Have A Day In

(Image courtesy of jayneandd)

We all have those days when leaving the house just doesn't sound at all appealing. But even on days where going out sounds like a chore, no one wants to be bored. Just because you're camped out in the living room doesn't mean that there's nothing to do - there's plenty of fun to be had in your pajamas on the couch.

These ideas, courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com, are the perfect launching pad to start you on your way to a great day in. So grab your supplies, call up your friends and have a great day in!

Popcorn Party

• I highly recommend investing in a generously sized bag of popcorn kernels: it's dirt cheap, and you'll always have popcorn potential.
• Take some of the popcorn you already (now) own, and the faintest, cheapest whisper of oil, put them in a pan, and get poppin'.
• While you're waiting and shaking the pan, watch the videos for "Pop! Goes My Heart" from Music & Lyrics and "Lipgloss (It's Poppin')" by Lil Mama. If you don't have internet access or a device, sing any song you can think of with "pop" in the lyrics.
• Once your popcorn is done, the battle begins. Divide the popcorn among however many bowls you own/people there are, and let everyone go to town adding flavorings. This is a great way to use up underappreciated spices and syrups that may be languishing in your cupboards. Za'atar or furikake, perhaps?
• Declare a winner if you're the competitive type, make awards out of scraps if you're the crafty type, and make more popcorn if you're the hungry type (I'm all three).
• Costs Incurred: Electricity/gas for stove, amortization on pans/bowls, internet/electricity for watching videos, pennies' worth of oil/popcorn/salt.

Living Room Campout

• Gather your blankets, pillows, and, if you're really hardcore, sleeping bags in the living room and arrange your campsite.
• Round up all of your lanterns, flashlights, head lamps, glow sticks, lava lamps, and strobe lights, and turn off your regular house lights. A disco ball can easily stand in for a starry sky.
• Have each camper come prepared with a story to read and/or a story to tell.
• Turn down the heat (though not so cold that the pipes/walls freeze — we have to keep ours set at least at 59ºF) and snuggle up.
• If it's not deathly cold/dangerous where you live, go for a moonlit walk around the backyard/block.
• If you have a fireplace, you're living the dream. Roast marshmallows and veggie dogs on it if you own them, and bake potatoes in the coals. If you don't have a fireplace, make s'mores and dogs on the stove. Or roast bell peppers and tortillas directly on the burner and make tacos. Eat beans straight from the can. If all else fails, scrounge around in your cabinets for smoked salt or liquid smoke and add to your regularly cooked dinner.
• Costs Incurred: Battery life/electricity for various lights, firewood if you have to pay for it. Potential for saving money on heat and lighting.

Indoor Olympics

• Have everyone in your household come up with a list of events, and loosely clarify the rules for each.
• Most jump rope jumps! Lowest broomstick limbo! Fastest time running up the stairs! Getting the farthest around the living room without stepping in lava! Most somersaults! Balance on one foot, jump on one foot, hop on one foot throughout the entire house!
• Again, if you all are crafty, make medals for the winners: gold, silver, bronze, brass, copper, aluminum foil, etc. Everyone gets a medal.
• Make a makeshift podium out of stacked pillows.
• The gold medal winner has to sing the national anthem — bonus points for getting through the entire thing!
• Costs Incurred: Wear and tear on your furniture and flooring, random craft supplies used up to make medals.

So what are you waiting for? Time to get partying!

Drinks For Two

(Image courtesy of thekitchn.com)

It’s Valentine’s Day, and though you may not be going out, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate! What better way to toast your sweetheart than with a homemade cocktail? Rather than scouring the internet looking for the perfect concoction to show your Valentine you care just whip up this recipe for Rose Champagne Cocktail.

This recipe, courtesy of thekitchn.com, is a quick fix-all you have to do is mix, sip and enjoy!

The classic recipe can be a little sweet, so I started wondering if I could cut the traditional sugar cube in half and found indeed you can. For this cocktail recipe you will cut one cube for every two glasses.

How to Cut a Sugar Cube

Using a sharp knife score the cube all the way around. Then using a sharp knife, serrated knife or scissors you can trim your cube the rest of the way through, making two halves.

This may seem silly to you, but if you don't like your sips sweet, it's key for this cocktail to work for you. On the other hand, if you prefer a bit of sweetness, go ahead and add one whole cube to each glass.

Since it is Valentine's Day, toasting with something pink seemed like the perfect pick, and a dry sparkling rosé or a Champagne rouge to top off our cocktail is just the thing. So polish your coupes or flutes and enjoy this sparkling rosé cocktail for happy hour.

Rosé Champagne Cocktail
Serves 2

• 1 sugar cube
• 8 dashes Angostura or other aromatic bitters
• Chilled rosé Champagne

Cut the sugar cube in half using a serrated knife or a sharp, thin knife. You will lose some sugar granules during cutting but that is ok.

Place one half of the sugar cube on the bottom of each champagne flute. Add 4 dashes of bitters over each sugar cube and then fill the glasses with Champagne.

Recipe Notes

The classic Champagne cocktail calls for a lemon twist garnish. You may choose to add one to this if you like.

Making Friends With The Neighbors

(Image courtesy of Design By Zouny)

When your favorite neighbors move away, it can be hard to make the adjustment to seeing new face. Though it’s normal to feel nervous about trying to establish a comfortable cohabitation with strangers, it’s important to establish a friendly relationship with your new neighbors early on.

Befriending your new neighbors will help to make sure that you’re both more comfortable in your surroundings. This article from apartmentguide.com has a few great tips to make sure that everyone adjusts to this new situation quickly. Keep reading to learn more.

Think the worst

We all harbor an understandable fear of the unknown. If you have settled into a positive pattern of coexisting with neighbors, then a situation that changes that dynamic could indeed feel a bit threatening.

Neighbor anxiety, or any kind of social anxiety, is often best managed by facing your fears with eyes wide open. Or closed, if you want to try a little visualization.

Imagine the worst neighbors you could possibly have. See them parking their car in your space after work. Smell the stinky food they cook. Hear the head-banging music they play every night and the shouting matches they have on their patio at 4 am.

Okay, that sounds really terrible. But ask yourself how likely a negative scenario like that will come to be. And if it did happen, what would you do about it?

Well, you’d call security, notify the community manager, buy earplugs — maybe turn on some of your own favorite music to drown out theirs.

In short, you could handle the situation, but it likely won’t happen at all if you take the next step and begin a relationship with your best good-neighborly skills.

Place your best foot forward

The keys to a good neighbor relationship are recognition and respect.

Let a new neighbor see your face and get acquainted. When you meet a new neighbor, introduce yourself, maybe even offer a little help getting to know the area, if the person comes from a different city. It wouldn’t hurt to bring over a new houseplant or something that will be a daily reminder that you are a sweet neighbor who should be appreciated. Keep in mind: it’s hard not to like the nice person who baked banana bread as a housewarming gift!

Subtly set expectations

Remember that you may not be the only one who is anxious about this new living situation. You might have a nervous neighbor next door who is dealing with culture shock, wondering how they should behave in this new community.

Do them a favor and ease their fears, while letting them know the real deal. A comment like “I think you’ll really like how quiet our community is” lets them know to keep the volume down. And “I’m your neighbor, Susan, with the red Honda over there” stakes your claim on your parking space. You can help the new guy or gal feel comfortable by subtly explaining the rules.

Sure, the unknowns of a new neighbor situation can be a little scary. But if you take control of the situation with some proactive friendliness, then you’ll put both your fears and theirs at ease. Nip potential bad blood in the bud by being, if not an actual buddy, then the kind of neighbor that you’d want to live next door to. (It’s amazing what a little banana bread can do!)