Apartment Blog

Football is fast becoming the most popular sport in America.  Some people are purely Pro-Football fans and others purely College Football junkies.  However, one tradition that transcends both levels is tailgating. Because Football Saturday is one of the main attractions of a football city/town, people from all over come for tailgating and watching games. It doesn’t matter if you even like football or understand the rules. Tailgating is a wholesome and fun event that the whole family can get involved in. It is also a source of pride and bragging rights for a community to have a competitive football team. 

For those that aren’t familiar with tailgating in the football world, it’s not “driving dangerously close to behind another vehicle.”  It is a social event that is held around the tailgate of a vehicle that usually involves beverages and grilling.  Fans dress in their team jerseys and talk about the upcoming game and get excited for the festivities.  It used to be an “underground” activity but has gained mainstream popularity with ESPN’s College game day reporting from the tailgating scene of the most exciting games of the day.

South Bend is one of those cities where tailgating is commonplace.  It is is also the current home to the College Football Hall of Fame. In a sense, every college football players dream is to make it to South Bend.  Although the Hall of Fame is scheduled to move to Atlanta soon, the pride of housing the Hall of Fame will never leave.  South Bend is a small city with a very dedicated and hardworking people.  Their allegiance is to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  Notre Dame has one of the most storied football teams in history; some of that history even being documented in the popular movie Rudy. Notre Dame is at the center of this tradition and it is something you will enjoy during the fall months in South Bend.  Who knows, maybe you can make connections that will last through all the seasons!

Get more information and search tips on South Bend Apartments, or view all Apartments for Rent in South Bend, IN.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Bend,_Indiana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailgate_party

ForRent.com is providing more great information about apartment communities in your area. And check out the most recent uploaded videos…… We upload them to our video syndication network which consists of a variety of sites such as: YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion and others to make them more accessible for your viewing pleasure!

So take a look…..

Merritt at Satellite Place Apartments in Duluth, GA

Chapel Manor Apartments in Nottingham, MD

Dunwoody Pointe Apartments For Rent in Atlanta, GA

Prairie Crossing Apartments in Farmers Branch, TX

Sky View Ranch Apartments in Gilbert, AZ

Nieman Square Apartments For Rent in Shawnee, KS

ForRent.com The Pointe Apartments in Sacramento, CA

Cobblestone Creek Apartments For Rent in Roseville, CA

Park Villas Apartments in Chino, CA

Haddonview Apartments For Rent in Haddon Township, NJ

Alexan Laguna Beach Apartments in Panama City Beach, FL

Falls of Pembroke Apartments For Rent in Pembroke Pines, FL

The Towers at Falling Water Apartments in Strongsville, OH

With all the festivities surrounding the planning of your Thanksgiving feast, it’s no wonder you have forgotten one very important detail-the centerpiece! No worries, I’ve complied five easy and quick ways to make your centerpiece perfect for your family gathering.  The best part….most of them can be found at your local grocery store or right in your own home!!

Pumpkin Patch Centerpiece

For this masterpiece you’ll need pumpkins in a variety of sizes; one being large. Place the large pumpkin in the center of the table and arrange the other-sized pumpkins around it. To add a little bit more of décor, also add a few leaves and/or twigs.

Pumpkin Candle Centerpiece

For this Thanksgiving centerpiece, you’ll need a medium sized pumpkin, a 6 inch pillar candle, twigs, berries, and/or leaves. Cut the stem off of the top of the pumpkin. Place the pillar candle on top of the pumpkin and trace around it. Take a sharp knife and cut the circle out with about a 3 inch cut into the pumpkin and discard. Put the pillar candle inside the hole, place the twigs, leaves, and/or berries as an accent next to the candle.

Fall Bowl

With entertaining this Thanksgiving extra bowls will be sparse, as they will most likely be used for the mash potatoes, sweet potatoes and green beans. I would just recommend serving one of the sides in another shape serving ware and use the bowl for the centerpiece. For this creation, you’ll need leaves, twigs, pinecones, a pumpkin and a vibrant color ribbon.  Place the pumpkin in the middle of the bowl, tie the colored ribbon around the pumpkin (recommended colors would be red, orange or yellow). Then arrange the leaves, twigs and pinecones around the pumpkin.

Mini-Pumpkin Place Card Holders

For this table ornament, you won’t be doing one centerpiece as much as you’ll be doing several; in fact, you’ll be doing one for each guest. However many you plan on entertaining is how many little pumpkins you’ll need. Now, if this truly is a last minute project you can substitute some of the mini pumpkins for other fruits, i.e. apples and oranges.  You’ll need paper, a pen and toothpicks. Cut the paper into small square pieces. Write the names of your guests on one piece of paper. Then stick that name, with a toothpick, to the pumpkin, apple or orange. Set in front of a place setting. If you’d rather not designate seating, place these items inside a basket with leaves adorning it.  

Cake Plate Pumpkin

If you haven’t already used your cake plate or (tiered) fruit tray then save it for your beautiful centerpiece. Place the cake/pedestal plate or fruit tray in the center of the table. Arrange mini-pumpkins, a variety of fruits, leaves, twigs, or whatever you can find on top. This really is the ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ type of décor.

On our site we’ve provided you some tips for your Thanksgiving feast , décor, and now your centerpiece, we truly hope this Thanksgiving will be a pleasant experience. For more centerpiece ideas check out About.com and Bhg.com.

As promised, here are more tips for keeing your apartment energy efficient this winter. These lighting ideas are simple enough that anyone can do them!

Lighting:

• This tip is one I enforce a great deal-whenever you leave a room turn off the lights! Even if it’s for a short while and you are going right back. Over time this tip can really save you power (i.e. money)!!
• Obviously, use natural light as much as you can rather than turning on a light.
• Something interesting to note (and something I’m definitely going to check when I get home) is dirty windows let in less light, so do dirty light bulbs, fixtures and shades. So clean them up!
• Another item that is interesting, but may not apply until the next time you need them, is purchasing light colored furnishings, curtains and rugs rather than dark ones. This is because they will reflect light better therefore reducing the amount of artificial light needed.
• As I’ve mentioned in our previous blog “Water & Energy Saving Tips,” replace incandescent lights with fluorescent lights in fixtures you leave on for long periods of time. (i.e. kitchens, bathrooms, porches etc.)
• Consider getting dimmers or timers for your lights. Dimmers save energy by reducing the amount of energy needed to light a space, and timers are much more energy efficient than leaving your lights on all day (especially when you’re out of town).

Last month alone I saved $20 by incorporating a few habits mentioned in Part I & Part II ’Make Your Apartment Energy-Efficient this Winter’  in my household. Can you imagine the savings annually? For more great tips, stay tuned for our Part III. A breif snip-bit: how to go energy efficient with appliances (and no, it doesn’t include you purchasing new ones)!!