Apartment Blog

For some people Halloween means as much to them as Christmas would to another person. As such, this occasion would be deemed gift giving. I have actually received a card and flowers from a friend on Halloween because it is her favorite holiday. Regardless if you are the gift giver or receiver, here are some great Halloween gift ideas.

Get Creative! Potion labels are a cool way to personalize a bottle of your friend’s favorite drink or bottle of wine. Just add a themed label appropriate for Halloween and you’re set!  Or creating a collage scrapbook already decorated, just waiting for the photos of this year’s party to frame or bind.

Homemade goods are a unique way to show your friends, or guests at a party, that you appreciate them. Everyone loves a good homemade treat. For this holiday, why not do a candied apple or pumpkin spice bread or ghost shaped cookies. 

Tickets to a fun Halloween themed event. There are bound to be places in your city that will celebrate this spooky holiday. Why not help the Halloween enthusiast in your life celebrate by buying them a ticket. It could be a hayride, haunted house, roller coaster theme park or maybe even a special movie premier.

Provide some type of entertainment by purchasing a Halloween book or movie. If your friend is into the whole scary experience, there are plenty of Halloween movies guaranteed to spoke him or her. Check out our list of 10 Awesome Halloween Movies.

If there are other Halloween gifts you have given or received, let us know! It would be nice to see all the imaginative ideas for this holiday.

If you’re looking to experience a little spook this Halloween, why not try a local festival or haunted house? In Virginia Beach, Virginia we are lucky enough to have the Hunt Club which has plenty of Halloween spookiness for all.

First up is the haunted hayride.  You and your closest friends can load up on a huge trailer full of hay stacks being pulled by a tractor. Without giving too much away, you are pulled through many stations that have bloodied up characters just waiting to pounce on you.

Next up is the village of the dead.  You are lead by a guide to walk through an entire village of ghosts and goblins. The reenactment scenes are goose bump worthy and will surely have you looking over your shoulder.

Finally there’s my personal favorite, the field of screams.  You and your group are lead through an entire field of tall grass and nothing by complete darkness. In every corner is someone lurking to scare you. They are trained well to pick out those that will shrill the most. Whatever you do, don’t look frightened (easy to say, right?). And if you have awesome friends that like to scream your name, the gory staff won’t let you forget it. They’ll taunt you over and over again. It was enough for me that I ran up to a group in front of us and grabbed someone (who I thought was my b/f). Scared and embarrassed what a wonderful combo!

If you’re looking for some great Halloween experiences, check out your local listings.  Its bound to be a great time. Happy Halloween!

Impress your family at the dinner table this Thanksgiving by sharing a bit of knowledge from the ‘Did You Know’ category.

For example, did you know that the most popular Thanksgiving dinner includes a menu of turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie? (yum….pumpkin pie is my favorite!) Or, did you know that there are at least three American towns named after Thanksgiving dinner’s main course? There’s Turkey, Texas; Turkey Creek, Louisiana; and Turkey, North Carolina.  And finally, did you know that as many as 107 million American homes will celebrate Thanksgiving this year?

And a ‘did you know’ just for all you crazy shoppers out there (kudos for fighting the Day-After Thanksgiving-Day crowds). Did you know that ‘Black Friday’ (which is widely touted as the biggest shopping day in America) is actually not the biggest shopping day!?! In fact, the Saturday before Christmas has historically been the largest volume shopping day. Neat, huh?

So there you go! Some fun facts to share with your family and friends today! For more ‘Did You Know’ facts, check out Holidays.net.

 From all of us at ForRent.com, we wish you a happy & safe Thanksgiving! Gobble, Gobble!

This is actually the first post we’ve done regarding diet, but it is one that is near and dear to my heart. Last year during the holidays I searched & found an exercise regime that would meet with my holiday ‘sin’ such as cocktail parties, buffet dinner or dessert binges. But this post is more directed as proactive rather than reactive. Here are tips for you to avoid overeating in the first place during the holiday gatherings:

• Portions, Portions, Portions: When you are getting dishes to eat make sure you pay close attention to the size of the portions you are choosing. The recommended size is the palm of your hand or smaller. Given that during the holidays there are a plethora of delectables to feast on, you may want to go smaller so you can enjoy all there is to offer.
• Seasonal Favorites: It would be foolish of me to state that you should limit yourself to only 2 sides, when I know that I don’t do it. It’s hard with all the options to choose just a few but it might be easier if you were to look at it in a different manner. You’ll want to make sure you get seasonal favorites as those choices may not be around all year, so stick with those for your first round and if you’re still hungry then you can get other options. Wouldn’t you rather get cranberry sauce rather than bread and butter?
• Know your limits: This seems to be where people get themselves in to trouble. With all the goodies everywhere they continue to snack and snack and snack, bringing plate 1 to plate 4 or 5. When you are eating it is important to listen to your body for signals that you are getting full. This will help eliminate the overfull belly which can sometimes be painful (I know)! Again, sticking with the first two tips try everything you’d like, but make it smaller portions such as slivers of deserts and go back for more if you want (and are able to eat it). Don’t hoard everything onto your first plate as you will probably feel more obligated to finish it.
• Exercise: And keeping with my statement in the intro, exercise is a particular staple in my holidays. As I start to down my second sliver of pumpkin pie (personal seasonal favorite), I start to feel guilty. The easiest way for me to feel better about it is the promise to walk around my neighborhood twice afterwards (or do the stairs in my house a few extra times). I even ask my mother to join me so I’m still spending quality time with family. Exercise is important for any person, but during the holidays it is especially important as there is typically more stress and overeating.

With these tips in mind, hopefully everyone will be able to stick to their plan of not overeating. With the holidays being so close together, it really is key to be prepared so you can enjoy all to the fullest!

As with tradition when a big holiday is around the corner, we like to post recipes for everyone to see. With this posting, however, we have posted a complete meal! The delicious main course, the heavenly side dish and the ever-so-needed scrumptious dessert!

Cranberry Chicken

Tender baked chicken gets dressed for the holidays with a chunky spiced fruit sauce in this recipe shared by Linda Rock of Stratford, Wisconsin on TasteofHome.com.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 pounds)
• 1 can (16 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1 large tart apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

Directions:

• 1. Place chicken in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over chicken. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear.

Yield: 6 servings.

Crunchy Sweet Potato Casserole

This tasty side dish is sure to be a crowd pleaser! Just seeing the yummy picture is making my stomach growl!!! Provided by TasteofHome.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• TOPPING:
• 1 cup crushed cornflakes
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Spoon into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20 minutes.
• Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over potatoes. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the topping is lightly browned.

Yield: 6 servings. 

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I’ve actually made this little dessert. Not only is it very delicious, but it’s super easy to make too!

Ingredients:

• Yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1 ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon (divided)
• ¼ teaspoon of ginger
• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
• 2 ½ cups ov vanilla frosting

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cake mix, eggs, water, canned pumpkin, tspn of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then 2 minutes on medium.
•  Pour into well greased/floured pans (2 9-inch round pans or bundt cake pan). Bake 20-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.
•  Mix remaining cinnamon with frosting. Frost top of one 9-inch round cake, place the second 9-inch round cake ontop and frost all around the cake. Or if using a bundt cake, frost on the outside.
•  Serve and Eat!!!

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.