Blog Posts

Drawing Inspiration from Photography

Welcome back to the Liv Ahwatukee Blog. In Phoenix, AZ, we’re blessed with a world of wonder and beauty. All around our apartment community are opportunities for photographs that will shine on your Instagram account. Today, we’re sharing a few of our very own inspirational photography “facts” to help you get inspired to grab your camera or smartphone, head outside of your apartment, and enjoy the outside world this season. 1. A photograph offers inspiration. It’s a moment that has been captured, one that can speak to us on a deeper level more than words can ever say. One look at an incredible picture and suddenly the age-old phrase, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” is only true to an extent, as some photographs tend to take all words away from you and you’re left staring in awe and fascination. 2. The camera is a passport to inspiration. Every so often there’s a photograph that can transport you to another place and time. The image captures a majestic moment, one that pulls you in and sends you on an adventure of your own. 3. A photograph is a story waiting to be told, but different for everyone who reads it. You’re the author. What will your stories say? 4. Seeing a photograph is a sneak peek of the past and a look into the future. It’s a memory borrowed of a moment once created, but one that can be shared forever. It’s truly a memory never to be forgotten. 5. Some of the most powerful shots are the ones that we don’t plan. Some of them tend to surprise us more than we ever expect. Some are framed just right. 6. Each photograph you take is a stamp in your passport of life. Yours can never be too full.

How to Make Your Own Essential Oils

This week, the Liv Ahwatukee Blog is featuring tips so that you can make your own essential oils without leaving your Phoenix, AZ apartment. Essential oils can help fight colds, soothe sore muscles, alleviate pain, improve digestion, and more . If you’ve got a crockpot and distilled water, then extracting essential oils from plants is a pretty simple process. We’re taking the following instructions from DIY Natural , and while we invite you to read the entire article to learn more about essential oils and infused oils, we’re going to highlight just the parts about the process of making your own oil. Ingredients & Supplies 1. A crock pot with a lid 2. Distilled water 3. 3-4 cups of chopped fresh plant material, filling the crockpot about half full. “It’s best to use fresh plant material rather than dried. Dried herbs will still yield some oil, but fresh will result in more volume. Harvest plant material in the morning after the dew has dried. Discard any dead, diseased, or bug infested herbs.” Process 1. Place the plants in the crockpot, covering them with water. Make sure that the crockpot is less than three-fourths full. Then, put the lid on upside down. 2. Turn the crockpot on high. Once hot, turn it to low and simmer for three to four hours. 3. Turn the crockpot off. Once the plants have cooled, place the crockpot into the fridge and leave it overnight. 4. In the morning, you should notice a thin film of oil on the top. It should be hard. Be careful as you lift the essential oil, but work quickly so it doesn’t melt. 5. Place the oil into a bottle and seal it with a cap. 6. Store away from light and heat. Of course, if you’d rather purchase essential oils rather than make your own, there’s always that option! Young Living is just one of many essential oil companies with a wide variety of great oils to choose from.

Flamin’ Hot Ice Cream and More Exciting Creations

When we heard that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Ice Cream was a thing, we couldn’t believe it — and do you blame us? Honestly, we never really imagined combining Flamin’ Hot Cheetos with any type of dessert. Whatsoever. Sure, we’re all for those sweet-and-spicy, hot-and-cold combinations, but we never pictured Cheetos being a big component of any dish. Perhaps we were wrong to ignore it for so long. Here are a few recipes that just might surprise you! Make them today in your Liv Ahwatukee apartment! Cheesecake This is a pretty simple Hot Cheetos cheesecake recipe . You’ll need graham cracker crumbs, hot sauce, melted butter, sugar, cream cheese, cornstarch, lime zest, eggs, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Click the above link for the full instructions. Macarons This recipe comes from kara’s couture cakes . Here’s what the creator has to say about the recipe: “Oh yes, I went there! These savory, spicy, sweet, not-so-classic French macarons are digging the Flamin' Hot Cheetos craze! Nope. They wouldn't be my first choice either, but I gotta say... They are AWESOME!” For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients: powdered sugar, almond flour, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, white chocolate, and heavy cream. Ice Cream Here’s the ultimate test: a recipe for something that’s supposed to be cold, and something known for its hot flavor — combined for one ultimate experience. Hot Cheetos ice cream is not something we would’ve imagined people actually ate, so you can imagine our surprise (and somewhat excitement) to learn that this recipe actually exists. Click the above link for full instructions. We hope you enjoy making these fun treats in your Cambridge, MA apartment. Before we leave you, here’s a fun fact about the history of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos : Richard Montañez, a one-time-janitor at Frito-Lay, dusted some Cheetos with his own homemade chili powder. After sharing them with his friends and coworkers, his life took a turn that he never expected. What can we take away from this? We think that Richard’s story of success is a great example for us to not be afraid to try new things. Okay, so maybe making Flamin’ Hot Cheetos ice cream won’t boost your career, but something else might. We hope this blog post (specifically these recipes) inspire you to continue to try new things in 2019. You never know what might happen. Thanks for reading! We hope you have a great month in Phoenix, AZ!

Inspirational Quotes to Live By

At Liv Ahwatukee, we think that everyone should have a mantra, meaning “a motivating chant, like the ‘I think I can, I think I can’ you repeat over and over to yourself on the last stretch of every marathon you run” ( vocabulary.com ). Many of us repeat our mantras in our apartments or at work. Often, they inspire us to live a better life, to make good choices, and to motivate our day-to-day lives here in Phoenix, AZ. Enjoy reading these quotes and see if any of them can be added to your list of mantras. “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” — Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married “If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” — Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator “A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships.” — Helen Keller, The Simplest Way to be Happy “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You “Anything worth dying for is certainly worth living for.” — Joseph Heller, Catch-22 “The only limits for tomorrow are the doubts we have today.” — Pittacus Lore, The Power of Six “If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something.” — Neil Gaiman, Make Good Art “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” — Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” — J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Do you have any favorite quotes to add to this list? Share them in the comments, as well as any other life mantras that you live by. We hope that this month is filled with inspiration and motivation!

Tips for Hosting Guests

It’s been a while since we last tackled the subject of hosting guests. So, let’s talk about that! Welcome back to the Liv Ahwatukee Blog, a resource for residents and non-residents alike of our apartment community in Phoenix, Arizona. As the summer season approaches, you’re probably expecting a visit or two from friends or relatives. We understand how much work goes into having people stay over — it’s not always easy! We’ve learned that the better prepared you are for such occasions, the better experience you’ll get out of it. Today, we hope we can help you prepare for the future with a few simple tips. When acting as host in your apartment, you probably want your friends to think you’ve got it all together and planned; the same probably goes for how much you want an effortless feel at your event or during their stay. Use these ideas to take away the stress and give you more time to spend with your loved ones! Don’t be afraid to learn from trial and error here; some guests feel most comfortable with clearly defined private space and others are okay with an air mattress in the living room. Put together a basket of useful items for your guests, and they will be pleased to find what they may need close at hand. These tips come from Randi Garrett Designs : “1) Comfy bedding. I like to have a supply of extra blankets and pillows in easy reach of the bed. That way, your guests can choose the pillow that is most comfortable for them, and add a blanket or two if they take a chill. “2) Lamp on the bedside table and some books or magazines for some nighttime reading. I don’t know about you, but when I’m traveling, I sometimes have trouble falling asleep in a strange bed. A good reading light and ready access to books or magazines helps guests have something to do should they have trouble falling asleep. “3) Water and a little ‘welcome’ treat on the nightstand. I like to add some bottled water, or a glass and carafe on the nightstand near the bed. There’s nothing worse than stumbling around in the dark in unfamiliar surroundings trying to find your water to a drink! The treat is just for fun – I like putting a little truffle or two on the nightstand to help my guests feel special.” What are your favorite ways to help your guests feel at home when they’re visiting? We’d love to hear your tips, so please share in the comments below.

Healthy Eating Hacks

Last week we shared a favorite new workout obsession: Parkour. This week, it’s only fitting that we keep with the healthy theme by sharing hacks for healthy eating. You might be thinking, “Not another blog about healthy eating...I can’t take it anymore!” Don’t worry. We at Liv Ahwatukee Apartments understand completely — maybe a little too well. Switching to a healthy lifestyle can be a difficult and often disappointing venture, and if you’re like us, you’ve fallen short of your “healthy diet goal” more than once. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be challenging and disheartening, but we think that the tips in today’s blog post will help lift your spirits. It all begins in your apartment. Before you start making changes, understand that you don’t have to be perfect to have a healthy diet. In fact, eating healthy does not require you to remove all the different foods that you enjoy — you don’t even have to change everything right at once. Doing so might set you up for failure. So if you’re going to start, start right! Here are a few key points to remember to get you moving in the right direction at a pace that’s fit for you, setting you up for success. Eat with others when possible. People tend to overeat when alone or in front of the television. Prepare your meals. By cooking your own meals you can be the boss of what goes into your food. Studies have shown that preparing your own meals will help you eat fewer calories, eliminate added or unnecessary sugar, and combat feelings of depression. Replace unhealthy foods. Cutting back on unhealthy foods can be difficult. Many people struggle with this because they don’t successfully replace those with healthy alternative foods. An example is to replace trans fats with healthy fats — goodbye fried chicken and hello grilled salmon! Drink a lot of water. Don’t mistake thirst for hunger. Staying well-hydrated is a great way to help you make good eating choices. When it’s all said and done, keep in mind how you feel after you eat. As you eat healthier food, you’ll start to feel better. This will help you make better conscious decisions about your daily food choices. We hope these tips help you move in the right direction when it comes to healthy eating. What suggestions do you have to help with eating healthy in your Phoenix, AZ apartment? Thanks for reading!