Blog Posts

Celebrate Aviation Day

On December 17th, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright became the very first people to create and fly a self-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft that was controlled by a human riding on it, the very first airplane. The first flight was only just over 120 feet, but it was the herald of amazing things to come. In honor of the Wright brothers achievements, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared August 19th Orvilles birthday as National Aviation Day. As it turns out, August 19th is this coming Friday, so we here at Canyon Park Apartments thought we should gather together some options for celebrating the holiday that wont take you too far from Puyallup. Visit the Museum of Flight Weve written about the local Museum of Flight here on our blog before, but the museum has only grown and expanded its offerings since then. Go on an interactive flight simulation through the sky and beyond; learn about the history of Boeing, one of the largest airplane companies in the world; see the remains of the Corsair, rescued from the bottom of Lake Washington by the museum! The Museum of Flight is a great destination for aviators of all ages! Fly a Remote-Controlled Airplane It can be tricky, but RC Airplane enthusiasts love the challenge of their sport. The best way to get started? Look up a local RC Airplane field or club at the link above and go take a look. Even if you dont feel like getting into the hobby yourself, it will be fun to watch. Attend the Pierce County Kite Festival The entire family will be captivated by amazing kite demonstrations, family kite flying, face painting, and more. Bring your kites, blankets, and cameras and get ready for a day full of fun! The first 250 kids will have an opportunity to make their own kites, compliments of the Pierce County Kitefliers Association!

Peach Recipes For Your Summer Shindig

Last week we talked about celebrating Romance Awareness Month, but thats not the only designation that August enjoys its also Peach Month! To help you celebrate, weve gathered some recipes that use peaches in both traditional and unusual ways, ranging from a peach-and-beets salad to a classic peach cobbler. Youre sure to find something to your liking here. These recipes are from Allrecipes.com, and weve included their creators descriptions of the dishes as well. Grandmas Peach French Toast "My mother gave me this to use at my mother group. Everyone loved it so I decided to post it and share the great blend of peaches and French toast. Smells great when cooking." Roasted Beet, Peach, and Goat Cheese Salad "This salad is a bit of work, but it's so delicious and always impresses guests. Mache can be hard to find, so you may omit it and just use arugula, but it adds a great nutty flavor if you can find it." Spicy Peach-Glazed Pork Chops "Sweet and spicy boneless pork chops made with a special sauce that includes peach preserves and white wine. Serve with sweet potato latkes." Fresh Southern Peach Cobbler "I've been experimenting with cobbler for some time and this recipe is the final result. Loved by all. Use fresh Georgia peaches, of course!" Award-Winning Peaches and Cream Pie "I am always asked for the recipe when I take this anywhere. Plus I won 5 blue ribbons and Best Pie of Show for this pie. It's a great pie." What better time than summer to celebrate the delicious flavor of peaches? What is your favorite kind of peach-based treat? Have any amazing recipes that you love to break out for special occasions? Share with us in the comments so that everyone can enjoy some delicious peaches in new ways this August.

Artistic Date Ideas around Puyallup

Not many people know that August is Romance Awareness Month. Valentines Day may be back in February, but theres no time like summer for kindling a romance. To help you celebrate, weve gathered together a few great date ideas that wont take you too far from Canyon Park apartments in Puyallup. So grab the love of your life (or someone who might turn out to be the love of your life) and go have a fun evening together! Make Some Art There are few things as fun as creating art together, whether you have a talent for it or not. You could grab some paints and canvas and make an evening of it at home, or you can go out to a studio for some help with the process. Try one of these: Throwing Mud Gallery This pottery studio offers several options to its visitors. You can take a class to learn to make your own pottery, shaping it on the wheel and everything. You can pick up pre-made pottery to paint as you like, to your imaginations content. Or you can simply peruse the array of beautiful hand-made art that they have for sale in their gallery and find one that you both love. Uncorked Canvas Do you want to learn how to paint? Do you enjoy sipping delicious wines? Then Uncorked Canvas is the place for you. They bill themselves as Tacomas premiere paint and sip studio. Visitors can sip at their choice of beverage while being guided through the process of creating a work of art. Their goal is to help people see that anyone can make art. Where is your favorite place to take a date? Dont keep it a secret; let us know in the comments so that more people can go out and have a great time! Enjoy celebrating Romance Awareness Month for the next few weeks!

Forever in Blue Jeans

Blue jeans are a wardrobe staple for most people, but eventually they reach the point that they can no longer be worn. They are too big or too small, the zipper is broken, theres a hole worn in the seat, or they are too short. But like a dear friend, we have a hard time giving them up, so we hang onto them, and pretty soon we have a box full of old jeans sitting in the back of the closet at our Canyon Park apartment. In todays post were going to take a look at some ways to give those old jeans new life. Quilts A denim quilt is durable and will last for years. The are a dozen or more different variations of quilts you can make. All it takes is some patience, jeans, and a little creativity. Check out these ideas to get started. Pillows From very simple, to fancy Levi pillows are fun to make. For a quick project, simple cut the jeans off just beneath the zipper, turn inside out and sew closed, using a serger, or zigzag the edges before sewing the seam. Sew the waistband together too, leaving a three inch gap above the zipper. Turn rightside out and stuff. (Open the zipper to make this task easier. When it is stuffed, zip up the jeans and then hand stitch the three-inch opening, and voila, decorative jean pillow. For a step-by-step tutorial with pictures to make an envelope style pillow cover, check out this tutorial . Book Covers Book covers are a good way to add a splash of color to your bookshelf, and they are not difficult to make. Book covers made of denim will last a long time and your book will remain in excellent condition. Do you need more ideas? The Make it and Love It blog has put together a list of 35 Clever Projects from Old Denim Jeans that you may want to check out. If you dont already have old jeans, you can pick some up at any thrift shop in Puyallup. Did our blog post inspire you to make something with your old jeans? Post a picture in the comments; wed love to see.

Contain It

This month our blog posts have focused on organization. We discussed how to plan for organizing your Canyon Park apartment and what to do with things you are no longer going to keep, and this time our post will be about containing the things you are keeping. We have gathered up some creative ideas that will make organizing a snap. Baskets Baskets are perfect for organizing. They come in many different sizes, colors, shapes, and textures, they can be open or closed, and they are decorative. Use one for all of the cell phones at dinner time to promote conversation, put them on top of the cupboards in the kitchen to store rarely used items, for example the cookie cutters you use only at Christmas time. Use one the bathroom for curling irons, blow dryers, and straighteners. Baskets equal versatility. Repurpose Containers Items intended for one purpose can often be adapted for another including magazine holders, tension rods (designed for curtains), shoe organizers, hanging wire baskets are a few that come to mind. Magazine holders can be used for a multitude of items. Put one near your dryer to collect mismatched socks, in the kitchen they are handy to hold lids and keep them organized. In the kids room they are good to hold board books or collections of small toys, or rocks for that matter. You may even want to use them to hold magazines! Its a fact that tension rods are marketed for hanging curtains, but they can also be used to organize your baking sheets, games, puzzles, etc. Simply place them vertically in a cupboard to create an instant divider. Another good place to put one is under the kitchen sink, and then hang your cleaning spray bottles on it. Repurpose an entertainment center for a babys room, and put a tension rod in to hang up all the cute outfits. Hanging wire fruit baskets can hold more than just fruit. Hang one on the shower rod, and you have a storage place for the tub toys. Hang one in the utility room to store dryer sheets, stain removers, and all of those other random items that end up in there. Put one in the kids room, and fill it full of your childs collection of Beanie babies, and voila you have a storage space and display in one fell swoop. Use containers to stay organized. Take it a step further and label the contents. What are your favorite containers for organizing? Please share in the comments.

Donate and Volunteer in Puyallup

We all have them, boxes or totes of things that are in good condition, clothing that doesnt fit anymore, things we dont use anymore, but we dont want to just throw them out, because they are in good condition. And so they sit in our apartment, taking up space and collecting dust. Until we go through our Canyon Park apartment to organize everything, and this time, when we come across those boxes and totes we promise ourselves we will do something with them. But what? How about donating them to a good cause? Donating is easier than you think. Weve put together a list a places in the Puyallup area that take donations of various kinds. Puyallup Public Library The library accepts books, movies, music CDs, and other items. Donated items are used either by the Puyallup Public Library or are sold in the Friends of the Puyallup Library Bookstore. Value Village From their website: Value Village, a Savers brand, is a for-profit, global thrift retailer offering great quality, gently used clothing, accessories and household goods. Our business model of purchasing, reselling and recycling gives communities a smart way to shop. St. Francis House St. Francis House offers hope for the future by providing basic necessities not provided by others. We exist to improve the lives of those in need, according to their mission statement. They accept donations of gently-used clothing, furniture, household items and food. See their website for donation drop-off hours, location and high demand items. Deseret Industries Located in Federal Way, this facility is run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a mission to provide training and on-the-job experience, new life for donated goods, business partnerships, community partnerships and grants, career and technical education, humanitarian aid. Other Area Donation Venues A general index of places that accept donations in the greater Puyallup area. Many of these same places are open to volunteers. If you have some extra time and the inclination, volunteering some time, be that weekly, monthly, or a one-time visit, is a wonderful way to give back to the community. Volunteer Match is a good resource to find local (physical locations) or virtual (online) opportunities to volunteer. Volunteering has been documented to provide health benefits, and when you do something for others, you feel good yourself. Volunteer soon! Where have you volunteered? What was your experience like? Please share in the comments.