Nothing sets the tone of a relaxing Sunday like a delicious brunch with family or friends. Call it a late breakfast or an early lunch — either way, brunch blends the best of both worlds and is loved by both kids and adults. Don’t know what to make for brunch? These creative brunch recipes can help get you started:

Bacon and Egg Sandwiches

This idea blends breakfast and lunch in a delicious and crowd-pleasing way, and it can be as easy or as “gourmet” as you please.

• Fry bacon to desired crispness.
• Toast bread and garnish with mayo, tomato and greens (Romaine lettuce or arugula.)
• Top it off with a sunny-side up egg fried to perfection… and enjoy!

Egg and Veggie Strata

This recipe calls for some prep time – ideally, it should be assembled overnight – but you’ll definitely wow them with your creativity!

• 8 large eggs
• 4 1/2 cups bread cut into cubes
• 1 1/2 cups shredded medium cheddar (about 6 oz.)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and add cubed bread. Top with 1 cup of the cheddar, tomatoes, broccoli, and 1 tbsp. parsley. In large bowl, whisk eggs then mix in milk, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the bread and soak every cube. Add ricotta over the top of this mixture. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least for several hours.) Remove from fridge about an hour before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake about an hour. Strata should be puffy and light golden brown when done. Cool for 10 minutes and garnish with the rest of the parsley. Serve warm. Yields 8 servings.

Lox (Salmon) Benedict

Lox is an east coast brunch favorite, but for this recipe, you can substitute smoked salmon if you wish.

• 4 poached eggs
• 2 English muffins, halved
• Butter
• 4 oz. lox or smoked salmon
• 1/2 cup of your favorite hollandaise sauce recipe
• Dill for garnish

Toast English muffins and butter the four halves. Set onto serving plates. Place 1 oz. of lox or smoked salmon onto each muffin half. Place a poached egg on top of the salmon. Prepare hollandaise sauce just before serving. Pour 2 tbsp of the sauce onto each egg. Garnish with dill. Serves 4.

Breakfast Tacos

A breakfast taco bar can make brunch fun for kids and adults! Scramble eggs for the “base” and set out condiments like shredded cheese and chopped lettuce, scallions and tomatoes, pico de gallo, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce and other garnishes. Provide flour or corn taco shells and let your guests build their own! Brunch can blend the best of what both breakfast and lunch have to offer. Use these menu ideas as a starting point to make a weekend brunch your family and friends will love!

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The Daily Green tells you how making your own beauty products will help you keep harmful ingredients away from your skin and keep you looking beautiful and healthy, without dealing with all the artificial chemicals that today’s commercial products are manufactured with. You also won’t need to deal with all the wasteful packaging involved when you purchase beauty products from a store. There are many recipes for DIY beauty products. It’s easy to choose the ones that especially suit you and customize them to your needs.

Some of the common dangerous additives found in manufactured beauty products are parabens, pthalates and oxybenzone. These chemicals have been linked to reproductive organ damage, obesity and kidney disease. Sunscreen is only one source of potential contamination. European countries are in the process of banning many of these chemicals while the US lags behind. You should be proactive in protecting your own health.

Here are two DIY natural beauty recipes to get you started. You can add fragrant herbs and natural oils as you wish to customize your products. When you create your own beauty formulations, you can enjoy distinctive variations while being assured that you are protecting your health.

DIY Beauty Mask

The California Tree Fruit Agreement has a DIY beauty mask recipe that looks and smells yummy enough to eat. This 10 minute mask will soften your skin and make you feel renewed.

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons honey
• 1 large skinned peach or nectarine
• 2 tablespoons yogurt

Directions:

Mash peach and honey together. Next, add yogurt creating a workable paste. Smooth over your face, neck and gently pat around the eyes. Relax for 10 minutes, then rinse with water and pat dry.

Herbal Deodorant Spray

A1 Natural Beauty offers a recipe for DIY Herbal deodorant spray that is especially good for sensitive skin. This recipe does not block the sweat glands but will prevent odor.

Ingredients

• powdered zinc-oxide 2 tsp.
• witch-hazel extract 2/3 cup
• aloe juice 2 tbsp.
• 40 drops essential oil

Mix the following ingredients in a small bowl: witch hazel extract, zinc-oxide powder, aloe-vera juice, essential oil. Pour the ingredients into an 8-oz. dark-glass spray bottle and add water if needed.

Recipe Variation: Add 30 drops rose-geranium. This is an essential oil high in terpene alcohol which inhibits odor causing bacteria.

Ingredient Benefits: Witch hazel reduces sweating. Zinc-oxide powder neutralizes odor. Aloe cools and moisturizes.

DIY beauty products are fun to make and even more fun to use. Try these two recipes soon and expand your DIY beauty product line with your imagination and research.

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One of the hardest things about living in an apartment is having to share a laundry room. If you are lucky, there will be a washer and dryer on each floor so at least you don’t have to cart your clothes up and down the stairs or to another building. But whatever you resident to machine ratio, is it is important to follow a certain set of common sense rules when it comes to handling your laundry.

Choosing the Right Hours

When people are doing their laundry at odd times of the night it can be distracting to others who are trying to relax or sleep. This is a problem to the extent that landlords often put some of these rules directly in the lease. A common rule is to not use the machines before 7 a.m. or after 10 p.m. This is important to follow not only because it is the considerate thing to do, but because managers will sometimes lock the laundry room door when the open hours are up.

Cleanliness

There are many cases when doing laundry can be messy. There may be things on your clothes that could potentially be on the outside of the washer or dryer, and sometimes they don’t get cleaned away completely. If there is a chance of this occurring, be sure to bring a towel to clean up anything you need to.

When it comes to garbage, your main garbage should be thrown in your own apartment garbage, rather than the shared laundry garbage. Sometimes it takes a while before someone gets around to putting in a new liner in the trash. If the only garbage that is going in the trash is dryer lint and softener sheets, it shouldn’t be a problem. Each person should be taking care of their own lint and dryer sheets. Add banana peels, half eaten sandwiches, or anything else that shows up in a regular garbage and things can get unpleasant fast.

Timing Your Laundry

For most people, it doesn’t take long to figure out how long it takes to wash a load of clothes and dry them. Common washing and drying times are 30-40 minutes to wash, and 45 minutes to an hour to dry. Because other people need to do laundry too, it is important to attend to your clothes promptly after the washing or drying cycle is done. Chances are, your neighbors don’t want to touch your clothes, but if they need to use the machines, and you are holding them up, they will move your clothes.

Other People’s Stuff

If you go into your laundry room and fins that someone has wet clothes sitting in the washer, it is always best to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they will be there to move their clothes to the dryer or back to their apartment in the very near future. If you can tell for certain whose clothes are sitting there, and you know those neighbors well enough, it is fine to knock on their door and let them know you need the machine.

If you don’t know, leave the clothes alone and check the machine in 15 to 20 minutes. If the clothes are still there, go ahead and take them out. If your neighbor has left a basket, use the basket. Otherwise the top of the dryer or a table is okay. This opinion is a bit controversial, some say to put clothes in the dryer. However, if they don”t show up you will have to move the clothes again, and there is always a chance that they have washed something that they don’t want to go into the dryer.

If you come to put your clothes in the dryer, and it is still running with someone else’s clothes in it, do not take any of that person’s clothes out of the dryer. You should wait at least 15-20 minutes after the cycle is done before removing someone else’s clothes from the dryer to put yours in. However, this doesn’t mean your own clothes should sit there occupying the washer. There may be someone else looking to use it. Instead, put your clothes in a basket, and either bring them back to your apartment, or leave the basket on the dryer and check back when enough time has passed.

If you notice that your neighbors are repeatedly breaching good laundry etiquette, let your landlord or apartment management know so they can issue a reminder to those in your building.

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When sharing an apartment with another person (or two or three), you are sharing a lot more than space. One of the most important things you are all responsible for is expenses – from cable and Internet to heat to groceries. Everyone has different ideas of how these costs should be managed, and it can be a daunting task, especially for new renters or people who haven’t lived together before.

Follow these tips for setting up a roommate budget – and avoiding conflicts when the bills come.

Manage Your Money

Before talking to your roommates about the budget, you first need to know how much you have to contribute. (Ideally, this will happen before you sign a lease!) The rule of thumb is that your rent should be no more than one-third of your take-home pay; so, if you make $2,100 a month after taxes, your share of the rent shouldn’t exceed $700.

Then, look at your last few months of bank statements and credit card bills and write down how much you spend on essentials (cell phone bill, car payments, gas/public transportation, groceries) and other costs (gym membership, meals out, clothes, entertainment, etc.). This will give you an idea of how much you have left to cover apartment costs.

Talk It Out

While you don’t have to tell your roommates your salary, you should be upfront about how much you can spend toward living expenses. If money is tight, consider taking the smallest bedroom and paying a little less in rent to free up some funds.

Next, it’s time to decide how you want to split up the bills. If cable and internet cost about the same as heat and electricity every month, you could put one of them under your name and the other under your roommate’s name. Or, if one roommate wants to be in charge of all of the bills and collecting money every month, that’s OK too. Just keep in mind that if a payment is late or missed, it’s that person’s credit that will suffer.

Keep It Consistent

Once you find a system that works for you, stick to it every month! Keep a calendar on the fridge with the due dates for every bill, set reminders on your phones, and be upfront if you are worried about covering your share one month. If your roommates know they can count on you, maybe they’ll cover some of your expenses one month in exchange for doing extra work around the house.

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The importance of an exciting outdoor room can change the living dynamic of any apartment. Many of our properties have patios that allow for renters to get creative with this space. However, figuring out ways to decorate a small apartment patio can be a challenge. Here are some of our favorite solutions that can change a plain patio space into an exciting addition to your apartment.

Pick a décor theme for patio furniture:

Patio furniture can run in many different styles and themes. It is important that you stick with a central theme when decorating this space. By doing this, you can create an outside room that is comfortable and doesn’t look disorganized or haphazard. One of our favorites is Victorian décor, which is traditional wicker made furniture, perfect for the summer months.

Grilling out:

With summer right around the corner, it’s about that time to unleash your inner grill master. An apartment patio is a great place to set up a small grill so you can dine in with your family and friends. By adding a grill to your outside space, you now have a multifunctional outside room in which you can make your favorite foods and still enjoy the sunshine.

Gardening:

Now that your patio has comfortable seating and a grill, it’s time to make your outside space beautiful. The best way to make a patio feel like home is by starting your own garden. Growing different plants adds a personal feel to your patio space and can yield vegetables throughout the year. Having a garden can save you trips to the grocery store and give you the satisfaction of growing your own food to throw on the patio grill.

We hope that these tips will give you some ideas on how to design your patio space. If you have any other suggestions on how to spruce up an apartment patio, please share them with us.

Schottenstein Real Estate Group, a leader in columbus apartments, contributed content to this article.

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Finally warm weather is upon us! So why get stuck in traffic jams in search of the nearest beach? Use the long weekend that Memorial Day provides to reclaim your neighborhood with a staycation. Make that staycation even better for your friends who want to do the same thing by hosting a fete at your place!

Just because you’re not at the beach (sardine style) doesn’t mean you can’t act like it. For starters, greet your guests with a cocktail and cheers to the fact that you didn’t have to flag down a cabana boy to get it for 20 minutes. As a theme-lover, I recommend a themed cocktail of course. For Memorial Day, try this:

• Dry white wine in a tumbler glass (can be Champagne/Prosecco)
• Pour crème de cassis or raspberry liquor into the wine to color it red
• Load stir sticks with blueberries and place inside the cocktail

Keep the beach theme running by giving your guests a cheap pair of flip-flops as they arrive. Encourage them to throw them on—not only will your party feel more beachy, but you’ll have only clean shoes in your place, score! The theme can serving snacks like tortilla chips and pretzels in sand buckets. Finally, some ocean-scented candles will help bring that last bit of seaside to your apartment.

As for décor, get festive in a classy way, do-up your apartment in patriotic colors that add charm like with these red and blue stars. Buy several pairs and string inside your abode and if you have a terrace, add ‘em there too!

And of course, it wouldn’t be a party without food. Create a healthy dish that continues the theme with this Red, White & Blueberry Pasta Salad:

Pasta: Cook pasta shells al dente

Sauce:

• Pour a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into a bowl
• Add a large tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• Add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• Add dried spices like herbes de Provence or oregano and then salt and pepper
• Slowly pour extra virgin olive oil into the concoction while vigorously stirring the ingredients (you want oxygen to get added while you stir the oil so that the sauce thickens)
• Pour over the pasta

Add-Ons:

• Add bleu cheese (if you hate it, use Parmesean)
• Blueberries
• Candied pecans
• Chopped up tomatoes (vine tomatoes are best)

Serve hot or cold and add chicken or shrimp if you wish, in a cup with a drink umbrella!

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When you live with a roommate, there’s a very good chance that the two of you made the decision to live together for financial reasons. Regardless of how well you think you know your roommate, there will inevitably be things that cause friction between the two of you. If you’re a messy roommate and you live with someone who is a clean freak, or vice versa, things can easily go from peaceful to hostile if you don’t come to a mutual agreement as to how each of you can deal with living habits that are the complete opposite of yours.

Make Sure You Each Have Some Personal Space

The most obvious way to ensure that you each have some personal space is by having separate bedrooms. Decide that each of you will be responsible for cleaning your own bedroom. Your messy roommate can then keep that one area of your apartment as messy as he/she wants, and you can be as tidy as you want.

Establish Ground Rules for Common Living Spaces

If you’re going to get along with your roommate, one of the first things you need to do together is establish ground rules for common living areas. It isn’t fair of your messy roommate to turn the kitchen into a disaster area so that you can’t find a clean plate or cup, and there isn’t an inch of clean work space so that you can make a sandwich.

Decide from the get-go that you’re each going to clean up after yourselves, or create a kitchen cleaning plan so that you clean up on alternating days. If you intend to eat your meals together, you might want to decide that when one of you cooks, the other does the clean up.

Create Storage Areas Throughout the Apartment

No matter where you live, how big your apartment is, or how much you’re paying for rent, there is probably a serious lack of usable storage space. If you don’t want to see shoes piled up everywhere when you walk into the apartment, put a bench and shoe shelf as close to the door as possible. That way, people can sit down, remove their shoes and put them on the shelf.

Anytime you subscribe to a magazine or ask to receive catalogs from different companies, you are opening up the possibility that paper clutter will accumulate very quickly in the apartment. Put baskets in a space close to the apartment entry so that garbage can be thrown into one, and things you need to look over and sort through can be thrown into the other.

If you don’t have a coat closet at the entry to the apartment, you might want to consider purchasing a coat rack, or some sort of hook system for the wall that will allow you and your roommate to hang your coat up as soon as your walk into the apartment. This will make it easy for both of you to hang up your coats as soon as you walk in the door.

Decide on Laundry Arrangements in Advance

If you have laundry in your apartment, you should each have a sorting system for sorting your laundry. You should also clarify your expectations about leaving stuff around. Since you have to share appliances, you should both remove your clothing from the washer or dryer when it’s done. Help your messy roommate get into the habit of cleaning the lint trap after using the dryer, and decide in advance whether you’re going to share laundry supplies or buy your own.

Be as clear as possible about your expectations of one another before moving in together. If necessary, put things in writing. A mutual understanding of what you expect from one another will prevent many potential fights that would otherwise be inevitable when a neat freak tries to live with a messy person – kind of like Felix and Oscar from The Odd Couple.

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When shopping for an apartment in the city, one of the first decisions you must make is whether to rent a high-rise or low-rise apartment. Each of these apartment types has its own advantages and disadvantages, so making your final choice can be a little challenging. As you consider your options, refer to the pros and cons listed below for guidance.

High-Rise Apartment Pros

Most high-rise apartments are located near the center of the city, which may provide a better commute to work. High-rise apartment complexes have many more rooms available, allowing for more variety and leasing options. Most high-rise apartments also include a variety of amenities, including laundry services, pools, convenience stores and even small grocery stores located within the building itself.

While low-rise apartments may or may not have an elevator, high-rise apartments almost always do. Finally, high-rise apartments usually have live-in supervisors, doormen and concierges who can meet your needs at any hour of the day.

High-Rise Apartment Cons

Because high-rise apartments have room for more people, they are busier and involve more social interaction. For renters who like privacy, this can be a disadvantage. Because of the luxurious amenities and superior location, high-rise apartments are harder to find, and they tend to be more expensive. Furthermore, when you live in a high-rise apartment, it takes more time to get to the street, and private outdoor space is limited or nonexistent.

Low-Rise Apartment Pros

Low-rise apartments may not offer as much luxury as high-rise apartments, but they are usually cheaper to rent and the price is often negotiable. The residents in low-rise apartments tend to be older, which means you will enjoy less noise, fewer parties and a cleaner environment. Low-rise apartment complexes are usually located in quieter, residential areas, thus offering more privacy. In addition, low-rise apartments are closer to the street, which means that you will spend less time going from your home to your car or public transportation.

Low-Rise Apartment Cons

Low-rise apartments can be further from downtown areas, which could mean a longer commute. Because there are fewer units available, you won’t have as much variety, and most units come without extra appliances or furniture. In some cases, you may also find that you have to set up your own phone, internet, cable and utility services, as landlords are unlikely to do this for you. Furthermore, low-rise complexes aren’t as luxurious, and very few will include extra amenities like gardens, pools, fitness centers or laundry facilities. Finally, supervisors and property managers rarely live in the building, and you may not have your own parking space.

Making the Choice

When choosing between high and low-rise apartments, it usually comes down to your personal preferences. If you enjoy the bustle of the city, luxurious amenities and access to service at all hours, a high rise may be the best option. Conversely, low-rise apartments are often best for renters who like a cozy, private atmosphere.

Would you rather live in a high-rise or low-rise apartment? Let us know in the comments below!

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What the heck am I talking about? About having a mini-bar chez vous, that’s what. Skip happy hour in the over-hyped and totally overpriced bar downtown and host it at your place.

• Entertaining Magic? Check.
• Money Saver? Check.
• Time Clincher? Check.

Little by little you can collect the necessary liquors and the best bar accessories to create the perfect bar in your apartment and you know what, all those checked items above will be yours! Putting a bar in my place was the smartest thing I’ve done and I’ve learned what to stock it with in my year playing home bartender. Here’s my list:

People Pleasing Liquors.

Where to begin when it comes to stocking your bar? You’ll be inclined to buy your favorites but consider what will please your crowd while making your bar fun and adventurous too.

• Skinny Girl Margarita: It’s easy, tasty, and of course, waist-friendly
• Grey Goose Vodka: Chances are you’ll have plenty of vodka fans, keep a variety of juices on hand and boom, you’re done.
• Crème de Cassis: Mix with Champagne or white wine for a Kir (instant pizzazz)
• Bailey’s: What beats a coffee and Bailey’s at the end of the evening?
• Death’s Door Gin: Conversation starter, delicious and refreshing, just don’t forget the tonic water

Shaken, Not Stirred.

• Start with a drink cart. Why? Because it adds such Hollywood flair to your bar. Tight on money and space? A little guy like this will do the job. Want something fancier? Opt for the super chic nickel bar.
• Tools? Get the whole she-bang with the Gatsby Kit by Crate & Barrel.
• Wine night? Don’t risk butchering another cork, get the rabbit.

• Drink labels? Why not slap a mustache on your drink to identify which is yours! Adorable, funny, kitschy, yet effective.

Raise Your Glass.

Finally, you need cool drink glasses and forget the big box stores for these, too plain. Go for something vintage to ensure yours has a special je ne sais quoi to it, all the better with your Hollywood drink cart, too! Try Etsy for great deals on unique glasses such as these Depression Era etched glasses.

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Working from home works great for three kinds of people: Those with unbelievable self-discipline, those with lots of money and giant homes, and those who don’t actually do their jobs, but will somehow never lose them.

For the rest of us working-from-home stiffs, carving a workspace out of our living space is tricky business. There are countless concerns to consider, including: ‘Are there any outlets in this room?’ And, ‘Is my neighbor really going to play “Let’s Get it On” on a loop the entire day?’

Such is life. But a good ergonomic chair and a power strip can fix most things. The rest is just E.T.C.:

Environment: What do you need to work well? Complete quiet for writing? Lots of space where you can leave your tools out and keep them out of the way? Natural light? Your home office doesn’t always have to go in the room that seems most obviously designed for it if there’s another place that might work better. The beauty of designing your own office is you can exactly accommodate yourself.

Tasks: What’s on your daily to-do list for work? Lots of phone calls? Hours of video gaming to check for bugs? Cooking and photography for your food blog? Think about what you do most and the ideal conditions for you to complete those tasks. If it’s gaming, upgrade the beanbag to a state-of-the-art gaming chair. If 80 percent of the day is phone calls, get a headset or consider the merits of a standing desk. If it’s food blogging, get a silicone cover for your keyboard so the great laptop + kitchen experiment doesn’t end with the first cup of chicken broth you elbow.

And finally, comfort: Picking the right environment and tailoring your workspace to your tasks are vital to functioning at work, but creating a comfortable space is how you thrive. Roald Dahl wrote most of his books in a writing shed he outfitted with a wingback chair, a footstool and blanket for his feet. George Bernard Shaw built his writing hut on a rotating foundation so he could shift along with the sun. Textile designer Helena Hernmarck’s office has a “wool wall.” And Richard Branson’s office is basically a hammock and the whole of Necker Island.

With a little ingenuity, creativity and – seriously, I can’t stress this enough – a good chair, working from home can be great. Plus, you can’t beat that commute.

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