Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year to you and your family.  If you are making a resolution this year, you might find it difficult to keep as the year progresses.  Here are some great tips to keep you on the straight and narrow path all year long:

1. Create a Plan
Setting a goal without formulating a plan is merely wishful thinking. In order for your resolution to have resolve, (as the word "resolution" implies), it must translate into clear steps that can be put into action. A good plan will tell you A) What to do next and B) What are all of the steps required to complete the goal.

2. Create Your Plan IMMEDIATELY
If you're like most people, then you'll have a limited window of opportunity during the first few days of January to harness your motivation. After that, most people forget their resolutions completely.

3. Write Down Your Resolution and Plan
… commit your resolution and plan to writing someplace, such as a notebook or journal.

4. Think "Year Round," Not Just New Year's
Nothing big gets accomplished in one day. Resolutions are set in one day, but accomplished with a hundred tiny steps that happen throughout the year. New Year's resolutions should be nothing more than a starting point. You must develop a ritual or habit for revisiting your plan.

Check out the full article with even more tips here: http://www.mygoals.com/about/NewYearsTips.html

Christmas Lights Are Not Just for the Holidays

Do you decorate your apartment with Christmas lights?  If not, now might be the time to buy some.  Lights can be a surprisingly versatile way to add some decorative charm to your home all year round!

• Tube lighting in your bathroom will certainly keep the festive cheer going throughout your house (and it has an artistic vibe that can hang around once the holidays are done).
• Pinning a white sheet on the ceiling where white Christmas lights are hiding behind will give the room an ethereal glow.
• Try placing an entire string of lights into a loosely woven basket and placing it up high on a shelf. You'll get tiny specks of light peeking through which will make the basket glitter.
• This is a great way to cover up the lighting eyesore (in this case, a chandelier). Try putting the strand on a dimmer to regulate the output of light.
• Try tacking a strand of Christmas lights or tube lighting underneath kitchen cabinets or on the underside of your bed frame for a nice ambient light source.

Read the whole list of ideas from Apartment Therapy here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/inspiration/inspiration-alternative-uses-for-christmas-lights--070811

Fire Safety During the Holidays

 

We want to make sure everyone has a safe holiday!  Here are a few things you can do to help keep yourself, your family and you home safe this holiday season:

Caring for your freshly cut tree

• Select the freshest looking tree available. Very few needles should fall from the tree when you either shake or bounce the tree on its stump or gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward you.

• Water the tree daily, keeping the stand full of water at all times. Make a fresh cut off the bottom of the trunk approximately ½” from the bottom just before putting it in the stand. The stand should hold at least one quart of water for every inch diameter of the trunk.

Protect your tree from fire hazards

• Place the tree well away from heat sources including space heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves, televisions and computers. These items will speed up moisture loss of the tree.

• Always use lights designed for indoor use. Larger tree lights should also have some type of reflector rather than a bare bulb and all lights should be UL listed.

• Make sure any artificial trees are labeled as fire-retardant. Never use electric lights on a metal tree.

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use tree lights. Any string of lights with worn, frayed or broken cords or loose bulb connections should not be used.

• Always unplug tree lights before leaving home or going to sleep.

• Never use lit candles to decorate a tree.

• Safely dispose of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried out trees are highly flammable and should not be left in a house or garage or placed against the house.

Read the whole article here: http://sandyspringsga.org/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2009/Improperly-Cared-for-Christmas-Trees-Can-Lead--(1)

Holiday Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange at Dawson Forest!

 

Join your neighbors at Dawson Forest  for our holiday party December 16th from 6pm to 8:30.  We are going to have a “White Elephant Gift Exchange.”  What is that, you say?  It’s simple!

Bring a funny, pre-owned gift to exchange (make sure it’s wrapped and don’t put who it is from). We will draw numbers and each person will receive a gift, if you like someone else’s gift you can steal their gift or pick from the gift pile. We will be bringing flyers around to our residents, appetizers, drinks and other goodies too!

If you are attending, please R.S.V.P. to jill@dawsonforestapts.com  Hope to see you there!

Holiday Decoration Ideas

Excited to start decorating for the holidays but keen on saving space?  Here are some tips that might help you out:

1) Put lights around your windows. Lights around your windows you will take up very minimal space, and it's also a nice way for others to see your decorations, since living in an apartment almost guarantees that you don't have a front yard to decorate.

2) Place small decorations directly on your windows. These could be peel-and-stick snowflake decals or ornaments hung from window sucker hooks. This will keep the decorations out of your way for the most part and make them visible to those outside of your apartment, as well.

3) Choose a small or tabletop Christmas tree. Don't let living in a small apartment stop you from getting a Christmas tree, just use a smaller tree, maybe even a potted rosemary "tree," and decorate it with fewer lights and ornaments so as not to overwhelm the tree.

4) Hang mistletoe in the doorways. This is another way to utilize the empty spaces in your apartment, such as windows, doors and doorways. Besides, a smaller apartment just means more opportunities for two people to be under the mistletoe at the same time.

5) Light Christmas-themed candles. Simply replace any candles you already have with candles in holiday colors and/or scents. They will give your apartment a festive smell and feel. You can even create the ambiance of a fireplace by grouping several candles together on your coffee table.

 

Check out the whole article for more ideas here:  How to Decorate a Small Apartment at Christmas | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2127323_decorate-small-apartment-christmas.html#ixzz1fOO66QvH

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you and your family and friends are having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  If you are looking for a way to make your Thanksgiving Day run like clockwork, here are a few ideas: 

 

So you've just agreed to host a major holiday dinner! Now let's sit down and think about some of the Big Questions.

1) How many people will attend?
This is the big one. If you've got more attendees than tables, chairs, plates, silverware, etc then you'll have to devise work-arounds. Tables/chairs can be rented, borrowed from friends and neighbors, or improvised from milk crates and pieces of plywood or spare doors. If you're short plates and silverware you can decide to use disposable or ask guests to bring their own, picnic style. Make your own cloth napkins to be extra-cool.

2) Who's making/bringing food?
Identify what you'd like to make, and what (if anything) you'd like your guests to bring. Make sure your guests are on the same page with this.

3) Buffet or table service?
If you've got more than one table a buffet is pretty much required. It also reduces the need for small, passable bowls which would otherwise require refills. You can put the whole dish on the buffet and be done with it.

4) Storage space
How much space do you have in your refrigerator and freezer? This determines what you can make ahead. If you live in a cold area an enclosed porch or deck can supplement your fridge/freezer space; if it's too warm out you can use an ice-filled cooler to bulk up your refrigerated space.
How many ovens/racks do you have? You'll need to block out time accordingly, and choose oven vs. stovetop preparations as necessary.

5) Time
What time do you plan to serve dinner? This one is under your control; pick a time that will allow you to wake up at a normal time and still be able to run everything through the oven with time to spare. Schedule this one for your convenience.

For the full article click here:  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Organize-and-Cook-Holiday-Dinner-for-a-Crow/ 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Thanksgiving Tips

 

Can you believe Thanksgiving is in less than a week.  If you are playing host or hostess this year, here are a few holiday hosting tips for you courtesy of freshome.com:

 

1.) Accept help from others: While this seems like a simple concept, the misconception that the host/hostess has to do everything is not true. If you are hosting the big meal at your home, ask for help in an area that you feel weak in. If you are good at cooking, but not planning the details of the meal, ask for help from a neighbor or friend.

2.) Search now for deals: To save money and avoid the rush, start looking for holiday sales on holiday foods. Most stores will have displays already up and if you buy a few key ingredients each time you visit the store, you run less risk of the store running out of key ingredients, like cranberries!

3.) Plan your holiday table: The night before Thanksgiving is too late to plan what your table will look like. If you prefer a formal table, assure table linen, napkins, and dinnerware is clean and polished. For a casual table, assure you have the appropriate number of settings for everyone.

4.) Invite guests early: Start making your guest lists now and inviting them. This will help you plan a menu and will give time for your guests to check their calendars. Often time’s people wait until the last minute for Thanksgiving invites, and then are disappointed when guests have made prior plans.

5.) Ask guests to bring a dish: If the thought of preparing the Thanksgiving meal is a little menacing, why not ask your guests to bring a dish? Plan how many people you will have and ask each member to bring a certain item. Keep a running list so you don’t have 20 turkeys and no side dishes!

Check out the full list of tips here:  http://freshome.com/2010/11/15/10-easy-thanksgiving-tips-for-entertaining/

Happy Holidays!