’s time to shine – color of the year can work in your home.
Area rugs boost color and texture in rooms – add a little color and fun to any room with a splashy rug.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one. She has written about real estate and home decor every week for more than 20 years. 

The song “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt or Madonna offers a cute twist on what women want for holiday gifts. Here are the lyrics.

Convertibles, yachts, condos and Tiffany’s are out of reach for most men, but Sabrina Fischer, owner of the Sassy Peacock in Erie, offers some great advice to all the guys who visit her stores this week (and her own hubby)!

• First off, do not wait until Christmas Eve to purchase a gift. It will stress you out and limit your options.
• Ask her for ideas. She will be thrilled, and you will probably get a list with pictures. You can also ask her mother or a close friend.
• Gift certificates/gift cards are always nice along with at least one item that you personally selected. Choose services that she would not buy for herself: cleaning services, spa services or salon services. Splurge on a spa day for her and a close friend.
• Plan a trip for the two of you. Get a travel agent to help! A weekend excursion would be a nice treat for both of you.
• Diamonds are a girls best friend or any other precious gemstone. Great deals abound this week.
• Don’t buy her a gadget that you think will help her — especially if it’s one you really want. That is unless she asked for it.
• Do not buy a piece of exercise equipment — unless she asked for it.

Hurry Santa baby, time’s ticking away!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

What a year of terrific houses and real estate stories in House to Home! If you want to hear about my favorites, click right here.

One of my faves discussed a horse farm for sale and Phyllis Turner and Sandra Jarecki gave us a galloping tour. Here are links to all of our stories in this week’s House to Home:

• » Add fresh holiday ideas
  » Deck the halls — and everything else — in style
  » Make a honey of an arrangement
  » Add nature, drama to décor
  » Make guests feel welcome with easy tips
  » Understanding green cookware
  » Fabric adds life to rooms

All of us at House to Home extend our thanks to readers for sharing homes and gardens with us.

I personally want to thank all of our local writers — Sue Scholz, Sabrina Fischer, Sarah Sheppard, Maria Minnaugh and Marie Feltz for giving us interesting ideas we can find on a regional level.

Thanks to all the Realtors who support us and the wonderful folks at the Erie Times-News who help put this publication and our GoErie.com website together every week: Christine Yamrick, Marnie Mead, Holly Waychoff, Kevin Cuneo, Sherry Rieder, Joan Benson Cacchione, Dave Papesch, Sandra Hartel, MaryBeth Ford, Rob Frank, Jason Kisielewski, Mike Regal and all our ad people, printers and newspaper carriers who bring it on home. Happy Holidays!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

Sarah Sheppard and Sabrina Fischer, of the Sassy Peacock in Erie, tell people how to decorate — stage — their homes for sale. They’ve done it for quite a few people and practice what they preach. Sabrina and her husband, Ron, benefited from an objective look at the house, thanks to Sarah. The Fischer home sold in a day. Read Sarah’s article about staging here in House to Home.

The difference in changing up your decor when your home is for sale is in depersonalizing and de-cluttering. I visit hundreds of homes for sale every year, and staging makes a difference in what buyers see.

If buyers see what they want, they’ll buy it. If they don’t see what they want, they’ll move on to the next house.

The best way to keep buyers interested in your home is to show off clean rooms with no clutter and just enough furniture to make it interesting. You want buyers to see the room, not all your stuff. In the dining room above, Sarah and Sabrina removed three pieces of furniture and a rug to show off the floors and walls. It was effective. The home sold the day after it listed. For more tips on how to de-clutter and prepare for an open house — read this article in House to Home.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Big news for Fashion Friday. Sassy Peacock, a consignment store on West Eighth and Pittsburgh in Erie,Pa., will open an additional store in downtown Erie with new and used clothing and other fashion items. Owner Sabrina Fischer hopes to open during Celebrate Erie in late August inside the Renaissance Centre close to Isaac Baker.

Final fun find for Fashion Friday: 8 ways to wear your jean jacket from Jessica Quirk whose “What I wore” blog is great stuff.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

You can look great, and you can do it for free with the help of Her Times.  This is the before and after photo of our model, Alice DeGeorge. She took part in the Sassy Fit  service that Sabrina Fischer offers at The Sassy Peacock where the store’s experts help you hide figure flaws and enhance what you have. They do it for free. For the full story on Alice’s makeover, click here.

And if you act now, and I mean right now, the Sassy Peacock will give you a free  clothing/makeup and hair makeover, but the offer ends Friday, Nov. 18.
The winner received a free consultation, a $100 gift card from Sassy Peacock and  hair and makeup makeover from Liliya’s Salon in Millcreek. Your new look could be featured in Her Times in 2012. The Sassy Fit service is always free. The winner will be announced on HerTimes.com and on SassyPeacock.com.

Send your entries to e-mail TheSassyPeacock@verizon.net. Or mail them to 843 Pittsburgh Avenue • Erie, PA 16505.