Blog Posts

Taking Photos of the Elements

In Phoenix, Arizona, we’re blessed with so much beauty all around us. Just a few steps outside of your apartment opens up a world of motion and wonder that’s perfect for picture taking. Some of the most beautiful shots are of nature in action, things involving fire, water, wind, and earth. The problem is, these four elements are almost always in motion. The Liv Ahwatukee Blog is sharing a few photography tips to help you out and get you started on capturing clean images of the elements. You don’t have to be the Avatar to manipulate and control the elements. All you need is a camera. Fire A great trick to taking photos of fire is to make sure you are using a quick enough shutter speed . A quick shutter speed helps freeze motion. If you’re not sure where to begin, a good starting point is 1/250. You can adjust it from there if you’re still not getting a good enough shot. Check your camera’s manual, or search online, if you’re not sure how to adjust the shutter speed. Water Photographs of water in motion are some of the most amazing nature shots available. Like with fire, successful water photography can be achieved by setting your shutter speed. Experiment with both fast and slow shutter speeds; a fast shutter speed will freeze the water in place, and a slow shutter speed will make the water look “soft,” blurring parts so that it is almost white. The effect of both is nice. If you want the best image using a slow shutter speed, use a tripod to keep the camera steady. Shooting at a slower shutter speed can take longer, and the slightest bump of the camera can be the difference between a clear image and a blurry mess. Wind Shooting outside on a windy day can prove to be difficult. Using sandbags for your camera setup or tripod is one solution that, while not perfect, can really help when the wind starts getting really rough. If there’s a person in the shot, have them face the wind; you don’t want their hair getting in the way. As always, try to adjust the shutter speed; you just might freeze those blowing trees in place for a nice clear image. Earth For landscape or shots with nature, we recommend using different-sized lenses. Try using wide as well as smaller lenses. We suggest the telephoto lens which offers a narrow view but focuses well on beautiful moments like a reflection in a river. Also, try taking shots during different times of the day. Some of the best shots are right after a storm, or when the sun is going down. We hope you find these tips helpful. If you don’t have a camera, play around with your smartphone’s camera settings. Why don’t you try it out today? Thanks for reading!

Sweet Treats in August

The Liv Ahwatukee Blog is featuring five delicious dessert recipes. Hold a dessert night in your Phoenix, Arizona apartment before August is through. We hope that you enjoy these recipes and that you have a great month here in Phoenix! Coconut Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling from Yellow Bliss Road These coconut cupcakes filling are sweet, filling, and delicious. The raspberry filling is especially scrumptious. Combine cornstarch, granulated sugar, fresh raspberries, and water to make it. Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes from The Recipe Rebel Have you ever tasted something so sweet? You’ll love how the strawberry cupcakes and rich cream cheese combine for an out-of-this-world treat. Lemonade Cupcakes from My Frugal Adventures Nothing says “summer” like lemonade. Time to try this before summer has officially ended. This easy-to-make treat uses a lemon cake mix, cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon curd for a dessert your friends will love. The lemon curd adds just the right amount of flavor to these lemonade cupcakes. Peach Cobbler Coffee Cake from Lemon Tree Dwelling Peach cobbler coffee cake is the perfect treat for a warm August day. Head to our local grocery market for fresh peaches and a pint of homemade ice cream. Dish out a heaping serving of peach cobbler coffee cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a sweet after work treat. Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies Recipe with Coconut from Food, Folks and Fun These carrot cake whoopie pies are an awesome (and delicious) snack that we think you’d love trying this month. We are big fans of the coconut cream frosting. Mix cream cheese, unsalted butter, powdered sugar, salt, coconut extract, and shredded coconut together for a frosting that will blow your mind. What are your favorite dessert recipes? Leave your favorite recipe in the comments. Thanks for reading our post!

How to Change Your Life in 10 Minutes

Today we’re sharing three things that only take 10 minutes of your time — maybe even less. The great thing about them is that they have long-lasting benefits. Some of the items on this list might seem simple, but you’d be surprised how your life can improve by them. Take time to meditate, work on your average performance, and improve your reading speed. These three things can change your life forever. Read on to find out how. Meditation. Learning to meditate is a quick-to-learn skill that can affect the rest of your life. Take 10 minutes to calm your mind and breathe; don’t think about work or responsibilities — this is your time to relax and focus. Meditation has many benefits, some short- and some long-term. Many online videos teach how to meditate. Some people will even find their own way to do it. To read up on some of the many benefits that 10 and even 20 minutes of meditation can bring into your life, see these 8 ways meditation can improve your life . Improving Performance. Learning to improve your average performance is something that can be done in short stretches each day. While we are often taught to improve our peak performance (a term here which usually means the maximum ability that a person can perform), we must not overlook our average performance. Whether you want to work on your average speed on your bike or an average number of assignments you complete at work, commit 10 minutes a day to work on them. As you work consistently day after day, you’ll begin to see your peak performance rising as your average performance improves. Reading speed. Working to improve your reading speed is a great skill that can come in handy during work or leisure activities. Since we are reading every day — subtitles, signs, restaurant menus — it can be beneficial to learn how to read faster. A great way to improve your reading speed is by listening to audiobooks. Many audiobooks have a function that reads through a book at a faster speed. While this might be hard to understand or confusing at first, it won’t take more than 10 minutes for your mind to adjust. Whether you’re relaxing inside your Liv Ahwatukee apartment or enjoying the evening somewhere in Phoenix, AZ, take a few minutes out of your daily schedule to try at least one of these three items on our list.

Keeping Different Types of Journals

In today’s post, we’re focusing on keeping different types of journals. Writing a few lines about your day is an easy way to preserve your memories, expand your vocabulary, and improve your confidence. With summer in full swing, it’s a good idea to take some time to record all of your adventures in Phoenix, AZ. We hope that the journals we highlight today give you some insight about journal keeping in and out of your Liv Ahwatukee apartment. Thanks for reading! Food Journals If you want to change your eating habits, a food journal is a great place to start. Tracking what you eat lets you see where and how your eating could improve. Perhaps begin with different recipes you come across, as well as any tips and tricks you pick up while cooking. Travel Journals Planning on going somewhere exciting? Whether you’re planning a road trip across the United States or you’re going overseas, keeping a journal will help you remember the places you go and the people you meet. Line-a-Day Journals Keeping a journal can be an overwhelming experience. When should you write? How often should you write? How much should you write? Line-a-Day journals simplify the whole journaling process by telling you how much to write — one line a day. These are easy journals to keep, and because you are only writing a line a day, you won’t have to start another journal for a long while. Dream Journals Ever have a really epic dream, wake up, and then forget your dream right away? Keeping a dream journal can help you remember all of the dreams you don’t want to forget. Write as soon as you wake up to remember your dreams. Do you keep a journal? How do you remember to write each day? Leave us your tips in the comments section. Thanks for reading!

Tips for Starting a Book Club

Last month, we shared a few books to add to your summer reading list. To follow up, we’re sharing a few tips about starting a book club in your Liv Ahwatukee apartment. These tips will hopefully get you on the right foot when it comes to reading with your close friends and neighbors in Phoenix, Arizona. Already belong to a book club? Share what has been successful for your group by leaving a comment on today’s post. We’ve adapted the following tips from Oprah, ilovelibraries , Penguin , and Real Simple . Decide what you want your book club to look like. How many members will be in your book club? What kinds of books will you read? When will you meet? Before you begin to recruit members to your club, decide the parameters of your club. Once people begin to join your club, you can change the rules to fit the needs of the members, but it’s always good to start with a general outline of the kind of book club you want to create. Find a way to communicate with your club. How will the members of your club stay in contact and find out about meetings? Start a Facebook page for your group, have an email list, or send out text notifications each month. You could even call each member each month to remind them about meetings. Come up with discussion questions. Once you’ve picked a book to read, it’s important to come up with a list of thoughtful questions for the group to discuss. You can usually find discussion questions online, or you can have each member of the group bring a question that they would like to discuss. Appoint a discussion leader for each meeting. Your discussion leader will help keep the conversation on track and smooth over any arguments between the members of your group. Have fun! There’s no point in having a book group if you don’t have a little fun while you’re at it. Host a potluck for your book club, bring desserts, and make some time to chit chat with your group. Get to know the members of your book club. We hope you’ve enjoyed our tips! Let us know about your book club in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Items to Bring on a Hike

At Liv Ahwatukee Apartments, our residents are never too far away from a hiking trail. Phoenix, Arizona is famous for the beautiful outdoors with striking views. Whether you’re outside walking from your car to the store, enjoying a stroll in a nearby park, or heading out on a long, strenuous hike, being prepared is key. Today, we’re sharing a few items to bring on your next outing. While most of these items are favorable toward hiking in general, they can be applied to smaller walks as well. Items to Bring on a Hike Proper footwear. Suit your footwear to the type of hike you are doing. Trail shoes or even sneakers are perfect for a short day hike that has easy terrain and doesn’t involve a heavy pack. For longer, more technical hikes, hiking boots offer more durability and support. Water. Bring enough water to stay hydrated, and if you are going to be away from “civilization”, bring the means to purify water. Map and compass. The GPS on your phone is great, but not all areas have cell service, so take that into consideration and carry a paper map of where you will be hiking and a compass to help you orient yourself. Safety items. Bring a small first aid kit, matches or lighter, and a whistle. Having a flashlight is a plus, too, in case you end up being out later than you planned or you get lost in the dark. Snacks. Hiking burns up calories and you may get very hungry otherwise. Granola bars and fruits like apples, bananas, or oranges are great choices! Sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat. Protect yourself from sunburn. It’s no fun to be miserable the day after your hike; prevention is the key. For additional resources, visit the website for the American Hiking Society . Take lots of pictures and enjoy getting back to nature this summer while you explore Phoenix, Arizona. We hope you have a great month!