Blog Posts

At-Home Game Night

In our post today we’re sharing some of our best ideas for hosting a game night in your Liv Ahwatukee home. Your apartment is a great place to host your friends. Having friends in your home is a fun way to entertain and make some memories! If you’re on a budget, a game night is definitely a fun and cheap idea for having fun together. Read today’s blog for some games you can try. Fishbowl — This game is perfect for a group, and it doesn’t take a ton of practice to be good at it! Fishbowl is a fun and easy game that you can play at any party or group gathering. It’s great to either break the ice with people who are unfamiliar with one another, or even go in depth with close friends and family. Throughout the game, two teams will compete to guess phrases, created by each player, in three rounds that pose different challenges. Minute to Win It — This is based on a game show. It gives contestants one minute to do different tasks. Try Happiness is Homemade’s 10 awesome minute to win it ideas for a ton of different ways to play. The site says “These 10 Minute to Win It games were perfect for all ages (we had guests from ages 4-55 playing these games, and everyone had a blast!) – challenging enough for the older kids and adults, but still simple enough that the younger children could play as well.” Providing snacks is integral to any successful game night. These seven-layer bars are a great hand-held treat to serve at your game night. With no utensils or plates necessary, your guests will be able to enjoy their treats and the game at the same time! We hope you enjoy hosting a game night in your home! Thanks for reading Liv Ahwatukee’s blog.

Weeknight Dinners

In our post today we’re sharing some ideas for making dinner this week. Thinking up an idea for dinner every night can be a little taxing, and if you don’t plan ahead effectively, you’ll be more tempted to hit the drive-thru than the grocery store for those missing ingredients. But your Liv Ahwatukee home is the perfect place to make a delicious dinner. Below, we've taken all the guesswork out of dinner this week. Find links to the recipes as well for more detailed instructions. Monday: Start with something comforting like this homemade baked macaroni and cheese from Tablespoon.com. The site says that this “creamy, cheesy baked macaroni and cheese is a true crowd pleaser! This southern-inspired comfort food packs a home-style flavor that both kids and adults will love.” Tuesday: This Taco Bake comes from Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen. As a bonus, this dish is also gluten-free. Customize this with your favorite ingredients and celebrate Taco Tuesday casserole style! Wednesday: Chicken Pillows are an easy dish that takes very little time and skill to prepare. There are lots of variations on this recipe, but we found this delicious looking one that looks about as comforting as your real pillow! They pair really well with a fresh vegetable or a salad. Thursday: Try breakfast for dinner! This recipe for blueberry pancakes comes from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen and promises to be the very best, so try it for yourself. The site says, “Making these pancakes is actually really simple. Just combine the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and pour on the griddle. Super simple and incredibly delicious!” Friday: Tonight, try a delicious homemade chicken noodle soup . This easy 30-minute recipe comes from Averie Cooks. Pair this with a fresh bread or roll recipe, whatever you prefer! The site says, “I don’t have time to watch a boiling pot for half the day and this version is easy, ready in 30-minutes, and has all the comforting qualities you want in classic chicken noodle soup. To save time, use store bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken that you have on hand. Of [course,] you can roast or pan sauté chicken if you’re so inclined.” What are your favorite recipes for the week? Feel free to comment your ideas so we can put them on our menus!

Laundry Day Tips

Welcome back to Liv Ahwatukee’s blog. Our last post was all about tanning and how to get that perfect sunkissed glow for your summer adventures here in Phoenix, AZ. Today we’re sharing some information about our amenities and how to take advantage of them. In our apartments we provide a washer and dryer. Having these appliances in your apartment makes daily chores much more convenient. There are a few tips we’ve compiled to help you be able to make the most of your time and get more accomplished. Read on below for some great ideas. Learn how to separate your items into colors, darks, and whites so you don’t ruin your clothes. Those instructions on the tags might seem picky, but following those instructions is actually important to the integrity of your clothes. Washing your clothes in the right temperature of water and speed helps keep the clothes intact. Washing everything on cold might save time, but that can wear out your clothes faster. Using bins or baskets to organize your clothes will help you to be able to know what is clean and what isn’t. Save time by running the washer and dryer at the same time so you can get your laundry done faster. Fold items right out of the dryer to help them keep those crisp fold lines while in your drawers. There are also a lot of ways to save money while doing laundry. Dukes and Duchesses has some great cleaning tips and homemade laundry detergent ideas you can try this month. The post features a recipe for detergent and a handy infographic for washing your clothes the right way! We hope these tips are easy to implement to your laundry routine. All of our amenities at Liv Ahwatukee are hand-picked to make your life better! Check back next time for dinner recipes to try next week! Thanks for reading the Liv Ahwatukee blog.

Try Tanning

Living in Phoenix, Arizona means you’re used to that warmth of the sun! Get a really healthy glow by heading to your local tanning salon. If it’s too hot to tan outside, you can still be bronzed and beautiful! If you’re afraid you’ll end up looking like a lobster, follow the tips below and you’ll be glowing in no time. — Know your skin type. If your skin tends to burn easily, you’ll probably be more sensitive to tanning beds. Start with a very small amount of time in the bed and wait a few days or even a week between sessions to keep from damaging your skin — Don’t rush it. Even if you don’t have sensitive skin, you can still burn in the bed. Increase your time by two minutes each session to avoid burning. — Use a good lotion! Organic Shimmer says this about tanning bed lotions, “There are so many different features to consider. For instance, there are indoor tanning lotions for tanning beds; bronze accelerators for a golden tone; moisturizing tanning lotion for better hydration; tingle tanning lotion; and one-time waterproof or sweat proof tanning lotions.” — If you’ve been burned in the tanning bed, apply aloe vera to the burned areas and let them heal. — Wear goggles. Protective eye wear in the tanning bed will keep your eyes safe. Find eyewear at a local tanning salon or online. — To make your tan last, keep your skin moisturized with a good body lotion. — Try adding tanning to your gym routine. Some people don’t like leaving tanning lotions on their skin, so after a workout when you’re already planning to shower is a great time to tan. For those who are unable to use tanning beds, never fear! You can still have a healthy bronzed glow this year. From at-home self-tan products to spray tans, there are certainly alternatives for all skin types. Above all, be aware of what you’re doing and practice safe tanning procedures. Thanks for reading the Liv Ahwatukee blog today!

Pamper Yourself

Welcome back to Live Ahwatukee’s blog! Though a fun night out with dinner, drinks, and dancing can definitely do a person good, taking a night out to relax also has many benefits. Give yourself a few hours alone to recuperate and unwind. Your apartment is the perfect place to do so—you don’t even have to leave your home! Start your evening by eliminating distractions. Turn off your phone so you can really focus and not have phone calls or texts getting in the way. Light a few candles. We especially like these from Anthropologie by Voluspa. Run a warm bath to relax and loosen your muscles. A bath bomb is a great way to add scent and calming properties to your bath. Some have rose petals and different minerals to help you relax. Try these from Lush. They also offer bubble bars which create ton of fluffy bubbles in your bath. The bath bombs are fairly large so cut them into pieces and get a few uses out of them. Skincare is another way to feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Dr. Jart is an excellent skin care brand. They make sheet masks for all types of skin. Sheet masks are a great alternative to jar masks. They are one time use and you can keep them in the fridge to make them extra cooling. There are some for brightening dull skin, moisturizing dry skin or healing problem skin. Find them online here . Add your favorite thick face lotion to really lock in moisture and make the most of the products you’ve used. Our favorite face lotion comes from Nars or Origins, available in most department stores or online. Finish your spa night with a calming cup of tea. Chamomile is great and doesn’t have caffeine. Read a few chapters of a book and really let your mind wander elsewhere. You’ll certainly wake up feeling refreshed and rested and ready for a full day out and about in Puyallup, WA.

Perfect Home Scents

Hi Readers! In today’s post we’re sharing our favorite techniques for getting your home to smell wonderful. Making your home feel like your own is something that can definitely take some time and some effort. From decorations to furniture, there are many many choices to be made. Your Liv Ahwatukee apartment should feel special and unique every time you walk in your front door. Our favorite way to feel more at home is through choosing a signature scent. Scent is known to trigger memories and feelings, so why not be greeted with your favorite scent when you come home? There are a ton of different choices when it comes to scent, from candles to essential oils to potpourri. These all depend on just how much scent you want dispersed in your home and how often. Candles are really beautiful way to not only have you home smelling beautiful, but they also have the ambiance of a flickering fire in your home. They come in many different colors, smells and styles. Candles add a really sophisticated and classic touch to your home. If you get worried about fire hazards, a grouping of four or five tall white candles looks beautiful on a silver or glass tray, and they still give off some scent. We think these Mimira candles from Anthropologie would look pretty on a counter or bedside table. Potpourri is a classic bathroom addition. This usually comes in the form of small wood chips with a touch of essential oil to give off scent throughout the day. Unlike candles, they have a more understated scent, but they don’t have to be lit or blown out, so it can be lower maintenance. Oil diffusers are also really low maintenance devices. They usually come in the form of a small glass with a scented oil and some long wooden dowels. The dowels soak in the oil which is then dispersed throughout the room. This diffuser from Jo Malone would look pretty on a dining room table or coffee table. Where is your favorite place to get candles, potpourri, and diffusers in the Puyallup, WA area? Share in the comments so we will all know where to shop! Thanks for reading today’s post.