Author: Shannon Rooks
5 Summer Day Trips to Take in Massachusetts
Sunny, summer days are here and before we know it the crisp, fall weather will be sneaking in. There are still plenty of summer weekends left to take some day trips in Massachusetts. Check out these awesome places you can cross off your bucket list!
1 – Explore the wide-open shoreline of Crane Beach in Ipswich, MA. There are plenty of great seafood restaurants to stop at on your drive home to get a real taste of New England.
2 – Explore a submarine, battleship, and destroyer at Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA.
3 – Visit a living history museum depicting how life was in New England from 1790 to 1840 at Old Sturbridge Village (advanced registration required at this time.)
4 – Jump on a ferry and sit back to enjoy the ride to Martha’s Vineyard! You can access the ferry in Massachusetts from New Bedford, Hyannis and Falmouth!
5 – Take a beautiful hike at World’s End State Park in Hingham, MA – a beautiful area with wooded, natural beauty.
Princeton Westford – Your New Home Without the Hassle
Princeton Westford in Westford, MA offers so many amenities for everyone in your family to enjoy throughout the year! Sitting on a very tranquil and spacious 90 acres, this community has plenty to keep you busy while spending time outdoors. Numerous areas to get out and walk or bike, play with the pup in our dog park, swing, slide and play in the onsite playground or take a dip in the swimming pool. All these outdoor amenities are available to enjoy during the warmer months. Or year round if that’s your thing. Spend your evenings sitting on your balcony or patio while overlooking the expansive grass courtyard below. Imagine….a beautiful lawn without the mowing! We’ll take care of all landscaping. Do you have a green thumb? Pick out a plot in our community garden and plant your own vegetables to grow. Come enjoy Home without the Hassle.
One and two bedroom floor plans are available are we’re ready to help you choose which option is right for you! Call us to schedule an in-person or virtual tour of Princeton Westford today.
Additional information, photos and floor plans can be viewed at princetonwestford.com.
5 Must-Haves for Summer 2020
Summer is only a few weeks away! Whether you plan to spend your summer relaxing, reading or cooking great BBQ food, there is a cool gadget on this list that you’ll want to try…
1 – PadHat Sunshade for iPad or Tablet – If you’re planning to read or scroll your social media feeds at the beach or on your balcony you’ll need one of these! They protect your tablet from the sun and heat so it’s easy to see.
2 – Grill Light & Fan – Need to grill at night? No problem! This grill light and fan has LED lights to help you see your food and a built in fan to blow smoke away from your face.
3 – Bear Paws Shredder Claws– If you prefer smoking to grilling, shred your meat quickly and easily with these shredder claws!
4 – Beach Towel Clips – Claim your chair and keep your towel in place with these bright and colorful beach towel clips!
5 – Popsicle Molds – No visit from the ice cream man? No problem! Make your own popsicles at home by freezing your favorite fresh fruits, yogurts and juices.
Creating Pots With Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers
Adding colorful annuals to your porch or balcony area is good for the soul! Creating a beautiful outdoor space will give you both a fun project and also a pretty place to relax at the end of a long day. Not sure where to start? All you need to remember are three words….thriller, filler and spiller! In order to create a beautiful potted arrangement you’ll need one of each.
1 – Thrillers are the showpiece of your arrangement. A palm tree, a tall tropical flower or a really colorful plant are all thrillers. They’re usually taller than the other plants and give your pots a real “pop” of excitement.
2 – Fillers are flowers or plants that are of medium height. They have more rounded, mounding habits and spread to fill in the gap between your thrillers and your spillers.
3 – Spillers are flowers or plants that will move and drape over the sides of your pots as they grow. They usually add great foliage and color to your pots as well.
Have you created your outdoor pots this year? Post them on Facebook or Instagram and tag us so we can see! Happy spring!
5 Ways to Celebrate Mom – At Home With Princeton
If you’re at home with Mom this Mother’s Day there are many ways you can celebrate her. If you’re separated from her while social distancing there are still plenty of ways you can treat Mom this year! Take a look at these ideas for celebrating Mom while staying safe.
1 – Buy her a gift card to a local restaurant. She can use this to purchase herself some takeout now or save it to use later when restaurants are back open for business. Many restaurants are allowing gift card purchases online or over the phone to limit social contact. Does she prefer to be pampered? Check with her hairdresser or stylist to see if you can purchase a gift card to use at a future date.
2 – Have a special meal delivered to her. Call her favorite restaurant and have lunch or dinner delivered for her. She won’t have to cook and she’ll love the surprise….a win, win!
3 – Many local florists are taking orders now for Mother’s Day flower deliveries. Call today to get your order in an surprise mom with a beautiful bouquet.
4 – If mom prefers planting her own flowers, get her some annuals or perennials from your local garden store! You can call and place an order then pull up and have the order brought right out to your car. Drop off at Mom’s doorstep with a special note from you.
5 – Homemade cards are always appreciated by moms but this year more than ever she’ll love the sentiment. Write a list of your favorite things about her and why you are thankful for her, decorate and drop it off in her mailbox.
How to Celebrate Earth Day at Home
It may be cold out and we may be advised to stay at home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate our Earth! Here are 5 ways you can safely celebrate Earth Day while social distancing and staying safe.
1 – Plant something. Remember our post last week about starting an indoor garden? If you haven’t already, today would be a great day to do so.
2 – Setup a recycling system in your home. You probably already have recycling bins but now is a great time to teach your kids about the importance of recycling and have them help you setup a system for recycling plastic and paper in your home.
3 – Receive a lot of catalogs in the mail? You’ve probably thought about cancelling those subscribtions but never had the time. Do it today! 100 million trees are cut down each year to produce catalogs and the majority are tossed in the trash.
4 – Teach your kids about Earth Day and do a fun Earth Day project with them. Have them draw a picture of what Earth Day means to them. You can frame their art work and hang it in your home (maybe above your new recycling center).
5 – Get outside (safely) and enjoy. It is cold today so bundle up! Whether you sit quietly on your porch/balcony or go for a quick walk it’s a great day to get some fresh air and appreciate our Earth.
Starting an Indoor Vegetable Garden – At Home With Princeton
The warm weather will (hopefully) be here before we know it! Now is a great time to get a head start on your summer garden while staying indoors at home. Have kids? They’ll love helping you create the garden and take care of it until it’s time to plant outside.
1 – Choose what kind of vegetables you want to grow (make sure they are ones that you’ll have space to replant outdoors once summer arrives). You can order seeds online and have them delivered. You can also call your local garden/home improvement stores and request a curbside pickup for some items.
2 – Pot your seeds with seed-starting mix. You can also order this online or pick it up from the local store. You can plant your seeds in small containers or cups to start with.
3 – Label your plants. You can use Popsicle sticks and write what vegetables you’ve planted. Stick the Popsicle sticks in the edge of the soil. Don’t have sticks? Write the names directly on the cups you’ve planted in.
4 – Find a proper location for your seed cups. Sun isn’t necessary quite yet. Find a table that you can setup inside to store your garden. Put a tray down first to make sure your surface stays dry.
5 – Water and start watching for plant sprouts. Once you see sprouts it’s time to move your plants to a sunny location like a windowsill or a table near the window. Keep watering daily and when summer arrives you can move your plants to bigger pots outdoors or plant directly in the ground if you have garden space.
Organizing the Linen Closet – At Home With Princeton
Spring cleaning has never been easier! With more time at home we can tackle one organization project a week and our homes will feel cleaner in no time. Today we’re going to help you tackle the linen closet (hall closet, bathroom closet are other names that may be used for this specific spot). Let’s get started!
1 – The easiest part of this project is step one. Pull everything out! It’s easiest to see what you’ve been hoarding when it’s all laid out in front of you.
2 – Wipe down all of your surfaces inside, vacuum the floor and give it a quick wash. Now you have a clean slate for storage.
3 – Check out the quality of your bath towels. If some are faded, thin, have holes, etc. it’s time to part ways. Recycle some as cleaning rags and get rid of the rest. The ones that are making the cut can be folded or rolled and stored back on an empty shelf.
4 – Check out your toiletries. If you have a stash of shampoos, soaps, etc organize them on shelving. Put the items in order so you can pull new ones from the front as you need them and continue storing. Have items that are old or expired? Now is the time to toss.
5 – Get fancy with your storage. If you’re one of the lucky ones that has a surplus of toilet paper these days, find a fun way to store your extras. A decorative basket can be put on the floor of the closet and filled with rolls. Items like soaps, tissues, sprays etc can also be stored in baskets.
6 – See what items are left. If they were meant to be in the linen closet they can stay and continue getting organized. Use small baskets, boxes etc for storage so you don’t have too many items just thrown on shelves. If they need to be stored somewhere else now is the time to find their new home.
5 Tips for Staying Healthy at Home – At Home with Princeton
You don’t need any special equipment to stay healthy during this time of social-distancing. Here are 5 great tips for keeping your body and your mind in tip top shape while you’re at home.
1 – Stream at at-home workout you can do right in your living room. There are tons of online workouts you can do without stepping foot into a fitness studio. Beachbody on Demand, Glo Yoga and Nike Training Club are just a few programs that you can stream right on your TV or device for an awesome workout. You can also find many fitness videos and regimens on YouTube.
2 – Get outside and go for a hike or a walk. It’s easy to keep your distance in the great outdoors. Get some fresh air and depending on where you live, check out one of these beautiful hiking trails in New England.
3 – Keep your brain in tip top shape by doing a daily brain teaser or puzzle. You can find great ones online that will challenge you mentally and give your brain some exercise each morning.
4 – Start a journal to exercise your creativity and mind. Years from now we may not have apps like Facebook or Twitter that we can check to remember this time. Grab a notebook and start jotting down what you’re feeling and what is happening each day. A year from now you can look back and remember what you had been through and share with others.
5 – Set aside some time each morning or evening to give yourself ten minutes to meditate. Sit quietly and reflect on the day. When you’re done, challenge yourself by giving yourself a goal for the next day. It can be anything from organizing a closet to starting a creative project you’ve been putting off.
Easy Crafts for Kids – At Home With Princeton
It’s hard to keep kids entertained while they’re stuck inside on a gloomy day. Get their creative juices flowing with some fun craft ideas! Here are 5 fun crafts that include items you already have laying around the house…
1 – Create your own puffy paint – Mix equal parts shaving cream and glue in a bowl. Add a few drops of your favorite color food coloring. The consistency will look like a foam and smell like shaving cream. Let the kids mix and watch the puffy paint form it’s shape. (Make sure you dry any paintings overnight as these take a while to dry)
2 – Paper plate crafts – Have a package of disposable plates at home? These can be great craft inspiration for the kids. Have them draw their own self portrait, create fun masks or cut out ears and whiskers to make Easter bunnies. Here is a great resource for finding great paper plate crafts!
3 – DIY Sensory Bottles – Clean some empty plastic bottles you have in the recycling and put them to good use! Let the kids fill them with whatever you have laying around. Rice, glitter, pom poms, colored water…anything works!
4 – Rock Painting – Get the kids outside for some fresh air. Have them be on the lookout for rocks and stones that they can bring inside to paint. Make funny faces, cool designs, write uplifting messages and add glitter if you have it!
5 – Homemade Playdough – Playdough is fun to play with and even more fun if you make it yourself! Check out this simple recipe here that won’t take long and will include items you already have in your pantry.
