Apartment Blog

There are many reasons to love Halloween.  Here are 5:

• 1. It means that Fall is really here. You get to enjoy the beautiful colors of fall and even enjoy the cool weather before the fresh winds of November roll through.
• 2. Candy is in abundance and you don’t have to feel guilty about purchasing lots and lots of it. People will automatically assume that you are buying candy for the neighborhood kids, but you may just be buying it for yourself! Enjoy it, it will be your last candy binge before Christmas!
• 3. Potential to meet new neighbors. Halloween gives you a reason to interact with neighbors that you may have been shy to meet in the past. It may also help your kids meet good friends in the neighborhood
• 4. Kids! Well, you may not be a fan of kids but you won’t be able to turn them down in their cute costumes. Even if you don’t have your own, you can spoil other people’s kids, see their smiles, and then see them leave. This might be the ideal interaction with kids.
• 5. Another excuse to have a party. The last quarter of the year can be extremely stressful and any occasion to have a party is a good occasion. Don’t miss out this year.

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

We all love when Valentine’s Day rolls around. If the pressures from the Christmas spending weren’t enough, let’s add another purchasing holiday a month and a half later! We understand the crunch you’re feeling, especially in these economic times; let us share a way to skip an added expense….. Valentine’s Day cards!

Now, I’m all for the modern, eco-friendly, economical approach (hello E-Cards), however, sometimes those aren’t appropriate for your loved ones who live close by.  So take a look below at two perfect homemade Valentine’s Day cards from AllFreeCrafts.com:

Here are the materials you might need:

• Pink and red hearts cut from construction paper (various sizes)
• Cream/white colored paper (computer paper) & red construction paper
• Scotch tape
• Elmer’s glue
• Blank cards (or use left over poster board for a one-sided card)
• Computer to type phrases or Alphabet stickers

Directions:

Card #1:

This Valentine’s Day card is quick and easy. Cut a piece of dark red paper to fit the front of your blank card (or poster board piece) and glue it in place. Type “Happy Valentine’s Day” on your computer and print it on the cream/white colored paper. Glue the cut-out phrase first on a dark red piece of paper, and then give that piece on another piece of cream colored cardstock to create a layered look. This card will open horizontally (or not at all), so turn it horizontally and glue the Valentine’s sentiment to the top third of the card. For the bottom portion of the card cut three small freehand hearts from the dark red paper. Glue these hearts to three torn scraps (in the shape of squares) to cream colored paper. Space these pieces across the bottom of the card and glue in place.

Card #2:

This card is made from a dark red piece of paper and a cream colored piece of paper. Cut a piece of the dark red paper to fit the front of your blank card (or scrap poster board piece) and glue it in place. Cut a large square from the cream colored paper and glue it just above the center of the card. Glue the piece of paper in place. Tear a large heart from the dark red paper and glue it in the center of the cream colored square. Type “Happy Valentine’s Day” on your computer. Print on cream colored paper and glue in the center of the heart.

These two methods are quite perfect whether you’re crafty or not! So use what you have lying around the house (scotch tape, glue and your computer) and if you don’t have the other materials, you can pick them up at your local dollar store. Trust me, for the price you’re paying you’ll get more bang for your buck! Plus, we’ll be posting a ‘Homemade Valentine’s Day Gifts’ blog where you’ll also be able to use these materials! Cha-ching!

With the holidays so near, I know everyone is searching for the perfect holiday treat to make! ForRent.com wants to provide you with our holiday recipe tips. The first six are regarding essential holiday pantry items and the remaining six are holiday treat recipes!

6 Essential Holiday Pantry Items:

• Chocolate Morsels
• Pam Cooking Spray
• Vanilla Extract
• Holiday Candy
• Sprinkles/Food Coloring
• Cookie Cutters

During our annual Marketing Department treat exchange, here were six of our favorite treats that were brought. You’ll see that some of them require one of the essential holiday pantry items mentioned previously!

                
SALTINE TOFFEE BARS

Ingredients:

• - unsalted Saltine Crackers (not premium-too thick)
• - 1 stick butter
• - ¾ cup sugar
• - 12 oz bag chocolate chips
• - sliced almonds, optional
• - powdered sugar, optional
• - “Pam” cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350-400 degrees.  Line a 9 X 11 jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and spray with Pam.  Place saltines, edge to edge, over the bottom of the pan.  Melt butter, add sugar and bring to a boil.  Boil about 3 minutes to dissolve sugar.  Spoon (not pour) over the saltines and then settle the saltines and bake for about 5 minutes.  The saltines will look like they are floating.  Turn off the oven and remove saltines.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers and return to oven until they are melted then add almonds if desired.  Cool a bit then cut (but do not try to separate- too runny still) and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.  Refrigerate until hard then break into pieces, removing foil from the back of the crackers.

Peppermint-Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

1 (16.5 ounce) tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1/4 cup all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions:
Decorating suggestion: crushed candy canes or peppermint candies; white, red and green sprinkles; or red and green decorating sugar
Special equipment: a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, and a ½ ounce cookie scoop

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, knead together the cookie dough and 1/4 cup flour until smooth. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough. Knead together any scraps of dough and roll out again. Continue to cut out pastry circles until there are 24 pieces in total. Place the dough circles on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are slightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Reserve 1 parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Combine 1 cup of chocolate chips and the cream in a small bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the peppermint extract and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour. Using a 1/2-ounce cookie scoop or a tablespoon measure, place the chocolate mixture in the center of the flat side of 12 of the cookies. Place the remaining cookies on top and gently squeeze to distribute the filling evenly. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until the filling has set, about 25 minutes.

Combine the remaining chocolate chips and the vegetable oil in a small bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Dip the top of each cookie in the melted chocolate and return to the baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight plastic container.

Christmas Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Pillsbury Cake Mix Funfetti
Duncan Hines Classic Vanilla Frosting
Eggs
Vegetable Oil
Baking Cups
Directions:
Follow directions on the box for cooking cup cakes. After cup cakes have cooled, put vanilla frosting on the cup cakes. For extra decoration, you can use holiday colored sprinkles!

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:
12 oz bag of White Chocolate Morsels
12 oz bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
8 regular sized Candy Canes

Directions:
Lightly grease a large cookie sheet. Break up candy canes into one inch pieces and put into a sturdy plastic bag. Crush candy canes inside the bag until they are in very small pieces. Next, put the semi-sweet chocolate morsels into a bowl and put in the microwave for 1 minute; stir in 15 second increments until it is completely melted. Pour melted chocolate on the cookie sheet and spread to make a thing layer. Put the white chocolate morsels in a bowl and repeat microwave cycle (while white chocolate is in the microwave, put baking sheet of semi-sweet chocolate in refrigerator for cooling). Once melted, stir in ½ of the candy cane pieces and spread on top of semi-sweet chocolate layer. Top with the remaining pieces of candy cane; be sure to lightly press into the chocolate layer to secure. Cool in refrigerator until hard and then break into pieces!

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE KISS COOKIES 
Ingredients:
1 c. butter
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. granular sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 2/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
16 oz. pkg. chocolate kiss candyDirections:

Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars; blend until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; blend. Mix flour, salt and soda, add to cream mixture; stir well. Roll dough into quarter size balls. Roll ball in bowl of sugar. Bake dough at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, take out, place chocolate kiss in center of each cookie. Bake an additional 2 minutes.

M&M Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
Bag of Holiday Colored M&Ms (could be the regular kind or the mint flavored!)

Directions:
Cut the sugar cookie dough into slices for the appropriate sized cookies (you could also roll into whatever size you choose). Put on greased baking sheet and lightly press to flatten the dough. Place M&Ms on top of the cookies and bake accordingly. Wait for the cookies to cool before taking them off the baking sheet.

Happy Cooking!

It’s inevitable; you’re going to get a bad gift this holiday. It could be from your loving grandmother who just seems to think you are 10 years younger than you really are and gets you and your cousin matching tea sets (don’t ask….). Or it could be someone who tried really hard to find something you might like, but just overshot. Regardless, you are going to experience some uneasiness when opening a bad gift. Therefore, we are providing you with a few ways to say ‘thanks’ and of course their actual translation in your mind!

1. ‘Oh, thanks. How unique’
Translation: ‘Wow, really?’

2. ‘Wherever did you find this?’
Translation: ‘So I know where to return it…’

3. ‘I know just where to put this’
Translation: ‘In the attic where no one will find it…’

4. ‘Oh, how sweet! What size is this?’
Translation: ‘Hopefully I’m a different size and have to exchange it for something else!’

5. ‘Nice pattern…’
Translation: ‘Am I trying to stop traffic?’

6. ‘That’s so funny; I saw these everywhere in stores!’
Translation: ‘Which is probably why they’re still there and I didn’t purchase myself one’

7. ‘How creative! Did you make this yourself?’
Translation: ‘Crap, a thoughtful gift. Going to have to break it out when he/she comes over’

8. ‘Thank you so much. You’re too thoughtful!’
Translation: ‘Now I have another thing to do on the day after Christmas’

9. ‘This is perfect for…. (name a situation in which you’d use the item)’
Translation: ‘Goodness, what on earth am I going to do with this?!!’

10. ‘That’s so sweet, but unfortunately I’m allergic.’
Translation: ‘Please have the receipt so I can return this thing and if not, I’m allergic so you can’t be upset if it’s not used!’

11. ‘Yah know, I think I have this very same thing at my house!’
Translation: ‘Offer up the gift receipt so I can return this thing.’

12. ‘This is something I don’t have…’
Translation: ‘For good reason….’

Well, hopefully these tips have given you an idea of what to say this Christmas when opening up bad gifts. Please also remember that receiving gifts and the thought behind those gifts is what matters most. So be grateful to those who have thought of you this holiday season!

It’s a tradition with my family year after year. We always pile up in our car and drive around to look at Christmas lights. There is one house in particular we always stop and see. We call it the ‘NOEL House’ as it has the ‘NOEL’ saying prominently displayed on its rooftop. We also make it a point to go to see the Holiday lights at Virginia Beach Oceanfront. There is something grand about looking at the holiday light displays across our city. I look in amazement at the creativity and the excitement that I feel. I feel like a child again, anxiously waiting for the big day!

Accumulated by americasbestonline.net, here is a list of the best holiday light displays in cities across the nation. Look who turned up number 11! J If you are near one of the areas, make sure you go out and look at the wonderful lights displayed.

1. Silver Dollar City- Branson, MO
Millions of Christmas lights cover the whole park. Plus, the entire city is transformed into a holiday wonderland each evening at 5:30 p.m. as guests join together on the Square for the lighting of the dazzling, five-story Special Effects Christmas Tree. Adorned with over 250,000 lights coordinated to blaze to the musical movements of Christmas songs, this unique Special Effects Christmas Tree presents classics such as “Carol of the Bells” and Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” in a spectacular light and sound show.
  
2. Oglebay Festival of Lights- Wheeling, WV
In 1985 a holiday tradition began at Oglebay and spread throughout the city of Wheeling. That tradition is the Winter Festival of Lights celebration. The first year, displays and landscape lighting covered about 125 acres over a three-mile drive throughout the resort. Since then, the show has grown into one of the nation’s largest Christmas light shows, covering more than three hundred acres over a six-mile drive throughout the resort. 
 

3. Fantasy of Lights- Pine Mountain, GA
A 5 mile drive by car or trolley takes visitors past 13 holiday scenes with more than 8 million  Christmas lights.  Since 1992, this outdoor light and sound show has glittered with holiday magic for millions of people. Families from across the Southeast have added Fantasy In Lights to their list of memorable holiday traditions. This year, experience the 15th annual Fantasy In Lights with its eight million lights creating more than a dozen beautiful scenes, and you’ll see why this is the brightest holiday light show in the South! 
 

4. Smoky Mountain Winterfest- Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, TN. 
Smoky Mountain Winterfest is a magical celebration that begins in late fall.  Ride the Trolley Tour of Lights around Pigeon Forge and claim a spot on the sidewalk  for Gatlinburg’s “Fantasy of Lights” Christmas Parade, featuring lighted floats, marching bands and giant helium balloons.  This event combines 3 Tennessee cities: Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. These neighboring Smoky Mountain towns are ablaze with 5 million lights thru February. 
 

5. Trail of Lights - Austin, TX
The  Trail of Lights is a mile long display of 42 lighted scenes, US Post Office, Santa’s House, the Yule Log, and an entertainment stage. The festival begins with the lighting of the Zilker Tree, a 155 feet tall, 180 feet diameter lighted tree consisting of 3,309 bulbs on 39 streamers strung from Austin’s historical Moonlight Tower. Since 1987 the honor of lighting the tree has been bestowed upon the winner of the city-wide children’s tree coloring contest. The tree lighting ceremony takes place on the first Sunday of December. 

6. Magical Nights of Lights - Lake Lanier, GA
Rekindle an old tradition or create a new one at Lake Lanier Islands Resort’s 16th annual Magical Nights of Lights holiday celebration. Known as the world’s largest animated light extravaganza, the fun kicks off November 22 through December 30 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 pm. nightly! Bring the whole family a drive through tour of over six miles of twinkling, holiday light displays and a live nativity scene complete with live actors and animals!

7. Holiday Festival of Lights, Charleston, S.C.
Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission created the Holiday Festival of Lights to bring families and friends together and to raise support for the Charleston county park system. With over 600 individual displays located throughout the park in 132 power locations, the Holiday Festival of Lights is a magical sight to see! 
  
8. Enchanted Garden of Lights, Chattanooga, TN
See Rock City! The gardens’ natural beauty is complemented by more than 25 holiday scenes as half a million lights illuminate rock formations along the Enchanted Trail. 

 9. Southern Lights - Lexington, Ky.
The annual Southern Lights event is the largest fundraiser held for The Kentucky Horse Park. Over 25,927 vehicles passed through the electrical wonderland in 2006 alone! Everything from petting zoos, model railways, arts, crafts, and Santa Claus fill the Indoor Attractions section free of charge to guests.

 10. Mission Inn - Riverside, CA
This magnificent hotel and grounds have over two million Christmas lights!  Enjoy the sounds of the holiday season as our Dickens’ Carolers stroll throughout the hotel every Thursday through Sunday, beginning November 25, 2005, or enjoy a romantic carriage ride around the grounds - to take in the lights of the holiday season.
 
11. 100 Miles of Lights - Virginia Beach, VA
Come share the glow of the season and experience millions of lights and hundreds of events from Virginia’s capital city to the Atlantic Ocean. The region will glitter and glow, sparkle and shine with lights, lights and more lights. 100 Miles of Lights features holiday events and activities in Richmond, Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.

Drive-through and walk-through light shows will dazzle and shine with more than two million lights, providing a colorful backdrop to the wide range of events and activities for the young and young-at-heart. Lighted boat parades, city illuminations, festivals, parades, living history re-enactments, caroling, dining events, music and dance are among the many activities occurring throughout the region from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.
12. Bright Nights at Forest Park - Springfield, MA
New England’s most popular holiday destination and largest drive-through lighting display. Two and a half miles of Forest Park are illuminated with more than 500,000 twinkling lights, bringing the magic of the holiday season to life for people of all ages, in dozens of dramatic scenes such as “Poinsettia Fantasy,” “Seuss Land,” “Toy Land,” and “Victorian Village.” Plans are in place this year for bright new displays, and special celebrations to commemorate the holiday traditions of the many cultures that make up the region.

Source:
http://www.americasbestonline.net/christmas.htm

Okay, so everyone who lives in an apartment community is typically invited to a holiday party if their management company is throwing one. But rarely are residents inclined to go. There are a couple reasons, to say the least, but let’s focus on the reasons why they should want to go! And what management companies can do for residents to want to go! Take a look at our tips….

1. Interesting music…..hire a band or a DJ!!

2. Gift incentives! Gift cards are great for the holidays or shoot, how about a discount on rent!

3. Pets are a part of the family too, how about incorporating them in some manner!?

4. Pot Luck Dinner, each resident will feel more a part of the event if they have contributed.

5. Gift or Cookie exchange. Get some interaction and co-mingling.

6. Offer up crafts. Like a make your own Christmas wreath! Or something kid friendly, like the Advent Calendar Craft we posted.

7. Pictures with Santa for either pets or children.

8. A unique beverage assortment. For instance, a hot chocolate bar and sitting area in front of the fireplace.

9. Theme parties are always a lot of fun! Check out our Tacky Christmas Sweater Party Tips.

10. Christmas tree decorating. Have each resident bring an ornament to put on the tree. Have the tree displayed somewhere on the property for guests and residents to see.

11. Provide a greater service. Have the holiday party coincide with a charity donation/event.

12. Residents on the fly?? Have ‘cookies & milk for Santa’ baskets ready as a thank you for stopping by!!

Some other great ideas were providing games, like Cranium or a scavenger hunt, for residents to play; or offering up a wine tasting event with hour d’oeuvres. Whatever your apartment property decides to do, make sure you think of what the residents would actually want. Happy residents make for a happy apartment community!