I ask because I’ve never been able to commit to a year long resolution. NEVER. I get stoked during the last week of December at the idea of a new years resolution and really get on it the first week of January, but then it just goes away. Just like that. I applaud those of you who are able to stick through it. You’re an inspiration!

For others though, it can be scary to commit a year of yourself to something; especially when it’s easy to say you’ll start the next month or the month after that. Before you know it, it’s December all over again and you’re disappointed you pushed it back this far without realizing it.

If you’re having trouble keeping your new years resolutions like I do, here’s what I’ve learned: Rather than focusing on one resolution for a year, have different resolutions for each month. This way it doesn’t seem so long to achieve whatever you seek to do.

Ever since I’ve applied monthly resolutions to my life, I’m happy to say that I’ve crossed out most of what I wanted to do. I say most because sometimes life just happens and I’m not able to complete them in time. That’s not an excuse though. When I miss a resolution, I make sure to include it with next months’ resolution.

Some resolutions have been tough and others simple, but I can gladly look back at the many things I’ve accomplished that year. When you break your big resolution into mini resolutions, completing it suddenly doesn’t seem so daunting. It’s keeping the promise to myself that has been gratifying and the reason why it works for me.

What do you do to stay on track with your resolutions? How does that help you?

A brand new, never occupied community is coming soon to North Phoenix! Trillium North defines the true meaning of simple living with it’s stunning interiors and cool collection of amenities. Experience the best of the best in resident amenities that were designed to help you transition from “daily hustle” to “mellow ambiance.” We put convenience right at your feet. No other apartment home can compare to our modern and profound, one, two, and three bedroom selection. Find one that defines you.

You’re unique sanctuary awaits! Fill out our contact form and be one of the first to tour our brand new community and premium model homes. We can’t wait to welcome you here and look forward to taking you on a tour!

Our grand opening is early February 2012 but you can also check out our other Phoenix Apartments!

The stockings hung by the chimney with care have been the icing on the Christmas cake after a mad frenzy of unwrapping gifts. Finding little toys, trinkets and candy can make anyone feel like they received an abundance of gifts for the year but with so much financial belt-tightening going on these days, the delight of slowly unpacking a stocking has been crossed off the gift list. Keep the tradition alive by filling someone’s stocking with these inexpensive gift ideas that won’t break the bank!

(CC By-SA 2.0 seanosh)

Kids (Boys)

May you have the fondest memories with your family and friends in your Phoenix Apartments this season! Happy Holidays!

Take a look at what we’ve got in store for YOU during the  12 Days of Giving (check out Resident Central to find the time & place your community will be having these holiday events):

1. Tacky Sweater Day

Ever get an oddly-colored, super-snazzy (ahem, tacky) sweater as a gift from a distant relative? Don your jingle bells, appliqués and sequins that will put the “err” in “merry”!

2. Pet Snack Day

We haven’t forgotten about your pets this season! After all, we know they love the holidays too. There’s nothing like a little snack that would be a perfect present during the holidays. What pet can resist?

3. Holiday Cookies & Milk Day

Tis’ the season for a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. The holidays without them just wouldn’t be the same so we’d like to share some with you. Enjoy milk and cookies with us before we keep them for ourselves!

4. Holiday Card Making Day

Get it done! We’re giving you a jump start this holiday season by having a station that will help you create a holiday card! This card is sure to brighten someone’s day or could be added to your holiday collection. You’ll be happy you joined us!

5. Holiday Movies Day

Drinking eggnog, building a snowman, or slogging it through a packed black Friday sale at the mall and a heartwarming holiday flicks are much a part of tradition during the season. The season isn’t the same without them! Curl up in the Cinema after a long day of fightingyour way through the crazy malls.

6. Morning Coffee & Donuts Day

If you’re one of the many people who can’t function without their morning jolt, I have good news for you – we have your cup of joe AND hole-y donuts! Go ahead and indulge. You don’t need an excuse especially before the holiday shopping rush!

(CC BY 2.0) mel5545

7. Storytelling Hour

Break away from the holiday madness by bringing your little ones into the Great Room and settling them in for a magical hour of live readings of children’s books and holiday classics. Use this time to assemble and wrap their presents secretly! A hot cup of chocolate will be served with peppermint candy canes during the hour.

8. Sing a Holiday Carol Day

Spread joy to our team members by singing to them this season! It’s not singing in the streets, in an open public place, or on a house step so don’t by shy! Our doors will be open to you all day.

9. Holiday Treat Day

A spirited season calls for a fun take home treat, like a goody bag filled with treats! We know you’ve been getting holiday candy cravings so let’s eat the holiday bliss with savory sweets!

10. Game Night

The holidays are here and your life is a whole lot busier, what could be better than a little resident bonding to get out of the house? Put your holiday jammies on early and let’s have a cozy evening inside the Great Room. A boring evening just got fun for everyone!

11. Holiday Ornament Making Day

Make this holiday a merry one with inexpensive decorative homemade holiday ornaments. Trees have started going up, so why not make this year’s tree unique? Give a new sparkle to plain ornaments by joining us for a festive afternoon.

12. Gift Wrapping Day

Holiday gift giving doesn’t have to mean giant trash bags full of discarded wrapping paper! We know that one of your favorite things about the holidays is wrapping gifts (on the very last minute) so if you’re running out of time, come to us and we’ll take over the hassle of gift wrapping for a day.

It’s simple to enter:

• Have a member from your household get a raffle ticket from a Trillium team member when attending a holiday event.
• Fill out the ticket completely. *All information must be filled to be entered into the raffle drawing.
• Give the raffle ticket back to a Trillium team member if they haven’t collected it from you by the end of the event.
• Mark you calendars for December 23rd, 2011 at 5pm. Winners will be announced and given their prizes!

Happy holidays to all and to all good luck!

(CC BY-SA 2.0) lecates

• Be aware that sometimes criminals will pose as couriers delivering gifts to case your home or to commit a crime immediately.
• Be aware of scams that criminals commit to take advantage of people’s generosity during the holidays.
• Be cautious about locking your windows and doors even when you leave the house for a short period of time.
• When you leave your home for extended holiday travel, have a neighbor or friend watch your home while you’re away.
• Make it appear that someone is at home. Place lights, radios and televisions on timers.
• Avoid having large displays of gifts visible from windows and doors.
• Don’t leave packages or other valuables on the car seat where they can be seen. Lock them in the trunk.

Don’t give burglars a chance to dampen you or any fellow resident’s holiday spirit! If you see any suspicious activities around your Phoenix Apartments please contact someone and report it. Remember these simple safety precautions and enjoy the excitement of a safe and happy holiday!

(CC by 2.0) clairity

Thanksgiving so often becomes about planning, cooking and entertaining, that it could run a host ragged! Thanksgiving is about celebrating with friends and family and the food coma to follow. Here are 7 tips that will help you relax and have fun with Thanksgiving this year.

Affordable Decorating

Pick up toys to keep the kids entertained, holiday dish towels for the clean up and even inexpensive serving plates at your local Dollar Tree or other similar discount stores near your Phoenix Apartments.

Keep It Simple

Thinking that having “the perfect meal” or having “the perfect house” when everyone comes over will only stress you out! Having the ultimate Thanksgiving dinner is nice, but having a great time with good company is better.

Potluck Celebration

Asking guests to bring a dish to help ease the financial burden is a great way to spend less time at the grocery store and save time and money on cooking! Ask your guests to bring an appetizer, side dish, or dessert.

Accept Help

The host/hostess DOES NOT have to do everything. Ask for help whenever you need it.

Appreciate Your Guest

Make or have cards for everyone who will be coming. Ask everyone to think of a reason they’re thankful for that particular person and write it down. Turn it into game by having guests write down on a piece of paper what they’re thankful for and have them put it in a basket when they arrive. When everyone has enjoyed the feast, have each person pull one out, read it aloud and guess who it is.

Start A Tradition

Whether it be trying dishes from different countries, prayers before digging into the food, gathering again the next day for leftovers, having all sorts of music play while cooking or setting the table, eating outside on the lanai rather than in the dining room, playing football with your family before the big meal, having a wishbone to break for a lucky wish, or creating a bizarre centerpiece to have at the table every year; inspire to adopt something new this year!

Volunteer

Do something good for those who are less fortunate than you. Many people find that volunteering at places such as local food banks or soup kitchens is the best way to consider others during the holidays. Help out and be reminded how truly blessed your life is.

Holiday planning and entertaining can make it easy to lose sight of what makes Thanksgiving special when you have so much things going on around you. Reap the benefits of your hospitality by remembering this: this day is for enjoying your loved ones, being grateful for all the blessings in your life and the big smiles on every ones faces throughout the day that will last well into the night.

*Some of our Phoenix Apartments will be having Thanksgiving Feasts of their own. Check your community calendar at Resident Central to see when it is and then RSVP with the leasing office. While you’re there, please remember to make a kind $5 donation to UMOM (breaking the cycle of homelessness) during the event.

Soldier

Bat

Zombie

Lamb #1

Lamb #2

Black Bird

Red Bird

Mouse

Pirate

Made up your mind? Choose who’ll win & VOTE!

*Voting ends at 5pm November 1, 2011. Winner will be announced immediately.

Then step on your brakes to stop on in at your Leasing Office! When you make a simple $5 donation to UMOM (breaking the cycle of homelessness) you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to take a car that will put a VroOOmm in your gas pedal, a Dodge Charger!

Bring it home and brag about it.

Call your on site Trillium Residential team for more details!

(CC by 2.0) Sarah_Ackerman

The spirit of Halloween is floating in the air and though candy is a treat for all (and a cavity waiting to happen), so is frightful costumes and spooky haunts! How will you get into the festive scare of All Hallow’s Eve?

Thank your freaky pumpkins that you’re a resident at our Phoenix Apartments!

We want you to bewitch us with your chilling costumes or thrilling patios. Who in the devil will win? Check out your specific community to find out which creepy contest they’ll be having during the month October!

*Submit pictures to contest@trilliumresidential.com with your name, community, and apartment number to enter starting October 13th! Deer Valley, kindly make a $1, $3, OR $5 donation to Big Hearts for Little Hands before entering. Pictures will be categorized by community and posted on our blog for proper resident judging. Winners will be announced on October 31st and given their prize as well.

Trillium Cave Creek

Enter our kids/pets contest! Each 1st place winner will win a sweet prize! From Oct 13th – 31st, snap a pic of your kid/pet, submit it to contest@trilliumresidential.com, and we’ll let our Cave Creek residents be the judge!

Trillium Deer Valley

Kindly make a $1, $3, or $5 donation to Big Hearts for Little Hands and enter our kids/pets contest. As a thank you, each 1st place winner will win a sweet prize! From Oct 13th – 31st, snap a pic of your kid/pet, submit it to contest@trilliumresidential.com, and we’ll let our Deer Valley residents be the judge!

Trillium Papago

Inspired by the spooky ghosts and goblins that Halloween brings? Then, let’s turn on the thrills and chills for some frightful fun! Transform your patio or balcony into a freaky, creepy, cool haunt and make the community look festive this Halloween! From Oct 13th – 31st, snap a pic of your patio, submit it to contest@trilliumresidential.com, Papago residents will take a look with a walk by, and also be the one to judge! Compete to be the 1st ($50) and 2nd ($25) place winners and win a sweet gift card! Who will be bewitch us with the scariest of them all?

Centrado

Get ready to howl this Halloween! ‘Lil pumpkins, devil dogs and frightening felines are all dressed up for Halloween. If you think your pet will be the center of attention in their Halloween costume now’s your chance to show everyone what a show stopper you have! From Oct 13th – 25th, snap a pic of your pet, submit it to contest@trilliumresidential.com, and we’ll let our Centrado residents be the judge! Compete for the prize that’ll sure put a scare into your night – tickets to Howl-OWeen at the Phoenix Zoo!

Crystal Springs

Do your kids already have their entire Halloween costume put together? Have they been giving it a test runs? Either way, dress them up as their favorite monster, ghoul, or superhero, enter our kids contest, and you could score more than just treats! The 1st place winner will win a sweet prize! From Oct 13th – 31st, snap a pic of your kid, submit it to contest@trilliumresidential.com, and we’ll let our Crystal Springs residents be the judge!

*By submitting an Entry, entrant hereby grants permission for the Entry to be posted on the Trillium Residential Blog, Trillium Facebook and Twitter pages, and any/all web sites and or projects that Trillium Residential may build in the future. Entrant agrees that Trillium Residential is not responsible for any unauthorized use of Entries by third parties. Trillium Residential do not guarantee the posting of any Entry. Trillium Residential reserves the right to cancel the Contest and shall be under no obligation to award the prizes.

In honor of this lovely upcoming Fall season, one of our Phoenix Apartments will be having an Autumn Pie Party which gave me the idea to write this pie entry. (thanks Deer Valley team!)

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a baker. I’m a, “I’ll bake only if I have to; and when I mean have to, I mean there’s nothing quick to cook, I don’t want to go out and buy anything, I need sweets right this instant before I hurt somebody, have to.” When it comes to that, I don’t do so badly baking, but I’d still rather have something quick or just buy. So if you’re reading this and were hoping to find a delicious dessert recipe that I wrote up myself, sorry to disappoint. But what I can do is share with you is my favorite pie recipe (so far) that I found, baked with the help of others, enjoyed with said others, and have yet to find another recipe that comes even close to where this dessert took my taste buds.

photocredit_duodishes

Thank you to Duo Dishes for sharing this Apple Crumble Pie with Caramel and Cinnamon Honey Whipped Cream recipe with the world. Love it!

While waiting for your pie to bake or enjoying every sugary bite of it afterward, pop in this movie: Waitress. Maybe it will inspire you to bake more pies and when you’ve made so many pies that you don’t know what to do with them all, come down near our Tempe Apartments ASU and share some with me ;D

Are you a baker? If so, what kind of desserts have you made? If not, where do you go for your sweet fix?