Blog Posts

Spring Meal in Gilbert

In this post, the Liv Northgate Blog is featuring a few of our favorite spring recipes. Take advantage of the beautiful kitchen in your Gilbert, AZ and make a delicious meal (or two...or three) before the month is through. We hope that you get the chance to enjoy a filling and mouth-watering spring meal. Seriously Amazing Cheddar Mashed Potatoes from Little Spice Jar These seriously amazing cheddar mashed potatoes are seriously amazing. You’ll love the rich, creamy taste of these potatoes. Use sour cream, garlic, butter, cheddar cheese, half and half, and chopped chives to season these impossibly delicious potatoes. Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili from The Chunky Chef Combine chicken, onion, garlic, broth, beans, green chiles, and corn in the slow cooker. Season your chili with salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne powder, and fresh cilantro. Finish it all off with sour cream and half and half. Top it with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy it with a side salad. Southern Macaroni and Cheese from Oh, Sweet Basil There’s nothing like a bowl of cheesy macaroni and cheese after a long day of work. Sour cream, whole milk, butter, and cheddar cheese make for the thickest cheese sauce we’ve ever tried. Finish it off with a sprinkle of salt, and you’ve got a great spring meal. Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas from The Recipe Critic These slow cooker beef carnitas are seasoned with the best spice rub we’ve ever tried. Make the spice rub by mixing together chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Serve it up with a dollop of sour cream, your favorite salsa, and a side of beans. Lemon Bundt Cake from Love from the Oven This lemon bundt cake can be made with lemon cake mix, sour cream, instant lemon pudding mix, oil, eggs, warm water, lemon zest, and lemon extract. Top it all off with cream cheese frosting flavored with lemon extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Enjoy the tart sweetness of this amazing dessert. What are your favorite spring recipes? Leave your favorite recipe in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Celebrate the Theatre

The Liv Northgate Blog is celebrating the theatre this month! We have theatre etiquette tips and information about how you can see and read a play this month. We hope that you have a wonderful (and theatrical) month here in Gilbert, AZ! Theatre Etiquette Refrain from eating during the show. No one wants to be distracted by the sounds of you eating during the play. Instead, wait to buy refreshments at intermission or, better yet, eat a full meal before you see the show. Also remember to refrain from checking your phone, turning on your phone, or recording during the performance. Most shows are illegal to film (also, it’s better to focus on the experience of a live performance rather than trying to preserve it so you can watch it later). New York Show Tickets has a whole list of Broadway etiquette tips that we think could apply to any performance you might attend this month. Watch a Play Live We’ve featured the Hale Centre Theatre on our blog in the past, but it’s an excellent place to see a show here in Gilbert, AZ. This month they are playing Aida, a show by Elton John and Tim Rice. You can find a nice blurb about the show and information regarding purchasing tickets here . Read a Play Sometimes reading a play can be a great way to experience the theatre. We are including the summary of one of our favorite Shakespeare plays below. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare “ Much Ado About Nothing includes two quite different stories of romantic love. Hero and Claudio fall in love almost at first sight, but an outsider, Don John, strikes out at their happiness. Beatrice and Benedick are kept apart by pride and mutual antagonism until others decide to play Cupid.” Watch a Play at Home My Fair Lady (1964) “‘My Fair Lady’ is the best and most unlikely of musicals, during which I cannot decide if I am happier when the characters are talking or when they are singing. The songs are literate and beloved; some romantic, some comic, some nonsense, some surprisingly philosophical, every single one wonderful. The dialogue by Alan Jay Lerner wisely retains a great deal of ‘Pygmalion’ by George Bernard Shaw, himself inspired by Ovid's Metamorphosis .” What are your favorite plays? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Decorate Your Living Room

This month the Liv Northgate Blog has several decor options that we think would look excellent in your Gilbert, AZ living room. Spruce up your space, decorate your living room, and make your home reflect your personality by using our tips. We hope that you have an excellent month here in Gilbert, AZ! Curtains Curtains are a great way to add some color into your home. Light, white curtains can give your living room a beachy, breezy feel. Heavier curtains are perfect for privacy. West Elm is an excellent place to shop for curtains and drapes. We really love these sheer clipped jacquard curtains . Place your curtains higher and wider than your windows to open up the room. Unique Storage Sometimes the best way to decorate is actually through your storage. Wayfair has a plethora of unique storage ideas . We think that incorporating shelving, cabinets, storage benches, and storage ottomans into your living room can be a great way to express your personality and add a little more storage space to your Liv Northgate apartment home. This Rimo upholstered storage bench serves as extra seating and is also a great way to add a little color to the room. Rugs Rugs can add texture and warmth to your living room. Find a rug that fits the color scheme of your room. You could even switch out your rugs throughout the year. Use shag or wool rugs in the winter and flat weave rugs in the winter. You can even pile your rugs on top of each other for a textured, layered look. You can find an excellent selection of rugs at Target . Do you have any decorating tips for us? Leave your advice in the comments. Good Housekeeping has a wonderful slideshow showcasing 145 Designer Living Room Decorating Ideas . Browse through the pictures for inspiration. Thanks for reading our post!

Road Trip

Get out of Gilbert, AZ with a road trip to a nearby national park this month. The Liv Northgate Blog is featuring a few of our favorite national parks and a couple of tips to help you get through your next road trip. We hope that you get the chance to have an adventure this April! Below we are featuring several national parks that we think you would love exploring this month. We’ve highlighted parks that are various distances from your home here in Arizona. Click each link for help planning your trip. Short Trip Saguaro National Park 1h 49 min Saguaro National Park is a great place to visit and camp if you want to get out of town for a short weekend away. Learn more about the park’s camping and event info at the National Park Service website. Medium Trip Grand Canyon 3h 45 min Everyone should find the chance to see the Grand Canyon at least once during their lifetime. If you haven’t been able to visit the Grand Canyon yet, take the chance to explore the national park this April. Learn more about the national park (and planning your trip) at the Grand Canyon official website . Lake Powell 4h 41 min Lake Powell is a great place to spend a long weekend. Go boating, swimming, wakeboarding, and tubing at Lake Powell this year. We think that renting a houseboat for your trip is a wonderful idea. You can find more idea on booking a houseboat on the Lake Powell website . Long Trip Yellowstone National Park 16h 48 min Highlights at Yellowstone National Park include Old Faithful, Canyon Village, and Mammoth Hot Springs. We recommend taking a couple of weeks off work to explore the entire park and give yourself enough time to get there (and come back). Yellowstone National Park is huge, so pick the places you most want to see and focus on enjoying those sites. Also remember to reserve your campsites ahead of time. If you’d prefer to stay in a hotel, book your trip well ahead of time to ensure you have a room to stay in each night. You can find more on Yellowstone National Park from the National Park Service . Travel Tips Before you head out on your trip, pack a cooler full of healthy food. Fruit, vegetables, sandwiches, and granola are all great road trip snacks. Also remember to have all the right documents before you head out on your trip. Remember to pack your license, insurance card, and registration before you go. Where should we road trip this month? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and the Liv Northgate Blog has a few ideas to help you celebrate. We are taking ideas from the Academy of American Poets to help you celebrate, so write your own poetry and some this month. We hope that you have an awesome National Poetry Month here in your apartment in Gilbert, AZ! Poetry Through Cinema The Academy of American Poets suggests watching a poetry themed movie sometime this month. Our favorite of their movie recommendations is the Dead Poets Society. They say this of the movie: “Robin Williams plays an English teacher in an East Coast boys’ prep school who inspires his students to love poetry, among other life lessons. The film, which popularized the tradition of carpe diem poems, features verse by Frost , Tennyson , and Shakespeare. ” Visit Poets.org to find more of the Academy’s movie recommendations . Read a Poem Reading poetry is a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month. Read a poem a day for the month of April. We’ll help you get started by featuring one of our favorite poems, “I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud” by William Wordsworth. I wandered lonely as a Cloud That floats on high o'er vales and Hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden Daffodils; Beside the Lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:- A Poet could not but be gay In such a jocund company: I gazed---and gazed---but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude, And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the Daffodils. Write Your Own Poetry Learn how to write your own poetry this month. Haikus are a great way to start writing. Haikus are three line poems. The first and last lines are five syllables long, and the middle line is seven syllables long. Visit the site to learn more about haikus and how to write them . Do you have any poetry tips for us? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

Relax

The Liv Northgate Blog has several ideas to help you unwind and relax this April. Let your worries go and spend some time getting your rest and relaxation this month. Let the stresses of day-to-day living go out the window as you spend the weekend getting rid of the stresses in your life. We have four suggestions to help you let go of stress this month. Organize Your Schedule Write down everything you have to do in a week. Once you have a list, schedule out time to accomplish everything you need to do. Block out your time for work, chores, and errands. After you’ve mapped out your time, schedule in some free time. It can be easy (and tempting) to fill every minute of the day with things you need to do. Remember to take some time for yourself each week, as well. Shopify has a brilliant list of time management apps. We really like Wunderlist . Shopify says this about Wunderlist: “When it comes to getting stuff done, you’re no longer alone. Wunderlist lets you track, complete, and share your goals at the click of a button. You can also assign tasks, add comments, and set due dates and reminders for your team.” Visit Shopify for a full list of time management apps . Calming Colors The right colors can transform your Gilbert, AZ apartment home into a peaceful place. Shape has an excellent article on Paint Colors that Relieve Stress and Help You Relax . You may not be able to paint the walls of your Liv Northgate apartment, but you can incorporate these peaceful colors into your home through your decor. Use pink, purple, or green for your curtains, pictures, throw pillows, and furniture. The best way to relax is to make your home as relaxing and calming as possible. Relaxing Scents The Huffington Post suggests 11 Scents That Can Do Wonders For Your Well-Being for relaxation. We think that pine is a great scent to introduce into your apartment home this month. The Huffington Post says, “In one Japanese study, participants who went on a walk through pine forests reported significantly lower depression and stress levels. The research also discovered that anxious subjects had a greater feeling of relaxation after indulging in the scent.” Do Something You Enjoy One of the simplest ways to relax this month is to do something you enjoy. Schedule out time this month to do something you love. Join a sports league, learn how to paint, or visit a museum in the Gilbert, AZ area. Just remember to enjoy yourself! Do you have any tips for us? Leave us your best advice in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!