3D Pets

I know 3D versions for both the movies Jaws and Pirahna are due out eventually, but I think Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore will actually be the first official 3D movie starring animals.  Can’t wait to see dogs jump out of the screen.  LOL.

The movie is actually a sequel to a 2001 comedy. Kitty Galore is a spy who hatches an evil plan for world domination.  Sworn enemies (the cats and the dogs…duh) must unite in order to eliminate this new breed evil that Kitty possesses.

Cats & Dogs looks like cool family movie that the kids will enjoy.  It opens this weekend, so I’ve posted a trailer here, as well as movie times for theaters around Shawnee: Westglen 18, Phoenix Theatres Legends Stadium 14 and Cinemark Merriam

Save money on pet care

The ASPCA estimates that it costs nearly $400 a year to maintain a pet.  There is of course, food, vet visits, vaccinations.  If you live in an pet-friendly apartment community like Hampton Woods, you may have to pay a small additional fee to help keep the facilities in good shape.  It’s not a great deal of money if you love your furry friend, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to save a few bucks if we can.

Here is one way that you can save money on pet care…

Spend a little to save a lot. “The biggest mistake owners make is not keeping up with routine preventive care,” says Dr. Louise Murray, DVM, director of medicine for the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital and author of Vet Confidential: An Insider’s Guide to Protecting Your Pet’s Health. “People forgo $15 vaccines, then their pets get $2,000 infections.” Never skip core vaccinations, annual checkups, flea-and-tick treatments, heartworm drugs, or spaying/ neutering—they save thousands down the line. Swiping wet gauze or a pet toothbrush over your animal’s teeth daily will even help stave off serious disease.

If you think this is a helpful tip, you can read this article in its entirety at WomensDay.com.  Feel free to share your own cost-saving tips for pet owners!

(Photo Credit: examiner.com)

Beer 101

Most of us love a good beer, don’t we?  But how many of us casual beer drinkers know the proper way to taste and savor it?  Sure, wine tasting is immensely popular for some, but some of us beer drinkers know a thing or two about the fine art of tasting.  For those that would like to know more, here’s a shortened “how-to” guide..

1. Look
   Raise the beer in front of you.  Describe its true color, its head and its consistency.
2. Agitate
   Swirl your beer gently in the glass.  This will pull out aromas.
3. Smell
   90-95% of what you experience is through your sense of smell.  Breath through your nose with two quick sniffs, then with your mouth open, then through your mouth only.  Enjoy its bouquet.
4. Taste
   Sip the beer but don’t swallowit immediately.  Allow it to wander and explore your entire palate.  Try to detect any sweetness, salty flavors, acids and general bitterness.  As a beer warms, its true flavors will pull through, become more pronounced.

For more detailed information about how to properly “taste” a beer, check out the BeerAdvocate website.  And when you’re ready to put your new skills into pracice, you can always take a tour of the Boulevard Brewing Co. in downtown Kansas City (2501 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108), not too far from Hampton Woods.  They’re the largest specialty brewer in the midwest and they have a free 45 minute tour of their plant that includes a sampling session at the end of it.  You may even already be familiar with their offereings.  Besides some terrific seasonal offerings, their selections include Bully! Porter, Lunar Ale and Dry Stout.

Shawnee come in at #17 on CNN/Money’s “Best Small Cities”

If you’re a Shawnee, KS resident, give yourself a pat on the back!  Why?  Because Shawnee was just ranked as #17 on CNN/Money Magazine’s list of the Best Places to Live in 2010!  How great is that?  Here is what the magazine had to say about our city…

Taking a walk through Shawnee Town is like walking back through time to the city’s roots as a farming center. The annual Old Shawnee Days celebration commemorates its western heritage with a carnival, a parade, food vendors and arts and crafts.  Shawnee also has a modern side: It’s within commuting distance of jobs in Kansas City, and Bayer HealthCare and other businesses are right in town.  There’s plenty of shopping, restaurants, an indoor family entertainment center, and more than 560 acres of parkland.

Of course there are other reasons that Shawnee rankes so high on the list.  According to CNN/Money, compared to the rest of the Top 100, Shawnee’s…

• median family income ($93,289) is higher than average
• sales tax (only 5.3%) is lower than average
• job growth from 2000-2009 (26.7%) was higher than average

Shawnee’s statistics for air quality, crime and commute times were also better than average.  More of a reason to make a prime location like Hampton Woods Apartments your home.

(Photo Credit: City of Shawnee)

One Minute Meditation

Who out there in Hampton Woods is busy? Raise your right hand. Who’s stressed? Raise your left hand. Now stretch your arms up above your head as far as you can stretch them and take a deep breath through your nostrils, feeling your abdomen extend. Now take another. And another. While you are stretching your arms up think about how the breath feels coming in through your nose, going down into your lungs and then being exhaled.

Now repeat.

Congrats! You just completed a one minute meditation. You feel at least a little bit better, don’t you? Your mind should be a tad bit clearer and you should feel slighty more focused. While some may argue that this isn’t a real meditation, but you can certainly enjoy the benefits of this stress relieveing technique. Everthing doesn’t have to be difficult or complex to be valuable. You have to take time for you. If you don’t you’ll make yourself nuts, stress out your heart and your immune system. And really folks, who needs that? Instead, just sit and be quiet for a second and be present in your own thoughts. It really works!

Old Shawnee Days Kicks-off Thursday!

The official kick-off to summer has arrived, folks!  Old Shawnee Days starts Thursday night (June 3-6) at Shawnee Town (11600 Johnson Drive) so get ready for some good family fun! There will be music all weekend features both nationally known recording artists and great local bands, entertainment for both adults and kids, crafts and vendors, the carnival and parade, games and contests, and much more.

By the way, are you interested in winning a $150 gift certificate to Price Chopper?  All you have to do is bake a delicous pie!

The festival hours are as follows:

• Thursday, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Carnival, Concert, and Food booths only)
• Friday, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
• Saturday, 10:00 a.m. parade, festival 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m .
• Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Real Housewives…of Kansas City?

As much as it pains me to admit it, guys, I’ve watched several episodes of Bravo’s The Real Houswives” series and found them somewhat entertaining. Now I’m not saying that I’m a fan of the show (I’m not ready to risk suspension of my “Man Card”), but you can learn a lot about women from watching. It’s like Real World meets Sex and the City…not that I’ve ever watched that either.

Anyway, ever wonder what It would be like if they did a Kansas City version of the show? Well, we don’t have to wonder anymore. Check out this pilot episode…

How to Machine Wash Your Pillows

Did you know that your pillows should be washed almost as often as your bed sheets?  Makes sense if you think about it.  But they can be tricky to wash too…especially the fluffy ones.  Check out this vid for tips on how to wash yours.  And if you have some good cleaning tips of your own, please share!

Poll: When I get hungry, I want…

So many sandwiches, so little time!  We all have our favorites.  Mine is half-turkey, half-pastrami with lettuce and provolone.  What about you?  If you had two pick between two of the most common sandwich types, Hampton Woods, which would you pick?  Take our sandwhich survey (in the column to the right).

Honey Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Did you know that the Chocolate Chip was invented at the Toll House Inn in Massachusettes around 1937?  Neither did I until Google told me.  I was looking for a good excuse to post a chocolate chip cookie recipe and this was as good as any that I could come up with…not that any excuse is needed to post a chocolate chip cookie recipe.  The cookie is reason enough itself.  Enjoy!

Honey Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup light or reduced calorie margarine
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup oats (quick cooking)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream honey, applesauce and margarine in large mixing bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg whites, individually, then add vanilla extract. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to honey mixture and mix thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips and the nuts. Heap teaspoonfuls of the dough mixture onto lightly greased or oiled cookie sheets. Place cookie sheet on top or middle rack in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cookies stand for 1 minute and then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.

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