Kelly & Carl Robinson - Home Sweet Home

973-500-3253 info@carellyrealty.com www.carellyrealty.com

courtesy of: Kelly & Carl Robinson

Dear Homeowners,

Inside this issue, we open with the turn-of-season checklist worth finishing before the first frost, from the garden beds and small repairs to the furnace, the gutters, and the gaps that need sealing. For anyone who dropped a student off at a dorm this fall, we also look at what that empty bedroom can become. A guest room, a reading room, a den, or a home gym can each be arranged so the room still welcomes its original occupant home for breaks and holidays. In the kitchen, an orchard-inspired menu puts the first apples and pears of the season to work: a bright salad, a cider-braised main, and a cinnamon crisp for dessert.

We close outside with the raking, feeding, and mulching that prepare the lawn and beds for winter.

If home projects or future real estate plans are on your mind this season, we're always here to help with guidance whenever you need it.

Kelly & Carl Robinson

973-500-3253 info@CarellyRealty.com carellyrealty.com/digital _ magazine www.CarellyRealty.com

Table of Contents

Before the First Frost: A Checklist for the Turn of the Season

Orchard- Inspired Menu for Fall • Pear, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad • Cider-Braised Chicken with Apples • Cinnamon

Your Empty Nest: New Life for Their Old Room 10 College drop-off leaves many homes with a quiet extra room and no plan for it. In this article we look at five directions that room can take, from guest room to reading room to home gym, each one arranged so its original occupant still feels welcome when they come home for break. This article walks through the end-of-summer checklist in three parts: putting the garden to bed and planting for spring, catching the small repairs that winter makes worse, and getting the house sealed and serviced before the first hard frost.

Apple and Pear Crisp

Rake, Feed, Mulch: What Your Landscape Needs in September

The yard’s last working month deserves a plan. Here’s Home Sweet Home ’s fall cleanup plan, from the final feeding and aeration that carry a lawn through winter, to the mulching and tool care that make next spring start easy.

September 2026

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The first freeze is now close enough to plan around, and a few weekends of steady work will carry a home through the whole cold season. The work falls into three parts. The garden gets cleaned up and planted for spring, small repairs get handled while the weather still cooperates, and the house itself gets sealed and serviced before the furnace takes over. the Turn of the Season A Home Maintenance Checklist for

September 2026

DEADHEAD AND TRIM Early fall is a good window for cleaning up plants. Cutting off dead branches and removing spent blooms redirects each plant’s energy where it’s needed as colder weather approaches. A few plants are exceptions: azaleas, rhododendrons, and forsythia set their spring buds in the fall, so leave those alone. Late summer is also the time to thin deciduous and evergreen trees and to trim back the roses. On a rose bush, find the highest five-leaf grouping and cut just above it. That cut often coaxes out one more bloom before the season ends. DIVIDE PERENNIALS Daylilies can be divided once their blooms fade: drive a sharp spade into the clump and work a section away, keeping a good root system with each division. Hostas divide well in late summer too. A mature hosta can carry seventy or more “eyes,” and keeping divisions in groups of at least twelve can yield five new plants to move elsewhere or share, while giving the original plant more room to grow. PLANT FOR SPRING AND FALL Fall bulbs go in shortly before the ground freezes, when soil temperatures are consistently cool. Order crocus, daffodil, tulip, iris, and hyacinth now and store them somewhere cool until planting time. Evergreens can go into the soil in late summer and early fall so they establish roots before the first freeze, and deciduous trees can be planted into mid-fall. Hold slow-rooting varieties for spring. The vegetable garden has a second act as well. Carrots, lettuce, spinach, peas, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts planted now will be ready for harvest later in the fall, and onions, garlic, shallots, and asparagus can overwinter for a spring harvest. Mark their locations so you remember where everything is when spring planting begins. PART ONE: IN THE GARDEN

FEED THE SOIL Mulch holds moisture through the late-summer heat, shelters newly planted perennials, and feeds the soil as it breaks down. Chipped branches, grass clippings, and hay all work, as long as the material is weed-free. The compost bin earns its keep now too. Add spent vegetable plants, end-of-season grass clippings, and the smaller twigs from pruning, along with vegetable peels, coffee grounds and filters, and undyed paper. Skip meat, dairy, oils, and any leaves showing black spot or mildew. Compost breaks down fastest with heat, air, and water, so keep the pile in a sunny spot and stir it regularly. It will keep working slowly through winter and be ready for spring plantings. GIVE WILDLIFE A PLACE TO LAND Clean and fill bird feeders, and sweep out bird, butterfly, and bat houses. If you have space away from the house, stack larger pruned branches in a loose pile, and small animals will move in for the winter. Native plants that draw bees, butterflies, and birds deserve a spot in your fall planting plan, since pollinators repay the favor across the whole garden. PROTECT WOOD AND MANAGE WATER Stain or paint wood fences, raised beds, and garden structures before winter weather rolls in, replacing any split or rotting boards first. For vegetable beds, choose all-natural stains so nothing transfers to your food. Then walk the property during a good rain, or run a hose, and follow where the water goes. Downspouts should carry roof runoff well away from the foundation. Sump pumps need their maintenance now, before the wet season. If a French drain runs from the backyard to the street, confirm it flows freely. This is also the moment to set up rain barrels: build a flat, level base, install a diverter in the downspout, and the collection begins.

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SIDING AND TRIM For vinyl siding with a hole or crack, a section cut from spare siding and screwed over the damage will protect the wall until you can replace the plank properly. Wood siding tends to crack near the nails, and small cracks take acrylic latex caulk. Rotting trim around windows and doors can be chiseled out and rebuilt with epoxy, then sanded smooth and painted. Use flat paint for these touch-ups, since a shinier finish will stand out, and a paint store can match a sample if there’s no leftover paint in the garage. DECKING, FENCING, AND PAINT Cracks in deck boards are a matter of safety rather than looks. Replace boards with significant cracks, especially on elevated decks. Fence cracks tend to start at a nail and spread, weakening the board, so replace rotten or heavily cracked boards each year before winter. Cracked or peeling paint has stopped doing its job of protecting the surface underneath. Scrape away the loose material, apply a thin layer of wood filler, sand, prime, and repaint. RUST Corrosion can’t be reversed, only stopped. Soak small items like pipe sections in white vinegar for 12 to 24 hours and scrub with an abrasive tool, or work a baking soda paste into the surface. A grinder or abrasive brush handles heavier buildup, and a rust converter will keep an affected spot from corroding further.

The point of these repairs is to catch crumbling, cracking, and corrosion before winter turns small problems into structural ones. PART TWO: REPAIRS WORTH MAKING NOW MORTAR AND CONCRETE Crumbling mortar shows up in fireplaces, tile work, and outdoor walkways. Knock out the loose material with a hammer and flat chisel, clean the joints thoroughly (new mortar won’t bond to old, loose mortar), then press fresh mortar firmly into place and finish it to match the existing joints. Cracked concrete on a garage floor, driveway, or patio usually takes concrete caulk, a liquid filler, or a patch kit, while larger gaps call for a Portland mix. A cracked or crumbling foundation deserves a professional evaluation, since groundwater is often the underlying culprit, though minor surface spalling can be handled the same way as a mortar repair.

September 2026

PART THREE: WINTERIZING THE HOUSE HEAT If you have a chimney or venting system for a fireplace or woodstove, inspect and clean it now. Soot buildup is a fire hazard, wildlife nests can block ventilation, and crumbling mortar inside the firebox needs repair before the first fire of the season. If the fireplace goes unused, close the damper. Vacuum out vents and ductwork as far as the hose reaches, replace the furnace filter (a job to repeat every one to three months, year round), and give the furnace a test run before the cold arrives in earnest. Households on propane or oil should fill their tanks early. COOLING, PACKED AWAY A window air conditioner left in place invites a winter-long draft. Disconnect it, rinse the filters, drain the collection trays, spray off the fan blades and coils, let everything dry, and store the unit. If removal isn’t an option, insulate around the edges and cover the unit to protect it from the elements. THE VENTS THAT KEEP A HOUSE SAFE Remove and degrease the range hood filters, and wipe out the vents along the bottom of the refrigerator. Then give the clothes dryer real attention: pull it out, disconnect the hose, and clear the lint from the machine all the way through the vent exiting the outdoor wall. Lint buildup is a major cause of house fires. Bathroom exhaust fans get their covers removed and cleaned as well. SEAL THE ENVELOPE Weatherstripping closes the gaps around doors and windows. Thin insulation sheets sized for outlets and light switches install in minutes and block surprising drafts. A water heater blanket helps the tank hold its temperature through the cold months.

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ROOF AND GUTTERS As a roof ages, an annual inspection earns its place on the list. Look for loose, damaged, or missing shingles, and check the flashing around vents, chimneys, and skylights, which is where leaks most often start and where they’re easiest to fix early. While the ladder is out, clear the gutters and run a hose through the system to confirm the downspouts drain properly. WATER SYSTEMS Any water line that sits unused through winter should be emptied before the deep freeze, since water left in the lines invites pipe damage. Blow out underground sprinkler systems zone by zone, remove hoses from outdoor spigots and cover the spigots, and remember the lines running to sheds and barns. A home standing vacant for the winter needs its whole plumbing system cleared and the water shut off at the main. THE OUTDOOR ROUNDUP Clean and dry garden tools before storing them, sharpen the edges, and drain or use up the gasoline in mowers and trimmers. Label seeds, bulbs, and plant starts, and mark where the garlic and other underground crops are planted. Clean and cover patio furniture and grills, winterize

the pool, and store flower pots, hoses, and any fountains that can’t take low temperatures. Play structures get a bolt check, swings and accessories that could rust or crack come down, and a trampoline cover protects the frame and springs from snow. Give the lawn a final dose of fertilizer, pull expired plants for the compost pile, and rake the leaves in with them. BE READY ANYWAY Even a well-prepared house loses power now and then. Keep flashlights with fresh batteries where you can find them, stock firewood for stoves, test the generator, and plan an alternate way to cook. Store at least three days of food and easily accessible water, since a home on well water loses its pump with the power. And keep a packed bag year round with critical paperwork, prescriptions, and a change of clothes in case of fire, flood, or another emergency. The list runs long, and it’s meant to be spread over several weekends rather than conquered in one. Every item shares the same goal: when the first hard frost arrives, the garden is tucked in, the small problems are already fixed, and the house is warm, sealed, and ready for the season ahead.

September 2026

HOME SWEET HOME Magazine

Your Empty Nest: New Life for Their Old Room For many parents, the drive home from college drop-off ends at a house with one newly empty bedroom. This article is about what that room can become next. There’s no rush to change anything. Plenty of families keep the room just as it is for a semester or a year while the new routine settles in, and that’s a fine choice. When you’re ready, though, the room can take on a new role in the house without giving up its old one. The five ideas below all strike the same balance: the room becomes genuinely useful year round, and it is still your child's room to come home to for fall break, the holidays, or a long summer.

September 2026

2. A READING ROOM

1. A GUEST ROOM

For the avid reader in the house, an empty bedroom can become the room devoted to books. Neutral decor works best here, since the book covers supply the color. Assemble your collection and take stock of the shelf space. If the shelves look thin, a secondhand bookstore can fill them with titles in your favorite genres, and if the books outnumber the shelves, consignment shops turn up bookcases with character. Add a relaxing chair or small sofa, a side table, and a good reading lamp. A daybed along one wall earns its space twice over: a reading perch most of the year and a bed when your student is home for winter break. Finish with photographs of family and friends, treasured mementos, or a vase of fresh flowers, and keep one shelf for the childhood favorites your child grew up on. They’ll notice. A den is the have-it-both-ways option: a private spot to relax on ordinary evenings and an extra bedroom whenever one is needed. Start with a fresh coat of paint, then move in your favorite reclining chair (or buy the one you’ve had your eye on for a while) and a widescreen TV for movie nights and the shows you’ve been meaning to catch up on. The sleeping arrangement is what makes the den work so hard. A comfortable sofa bed, daybed, or futon covers overnight guests, and if you’re handy or open to custom woodwork, a Murphy bed framed by bookshelves is a perfect solution that folds away into the wall between visits. When your child comes home in December, the den goes back to being their room for a couple of weeks. The rest of the year, it works for you. 3. A MULTIFUNCTIONAL DEN

This is the most natural transition, and there’s still real work in it. Depending on when the room was last updated, there may be plenty of childhood left on the walls: posters, bright paint, wallpaper chosen by a ten-year-old. A neutral coat of paint gives the room a crisp, clean look, and a few pieces of art bring color back in a more grown-up register. Go through the furniture still in the room and decide which pieces fit the new design and which are ready to be sold or donated. Choose a new bed, or refresh the one that’s there with bedding matched to the room’s new palette, then finish with side tables, lamps, and a mirror. The first guest this room should serve is its original occupant. Keep one dresser stocked with their things, leave space in the closet for the clothes they’ll bring home, and frame photos of some favorite memories. Every other guest will find the room comfortable. Your child will find it familiar.

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4. A HOME OFFICE

For anyone who works from home some or all of the week, or who manages a household’s worth of paperwork, a dedicated office beats a corner of the kitchen table. Move in a large desk, a chair that can support a full workday, a file cabinet, and a bookcase if you need one, then set up generous lighting to avoid eye strain. A daybed under the window means the office still sleeps one, and reserving a dresser and a closet for your child’s things keeps their claim on the room intact. The desk earns its keep when they visit, too: somewhere quiet to study for finals or work through job applications over a long weekend.

5. A WORKOUT ROOM

If the trek to a crowded gym has lost its appeal, a vacant bedroom can become the place you look after your health. Consider the workouts you enjoy most and equip the room for those, starting small with multipurpose pieces. An exercise mat covers yoga, Pilates, meditation, and stretching, and a set of free weights, an elliptical, or an exercise bike can follow as your routine takes shape. Full-length mirrors on the walls let you check your form, and a TV or large monitor set at eye level opens up virtual classes from home, with an instructor who can watch your form and give feedback as you go. Even a workout room can turn back into a bedroom when it needs to. A folding futon stored against the wall, or their bedding kept ready on the closet shelf, turns the room back into a bedroom for a holiday weekend, with the weights rolled into a corner.

Whatever direction you choose, remember that the change may be an emotional one on both sides. Your child may feel sentimental about their old room, and the first visit home after it’s been redone can be a jolt, no matter how good the room looks. Ask their opinion before you start. Let them weigh in on color schemes and furnishings, or take the project on together over a school break. The room will end up more useful for it, and the message underneath the fresh paint stays the same: this is still your home, and there will always be a place for you in it. MAKING THE CHANGE TOGETHER

September 2026

Orchard- Inspired Menu for Fall The first crisp apples and pears arrive at farm stands in September, and these recipes try to capture some of those quintessential tastes of fall.

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Instructions: 1. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan often, until fragrant. Set aside to cool. 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, olive oil, vinegar, honey, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. The vinaigrette keeps in the refrigerator for up to two days; whisk again before using. 3. Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with most of the vinaigrette, and toss gently. 4. Arrange the pear slices over the greens, then scatter the walnuts and blue cheese on top. 5. Finish with the remaining vinaigrette and a grind of pepper, and serve right away.

PEAR, WALNUT, AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD SERVES 4 Ingredients: z 5 oz. mixed greens or baby arugula z 2 ripe but firm pears, cored and thinly sliced z ½ cup walnut halves z 3 oz. blue cheese, crumbled z 1 small shallot, minced z 3 tbs. olive oil z 1 tbs. apple cider vinegar z 1 tsp. honey z ½ tsp. Dijon mustard z Salt and freshly ground pepper

September 2026

Instructions: 1. Pat the chicken dry and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken skin side down and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden. Turn and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, then transfer to a plate. 3. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. 4. Pour in the cider, whisk in the mustard, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. 5. Return the chicken to the pan skin side up, tuck in the thyme sprigs, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium- low heat for 20 minutes. 6. Add the apple wedges to the sauce, then continue to simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (165°F at the thickest part) and the sauce has reduced slightly. 7. Discard the thyme stems, taste the sauce for salt, and serve the chicken and apples with the pan sauce spooned over rice, mashed potatoes, or thick slices of crusty bread.

CIDER-BRAISED CHICKEN WITH APPLES

SERVES 4

Ingredients: z 6 to 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs z Salt and freshly ground pepper z 1 tbs. olive oil

z 1 yellow onion, sliced z 2 cloves garlic, minced

z 1 ½ cups apple cider z 1 tbs. Dijon mustard z 4 sprigs fresh thyme z 2 firm apples, cored and cut into thick wedges

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CINNAMON APPLE AND PEAR CRISP

Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. 2. In a large bowl, toss the apples and pears with the lemon juice, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread the fruit evenly in the baking dish. 3. In the same bowl, stir together the oats, remaining ¾ cup flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture forms rough, pea-sized clumps. 4. Scatter the topping evenly over the fruit. 5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling at the edges. 6. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, ideally with vanilla ice cream. The crisp keeps at room temperature under foil for a day; rewarm it in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes before serving again.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Ingredients: z 3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced z 3 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored, and sliced z 2 tbs. fresh lemon juice z ⅓ cup granulated sugar z 2 tbs. all-purpose flour, plus ¾ cup for the topping z 1 tsp. ground cinnamon z ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg z ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats z ⅔ cup packed brown sugar z ½ tsp. salt z ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

September 2026

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Rake, Feed, Mulch:

What Your Landscape Needs in September Fall yard work divides into two kinds: cleanup, clearing away what summer left behind, and preparation, setting up the lawn and beds to come through winter in good shape. Neither half takes heavy equipment or a full weekend on its knees, but both depend on timing, and the right window is September.

September 2026

Timing the Work

Fall is a comfortable time to be out in the yard. The days run cooler than they did in July, which makes an afternoon of raking and hauling easier work. The ground helps too: after a few fall rains, soil that baked hard over the summer softens and turns easily, so every bed you weed and every plant you lift comes up with less effort. The sensible order is cleanup first, while everything is still accessible, then feeding and mulching as the cold settles in. None of it demands a single marathon day, either. The list ahead divides naturally into a few unhurried weekend sessions, a raking afternoon here, a feeding and mulching morning there, with the shed work saved for a day when the weather turns. Spread it out and each session stays short enough to end with daylight left over.

Rake: The Cleanup Round

An established pile deserves one good final stir in the fall. Compost breaks down more slowly once temperatures drop, and turning it now keeps the process moving into winter. While you are out among the plants, give each one a looking over. Spent blooms should come off before the temperature falls too far. Deadheading at the end of the season sets a plant up to come back healthier when spring arrives. This is also the window to divide crowded perennials, trim the bushes, and prune the trees, so everything heads into winter with a clean shape and no dead weight.

Start in the garden. Pull the expired plants, the tomato vines that have given their last fruit and the annuals that have finished their run, and add them to the compost bin. Then rake the leaves and send them to the same place, or set some aside to use as mulch later in the season. If a compost bin has never made it onto your property, this is the natural moment to start one, with a full supply of raw material dropping from the trees.

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Feed: One Last Meal for the Lawn

Before the lawn goes dormant, give it a final dose of fertilizer. That last feeding carries the grass through the cold months and gives it reserves to draw on when growth resumes in spring. September is also the time to aerate. A summer of foot traffic, backyard dinners, and games on the grass compacts the soil, and aeration opens it back up so water, air, and that final feeding can actually reach the roots. With the ground softened by fall rain, the job goes easier now than at any other point in the year.

Mulch: A Winter Blanket for the Beds

Mulch earns its place in every season. In summer it helps the soil hold moisture, and it shelters the sensitive roots of anything newly planted. In fall, the job changes: a fresh layer adds warmth around roots and releases nutrients slowly through the winter as it breaks down. Apply a layer several inches deep around trees, shrubs, and the plants staying in the ground. Bark chips and straw both work well, layered newspaper does quiet duty underneath, and the leaves you raked earlier can go straight into service on the beds. The goal is a consistent blanket, deep enough to insulate, tucked around everything you want to see again in April.

September 2026

Put the Tools Away Well

The last stretch of putting a yard to bed happens in the shed. Six months from now you will not remember where that seed packet went, so take the chance out of it. Group like items together, label seeds, bulbs, and plant starts clearly, and mark the locations of anything living underground through the winter, garlic and spring bulbs included. A few notes on what the garden did this year, what thrived and what struggled, will be worth more in March than you expect. Then turn to the tools themselves. Clean and sharpen the hand tools, oil the metal parts, and store everything under shelter. The lawn mower, weed trimmer, and edger deserve the same treatment before they go dormant, and any gas tank should be drained before storage. Come spring, a sharpened, oiled, properly stored set of tools means the shed opens ready for the season.

The Results Arrive in April

None of this work shows results right away. The lawn goes brown on schedule, the beds sit quiet under their mulch, and the shed stays closed. The reward arrives months from now, when the grass greens up thick from that last feeding, the perennials come back fuller for having been divided and deadheaded, and the first warm Saturday of spring starts in the garden instead of in cleanup mode.

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