Blog Posts

Meet the Neighbors - Getting to Know You

The majority of Americans are busy people, what with work, kids, school, jobs, volunteering, etc. the days are filled quickly. Did you know that over a third of Americans have never interacted with their neighbors? We often don't take time to meet our neighbors, let alone interact with them. This is unfortunate, because there are a number of benefits to being friends with trusted neighbors. The following tips can you you get to know your neighbors at your community. Tip # 1 - Host a Get-Together in the Clubhouse For the next Buffalo Bills or Sabres Game, host a party in the clubhouse and play the game on the big screen! Start with inviting the people on your floor or in your whole building, or post details of the event to resident portal! Divide and conquer the planning by inviting a couple of people you already to know to help with with food & drinks, activities, and promoting, or just tell everyone it's BYOB. Don't forget to contact a Leasing Agent to reserve the clubhouse. Tip # 2 - Start a Shared Interest Group Shared activities are a great way to bring together people with a common interest. Join or start a group in your community. A running group, an exercise group, a book club, a recipe exchange group, or a dinner club may be just the ticket to getting to know someone. Again, don't forget to post the event in resident portal! Tip # 3 - Ask Your Neighbor Questions It's such a simple thing, yet it can yield big friendship results. Perhaps you want a restaurant recommendation, or to know where the library is, or how to access the onsite fitness room. Asking your neighbor a question opens up communication and the opportunity to get to know each other. It's easy, simply knock on the door and ask a question. Tip #4 - Take a Gift to Your Neighbor A loaf of bread, a plate of cookies, a container of fresh fruit, flowers, tickets to the theater, all are simple, easy ways to say hello, nice to meet you. And simple gifts have led to life-long friendships. Tip #5 - Take a Walk Take a walk in your community and greet the people you meet. It's a win/win,you get some exercise and also get to know people in your neighborhood. Who knows; you may end up beginning a walking group! Comment or on Facebook to let us know how you got to know your neighbor!

Delicious Desserts for When You're Already Sick of Pumpkins

With the full onset of fall comes the obvious return of pumpkin and deals on seasonal fun size candy. But this is the time of year known for robust and calming flavors that feel more welcome as the temperatures gradually drop. From robust cinnamon to roasted pecans and spiced apple cider, there's comfort yet for those that are already tired of pumpkin in everything. Below, we've included a few delicious desserts for when you're already sick of the seemingly omnipresent orange gourd. Apple Harvest Pound Cake There's no better time for apples than fall in the pacific northwest. And making this harvest pound cake is one of the better ways to bring out all the rich local flavors in apples, especially with its thick caramel glaze. With a balanced blend of fresh cinnamon, chopped walnuts, granny smiths, and brown sugar, this is just the thing you need in your escape from seasonal pumpkindom. You can find what you'll need for it over here . Black Mission Fig Clafoutis Heaven have mercy, figs don't get as much credit as they deserve for the way they can bring a dessert together. And when you add French-style pancakes and a port-infused cream to the mix with some fresh and juicy figs? This one's a real game changer. With a bit of orange zest and vanilla extract for taste, your tongue will be thanking you for the rest of the day. You can find what you'll need for this recipe over yonder . Apple Cider Doughnuts We're back to apples again, but we couldn't really help ourselves. In the event you buy more apples than you needed for the our first apple-based recipe, you might as well use the rest in this on-the-go treat. With a bit of espresso powder, rich apple cider, and a dash of nutmeg, these doughnuts will are perfect for the daily grind. You can find the ingredients and step-by-step over here .

Autumn is in the Air Fall Party Ideas

With fall in full swing, it's the perfect time to plan a get-together with family, friends, or neighbors, and make good use of the clubhouse at your community. Or if you are in charge of a youth group, a book club, or a special interest group, your clubhouse might be the perfect place to meet. But planning a party, function, or get together can be a pain. Here are some ideas of what to include for an autumn themed gathering. Decorations - Tablecloths in fall colors, red, brown, orange, yellow set the tone. Add some fall leaves (real or paper), and pumpkins, gourds, or cornucopia, all are simple, easy ways to decorate. And if you are feeling ambitious, grab some hay bales and corn stalks for an outdoorsy, country feel. Food -- What says fall more than pumpkins? Serve one of these recipes for instant crowd approval. Pumpkin Soup from The Pioneer Woman Cooks Moist Pumpkin Muffins from Food.com Or this personal favorite, Pumpkin Pie Cake Pumpkin Pie Cake Directions: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees; then complete each step as directed. Crust: 1 yellow cake mix minus 1 cup. (Set 1 cup aside) 1 cup butter melted, 1 egg, Mix cake mix, melted butter, and egg together until it forms a soft dough. Lightly grease a 9'X13' baking pan. Press dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Set aside. Filling: 2 cups pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, cup milk 1 cup brown sugar 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to equal 3 tsp.) Mix together until well blended. Pour over top of crust. Topping: 1 cup reserved cake mix. 1 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar 1 tsp. cinnamon Mix cake mix, sugar, and cinnamon together, then cut butter into cake mix with a pastry blender (or two knives) until the chunks are the size of peas. Sprinkle over the top of the filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes (until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean). Cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream. Along with food, an activity where everyone disconnects from their media and concentrates on conversation and building relationships is a win. Here are some suggestions to get folks interacting. For a group who does not know each other well icebreaker or mingling games work well to get everyone involved: Mingle - Everyone walks around the room repeating the work, Mingle, repeatedly, until the MC calls out a number. Then everyone has two get in groups of that number. If there is anyone left-over at the end (they can't make up the correct number) they go to the Conversation Club (or you can call it jail) where they can visit with each other. Repeat the mingling and calling out of numbers until everyone is in the Conversation Club. And this is another variation of a mingling game to help people get to know each other. Simply having an assortment of board games or card games is also a fun way to promote conversation and provides the opportunity of getting better acquainted. Or putting together a puzzle, doing a craft together, or doing a service project, can all create a sense of camaraderie. Whatever you do, isn't it great to have access to the clubhouse at your community? Leave a comment and tell us about your event.

Crisp Ideas How to Use Autumn Apples

Apple trees,in the spring we love to see them blossom, in the summer their green leafy shade provides respite from the summer sun, the little green apples hold a promise, and in the fall the promise is fulfilled with sweet, crisp apples ready to be picked. You can pick some up at a pick-your-own farm , and stop at the farmer's market to get a couple of gallons of apple cider as well. But it's easy to get a little carried away, so the counters in your kitchen end up overloaded with two gallons of cider and three different varieties of apples! So today, we want to share some great ways to use all those apples. Applesauce , because it goes great with pork chops, or on pancakes, or for dessert, sprinkled with a little bit of cinnamon of course. Apple Dumplings - Delicious and easy to make. Enjoy! Apple Cobbler , Just like grandma used to make. For the longer term, you can dry apples and or make and preserve homemade apple pie filling. Drying Apples Apple Pie Filling Ah, a slice of warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sounds heavenly. And what are apples without caramel? Here's a super-easy caramel recipe to try. And, to drizzle it over apple pie or to make caramel apples, leave out the last two minutes of cooking and dip the apples (slide a popsicle stick into the bottom of an apple for easy dipping) into the caramel. Then roll them in finely chopped pecans and place them on waxed paper to cool. Jaimie's Carmels Ingredients: 1 cup butter 1 cup light corn syrup 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk 2 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tsp vanilla 3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) Butter baking dish (I used a 9'x13' glass baking pan). Directions: Put all ingredients, except vanilla, in large microwave safe bowl: 1- Heat on high five minutes; stir 2- Heat on high five minutes; stir 3- Heat on high five minutes; stir 4- Heat on high TWO minutes; stir Remove from heat and stir in vanilla (and finely chopped pecans if you want them). Pour into buttered pan; let cool two hours. Cut into pieces and wrap in waxed paper. And with all of that apple cider, it becomes a moral imperative to throw an autumn apples party! Wassail, a.k.a. hot spiced cider will be the perfect beverage to serve at the party. You can use the clubhouse at your community to throw your own party, apples are optional. Write a comment and let us know how it turns out, or visit the community Facebook page and share a picture!

Making the Most of Public Transportation

Perhaps you use public transit every day, perhaps you used it years ago, or perhaps it is a foreign term to you entirely. By definition, public transportation, or transit, is a shared passenger experience which is available for use by the public. City buses, trolleybuses, trams, light rail, passenger trains, rapid transit (metro/subways/undergrounds) and ferries are all types of public transportation. Public transportation is a safe and affordable way to commute. It helps reduce traffic congestion, it saves energy, decreases automobile pollution, can provide exercise (like biking from the train to the office), contributes to a sense of community A bus/train pass is often less expensive than buying gas, even if you are only commuting part of the way. And most public transit offices offer monthly passes that cost less than the per day use. Cars create about 50 percent of pollution nationwide*; so the more people who use public transit, the less pollution is expelled into the air we breathe. And less pollution is a win for everyone. Traffic conditions nationwide are often in a state of congestion. If it wasn't for public transportation, it would be worse. A single, large city subway can carry about 30,000 passengers in one hour. If those riders drove instead, ten additional highway lanes would be needed to accommodate the additional traffic. And, think about this, if every American who currently uses some form of public transit were to stop, and drove to work, one person per car instead, they would fill the equivalent of a nine-lane freeway stretching from Boston to Los Angeles. Additionally, while others are feeling road rage at being stuck in traffic, you can get caught up on your reading, homework, scan your email, or cruise through FaceBook. Saving energy is another benefit or using public transportation. Public transit is twice as fuel efficient as automobiles, and that kind of efficiency adds up, and saves more than 45 million barrels of oil a year. The energy saved is enough to cool, heat, and operate about a quarter of all American homes each year. An added benefit, is that public transportation is, statistically speaking, safer than driving. The National Safety Council estimates that riding the bus is over 170 times safer than traveling by car. That's a pretty striking number. Add exercise to the formula, walking or biking to and from your destinations, and it's a win/win situation. The benefits of public transport are evident. So start commuting, or take a day trip using public transport, and send us a comment about your experience. *Stats for this article were taken from Wikipedia and PACommutes .

Getting the Most Out of the Playground

One of the best place for kids to enjoy is the playground; knowing something about Playground Etiquette will help create better community relations for everyone. Tip # 1 Keep an Eye On Your Children It's something that should go without saying, but we all know that one parent or caregiver, the one who reaches the playground with the kids, and immediately sits down on the bench and proceeds to be glued to her/her phone, oblivious to the kids who are monopolizing the swings. Please, be aware and keep track of what your kids are doing. Kids, especially young ones, need constant supervision. Take time to join them in their play. Tip #2 Let Everybody Have a Turn We know little Johnnie loves to swing. But if a line is forming, waiting for a chance to use the swings, too, that's a good indication that you need to finish soon. Give your child a couple of minutes warning that you are going to play on something else soon, and use the situation as an opportunity to teach the child about sharing. Tip #3 Clean Up after Yourself It's happened to everyone who uses playgrounds, coming across that sticky spot, stepping on a piece of chewed gum, or trying to find a picnic table to sit at that doesn't have bits of trash from a meal still there. Simply taking the time to throw trash in the can, and wipe up sticky spills (or report larger ones to maintenance) will make the playground more pleasant for everyone. Tip #4 Be Prepared Making & taking a playground pack, including tissues, wet-wipes, band-aids, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a plastic bag can help you avoid the little emergencies that can happen at the playground. Scraped knee? A quick wipe down, a band-aid, and a kiss, will get a kid back to the slide in no-time. And if you have sunscreen and/or insect repellent, you won't have to cut your visit short. Tip #5 Be Courteous When you are asking another parent or a child for cooperation, you DON'T want to get involved in a screaming match. So, rather than telling another parent to make their annoying child stop his annoying behavior, gently suggest to the child, an appropriate behavior he can do. For example, my daughter would like to use the slide, too, and if you don't move, you may get hurt when she slides down rather than get off the slide, now. The old saying, you get more friends with honey than vinegar applies to this situation. Playgrounds are awesome places to get outside, let kids get some exercise, and to socialize and get to know your neighbors.