Many of us could use a “second opinion” when we search through our holiday decorations in storage. What should we use this year? What would look nice together? How can we make our displays more modern?

Cindy Lin, a longtime Bay area home stager, is ready to respond to your questions – and for free – Dec. 3 and 4 at Empire Shopping Center, 5875 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, 1-4 p.m. each day at the Kirkland’s décor store. Kirkland’s is a new home décor store there, and it’s the first of its kind in the Bay area. Lin is the special guest designer for the store’s grand opening that weekend.

Lin will answer general questions décor questions about a room in need of assistance. Her advice is one-on-one, for 10 to 15 minutes per person.

It’s basically, “playing up the strengths and beauty of your home,” Lin said of how holiday staging (and any home staging) works. Lin’s own Bay area staging business is called Staged4More (at Staged4More.com).

And while Lin mainly stages houses to sell throughout the Bay area (adding the right amount of furnishings to a home to appeal to multiple types of home buyers), redesigning homes to make better use of owners’ own space for family and friends is a passion, especially at this time of year.

There’s no better way to start thinking about redesign than with all of our treasured holiday décor. Lin’s general tips for staging also apply to holiday, so here are a few ideas that can help with that red-white-and green decor:

· Color is essential – but not too much. “We need colors to make the space looks interesting but not so much color it overwhelms,” Lin said.

· Display and furniture have to be balanced. Too much, and you have the “overcrowded furniture showroom” effect, Lin said.

· Staging, whether it’s holiday displays or to sell a home, does not have to be costly.

At this free event, Cindy asks that people bring a few digital photos of the boxes for holiday display, photos of the areas where the displays will go, or general photos and questions for a key room in your house.

Come and see Santa arrive on the Polar Express at Sand Creek Crossing Shopping Center! Face painter, balloonist, Frosty’s magic show, holiday crafts and train rides will entertain families at Sand Creek Crossing. Bring your camera and take pictures with Santa!

WHEN: Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 from Noon to 3:00pm

WHERE: Sand Creek Crossing is located at CA-4 Bypass and Sand Creek Rd. in Brentwood, CA.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.sandcreekcrossing.com or www.facebook.com/sandcreekcrossing

Local singer and guitar player, Kurt Derita, the K in the local and popular TRAK band will entertain at Humphrey’s on the Delta this Thursday night, November 10 beginning at 8:30 p.m.  Enjoy drink and appetizer specials as you listen to the wide variety of music performed by this local legend.  You’ll laugh, you’ll hum, you’ll sing along! So bring a friend and have some fun while watching the Raiders vs. Chargers game on the widescreen in the lounge. Stop by before the music starts for a delicious dinner. Humphrey’s is located at 1 Marina Plaza, at the foot of L Street, overlooking the river, in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown.

A new fitness studio has recently opened in Antioch called Progressive Fitness. Owners Terrell Lambacker, a 22-year veteran of the fitness industry and his wife Cecily Guest, a 23-year veteran, are bringing their fitness expertise and great passion for fitness to the Antioch community, in the form of a personal training facility.

This has been the long-time dream of this power couple, originally from New York, and now they can bring health and fitness to the public the way they’ve always wanted to.

“We are putting the personal back in personal training” says the duo. “The last few years in fitness has seen the big box gyms take personal training and treat it as just another stream of revenue for their facilities, and the quality has been lost which is very sad to me as a life long fitness trainer.”

“The fitness consumer believes that because it’s being offered in the gym or health club that it must be good or that the information that they are receiving is the best. Unfortunately that’s not always the case,” said Terrell

He was voted one of the top personal trainers in the country by Men’s Health Magazine, a tremendous honor. He and Cecily are determined to bring personal training back to the public the way it started.

“Personal training, in the beginning, was all about the client getting the health and fitness results that they wanted to achieve”, says Cecily. “For the trainer, it was about forging a partnership with your clients to help them get those results in an atmosphere that was comfortable and nurturing. It started in small intimate studios where the clients were part of a community.”

“The big box gyms only see the money side of personal training and turned it into some kind of assembly line operation,” she added.

The duo knows of what they speak, both have been managers of fitness and group exercise for some of the biggest health and fitness chains in the country during their long and storied careers in fitness.

“At Progressive Fitness we are dedicated to helping our clients achieve their health and fitness goals in an atmosphere that is private, comfortable, nurturing and fun,” Terrell said. “No one said it can’t be fun too.” Cecily added.

With all sessions being by appointment only, Progressive Fitness’s hours of operation are whenever clients want to train.

“We are here to service our clients when they are able to train, says Terrell. “I don’t want to give clients an excuse not to train, so whenever their schedules allow for them to come in and train that’s when we are open.”

They also offer help and suggestions with nutrition and will soon be offering training and nutrition packages as well because.

“It’s one thing we know for sure, you can’t get the results you seek without your nutrition being on track too,” he stated emphatically.

Terrell along with Progressive Fitness’s other top in-house trainer Fred Johnson, who is also a massage therapist, offer to everyone interested in training, a free session to experience what training with these dedicated professionals is like

From the looks of their facility that’s going to be a tremendous workout. They have the TRX Suspension Training System, the hottest fitness training apparatus on the market today. A pair of straps hanging from the ceiling, innocent looking but what a workout those straps can provide.

Along with big tractor tires and sledge hammers, Kettlebells and a few other tricks up their sleeves Progressive Fitness has all today’s fitness enthusiast as well as those looking to lose a few pounds needs to see the results they seek.

Progressive Fitness also offers Yoga Circuits, taught by the Bay area’s top Yogi and owner of Progressive Fitness Cecily. Yoga Circuits are offered every Sunday morning.

“Its a wonderful way to start your Sunday after the hectic lives we live during the week”, says Cecily.

Terrell also says that RYDE is starting at Progressive Fitness this month, that’s indoor cycling on stationary bikes called REAL RYDERS – bikes that actually turn from side to side. Plus, GOBOX!, a boxing conditioning class led by Fred.

“Its everything but the knockouts,” he said.

For folks who like to dance those extra pounds and inches away, ZUMBA classes are also offered at Progressive Fitness. ZUMBA is taught by YANI, one of the hottest instructors in Antioch.

So stop by Progressive Fitness, located at 4045 Lone Tree Way, Suite C, near Starbucks in the Bluerock Center, and talk to the team about fitness and let them progress your health.

For more information visit them on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PFTC1, or on their website at www.MyProgressiveFitness.com or call (925) 727-3031.