Hello World!
Welcome to the blog page for Hinkens Apartments. On this page, we share information that we believe can be helpful to existing and potential future tenants in our apartment building. We hope you find what follows to be useful and/or interesting. Please feel free to leave comments and give us your opinion!
Also, on the other pages of this site, we share information about the apartments and the apartment community. Please feel free to browse for an apartment for yourself or for a friend or family member. We’d be more than happy to give a tour of any of our fine facilities. Thanks for visiting us here. We hope to see you in-person soon!
Last Minute (Today Only!) Valentine’s Gifts
Whether you forgot completely or simply procrastinated, Valentine’s Day is here! Don’t give up just yet if you’re stuck at home empty handed. There are still a few things you can do that may end up saving your holiday.
Chocolate bouquet – Rather than settling for the usual supermarket flower selection, spruce up any old bouquet by adding chocolate! Get some truffles, put them on skewers, and spread them out throughout the flowers. It’s a deliciously sweet gesture that will have that special someone thinking you put in a special order.
If you can afford to splurge, do it on a surprise weekend trip to somewhere great. Websites like Orbit and Travelocity make it easy to not only save money when booking flights and hotel stays, but they make it last-minute friendly. Just a few clicks and you’re on your way.
Romantic dinners are never out-dated. Take your significant other out to their favorite restaurant, or stay home and cook. Light some candles, put on some mood music, and whip up something he or she will love. It might not seem like the biggest gesture, but when you do all the cooking, cleaning, and schmoozing it can go a long way.
If you’re completely out of resources, grab a paper and a pen (or get on the computer) and design your own coupons. Good for a “free” massage, cooked meal, hug, or whatever else you can come up with, these personalized coupons are a great life saver.
There are lots of thoughtful gestures that don’t require a whole lot of time or money, so consider your options before you completely give up hope. Worst case scenario? A whopping IOU to be cashed in on your significant other’s terms.
Apartment Living with Cats
Having a cat can add something truly special to our homes, much more so than the right lighting or some new, trendy furniture. Each new friend that comes into our lives has the potential to add a unique quality to our space. However, living with a cat can be tricky at times, so being prepared, especially in an apartment, can make all the difference.
Before you adopt a new animal, make sure that pets are allowed in your complex. Read over your lease agreement, including the fine print, to see if there are any restrictions or specifications on breed, size, or monthly costs.
Once you clear everything with the owner, consider cat-proofing your place before you bring your animal home. Cats have a tendency to climb and claw, so any wires, shoes, and other off-limits things should be tucked away and put out of reach.
You may even want to consider your furniture. Some fabrics are more likely to catch dirt, hair, and scratch marks, so make sure to re-think your choices or have a lint roller handy! Leather is a great material that is easily wiped and won’t trap hair, and micro-fibre is another fabric that wears well and is easy to maintain. There are also stain and soil resistant furniture available if you’re really worried about the mess.
Pet toys can be expensive, but keeping your cat entertained is important, especially when they’re young and new to your home. Having multiple distractions for your pet will help keep it from clawing at your furniture and any knick-knacks lying around. If you’re on a budget, try making some home-made toys using water bottles, balls, old socks, bottle caps and other items. If you like to sew, stuffed toys and pillows can be great fun for your cat to play with.
Check with your local vet or pet store for more ideas specific for your cat and enjoy the comforts of home with your pet.
DIY Valentine’s Day Decor
Valentine’s Day isn’t exactly known for its amazing décor opportunities, but why not make your home a bit sweeter this year?
Positively Splendid featured a great tutorial on how to make a beautiful rolled rosette tree using 2 rolls of red crepe paper streamers, a large Styrofoam cone, and a hot glue gun. Start out by cutting the streamers in 30 inch lengths. Fold each piece in half lengthwise, twice. Then, at one end, start rolling the streamer tightly a few times. Secure it in place with hot glue. Take the remaining part of the streamer and fold it back at a 45 degree angle. Roll the tail around the center a quarter turn, and fold back again. Secure with hot glue.
Repeat this process until you have used up the rest of your streamer, and secure the end with hot glue at the back of the rosette. Make as many rosettes as needed and begin gluing to the foam cone in rows, until the entire cone is covered. When you’re finished, you’ll have a lovely Valentine’s appropriate decoration (that can even be reused for Christmas!)
For some unique, romantic-style art, consider displaying some of your favorite black and white photos in clear glass mason jars. For an even more vintage look, create your own silhouette art and display in a colorful (pink or red) frame. Make this original art by tracing images of friends,
family, and more onto black construction paper. Set it against a white background.
Fresh flowers can always help add a romantic Valentine’s touch to any room. Try pink tulips in crisp white vases, or red roses in a bold black vase for a darker touch.
Valentine’s Day can be just as festive as the other holidays, so get to work and start decorating. With only about a week to go, you can still find time to enjoy these romantic, sophisticated, love-inspired bits of décor.
Downtown Menomonee Falls February Events
Menomonee Falls is a beautiful community with great shops, delicious dining, and tons of fun events for all ages. “Wisconsin’s Largest Village” is coming to life again this month, offering great entertainment and an enjoyable downtown ambiance.
On Thursday, February 2nd it’s Kevin Smith: Live from Behind. Join the Menomonee Falls community as popular filmmaker Kevin Smith interacts with fans from around the country. This show will be preceded by “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old.”
Also, check out Chilly Fest on the 18th. With an amateur and professional ice carving contest, a mouth-watering chili competition, and other entertainment it’s an event you won’t want to miss. Held over at Mill Pond Park, Chilly Fest will host a series of games, raffles, and amazing foods and beverages that the whole family can enjoy.
If one of your resolutions this year is to get in shape, you might want to check out the RWF Bootcamp on February 7th. This free class starts at 5:15am, and is perfect for any and all fitness levels and fitness goals. Work with instructors and fellow participants to get into prime shape. If you like your experience, you’ll have the opportunity to join monthly sessions at a discounted, package price.
February 20th is ladies night at Angelo’s Café Vino! Come out and enjoy drink specials, unique fusion cuisine specials, and more. Hang out with the girls for a night of pampering with friends, music, and even psychic readings! Treat yourself to a night out on the town.
Hinken’s Apartments is just minutes from all of the downtown excitement that Menomonee Falls has to offer – just one reason why residents love this beautiful, blossoming community.
Apartment-Friendly Exercises – Get Moving!
Can’t quite afford that expensive gym membership? Feel like you don’t have enough time in the day to fit in that hour-long workout video? No worries! With just a few simple exercises, you can stay home, save time, and still get fit. These space-saving, apartment-friendly work outs are sure to get your heart going.
The Ten:
Start out doing one push-up, followed by 10 squats. Continue with 2 push-ups, followed by 9 squats, 3 push-ups and 8 squats, etc. until you’ve reached 10 push-ups and 1 squat. This full body workout might not sound like much, but you’re sure to feel it the next day.
Prison Cell Workout:
Hopefully you’ll be trying this for the first time from the comfort of your own home, however, it is the perfect workout when you’ve got limited space. Start out standing and then squat down, dropping your hands to the ground. Jump or move your feet back so that you’re in a push-up position. Do a push-up and bring your feet forward between your hands. Jump up, reaching your hands to the sky and bringing your knees to your chest. Repeat 15-20 times.
Chair Exercises:
Grab a sturdy chair (nothing with wheels!) for these next few exercises. Place your hands on the seat edge, your back to the chair, with knees bent and feet out in front of you. Dip your body down towards the ground to work your triceps. Different variations like straight leg or one leg lifted can make this work out more difficult.
Next, face your chair in a standing position. Step up onto the seat and then back onto the floor, alternating legs. This one will really work the glutes!
Then, work your abs by placing your feet up on the chair seat, placing your elbows on the floor in front of you. Make sure your back is straight, not arched, and keep your core tight as you stay in a plank (table) position. Hold for at least one minute.
Voila! A fast, fun, full body workout. You can do all of these exercises from home, without a gym membership, DVD to follow, or community weight center, so no more excuses! You’ll look and feel great in the end if you really stick to it.
Tips for Keeping a Tidy Apartment
Wish you could keep your apartment company-ready at all times? We all hate that cleaning marathon that goes on just minutes before guests arrive, so why not make things easier? Here are some tips for keeping some of the well-seen rooms in your home looking tidy.
Living room: Give each item a “home.” Knowing where everything is supposed to go will make it much more likely for you to put it back where it belongs when you’re finished with it. For example, if the throw rug goes on the back of the couch, when you’re done curling up under it just fold it up and put it back where it belongs.
Use baskets to store smaller items like magazines and remotes. Whenever you see one out lying around, just toss it back into the proper basket. You may even want to create a basket for mail, so you don’t have small piles building up all over.
Bathroom: Keep the necessary cleaning supplies for this room in this room. You’ll be much more likely to use them than if you have to make a trip to the kitchen or closet every time.
Cleaning the bathroom can be a real drag with the toilet, the bathtub, the toothpaste and soap stains to deal with. Rather than trying to tackle it all at once, divide your bathroom tidy time into small intervals. Every time you use the restroom, quickly spray down the countertop or scrub the
toilet. If you do a little something each time, you’ll have a sparkling bathroom that lasts.
Kitchen: First thing’s first, keep the sink clean. Don’t let dishes build up. If your dishwasher is full and you’ve got extras in the sink, don’t just leave them there. Instead, wash those few by hand. It will only take a couple minutes, and it will make all the difference.
Wipe problem spots on the floor when you see them. If there’s a coffee spot or a juice stain on the floor, just quickly clean it. This could save you from having to mop or do a big scrub down later on.
Lastly, wipe down countertops and stove tops after each use. A quick spray and wipe a couple times a day will keep your kitchen looking fabulous.
Perfect Apartment? Check!
While apartment hunting can be tedious, it is often necessary. To make it easier on yourself, try getting organized before you go out looking. How many bedrooms do you need? What’s your budget? Having these things in mind can be helpful, and when it comes to comparing apartments, here are a few more things to keep in mind:
Location – Try not to settle on this one. You’re going to be living in this apartment for at least a year, most likely, so it’s important that it be in location that suits your individual needs. Is it close to school/ work/ the grocery store?
Pets- If you have or are planning on getting a pet, make sure that the places your looking are pet-friendly. Different apartment complexes have different rules about animals, so make sure that the place you choose offers what you need.
Safety- This goes for both the neighborhood and the apartment. Make sure the unit you’re looking into has smoke detectors and is free of any mildew or pests. It’s important that the owners are taking the proper precautions in preventing these things.
Utilities / Amenities – Find out which utilities are included in the rent and which you’ll be responsible for. Also, think about whether or not you’ll need
certain amenities in your place like a washer/dryer or if you want a pool or recreation room on-site.
Having all of these things pre-planned and on paper can make apartment hunting remarkably easier. Write specific needs and wants down on paper and bring them with you when you go out looking. This will allow you to speed up the process by quickly eliminating the places that don’t match your criteria. Also, check out our available apartments! You just might find what you’re looking for.
Redesign Your Apartment – On A Budget
Most apartment dwellers want to make their place feel more like their own. In some cases paint isn’t an option, and in others it’s just hard to find the budget for new home décor. Here are something subtle changes you can make to help transform a room in a big way.
Fake high ceilings by installing a curtain rod above the window frame. Drape sheer curtains over the window, all the way down to the floor. This will help create the illusion of a bigger space and it will add some color.
Add even more color to a room with splashes found in throw pillows and throw blankets. Find pillows that have different patterns, shapes, and designs but that have complementary colors to give any couch, chair or a bed a unique and personal touch.
When renting an apartment, painting is often off limits, and sometimes so is putting any holes in the wall. Forget about hanging heavy art.
Instead, you might try getting a couple of full-length mirrors or large pieces of canvas art to lean against a wall for a dramatic and artistic look.
Art doesn’t have to be in the form of a painting, though. Try putting fruits like limes, lemons, and oranges, into large glass jars. It will bring a bright and cheery feeling to any room.
Using table runners against the backs of plain colored chairs is another great way to bring some personality to a room. They also work wonders on smaller tables, giving them a much larger look.
Without spending a ton of money, you can transform any room from boring to bright in no time. You don’t always need to make a huge change. Sometimes it’s the smaller subtleties come together that makes all the difference.
Think Pink This Winter
Pink is no longer just for girls playing princess. In fact, tons of designers are starting to re-think pink in a variety of ways in order to create chic and sophisticated looks for people of all ages. With an abundance of hues from pale to eye-popping, there are tons of grown-up ways to incorporate pink into your home or apartment.
While it will always have a subtle feminine touch, pink is a great color to provoke those feel-good emotions. Dull tones of pink can act as a neutral in any decorating scheme. Contrasting it with bright colors, especially complementary greens, blues and yellows, can give any room a semi-tropical feel that even a manly-man could enjoy.
When you’ve got a black & white, or gray themed room try using some pink to give it some pop. Creating small pink accents around the room (throw pillows, wall art, etc.) will really bring out the best in those otherwise dark, plain pieces.
If you don’t want to invest in pink furniture pieces or art, flowers are a great way to add subtle touches of color throughout a room. Peonies come in a variety of shades of pink and are perfect for gardeners without a lot of extra time or experience on their hands. Try mixing the gorgeous flowers in a black vase for an eye-catching accent.
Pink is known to inspire a vintage, romantic feeling, so it’s a great color to use in a living room or bedroom. It’s also known to combat anger and anxiety and instead contribute to warm, soothing emotions.
Don’t be afraid to incorporate pink into your home. Use it to create a soft, romantic or playful, vibrant space that really makes a statement!
DIY Green Cleaning
This year it’s all about going green. The next time you find yourself reaching for the Windex or Lysol cleaner, consider trying a few of these natural recipes first.
This simple bathtub cleaner is simple, fresh, and fruity. All you need is a grapefruit and ¼ cup of kosher salt to get started. After slicing the grapefruit in half, sprinkle salt on one half. Wet the bathtub and sprinkle some salt over the surface. Use the grapefruit to scrub lifting it every few seconds to pick up new salt. Then, when you’ve scrubbed from top to bottom, rinse the tub with water and watch the thick grime, stains, and extra pulp wash away!
Looking for a natural all-purpose cleaner? Now you can make your own using 2 cups of water, 1 cup of Hydrogen Peroxide, and ¼ cup of lemon juice. Put the mixture in a recycled spray bottle for easy access and use it to clean mirrors, countertops, and any other surfaces.
Olive Oil is another great ingredient that can be used to clean a variety of things. Pour a small amount onto a cotton cloth and rub in a circular motion to repair scratches on leather furniture. If you have wood furniture that needs polishing, combine 2 cups olive oil with 1 cup lemon juice or vinegar and work the mixture into the furniture with a soft cloth. You can also mix a little bit with some salt and use it to scrub cast-iron pans
clean.
Most fabric softeners have a long list of artificial ingredients in them, so if you would rather take the green approach, try ½ cup of baking soda. Simply add it to the water in your washing machine, adding your clothes after it’s dissolved. Another natural way to go is to throw tennis
balls into the dryer with your clothes. It might sound strange, but there are people who swear by this method.
There are tons of natural green cleaning methods out there, using simple ingredients that can be found in most homes. Give one a try and let us know how you make out!