Declutter Your Meditation Retreat

Make sure to rid your meditation space of unnecessary clutter, such as stacks of paper and unfolded laundry. It's hard to relax if you're constantly viewing reminders of chores you'll need to take care of later. 

Add Natural Touches

Nature is very healing to the soul. So, consider inviting Mother Nature into your meditation space. You can start by adding plants, perhaps a beautiful fern, to your special retreat. A table water fountain is another good addition to a meditation spot, as the sound of water splashing or flowing over rocks can be very soothing to a weary soul. 

Make It Comfortable

Add a couple of comfortable pillows that you can sit on or a nice yoga mat that you can lie on while you meditate. 

Look for the Right Lighting

If possible, try to choose a spot with at least some natural lighting, perhaps near a window. Natural lighting is more soothing than harsh artificial lights. If you prefer to meditate at night, consider lighting up your area with the soft glow of candles. 

Sometimes, when you're feeling stressed, it helps to start fresh in a new place. If you've been searching for a new home, we would love for you to check out our beautiful apartments in Flagstaff. Our community offers several amenities that we believe will alleviate some of the stress in your life, including package receiving, on-site laundry facilities, and 24/7 emergency maintenance. 

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Canister Vacuum Cleaner

The original canister vacuum might not have been designed with apartments in mind, but there are modern incarnations that take this view. If you’ve never used a canister vacuum, understand that it's all about versatility. The main vacuuming body is smaller and more compact than traditional designs. Also, this type of vacuum cleaner always runs off of a hose.

Canister vacuums are great for cleaning floors, furniture, and even walls and ceilings. If you want to cut the sheer number of cleaning supplies you need to store in your apartment, a canister vacuum will help you get there.

Hair Removal Broom

Hair removal brooms are often advertised to help clean up after pets, but they aren’t limited to that niche. The simple truth is that carpet collects hair and that hair creates problems. If you use a roller vacuum, it’ll tangle the hair, and in the worst cases, it’ll burn the hair—filling your apartment with an acrid stench. Hair brooms are easy to use and let you get the hair out of the carpet before it gets tangled in anything else.

Spin Mop

Like the other items listed, spin mops weren’t invented specifically for apartments, but apartment-sized versions are available. Spin mops are designed to scale down the mopping process. A shorter mop head, handle, and bucket all make it easier to clean the unique floor designs of apartments. The spinning bucket allows you to rinse and wring the mop without creating a mess. You won’t have to worry about accidentally bleaching or staining the carpet near your tile or hardwood floors when you clean.

If you’re looking for your next apartment to keep clean, check out the apartments available at University Square. Give us a call to learn more about our apartments in Flagstaff!

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Tips for Decorating with Beach Decor

Tip #1 – Decorate With Seashells 

There’s nothing that makes you think of the beach quite like seashells, and they’re perfect for decorating around the home to bring in thoughts of the ocean. Try displaying shells on shelves or in glass vases around your home. It’s especially great for creating contrast if you have a darker décor.

Tip #2 – Add Some Pops of Beachy Color 

Just one or two pops of beachy color in your home can make a huge difference, and it’s totally DIY. Grab some spray paint in a beachy color like seafoam green, turquoise or aqua, and paint a lamp, picture frames or a small coffee table.

Tip #3 – Choose Beachy Fabrics 

Displaying beachy fabrics can also add to the beach vibe without making a lot of changes. Throw pillows with sea turtles, anchors, shells or fish on them are perfect. Window dressings in beach-themed patterns also add to the look.

Tip #4 – Combine Blues and White 

Don’t forget about changing up the colors of your décor. Going with blues and white can give you that breezy, gorgeous look that you often see in beach houses. Add blue lamps and decorative pillows to a room of white furniture for a look that makes you think of the sea when you walk in.

Tip #5 – Hang Beach Wall Art 

One of the simplest ways to get that beach vibe at home is to hang some beach wall art. Find a framed picture of the ocean waves or a stretch of beach. You’ll love sitting down and just looking at it as you dream of the ocean breezes and refreshing waves.

It doesn’t take a big investment in time or money to add some beach vibe into your home. A little creativity can go a long way to creating that seaside atmosphere. Have some family visiting this summer interested in relocating to apartments in Flagstaff, AZ? Have them contact us today to find out what floor plans we still have available. 

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Lighten Your Decor

This is a great time to invest in bright throw pillows and cream-colored rugs. Lighter colors are better here, but you don't need to stick to neutrals. Try experimenting with pastels or bright patterns.

Use Mirrors and Polished Surfaces

These reflect the light back, making the room seem brighter overall. Steal a tip right out of a decorating guide and place a large mirror opposite the windows. This will reflect light around the room. You can also polish furniture or flooring for extra shine.

Add Flowers

For a more subtle psychological trick, set out a vase of fresh flowers. Get a little creative here and skip the roses. Popular options include chrysanthemums (one of the longest lasting cut flowers), tulips (trendy and a perfect fit for spring), and daffodils for a splash of sunny color.

De-Clutter

Clutter doesn't just make spaces feel smaller. It also casts extra shadows in a room, making it literally darker. Get a head start on spring cleaning. Throw out, give away, or put up items you don't use all the time.

Add Lamps

Here's where you can really get creative. Check out local thrift stores or garage sales and you might score some really funky, unique lamps. Another option is to check out different lightbulbs. Some come in playful colors, while others have a special coating and mimic natural daylight.

Are you looking for comfortable living with easy university access in Flagstaff, AZ apartments? At University Square, we're in walking distance from NAU. We offer a wide variety of floor plans including studios and multi-bedroom apartments. Come by our website to see what's available.

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5 Tips for Organizing Your Pantry

1. Use Clear Containers

Clear storage containers allow you to see inside everything without having to open them. This is a huge time-saver that adds up over time. It will also help keep you from feeling frustrated by not being able to quickly locate ingredients.

2. Invest in the Same Brand of Storage Containers

It doesn’t matter which brand you choose for clear containers as much as sticking to the same brand. The reason is that you’ll be able to have the same dimensions for your storage containers; all the small sizes will be the same, all the medium sizes will be uniform, etc. This helps a lot when you go to the next step, which is fitting items inside the pantry.

3. Fit According to Size

Now it’s time to fit everything into your pantry. Large storage containers go farthest back, medium sizes go in next, and smallest sizes go in front. If you like, you can also put each size on separate shelves.

4. Remove Dry Foods From Bags

Many dried foods are sold in plastic bags. These shouldn’t be stored in your pantry like this, though, because it’s hard or impossible to see what’s in the bags without lifting and inspecting each one. Instead, put dried foods like rice, lentils, beans, and pasta into your clear storage containers, labeling each one accordingly.

5. Use Over-the-Door Storage

Removable hard or soft over-the-door storage units are very useful for your pantry. Here, you can store smaller items like food coloring, spices, and smaller canned foods.

Even if you don’t cook every single day, you’ll really love experimenting with different ways to keep your pantry organized in your Flagstaff apartments. To see the kitchens and floor plans that are available, please contact us today!

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We walk through the rooms of a storm soaked apartment in Houston, Texas, as Mary, a twenty-plus-year resident of Nob Hill Apartments, points out the items she hopes she can keep, but we can clearly see are lost. The safety masks covering our mouths and noses do nothing to block the rank smell of stagnant flood water and growing mold. The air in the apartment is warm and humid, the air outside buzzing with mosquitos preying on the exposed skin of anyone walking through the community working to salvage what they can from the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Even with the flood waters receded, we feel the sense of loss that weighs heavy as a storm cloud over the apartment community we’ve come to serve.

We try to prepare Mary for the worst—the disheartening fact that most of her worldly possessions must be declared casualties of the hurricane’s destructive force. But Mary’s determination outweighs our own, and pushes us in a new direction. Where we strive to prepare her for despair, she insists upon building us up with hope. And as we tell her we will help her as best we can, she leaves us with these words: “When I was a child, my teacher told me that the good deeds you do are added as stars to your crown in heaven. Your crowns are going to be full of all the stars in the heavens.”

***

Our group of volunteers left Arizona in the early hours of September 6 to make our way to Houston. Our team was made up of multifamily housing team members from Bella Investment Group in Flagstaff, AZ, who had committed to partner with Apartment Life, an organization that places CARES Teams within apartment communities to “look for ways to love their neighbors as themselves.” We have often seen the outpouring of love CARES Teams deliver to the residents of our Bella communities—now was our chance to take the CARES mission upon ourselves and make a difference in the lives of those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

After spending Wednesday evening assembling and loading U-Haul trucks with Resident Recovery Kits, we headed into the community on Thursday to see where we could help. As we approached Nob Hill Apartments, a 1300+ unit apartment community situated on Brays Bayou in the Meyerland suburb, we saw streets lined with debris and abandoned furniture, clothing, toys, even cars—all casualties of the surging flood waters. Nob Hill is where we met Mary, along with dozens of other residents who were packing up what they could to leave the community many of them called home. We expected the despair in the faces of the people of the community to match the destruction we saw in the streets. But where we expected despair, we saw hope.

One of the first young men we spoke to assured us that he had not been hit “too bad” by Harvey’s destructive power. “For me, it wasn’t as bad as for other folks,” he told us as we walked through one section of Nob Hill. “Other people got it much worse.” I learned later that for him, “not too bad” meant he “only” lost his car and about half of the possessions in his apartment. He counted himself lucky, despite his losses, and assured us that now that he knew we were there, he would help us find people who needed more help than he did. And he was true to his word. He eagerly came to us with the names and addresses of neighbors who could “really use your help,” and seemed overjoyed to be what he considered a “small part” of our work. The misery we expected seemed to have receded with the flood waters, and in its place love, humanity, and hope had blossomed.

For the CARES team in Houston, the Relief Kits and resources they handed out seemed like only a “drop in the bucket” of the recovery that needed to be done in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. An office team member, who had been pulled from a different property to assist at Nob Hill, described her efforts of pointing residents toward resources and gathering contact information from those who needed to move as “a drop in the bucket” compared to what she felt the people around her needed and the losses she knew they had endured. Even as we gave resources, monies, and hugs to those we met, we began to say that we knew it was only “a drop in the bucket” for those who had lost so much so quickly.

Yet the enduring power of hope outshined our perspective. The more people we met, the more we got the sense that in creating for themselves a sense of normalcy even among lost possessions, abandoned homes, and more, the residents of this community were finding something beyond the despair we saw on the news. Make no mistake—there remains much to be done to restore what has been lost in these communities devastated by the storms. But even beyond the knowledge of loss is the hope of helping hands. We saw donations from across the country pooled together to fan the flames of this hope. We witnessed police cars lining the streets from around the country to lend aid and relief to first responders who had not yet even had the chance to assess and accept their personal losses. We saw barbecue fundraisers and Red Cross vans delivering lunches and dinners on a daily basis where they were needed most. We saw neighbor reaching out to neighbor to lighten each other’s loads. And we saw tears of sorrow become tears of joy as people heard how far folks had come to help.

“To help me?” one woman said to me, stepping back in shock from a tight hug when I told her we had flown in from Arizona. “Y’all came all this way just to help me?”

“We know it’s just a drop in the bucket,” I found myself saying, but she cut me off.

“A drop in the bucket?” she gasped, clasping my hands in her own. “Child, it’s the whole ocean!”

I left Houston with news of the impending impact of Hurricane Irma ringing in the background on every television set we passed from our hotel lobby to the airport terminal. In the shadows of yet another destructive storm, it’s hard to ignore that there remains so much need along the Gulf Coast as residents there work to rebuild. Hurricane Harvey’s impact will be felt in this area for months, if not years, to come.

But even in the shadows of these destructive storms crashing upon our shores and cities, we see the silver linings illuminated by the selfless acts of people who keep their heads held high, their spirits lifted, and the hopes of their communities blazing against the dark times ahead. We can all be a part of bringing hope to these communities. Apartment Life continues to raise funds for relief efforts for both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. The Red Cross continues to step up their efforts to prepare and provide relief. Countless other organizations are out there, waiting for each of us to step up and impact lives by being beacons of hope in the midst of despair.

Please join us in supporting the ongoing relief efforts, and make your own "drop in the bucket" contribution to those impacted by this year's hurricane storms:

Donations for Apartment Life Harvey Relief Kits: https://tiny.cc/alharvey

Donations for Apartment Life Irma Relief Kits: https://tiny.cc/alirma

The post Beacons of Hope in the Midst of Despair: A Local Hurricane Harvey Relief Story appeared first on University Square Apartments Blog.

Here at University Square Apartments, we’re proud to be part of the Flagstaff community. For us, this means giving back when and where we can! One of our favorite local organizations to support is Hope Cottage!

Hope Cottage provides an invaluable resource for some of the most vulnerable members of the Flagstaff community. The beautiful and welcoming facility provides shelter, meals, clothing, and more for women and children who come to them for help. We love their goal of providing “assistance to heal from the inside out.”

Hope Cottage offers a number of volunteer opportunities to the Flagstaff community. Just a few ways you can help out include: helping to support a food drive, preparing meals, helping to maintain the facilities, serving as a mentor or teacher, distributing food boxes, and more! We look forward to having the opportunity to join with Hope Cottage in serving the people of Flagstaff!

To learn more about volunteer opportunities with Hope Cottage, visit their Volunteer Page! Join us in showing our Flagstaff neighbors that we do more than love to live here … we live to love here!

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It’s springtime, which means it’s officially time for spring cleaning. Before you run screaming for the hills (We’re at 7,000 feet, guys, is running uphill really a better plan than cleaning?), we invite you to consider a new way of cleaning and decluttering your home: The KonMari Method. The KonMari Method is focused on helping you get rid of clutter forever. Here are five tips to help you tidy up your apartment and keep it that way!

Find What “Sparks Joy”

The idea of throwing things away is probably one of the most miserable thoughts we deal with when cleaning. Instead of thinking about what you’re losing, focus on cherishing items you love. As you declutter, hold each item and ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?” If the answer is no, it’s time to go. Part of this process is physically touching every. single. thing. in your home and asking this question. It’s about getting more emotionally in tune with what compels you to keep things, and more realistic about what actually brings joy to your home.

Clean By Category

The key to effective tidying, according to the KonMari Method, is tidying the right categories in the right order. Use this order to start tidying your home: clothes, books, papers, and miscellaneous. You can break down each category into subcategories, but the key is keeping them in this order. Did you notice how the order works from least emotional attachment to greatest emotional attachment? Consider, for instance, which is harder: tossing a sweater you never wear and don’t love, versus throwing away a letter from a friend. We love this method because it gives you time to build up to the hard stuff.

Tidy All At Once

This method takes some time, and depending on how much stuff you have can take anywhere from a few days to a few months. Don’t rush the process, but also don’t let it get too drawn out. Resist the urge to read every piece of paper you come across. Resist taking extended breaks. Resist bulk tossing.

Stop Decluttering By Room

Many of us grew up using the “clean each room” method of decluttering and tidying. But think about what you risk when you clean this way. Think of how many times you might move an item from one room to another to avoid dealing with it. Instead, use the categories above, and gather all items from that category in one place at one time to declutter. That means when you start with clothing, open every drawer, and pull every item of clothing from socks to scarves to Halloween wigs, and have at it all at once.

Picture Where You Want to Be

This might be one of the most important steps of the KonMari Method. The method asks you to clearly define where you want to be and how you want to live after you’ve finished decluttering. It’s not as simple as saying, “I want to live clutter free.” It needs to be more specific than that. Think about how you envision living, and ask yourself why you want to live that way. This helps you really take hold of the decluttering mission you’re about to undertake, and creates a stronger commitment to the task at hand! Why do you want to be tidy? What difference will it make in your life? Consider this long and hard, and then get started.

Part of what the KonMari Method teaches is to have a place for everything, and keep everything in its place. The first part of discovering this place is to get rid of everything that doesn’t belong. It may be hard, but during this spring cleaning season we invite you to give it a try and see what a difference the KonMari Method can make in your home! Want to learn more about the method? Check out “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo, the founder of the KonMari Method!

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Summer is the prime time to travel, which is why our summer bucket list includes taking a road trip! If that’s on your list of things to do this summer, remember that part of the thrill of the journey is getting there. A road trip means a long ride, and it’s important to make sure you’re comfortable on your journey. We’re here to help with a list of essential items for your summer road trip!

Audiobooks
Pick out a fun audiobook you and your passengers can listen to. (We’re a little partial, but Jim Dale’s reading of the Harry Potter series is kind of the best thing ever.)

Snacks
Rather than the traditional junky road food, be sure to stock up on some healthy treats—apples, granola bars, etc.—that will keep you full in between stops!

Facial Spray
Road trips can wreak havoc on your skin’s moisture, so grab a face or skin mist to carry with you on the road. Check out this article from Refinery 29 that covers some of the best facial mists to keep you hydrated this summer!

Travel Wipes
It’s not always easy to get out of the car to freshen up or wash your hands. Travel wipes help solve the problem of sticky skin on the go! We love Seventh Generation Free & Clear Wipes … They may be baby wipes, but they’re really perfect for any age. Use them to wash your hands, refresh your face, and, yes, pep your pits.

GPS
This is kind of a given, right? While you should always have a map, you should also invest in a good GPS to help make your travels a little easier. You can rely on your phone, but you probably want a stand-alone device, especially if you’re using your phone for anything else (music, movies, entertaining passengers, etc.) to preserve your battery. If you’re using your phone, check out Waze, an awesome social traffic reporting app that gets you live updates on road conditions from fellow travelers!

Travel Charger
Speaking of devices, you definitely want to make sure you bring a good car charger! Especially if you’re riding with more than one person, we recommend at least a dual USB car charger. We like the Anker PowerDrive 5, a 5-port USB car charger that will soon become your ultimate travel companion!

Tummy Drops
Traveling can take a big toll on your tummy … and that’s where Tummy Drops come in. The ginger drops contain a special blend that some folks swear by for general stomach upsets and motion sickness. And bonus: these drops are Gluten-free and non-GMO, making them an awesome natural option!

Car Emergency Kit
Everyone should have a first aid kit in the car. And you definitely want to have a kit for roadside emergencies. The AAA Excursion Road Kit is our favorite, because it has both these must-have items in one package. It includes first air supplies, batteries, booster cables, accident forms, tools, duct tape, and more to ensure a safer trip while you’re on the road!

Drinks
Some folks may think that a long drive means drinking less to avoid potty breaks, but the reality is you NEED to stay hydrated. Be sure to bring plenty of water and juice to keep yourself and any passengers refreshed on the road.

Cooler
Along with snacks and drinks, you may want to bring a travel-sized cooler to keep your items fresh on the road. Grab some ice, or an insulated cooler, and keep it tucked in the back seat for easy access for your passengers, or in the front passenger seat if you’re driving alone.

Digital Camera
Again, you could use your phone, but we recommend you keep a separate camera with you to document your trip. You never know what you’ll see, and a camera will help you preserve those treasured moments forever! (PS: Have you seen these Fuji Instax cameras? Make it a retro road trip with some instant camera action!)

Car Vent Clip
We’re not saying you stink or anything, but after a few hours in the car the air is bound to get a little stagnant. Give your car a fresh scent, and yourself a little travel pick me up, with a Febreeze car vent clip!

Car Games
Especially on a long trip, you’ll want to make sure you plan to entertain yourself and anyone traveling with you. There’s always the license plate game, but we recommend trivia, car karaoke, or any other game that’s going to keep you all entertained for a while!

Road Trip Playlist
No road trip is complete without the ultimate playlist! Get together with your traveling buddies and create a playlist of songs to keep you jamming until you reach your final destination. If you’re traveling alone, have your friends send you some of their favorite songs so you can take them with you in a small way.

Safe and Fun Travels! Share your road trip memories with us on Instagram!

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1. Pick Your Meals: Pick out all your weekly recipes in advance. Look carefully at the recipes you choose and plan your buying accordingly: don’t buy a whole bag of potatoes when one potato is all you need for three different meals!

2. Use Themes: Maybe one week will be salad week, and the next week pasta week. Or, instead of weeks, use days: you can plan to have a different theme night for each dinner and still cut back on your shopping when you buy easily stored supplies that can last more than one week.

3. Plan for Leftovers: If you live alone and always cook meals meant for two, don’t waste the second serving … find ways to “recycle” it! Either save the leftovers for lunch the next day or plan to repurpose them for another meal later in the week. Or, start the week with one big casserole dish and plan to eat from it all week with a variety of sides.

4. Early Prep for Faster Meals: Once you get home from the grocery store, start prepping your ingredients before you put them away! Slice, square, or shred your cheese for the various meals you’ll make during the week. Grill, brown, or bake your meats for an easy warm up come meal time. Prepare and store as many ingredients as you can early in the week so that by the time you’re pulling them out to cook, more than half the work is done!

5. Your Freezer is Your Friend: One of our favorite meal tricks is prepping dishes that freeze well. Why buy those frozen microwave dinners when you can enjoy a tasty reheated homemade meal? Make double batches of sauces, soups, stews, pastas, etc. and freeze them to satisfy the stomach of future you!

Happy Cooking!

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