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Easy Crafts for Indoor Autumn Home Decorations

Fall is definitely here, even if it doesn’t necessarily look like it outside. If you’ve got autumn spirit and would like to bring some of that feeling indoors with you when you can’t get it outdoors, we have some great fall decorating crafts, especially for kids. Crafting is always a fun way to liven up a slow day, and it can be really sweet to have something handmade up in the house for the season! Watercolor Leaf Wreath What you’ll need: Watercolor paint in fall-appropriate colors Blank, white paper, ideally watercolor paper Glue Scissors A paper plate What to do: Paint your paper with your autumn-colored watercolor paints! You can do this with full sheets, without any cutting needed to start with. You can mix colors if you’d like, or do one color per sheet if you’d like your leaves to be uniform. Let the painted sheets dry completely. With watercolors, drying shouldn’t take too long. Cut your leaf shapes from the painted paper. This can be done freehand if you feel confident enough, or with a previously-made stencil. You could even use actual leaves as a stencil, if you find ones that are sturdy enough! Cut the center out of your paper plate, leaving the exterior rim. This is the shape of your wreath! Glue your leaves to this circular shape until it’s fully covered. Then, you can loop a ribbon through it, and use it to hang the wreath up! Easy, and pretty. Tissue Paper Fall Tree What you’ll need: Autumn leaf colored tissue paper Cardboard Brown acrylic paint A stapler More paper plates Liquid glue What to do: First, you want to cut your autumn-colored tissue paper into squares. You’re going to crumple them up into clusters of leaves for the tree, so you want them big enough to turn into little clumps, but not huge. Then, you cut a rectangle out of your cardboard that will serve as the trunk for your tree. You make the all-important lines and whorls on the tree trunk with your brown paint and a paintbrush. They don’t have to be even; it’s nature! Then, you take a small paper plate and spread glue over the back. Scrunch different pieces of your colored tissue paper into clumps and add them to the plate, filling it in until the whole thing is filled. Staple your trunk to the bottom of your paper plate tree, and you’re done! Fall Leaf Lanterns What you’ll need: Empty, clean glass jars or cheap second-hand vases, clear Mod Podge Autumn leaves, either real or made of construction paper yourself What to do: This is a fairly easy craft that nonetheless brings the seasonal spirit indoors in a beautiful and sustainable way! All you have to do is take an empty, clear vessel, like a cleaned glass jar from a sauce, or a simple vase. Then, you take your autumn leaves, which can either be real leaves you find outside, or, if that’s not possible, made from construction paper. You stick the leaves to the exterior of your glass vessel, and paint them over with the Mod Podge and a paintbrush, until they’re thoroughly stuck. Mod Podge dries clear, and is used as a glue as well as a sealant, so the end result should be a vase with leaves stuck to the side without visible glue left over! You can then place a small candle inside, light it, and voila: a beautiful autumnal item that you can make with recycling and use again next year. We hope you enjoy these seasonal craft ideas, and we’d love to hear from you if you have any of your own to share!

Delicious Italian Restaurants Near Goodyear

Fall always makes us crave warm, filling comfort foods, even when it’s not actually all that cold. One of the best options to fill that If you’re getting tired of ordering in from the same places, we have a bit of a treat: three hidden gems, small-business Italian restaurants right in our backyard! Sal’s Tuscan Grill Sal’s Tuscan Grill proclaims themselves to be “Goodyear’s authentic Italian pizzeria,” so you can probably guess that their specialty is their brick oven pizza. However, they also serve pasta, subs, and salads. They pride themselves on using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, and combining the best of traditionally Italian pizza with the best of New York style. They have online ordering, and are providing both takeout and delivery, so they’re a delicious and easy choice for a night in with the family! Bella Luna Ristorante Bella Luna has been making both traditional and innovative Italian dishes for over 20 years. They boast authentic family recipes, fresh ingredients, and some special items imported from Italy to really deliver that genuine Italian feeling. They also provide online ordering, delivery, and takeout, and are open 7 days a week from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, so it’s easy to order from them even if you prefer your dinner on the later side! They have distinct dinner and lunch menus to choose from, both with tons of excellent options. Papa Paul's Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta Papa Paul’s Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta focuses more on the New York-style pizza than the traditional Italian, but is no less delicious for it. Named after the owner’s Brooklyn-born father, Papa Paul’s serves pizzas with a wide variety of toppings, salads, sandwiches, and an extensive wine list for the adults. They’re also providing takeout and delivery, as well as curbside pick-up options for a safe and comfortable dining experience! We love any chance we have to highlight some of the fantastic local businesses in the Goodyear area, and this is no exception. We hope that the next time you’re craving Italian food, you’ll give one of these tasty Arizona-grown restaurants a try!

Pumpkin Patches Near Goodyear for Fall

Picking out a fall pumpkin to carve for Halloween or brighten things up outside your door is a wonderful seasonal activity. Of course, some things will be different this year, but we have information on how to make the most of this autumnal tradition responsibly and safely, like this article on the reopening of Arizona pumpkin patches. Take the necessary precautions, and there’s still plenty of opportunities to snag a few pumpkins for carving with the family. To help you find the best source for your gourds, here’s a few local pumpkin patches that may be a good option for you! Justice Brothers Ranch & U-Pick Justice Brothers is a family ranch with a focus on local Arizona produce, and every year they host a pumpkin-picking event and farm stand. They’re set up in an outdoor, socially distanced area on the ranch, and they offer free admission and a free pumpkin decorating station, only charging for the goods you buy there -- whether they be pumpkins or some of their local honey, cheese, or produce! Their pumpkin patch also boasts photo ops throughout, and the option to make your own scarecrow. Tolmachoff Farms Tolmachoff Farms hosts a pumpkin patch and haunted corn maze throughout the entire month of October. They also feature a variety of other activities, like a mini corn maze for kids, a train ride, and a pedal cart track. For the whole family, there’s a themed all-ages corn maze that doesn’t have the spooky component, but includes a different theme every year and a search for a map throughout! Arizona Pumpkin Patch: Glendale Arizona Pumpkin Patch has several locations throughout the state, including one in nearby Glendale. They’re probably the most simplistic location on our list, for those among us who just want to drop in to get a few pumpkins, and take care of the rest of the Halloween celebration at home. They have pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, and allow for a quick, easy trip to pick your favorite! We hope you’re getting excited gearing up for Halloween and other upcoming fall festivities, residents. Stay safe, have fun, and let us know if you plan on doing any pumpkin carving this year!

Cookie Recipes for National Homemade Cookies Day

National Homemade Cookies Day was October 1st, and we thought there'd be no better way to celebrate it than sharing some delicious cookie recipes for our residents to try at home. Here, we’ve compiled just a few cookie recipes for you to try. Let us know if we’ve found the right recipe for you—or if you have one of your own to offer your neighbors. Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies - a twist on a classic It would be very hard to get through a day all about cookies without visiting the classic chocolate chip. Here’s something new, though: The rich texture of the cream cheese lends these cookies a soft, “extra-buttery” quality that’s hard to match. Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar - pack it in tightly to your cup as you measure! 8 oz. cream cheese 1 cup margarine 1 medium or large egg 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Directions: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a baking sheet for later. Mix cream cheese, margarine, and sugar together in a large bowl. Using a beater on low speed, add the egg and vanilla extract. In a separate, medium bowl, combine flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients, add chocolate chips, and mix well. Break off balls of dough a little smaller than a golf ball and place on your baking sheet with ample room to spread. Bake cookies until their edges just begin to turn brown, or about 15-18 minutes. No-Butter Shortbread - a vegan recipe Shortbread seems all but defined by butter. But if you don’t eat dairy, we wouldn’t want you to lose out on this classic. Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 cup soy margarine 1/4 tsp salt Optional: a pinch of granulated sugar Directions: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat the margarine with a hand mixer on high speed for 3-4 minutes, using a tall bowl to prevent mess. Beat in powdered sugar, and, once combined, start to slowly add the other ingredients. Pour in your flour a little bit at a time, mixing consistently. Next, add your salt. Keep mixing until the dough is well-combined. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper, and pour in your dough, using a rubber spatula or your fingers to smooth out the top. If desired, sprinkle just a three-finger pinch of granulated sugar over the top of your dough after spreading, without mixing in. Bake until golden brown, about 15-17 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely before cutting, and enjoy! Thumbprint Cookies - a gluten free recipe These cookies can be left plain, but the indent is perfect for filling with your favorite jam or preserves. Some classic flavors are raspberry or peach, but you can have fun experimenting with your own favorite fruit—or other toppings, like chocolate hazelnut spread. Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose gluten free flour 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, left out to soften (not microwaved) 1 egg yolk, also room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/8 tsp salt Lastly: If your all-purpose gluten free flour doesn’t contain it as an ingredient already—check the ingredients list—add just 1/2 teaspoon of anthem gum when you add your flour Directions: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream butter on medium speed before adding egg yolk, salt, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar, mixing each ingredient in completely before adding the next. Add your flour (or flour mixture), and beat until combined, but don’t over-mix. Break off golf ball-sized balls of dough, and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Once your dough balls are placed, it’s time to leave the namesake fingerprint: press your thumb or finger into each cookie to create a deep well. This is what will hold the jam. Fill each well with jam. If you’re using a nut butter instead, bake first, and add your nut butter at the end. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned at the edges. Serve after cooling. We’re wishing you a wonderful National Homemade Cookie Day. Let us know what you made in the comments below, and happy baking.

Closet Cleaning Tips For Fall

Spring cleaning has come and gone, but now it’s the time of the year where many of us are reorganizing their closets for the cooler months. Clothes can build up in our closets if we aren’t keeping an eye on what’s in there, what fits, and what’s right for the weather. Here are our top three tips on how to get your closet ready for fall. Tip #1: Turn up the music. A lot of us struggle with working in silence, especially when the time spent on a project starts to get to us. Most of us don’t love cleaning, so why not make it a little more fun? The best way to keep motivated while sorting through summer and winter appropropriate clothing is to put on your favorite music. Tip #2: Keep the clothes that make you happy. There’s plenty of clothes we have for work or for certain events that aren’t always our favorite or most comfortable outfits. These clothes have their place, but so do well loved jumpers and soft flannel pjs. In the words of Marie Kondo, you should only keep the items that “spark joy.” Your closet doesn’t have to be full of the latest fashions to be a good wardrobe. So long as the clothes make you feel happy and confident in yourself, that’s all that matters. Tip #3: Don’t be afraid to get rid of “good” clothes. The goal of organizing a closet is to exchange your summer clothes to storage and your winter clothes to your wardrobe, but it’s also a chance to reevaluate your selection entirely. Sometimes, we hang onto things for a long time that we’re never really going to wear, because it seems like such a waste to get rid of a perfectly good shirt. But if you’re not going to wear it, it’s just taking up space, and it could be better off being donated. Donating also gives you an incentive to finish your sorting and allows you to give back to your community. It also makes sorting easier next year, when you have to do the process all over again. There are plenty of other ways to keep up motivation and end up with a productive wardrobe full of clothes you actually wear, but these are the main few we always try to keep in mind when doing our own organizing. Make sure to take frequent breaks, keep hydrated, and remember how much simpler picking from your closet is going to be in the future. We’re all in this together, just in time for sweater weather. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover your new favorite outfit in the things you find in your storage!

Local Chinese Food Restaurants for National Fried Rice Day

National Fried Rice Day is on September 20th, and we want to take full advantage of it with the help of some of our favorite local Chinese food places. While the day technically calls for fried rice, we think you’d be equally happy with any of the dishes on these menus! Wong's Chinese Cuisine Wong’s Chinese Cuisine has an online order option, and one of their fried rice types is Chinese sausage. We put these two facts together to paint a beautiful picture: you order a meal online that features Chinese sausage fried rice, and then you have it delivered directly to your door. They also do takeout, if you prefer to pick your food up yourself! Lucky Buddha A quick ten minute drive from our apartment community, Lucky Buddha allows you to order online, and is offering both delivery and takeout right now. That makes it both tasty and convenient! They’ve got a huge assortment of noodle soups (perfect for when the autumn weather gets chillier, which we’re sure will happen eventually -- at least, we hope so), a gorgeous boneless roast duck, and, of course, fried rice with all sorts of different toppings. We’re hungry just thinking about it. AJK Chinese Cuisine AJK Chinese Cuisine is the closest restaurant on our list today, only a seven minute drive away from the community. They’re currently solely open for to-go and pickup, and they have an excellent lunch special available. Their BBQ pork fried rice and vegetable fried rice are both great options for National Fried Rice Day, but they definitely have other kinds if you’d prefer! We enjoy taking opportunities like this to highlight some of the incredible local businesses around us. Goodyear is full of great food, and we hope you take the time to sample some of it -- or make some delicious fried rice of your own at home!