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Stocking the Pantry of Your Puyallup Apartment

One of the more surprising difficulties of moving into a new apartment can be filling that big, empty pantry. Since most people tend to buy food and ingredients on an as-needed basis, it can be tricky to remember all the items that you need to purchase when youre buying them en masse. At Willow Hill, weve got your backweve gone through and put together a list of the necessities youll need to cook just about whatever you want. Grains, Rice, and Pasta: Cornmeal, rolled oats, cous cous, and bread crumbs are some handy grains to have around (panko bread crumbs make great breading!) in addition to your favorite flours; rice options include wild, brown, and white Jasmine; and some of the most common and useful pastas include spaghetti, fettuccini, and penne. Baking Essentials: Beyond flour, youll want to consider baking soda, baking powder, yeast, vanilla, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, and any of your favorite sweetenerssugar (brown, white, or powder), honey, molasses, maple syrup, or chocolate chips. Herbs and Spices: Some of the most useful include the classic salt and pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, paprika, chili powder, cumin, dill, coriander, parsley, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and any of your favorite seasoning blends. Dont forget the bullion, either. Nuts and Beans: These are great for some extra protein and energy in any dish, as long as you dont have any nut allergies. Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, and almonds are all common in recepies; for beans, theres pinto, black, kidney, garbanzo, and baked brown. You can also check out useful seedssunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, as well as lentils and green split peas. Canned Goods: Beyond your favorite fruits and vegetables, there are also sauces, broths, and spreads. Tomato sauce, tomato paste, chicken broth, vegetable broth, beef broth, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, peanut butter, and salsa are all great for baking. Oils, Sauces, and Vinegars: Pick your favorite oilsolive, peanut, coconut, vegetable, grapeseed; your favorite vinegarswhite, balsamic, white wine, red wine, apple, or rice; and round it off with your favorite saucesworchestershire, ketchup, mustard, tabasco, hot sauce, or sriracha sauce. What do you keep in your Puyallup pantry that we forgot? Let us know in the comments!

Make a Magazine Table For Your Puyallup Apartment

I dont know about you, but I tend to have a lot of magazines lying around. I know, it is a dying form of media, but there is just something I enjoy about opening the mail and finding the latest edition of Model Railroader Magazine, or Seattle Natural Awakenings . The problem, however, is that I inevitably end up amassing a tower of old publications in the corner of my Puyallup apartment. There they sit, until the stack gets so tall that it actually becomes a safety hazard. At which point, they are thrown in the recycling bin. But recently, I stumbled upon an article on apartmenttherapy.com - my favorite source for design inspiration that explained a way to repurpose these magazines into a surprisingly sturdy, load-bearing structure. Do you remember that science class project from high school, where you make a bridge out of paper and tape, before testing how much weight it could hold? When used properly, paper can actually be extremely sturdy . With this in mind, I decided to try it out for myself. The process is simple; you dont need anything except magazines. All you do is remove the subscription cards, open the magazine cover, and fold the right edge of the first ten pages in toward the magazines binding. Repeat the process until you get to the end of the magazine, and finish it by folding the front cover over the first group of folded pages. Depending on the thickness of the magazine you chose, you will need two or three of these to make a column. You can then use these columns as end tables, display pieces, or anything you can think of. I, myself, am in the process of making a coffee table out of old GQ magazines for my own Parkland, WA apartment. The only problem has been finding a suitable piece of material to use for the top. Believe it or not; large, transparent pieces of acrylic plastic arent as easy to find as one might hope (unless you want to pay an arm and a leg).

Energy-Saving Tips For Your Puyallup Apartment

When it comes to trying to save energy, there really isnt a downside. Lower energy uses means less damage to the environment and will also result in a lower utilities bill. And who doesnt want that? Here at Canyon Park Apartments in Puyallup, were all about helping you saveso if youre looking for a few more ways to conserve energy and save money, heres some ideas: Turn appliances off: Its always a good idea to be in the habit of turning off the light or a fan when you leave the room. Beyond those, though, there are many appliances that are frequently missed or which continue running in standby mode, draining extra energy. People often forget to turn off Blu-ray, DVD, and VCR players, for instance, as well as gaming consoles, computers, and printers. Leaving a laptop plugged in after it is fully charged not only uses extra electricity, but is also bad for the laptop battery! Adjust the temperature: Air conditioning can be a big energy sink; and the colder you set it, the more energy it will use! Try raising the temperature a few degrees closer to the outside temperatureyou might be surprised at the difference it will make. And if youre going to be out of town, turn the A/C off entirely! Theres no point in cooling an unused apartment, after all. Air dry: Air-drying clothing instead of putting them through the dryer can be a bit more space- and time-consuming, but it can save a lot of energy. Plus, if the Gilbert air is too dry for you, this can be a nice way to get some humidity into your apartment without the cost and energy-consumption of a humidifier. If you dont want to go to the effort, then you can set your dryer to use the auto-sensor function so that it doesnt keep running after the clothes dry. Most dishwashers have an air-dry setting, too, which uses less energy than the heat-dry setting. Watch that water: Laundry and dishwashers usually have various water settingssome use more water than others, and you can save water by switching to the lowest. Make sure not to let the water run while youre brushing your teeth or washing dishes, keep your showers quick, and put a bottle or jar filled with sand or rocks into the tank of your toiletthat way, it will use less water per flush. And dont forget to keep an eye out for leaks; one little dripping faucet can cost you quite a lot come the end of the month! Have any other great energy-saving tips? Let us know in the comments!

Winter Driving Tips in Puyallup

The winter season is upon us, and with it comes the perils of driving in the snow. While Puyallup is a pretty warm refuge from those winter storms, we all need to venture out into the cold at some point. When we do get out, its important to take every precaution we can to avoid smashing our vehicles, and more importantly, injuring ourselves or someone else. Below you will find a few safety tips for driving in the snow, you can use to have an accident-free, winter season. There are certain things that can be done to prepare yourself for winter driving. One of the first things you should do is check the tread depth on your tires. You should have at least 6/32-inch deep tread on all four tires; if not, it is time to replace them. If there is a heavy storm, you dont want to have to worry about where your car will go when you turn the wheel. New tires can seem expensive, especially during the holiday season, but they are much less costly than replacing the front end of your car after sliding into an embankment. You can prepare yourself and your car for winter, but there are still situations that are out of your control. The best thing to do is simply slow down and take your time. We get so caught up in our daily grind, and need to cram as much as possible into our days, that it makes it easy to forget about driving conditions. Speeding around in icy conditions puts everyone around us in peril. If we plan ahead, and give ourselves a little extra time, we can avoid putting ourselves or anyone else in danger. In addition to slowing down, you want to be sure to give yourself plenty of time to stop. The recommended distance is three car lengths between you, and the car in front of you. This will prevent you from stomping your brakes when the driver in front of you stops unexpectedly. While locking the breaks is often a natural reaction, it is NOT what you want to do in low traction situations. This is because doing so can cause you to skid out of control. The best thing to do is lightly tap on your brake. If your wheels lock up, then ease of the brake and try gently tapping again. Ease pressure on the breaks in order to reduce speed gradually, but steadily. This will prevent the tires from losing traction and, given enough distance, will allow you to come to a safe stop. Many of us will find ourselves getting stuck in the snow at some point this winter. When this happens, dont punch the gas pedal in hopes of climbing out. More often than not, this strategy will end up digging you deeper and making it harder to get out. Instead, turn your wheels from side to side in an effort to clear snow from around the tires. Push on the gas lightly; Try reversing, and then moving forward. If you still find yourself stuck, you might have to get out and clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car. For this reason we recommend keeping a small, collapsible shovel in your trunk; it will come in handy for situations like this and the occasional, car-burying blizzard. We hope that everyone can stay safe during this winter season. A little caution and preparation will do a lot to protect you and everyone around you. Simple things like leaving your apartment just thirty minutes earlier than usual, and taking your time as you drive, can greatly reduce your chances of getting into an accident. Stay safe out there!

Laptop Care Tips for Your Puyallup Apartment

Take a moment to try to picture your life without computers. Its a completely different existence, isnt it? No more smartphones, tablets, netbooks, laptops, or desktop computers . . . think of all the conveniences you would lose. No matter how you spend your time here in Puyallup work, school, or play computers probably make it easier or more enjoyable. The computers in our lives tend to be wonderful, helpful things, whether were looking to work more efficiently or relax and have fun. So its always a good idea to take good care of your computersthose things can be expensive to replace, after all! And of all the computers in our lives, larger portable computers like laptops and netbooks tend to be the easiest to break or wear out while being costly to repair or replace. Here at Willow Hill, we want to do all we can to help you to live connectedso heres a few tips for caring for your portable computer. Run your laptop on a smooth hard surface. They may be called laptops, but your lap isnt the best place for them. Pillows, blankets, and other soft, uneven surfaces can block airflow out of your computer and cause it to overheat, which is one of the biggest contributors to computer failure. Put your computer to sleep before putting it in your bag. Just because you closed the lid does not mean the hard drive has stoppedit can take several seconds for the hard drive to shut down. And while that hard drive is spinning, it is more vulnerable to being damaged if the computer is moved or bumped. Dont leave it plugged in all the time. Being plugged in all the time isnt good for your computers battery. If you were to remain sitting all day, every day, your muscles would begin to atrophy from lack of useits kind of the same for your laptops battery. It needs to get out and get some exercise now and then. Plus, unplugging the laptop regularly can save on your electricity bill! Clean out your computer every year or so. We dont mean to delete unwanted filesget yourself a can of compressed air, a laptop vacuum, and some cotton swabs and clean out the vents and openings of the computer. Dust buildup is a major cause of computer overheating and failure. Shut down the computer once a week. Most computers are programmed to perform standard self-maintenance when they shut down and reboot, such as clearing caches and short-term memory or installing system updates. You might be surprised how many problems this can fix! Did we miss any great computer care tips? Please let us know in the comments!

New Year s Eve Events around Puyallup

The New Year: parties, resolutions, beginnings. Out with the old, and in with the new! It might all sound like a clichÃ©, but thats no reason that we cant all enjoy it. New Years resolutions might be notoriously difficult to stick with, but when you do, it is worth it. There is always something we want to improve about ourselves; and usually, the only thing standing in our way is us. All we need is some firm resolve, and we can change. So take advantage of the new year, and make a resolution or two! But before we can bring in the New Year, we need to ring out the old! Everyone has a different way of celebrating New Years Evesome people like to get together with friends, while others prefer a quiet evening at home. Still others just sleep through the whole thing! But for many of us, parties and entertainment are the way to go. And fortunately, the Puyallup area is full of great New Years Eve events. One of the largest is Tacomas First Night : First Night Tacoma-Pierce County is a family-friendly, arts-centered, alcohol free celebration of New Year's Eve that takes place throughout the downtown Tacoma theater district. A First Night button costing approximately $10 ($14 Day of Event) is all it takes to gain admission to a number of different activities during the daylight hours. Children under the age of 10 are admitted free of charge. The main event kicks off at 6pm by a participatory parade that includes marching bands, costumes, masks and giant puppets. As the parade ends music, dance, laughter fire and magic light up 20 different stages and spaces until midnight. The outdoor events are free to all festival goers. The theme for this coming year is built around the Year of the Ram. We'll feature activities that will play with various aspects of the theme, utilizing artists from the community. And of course, everyone gathers at the outdoor main stage at midnight to join in music, dance, fire and wonder as we wish well the New Year. If that doesnt sound like your style, then check out these lists of events going on in Puyallup and Tacoma , Seattle , and the Kitsap Peninsula . Youre sure to find something youll enjoy. Happy New Year to all of our residents here at Willow Hill!