Blog Posts

Our Favorite Thanksgiving TV Episodes

November is filled with things that we love: an incredible meal, friends, and television. We thought it’d be fun to share a few of our favorite Thanksgiving TV episodes with residents of our Liv Ahwatukee apartment community in Phoenix, Arizona. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving episode? Scroll down to see if it made it in the comments. Gilmore Girls Episode: “ A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving ” Premiere Date: November 26, 2002 Rory and Lorelai have to endure four Thanksgiving dinners, one of which involves turkey and gallons of peanut oil. If you’re thinking about deep-frying a turkey this year, watch this episode to gain some inspiration as well as a few laughs. Cheers Episode: “ Thanksgiving Orphans ” Premiere Date: November 27, 1986 Synopsis : Thanksgiving is approaching and no one has anything to do except Diane, who is among a select few graduate students one of her professors has asked to spend Thanksgiving with his family, celebrating in the pilgrim’s tradition. Diane suggests that the rest of the gang spend Thanksgiving together in Carla's new home. Carla agrees to a potluck dinner, with Norm in charge of the humongous turkey. WKRP in Cincinnati Episode: “ Turkeys Away ” Premiere Date: October 30, 1978 Mr. Carlson decides to launch his own Thanksgiving promotion which turns into a hilarious catastrophe. Friends Episode: “ The One With All The Thanksgivings ” Premiere Date: November 19, 1998 The gang remembers and shares their worst Thanksgiving stories. Oh yeah, and Monica puts a turkey on her head. How I Met Your Mother Episode: “ Slapsgiving ” Premiere Date: November 19, 2007 Synopsis : Marshall warns Barney that the third slap in their “slap bet” will be coming on Thanksgiving night. Meanwhile, Ted and Robin sleep together on the night before Thanksgiving. Seinfeld Episode: “ The Mom and Pop Store ” Premiere Date: November 17, 1994 Synopsis : George buys a convertible he thinks was once owned by Jon Voight. Kramer tries to save a small shoe-repair business. Elaine answers a radio quiz, enabling Mr. Pitt to participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Meanwhile, Jerry tries to solve the mystery of whether or not he's invited to Tim Whatley's annual Pre-Thanksgiving party. Didn’t see your favorite Thanksgiving TV episode on our list? Share the title of the show and episode in the comments so that we can enjoy it with you. Thanks for reading. Happy Thanksgiving!

Three Incredible Science Experiments

Science experiments are fun ways to introduce scientific concepts to people of all ages. The Liv Ahwatukee Blog is featuring three safe DIY experiments that you can conduct in your apartment. Invite a few of your friends in Phoenix, Arizona over to watch glass turn invisible, water freeze instantly, and “magic mud” come from a potato. With just how magical these experiments appear to be, there’s no better time of year than now to try them out for yourself. Our first experiment comes from Head Squeeze . For this experiment, you’ll need a large glass bowl, a small glass bowl (at least small enough to fit inside of the large bowl), and vegetable or baby oil. Simply, fill the large bowl with oil. Then, hold the smaller bowl so that it is inside of the larger one, without filling it up with oil. From first glance, you’ll be able to see the smaller bowl through the side of the larger one. Then, placing the smaller bowl inside the larger one, completely filling it up with any extra oil that you might have, you’ll see the smaller bowl turn “invisible.” This is a really neat science experiment with the potential to make jaws drop. Check out the video from the link above to see the experiment in action, along with an explanation of how this works. You’ve probably seen videos online of water bottle freezing instantly. Check out what we’re talking about by watching this science experiment by Grant Thompson . “When purified water is cooled to just below freezing point, a quick nudge is all it takes for the water to instantly freeze.” This is a great experiment that can take some time to prepare, so be ready by placing bottles of purified water into your freezer about two hours before your friends come over. You can even surprise them by handing them a bottle, only to make it turn to ice before their eyes. Our third science experiment is also from Grant Thompson. Check out this video about turning your regular potatoes into a goop that he calls “magic mud.” All you need is a potato, something to chop it up with, and a few containers. As you’ll see in the video, the result is next to mind-blowing. We hope you enjoy experimenting in your apartment with these safe DIY science experiments. Let us know which one is your favorite by sharing in the comments. Thanks for reading today’s post!

Dessert for Breakfast

Thanks to Halloween, life is sweeter in Phoenix, Arizona. To celebrate this wonderful and exciting holiday, we’re inviting you to make your breakfast a little sweeter. The Liv Ahwatukee Blog is featuring a few decadent dessert-for-breakfast recipes you can enjoy in your apartment this month. Dip your tongue into the rich filling of cannoli stuffed French toast, breathe in the amazing aroma of cream cheese muffins, and sink your teeth into a sweet snickerdoodle doughnut. Whatever your venture is this month for breakfast, enjoy it with one of these five recipes. Brownie Batter Breakfast Bake Have you ever had brownies for breakfast? Tomorrow morning could be the perfect opportunity for you to dig into this tasty recipe. Loaded with fiber, plant-based protein, and chocolate flavor, you’re sure to love a bowl of this 20-minute breakfast treat. Baked Snickerdoodle Donuts As the title of this recipe states, these donuts are baked instead of fried. With only 8 minutes in the oven for miniature sized donuts, and 11 minutes for large ones, this is a quick cinnamon and sugar treat worth making in your kitchen. Chocolate Crepes with Peanut Butter Marshmallow Filling The main highlight of this recipe is the caramelized bananas used to top what is already an ultimate breakfast treat. While crepes are already a great go-to breakfast favorite, the addition of the ingredients here makes this a decadent dive into something anyone would be happy to have come dessert time. Cannoli Stuffed French Toast Creamy ricotta filling, two slices of French bread, chocolate chips, powdered sugar… Should we keep going? Raspberry-Cream Cheese Muffins Each bite of these delicious little treats will have anyone wishing for more. Taking only 25 minutes to make, these raspberry-cream cheese muffins are an easy go-to breakfast that’s sure to be a great start to anyone’s day. If raspberry isn’t to your tastes, switch them out with your favorite fruits! We hope you enjoy sweetening up your breakfast this month with some of these tasty recipes. What’s your favorite sweet breakfast treat to make in your apartment in Phoenix, Arizona? Let everyone know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Get Crafty this October

With the holidays just around the corner, the Liv Ahwatukee Blog invites you to get crafty and make some memories with these DIY photo projects! Enjoy some of these awesome DIY activities in the comfort of your apartment here in Phoenix, AZ. What are you waiting for? Grab some of your old favorites from a picture album or use ones that you’ve taken recently, and then get crafting! Personalized Photo Map This one is sure to grab people’s attention when they see it! All you need is a large map, a foam board, pins, and photos. Enjoy cutting the pictures to match the shapes of the states that you visit. Have a photo that you love from an out-of-state trip to California or Utah? Cut and pin it to your map! It’s simple and it looks great! Lego Picture Puzzles These are great for any age. Plus they’re a blast to make, and they’re fun to build once finished. Candle Other than an embossing heat tool, this craft is pretty simple. Put pictures on your candles for a quick project with a great result. While these are perfect for your living room or bedroom, they also make great wedding or birthday gifts. That’s definitely something to think about with something that looks this good! 5-minute Coasters Invite guests to set their drinks on different pictures. These are great for gifts. They’re pretty unique, too. There are endless possibilities for ways you can personalize them. They’re also very simple to make. Photo Collage Letters “Spell out your memories” with this awesome craft! All you’ll need is Mod Podge, a paintbrush, your choice of wooden letters, scissors, and photos. The result of overlapping pictures looks great. You can spell out a name and choose pictures specifically of that person, which makes this project even cooler! Calendar This flip calendar is a fun alternative to what you might have hanging on your wall. Each year you can either keep the same photos or change them out to stay updated — it’s up to you! We hope you have fun in your apartment with crafts this month. Check back for a follow-up article with new activities for you to try. Thanks for reading!

How to Relax in Heavy Traffic

In the book SeinLanguage , Jerry Seinfeld shares a few hilarious thoughts on different experiences that we all have to go through in life. One of these is traffic. He makes the argument that instead of sentencing someone to go to traffic school when they’ve received a speeding or other ticket, they should actually be sentenced to a certain number of hours in traffic. Each time you get in the car, four people would be assigned to drive on all sides of you at five miles an hour. Wouldn’t that be awful? Yes. Would it work to help people slow down and abide by driving laws? Probably. That’s because driving in traffic can be one of the most stressful experiences that we have to deal with. The Liv Ahwatukee Blog is sharing a few tips to stay relaxed no matter the driving situation. We understand the frustration of leaving your apartment and getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, especially when you’re trying to get somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona. No matter what you do, sometimes it is impossible to avoid traffic, especially with the holidays coming up. So why not prepare yourself for the worst so that you can actually try to enjoy it? The first tip we have for you is to make sure you have a good stereo. Good sound with music that you love, satellite radio, audio books, and even podcasts, are essential for a relaxing time during a traffic jam. Yes, you might have comfortable seats, but if you don’t have good music then those seats might get uncomfortable fast. Today, many cars are able to sync with mobile devices, so why not set up a “traffic jam” playlist for those unfortunate moments? Of course, if you can do your best to avoid the traffic situation, then that is the best option. Depending on your work, adjusting your schedule is possible to avoid the extremely busy times on the road. Keeping a positive mental attitude is a step in the right direction for dealing with traffic jams. Banging on your steering wheel, using obscene gestures, shouting curse words, and making silly faces is not a very effective way of dealing with traffic—it might make you feel better to vent, but in all honestly you won’t get to your destination any faster because of it. Remember: this hour in traffic will eventually pass. Make a plan to distract yourself with something, instead of throwing a fit. Mentally planning to avoid those feelings of anger during your next traffic jam might be hard to do, so prepare some thoughts to help. If someone is going slow in front of you, think that maybe they are going through a very hard day—how would you know it? Or, if you’re in the car with loved ones, be grateful that you get to spend more time together. If you like cars, you can also use this time to identify how many makes and models you can recognize; the same thing goes with license plates. What things do you do to stay focused and relaxed during a traffic jam? Let us know in the comments by sharing below. Thanks for reading today’s post!

Enjoy a Movie in Phoenix

Throughout this month, our blog posts have focused on the adventure side of Phoenix, Arizona. We’ve invited you to go on a virtual trip around the world, to take a bite out of the ocean, and to dive into your own creative world with a pen and piece of paper. Today, the Liv Ahwatukee Blog is continuing the call for adventurers. Will you answer it? Here are a few of the exciting movies that were released this month. We invite you you take a movie-going adventure to different countries, worlds, and time periods. A few hours out of your apartment will do you some good. Battle of the Sexes “In the wake of the sexual revolution and the rise of the women’s movement, the 1973 tennis match between women’s World #1 Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-men’s-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as the BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time, reaching 90 million viewers around the world.” Kingsman 2 “Kingsman: The Secret Service” introduced the world to Kingsman - an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded.” Stronger “A victim of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 helps the police track down the killers while struggling to recover from devastating trauma.” The Lego Ninjago Movie “Six young ninjas Lloyd, Jay, Kai, Cole, Zane and Nya are tasked with defending their island home, called Ninjago. By night, they're gifted warriors, using their skills and awesome fleet of vehicles to fight villains and monsters. By day, they're ordinary teens struggling against their greatest enemy: high school.” American Assassin “AMERICAN ASSASSIN follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O'Brien), a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War.” What movie was your favorite this month? Leave a comment below to let us know. Thanks for reading.