Blog Posts

Read a Book for Black History Month

While February is the known for Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Mardi Gras, and Susan B. Anthony’s birthday, it’s also Black History Month. We have a few books, written by people of color, for you to check out. 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr., Shane W. Evans : From a Goodreads review: “Each day features a different influential figure in African-American history, from Crispus Attucks, the first man shot in the Boston Massacre, sparking the Revolutionary War, to Madame C. J. Walker, who after years of adversity became the wealthiest black woman in the country, as well as one of the wealthiest black Americans, to Barack Obama, the country's first African-American president.” I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou : From a Goodreads review: Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local "powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors ("I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare") will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison “Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. In the autumn of 1941, the year the marigolds in the Breedloves' garden do not bloom. Pecola's life does change- in painful, devastating ways. What its vivid evocation of the fear and loneliness at the heart of a child's yearning, and the tragedy of its fulfillment. The Bluest Eye remains one of Tony Morrisons's most powerful, unforgettable novels- and a significant work of American fiction.” For additional books to read for Black History Month, check out Popular Black History Month Books and Books by People of Color . So, get a book and cozy up in your favorite reading spot in your apartment and read up on some history today. The Southeast Regional Library serving Gilbert, AZ residents is a great resource for acquiring some of these books to read — plus so much more; stop by and see what they have to offer. We hope you have a great rest of the month in the Liv Northgate community.

Classes to take in the Gilbert Area

Liv Northgate abounds with amenities for our residents, and we are happy to provide them. In addition to what you’ll find here, the greater Gilbert, AZ Community offers a wide variety of resources for city residents. Today we are highlighting some of the options available in the area from classes at the Gilbert Community Center to arts & crafts classes at CraftFusion. Head out of your apartment to learn something new! Gilbert Community Center The Gilbert Community Center hosts not only a variety of classes for all ages, but it is a “gathering place for all people.” This is what you can expect to find when you visit: “Once you walk in the front door you will experience the home grown feel of a small town community. Here we service the families in the Heritage District with a safe place for children to come and enjoy recreation. For the Active Adult . . . we host on-going affordable trips, card games, crafts, painting classes, exercise classes, dancing to live bands, movies, bingo and bunko.” Amenities at the Gilbert Community Center include the these: — 2 Multi-purpose rooms (able to accommodate up to 200 people) — 3 Multi-use classrooms (two equipped with private restrooms) — Exercise/Dance Room · Lounge with 3 computers — Lobby has a built-in HD flat screen TV — Available for rent to host your weddings, birthday parties, church services, meetings, etc., — Recreation classes (all ages) — Senior Activities/Lunches M-F — Large outdoor covered Ramada CraftFusion Self-proclaimed as the place “where craft meets art & art meets craft!” CraftFusion is located at the northwest corner of Dobson & Baseline Roads in the Dobson Shores Shopping Center in Mesa, Arizona. According to their website, CraftFusion is a resource for craft supplies including paper crafting, scrapbooking, mixed media art needs, and more. Not only do they provide crafting supplies, they are committed to teaching “in a creative and fun atmosphere, while always providing extraordinary customer service and the newest in merchandise.” Patrons can sign up for workshops and classes “designed for all levels of crafters and artists – from novice to advanced alike – designed to get your creative juices flowing in all areas of crafts and mixed media arts.” CraftFusion is about 20 minutes from Liv Northgate Apartments. What classes are you planning to take in 2018? Share in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

A Brief History of Valentine's Day

Welcome back to the Liv Northgate Blog! Valentine’s Day is coming up, and images of Cupid are popping up in advertisements everywhere in Gilbert, Arizona. Traditionally the day for lovers, Valentine’s Day means different things to everyone. For some, it’s all about couples, and for others, it’s recognizing friends and family members with tokens of love. For kids, it’s often about getting the most valentine cards, yet for others, it is a reminder of being single. Whatever your take on the date is, the actual history behind Valentine’s day is interesting, and we’re sharing some of it in today’s post. Father Frank O’Gara of Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland, shares the story of St. Valentine here . Tradition holds that the Roman Emperor, Claudius II, had banned the men in his army from marrying, based on the idea that unmarried soldiers fought better (less distracted maybe?) because they weren’t worried about wives and families. Valentine was a priest and he secretly married couples, going against the Roman edict. Eventually, Claudius found out and had Valentine imprisoned. It is said he healed his jailer, Asterius’ blind daughter. After being imprisoned for some time, Valentine was sentenced to be executed. Tradition has it that his last words, written in a note to Asterius' daughter, was “from your Valentine,” which inspired generations of sweethearts to sign cards with that phrase. The oldest extant valentine is a part of the manuscript collection of the British Library (original text pictured). Dating from 1415, the missive was written by Charles, Duke of Orléans, to his wife while he was being held as a prisoner in the Tower of London after being wounded and captured at the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years War. Today, more than 180 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent, and 196 million roses are produced . Do you have yours? Are you planning on a romantic dinner at a Gilbert restaurant or a quiet evening at your apartment? Enjoying a fabulous Arizona sunset with your sweetheart? Treats for the kids? Ignoring the day? We’d love to hear about your Valentine’s Day plans. Feel free to share in the comments.

Bringing History to Life in Sunny Arizona

We hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl war, and that your team won! This month, the Liv Northgate Blog wants to share information about another war that is coming up this month in Arizona. We’re writing about the Estrella War, which isn’t a war in the traditional sense but is, rather, a week-long WAR put on by a group of medieval reenactors, February 20 – 26, at the beautiful Schnepf Farms, a hop-skip-and-jump away in Queen Creek, just over 12 miles away. This is not a renaissance fair, but an opportunity to immerse yourself in a medieval world — or about as close as you can get, anyway. The group’s website explains it like this: “Estrella War is one of the oldest and largest events held in the SCA. It’s purpose: to embark in the fun and frivolity of a week of medieval style camping, pageantry, combat & weaponry skills, arts & sciences including classes & demonstrations… and of course gather in the camaraderie of friends old and new who share in the diverse interests of middle ages life.” The event has been held now for 30 years, Gilbert residents may have heard about it, or maybe even seen people dressed in funny clothes buying ice and camping gear at merchants in the area. For more information and to register for the event, visit the Estrella War website . The event includes medieval arts and sciences, youth activities, archery, special events, combat, and a town square filled events, games, and of course shopping. Events are held all over the Known World’s Kingdoms — the United States and beyond — this video gives you a good idea of what you may find at a large SCA event . A local medieval re-enactment group, The Barony of Twin Moons , spearheads the event. The group meets weekly according to their website for a weekly Fighter Practice, and newcomers are always welcome. Plan now to get away to the past this month, and learn a new-old skill. If you prefer the more modern counterpart to medieval combat, check out this fencing center in the Gilbert area: Arizona Fencing Center From the website: “Arizona Fencing Center welcomes all interested fencers from beginner to Olympic level with our Introductory, Beginner and Advanced classes, open fencing, and private lessons! We have something for everyone. AFC hosts the scouts, birthday parties, team building events, social meeting events, home school fencing programs, and Fencing For All Foundation’s Zorro Project. “AFC is proud to be the home of some of the best fencers in the country. We are very fortunate to have the coaching expertise of Head Coach, Florin Paunescu. Coach Florin has developed numerous fencers to national and international levels of fencing both here and in Europe; he is the ONLY Olympic level coach in Arizona.” Arizona Fencing Center is about 17 minutes from Liv Northgate Apartments. Next week, we’ll have a Valentine’s Day related blog, including its history. Thanks for reading this Liv Northgate apartment blog post today!

Plan a Super Bowl Party for Your Liv Northgate Apartment

The Super Bowl is coming up on February 4th, and we’ve got ideas for celebrating and watching the game in style with a party at your Liv Northgate apartment. So read through our post, plan your party, and head out to your favorite Gilbert area grocery store for snack ingredients you don’t have on hand, and get ready to rumble! Invitations The days of paper invitation are pretty much a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean your electronic version has to be a series of text messages or social media posts! Take a look at these: 15 Super Bowl Party Invitations , to get ideas or to just use. Figure out how many people can comfortably fit in your apartment, and invite more than that, because not everyone you invite will be able to make it. Do your best to get RSVPs so you will know how much food to plan. Theme The theme is a given — football — but how do you make it work for you? We have some ideas for fun, easy, ways to build the football theme at your party. Super Bowl Fiesta From the blogger: “When I watch football I love to get dressed up and make a lot of noise. Get your guests to go crazy during the game by providing them with a few wearables and noisemakers.” Mardi Gras Super Bowl Where “Super Sunday meets the Big Easy” is what you can do with this theme. Add an element of fun with football confetti, and don’t forget the beads! Check out these 13 Super Bowl Party Ideas for more simple decorating ideas for a super bowl party. Food A super bowl party is a great opportunity to have your guests bring potluck dishes to end up with a unique variety of food — however, if you like to know what’s going to be served, it may be better to plan the food yourself. Take into account how much time you have/want to invest in food preparation as you plan. Decide whether you want to do a full meal or just serve snacks. We’ve rounded up some snack recipes to help you get started: Football Puppy Chow Turn almonds into footballs for this easy-to-make, fun-to-eat snack. You will need Chex cereal, green candy melts, vegetable oil, creamy peanut butter, chocolate chips, white M&Ms, whole almonds, and powdered sugar; plus white icing for the almonds. And for the health conscious football fan, Everyday Health has some healthy options for your game day goodies . There is no need to sacrifice taste for nutrition. Serving Truffled Popcorn with Rosemary and Garlic doesn’t even sound like it’s something on the healthy side --but it is indeed. Bon Appetite! MyRecipes.com also has some great ideas for eating in style with essential tailgating recipes for things like Sausage, Bean, and Spinach Dip --served with chips or chunks of bread, it’s a warm filling dish for game day, and for dessert, check out these ideas: 8 Football Shaped Desserts Enjoy the super bowl via the big screen, right here in Gilbert, AZ, and thanks for reading today’s post in the Liv Northgate Blog this week!

Celebrate National Popcorn Day

January 19th is National Popcorn Day, and this month the Liv Northgate Blog is featuring several popcorn recipes. Invite some friends from our apartment community over to join you and enjoy and an evening full of popcorn, movie snacks, and your favorite films. We’ve got some recipes for a variety of popcorns to try. Popcorn Recipes Oreo Cookie Popcorn from Two Sisters Crafting This is a really easy popcorn recipe that can double as an after-dinner dessert. Not feeling well? Have a chicken soup dinner and then binge watch your favorite Netflix series while you munch on this sweet snack. Marshmallows, popcorn, mini Oreo cookies, and butter make this treat both delicious and unique. Easy Homemade Kettle Corn from Yummy Healthy Easy Kettle corn is a great, easy snack to share with friends on a January evening in Gilbert. Put in a couple of your favorite Hitchcock films for a classic movie marathon. This popcorn is topped with canola oil, Truvia (or sugar), salt, and melted butter. Chili and Lime Popcorn in Coconut Oil from Killing Thyme This is our only savory popcorn on the list, but it’s one of our favorite popcorn recipes. Chili powder and lime make for a unique (and spicy) taste. This recipe makes just enough popcorn for a night in with your favorite movie. Cinnamon Toast Popcorn from Two Sisters Crafting This cinnamon toast popcorn is perfect for anyone who wants to transport their favorite breakfast toast into a fun movie snack. Use popcorn, butter, granulated sugar, and cinnamon to make this delicious treat. Feel free to make much less popcorn than the ten cups this recipe calls for. Marshmallow Popcorn Balls from Chef in Training Plan a party for National Popcorn Day and serve these marshmallow popcorn balls to your guests. This recipe takes a lot of popped corn — sixteen cups — but the rest of the recipe is pretty simple. You’ll love the butter, sugar, corn syrup, marshmallow, and vanilla topping that holds these popcorn balls together. Of course, you could also head out to your favorite Gilbert, AZ movie theater for the latest movie and a big tub of buttered movie-theater popcorn, washed down with an extra-large drink. See what’s playing on the big screen this month at Movie Insiders . Thanks for reading today’s post. We’ll be back next week with suggestions for Super Bowl Sunday to celebrate football Arizona style!