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Keeping Warm In The Winter

The winter’s are cold and you may need some ways to stay and keep warm here in your Arlington, VA apartment. In today’s Quincy Plaza Blog, we have some tips to keep out the cold this winter. We hope you stay warm and enjoy your holiday season this month with family and friends! Remember to always dress warmly . “Warm clothing, especially when it's layered, not only prevents exposure, it also helps retain body heat. Wear a warm hat and thick socks. We lose most of our body heat through our head, [hands] and feet. Layer your clothing. Long underwear is thin, so it fits easily under most everyday clothing, including jeans and shirt. Bundle up with a fleece or a woolen sweater for extra warmth. Wear comfortable pajamas, thick socks and heavy clothing while you are inside a private house.” Become a baker. Maybe you want to stay away from using your heater all winter long to avoid high utility costs. That doesn’t mean you have to suffer, though. Your oven is another great way to keep you warm. This is what you’ll do: bake something for dinner or a tasty treat. After the food is ready open up the oven and let the warm air drift through your apartment. Just make sure there are no little children or pets who may get close to the open oven. Let the light in. When the sun is shining, make sure to use that to your advantage. Let the sun in by opening up your blinds and/or curtains. Make sure they are closed at night though, to keep the heat in and the cold out. Start your car before leaving your apartment. On cold mornings it’s not fun to get into a frozen car and drive until it warms up. One trick is to start your car a few minutes before heading out. If you’re worried about someone getting into your car, just keep a close watch on it or lock it with an extra set of keys. If you don’t want to start it and wait until it warms up, make sure to wear gloves and other warm items even if they won’t be necessary throughout the rest of your day. How do you stay warm in the winter? Share any tips you have with us in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Games to Play with Family and Friends

It’s the holiday season and chances are you’ll be spending lots of time with family and friends. In today’s Quincy Plaza Blog we have have some fun games for you to play while you’re with loved ones. We hope you enjoy your holiday season here in Arlington, VA! White Elephant Gift Exchange A white elephant gift exchange is a great game and party activity to enjoy with family and friends. It’s also a great game to play if you have a large group of people and need a way to interact with everyone. If you haven’t participated in a white elephant gift exchange, what happens is everyone playing will bring a wrapped gift (it can be a gag gift, something unique or funny, or a practical item). Everyone will place the gifts in the center of the room and draw a number from a bowl. The person with the number one gets the first pick for picking and unwrapping a gift. Click on the link above for more details and enjoy! Saran Wrap Ball Game This game is another great one for a big group of people. To play this game you’ll need a package of saran wrap and lots of candy and treats. To make the saran wrap ball you’ll lay out the saran wrap and lay candy on top. Then, start rolling up the saran wrap with the candy getting caught inside. You’ll do this for as long as you’d like. For more instructions and directions visit the link above from I Save A to Z . Holiday “Name That Tune” This classic game is made even more fun by playing it with holiday music. If holiday music is common in your home and with your family and friends, then this will be a fun and maybe competitive game. It’s a great game to play after eating or when people want to have some down time. Divide up into two teams and whoever guesses the correct song title first, gets a point. To learn more and for a list of some great holiday songs, visit the link above from Play. Party. Plan . Holiday Scattergory Game Do you love to play Scattergories? Then this is the game for you! It’s fun to play with any size of group and takes some creativity and brain-power. Click on the link for some great suggestions to get the game started or come up with your own prompts! What game suggestions do you have? Share them with us in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Unique Thanksgiving Recipes

We all love the traditional Thanksgiving dinner recipes like a perfectly roasted and juicy turkey, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes, rolls, casseroles, and more. Don’t forget the delicious pies to top everything off. Here on the Quincy Plaza Blog, we want to shake things up. Try out one of these unique Thanksgiving recipes. Some of these recipes may also work great to cook up your leftovers. Enjoy these fun recipes this week here in Arlington, VA. Mashed Potato, Cheddar and Chive Waffles For a twist on traditional mashed potatoes, try these delicious mashed potato waffles. The recipe comes from Joy the Baker . For this recipe, you’ll need butter, buttermilk, eggs, mashed potatoes, chopped chives, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cheddar cheese. Baked Apples with Sausage Stuffing A new take on stuffing, these baked apples are so delicious and quite filling. The recipe comes from Growing up Gabel . You’ll need the following ingredients to make these: oil or butter, a celery stalk, diced onion, sausage, a stuffing mix, unsalted chicken broth, and apples (Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Red Delicious). Coconut Sweet Potato Halves No one can resist a marshmallow covered pile of sweet potatoes. For an even more delicious twist, try out these coconut sweet potato halves. The recipe comes from Fav Family Recipes . To make these tasty sides, you’ll need sweet potatoes or yams, butter, finely chopped pecans, coconut flakes, brown sugar, marshmallow fluff, cream cheese, and cinnamon. Stuffed Mushrooms These work great as appetizers before dinner is ready or as another delicious side. This recipe comes from Camp Chef . You’ll need hot Italian sausage, diced bacon, green onions, mushrooms, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs to make them. Southern Sweet Potato Cake Recipe We can’t forget to add a deliciously sweet dessert to our list of Thanksgiving recipes. This tasty sweet potato cake comes from She Wears Many Hats . You’ll need all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, and whole buttermilk to make it. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving day food? Do you make any unique Thanksgiving recipes? Share with us in the comments below. Thanks for reading the Quincy Plaza Blog.

DIY Thanksgiving Place Cards

If you’re making plans for Thanksgiving this year, you’ve come to the right place. Here on the Quincy Plaza Blog, we’re bringing you ideas for place cards to set at your Thanksgiving table. We hope you enjoy the holidays here in Arlington, VA. Glitter Top Pumpkin Place Cards These fun and sparkly pumpkins are a creative place card that will add character to your table. The idea comes from Oh My Creative . To make these you’ll need small pumpkins (one for each table setting), fine glitter, cream-colored paper, straight pins with a ball tip, glue, and a small-sized paint brush for gluing. Click on the link above to see the final product and for detailed instruction — each pumpkin will be all glittered up with a name pinned on. Rocher Chocolate Place Cards These delicious place cards are perfect for a Thanksgiving feast. You’ll need Rocher Chocolates, Armature wire or 16 gauge wire, wire cutters, a pencil or wooden spoon, double stick tape, and place card papers. The wire is used to anchor the place cards to the chocolate. You can be creative with how the wire is shaped. Visit the link above for ideas or come up with your own. This DIY comes from Wed Craft . Rosemary Sprig Place Cards For a simple and pretty place card, make these rosemary sprig cards. You’ll need rosemary sprigs that are about 5.5 to 6 inches long. This tutorial by Spoon Fork Bacon shows you how to print out the name cards on a small rectangular sheet and put the rosemary sprigs through small holes in the top of the place card. It’s a simple DIY that’s both classy and beautiful. Pinecone Place Cards The most simple place cards you’ll find are these pinecone place cards from A Little Clarification . This tutorial gives you free printable place cards. All you’ll need after printing them out are small pinecones. Enjoy these pretty place cards that take little to no time. What’s your favorite part about Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading our post and visit the Quincy Plaza Blog again soon!

Get Outside and Move

October is the perfect time to get outside and breathe in the fresh air. Take a jog, go on a bike ride, or play a game with friends. Here on the Quincy Plaza Blog, we have some ideas about what you can do to get moving outside as well as some great places to go for a beautiful jog or bike ride. We hope you enjoy the cooler weather and fresh air. Go on a bike ride. Bike rides are a great low impact activity that will make it easy to get outside and have fun. If you don’t have a bike, don’t worry. You can find a few bike rental shops around town. Try out Hybrid Pedals or Capital Bikeshare near our apartment community. Find a bike path near Quincy Plaza on Map My Ride , invite friends along, and enjoy a ride around town. Create a running playlist. A running playlist can make all the difference when going for a jog. It can be motivating to get you moving and can motivate you to go further. Spotify or Pandora are great places to find playlists or radio stations. You can also create your own unique playlist on Spotify and collaborate with friends to add and share your favorite songs. Find a trail and go for a jog. You can find all kinds of trails here in Arlington, VA to go for a jog. Visit Theodore Roosevelt Island and jog along the Potomac Heritage Trail . The Island is about a 10-minute drive from our apartment community. You can also jog along the Four Mile Trail which is also about a 10-minute drive from our apartment community. Play outdoor games with friends. It’s a great time to go outside with friends and play a game. Go to the park and play frisbee or kick a soccer ball around. You could also play bocce ball , giant Jenga , or corn hole . Create these games using tools from a local hardware store or purchase them for instant fun. Bring your friends from Quincy Plaza and family members to a nearby park for a great time outside with friends. What’s your favorite outdoor activity that gets you moving? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading our post here on the Quincy Plaza Blog.

Autumn Traditions to Start This Year

This month is a great time to create autumn traditions with family and friends. Traditions give you something to look forward to and create a reason to get together with loved ones. Here on the Quincy Plaza Blog, we’re bringing you ideas on what kinds of traditions to start. Enjoy time with family this month here in Arlington, VA. Go on a drive to see the changing leaves. Here in Arlington and Washington, DC there are some great places to see the changing leaves. Visit the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal or Rock Creek Park . Drive to a location and take a walk along these rivers and canals to enjoy the beauty of the colorful leaves. Celebrate football season. You can celebrate football season in all kinds of ways. Go to a Washington Redskins game, a high school game, or watch football on TV. If you’re at home, put out snacks and enjoy an afternoon/evening with friends. Make it a tradition to attend at least one football game of your favorite team. Have an annual Halloween/autumn party. Hosting a party at your apartment is a great way to celebrate the changing seasons. Have an autumn party with apple bobbing, donut eating contests, cheese boards , caramel apples , and pumpkin desserts. Choose a time of the month to celebrate and make it an annual tradition. Eat a pumpkin-themed breakfast. Pumpkin is everywhere this time of year. Take advantage of pumpkin nostalgia and whip up pumpkin pancakes , waffles , or french toast . Invite friends and family and assign out different breakfast items. Make sure to have a delicious syrup , fresh berries and fruit, pecans, and whipped cream. Watch a scary movie. Scary movies are a must during this time of year. Opt for a funnier and more classic Halloween movie like Hocus Pocus or Young Frankenstein for kids or if you don’t fancy horror films. If you love spooky and scary movies then choose a movie like Psycho , The Sixth Sense , It Follows , The Birds , or The Ring . Pick apples. If you know someone with an orchard, ask if you can help pick apples and in return take a few home. You can also visit Hollin Farms which is about an hour drive from our apartment community. Make applesauce, apple juice, or caramel apples with your haul. Apples are the ultimate fall fruit to enjoy. What are your favorite autumn traditions? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading and visit again soon!