Tips to Safely Enjoy Thanksgiving in Portland

Thanksgiving in PortlandThanksgiving is usually the time of year where family and friends gather to celebrate all that we are thankful for. This year celebrating Thanksgiving in Portland might be different. 

Our kitchens will have fewer cooks, our table fewer settings, and fewer side dishes. But our hearts and our hopes can still be full. This is a good year to set new traditions and make new memories.

Here are some ways to downscale this Thanksgiving holiday when hosting dinner in your Portland apartment.

Have a Set Menu with Less Items

It is easy to get carried away with side dishes, but instead of making everyone’s individual favorites, choose a few dishes. This means less time in the kitchen and few leftovers.

Go Paper and Plastic

You can spend less time in the kitchen doing dishes when you use paper plates, napkins, and plastic silverware. You can purchase decorative paper plates at Khol’s at 10010 NE Halsey Street near your Linc 301 apartment. Additionally, you can order them online at Amazon.

Host a Virtual Thanksgiving

We are all familiar with Zoom Happy Hours, virtual meetings, and even virtual school! Why not celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends via Zoom or another virtual tool? If you loved cooking with your family members, set up a time to cook turkey or pies virtually. Set a time to eat dinner or dessert and arrange for a Zoom meeting. Be certain to share what you are thankful for and to take a Zoom selfie. Thanksgiving in Portland 2020 will likely be a watershed moment.

Meet for a Walk

Health experts say gathering outdoors poses less risk of getting the virus, so why not meet after dinner at one of these great parks or walking trails near your apartment in Portland. Perhaps you can swap a dessert or share a few leftovers.

No matter how you spend Thanksgiving in Portland, make it a memorable and safe one. 

Halloween in Naperville

Halloween is going to be fantastic in 2020, if a little different. Halloween is on a Saturday, there will be a full moon, and people want to celebrate. Sure it’s 2020, so we need to social distance, wear masks of a different sort to help us stay safe, but we can still have a spooky great time. Check out these can’t miss ideas to make Halloween 2020 a hit. 803 Corday at Naperville is the right place to celebrate. 

How to Decorate Your Apartment

There are so many ways to get your apartment ready for Halloween. We all know it’s important to make a good first impression and this year that’s even truer as most of us will keep trick-or-treaters at a safe distance. Set the stage. Carve creepy pumpkins with stencils and easily available templates. Decorate doors with cut-outs of ghosts, goblins, witches, and more.  Make sure the neighbors can see some colorful creatures by combining monster cut-outs and contact paper on the windows. For the inside, fairy lights, felt spiders, and glow in the dark skeletons are always hit. It’s the little things that really set the mood. Try the mirror hidden message trick, get some scotch tape and spell out a scary message on your mirror, allow the tape to set and remove. Then run some hot water to reveal hidden messages to your guests.

How to Celebrate at Home

For many of us, celebrating Halloween this year will probably have to be done at home. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to raise goosebumps at home. Start by setting the mood with Halloween baking and some apple cider. Carving pumpkins is always a hit, so each person can get involved in making their ideas come to life. What’s Halloween without costumes? Make sure to get everyone dressed up and set up a video conferencing call with friends and family so everyone can share the scares. Set up a baby monitor on the porch, so you can have fun interacting with trick-or-treaters. Treats can be in the form of an outdoor haunted house or a video performance through your windows instead of the typical eatable delights. Movie marathons are great since you can choose movies appropriate to any age group or audience (from Goonies to Friday the 13th, there is something for everyone) and those can be shared from the comfort of your own apartment through a number of popular streaming services (Netflix Party, KAST, YouTube, Discord, Facebook, and more). 

Halloween Hotspots in Naperville

Luckily, stores are open in Naperville, so you can get what you need for Halloween. If you need costume, makeup, and decorations, there is a Spirit Halloween store open this year. The City of Naperville has many suggestions for Halloween this year, too, to stay safe this year. The Illinois Department of Health also has suggestions for how families can stay safe this year and what they are able to do to celebrate the holiday.

Social distancing will definitely make Halloween different this year. That doesn’t mean it can’t be a fun and safe holiday for everyone. Curbside and at-home delivery make it easier than ever to get the decorations, supplies, and costumes you need to make Halloween a hit. Don’t be afraid to get creative with some seasonal inspiring at-home celebration ideas.

Enjoy National Ice Cream Month in Your Louisville Apartments

celebrate ice cream month in your July apartments

” You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream and that is pretty much the same thing.” — Unknown.

We are finally in the midst of summer, so you should take advantage of the heat and use that as an excuse to indulge. The cool thing about July that perhaps you didn’t know about is that it is actually National Ice Cream Month! Yes, this month is all about trying new kinds of ice cream and getting out of that sweltering heat near your Louisville apartments.

Check out some of these facts about ice cream that are relevant for this month:

1.       Luckily, people are creative and have found a way to come up with different kinds of ice cream. Sure, you may think of the traditional scoop on a cone, but there are more kinds of ice cream than that. There is frozen yogurt, sorbets, sherberts, and more. Use this month as an opportunity to explore what is out there.

2.       If you are still practicing caution, don’t fret! You can just make ice cream inside the comfort of your Louisville apartments. You can either get the ingredients from a local market, or you can get them delivered to you using an app or shopping online. This may be a fun project to do, especially if you have roommates or little kids that you’re trying to entertain. Here’s a fun website that can give you some novel ideas.

3.       Louisville has a few places that are open and currently serving ice cream. We personally recommend checking out Louisville Ice Cream because it has good reviews and we know their ice cream is refreshing. It’s a good excuse to get out of the house and stretch your legs, too!

This July, how will you make the most out of National Ice Cream Month? There are several ways you can enjoy it, aside from the tips recommended above. Just google National Ice Cream Month and see what kind of things you can do to make the most out of this occasion. We hope this brings you much-needed refreshment after all the seriousness that has been going on this year!

Add New Scents to Your Glendale Apartments

A great way to mark the transition between seasons from summer to fall is to have a nice aroma in your Glendale apartments that leaves you a bit reminiscent about summer. While there are lots of things out there like candles and incense you can burn, there’s just something refreshing about going lighter and tending to an actual flower in your Glendale apartments. Luckily, there are so many to choose from that are going to leave a fragrant imprint on where you live. Here’s just a short list of some of the flowers you may choose to have in your apartments:

1. Gardenia
2. Lavender
3. Scented Geraniums
4. Indoor Citrus
5. Orchids

These flowers require their own maintenance rituals, which you can find online. They are a wonderful way to bring some much-needed life and soul into your apartment. And depending on which scent you decide on, it can set the entire ambiance for what you’re trying to go for.

For instance, if you want a scent that’s fragrance will leave you feel refreshed and less anxious, then lavender is a good way to go. Lavender is notorious for having a great impact on one’s mental health and nerves. If you’re looking for something a bit more stimulating, having the smell of a citrus flower can be more beneficial. In fact, if you work from your Glendale apartments, it can be something that helps you get your work done. Finally, if you’re looking for a smell that overpowers all and leaves you with a sense of purity, gardenia might be the best way to go.

When decorating apartments, most people get so fixated on what it looks like that they forget the other senses that truly help create a home. Which fragrant flower will you choose to bring the best out of your Glendale apartments?

Summer Cooking in Your Phoenix Apartments

Are you interested in doing something fun this summer near your apartments in Phoenix? A great idea would be to go to a local farmer’s market, whether it be alone or with friends and family, to stock up on some much-needed, fresh groceries. The great thing about the turn of the seasons is that there are so many new fruits and vegetables available for you to enjoy in Phoenix.

Here’s a list of some vegetables you can plan on enjoying this summer:

• Radishes
• Arugula
• Cucumber
• Beets
• Bell Peppers
• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Garlic
• Corn
• Rhubarb
And here’s a list of fruits in season this summer:

• Apricots
• Plums
• Cherries
• Blackberries
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Tomatoes
• Passion Fruit
• Melon
• Lemon
• Limes

If you want some inspiration, here’s a delicious recipe for a Garden Chickpea Salad:
Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
SALAD:
3/4 cup canned garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
3 cups spring mix salad greens

Directions

For dressing, in a dry small skillet, toast cumin seeds over medium heat until aromatic, stirring frequently. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in tomato, lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper.
In a bowl, combine chickpeas, carrot, zucchini, green onions, parsley, radishes, cheese and walnuts. Stir in 1/3 cup dressing.

To serve, divide greens between two plates; top with chickpea mixture. Drizzle with remaining dressing.

So this June, be sure to go to your local farmer’s market so you can stock up on the freshest, healthiest produce there is. In addition, consider checking out this site if you need ideas for inspiration when it comes to coming up with recipes for your delicious produce. So now that’s TWO summer activities you can enjoy near your apartments in Phoenix – just wander over to a local farmer’s market and you can attempt a new healthy recipe from home. What will you do to kick summer 2019 off the best way possible?

Celebrate Memorial Day in Thousand Oaks

“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” – Abraham Lincoln

Do you ever find yourself reflecting on history in the comfort of your apartments? If so- here’s something to contemplate. We have so many freedoms in the United States that we are fortunate to have, but sometimes we lose sight of this as our nation continues to become polarized in terms of politics. Memorial Day is a nice opportunity to remember that despite whether you vote as a Democrat or Republican, it is an undeniable truth that we would not have many of the luxuries or freedoms we enjoy without the sacrifices many soldiers have made.

Memorial Day is approaching quickly as it lands on May 28th this year. What will you do to celebrate? If you’re in the mood for having something a bit more mellow in your apartments in Thousand Oaks versus going out, then consider following some of the tips on this website. There are some creative, family-friendly ways to throw a Memorial Day party that everyone will talk about for the rest of the year.

4th of July Celebrations in Your Area

Looking for something fun to do this 4th of July? While you wait for night to fall to enjoy some fireworks, why not start your celebration earlier in the day? Make it a point to go to a local restaurant with friends or family to get the most out of the holiday.

Whether you have kids or you’re single, there are plenty of ways to indulge in a little fun around town this 4th of July. Here are the best places in and around your town to stay out of the sun and enjoy a good meal this Independence Day:

Roscoe’s Smokehouse
Easygoing joint featuring BBQ dishes sides & brews in a rustic setting with live music nights.
Address: 1541 SW Wilshire Blvd, Burleson, TX 76028
Hours: Open today · 11AM–9PM
Phone: (817) 484-2123

Rosa’s Cafe & Tortilla Factory
Mexican Restaurant
Fast-food chain featuring classic Mexican dishes & housemade tortillas in festive surroundings.
Address: 1460 SW Wilshire Blvd, Burleson, TX 76028
Hours: Open today · 6:30AM–11PM
Phone: (817) 426-5488

Huddle House
Casual chain offering all-day breakfast, plus other hearty American eats in dinerlike digs.
Address: 319 N Broadway St, Joshua, TX 76058
Hours: Open today · Open 24 hours
Phone: (817) 556-3035
Menu: huddlehouse.com

How will you get your 4th of July this year started? Make this Independence Day your most memorable one yet!

5 Things to Do for Father’s Day

With Sunday, June 18th just around the corner, it’s time to begin considering what sorts of things to do for Father’s Day. Depending on your pop’s interests, this can vary from doing something outdoorsy with him or simply watching one of his favorite movies together. Have you thought of any things to do for Father’s Day yet? If not, refer to this list that’ll help you come up with some thoughtful ideas:

• Take your father out to see a film he’s been wanting to watch
• Treat dad to his favorite restaurant in the area
• Sign your father up for an hour-long back or foot massage
• Get him some thoughtful art or photography ready to hang for his house or office
• Get him a gift card to Best Buy or Target, attached to a thoughtful greeting card.

As you can see, there are plenty of thoughtful things to do for Father’s Day with your pops. This year, make Father’s Day an occasion the two of you will never forget. And if you decide on just going shopping for a traditional gift for dad, here’s the best place near you to get him a great gift:

Best Buy
Electronics store in Fort Worth, Texas
Chain retailer with a large array of brand-name electronics, computers, appliances & more.
Located in: Gateway Station
Address: 12820 South Fwy, Burleson, TX 76028
Hours: Open today · 10AM–9PM
Phone: (817) 295-0732

Treat Your Dad This Father’s Day!

Father's Day

Father’s Day is basically here which means it is time to start prepping your gift! No matter if you’re getting it for your father, your father figure or the father of your children, you have to get him something good! This day only comes once a year and although there’s love going around every other day of the year, there’s only one Father’s Day a year, so let’s take a look at what you can get the special man this time around:

  • SIMPLE. An Apple Watch.
    As cliche as it may be, these watches are worth the hype. This watch also makes it super easy to keep track of your fitness goals and such, which is why people are prone to wear these during workouts. No one is ever disappointed in getting an Apple Watch. Cold. Hard. Facts.
    https://www.apple.com/watch/
  • IPA Brewing Kit
    Beer lovers, pay attention: West Coast Style IPA Beer Brewing Kit is the absolute perfect gift for the beer lover in your life. If he loves tossing ’em back, he will absolutely love making it as well. http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/west-coast-style-ipa-beer-brewing-kit

Fun Things To Do On Mother’s Day

Fun Things To Do On Mother's Day

Celebrating your mom on Mother’s Day is so very important. Injecting some love into her life is something you should be doing all the time. This year, you should definitely do something special with her. You have an endless number of options and ideas to go with. Maybe you’re looking for  a few useful ideas. Here are some fun things you can do for and with your mom this Mother’s Day.

Go to the Movies

This is a classic. On Mother’s Day weekend, there is bound to be something playing at the movie theater that she will enjoy. Take her to the movies and catch something you both may like. This is a good way to spend some time with one of your parents.

Cook Her Dinner

Everybody has to eat, even your own mom. Maybe she is usually the one in the kitchen cooking all day for the family. This time around, why not return the favor and cook for her instead. Find out what she really loves and make it for her. You could even surprise her.

Have a Picnic

You don’t need to go to an expensive, loud restaurant to eat with your mom. You could go to a lovely park and have a nice picnic together.