Blog Posts

Ringing in 2018

Welcome to Autumn Creek’s final blog of the year! End the year with these ways to ring in 2018 in East Amherst, NY. We’ve gathered ideas about how to celebrate in your apartment, plus tips for those who will be heading out on the town. Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Style Staying at home at your Autumn Creek apartment may be just your style this year, but that’s no reason to celebrate alone! Plan a party — anything from a simple gathering of friends to toast the new year to an all out sit-down supper with your best china. This New Year’s Eve Party tutorial from wikiHow will give you the lowdown for party planning. You’ll just need to come up with a theme, decorations, and food. Pinterest can help you with that! Here are a few ideas to get your imagination fired up: — “Noon Year’s Eve” parties are a fun option if you are celebrating with the young or the young at heart. Plan the festivities for a lunchtime countdown, complete with party hats, balloons, and confetti. The kids will feel included in the New Year’s celebration, and you can head out later for a late evening. — Time capsules are a fun way to recap the year and to have something fun to look forward to later. Include a list of events, movie and gas prices, hit movies, national events, and more. — Host a New Year’s Eve pajama party. Invite a few friends over and have a pajama fashion show. No need for anyone to leave until after they’ve had a hearty breakfast. — Make it a game night. New Year’s Eve can involve a lot of waiting. You’re waiting for the appetizers to come out of the oven, for your guests to arrive, and, of course, for the clock to strike twelve. Play games to pass the time. Minute-to-win-it games can be an easy way to liven up your night. We also like this New Year’s Resolution Mad Libs game . Be Responsible Out of the Apartment Make reservations. Having reservations means you’ll be sure to get into your favorite New York spot for the evening. Consider going to a party at a hotel so you can stay the night without needing to worry about getting a designated driver. This way, you won’t need to drive anywhere until you’re ready. Save the number for a local cab service in your phone, or add the app for a service like Uber or Lyft before heading out. Never get into a car with a driver who has been drinking. Stay engaged in activities and eat plenty of food to prevent drinking on an empty stomach. If you are hosting a party, offer non-alcoholic beverages or mocktails for designated drivers and others who prefer not to drink alcohol. Happy New Year! Thank you for riding along with us and reading the Autumn Creek Blog this year. Stay tuned. We’ll have more great topics, DIY ideas, and more in 2018.

Tips for Preparing Thanksgiving Dinner

With Thanksgiving nearly here, the Autumn Creek Apartments Blog has a few tips to help you get the turkey on the table without having major mishaps! This week, it’s time to pick up the perishables, plan the table settings and seating, make the pies (a day ahead of time), and thaw the turkey (it can take up to three days to defrost!). For a light-hearted look at your Thanksgiving cooking timeline, check out The Pioneer Woman Cooks take on it. For something a little more straightforward, we like this Thanksgiving cooking schedule from Real Simple. We’ve got some other tips for helping your dinner go smoothly, so read on for more. The Turkey When it comes to turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, there are choices — brined, deep-fried, or roasted — for a moist, flavorful bird. We found directions and links on the Cutestuff Cooks blog that gives a great rundown on preparing turkey, from getting a frozen one thawed to making gravy from scratch. If you’re looking at preparing the turkey ahead of time , iGrow offers a few tips. Appetizers While everyone is milling around and waiting for dinner to be ready, serve appetizers to prevent crankiness. We know you’ll find something that will work for you in this list of 32 unbelievable good Thanksgiving appetizer recipes from Woman’s Day. Side Dishes If you’re in the mood to switch out some of the side dishes, check out 23 Easy-to-Make Complete Thanksgiving Menus from Country Living . You might also want to look over Smart Thanksgiving Side Dish Make-Ahead Ideas for more suggestions. These recipes are sure to save you some time on Thanksgiving Day, and we like that. Less time in the kitchen means more time to relax and visit with guests. Desserts Pumpkin pie is the traditional dessert for Thanksgiving, so we’ll share three variations to choose from — or of course, you can call your favorite East Amherst bakery to order your Thanksgiving pies (and rolls, too, for that matter). Pumpkin Silk Pie from The Gunny Sack This extravagant pie makes the most of ginger snaps, cream cheese, pumpkin spice, and a few other ingredients you’ll find in a delectable dessert for a confection that will impress any guest. We especially love the finishing touch of whipping cream beat until peaks form for the top! Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Pie from Chelsea’s Messy Apron Add a little something extra to the top of your classic pumpkin pie by trying the ideas in this recipe. The author of the recipe calls it a “simple-to-make (no hand mixers or stand mixers required!) pumpkin pie with a delicious sugary-pecan streusel.” You’ll be glad you tried this one! Bourbon Pumpkin Pie from Gimme Some Oven Add some spunk to your classic pumpkin pie by trying out this recipe. With just a tablespoon of bourbon in a whipped cream mixture and two tablespoons of bourbon in the pumpkin pie filling, you’ll get enough of some extra flavor to make it exciting without making it too overpowering. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in our apartment community here in East Amherst, NY! Have a wonderful holiday dinner and thanks for reading today’s post.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Welcome back to the Autumn Creek Apartments Blog and to November in New York! This month, our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving, and today our post is all about gratitude. We have a quick quiz to start with (no worries — it’s not graded) and then some ideas about how to put gratitude in action. Thanksgiving Quiz * 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress. 6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners. The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one: 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. Easier? The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. Take some time this month (and throughout the year) to show your gratitude to these special people in your life. Showing Gratitude Research has shown that people who make a habit of expressing gratitude on a regular basis are happier and healthier than those who do not. This Harvard Medical School Health Publications article, “ In Praise of Gratitude ,” explores some of the reasoning behind the findings. Here are some ideas about how to show gratitude you may want to adopt: Thank Someone It only takes a few minutes out of your day, but sending a text, a chat message, or an email to someone who has made a difference in your life will give them a boost and leave you with a feeling of satisfaction. Go a step further and send flowers to someone you haven’t seen for awhile. You’ll be glad you did. Pay It Forward Paying it forward is a great way to share the bounty you’ve received in your life, though it doesn’t necessarily take material goods to do so. In fact, many of the ideas on this list, 60 Selfless Ways to Pay It Forward , simply require some time and thoughtfulness. Make a List Make a list of experiences and things that you’re grateful for at this time. The next time you’re feeling down, stressed, or frustrated, get out the list and read it for an instant pick-me-up. We hope everyone at our apartment community here in East Amherst, NY takes some time this month to express gratitude. We are surely grateful that YOU are a part of our community. Next time, we’ll have some tips for preparing Thanksgiving dinner. *This quiz has been incorrectly attributed to Charles Schulz, creator of Charlie Brown. However, the author is unknown, but it’s thought-provoking nevertheless.

Halloween Costume Central

Whether you buy it, borrow it, or make it yourself, coming up with the perfect costume for Halloween festivities can be a creative challenge. Today the Autumn Creek Blog has some ideas and tips for getting your creative juices flowing and coming up with the best Halloween costume ever; plus we have some safety guidelines to share to for when you’re out and about on Halloween night in East Amherst, NY. Host a Costume Swap Get together with friends and members of our apartment community and swap out costumes. Mother Nature Network has a great how to do it article: How to Host a Halloween Costume Swap . Buy a Costume Online The Costume Super Center has props, decorations, and costumes available for adults and kids. If you’re looking for ideas for a group costume, we suggest browsing through the themed pages at Halloween Express . If you’re more about doing it yourself, the following ideas can get the creative juices flowing. DIY Halloween Costumes Man Cut in Half This mind-blowing costume is sure to be a show-stopper at any Halloween party you attend! Give everyone around town something to scratch their heads over by simply buying a few extra items of clothing and the other material listed in this tutorial. Then practice your pose so you can perfect the look. Lego This clever DIY costume requires a cardboard box, an X-acto knife or box cutter, spare tupperware (of the same size and shape), glue, and paint. Follow the directions on the blog for assembling it. This easy costume is sure to be a hit, especially with the kids! Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf You don’t even need a person for this couple’s costume. Whether you or a little one dresses up as Red Riding Hood, your dog is the perfect companion for this look. All you’ll need is an old T-shirt or shawl that could pass as belonging to a grandma, some old glasses with a glasses rope, and a shower cap to make this costume. Unicorn Pet Your pet can look and feel as mystical and magical as a beautiful creature like a unicorn by dressing up as one. The Live Colorful blog has a great tutorial with the rundown on all the supplies you’ll need for this fantastic costume. Check out these 31 last-minute DIY Halloween costume ideas if you need something quicker. Safety Guidelines This safety advice is great information about how to stay safe during the holiday. Here are a few extra reminders: — Only visit people you know in familiar areas. — Carry a flashlight to see and be seen. Use reflective tape on costumes, bags, and sacks. — Stay on the sidewalk at all times and cross streets at crosswalks and intersections. Do not cut across yards. Lawn ornaments and clotheslines can become “hidden hazards” in the dark. What are your favorite easy, creative, or clever Halloween costume ideas? Share with the rest of our apartment community by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoy these ideas and have a great Halloween.

Maintenance Appreciation Month at Autumn Creek

Welcome to the Autumn Creek Apartments Blog! We’re excited this month to take a look back at September, our Maintenance Appreciation Month, and recap how we celebrated the dedication, service, and skills of our hard-working maintenance team. Our team keeps Autumn Creek Apartments looking and functioning at its best. We appreciate all that team members do to make our apartment community an amazing place to live here in East Amherst, NY. We celebrated by providing gifts and prizes, including time-off and new swag, for our team! Of course, food was a part of the celebration too, with breakfast, lunch, and snacks thrown into the mix for these hard workers. Here are just a few things to note about our amazing team: — Going above and beyond for our residents is the norm for our team. — They accept same-day work orders. — Our whole community benefits from the dedication and hard-work of our rock-star maintenance team. We would not be the same without them! — Our team provides 24/7 emergency maintenance. A resident reviewer had this to say about Autumn Creek and our maintenance service: “Living at Autumn Creek Apartments has been awesome so far. I really love the unit. Any issues with it are fixed almost as soon as I put the maintenance request in -- the maintenance crew is great. The fact that cable is bundled with the rent is a really great bonus. It's also fairly quiet here. My surrounding neighbors are overall respectful of noise. I love the family feel at Autumn Creek. The Resident Portal makes it easy to pay rent online. The staff is super friendly and accommodating. I know it's super far in advance, but I already plan on renewing my lease here. I never want to leave.” — Danielle E. What do you appreciate most about our maintenance team? Please feel free to share in the comments. We hope you have a good month here in East Amherst, NY. Next time we’ll have some tips for celebrating Halloween. Checkout our facebook page for photos of the celebrations !

Business Center Etiquette

Here at Autumn Creek Apartments we are happy to offer members of our apartment community access to a business center for their business needs — whether it’s to finish up some after-hours office work, coordinate a volunteer-staffed service project for an East Amherst, New York organization; or put together an activity for our apartment community. Feel free to use the business center at your convenience from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm every day. (At our other sites, Business Centers are open during normal business hours. ) In today’s blog post, we’ve got some basic etiquette guidelines to share; plus rules for the business center. Business Center Etiquette Our business center is a shared space, and special consideration needs to be taken for everyone to be able to use it as intended. Today we’ve outlined simple guidelines to keep in mind when using this facility. — Clean up after yourself. As a matter of common courtesy to those who will be there next, don’t leave a mess, or promptly clean up any messes you do make. This will also keep the room and the room’s equipment in tip-top shape. — Make the most of your time. Plan in advance what you need to do and have everything you will need to accomplish your task with you. There may be someone waiting to use the room, so being prepared will help you be efficient. — Communicate. For example, if you find you won’t need to use the business center for as long as you thought, let others know it will be available sooner than planned. — Keep cell phone calls to a minimum while you’re using the business center. It’s the polite thing to do and sends the message that you are taking care of business. Business Center Rules — At Autumn Creek you will need to use your current key fob (specially activated by our leasing office) to access the business center. — No food or drink is allowed. — No one under 16 years of age is allowed in the business center without parental supervision. — Do not download programs, pictures, or sound files onto the hard drive. — We do not allow large quantity printing. We limit residents to 15 pages per day. — The door to the Autumn Creek Business Center must be closed at all times. Please do not prop open the door or let any unknown person(s) into the room. — Please be respectful of other residents who are waiting to use the computers. If someone is waiting to use a machine, please limit your time to 30 minutes. — We do not permit downloading or sending of inappropriate or illegal pictures, videos, or files that contain pornographic material or material that may offend those around you. Autumn Creek's business center has convenient hours of 6 am to 10 pm daily to accommodate your busy schedule. Following these etiquette guidelines and rules can help ensure that everyone will have a good experience using the business center here at Autumn Creek Apartments. Thanks for reading today’s post!