Blog Posts

Holiday Travel Tips

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the Liv Northgate Apartments Blog has a few travel tips to help you survive the holiday season. Traveling during the holidays can be a stressful experience, to say the least. We hope that these easy tips help you stay calm, cool, and collected even when stress at the airport mounts. We hope you enjoy our post, and happy traveling! From CNN: Charge your devices “ Expect crowds surrounding the electrical outlets at your departure airport to increase if your flight is delayed. And don't expect rest stops to share their outlets with you. Have a car charger and stash a power pack or a few battery chargers for your portable electronic devices (useful for driving or flying).” From Alaska Airlines: Give yourself plenty of time “ Busy travel times can mean heavy traffic, busy parking lots and airport shuttles, and lines for checking baggage or to see a ticket agent. Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the airport and through security. We strongly encourage you to arrive at the airport at least two hours before a trip within the US, and three hours before a trip that includes an international flight.” From Forbes: Pack carefully “This time of year is a nightmare for flight attendants directing traffic on board aircraft. Everybody wants to bring everything on board. It is possible the airline might ask you to gate check your suitcase, so your things won’t be with you no matter your best intentions. NEVER pack medication, and it’s not a good idea to pack valuable things, like jewelry and electronics. Keep them in your carry on.” From Travel Sense: Steer clear of influenza “ Winter travel can be a frequent contributor to the cold and flu time of year, adding a miserable element to your winter or holiday travel stress. Before you leave, visit your doctor's office to get the flu shot or nasal spray flu vaccine, which is only available for ages 5-49. Most germs will spread by contact, so wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer constantly.” From Cheap Flights: Speak up “If you find yourself stuck due to a significant travel delay, speak with the airline representative early on to find out what your options are for re-booking or for hotel or dining vouchers. The sooner you can talk to them, the better your chances of snagging any available seat on another flight.” Now that we’ve covered traveling out of town for the holidays — what’s your favorite thing about Gilbert, AZ during the holiday season? What do we need to see and experience? Thanks for reading!

Thanksgiving Sides

The biggest food holiday of the year is coming up, and the Liv Northgate Blog has five sides to help your menu out. You know what you’re serving for the main dish, but what about all the add-ons and extras? These five recipes are certified crowd pleasers, and they will liven any Thanksgiving meal. We hope that you enjoy your Thanksgiving meal this month! Spinach and Artichoke Dip Stuffed Garlic Bread from Host the Toast This spinach and artichoke dip stuffed garlic bread is the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer. Start your dinner off right with this cheesy treat. You’ll love the salty, creamy taste of the cheese dip. Host the Toast replaces the sour cream and mayonnaise in the dip with cream cheese and mozzarella. It makes for an even more decadent and delicious treat. Bacon Wrapped Green Beans from Green Healthy Cooking This is another great appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal. Have trouble finishing your vegetables? Bacon makes everything go down easier. This dish takes just one skillet to make, and it gives each guest the perfect serving of green beans. Perfect Turkey Gravy from Center Cut Cook Need an easy gravy recipe for your dinner? This one is, as its title says, perfect. Perfect turkey gravy uses a few simple ingredients — butter, coarse black pepper, flour, and chicken stock — for a topping that will make all of your sides tastier and richer. Bacon and Herbs Creamy Mashed Potatoes from Will Cook for Smiles Will Cook for Smiles is a potato expert, and these bacon and herbs creamy mashed potatoes show off her expertise. You’ll love how creamy, soft, textured, and flavorful these loaded potatoes are. They’re the perfect side to dip your turkey or an extra piece of bread in during your meal. French Onion Mushroom Casserole Recipe from Cooking on the Weekends Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without at least one casserole. French onion soup is a fall classic, but French onion mushroom casserole might be even better. It takes a little bit of time to make, but we can guarantee that you’ll love the rich blend of spices and flavors included in this autumn casserole. What are your favorite Thanksgiving sides? Do you ever go to a local business in Gilbert, AZ for your Thanksgiving meal? Let us know the best place to buy an apple pie in Gilbert in the comments. Thanks for reading!

National Novel Writing Month

“I’ve found that the process of writing a book changes people. It awakens our imaginations, but it also opens our eyes to abilities we didn’t realize we possessed, and makes us hungry for adventures we hadn’t previously thought possible.” — Chris Baty November is National Novel Writing Month, and the Liv Northgate Apartments Blog is featuring several different tips for those ambitious writers attempting to tackle the National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo) challenge this month. Each year, writers all around the world attempt to write a 50,000 word novel before November is through. This averages into about 1,667 words per day. These writers attempt to write like the wind in an attempt to tick “writing a novel” off of their bucket list. If you’ve ever wanted to write a novel, or if you’re a writer looking for your next project, then participate in NaNoWriMo this month! Our first piece of advice is to use the resources NaNoWriMo provides. Sign up on the official NaNoWriMo website to gain access to a word tracking tool, the support of other aspiring novelists, pep talks from famous authors, and information on NaNoWriMo events. The NaNoWriMo website is a great resource for those who need a little bit of extra encouragement to get through the month. The pep talks from famous authors are a particularly useful resource for those days when you struggle to get the words on the page. One of our favorite pieces of advice comes from a pep talk by Deb Olin Unferth : “Keep in mind the initial image that you had of your book. Writers often say that they were struck with an early image or tiny scene that filled them inexplicably with emotion and inspired them to create a story around it: the image of a woman leaving with a suitcase, the image of a car fallen into the ocean, or a mattress salesman staring across an expanse of beds. For the book I’m working on now, I have the image of thousands of flightless birds running across a field. What’s yours? Return to your image when you get stuck, recover its emotional power.” Finding local writers in the Gilbert, AZ area is another great way to meet new people and to find other writers to encourage your work. You can find more information about local events by visiting the event page on the NaNoWriMo website. There are hundreds of writers in Arizona, and specifically in the Phoenix area. Take advantage of their advice, support, and help. The most important advice we could give you is, of course, to keep writing. Keep writing even when it gets tough. NaNoWriMo is in many ways a writing marathon. You’ll no doubt get tired while writing this month, but “winning” NaNoWriMo depends on how many words you can get on the page. So keep going even when the going gets tough. If writing isn’t for you, celebrate National Novel Writing Month by celebrating local novelists and writers by reading! Visit your local library and ask for books written by local authors. Thanks for reading our post! Are you planning on participating in NaNoWriMo? Let us know in the comments.

Gilbert Historical Museum

It’s important to remember the past. This week the Liv Northgate Blog is heading over to the Gilbert Historical Museum to explore Gilbert’s history. In this post, we are featuring our past through several of the exhibits at the museum. Gilbert has an important history as first an agricultural center, then as a railroad town, and today as a growing and thriving city. We are going to highlight three exhibits that feature different aspects of life in Gilbert, AZ through the years. Occupations Exhibit From the website: “ Just like any other American town, early Gilbert residents had to make a living. In the Occupations Exhibit you’ll discover our town’s deep agricultural roots. Did you know that Gilbert was once known as the Hay Shipping Capital of the World? Alfalfa, cotton and dairy farms were vital to the success of the town in the early 20th Century. As with any agriculturally-based community, a number of professions and businesses sprouted up to support Gilbert farmers in their work. As the community grew, so did the variety of professions. Retail stores, auto garages, a pharmacy and a post office soon offered employment to local workers.” Town Exhibit From the website: “Gilbert was named after land speculator William (Bobby) M. Gilbert, who sold his land to the railroad. The railroad established a siding at the site, around which the town started to grow. Unfortunately the town’s railroad depot, built in 1905 just north of the tracks and west of Gilbert Road, was torn down in 1969. In the Town Room visitors can see two dioramas of our community at different stages of its development (c1917 and c1944) and imagine what life was like! Examine the huge aerial photos of the Gilbert area taken decades ago; try to find where your home now sits, it was probably farmland way back when…” Model Train Exhibit From the website: “ Gilbert wouldn’t be Gilbert without the railroad; in fact if it wasn’t for the track we wouldn’t be here! The sound of train horns blasting are constant reminders of Gilbert’s railroad past. Our Model Train exhibit is a work in progress; we partnered with the Gilbert Model Railroad Club a few years ago and work continues every week. Our exhibit depicts the railroad as it was around WWII, showing the trains’ route to and from Gilbert. The Gilbert Model Railroad Club welcomes new members year round.” Thanks for reading today’s post! Have you ever visited the Gilbert Historical Museum? What was your exhibit? Let us know in the comments.

Decor DIYs

In this post, we are helping you decorate your Liv Northgate Apartment in Gilbert, AZ! We are featuring five different apartment decor DIYs to help you spruce up your space. We hope that you get the chance to try at least one of these DIYs this month. DIY Modern Black and White Abstract Art from A Sweet Afternoon Decorate your walls with your own abstract art! This quick craft is a great way to dress up your apartment. A Sweet Afternoon uses black and a very specific pattern to make her piece of abstract art; personalize this DIY by changing up the pattern and the color of your piece of art. Rustic Burlap & Yarn Fall Wreath DIY from Consumer Crafts Make your home fall-friendly with this rustic burlap and yarn fall wreath. This fall wreath is a great “autumn welcome” for your apartment. You could even personalize it by using different colors, flowers, and fall accessories for your wreath. Mason Jar Fall Luminary from Create Craft Love This mason jar fall luminary is the perfect fall decoration for your apartment. We recommend using electric tea lights instead of candle tea lights to complete the craft. It’s much safer, and you won’t have to worry about making sure the lights are out every time you leave the apartment. How to Make a Dropcloth Rug/Paint a Rug Tutorial from Nellie Bellie This craft is time-consuming, yes, but it’s a cheap way to get a rug into your living room. If you can’t find the rug you want in store or online, make your own! A drop cloth rug can transform a room without breaking the budget. DIY Painted House Doormat from Sarah Hearts Sarah Hearts teaches viewers how to make their own painted house doormat. This easy project won’t take too long to make, and (although the tutorial proposes making a “painted house” doormat) you can really paint anything you want! We hope that you get creative with this project. Do you ever do DIYs? Do you have any DIY projects that we should try? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Hosting Guests

This week the Liv Northgate Blog is featuring tips and tricks for the next time you have a guest staying at your house. Gilbert, AZ is a great place to live; we’re sure that there are plenty of friends from around the country that would love to visit. We have some advice for the next time a guest comes into town. We hope you enjoy our post! The first thing you need to do is make sure that your apartment is clean. Our first tip is to, well, clean your apartment. Give your whole apartment a thorough going over, make sure everything looks good for your guest. Pay special attention to the guest bathroom and bedroom (or, if you don’t have a guest bathroom or bedroom, to the room your guest will be staying in) and make sure to remember to wash any sheets your guest will be using. Next, go through each room to make sure it’s stocked for guests. The bathroom should have towels for your guests to use, extra toiletries, and plenty of toilet paper and soap. The bedroom should have plenty of blankets, a fan, a card with the Wifi password, and extra pillows. Make sure that the kitchen is guest-friendly, as well. Snacks should be easy to access, and you should remember to remind your guest where the cups, plates, and other utensils are (so they don’t have to go through all your things when you’re not at home). If your guest will be coming and going throughout the day, it might be best to have an extra key for them to use. For days when you have to work, leave your guest a “Guide to Gilbert.” This guide should have your favorite restaurants in the area, favorite theaters, and favorite landmarks and museums in it. We hope that our tips prove to be useful! Do you have any tips for hosting guests for us? Leave us your advice in the comments section. Thanks for reading!