Labor Day Cooking!

This year I’ve decided to have a different take on Labor Day. Usually my neighbors and I go out and we enjoy the sales or the events going on around town. But this year after moving into my new apartment at the Estates at Heathbrook I want to enjoy my Labor Day weekend here at home.

So I’ve invited a couple of friends and neighbors over for a Labor Day lunch! I’m so excited you don’t even know. I really enjoy cooking and this is a great way to utilize my skills. Not to mention I find it quite relaxing.

I’ve created a menu (yes I know that sounds like it’s a bit too much) and my friends and neighbors will be bringing over the items for the meal. This way I can the meal isn’t too expensive and everyone feels like they’re helping.

Afterward we’ll hang out by the pool and just enjoy our day off! What are you doing for Labor Day?

Here’s our menu for our Labor Day Lunch!

Appetizer
Baked Caprese Salad

Entree
Southwest Turkey Burgers

Dessert
Cranberry Granita

Photo by madaise

National Dog Day!

Tomorrow, August 26th is National Dog Day! Being that The Estates at Heathbrook is a pet friendly community we have to celebrate! We found some great ways to celebrate your member of the family!

1. Post pictures of your beloved dog on our Facebook Page! Everyone will be able to see why you love your pet so much!
2. Buy your pets some delicious dog treats!
3. Take them out and have them enjoy the space and air!
4. If you don’t have a pet, why not adopt one? Or Rescue one?
5. Pamper your puppy, give them a bath or take them to the salon!

National Dog Day

Photo by knowncitizen

Laundry Myths Revealed!

Personally one of my favorite amenities that The Estates at Heathbrook has is that they come with full sized washers and dryers. One doesn’t have to worry about buying these appliances or if they already have one, how they are going to get it inside their new home.

As I was doing my laundry last night I wanted to know if there were actually any myths to doing laundry. Do I really need to add stain remover to my stains? Does the dryer really shrink my clothes? I found some interesting ” laundry myth busters.”

• Adding Bleach- The myth tells us to add bleach at the same time as we add our laundry detergent. Actually our laundry detergent counteracts the bleach and makes our whites become gray and dingy.
• Shrinking Clothes- Dryers don’t shrink our clothes.  It’s actually the lack of moisture from OVER drying that makes our clothes shrink. Take out your clothes when they are actually dry or take them out a bit sooner and hang dry.
• Adding Stain Remover- When you add stain remover onto stains it pushes the dirt and stain into your clothes. The best thing to do is to flip your item of clothing inside out and then add the stain remover.
• Damp or Dry?- Is it damp or dry? Truthfully the hands in our nerves can’t tell whether or not it’s cold or damp. Some say to test dampness with you lips.

Laundry myths abound and always will. Some of those laundry myths have been debunked today. Add bleach during the last five minutes of the washing cycle, remove clothes from the dryer immediately, treats stains on the wrong side of the fabric and test for dampness with lips. All these factual tips will help get laundry done right and make garments last longer.

Photo by ladybugbkt

Weather Watch

Florida is closing in on the hurricane season and we all at Estates at Heathbrook need to be prepared.  The weather can get pretty crazy here and if we’re not properly prepared it wouldn’t be pretty. That’s the beauty of Florida isn’t it though? With a great location and mostly great weather comes the bad spurts. Remember these few tips on being prepared for the weather!

• Do as your told- If you’re told to evacuate your area during bad weather, please do as your told and evacuate as soon as you can.
• Create a Plan- If you aren’t told to evacuate you still need to prepare. Where are you supposed to go in case the weather gets foul? Do you have a central area to go to? Follow up on those questions
• Supply Kit- Make a kit of supplies; first aid, food, blankets, water… full list

Keep an eye out on the weather and be prepared always

Photo by Ed Yourdon

Kitchen Cafe 101!

I’ve been planning on changing the style in my kitchen. I’ve grown tired of the random decor I’ve acquired and I want something new and well cohesive. I’ve been looking around at different style and themes.

The biggest theme I enjoyed was a kitchen cafe. Like every other person I wanted a french style cafe in my kitchen. I knew it’d be so cute and quaint. I started looking around for certain things and items that would make my theme and style happen. I found a great check list to help me achieve this!

• Plants- Make sure you have climbing ivy (it can be fake), terracotta pots around your kitchen. I placed mine on top of the cabinets. This way they won’t be in the way.
• Bistro Table and Chairs- It’s only me in my apartment so I bought a small round table with bistro chairs. Currently I only have two chairs out but I have another pair in the closet if I have guests.
• Art- I have a chalk board on the wall for grocery and to-do lists. This adds to the theme. I also have little hanging art of coffee and food.
• Lighting- I have candles on my countertops to add to my theme. This not only helps with my style but when I cook I can help rid the food smell faster.

Try these few tips to obtain a great looking kitchen! How have you decorated your kitchen?

Photo by Vintage Lulu

When it comes to search engines

There are three that come to my mind, Google, Bing, and Yahoo. You’ve got the old favorite Yahoo, the more than effective Google and the newest addition to the family Bing.  So what do you use when you search for things? Vote on our poll and let us know what you use! Comment below if you don’t see your search engine listed.

Photo by dannysullivan

Cooking Smarter!

My mother is  a great cook. End of statement, there are no “ifs, ands or buts” about it. She’s good at cooking, and she never needs a recipe. She throws things into a pot and voila out comes a masterpiece. Now while my mother is a great cook, she’s not the healthiest cook. She loves butter, frying, anything that involves high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Ever since I’ve moved into my apartment at The Estates at Heathbrook I’ve been trying to make her recipes a bit healthier.  I try using ground turkey, less salt, olive oil and other alternatives. But sometimes I need to reference some smarter cooking tips, it’s not easy because the way my mother does it makes the food so good.

Here are just some of the tips I use to cook smarter, try them out!

Method- Try grilling, boiling, steaming and poaching your foods. It’s a healthier way to cook.

Spices- Use herbs and spices rather than salts to add taste to your meals!

Fruits and Veggies- Add more fruits and vegetables to your recipes and meals!

Photo by pillowhead designs

Have an Old Favorite?

When I was younger I remember being involved in everything. You name it, I probably tried it. I was always getting involved into activities and trying out new things. I was participated in Lacrosse, Cross Country, Soccer, Marching Band (Color Gaurd), Student Council, Math Team (I know…).

Now that I’m older I’ve dropped some (well most) of those activities since I have to focus on other things. I don’t enjoy it either, so recently I’ve been picking some of my favorites back up. I’ve been running and biking mostly and trying new things. For a while I wouldn’t try anything new…where’s the fun in that?

What’s one activity that you’ve dropped and want to pick back up? Check out our Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/LiveHeathbrook) and ask around. Maybe you can find a tennis partner or share a love for reading with a neighbor! Estates at Heathbrook’s hope is to create a community for you!

The Best Excuses for Skipping Your Exercise Routine!

We all know that exercising does your body well, but there are times when you don’t want to exercise. You’d rather take a relaxing night and rest after work rather than exercising for an hour and a half. Excuses go through your mind on the way to the gym and you’re looking to find the best one. “If I exercise twice as hard tomorrow I can rest today, or I’ll get up early tomorrow morning and make up.” Yet sometimes there are times when we really shouldn’t be exercising. We need to recognize some signs that indicate we really should “take a knee” that day.

These are great excuses for you to not exercise one day:

• Recent Asthma Flare Up
• Recent Concussion
• Old Sports Injury is Acting Up
• No Sleep the Night Before
• Your back hurts
• Your Muscles are Sore
• Don’t Rush a Comeback

Remember that The Estates at Heathbrook has a Club-class fitness center featuring indoor racquetball court. We also have tennis courts and lush landscaping featuring walking paths and fountains. Make sure to get your exercise in but don’t push it!

To Buy or To Rent?

That’s the question, do you buy a house or continue with your lease? Of course there are many pros and cons for both ideas but it’s up to you, and the result is leaning towards Renting. People’s mentalities are changing and they are choosing to stay within the apartment industry. And Why not?

• People who roomed with others to save money are now upgrading and living in an apartment on their own.
• People don’t want to worry about the fear of losing their house because of the market.
• No more First-Time-Buyer Tax Credit
• No committment to a 30-year mortgage

Photo by Oberazzi

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