Blog Posts

How to Make Summer Movie Night Even Better

Back in May, we shared some movie recommendations with residents of our Cavalier Court apartment community in Fairfax, VA. Today, we’re continuing this topic with a few essentials for a classic summer movie night. Of course, we’ll add one or two classic movie recommendations in addition to one of the most essential parts of movie night: snacks. Snacks Snacks are important for any movie night! Make your own soda bar for your guests to enjoy while they watch the movie. The Crafted Sparrow teaches how to put together your own soda bar and how to even make your own Cherry Coke float. Use your favorite brand of cherry ice cream, flavored syrups, cherries, and Coca-Cola to make this delicious movie snack. If you’re not a fan of cherries, make a Vanilla Coke float instead. For a savory snack, try these easy pizza dough pretzel bites from Life a Little Brighter. Dip them in a delicious honey mustard dip or queso dip. Make the honey mustard dip with mustard, honey, and salt. You can make the queso dip with processed cheese and your favorite mild salsa. This tasty snack is easy to prepare, and it only takes about 20 minutes to make. Classic Movies There are plenty of great movies to watch this month! Head to your nearest Redbox for a new release, or check out one of these classic movies: Casablanca (1942) “Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), who owns a nightclub in Casablanca, discovers his old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) is in town with her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid). Laszlo is a famed rebel, and with Germans on his tail, Ilsa knows Rick can help them get out of the country.” Roman Holiday (1953) “Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann's regal identity and bets his editor he can get an exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.”

Furniture that Doubles as Extra Storage Space

As spacious as your apartment is here in Fairfax, VA, it’s easy for your home furnishings and items to expand as time goes on. Make room for each item to have a home by trying out furniture storage this summer. Today on the blog we have a few ideas you can try to add a bit of extra space, functionality, and style to your apartment. Bookshelves A bookshelf would be a wonderful addition to any room in your apartment. Use your bookshelf to store your books, vases, small plants, and trinkets. We love modern bookcases, but we don’t like using them just so we can stuff the shelves. Style your bookcase like a pro to make it a valuable staple of your room. Ottomans Ottomans are multi-functional and decorative; when you put one in your home, you’re really using the most of your space. You can use an ottoman to complete the design of a room, to add space for resting your feet, to add extra seating to a room, and to give you a place to put blankets and pillows you don’t have room to keep on the couch. Find a storage ottoman suited to your needs and wants this month. Wayfair has a few options that we absolutely love! Cabinets and Wardrobes Sometimes you have things to store that you don’t want to display. Cabinets, wardrobes, and armoires come to the rescue for these types of items. Depending on the style and type of piece, you can also use these furniture options to store things like scrapbooks, DVDs, CD cases, files, or coats. Overstock has plenty of options for armoires, chests, wardrobes, and shoe cabinets you may enjoy. What furniture storage options help you maximize space in your Cavalier Court apartment? Share your picks with the rest of our community by leaving a comment below.

What to Do When You’re Bored at the Airport

Last month, we shared movie recommendations from Redditors all over the world. Today, we’re looking to Reddit for tips about staying entertained while waiting at the airport. Since it’s summer you’ll likely be traveling, perhaps even on an airplane. Are you prepared to keep yourself busy should you find yourself delayed at an airport? Here are a few ideas. But first, let’s recap! If you didn’t already know, Reddit is an online community where people can post content such as links, text posts, and images. The more popular the comments in the post, the more points they receive from other users. Here’s a great Reddit thread about the best ways to kill time at an airport. Locate the Airport Therapy Dogs and play with them. Walk around the whole airport. Use your wait time as an excuse to walk a 5k. Return loose carts for the refund. Take a selfie in front of an easily recognizable location. Set that selfie as your default image on Facebook. Download and sign in on Tinder. Set your match distance to one mile. Write in your profile that you’ll be waiting at the location in your profile. Start matching with people. Pay to enter one of the lounges. These can be costly, but the free food and comfortable chairs (even showers sometimes) are worth it if you’re waiting for a while. Buy a book from one of the vendors and read it. Play Nintendo Switch. Two words: people watching. When you leave your apartment and are found waiting at an airport, what are some things you do to keep yourself busy? Share your tips in the comments below so that all of our residents traveling outside of Fairfax, VA can benefit. We hope you have a great month and rest of the summer. Thanks for reading!

Great Books to Keep You Entertained

Welcome back to the Cavalier Court Blog! In today’s post, we’re sharing a few books that will keep you entertained during the summer season. Kick back and relax in your Fairfax, VA apartment today with one of these exciting stories. The Beach by Alex Garland “After discovering a seemingly Edenic paradise on an island in a Thai national park, Richard soon finds that since civilized behavior tends to dissolve without external restraints, the utopia is hard to maintain.” If You See Me Don’t Say Hi by Neel Patel “In eleven sharp, surprising stories, Neel Patel gives voice to our most deeply held stereotypes and then slowly undermines them. His characters, almost all of who are first-generation Indian Americans, subvert our expectations that they will sit quietly by. We meet two brothers caught in an elaborate web of envy and loathing; a young gay man who becomes involved with an older man whose secret he could never guess; three women who almost gleefully throw off the pleasant agreeability society asks of them; and, in the final pair of linked stories, a young couple struggling against the devastating force of community gossip.” Vox by Christina Dalcher “On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than one hundred words per day, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial. This can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her…Soon women are not permitted to hold jobs. Girls are not taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words each day, but now women have only one hundred to make themselves heard...For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice. This is just the beginning...not the end.” The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho “Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.”

Reddit Movie Recommendations

We’re continuing to get ready for the upcoming summer season by sharing a few movie recommendations. Summer is a season for movies! While we’d love to recommend a few of our favorite summer blockbusters, we thought it’d be fun to dive into the world of online communities and see what the users of Reddit have to say. If you don’t already know, Reddit is a website where people can post content such as links, text posts, and images, which people can comment and vote on. The more popular the comments in the post, the more points they receive. In thinking of all the upcoming movie nights you’ll probably hold in your Fairfax, VA apartment, we found a great Reddit thread about movies people thought were going to be good but then ended up being amazing. So, without further adieu, here are the movies that received over 1,000 points from that thread — keep in mind that this list was compiled six years ago. Even though it’s a little outdated, we were quite pleased to read some of the movie titles on the list. Enjoy! Over 2,000 Points How to Train Your Dragon Galaxy Quest Over 1,500 Points In Bruges Tucker and Dale vs Evil Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 21 Jump Street Shaun of the Dead Ip Man Stardust Zombieland Over 1,000 Points Stranger Than Fiction Fantastic Mr. Fox Groundhog Day Lucky Number Slevin The Prestige Scott Pilgrim vs. the World District 9 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Despicable Me Sunshine Wall-E Drive The Avengers Visit IMDB for descriptions and ratings of the above films. If you’re planning a movie night in your apartment, you’ll want to prepare by choosing snacks. Food Network has a lot of movie night food recommendations, but we love this list probably most of all: “Mini Movie Night Foods.” Check out their menu: Mini Lasagnas with Sweet Corn and Mascarpone Mini Sandwich Buffet: Mini Grilled Cheese and Tomato, Mini Rachael’s and Mini Spicy Patty Melts Mini Antipasto Calzones Mini Meatballs with Raspberry-Balsamic Barbeque Sauce Mini Espresso Cakes with Peanut Butter Frosting Do you have a list of movies that surprised you by how good they were? What about some delicious movie night snack recommendations? If so, share in the comments below. Thanks for visiting the Cavalier Court Blog!

Mouthwatering Burger Recipes

Welcome back to our blog! Today we’re embracing the savory side of the upcoming summer season by sharing three unique burger recipes. We think there’s no better time than now to chow down on a juicy patty with a side of fries, especially since summer is so close! Below, we’ve highlighted a few different burger ideas for residents of our Cavalier Court apartments in Fairfax, VA. Goat Cheese & Avocado Lamb Burger Look, it’s not every day you have flavorful lamb burgers, so why not make things a big deal with goat cheese and avocado ? Slices of red onion, fresh sprouts, cucumbers, and whole wheat buns make everything come together in a special way. Prep time and total cooking time should only take about fifteen minutes at most. Bahn Mi Chicken Burgers Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches are where it’s at, and bringing those ideas to the flavortown of burgers is a pretty winning idea. With grated ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, green onions, garlic, sriracha for the spicy sauce, and a runny sunny-side egg on top, there’s plenty to love about this burger . Prep and cook time comes out just over half an hour, but it’s worth the work. Chile-Stuffed Cheeseburger Making lamb burgers is one way to impress, and fusion ideas like bánh mì chicken burgers are another — but stuffing a cheeseburger with chile goodness? That’s almost unfair. Though it’s made with melted cheese and roasted peppers , don’t let this gourmet idea fool you — it won’t take you more than half an hour to make. So grab your pepper jack cheese, ground beef, and all the other toppings listed here. You can’t go wrong with this one. Do you have a favorite burger recipe? Share it in the comments below so that we can add it to the list!