Blog Posts

Summer Eats, Part II

Last week the Liv Ahwatukee Blog featured five dishes for you to bring to your next summer picnic or party. This week we’ve got five dessert recipes perfect for the summertime. If it’s too hot to get outside for a picnic (and since we’re in Phoenix in August, it might be) get your friends together for a summer party indoors to eat these tasty treats. Banana Splits On A Stick from Frugal Coupon Living This dessert is great for a casual picnic or party with friends. It’s kind of messy — the melted chocolate tends to get everywhere — but the fruity flavors make this the perfect summer treat. If you would like to take these “banana splits” to a party, we’d recommend chilling or freezing them overnight. Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies from The Brick Kitchen Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies are pretty perfect. The blend of chocolate, salted caramel, and the salty, pretzel crust make for a unique (and many-layered) dessert. This treat is gooey, sticky, and crunchy. It’s everything a dessert should be and more. Triple Chocolate S’mores Bark from A Kitchen Addiction Usually, when we think of chocolate bark, we think of the wintertime. Frozen chocolate bark is our go-to December treat. Triple Chocolate S’mores Bark gives this classic dessert a summer makeover. If you can’t make it to a fire pit this summer (or if it’s just too hot!) make this dessert. Summer Berry Cheesecake Salad from The Slow Roasted Italian This cool Summer Berry Cheesecake Salad would taste great with fresh fruit from a local farmer’s market. This dessert tastes just like cheesecake, but it doesn’t take too long to prepare, and you don’t have to worry about it cracking on you. Strawberry Pretzel Dessert from Sugar Apron What is a picnic, really, without a good Strawberry Pretzel Dessert? We’ve included a few pretzel-based desserts in this post, but this classic has to be our favorite. Strawberry Pretzel Dessert is a great finish to any summer picnic, party, and barbecue. You won’t regret ending a meal of sandwiches and burgers with this light dish. What are your favorite picnic desserts? What desserts do you make every summer? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Upcoming Events in Phoenix October

We know why you love living in Phoenix: beautiful landscapes, warm winters, and little traffic, not to mention proximity to California, Vegas, and Mexico. But you don’t have to go too far from your Liv Ahwatukee apartment to have a good time. There is so much to do this month right here! Oktoberfest in Tempe Okay, so this isn’t in Phoenix, but it is so worth the trip! Oktoberfest is a free, three-day outdoor festival put on by the Tempe Sister City Corporation, held at Tempe Town Lake each year. The event is scheduled for the first weekend in October. Since 1973, the Tempe festival has grown to become the largest all volunteer-produced event in the state of Arizona. Join the party as Tempe celebrates its 43rd annual Oktoberfest. Dia de los Muertos Phx The fourth annual Dia de los Muertos PHX Festival will take place on Sunday, October 23rd at Steele Indian Park on 3rd Street and Indian School Rd in Phoenix, AZ, from 1 to 6 pm. The festival aims to instill a sense of history, pride and knowledge of Mexican culture to the community at large through culturally relevant programming and activities. Masked entertainers and musicians will greet everyone with amazing performances in music, dance, and theater. Celebrate Mexican heritage and traditions at this beautiful gathering of artists and families. Arizona State Fair The Arizona State Fair is back for its 131st anniversary, and it's better than ever. For three weeks, the Fairgrounds transform into a spectacular community celebration with all the sights, sounds, smells, and flavors you crave. From grandstand events to concerts, entries competitions to livestock, and all the thrills of the midway, make the fair the backdrop of your most vibrant memories. What are your favorite activities going on in Phoenix this month? Let us know in the comments because we don’t want to miss a thing!

Get Ready for Fall Cleaning

This week the Liv Ahwatukee Blog is focused on cleaning! Yes, a good spring cleaning is always a good idea, but things get cluttered all year long, not just in April and May. Thats why in this post were featuring a few cleaning tips to help you with fall cleaning! After all, theres no point in keeping punctured floaties and broken spatulas until spring. The first, most important thing to keep in mind is not to overwhelm yourself. With every big project, theres the temptation to do everything at once. While we think its a great idea to set aside a weekend to do your cleaning, you could also break up your cleaning into sections do one room or closet this week and another the next. Cleaning should not be something that you dread. We wouldnt call clearing out your drawers and organizing rooms fun, but it should at least be stress-free. Start your cleaning by deciding which room or closet youll tackle first. Once youve decided where youre beginning, clear out everything (and we mean everything) from your shelves and drawers. Wipe down and vacuum your now cleared space. With all of your things out of your space, you can now evaluate what is useful and what is not. Throw out anything that you dont envision yourself using in the next six months. If you know you should get rid of it but cant quite bring yourself to throw it away, just remember less stuff means more storage. Sort your things. Come up with an organizational system that makes sense to you, whether that means sorting by use, color, or even shape. Once youve finished, put your items in bins and baskets and place them back into your space. Youre all done! Time to tackle your next project. We hope that youve enjoyed our fall cleaning tips. What are your tips and tricks for cleaning and organizing? Leave us some advice in the comments section, and thanks for reading!

The Phoenix Symphony

This month the Liv Ahwatukee Blog wants to highlight the wonderful Phoenix Symphony! The Phoenix Symphony is committed to bringing the arts and music to Arizona. Their mission “is to provide the joy of music as a catalyst in helping Arizona to become the best place in America to work and live.” We think that they’re doing a pretty great job at accomplishing their mission. Here are two performances going on this month and one going on in October — we’re featuring the October performance, because we think you’ll want to get your tickets now! Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 — The Phoenix Symphony September 16, 2016 From the website: “The 2016/17 Season kicks off with the epic grandeur of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Tito Munoz, in his third season as Virginia G. Piper Music Director, leads The Phoenix Symphony in a masterful interpretation of Beethoven's ever popular and powerful "Victory" symphony. Joining this program is 2009 London International Piano Competition winner, Behzod Abduraimov performing Rachmaninoff's technically challenging and compositionally brilliant Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Maestro Munoz continues his tradition of highlighting young American composers by featuring Nina Young and her "sonic experience" composition, Remnants, which invites listeners to perceive the orchestra as one giant instrument - a resonating body. $23 - $84.” Bravo Broadway — Music of the Night — The Phoenix Symphony September 30, 2016 From the website: “Tip your hat to Broadway as this popular program returns to Symphony Hall featuring music from The Phantom of the Opera. Under the baton of guest conductor, Robert Franz, The Phoenix Symphony is joined by three world-class Broadway soloists to perform your favorite Broadway tunes from Rodgers and Hammerstein, Les Miserables, and more. $33 - $83.” Halloween at Hogwarts October 7 - 9, 2016 From the website: “ The Hogwarts Express returns to the Valley this October. Muggles, witches and wizards are welcome to attend this popular annual tradition. Join The Phoenix Symphony for this year's musical potion featuring nearly 90 minutes of seasonal selections, memorable music from the Harry Potter films and a spooktacular dose of magic. Come dressed as your favorite Hogwarts character or wear your Halloween costume. Get your tickets early, Halloween at Hogwarts is sure to sell out.” You can find a full list of the performances that the Phoenix Symphony is putting on this month here . Are you planning on attending any of these performances? Leave us a comment and let us know! Thanks for reading!

Decorate Your Apartment

While there are plenty of things to love about living in a rental, decorating is not one of them. When you’re living in an apartment, decorating can be difficult due to restrictions in your rental agreement. Painting, changing hardware, and hanging too many things on the wall is usually discouraged. This week the Liv Ahwatukee Blog is making expressing yourself a little easier by giving you four apartment-safe ways to decorate your apartment. It’s possible to let your personality shine through and keep your rental agreement. Curtains Curtains are a fun and easy way to add some personality to your space without breaking the budget. We recommend going with a different color scheme in each room, letting your style show through the different themes and colors you choose. Bedding Brightening up your bedroom can be as easy as changing up the sheets! One easy way to switch up your room’s look is to buy a new comforter and add a few new throw pillows to your bed. We recommend that you get creative with your throw pillows, especially. Throw pillows often have memorable quotes, fun patterns, or even the portraits of historical figures on them. Find pillows that you feel express your unique, quirky style. Plants Breathe a little life into your space with a few plants. Plants add color and life into an apartment, making it feel a lot more homey and personal. Growing a herb garden is a great way to decorate your apartment and save money on seasoning. If you don’t have much of a green thumb, we recommend growing succulents or cacti. Pictures Make your space personal with photos of your friends, movie posters, and your favorite works of art. Pictures will liven up the space, and they also serve as great conversation starters. “Wait, you love Rothko’s No. 14 ? Me too!” We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about apartment-safe ways to decorate! Do you have any decorating tips for us? Feel free to leave us a comment with your best decorating advice. Thanks for reading!

Events in Phoenix, AZ

There’s nothing we love more than a good event. In this post, the Liv Ahwatukee Apartments are celebrating all the fun things you can do in Phoenix, AZ. This month we’re featuring five events coming to Phoenix during September. We hope that you can find the time to attend at least one of these events before the month is through. City Lights Movie Nights September 9, 2016 From the website: “Cool down this summer with a movie night under the stars and a mini-winter wonderland in the middle of the summer. Play in real snow while enjoying a free screening of How The Grinch Stole Christmas. 6:30 pm. Free.” 26 Blocks: Phoenix September 18, 2016 From the website: “The only art exhibit of its kind in the world, this 55-person writing, photography, sculpture, and illustration art exhibit is like a secret passage to living in and loving downtown Phoenix. Open 24/7/365. Free to the public” Sriracha Festival September 24, 2016 From the website: “Bag competitions will be played. Relays will be run. Live music will be heard. Chefs will throw down in an epic competition for Sriracha glory. We even have plans for a spicy Sriracha mixology competition! The inaugural Sriracha Festival will be packed with great food from some of the Valley's best chefs and restaurants, all with a signature dish designed with Sriracha sauce for tasting. Every ticket includes unlimited tastings from all of our food vendors. 21+ event. $35-75.” Wine Tasting September 29, 2016 From the website: “Tastings are always free and provide a great opportunity for locals and visitors alike to taste through 4-5 unique, high-quality selections and learn a bit about wine. Details are posted to the tasting calendar every Wed for the upcoming week. Thurs 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm. Sat 12 pm - 3 pm.” What events are you planning on attending this month? Are there any events we should know about? Let us know in the comments!