Gramercy Villas January newsletter

Gramercy Villas January Newsletter HELPING US HELP YOU IN 2014!   

Office Hours Tuesday-Friday Noon-6 pm Saturday 10am-4pm

Refer a friend to rent at our property! It's always great to have your friends living close by. Plus, you get a referral bonus when they sign a lease with us!

"Friend" us on Facebook! This is a great way for us to connect with property updates, reminders, and property related information on a regular basis.

Pay your rent on-line at www.acpmllc.propertyware.com through the Resident Portal. You can pay your rent anytime of the day or night in the comfort of your warm apartment.

Questions? Just call or come by the office and we'll help you out!

Property Manager Megan Milich Leasing Agent Sue-Ellen Dominiak Maintenance Nate McFain Eric Salle

Keeping Your Skin Healthy During the Winter Months

Porter Thomas Harris

This cold winter weather can really be damaging to your skin. Finding the best winter skin care regimen will help your skin to stay healthy while you brave the freezing outdoors!

For your face, find an "ointment" moisturizer that's oil-based, rather than water-based, as the oil will create a protective layer on the skin that retains more moisture than a cream or lotion. (Hint: Many lotions labeled as "night creams" are oil-based.) But choose your oils with care because not all oils are appropriate for the face. Instead, look for "non-clogging" oils, like avocado oil, mineral oil, primrose oil, or almond oil. You can also look for lotions containing "humectants," a class of substances (including glycerine, sorbitol, and alphahydroxy acids) that attract moisture to your skin.

The winter sun can still damage your skin.. Try applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen to your face and your hands (if they're exposed) about 30 minutes before going outside.

Reapply frequently if you stay outside a long time.

The skin on your hands is thinner than on most parts of the body and has fewer oil glands.

That means it's harder to keep your hands moist, especially in cold, dry weather. This can lead to itchiness and cracking. Wear gloves when you go outside; if you need to wear wool to keep your hands warm, slip on a thin cotton glove first, to avoid any irritation the wool might cause.

Wet socks and gloves can irritate your skin and cause itching, cracking, sores, or even a .flare-up of eczema. Take extra socks and gloves if you plan on being outside, where they may get wet.

Humidifiers get more moisture in the air, which helps prevent your skin from drying out.

Place a small humidifier in your apartment; they help disperse the moisture more evenly.

For your feet, try finding lotions that contain petroleum jelly or glycerine and use exfoliants to get the dead skin off periodically; that helps any moisturizers you use to sink in faster and deeper.

Sure, soaking in a burning-hot bath feels great after running around in the snow. But the intense heat of a hot shower or bath actually breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin, which can lead to a loss of moisture. Short, warm showers or bath's are the key.

Information for this article taken from WebMD feature article by Susan Davis.

Gramercy Villas

For after-hours emergencies, please call our office phone and follow the instructions below: -Press 0 for a maintenance emergency -Press 9 to repeat the menu

Congratulations to the winners of our "Deck the Patio or Door" contestJeanne, James and Maureen, Robert and Laura, and Mary. They received a box of yummy ready to bake cookie dough!

You all did a wonderful job of decorating your balconies, patios, or doors.

Many thanks to those of you who participated for helping to make our property more festive. Can't wait to see what you all do next year!

2549 E. Blue Tick St. Meridian, Idaho 83642

(208)995-2823

HAM AND POTATO SOUP – A WINTER WARMER! Original recipe makes 8 servings

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3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes 1/3 cup diced celery 1/3 cup finely chopped onion 3/4 cup diced cooked ham 3 1/4 cups water 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste 5 tablespoons butter 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups milk

The Beginnings of New Year's Celebrations The first New Year celebrations were noticed in Mesopotamia around 2000 years ago. It was celebrated at the time of Equinox in mid-March by the Egyptians, Persians and Phoenicians while Greeks celebrated it on winter solstice. As per the ancient Roman calendar, New Year fell on March 1. This calendar just had ten months and March was the first month of the year It was Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome who divided the year into twelve lunar months by adding the months of January and February. The New Year was shifted to January as it marked the beginning of the civil year in Rome. But this was not fully accepted by the people of Rome and they continued celebrating in the month of March only.

The Roman emperor Julius Caesar officially declared January 1 to be a New Year in 46 B.C. Romans worshiped the God Janus who had two faces, one looking forward and the other looking backward. The month of January was named after this Roman God and it gave an idea to the emperor to establish January as a gate to the New Year.

Later, Pope Gregory XIII abolished the old Julian calendar and introduced the Gregorian calendar which comprised of a leap year after every four years to maintain balance between seasons and the calendar.

Finally, in 1582,the Gregorian calendar was set to celebrate New Year on the first day of January.

One of the most popular New Year's customs is to make a New Year's Resolution. The tradition is said to have been started by early Babylonians who resolved to start the New Year with a clean state by returning borrowed farm equipment.

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Directions Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

EASY RESOLUTIONS TO MAKE 2014 A GREAT YEAR