Category: Lifestyle
5 Must-Haves for Summer 2020
Summer is only a few weeks away! Whether you plan to spend your summer relaxing, reading or cooking great BBQ food, there is a cool gadget on this list that you’ll want to try…
1 – PadHat Sunshade for iPad or Tablet – If you’re planning to read or scroll your social media feeds at the beach or on your balcony you’ll need one of these! They protect your tablet from the sun and heat so it’s easy to see.
2 – Grill Light & Fan – Need to grill at night? No problem! This grill light and fan has LED lights to help you see your food and a built in fan to blow smoke away from your face.
3 – Bear Paws Shredder Claws– If you prefer smoking to grilling, shred your meat quickly and easily with these shredder claws!
4 – Beach Towel Clips – Claim your chair and keep your towel in place with these bright and colorful beach towel clips!
5 – Popsicle Molds – No visit from the ice cream man? No problem! Make your own popsicles at home by freezing your favorite fresh fruits, yogurts and juices.
Creating Pots With Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers
Adding colorful annuals to your porch or balcony area is good for the soul! Creating a beautiful outdoor space will give you both a fun project and also a pretty place to relax at the end of a long day. Not sure where to start? All you need to remember are three words….thriller, filler and spiller! In order to create a beautiful potted arrangement you’ll need one of each.
1 – Thrillers are the showpiece of your arrangement. A palm tree, a tall tropical flower or a really colorful plant are all thrillers. They’re usually taller than the other plants and give your pots a real “pop” of excitement.
2 – Fillers are flowers or plants that are of medium height. They have more rounded, mounding habits and spread to fill in the gap between your thrillers and your spillers.
3 – Spillers are flowers or plants that will move and drape over the sides of your pots as they grow. They usually add great foliage and color to your pots as well.
Have you created your outdoor pots this year? Post them on Facebook or Instagram and tag us so we can see! Happy spring!
5 Ways to Celebrate Mom – At Home With Princeton
If you’re at home with Mom this Mother’s Day there are many ways you can celebrate her. If you’re separated from her while social distancing there are still plenty of ways you can treat Mom this year! Take a look at these ideas for celebrating Mom while staying safe.
1 – Buy her a gift card to a local restaurant. She can use this to purchase herself some takeout now or save it to use later when restaurants are back open for business. Many restaurants are allowing gift card purchases online or over the phone to limit social contact. Does she prefer to be pampered? Check with her hairdresser or stylist to see if you can purchase a gift card to use at a future date.
2 – Have a special meal delivered to her. Call her favorite restaurant and have lunch or dinner delivered for her. She won’t have to cook and she’ll love the surprise….a win, win!
3 – Many local florists are taking orders now for Mother’s Day flower deliveries. Call today to get your order in an surprise mom with a beautiful bouquet.
4 – If mom prefers planting her own flowers, get her some annuals or perennials from your local garden store! You can call and place an order then pull up and have the order brought right out to your car. Drop off at Mom’s doorstep with a special note from you.
5 – Homemade cards are always appreciated by moms but this year more than ever she’ll love the sentiment. Write a list of your favorite things about her and why you are thankful for her, decorate and drop it off in her mailbox.
How to Celebrate Earth Day at Home
It may be cold out and we may be advised to stay at home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate our Earth! Here are 5 ways you can safely celebrate Earth Day while social distancing and staying safe.
1 – Plant something. Remember our post last week about starting an indoor garden? If you haven’t already, today would be a great day to do so.
2 – Setup a recycling system in your home. You probably already have recycling bins but now is a great time to teach your kids about the importance of recycling and have them help you setup a system for recycling plastic and paper in your home.
3 – Receive a lot of catalogs in the mail? You’ve probably thought about cancelling those subscribtions but never had the time. Do it today! 100 million trees are cut down each year to produce catalogs and the majority are tossed in the trash.
4 – Teach your kids about Earth Day and do a fun Earth Day project with them. Have them draw a picture of what Earth Day means to them. You can frame their art work and hang it in your home (maybe above your new recycling center).
5 – Get outside (safely) and enjoy. It is cold today so bundle up! Whether you sit quietly on your porch/balcony or go for a quick walk it’s a great day to get some fresh air and appreciate our Earth.
Starting an Indoor Vegetable Garden – At Home With Princeton
The warm weather will (hopefully) be here before we know it! Now is a great time to get a head start on your summer garden while staying indoors at home. Have kids? They’ll love helping you create the garden and take care of it until it’s time to plant outside.
1 – Choose what kind of vegetables you want to grow (make sure they are ones that you’ll have space to replant outdoors once summer arrives). You can order seeds online and have them delivered. You can also call your local garden/home improvement stores and request a curbside pickup for some items.
2 – Pot your seeds with seed-starting mix. You can also order this online or pick it up from the local store. You can plant your seeds in small containers or cups to start with.
3 – Label your plants. You can use Popsicle sticks and write what vegetables you’ve planted. Stick the Popsicle sticks in the edge of the soil. Don’t have sticks? Write the names directly on the cups you’ve planted in.
4 – Find a proper location for your seed cups. Sun isn’t necessary quite yet. Find a table that you can setup inside to store your garden. Put a tray down first to make sure your surface stays dry.
5 – Water and start watching for plant sprouts. Once you see sprouts it’s time to move your plants to a sunny location like a windowsill or a table near the window. Keep watering daily and when summer arrives you can move your plants to bigger pots outdoors or plant directly in the ground if you have garden space.
Organizing the Linen Closet – At Home With Princeton
Spring cleaning has never been easier! With more time at home we can tackle one organization project a week and our homes will feel cleaner in no time. Today we’re going to help you tackle the linen closet (hall closet, bathroom closet are other names that may be used for this specific spot). Let’s get started!
1 – The easiest part of this project is step one. Pull everything out! It’s easiest to see what you’ve been hoarding when it’s all laid out in front of you.
2 – Wipe down all of your surfaces inside, vacuum the floor and give it a quick wash. Now you have a clean slate for storage.
3 – Check out the quality of your bath towels. If some are faded, thin, have holes, etc. it’s time to part ways. Recycle some as cleaning rags and get rid of the rest. The ones that are making the cut can be folded or rolled and stored back on an empty shelf.
4 – Check out your toiletries. If you have a stash of shampoos, soaps, etc organize them on shelving. Put the items in order so you can pull new ones from the front as you need them and continue storing. Have items that are old or expired? Now is the time to toss.
5 – Get fancy with your storage. If you’re one of the lucky ones that has a surplus of toilet paper these days, find a fun way to store your extras. A decorative basket can be put on the floor of the closet and filled with rolls. Items like soaps, tissues, sprays etc can also be stored in baskets.
6 – See what items are left. If they were meant to be in the linen closet they can stay and continue getting organized. Use small baskets, boxes etc for storage so you don’t have too many items just thrown on shelves. If they need to be stored somewhere else now is the time to find their new home.
5 Tips for Staying Healthy at Home – At Home with Princeton
You don’t need any special equipment to stay healthy during this time of social-distancing. Here are 5 great tips for keeping your body and your mind in tip top shape while you’re at home.
1 – Stream at at-home workout you can do right in your living room. There are tons of online workouts you can do without stepping foot into a fitness studio. Beachbody on Demand, Glo Yoga and Nike Training Club are just a few programs that you can stream right on your TV or device for an awesome workout. You can also find many fitness videos and regimens on YouTube.
2 – Get outside and go for a hike or a walk. It’s easy to keep your distance in the great outdoors. Get some fresh air and depending on where you live, check out one of these beautiful hiking trails in New England.
3 – Keep your brain in tip top shape by doing a daily brain teaser or puzzle. You can find great ones online that will challenge you mentally and give your brain some exercise each morning.
4 – Start a journal to exercise your creativity and mind. Years from now we may not have apps like Facebook or Twitter that we can check to remember this time. Grab a notebook and start jotting down what you’re feeling and what is happening each day. A year from now you can look back and remember what you had been through and share with others.
5 – Set aside some time each morning or evening to give yourself ten minutes to meditate. Sit quietly and reflect on the day. When you’re done, challenge yourself by giving yourself a goal for the next day. It can be anything from organizing a closet to starting a creative project you’ve been putting off.
5 DIY Valentine’s Day Decorating Ideas
Love is in the air!
Are you hosting a Valentine’s Day party or dinner at your place this weekend? You don’t need to break the bank to decorate with rose petals. Check out these fun and easy DIY projects that will make your home look decked out for Valentine’s Day!
1 – Pucker Up Balloons – All you need is red lipstick and some white balloons for this one!
2 – Candy Heart Garland – Grab some construction paper and some baking twine to create this garland the kids are sure to love!
3 – Candy Heart Bouquet – The vase of water is hidden underneath a pile of conversation hearts in this cute Valentine’s centerpiece!
4 – Heart Branch Tree – Some twigs from the yard, twine, paper and a little spray paint and you can create this adorable heart branch tree for your Valentine’s party.
5 – Heart Balloon Backdrop – If you’re an Instagram lover, this balloon heart will make the perfect background for your Valentine photos!
5 Things to Do in Dover, NH
Whether you’re traveling to Dover this winter or waiting until the weather is warmer, there is plenty to do! Locals of Dover (including our residents at Princeton Dover Apartments) recommend trying these 5 fun things the next time you are visiting.
1 – The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire
2 – Bellamy River Wildlife Sanctuary
4 – Tendercrop Farm
5 – Hilton Park
5 Fun Holiday Events in New Hampshire
Ready to start celebrating the holidays? Our friends in New Hampshire have lot’s of festive local events to make their holidays bright and merry this December. Whether you are a resident in the Keene, Dover or Nashua area there is something exciting to do with the whole family.
1 – A Merry Little Christmas Celebration at Bretton Woods.
There are holiday events all month long at Bretton Woods including a Christmas buffet, a holiday movie marathon, scavenger hunts and more.
2 – Inn to Inn Holiday Cookie Tour
Participants will not only tour inns decked in all their holiday finery offering signature holiday cookies and candies, but will receive recipes from each inn in a Holiday Recipe Cookbook to take home and a chance to win a $250 gift certificate for a getaway at the inn of their choice.
3 – Gift of Lights at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
A 2.5-mile drive-thru light show features the Tunnel of Lights (the 130-foot-long infield entrance and exit tunnels will be brightly lit, giving a truly memorable experience that kids of all ages will need to see to believe).
4 – Jingle Bell Chocolate Tour
Start this enchanted horse-drawn journey by checking in at Nestlenook’s Gazebo. There you’ll find the entire Gazebo filled with Christmas and Holiday decorations. Here you will pick up your first home-made chocolate treasure and a festive bag to use for any uneaten chocolates collected on your sleigh ride. You may sit in the sleigh found in the Gazebo and have family Christmas Holiday photos taken.
5 – Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth
Celebrate the season by taking a stroll in downtown Portsmouth where you’ll find holiday shows, music, ice skating and shopping.