Residents of Flagstaff apartments want to enjoy eating al fresco. Friends and family often bring prepared dishes to picnic in a variety of parks and spaces in Arizona. Prepare and offer meals that can keep in hot summer months to prevent illness. Consider these suggestions when picnicking outside of your Flagstaff apartment:

• Maintain the temperature of food. Cold food needs to stay cold and stored at 40° or below. Frozen gel packs or a cooler with ice can be used to safely store seafood, poultry and meat.
• Avoid cross-contamination. Products that include raw meat should be wrapped securely. It is important that juices from uncooked meats do not have a chance of contaminating other prepared or cooked foods.
• Clean produce properly. Use a vegetable brush and tap water to scrub any firm-skinned vegetable or fruit. Other produce should be rinsed under tap water prior to packing. Vegetables and fruits can be dried with a paper towel or clean cloth.
• Keep hands and surfaces clean. Proper hand cleaning is needed both outdoors and indoors. Platters and utensils should be clean in order to prepare food. To keep surfaces and hands clean in areas without running water, bring a jug of water, soap and paper towels to the picnic spot. Moist towelettes are useful for cleaning hands.

Marinating and cooking foods thoroughly is also helpful to avoid foodborne illnesses when eating outdoors.

Stay Social and Healthy Near Flagstaff Apartments

Butterfield Apartment Homes offer the best of country club living only minutes from Historic Downtown Flagstaff, Flagstaff Mall and The Marketplace. Community amenities include an onsite fitness center, luxury pool and grill area. Butterfield Apartment Homes Flagstaff apartments studio, two and three-bedroom apartments are near highly sought-after attractions. Contact an associate at (844) 864-0303 for a tour of a spacious residence in Flagstaff.

The post Tips to Picnic Safely appeared first on Butterfield Apartments Blog.

Valentine’s Day is a great time to tell your friends how much you appreciate them. Whether it’s your best co-worker, a long-time pal or even one of your friendly neighbors at Butterfield Apartments in Flagstaff, AZ,  making a Valentine's gift is a great way to show them how much you care. Here are some easy and fun ideas they will love!

3 Fun Valentine Gifts Ideas to Make for Friends

Hot Cocoa Gift Set – Say "Happy Valentine's Day!" to your best buddies with a yummy mug of hot cocoa from this fun DIY gift set.

 Supplies

• Cute coffee mugs
• Mini glass milk bottles (Get them at the Dollar Store or Target)
• Decorative twine and tags
• Your favorite hot cocoa mix

Tips: Fill the mini milk bottle with hot cocoa, seal with lid, and decorate bottle with festive twine. Add a fun, personalized tag and insert the milk bottle inside the mug for a cute Valentine gift-giving idea.

Valentine Socks – Everyone loves a cozy pair of socks, and they make a cute Valentine’s gift.

Supplies

• Socks
• Treat Bags with Ties
• Cute Label

Tips: Fun, inexpensive socks can be found almost anywhere for a few dollars!  Place socks in a treat bag and add a personalized label such as “You knock my socks off” that you can print at home.

Bags of Hugs or Kisses – Give them a sweet Valentine's Day present of teddy bear hugs or chocolate kisses with a personalized tag that tells them how you feel!

• Supplies
• Hershey Kisses / Teddy Graham Cookies
• Treat Bags
• Ribbon
• Tag or Label

Tips: Add their favorite treat to a treat bag. Print a label on cardstock that can either be stapled to the top of the folded bag or attached with ribbon.

If you’re looking for love, we invite you to check out the amenities and floor plans available at Butterfield Apartments in Flagstaff, AZ. You will be head over heels with our country-club-style living and relaxed lifestyle!

The post Making Valentine’s Gifts for Your Friends appeared first on Butterfield Apartments Blog.

Declutter Your Closets

In many ways, clutter represents our human failure to stay organized and limit purchases. Many movies use closets to get laughs. You know, someone opens a door and piles of stuff bury them. It’s funny because it’s so true. We hide stuff in closets. To avoid having a real-life skit in your space, take everything out and reorganize that closet.

Start by incorporating a shoe organizer. It can hang on the door or be simple shelving. That should help clear the floor. Box anything that doesn’t fit or any oddities that you can’t remember why you bought it in the first place. Make a list and donate all of it. You may be able to take a tax deduction if you give it to a non-profit. Create sections for specific types of clothing and items. Once you’ve put it all back together, place a sign on the inside of the door that reads “One In, One Out.” Hopefully, that rule will help keep your closets uncluttered.  

Coca-Cola Cleans Toilet Stains

Cleaning products can be expensive and toxic to the environment. Coke, on the other hand, is just a cheap sugary beverage. Gently pour about 12 ounces of Coke over toilet stains. As it runs over them, some of the Coke will cling. Let it sit for at least an hour while the acids act on the stains. Flushing should remove a good amount of the residue and a quick scrub brushing will do the rest.

Steam Clean Your Microwave

Microwaves can be a real pain to scrub clean because it’s difficult to see the inside ceiling. One simple way to loosen clinging food spatter is to mix two tablespoons of white vinegar with water and nuke it for about five minutes. The steam will do the rest.

Refrigerator Liners

This may seem a bit out of the mainstream, but it’s perfectly fine to cover problem areas inside your refrigerator with cling wrap. Whether it’s salad dressing leakage or the meat tray, by lining the surface you can just peel and replace.  

Natural Air Fresheners

Some of the best smelling things are completely natural. For example, fill a pot of water with lemon slices and rosemary and let it simmer all afternoon. It will make your apartment smell magnificent. You can also do things like adding cinnamon sticks to candles or growing lemongrass on a window sill. Just run your fingers through the lemongrass and let it permeate your apartment.

Spring has sprung and we wish our Butterfield community members a wonderful season. If you or a friend would like more information about our Flagstaff apartments, call us today. 

The post 5 DIY Spring Cleaning Hacks For Butterfield Residents appeared first on Butterfield Apartments Blog.

Flagstaff Nordic Center

Snow sports enthusiasts can spend the day skiing or snowshoeing at Flagstaff Nordic Center. If you don't have snowshoes, you can rent them on site. There are several trails available that offer three separate levels of difficulty, beginner, intermediate and expert. Don't worry if you've never been on snowshoes or on cross-country skis before, there will still be a trail for you. Enjoying a hot beverage in a pub or coffee shop of choice is a great way to top off an invigorating day in the snow,

The Orpheum Theater

Constructed over a century ago in the year 1917, the Orpheum Theater offers world class entertainment in classically sumptuous surroundings. Recently remodeled to feature plush seats that offer the ultimate in comfort and style, the Theater also features a large balcony, a sophisticated bar and lounge area and a state-of-the art sound system. National and international acts are frequently features here so go online today and find out what's on the roster for the rest of the winter. 

Lowell Observatory

One of the best things about the kind of cold, clear nights that Flagstaff frequently enjoys during the winter months is that they offer optimal opportunities for star gazing. The stars, planets and moon seem brighter and so much closer to the Earth, and Flagstaff residents and visitors are fortunate enough to have one of the best educational observatories in the country. Guided tours are available by day with the aim of unlocking some of the mysteries of space, and sky-viewing events are scheduled on a weekly basis.

Are you looking for a new apartment home to stay warm and toasty in this winter? If so, give us a call now. 

The post Three Flagstaff Winter Activities That You Shouldn’t Miss appeared first on Butterfield Apartments Blog.

Seasonal Salad

A mixed green salad is always refreshing no matter what time of year it is. In the fall, add a seasonal twist to your salad by sprinkling on pecans and cranberries plus some citrus like oranges, clementines or grapefruit.

Simple Turkey

Preparing a holiday turkey in the fall doesn't have to be daunting. Even a simple recipe can be just as mouthwatering as one that requires you to spend hours in the kitchen. Use herbs like thyme, rosemary, parsley, and sage plus some butter or ghee for added moisture.

Butternut Squash Soup

Winter squashes seem to be everywhere as the weather cools off. Take advantage of that abundance by preparing butternut squash soup, which is easy to do by baking the squash, then pureeing it and mixing with olive oil, cooked onions, cream, nutmeg, cloves, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Green Bean Casserole

This yummy dish has long been a favorite on Thanksgiving menus. Rather than using canned beans and soups, freshen up your green bean casserole by using fresh green beans, sliced almonds, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Pumpkin Pie

It just wouldn't seem like fall without pumpkin pie. Skip the store-bought varieties and easily make this dessert yourself. Buy a pie pumpkin, bake it in the oven, then add milk (coconut milk for people with dairy allergies), eggs, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.

You are your guests will gobble up these healthy favorite dishes once they're on the table. If you're looking for apartments in Flagstaff where you can relax and enjoy cooking and eating, call our office today to see which floor plans are still available

The post 5 Mouthwatering Fall Recipes to Gobble Up appeared first on Butterfield Apartments Blog.

See the Leaves at 8,000 Feet 

To really see their leaves in all their glory, it's recommended that you hike at this elevation level. It's here that you'll find the Aspens with their beautiful leaves like liquid gold. Check out Wilson Meadow or Bismarck Lake for a fun-filled afternoon. However, even if you don't love to hike, Flagstaff is the best place to experience autumn as you'll still be able to see the colors of fall in the city as well. 

Get Out on the Town

Whether you attend Wine in the Woods at the Arboretum on September 11 or see the stars at Buffalo Park for the telescope viewing on the weekend of September 22, there are a variety of events around you if you live in the apartments in Flagstaff. There are fall festivals, beer tastings, and chair lift rides at Arizona Snowbowl that all can provide different experiences. Attend a concert or choir show and shop at the farmers markets for fall specials. Find pumpkin patches and events made just for kids too if you want to take the young people in your life out for a fall adventure. 

Butterfield wants all of its residents to experience everything Arizona has to offer, and thankfully, there's a lot to choose from. If you're hoping to find your new perfect apartment, we want you to look at all we have to offer today. Give us a call to find out about our available apartments. 

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