Blog Posts

‘Tis the Season for Holiday Cards and Packages — Be Prepared

One of the joys of the season is receiving holiday greetings via letters and cards. It’s always exciting to receive a package addressed to you at your Penrose Square apartment in South Arlington, VA. Today we have some tips to help you get your cards and packages in the mail. Create a list. Help yourself get a feel for how you should divide up your time in writing your letters or addressing envelopes by putting together a master list for who you want to send your greetings to this year, and who gets cards and who gets a package. Update addresses as you get cards or packages from others, and keep a backup list available in another place in case the one you’re working off of accidentally gets destroyed or deleted. Start now, and beware of deadlines. The best “trick” to staying on top of your mail and ensuring everything gets where it needs to go when it needs to be there is, of course, not so much of a trick as it is a reminder: Start online shopping and addressing and sending out envelopes now. The deadline for mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service is the last day you can send something for it to arrive by that specific holiday. Check the post office or your online vendor’s website to find these dates. Personalize It. Add a personal, handwritten note to your card or package. Keep your message brief and legible. If you have more to say than can be written in a note under the printed greeting, you may want to consider writing a newsletter or including one with the card. Be prepared. Before you sit down to add handwritten notes in each of your cards, gather up everything you’re going to need so you don’t have to stop when you’re on a roll to find an address or the roll of stamps. You may also want an extra pen, some fun stickers, and photos if you are planning on including them with your card. We hope you enjoy sending and receiving cards and packages this holiday season!

Thanksgiving Tips

Thanksgiving is here! It’s time to enjoy colder days and meals around the dinner table featuring a feast of Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and more. Though it’s a great time, do you ever feel like you overeat or have family tension at times? In this week’s Penrose Square Blog, we’ve got a few tips for you on how you can have a more enjoyable Thanksgiving this November! Use a Smaller Plate One of the difficult things about Thanksgiving is the fact that many people overeat. There is going to be plenty of food, which makes overeating understandable, but if you want to have a more comfortable time, you might want to avoid it. In order to achieve this, we recommend using a smaller plate. Many plates, even the paper kind, here in the United States are large, which makes us pile more food to fill the space. A smaller plate provides less space to fill, which means you’re putting less food on the plate. Even though a smaller plate will help, it’s not going to stop you from getting seconds or thirds, so you’re gonna need some self-control! Avoid Controversial Topics With so many people at a Thanksgiving dinner, it’s normal to have a variety of viewpoints on hot button topics like politics and religion. While it’s possible to have civilized conversations about those types of topics, there’s a good chance those conversations could turn into high-tension arguments that could hurt feelings or offend someone. If you feel your conversations steering in that direction, do your best to divert it to something less controversial! Actually Give Thanks Though it may seem a little cliche, taking some time during the meal to vocalize what you’re thankful for is a great way to spend your Thanksgiving. Whether you’re expressing gratitude for things you’ve received or for someone’s impact in your life, Thanksgiving is the time for it. If you’re going to do this, make sure you think about what you’re going to say. Instead of springing this activity on others, give them a little time to think about what they wish to say, then come back to them! Do you have any tips on how to have a great Thanksgiving? Share those tips with our South Arlington, VA apartment community by leaving a comment!

Fun Halloween Movies

Halloween is here! While many people are going out partying and trick-or-treating, you have the option of staying in to watch some Halloween movies! Though there are plenty to choose from, we’ve gathered a short list of movies that we think you should watch. They aren’t really horror films, but they do involve Halloween, so we hope you enjoy this week’s Penrose Square Blog! Hocus Pocus “After moving to Salem, Mass., teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani (Thora Birch) and their new friend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). After dismissing a story Allison tells as superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches' book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.” The Nightmare Before Christmas “The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown's beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the "real world." When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life - he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.” Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween “While collecting junk one day, best friends Sonny and Sam meet Slappy, a mischievous talking dummy from an unpublished "Goosebumps" book by R.L. Stine. Hoping to start his own family, Slappy kidnaps Sonny's mother and brings all of his ghoulish friends back to life -- just in time for Halloween. As the sleepy town becomes overrun with monsters, witches and other mysterious creatures, Sonny joins forces with his sister, Sam and a kindly neighbor to save Sonny's mom and foil Slappy's plan.” Halloween movies are nostalgic and fun! If you have any you’d like to share with our Arlington, VA apartment community, leave us a comment! Thanks for reading, and happy Halloween!

Fun Holidays in September

Welcome back to the Penrose Square Blog and welcome to September! This month you can find all kinds of fun and quirky holidays happening in the month of September. We have a list of some of these holidays for you to celebrate here in South Arlington, VA. Celebrate a holiday or two and enjoy! Read a Book Day (September 6) Reading is a relaxing pastime and is great for keeping your mind engaged. Celebrate by going to the Columbia Pike Branch Library, our nearest library. Check out one these new releases coming out this month. You could also pick up a classic book such as The Kite Runner or The Book Thief . Chocolate Milkshake Day (September 12) This is a delicious holiday that deserves to be celebrated! Who doesn’t love a creamy chocolate milkshake? Visit your favorite local ice cream shop If you don’t feel like going out, or make a shake at home with this delicious Homemade Chocolate Milkshake Recipe . National Apple Dumpling Day (September 17) National Apple Dumpling Day will get you in the mood for autumn in no time! Try out this delicious Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings recipe. It’s sure to please your friends and family. Visit your favorite South Arlington farmers market or grocery store to pick up the freshest apples. Enjoy! Hobbit Day (September 22) This fun holiday marks the birthdays of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, fictional characters from The Lord of the Rings. Some fun ideas for celebrating including throwing a hobbit-themed party, walking around barefoot all day, and eating seven meals instead of three. Confucius Day (September 29) Confucius was a man who was estimated to have been born in 551 B.C. in China. He felt an obligation to bring good principles back to existence during a turbulent time in China. He believed in self-discipline as well as loving others and having compassion. Celebrate Confucius Day by living by one of his principles conveyed through his many quotes . What are your favorite September holidays to celebrate? Share them with the rest of our apartment community in the comments!

National Golf Month in South Arlington

August is National Golf Month, so the Penrose Apartments Blog is bringing you some suggested golf courses near our apartment community here in South Arlington, VA. We are also sharing some golf history tidbits and game etiquette. Check out one of these courses this month and get your golf game on! We’ll start with some history followed by golf etiquette and local venues for golfing! History of Golf Golf can be dated all the way back to 100 BC where a similar Roman game was played with a bent stick and a stuffed leather ball. The modern game we play now is generally traced back to Scotland in the 15th century. In 1744, the first rules of golf were set in Scotland. Scotland has many beautiful golf courses dating back for centuries. To learn more about golf and the rules and procedures of golf, refer to this R&A guide . Golf Etiquette Etiquette while playing golf is also important. Have respect for the course you’re playing on by raking bunkers and replacing divots. Leave the course as you found it. Have respect for other players as well. Let other groups play through if they’re playing faster than your group. Learn the rules of the course you’re playing on as well in order to maintain the course and keep a peaceful and positive environment for other players. Courses to Try Out Check out this guide from Golfmax which includes the scoop on local golf courses listing how many holes, the courses website, approximate cost, online booking and more! It’s got more than four dozen venues listed — try a new-to-you course this summer. Where is your favorite place to golf in the area? If you ‘re not a golfer, have you considered taking lessons? We hope you enjoy your summer (with or without golfing) here in South Arlington!

Good Eats: Blueberry Summer

National Blueberry Month is officially here, and the Penrose Apartments Blog is featuring five blueberry recipes to help you celebrate right here in South Arlington, VA. Blueberry Muffin Cookies from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen For a while we were searching for an answer to the eternal question: is there really such a thing as a breakfast cookie? The answer is, unequivocally, yes. These Blueberry Muffin Cookies work great as a lunch dessert or a grab-and-go breakfast. You’ll love their soft, fresh taste. Blueberry Lemonade from Julie’s Eats & Treats Summer isn’t summer without at least one glass of fresh lemonade. Blueberry Lemonade is pretty easy to make, and it pairs well with a fresh garden salad or steak. Blueberry Dump Cake This recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe is simple and makes a sweet finisher to any meal. All you will need is fresh or frozen blueberries, vanilla cake mix, butter, and buttermilk or milk. The result is similar to a cobbler and tastes amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a generous dollop of whipped cream. Baked Blueberry Oatmeal Cups from Call Me PMC This is another breakfast recipe for anyone who has to deal with hectic mornings. Make these Baked Blueberry Oatmeal Cups on a Sunday night and enjoy them for the rest of the work week! Blueberry Banana Protein Smoothie from Amy’s Healthy Baking You can have this Blueberry Banana Protein Smoothie for breakfast or drink it after your next run or workout. Protein shakes can be heavy, powdery, and hard to swallow, but this recipe uses natural and fresh ingredients to make a light and healthy treat. Are you planning on making any blueberry dishes this month? Do you have any good blueberry recipes? Give us a recipe in the comments, and we’ll try it out!