Community Blog

Everyone needs a good epiphany every now and then!

Something about being pummeled by the avalanche of junk that tumbled out of my closet bummed me out.  At first, I couldn’t put my finger on it. Was it the cuts and contusions I received after the first wave of sporting goods? Was it the sensation of suffocation I felt from under the pile of washed and unwashed winter sweaters? Maybe getting brained by shoe boxes full of papers and pictures was the cause of my sudden sense of sadness?

What ever it was, I knew the moment I reached the summit that life was about to change for me. I had a vision … an apartment vision. An epiphany of sorts that has since turned my world from dark and dreary to happy and cheery!

That knock-on-the-head had me asking myself: Is this how I want to live? Is this really the best I can do with my cool living space here at The Bend?

The answer was a resounding ‘NO’ …  so, I began THAT DAY moving toward the vision I had of a lovely, organized, spiffy and VERY cool apartment.  A place to entertain – a place to chill – a place I could SAFELY enjoy without fear of suffocation.

My first step was to snag some moving boxes. I found a delightful new resident, we swapped our ‘howdys’ and I made off with her boxes with her blessing. Then I proceeded to fill them in three categories:

1. Trash
2. Give Away
3. Keep and Use

(Notice how the number of words corresponds to the number on the list? It seems rather serendipitous, given my epiphany and all, don’t you think?) Anyway …

After a full day devoted to sorting, tossing and apartment organizing, I found my chi. Guess I’d lost that too, in the mayhem that WAS my apartment. Now that I’ve rid myself of all the extraneous JUNK, the difference in LIFE is amazing! My fear of being buried alive is GONE! I can find everything I need AND I feel good about making a meaningful donation to Allen Community Outreach, a resource center that I mentioned in a previous post.

Do you have a vision for your apartment? If you don’t, let me know and I’ll pelt you with shoe boxes until you have one. Knowing what you want and how you want to live is the KEY to making your living space the best it can be.

For help reaching your goals for great apartment living, read Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure by New York-based interior designer Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan.

Mark your calendar, gals! GIRLS NIGHT OUT is coming Tuesday, September 28 to the Village Country Club!

GIRLS NIGHT OUT is designed especially for our VILLAGE LADIES! If you’re a sassy, classy Village Lady, YOU are invited to an awesome evening of music, food, drinks and prizes along with cool stuff to see and buy and so much more!

Lincoln Charities will benefit from your $2 admission ticket at the door and you’ll benefit from a night out with your best girl buds. Bring a friend and have a blast at GIRLS NIGHT OUT at the VCC the 28th.

Keep your eyes peeled for more details to come!

Sorry guys! It’s a NO testosterone zone!

My grandmother was a product of the Great Depression. Having lived through such economically troubled times, she had some sage advice for saving a penny. Not ALL of it was great. After all, after her passing we found $500 in a hole in her wall. Not a good way to stash cash but other than that, she was full of wisdom and GREEN way before it was cool!

My grandmother was both creative and at times, pure genius. She threw so little away! Long after the Depression, her money saving/re-use prowess continued and as I child, I witnessed through her how to stretch things as far as they could go. She had a way of finding a use for almost EVERYTHING no matter how ‘useless’ it appeared. She stored buttons in egg cartons, nails in baby food jars and made pot scrubbers out of used tin foil. But that was nothing compared to the ways she used LEMONS.

It was an article found at CARE 2 Make a Difference that transported me back to my grandmother’s kitchen. In the article 22 Uses for Lemon Peels, they listed many of the same tricks my grandmother had long since discovered and passed along to me!

Grandma would clean her stove top with lemons and salt (salt acted as the gentle abrasive needed, while the acid from the lemon cut the grease) and she cleaned her coffee pot with a lemon concoction. She would freshen her cutting boards with lemon peels and scrub her stainless steel sink with left over lemons. She even kept her brown sugar soft with peels after she removed the pulp and pith. And her candied lemon peels! Those were such a treat!

The next time you’re tempted to toss out a useless looking bunch of peels, Grandma says, “Stop! Don’t waste it! USE IT!”  There are plenty of things in your apartment that could use a touch of lemon!

Dear Closet,

It’s clear from your demeanor of late that something is troubling you. I hate to be so blunt but lately, you’ve been UGLY. UGLY like a pair of Crocks on man-feet.

This morning when I opened your door I was immediately faced with what could only be classified as personal neglect. Clearly, your appearance means very little to you. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?  Don’t you care how you look to me anymore?

I remember a time when you were a proud closet, organized by color. A time when shoes stayed in pairs in that plastic hanging-shoe-holder-thingy that I gave to you last year. But now look at them! They are scattered, piled and many are separated from the only mate they’ve ever known! And the hangers! What in the world is going on with you?! Have you no shame? I can’t even begin to explain my emotions … it’s far too painful. Suffice it to say that if EVERY hanger is special then NO hanger is special. Get my drift?

I realize that I have to bear responsibility here, too. In fact, maybe I must take the lion’s share. I know I throw a lot at you and I breeze in and out of your life every single day. Perhaps in my haste I’ve contributed far more than I realize?

In spite of my present angst at the deplorable conditions I find behind your door, I do still love you and need you in my life. We can work this out, can’t we? I think I have a plan if you’re willing to work with me. Will you, dearest Closet?

I’ll start this weekend with the big clothing and shoe purge. If I’ve not worn an item in over a year, it will be donated to Allen Community Outreach because they do cool things for families in crisis in the area. When a family faces an illness, or job loss or any other disruptive life challenge, they can get the help they need through ACO … AND they’re just 30 minutes north of here! Imagine it! Getting OUR relationship back in order can actually make a difference to families in need!

Listen, lovely Closet-of-mine, this thing between you and me … this is fixable! It really is.  I’ll even sweeten the pot by buying you matching, quality clothes hangers so that things will hang uniformly if that will help persuade you. I’ll do whatever it takes.

How about it? Can we dabble in some serious CLOSET RE-ORGANIZATION and fix this mess we’re in?  C’mon! It’ll be fun spending time together again … just you and me. Whatta ya say?

Love,

T

Horne & Dekker Restaurant is pleased as punch to participate in the 2010 annual KRLD Restaurant Week, August 16 -22!

Enjoy a three-course gourmet comfort-food menu for just $35 per person. Among the many amazing dishes you’ll find for this special event are Cedar Plank Salmon with Citrus Vinny, Dr Pepper Braised Pork Carnitas & Fresh Lime, Oven-Roasted Foghorn Leghorn (Roasted Chicken) with Fresh Lemon, Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw & Fresh Avocado AND SO MUCH MORE!

The North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home thank you for participating, because a portion of the proceeds go toward the wonderful work these organizations are doing in Dallas.

Horne & Dekker Restaurant is located less than 10 minutes from here at 2323 North Henderson Avenue. They’re looking forward to serving you as you partner to help two local charities continue their work!

Make reservations today! (214) 821-9333. Get the skinny with their FAQ’s.

Are you totally TICKED OFF? Are you BENT OUT OF SHAPE, P.O’d or downright red-faced ANGRY?! Then it’s time to give ANGER MANAGEMENT THE BOOT at the annual FIGHT NIGHT 2010 at The Village Country Club!

Let’s face it, sometimes the only therapy you need is to punch someone’s lights out! If you’re mad at your bone-headed EX, if your boss is such a jerk you can hardly stand it or if you’re mad as a hornet with your freaky roommate, then EMAIL your gripes TODAY to p1@theticket.com and get ready to come out swingin’!

The rules are:
Fighters must be between the ages of 18 and 35 (no exceptions)

Fighters must be within 10 lbs of the opponent

You have until AUGUST 26TH to get REALLY CHAPPED!

WHEN: August 26, beginning at 5pm

WHERE: The Village Country Club. Park at the Dallas Children’s Theater for free and take the P1 Shuttle

COST: No cover for Village Residents

MORE INFO: Theticket.com

Remember the last time you packed your car to the brim and took the kids on a summer vacation?

Somewhere between, I have to go to the bathroom! and Are we there yet? there’s potential for meltdown. Not until your lovely little cherubs resort to pelting each other with p-nuts do you feel the need to step in with parental wisdom.  Oh, the joys of traveling with kids!

Whether you’re just making a 30 minute trip to the Dallas Zoo or heading waaaay out of town, it helps to have a plan to make entertaining children easy. I’m all for hand-held devices and movies on long trips. Children remain engaged for quite some time with today’s technology. But don’t waste the opportunity to travel the old fashioned way … by playing TRAVEL GAMES.

Travel games are great for promoting family interaction and teamwork while encouraging creative and problem solving thought. Everyone can learn a few things with trivia games, geography games and even simple alphabet games. This list of 101 CAR TRAVEL GAMES and ROAD TRIP IDEAS FOR KIDS is a great start as you prepare for your last summer trip.

Do you have a favorite travel game? Share it right here!

A-Zoo PRESCHOOL SAFARI at the Dallas Zoo is a LIVE animal extravaganza from A to Zoo!

A to Zoo Preschool Safari, (designed for tots ages 4 and early 5) is a certified teacher taught program based on Texas TEKS, NAEYC curriculum guidelines of the Council for Environmental Education.  Ok … I’ll admit. THAT part doesn’t really sound exciting BUT …  the LIVE ANIMAL and ZOO TOURS part sure does!

Each week, students  will develop skills in language, literacy, phonemic awareness, creative arts, problem solving, critical thinking, mathematical skills, scientific thinking and observation and social skills all while having all the fun they can handle from A TO Zoooooo! They’ll meet live animals as well as Zoo staff in a safe, fun and wild animal environment!

Cost: 12 Week series or individual weekly sessions with payment plans available

Members $260/series or $22.50/class; Non-Members $290/series or $25/class

Dates & Times: A-Zoo Preschool Safari is a 12 week series of classes  offered one day per week on Fridays or Saturdays.

Friday classes run Sept 3 – Nov 19 from 8:30AM – 11:30 AM or 12:30PM – 3:30PM.

Saturday classes run Sept 4 – Nov 20 from 9:00AM-12:00 PM.

Classes will continue into the winter and spring of 2011.

Print, complete and mail or fax this Preschool at the Zoo registration form right away! Classes fill up fast and space is limited! For more information, email education@dallaszoo.com or call 214-670-6832.

House plants balance household humidity in your apartment …  but were you aware that house plants can help you fight the symptoms of a cold that a nagging cough?

According to a STUDY performed at the University of Agriculture in Norway, indoor house plants can help to reduce  coughs, sore throats, cold-related illnesses and the fatigue caused by colds by as much as 30 percent or possibly more! Because house plants increase humidity levels AND decrease dust, a home with house plants is a home with cleaner air.

Killing house plants is a talent I possess. It’s part of my charm. If you’re like me, you simply walk passed one and blam! It dries up and withers before your eyes. If that describes you, too … you are in luck because 5 minutes from The Bend you’ll find a wonderful resource for hearty house plants that can survive even ME and YOU!  It’s Calloway’s Nursery and the staff there  can guide you to the perfect house plant that can survive your apartment.

Assess your apartment before you go. Where do you want to put your plants? In a low light area? Tell the good guys over at Calloway what you’re looking for and be sure to tell them about your lack of a green thumb and they will help!

You’re just minutes away from house plant help at Calloway, located at 7410 Greenville Avenue, just a short drive from The Bend!

Treat yourself to a Parents Night Out and your kids to a great night of fun at the Exall Recreation Center!

Every 3rd Friday of the month, Exall Recreation Center opens its doors to your children (ages 6-12) for a fun night of recreation from 6pm to 10pm.  Kids enjoy arts and crafts, group games and dinner for the low cost of 10 bucks per child – with a discount for siblings!

You and your sweetie can go out and dance or eat or even catch a movie while you’re kids have a blast making new friends, playing games and creating artistic masterpieces. Make it a date every 3rd Friday!

For more information, contact the friendly Staff (214) 670-7812.

Exall is just 15 minutes south! You and your kids deserve a night out! Plan your night out today!

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