Spot the NOT

The first picture is the original. Can you look at the second Arbor Day Tree-themed picture and tell what doesn’t belong or what should be there? There are 5 differences between the two… find them all!

Happy Arbor Day!

Great Tips for Easier Cleaning!

I hate getting to the end of the week only to realize you have a lot of cleaning to do! So I’ve started a new technique to avoid having a full day of cleaning: Do It Now, Save Time Later!

Instead of waiting until the weekend to tidy up around your home, why not do it as you go! Try these quick and easy ideas throughout your day and see how much it ends up helping your BIG CLEAN days.

• Take off your shoes when you come in the door. This can shorten the time you spend vacuuming each week.
• Wipe water off the walls and glass door of your shower with a squeegee before you get out to keep soap scum from building up.
• Brush your pets regularly to lessen the hair floating around the house and tame those fur balls that accumulate in the corners of the room.
• Stash disposable surface wipes in the bathroom for quick wipe downs of the sink and mirror.
• Clean up spills the minute they happen. This is especially important in the refrigerator and microwave. Clean as you go, and avoid large messes.

Poetry For Everyone… TONIGHT!

Don’t miss out on the FINAL year of Poetry For Everyone! April is National Poetry Month and in celebration, community leaders and poets are sharing their favorite poems with you!

This program is free and open to the public… so that means all poetry lovers are welcome. Even if you aren’t sure that poetry is your thing, swing by and give it a try! Guest readers include Zelda Lockhart, Dianne Timblin, Melissa Chamberlain, Donald Bradsher, and Gerald Leon Brinkley. We will also be featuring students form Montessori Community School!

Please come celebrate poetry and the talents of all these wonderful poets. Tonight at 7:00 at East Regional Durham County Library

Flashback Friday

T.G.I.F.

Fridays are always the best, don’t you think? This Friday is extra special, what you didn’t know? Yes, today is no ordinary Friday it is Flashback Friday. As you wind down from a busy work week, step back a few decades (ouch, decades) and try your hand at one of these classic 80’s puzzles.

Choose from a Rubix Cube, Van Halen, Prince, Madonna, and many more. I was never good at these… even back then. Whose to say I can’t show em’ how it’s done now?

Go ahead… try it out!

How did you do?

Happy Earth Day West Village!

Take time today to evaluate your impact on the Earth!

Today is the day to GET GREEN!

5 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress

Do you ever find it hard to relax? I know I do, more often than I actually prefer. I’ve found that if you have insufficient remedies for stress or inadequate ways to relax, it’s pretty much hopeless. In my stress ventures I have tried incense, hypnosis, herbal supplements, everything. I came to realize that I am trying too hard at it and really need to just remember the basics!

Have a cup of tea – Pick out your favorite tea, put it in your favorite mug and wrap my hands around a nice warm cup. Breathe in the steam and just sit for a moment of peace.

Sing along to your theme song – Pick your favorite song or one that reminds you of a peaceful and happy time in your life.

Breathe – This would seem like common sense but I tend to breathe quickly and harshly when I’m frustrated or unable to relax. Focus on your breathing helps you slow things down, recognize how your body reacts to calm, and feel much better.

Write it down – You’d be surprised how therapeutic it can be to write down your thoughts in a diary or journal. Instead of venting to friends and family, which usually gets you even more worked up, if there is something bothering you just write about it to get it out of your head.

Stretch – Simple stretching helps you step away from everything bothering you and focus on yourself. Fold at the waste and try to touch the floor, stretch straight up and reach for the ceiling, swing your arms around from side to side, or jump up and down letting your arms flow loose. These are all great ways to release your body and in turn release your mind!

Foto Finish Friday

Art Walk… It All Starts Here

Each year I anticipate the arrival of the Durham Art Walk. It’s a great opportunity to get out in the city and enjoy all of the beautiful art that local Durham artists create.

This year you can start right here at West Village. We will have booths set up here on the property so you can kick off your Art Walk Journey just by walking out your front door! There are locations all over town and navigation is easy! The DAW website gives you simple directions to follow to make your walk easy and enjoyable!

The festivities start on Saturday at 10:00am and run to 5:00pm. If you didn’t see everything the first day (which you probably won’t) you can start back up on Sunday from 1:00-5:00pm.

Take some time out of your busy schedule to enjoy the art of those around you! You’d be surprised how talented your fellow Durham dwellers are!

One Person Can Save Trees… Together We Can Save Forests

Check out this add from Starbucks promoting the use of reusable mugs over the traditional paper cups.

This Thursday (April 15) Starbucks will thank you for “going green” by filling up your reusable mug with FREE brewed coffee. Save a tree, sip some jo. Talk about a good day!

Make The Cut

My family is big on entertainment. Movies, TV, Video Games; you name it we’ve got it… and a lot of it. I’m a pretty organized person but it seems like every day after work I come home to find a new mess of media surrounding the TV. Movies aren’t in their cases, video games are all over the place, and it’s just a mess. I end up cleaning everything up, putting it in their semi-appropriate places and the next day it all falls back in to chaos. I think the problem is that I have so many pieces and not all of them are always used.

A friend recommended that I focus on the things that are used most. The more popular movies, the video games that are ALWAYS in the XBOX… that sort of thing. I took her advice and it has greatly improved the amount of clutter I come home to. The more frequently used items have a specific basket and the ones that are rarely brought out have a different home tucked away. Out of sight, out of mind… at least until the kids get bored with Halo 3 and start playing Little Big Planet instead!

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