Community Blog

Does Your Pet Have What It Takes?

Treehouse is having a cutest pet competition so all pet owners feel free to submit pictures to:

treehouseleasing@fingercompanies.com

by 2/10/2010.

The pictures will be sent to our blog at http://treehouseofschaumburg.myaptportal.com/

where residents will be able to vote for their favorite.

The votes will be polled and the winner will be announced on 2/14/2010.

The winner will receive a $50 gift card!!

Good luck to all applicants and may the cutest pet win!!!

The results of our Cute Pet Contest are in and there was an overwhelming response.  In the end, it was Sebastian who overtook the competition!

So pet mommy Rachel, come on down to the office to retrieve your prize…a $50 gift card!

Thank you to everyone who participated in submitting photos and voting.  Tune in for other contests and events right here on the blog.

Thought for the day:

“Some make it happen, some watch it happen, and some say, “What happened?” ~ Anonymous

After reading this quote, I definitely want to be the one who makes something happen. Life is too short to sit and watch things happen. To keep things moving in the right direction in my life I have made goals for each day. Some of these goals consist of exercising every other day, helping at least one person out each day, reading for leisure, journaling, meditating at least 3 times this week and relaxing.

My biggest challenge will be balancing these things.  I tend to help others and forget to take care of myself and before I know it I am completely drained. So, getting centered each morning will be on the top my priority list.

Are you going to be a “make it happen” person or a “watch it happen” person? And how are you going to make it happen this week?

Want to get out of the area for a week? Travel to Maui. Why? Because Clark Howard says it’s “on sale.” Tickets are now under $500 round trip, so by his standards that’s not so bad.

He has several tips on saving money, like renting a place that has a kitchen, finding deals at little stands, and playing disc golf for free. Watch this clip to learn how Clark travels on the cheap.

How can you travel on a budget without breaking the bank? I’d love to hear some of your tips!

Photo courtesy of Google Images

Last year, the Great American Cleanup recovered 64 million pounds of litter for recycling, including over 243 million plastic bottles, 6.9 million pounds of electronic waste, 14.5 million pounds of aluminum and steel, and 36.4 million pounds of newspaper.

Littering not only causes an overflow in landfills, but it also costs the US more than $11.5 billion every year. Keep America Beautiful, the organization that organizes the event – running from March through May – came up with these numbers through a yearly report and will organize a group of about 3 million volunteers to clean up litter, remove graffiti, plant trees, and host other activities to improve the environment.

Do your part, residents! Make sure to reduce, reuse, and recycle!

“He who does not hope to win has already lost.”
- Jose Joaquin Olmedo

Jose has a great point. Hope is one of the most important things there is, because if we don’t have a vision for ourselves and hope for how things could be, then we don’t see the good when it comes, and if we don’t see it then it doesn’t exist.

What do you think?

The following is a list of events in Chicago for the first half of March. Visit Ticketmaster.com for tickets!

Mar 2 – 3: Furthur featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir – Auditorium Theatre

Mar 2 – 6: Tyler Perry: Madeas Big Happy Family – Arie Crown Theatre

Wed Mar 3: Alicia Keys – Allstate Arena

Mar 3 – 7: Cirque Du Soleil – Alegria – Sears Centre

Wed Mar 10: Chelsea Handler – Rosemont Theatre

Fri Mar 12: Muse – United Center

Sat Mar 13: Black Eyed Peas – United Center

Try this recipe for your new comfort food! Whether you love it or hate it, let us know here!

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cup(s) pearl barley
* 3 teaspoon(s) olive oil
* 4 (about 1 pound) skinless, boneless chicken thighs , cut into 1-inch chunks
* 2 medium carrots, chopped
* 2 stalk(s) celery, chopped
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 package(s) (8-ounce) sliced mushrooms
* 1 can(s) (14- to 14 1/2-ounce) chicken broth, (1 3/4 cups)
* 2 cup(s) water
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) dried thyme
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg
* Salt and ground black pepper
* Parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat deep nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add barley and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring occasionally. Transfer barley to large bowl.
2. In same skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook about 5 minutes or just until it loses its pink color on the outside, stirring occasionally. Transfer chicken to bowl with barley.
3. In same skillet, in remaining 1 teaspoon oil, cook carrots, celery, and onion over medium heat 7 to 8 minutes or until tender-crisp. Stir in mushrooms and cook about 10 minutes longer or until most of liquid evaporates and vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
4. Return chicken and barley to skillet; stir in broth, water, thyme, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 to 35 minutes or until barley is tender and chicken is no longer pink in center. Serve pilaf garnished with parsley leaves.

Recipe courtesy of Good Housekeeping

Regardless of what kind of bed you are looking for and the purpose for buying a new one, the first thing to consider is size. Remember that headboards and footboards can add significant length to each side, so watch for that when looking at whether your new bed will fit into your room.

When planning where all your furniture will go and how everything will shake out, try to leave 24 to 36 inches of clear space on all sides so you can move about freely.

Here are the measurements of each size bed so you can get a better idea of what will work for your bedroom:

Twin: 38-39 x 75 inches

Extra-Long Twin: 38-39 x 80 inches

Double/Standard/Full Size: 54 x 75 inches

Queen: 60 x 80 inches

King/Eastern King: 76-78 x 80 inches

California/Western King: 72 x 84 inches

For more bedding tips, visit: Better Homes and Gardens

Everyone should have one room in their apartment that is a true sanctuary. Make yourself a place you truly want to go at the end of a long day to just get comfortable and read a book, meditate, or watch television. You know, to put your feet up and relax. Not everyone has someone to rub their feet every day, so this’ll do.

Hopefully every room in your apartment is the epitome of comfort, but there just might be one that stands out to you more than the others, so take full advantage of it. Fill it with your favorite decor, plush pillows, a comfy couch – whatever floats your boat. Scented candles are a nice touch as well. Just remember that this should be a stress-free zone, so no desk or laptop used for work, no business cell phone, and no research papers. This is a relaxing space, remember? Leave your work in another room if you wish, but this space is for you and you alone.

Have a great time dreaming up this room, because hopefully you will be enjoying it for a long time to come, so put your thinking caps on. You can take them off when the room is done!

From Feb 18-21, you can head down to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago from 9:30-5:30. Online registration is $5 and the admission age is 16. The show includes home decor and gifts as well and this is sure to be a can’t miss event!

More info is available here.

Always remember the power you have within you to be the person you always wanted to be. This quote reminds us of that:

“You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself be.”

-Lou Holtz

Source: http://www.great-quotes.com/inspirational_quotes.htm

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