Blog Posts

Not Your Ordinary Bowl of Oatmeal

Welcome back to the Richmond Square Blog. Happy new year! Did you know that January is National Oatmeal Month? If you don’t already love oatmeal, we think you just might after reading today’s post. We’ve got some recipes for flavorful oatmeal options to enjoy in your apartment to get you excited for breakfast! Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal Strawberries and cream is a beloved flavor combination that we can’t help but drool over. This recipe from Apple of My Pie combines cooked oatmeal, fresh strawberries, orange juice, vanilla extract, vanilla coffee creamer, powdered sugar, honey, and a pinch of salt to make something magical! Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal This recipe from Mother Thyme allows you to flavor your oatmeal so it contains all the wonderful flavors you would find in a cinnamon roll. Enjoy the cinnamon roll flavor without all the carbs from the bread. Ingredients include milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, old-fashioned rolled oats, butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Blueberry Peach Oatmeal Fresh blueberries and chopped peaches shine in this fruitastic dish that is sure to brighten up your morning! The recipe comes from Eating Bird Food and includes all of the following ingredients: old fashioned oatmeal, water, chopped fresh peaches, fresh blueberries, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground flaxseed, and almond butter. Savory Sriracha Oatmeal If you prefer savory over sweet and you like a little spiciness to your food, then this recipe from The Sriracha Cookbook is the perfect choice for you! Here’s what you’ll need: rolled oats, water, whole cashews, soy sauce, sriracha hot sauce, minced fresh rosemary, minced garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, eggs, salt, and ground black pepper. Also checkout this article from HealthLine.com that highlights 9 benefits of eating oatmeal . Do you have a favorite oatmeal recipe? Share it with us in the comments. Thanks for reading. Have a great month here in Arlington, VA! Eat a bowl of oatmeal this month and see what you’ve been missing out on!

Glass Jar Gift Ideas

Do you need some holiday gift ideas for loved-ones? If so, you’re in luck! In today’s Richmond Square Blog we have some gift ideas you can put together in a glass jar. We have recipes in a jar, snow globes made with Mason Jars, and some other fun ideas. Read on to get your creative juices flowing. Enjoy your holiday season here in Arlington, VA. Gingerbread Sugar Scrub This scrub is deliciously scented and works great to give you soft and smooth skin during the cold winter months. This recipe comes from A Pumpkin and a Princess . To make this you’ll need a small glass jar, brown sugar, almond oil, and gingerbread fragrances. Elf Mason Jar Gift These Elf Mason Jar Gifts are a tasty treat and work great to give to neighbors and coworkers. This idea comes from Polka Dot Chair . To make these you’ll need Elf Tags, cardstock, Mason Jars, red bakers twine, white buttons, green candy, tiny jingle bells, red felt, and a hot glue gun and glue. Mason Jar Snow Globes These snowy snow globes are so pretty and a great home decor addition for anyone. This DIY comes from Simple Craves and Olive Oil . You’ll need a tiny snowy tree, glitter, a Mason Jar, Gorilla Glue, a small square piece of wood, and clamps. Click on the link above for direction to make this craft! DIY Peppermint Mason Jar Candles Candles in the winter time are a must to make someone’s home smell and feel like the holiday season. This peppermint candle is the perfect gift to give. It comes from A Pumpkin and a Princess . To make this you’ll need soy candle wax, peppermint oil, a Mason Jar, a natural candle wick, and tea light cups. 5 DIY Holiday Baked Gifts in a Jar Give the gift of a ready-to-make tasty baked treat. These fun baked treat ideas come from Cul-de-sac Cool . Make Cranberry Winter Cookies, Toffee Blondie Bars, Santa’s Cookies, Pumpkin Cranberry Bread, or Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. These gifts are perfect for making in large batches and giving them as gifts to neighbors or co-workers. Do you have any gift ideas that can be presented in a glass jar? Share your ideas with us in the comments below. Thanks for reading and visit the blog again soon!

Planning Thanksgiving with Family and Friends

Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Celebrate at your Arlington, VA apartment by planning Thanksgiving with family and friends. Even if you aren’t having Thanksgiving at your apartment, we have tips that’ll help you plan any dinner party get-together this month. Enjoy these tips from the Richmond Square Blog and have a great November! Divide up Food Assignments When planning a meal together, divide up food assignments so the burden doesn’t all fall on the host. Find a platform that’s easy to give out assignments in. That might be through email, a group text, or through a google sheet. Whatever way you choose, make sure it’s a platform that can be referenced back to. Choose a Table Setting Decorating the table setting can be fun and gives you a chance to be creative. You can find all kinds of beautiful, traditional, and classy table settings online. For a traditional table setting, recreate this Traditional Plaid and Turkey Table Setting from Home is Where the Boat Is . For a classy table centerpiece, follow this tutorial from Pottery Barn . For a soft and natural Thanksgiving table setting , use this DIY from Stone Gable Blog . You can find all kinds of other table settings online or create your own with what you have lying around. Plan a Gratitude Activity A Thanksgiving activity will make your Thanksgiving dinner complete. Maybe this just means going around the table and everyone saying what they’re grateful for. Another option is to write down what you’re grateful for on a table runner. You can then use it the next year as table decor. You could also write down what you’re grateful for on a cutout leaf. You can then tie all the leaves onto a few branches for a “Thankful Tree” to use as home decor for the coming months. What’s your favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and visit the blog again soon!

New Movies Coming Out This Month

This month you can find some great movies coming to theaters. Here on the Richmond Square Blog, we’re featuring some of these movies for you to check out. Watch The Foreigner, Marshall, Geostorm, or Thank You For Your Service. Buy your tickets online , invite some friends, head out of your apartment, and enjoy a movie this month here in Arlington, VA. The Foreigner (October 13) “The story of humble London businessman Quan (Chan), whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love - his teenage daughter - is taken from him in a senseless act of politically-motivated terrorism. In his relentless search for the identity of the terrorists, Quan is forced into a cat- and-mouse conflict with a British government official (Brosnan), whose own past may hold clues to the identities of the elusive killers.” Marshall (October 13) “Long before he sat on the United States Supreme Court or claimed victory in Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) was a young rabble-rousing attorney for the NAACP. The new motion picture, "Marshall," is the true story of his greatest challenge in those early days – a fight he fought alongside attorney Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), a young lawyer with no experience in criminal law: the case of black chauffeur Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown), accused by his white employer, Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson), of sexual assault and attempted murder.” Geostorm (October 20) “When catastrophic climate change endangers Earth's very survival, world governments unite and create the Dutch Boy Program: a world wide net of satellites, surrounding the planet, that are armed with geoengineering technologies designed to stave off the natural disasters. After successfully protecting the planet for two years, something is starting to go wrong. Two estranged brothers are tasked with solving the program's malfunction before a world wide Geostorm can engulf the planet.” Thank You For Your Service (October 27) “A group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq struggles to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they've left the battlefield.” What movie are you excited to see this month? Let us know in the comments and enjoy your month here in Arlington, VA.

Eating Habits for a More Alert Day

Welcome back to the Richmond Square Blog! In this post, we want to share some tips with you on how to stay alert and energized all day. For students and employees, everyone has those days where it’s hard to get up in the morning and stay focused and productive throughout the day. We hope you can adopt some of these habits and find more energy in your day, in your apartment or elsewhere here in Arlington, VA. Eat Protein for Breakfast Cutting out sugar and foods high in carbohydrates will help to stop those mid-morning crashes. Try adding protein to your breakfast meals . Eggs, toast with peanut butter, nuts, and protein shakes are all good breakfast options. They’ll get you through the morning and keep you going throughout the day. Stay Hydrated Staying hydrated has many benefits, and staying alert is one of them. If you’ve ever spent a day outside and didn’t drink enough water, you know the toll it can take on your body. The amount of water you should drink every day can be dependent on many factors including age, sex, weight, and your level of health. Although there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” amount to drink, there is a recommended amount . For women, it’s 91 ounces, and for men, it’s 125 ounces. This amount, though, takes into account all liquid that is consumed daily, including that which is in our food. If you’re eating lots of fruits and vegetables each day, you won’t need to drink that much water. Eat Frequent Small Meals The idea of eating smaller and more frequent meals has worked for many people, not only to help them lose weight, but also to keep up their energy levels. Continuing to eat small amounts of protein throughout the day can help to keep your energy levels up. Try eating plain yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, or cottage cheese. Add some vegetables, fruits, and grains to these protein-rich foods to give you needed vitamins and calories. Track Your Habits Keeping track of what you eat and how it makes you feel can help you see the results of your habits. Not only will this help you to know what foods make you feel good and which do not, it can also be a motivator to continue living a healthier lifestyle if you see a correlation. Just simple comments once or twice a day about how you feel and what you ate can do the trick. What do you do to keep up your energy levels up throughout the day? Let us know in the comments below and enjoy your month here in Arlington, VA!

Family Fun Month

Did you know that August is National Family Fun Month? Celebrate by planning an activity with family and friends before the month is through. The Richmond Square Blog brings you some ideas of what to do here in Arlington, VA this month. Slip ‘n Slide We have a great DIY project for the perfect slip and slide . It’s great to use at a barbecue or other family and friend get-together. To make this, you’ll need 3M Plastic Roll, 8 pool noodles, gorilla double sided tape, a sprinkler, a 2x4, and metal stakes. The noodles serve as bumpers on the edges of the slide and a good way to keep the water on the plastic. The 2x4 will help to keep the slide from ripping or getting pulled up as people run and slide. Stay safe and have a great time! Hot Dog Bar Grill up your favorite hot dogs and put out some favorite (and unique) toppings for the perfect hot dog bar . Pull out the usual sauces along with a variety of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles, onions, sauerkraut, guacamole, and/or bacon. Make signs with suggested hot dog combinations. There are so many options out there, so be creative! Summer Olympics A summer olympics can be the perfect family reunion or summer activity. You can plan all kinds of events and games to play. The Creative Bite suggests some games such as water balloon relays, water balloon pop, pantyhose bowling, tipsy waiter, and wheelbarrow races. Split the family or group of friends into two or more teams and compete. The team who wins the most games wins! Outdoor Movie Night Outdoor movies can create fun memories for you and your friends and family. Borrow or purchase a projector (if you don’t have one) and find a blank wall outside. Pop popcorn, bring treats, and lots of blankets and pillows for the perfect movie night. Pick out a classic summertime movie; here are a few of our suggestions: The Sandlot , The Goonies , The Endless Summer , What About Bob? , Secondhand Lions , and Super 8. What are your favorite summertime activities to do with family and friends? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading and have a great month here in Arlington, VA.