Blog Posts

How to Make Essential Oils in Your Apartment

This week, the Courtland Towers Blog is featuring tips so that you can make your own essential oils without leaving your Arlington, VA apartment. Did you know that essential oils can help fight colds, soothe sore muscles, alleviate pain, and improve digestion ? All you need is a crockpot and distilled water to begin the simple process of making your own essential oils. We’re taking the following instructions from DIY Natural , and while we invite you to read the entire article to learn more about essential oils and infused oils, we’re going to highlight just the parts about the process of making your own oil. What You’ll Need 1. A crock pot with a lid 2. Distilled water 3. 3-4 cups of chopped fresh plant material, filling the crockpot about half full. “It’s best to use fresh plant material rather than dried. Dried herbs will still yield some oil, but fresh will result in more volume. Harvest plant material in the morning after the dew has dried. Discard any dead, diseased, or bug infested herbs.” How It’s Made 1. Place the plants in the crockpot, covering them with water. Make sure that the crockpot is less than three-fourths full. Then, put the lid on upside down. 2. Turn the crockpot on high. Once hot, turn it to low and simmer for three to four hours. 3. Turn the crockpot off. Once the plants have cooled, place the crockpot into the fridge and leave it overnight. 4. In the morning, you should notice a thin film of oil on the top. It should be hard. Be careful as you lift the essential oil, but work quickly so it doesn’t melt. 5. Place the oil into a bottle and seal it with a cap. 6. Store away from light and heat. Thanks for reading!

Things to Throw Out This Month

Welcome back to the Courtland Towers Blog! We’re excited to continue writing for residents of our apartment community in Arlington, VA. Today we’re focusing on items that you should throw out. Take inventory of your possessions this month as you decide what you need to clean out of your apartment. Broken Items Throw away items that are broken or that no longer work, such as pens, toys, and decorative items. Keeping them only keeps you at risk for injury, so let go and you’ll feel great! Bottles and Prescriptions Check your cupboards and get rid of all the empty or near-empty bottles cluttering up your valuable space. Take the time now to finish off the bottle and clean your bathroom to make use of the product before tossing it. Also, dispose of expired prescriptions. Unused Entertainment Whether you thought you would love that book or movie you bought or you simply no longer enjoy it, it’s probably taking up space and would do better elsewhere. Sell or donate books, movies, and CDs if you feel sad about it! Old or Worn Out Clothes Stay up on the trends without overcrowding your closet by going through your wardrobe and grabbing items you no longer love, wear, or fit into. Determine which clothing items are in good enough condition that you could sell to a local thrift shop or donate to a friend. Keep basics like white tees, jeans, and leather (or faux leather) jackets. They’re perfect for mixing up with accessories or prints. Paper Go paperless and opt into electronic bank statements and other important documents: It produces less waste and keeps the stacks of mail piling up on your counter to a minimum. Make a point now also to recycle magazines and paper you no longer need or use. Multiple Items Do you have any duplicate items in your kitchen, office, or bedroom? Do you really need (and regularly use) both? Pay attention to which item you tend to gravitate toward and get rid of the other to clear up extra space for items you really need. Expired Items Not only do medications expire, but things like food in your pantry and in your food storage do, too! Go through it this month and use anything that will expire soon and throw away everything with a “sell by” date that has past.

We Love These Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

Ice cream is one of our favorite treats, especially on a hot summer afternoon! Read below for a few flavorful ice cream recipes that are sure to take your taste buds on an adventure you won’t soon forget. We just keep wanting more! No Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream This recipe comes from Julie Blanner and takes ordinary ice cream to a whole new level of creaminess. Ingredients needed include fresh or frozen strawberries, sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, half and half, and crushed graham crackers. Salted Pretzel Ice Cream with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Allow yourself to indulge by making this recipe from Cake over Steak. You will need the following ingredients: whole milk, small salted pretzels, eggs, sugar, dark chocolate, and peanut butter. This ice cream is both sweet, salty, and has a satisfying crunch. Graham Cracker Ice Cream This ice cream is loaded with cinnamon graham crackers. The recipe comes from Dessert for Two and calls for the following ingredients: cinnamon graham crackers, whole milk, powdered gelatin, cream cheese, heavy cream, salt, and light brown sugar. Mix in some chocolate syrup and mini marshmallows and you’ve got s’mores ice cream! No Churn Cookies and Cream Ice Cream This recipe is perfect for a hot summer day and so simple to make. It comes from Kirbie Cravings. You’ll need heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and Oreo cookies. Whip the heavy cream then add the condensed milk and crushed Oreos. Pour into a pan and freeze overnight. This recipe is sure to please everyone. Red Velvet Ice Cream with Cream Cheese Icing Swirl This incredible ice cream recipe comes from The Cookie Rookie. If you are a fan of red velvet cake, you are sure to love this delicious ice cream. To make it, you will need cream cheese, heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, cocoa powder, red food coloring, salt, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Have you ever made ice cream in your apartment? Share your tips and recipes with us in the comments below. Thanks for visiting the Courtland Towers Blog. We hope you have a fantastic summer in Arlington, VA!

Pick up One of These Great Books Today

Welcome back to the Courtland Towers Blog! June is the perfect month to focus on reading. At Courtland Towers, we’re encouraging our residents to pick up a book in June. If you’re not sure about what to read, choose from our list of suggestions below. We’ve provided links with the descriptions to make things easy for you. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms “Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.” The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho “Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.” The Beach by Alex Garland “The Beach, as Richard has come to learn, is the subject of a legend among young travelers in Asia: a lagoon hidden from the sea, with white sand and coral gardens, freshwater falls surrounded by jungle, plants untouched for a thousand years. There, it is rumored, a carefully selected international few have settled in a communal Eden.” Thanks for visiting our blog. We hope you have a great month of reading in your Arlington, VA apartment!

Awesome Covers of Awesome Songs

To finish off the month of May, we thought it would be fun to share a few of our favorite cover songs. Take some time to sit back and relax as you listen to these songs in your Courtland Towers apartment. “ The Sound of Silence ” by Disturbed Disturbed’s cover of “The Sound of Silence” is one that’s simply beautiful. Watch the GRAMMY-nominated performance by clicking on the link above. “ Hero ” by Nathan and Eva Leach We love this cover of Family of the Year’s song “Hero.” Nathan and Eva Leach are a talented sibling folk duo based out of Charleston, South Carolina. While all of their songs showcase the talents of these individuals, it’s their cover of “Hero” that made us fall in love with their music. Just wait for the shaker, the toss, and an instrument that comes unexpectedly in the video. We think you’ll love it! “ Gold ” by Shrink the Giant Imagine Dragons has an award-winning sound that would be hard for almost any group to cover, but we think they would applaud what Shrink the Giant did with “Gold”. “ Perfect ” by The Piano Guys The Piano Guys are known for their impressive covers of popular songs. Last year, they covered Ed Sheeran’s song “Perfect”. This impressive rendition is a beautiful arrangement that will make you pause and meditate, something that is always needed. Take some time to sit down and ponder on the months that are to come. Which goals are you striving for? What trips are you planning on taking? What memories are waiting to happen? “ Zombie ” by Bad Wolves Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries passed away in January of 2015. In her memory, the music group Bad Wolves released a cover of one of her most beloved songs. We absolutely love it. Thanks for reading and listening! We hope you have a great month in Arlington, VA!

“Bee” Mindful of the Bees

According to an article titled “5 Things Honeybees Do For Humans,” we benefit a lot from honeybees. Did you know that honeybees can predict storms? They also help fight cancer, are responsible for one-third of the world’s food, and they create honey. You’ve probably seen bees out and about in our Courtland Towers apartment community or flying around Arlington, VA. Because honeybees are a huge part of our everyday lives, we thought it would be a great idea to share how we can all step up and “bee” the solution by protecting these creatures. Here’s what you can do to help honeybees in your area: Bee Mindful Sometimes the best thing we can do to help is to learn more about whatever it is we’re trying to help, in this case honeybees. Take some time to learn more about honeybees and their contribution to our economy. Look up plants and sprays that are good for the environment and don’t harm honeybees or other helpful creatures. You’d be surprised how much information you can find right online. Don’t Attack Bees Bees will only sting when provoked. If confronted by a bee, don’t react by flapping your hands in front of you. This will only provoke them. Take a deep breath and slowly slip away. It’s possible that the bee is just curious about you, but don’t worry, it will quickly lose interest and move on. Remember that bees may become confused by different scents of shampoos, which could contribute to their curiosity or confusion. Buy Local Honey There are many reasons you should buy raw, local honey . Local honey is prepared by beekeepers. That means that the money you spend contributes to the continued production of naturally harvested, nutritional honey. Check out the link above for a detailed comparison between raw and processed honey. You might think twice about buying processed honey the next time you’re visiting the store. Buying local honey is a great way to support the continued practice of beekeeping in the area. Thanks for reading today’s blog post about honeybees. We hope you stay safe and mindful as we approach summer. Have a great month!