Community Blog

Do you tend to pack heavy for a trip?

If you do, you know how tough travel can be. Lugging around a 50 pound suitcase can make traveling anywhere much harder than it has to be. An over-packed apartment is a lot like that! It adds unnecessary weight in life.

Over the course of time, we tend to accumulate stuff. What was once a well-ordered closet can quickly become an avalanche waiting to happen! We get attached to things for sentimental reasons, we store things we think we may one day need or we forget about stuff that’s buried under other stuff. No matter WHAT the reason, apartment living requires frugal use of space. Organization is a must – accumulation is a BUST!

For maintaining an enjoyable, usable and livable living space, it’s essential that we employ a simple rule: Bring something new in, take something old out. Through the process of elimination, we can keep a balance to our apartment that helps to keep order in life as a whole.

If YOU have over packed your apartment suitcase, then it’s time to set yourself free from the extra baggage and I know just the place to start!

Hey! WAIT!!! Don’t run and hide! This is really simple! We’ll start with ONE task today. Just one.

Today: Target ONE room in which to start. Go rest now.
Tomorrow: Get 3 big cardboard boxes or big lawn bags: 1 for stuff to keep, 1 for trash and 1 for stuff to donate. Spend the rest of the day warming up to tomorrow’s task.
The next day: Fill one bag with trash – if that’s workin’ for ya, keep on that track and collect all the trash you can … but fill at least ONE bag.
The day after that: Fill the Donate box and take that box that same day to a convenient THRIFT STORE near our Village community.
The following day: Fill the Keep box for re-decorating later.

Continue this process until you’ve whittled down your stuff to that magical place of comfort and peace. Then you’ll be ready to re-work your living space to create a home that feeds your soul. You’ll be surprised how light you feel in LIFE without a cluttered living space!

Mark your calendar, gals! GIRLS NIGHT OUT is coming Tuesday, September 28 to the Village Country Club!

GIRLS NIGHT OUT is designed especially for our VILLAGE LADIES! If you’re a sassy, classy Village Lady, YOU are invited to an awesome evening of music, food, drinks and prizes along with cool stuff to see and buy and so much more!

Lincoln Charities will benefit from your $2 admission ticket at the door and you’ll benefit from a night out with your best girl buds. Bring a friend and have a blast at GIRLS NIGHT OUT at the VCC the 28th.

Keep your eyes peeled for more details to come!

Sorry guys! It’s a NO testosterone zone!

Die-hard Tim McGraw fans are looking forward to the upcoming concert at the Cowboys Stadium Friday, September 10.

McGraw, a country music sensation, is a 3 time Grammy winner, has 14 Academy of Country Music awards, 11 CMAs, 10 American Music Awards and 3 People’s Choice awards. No wonder tickets are selling fast! With his solid gold country music career in the bag, McGraw has ventured out into acting playing roles alongside Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn.

Of all of his hits, perhaps none of them touched the heart and soul of so many fans like his 2004 recording of Live Like You Were Dying.  McGraw dedicated the song to his father, Tug McGraw who passed away earlier that year from a brain tumor. In listening to the song again today, it gives pause to the mysteries of life and reminds me to focus to the things that matter most.

Get your TICKETS TO TIM MCGRAW at the COWBOYS STADUIM today!

Enjoy a week of culinary mastery for a good cause!

When you dine at any 1 of the more than 120 participating restaurants in the Dallas area, you’re helping to raise funds for the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home. Your gourmet night out can truly make a difference in your community!

Good thing for The Village, Café Pacific – located just a few minutes away at 24 Highland Park – is a participating restaurant that is offering a 3 course prix fixe dinner for just $35 per person! For each meal sold, $7 is going to the charities to help fight hunger in Dallas.

You’ll love the menu created especially for Restaurant Week 2010.

Reserve your table today! (214) 526-1170

Powder Puff for a good cause this Saturday

How can a game of Powder-Puff Football help fight Alzheimer’s?

With the 3rd annual Blondes VS Brunettes DALLAS it can!  Players suit up and square off to benefit the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  With your $25 donation, you’ll see a great game of football, enjoy an awesome after party AND know that your money is making a difference.

So far,  BvB Dallas has raised over $210,000 in just 2 years and YOU can play a role this year in helping to make Alzheimer’s a faded memory.  So, who are you gonna root for:  THE BLONDES or THE BRUNETTES ?

Join your friends and neighbors this Saturday, August 14th for GREAT FUN FOR A GREAT CAUSE!  Directions

Are you totally TICKED OFF? Are you BENT OUT OF SHAPE, P.O.d or downright red-faced ANGRY?! Then it’s time to give ANGER MANAGEMENT THE BOOT at the annual FIGHT NIGHT 2010 at The Village Country Club!

Let’s face it, sometimes the only therapy you need is to punch someone’s lights out! If you’re mad at your bone-headed EX, if your boss is such a jerk you can hardly stand it or if you’re mad as a hornet with your freaky roommate, then EMAIL your gripes TODAY to p1@theticket.com and get ready to come out swingin’!

The rules are:
Fighters must be between the ages of 18 and 35 (no exceptions)

Fighters must be within 10 lbs of the opponent

You have until AUGUST 26TH to get REALLY CHAPPED!

WHEN: August 26, beginning at 5pm

WHERE: The Village Country Club. Park at the Dallas Children’s Theater for free and take the P1 Shuttle

COST: No cover for Village Residents

MORE INFO: Theticket.com

Summer Fun at the Rec Center

The BACK-TO-SCHOOL clock is ticking but there’s still some summer left to enjoy the programs at our great recreation departments in Dallas.

July is National Park and Recreation Month, so the calendars are chocked-full of super stuff to do!  When it comes to the little tots, Janie Turner Recreation Center has fun in the bag!

Children ages 2-5 will love joining all the other kiddies at Janie Turner every Tuesday and Thursday from 10-11 am for a time of creative fun with colors, paint, tumbling, story telling, sing alongs an a lot more!  Your child will have many hands-on activities and play with kids their age in an age appropriate setting.  It’s a terrific hour for kids and parents alike  – a fun play time with purpose!

The cost is FREE with a park membership. Call for more information at 214-670-8277.  Just ask for Jonnie Lydia.

If you LOVE hanging out at the Dallas Zoo and believe in the educational and conservation science efforts the zoo makes, then VOLUNTEERING at the Zoo is for you!

Right now there are new and exciting opportunities to serve animals and people alike!

As a Conservation Guide, you’ll help educate Zoo visitors about animals, natural history and wildlife conservation. Through training, you’ll use artifacts and animal observation to inspire visitors to learn, ask and experience the wonders of the animal kingdom.  If you love to learn, possess good verbal skills and enjoy interacting with all kinds of people, this volunteer position may be right for you!

Zoo Ambassadors play a critical role in the enhancement of the visitor experience at the Dallas Zoo.  As a Zoo Ambassador, you’ll be a welcoming presence for all Zoo guests as you impart information about all aspects of the Zoo.  Being a Zoo Ambassador means you love people, you’re outgoing, enjoy the outdoors (no matter what the weather) and you have excellent communication skills.

If you prefer a more “behind the scenes” volunteer position, consider volunteering as a Keeper Aide. Keeper Aides assist the Zoo staff in caring for birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. You’ll learn from professionals in this physically demanding position. There’s no contact with the animals and you’ll find it tough work – but the rewards are beyond imagination.

Plant enthusiasts will love becoming a Horticulture Volunteer. In this position, you’ll assist the Zoo’s horticulture staff as they maintain the amazing menagerie of plants on grounds and in the lush greenhouse.

Do you possess a special skill? If you’re a welder, carpenter, electrician, etc, fill a role as a Special Projects Volunteer.  Special projects pop up all year long at the Dallas Zoo and your skills could save the day!

These are but a few of the exciting VOLUNTEER opportunities available at the Dallas Zoo. Volunteering is a fulfilling way to make your mark in an area you love and believe in.  Lend your time to the Dallas Zoo and you’re less than 30 minutes away!

Basically Beethoven this Sunday

It’s the BASICALLY BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL at the Texas Discovery Gardens this Sunday!

Enjoy FREE garden admission when you join your friends and neighbors at the Texas Discovery Museum for a day of Beethoven performed by the best musicians from across north Texas!  Concerts begin are from 2:30 to 4 in the Grand Hall leaving you ample time to stroll the gardens. When you purchase a Butterfly House ticket, you can spend the remainder of your afternoon enjoying the butterflies as they bring color to your world.

It’s a short 30 minute drive south to the Gardens to enjoy BASICALLY BEETHOVEN ~ an experience in relaxing classical music by Texas musicians!

For more information, call 214-520-2219.  DRIVING DIRECTIONS are easy!

Great summer classes at Janie C. Turner Recreation Center

As parents, we’re constantly teaching our children good manners, proper etiquette and how to stay safe as they navigate their world.  Wouldn’t it be great to have someone to back up your instruction this summer? With Rainbow Days at Janie C Turner Recreation Center, you do! Rainbow Days are a fun way for kids to learn basic life skills!

Kids learn the importance of  “please” and “thank you” along with proper etiquette, manners and life skills  ~ the same ones you’re busy teaching them at home. On top of that, kids will learn a sense of confidence as they learn the consequences of drug use and the dangers of alcohol and tobacco.

Suitable for ages 6 and up, kids learn in a friendly, comfortable and safe environment while making friends at the same time.  Call Jonnie Lydia at 214-670-8277 for more information. Classes are every Monday from 3:30 – 4:30 just 20 minutes south at Janie C Turner Recreation Center. The cost is free with Recreation Center membership. Call today to learn more!

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