Welcome! It's Our Pleasure to Serve You! / Bienvenidos! Es un Placer Servirle! Your Community Team Karen VanGoethem Our Team would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new residents and a sincere thank you to our loyal residents who continue to call our community home. We're happy to have you with us! ⁄Nuestro equipo quisiera darles una cálida bienvenida a todos nuestros nuevos residentes y agradecer sinceramente a los residentes leales que continúan llamando a nuestra comunidad su hogar. ¡Estamos felices de tenerlos con nosotros! Property Manager Mauricio Ayala Assistant Manager BUENA VIDA CONNECT! Easter Fun / Dia de Pascua! Griselda Rodriguez Resident Ambassador Bring the kiddies for Easter Fun! We're having an Easter Egg Hunt on Thursday, March 24th at 4:30pm at the Clubhouse. We haven't forgotten adults either, so come be part of the drawing for prizes! There will be fun and refreshments for all! ⁄ ¡Traigan a los niños para diversión de Pascua! Tendremos una búsqueda de huevos de Pascua el jueves, 24 de marzo a las 4:30pm, en el Clubhouse. No hemos olvidado a los adultos tampoco, ¡así que vengan a participar en la rifa para premios! Habrá diversión y refrigerios para todos! James Navarrette Maintenance Supervisor Jorge Amaya Maintenance Associate Roelmis Duany Maintenance Associate What Should You Do If You Ever Smell Gas? / ¿Que debe hacer si huele a gas? Andro Rodriguez Maintenance Associate Be sure to take a moment to review the enclosed Public Awareness Plan on gas safety and share it with other household members. Gas emergencies are rare but can happen. Whenever there is a gas leak, there is a possibility of fire or explosion. Educate yourself and family on recognizing the signs of a gas leak. Natural gas has a chemical added to it that makes it smell like rotten eggs or sulfur so it can be easily recognized. If you have any questions, please call or stop in our Office and we'll be happy to assist you. ⁄ Asegúrese de tomar un momento para revisar el Plan de Concientización adjunto sobre la segrudiad del gas natural, y compartalo con los miembros de su hogar. Las emergencias de gas son raras pero pueden ocurrir. Siempre que haya una fuga de gas, existe la posibilidad de incendio o explosión. Edúquese a si mismo y a su familia para reconocer las senales de una fuga de gas. El gas natural tiene un químico añadido que lo que hace oler a huevos podridos o azufre, para que se pueda reconocer fácilmente. Si tiene preguntas, favor de llamar o pasar por la Oficina para poder asistirle Courtesy Patrol 512-982-4666 Reliant Towing 512-363-5900 Office Hours Monday Thru Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm Saturday 10:00am -5:00pm Sunday Closed Congratulations to Our Winners! / ¡Felicitaciones! Contact Directory Main Office Please congratulate your neighbors Heriberto & Eloina on winning $100 in our Early Bird Raffle! You could be our next winner! Just pay your rent on or before the first of the month and you're automatically entered in our raffle! ⁄ Por favor feliciten a sus vecinos Heriberto & Eloina ganadores de $100.00 en la rifa de Early Birrd! Usted podría ser nuestro próximo ganador! Sólo page la renta antes de primero del mes para entrar automaticamente en la rifa! (512) 836-4629 Office Fax (512) 837-8802 Emergency Contact (512) 836-4629 Villas de la Luz Apartments www.villasdelaluzapts.com | 1630 Rutland Dr. Austin TX 78758 HOME GREEN HOME Now more than ever, people are showing concern for our planet by living in such a way that alleviates some of the stress the human race has put on it over the years. We are all familiar with the ways that advancing technologies have encouraged us to decrease our energy use, but many are looking to make environmentally positive changes at home as well. This can be done by using natural cleaning products, using less water in daily routines, and even by the way we furnish our living spaces. According to a survey by Realtor.com®, more than 30% surveyed said that they currently live in an “eco-friendly” residence and nearly 85% said that they would opt for a more eco-friendly living environment. That’s great news for “green” furniture companies, second-hand shops, and most importantly, mother earth. Furnishing your residence in an eco-friendly way can be something as simple as choosing pieces that contain materials like ecologically harvested wood, sustainable bamboo, organic fabrics or fills on upholstered pieces, and making sure non-toxic finishes are used. Also, you’ll want to look for fair-trade companies or buy from local establishments that are using best practices when it comes to how the materials are harvested or made. This process of buying “green” sometimes comes with a hefty price tag, but online retailers, such as Overstock.com, offer Worldstock, where you can purchase handmade and fair-trade goods, many of which are made from sustainable materials, at a more moderate price point. Another major way you can “go green” at home, reduce your carbon footprint, and save some serious cash, is by shopping at second-hand stores for pieces that can be repurposed in your home. In addition to making “one man’s trash another man’s treasure,” it’s fun to hunt for that unique piece that will give your home a little character for years to come. You can always personalize the piece by painting it a new color, using non-toxic paints. And when it’s time to freshen up your space and say goodbye to your old favorite piece, make sure it finds its way to a new home and not to a landfill. You can sell old furniture on Craigslist, in your local newspaper, or give it away on Freecycle.org. Sources: life.gaiam.com/article/guide-buying-eco-friendly-furniture treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-furniture.html realtor.com/news/real-estate-news/most-americans-want-eco-friendly-homes SLOW COOKER CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE Try this St. Patrick’s Day favorite, using Irish beer in place of water, giving the dish a richer flavor. Ingredients 1 corned beef brisket (3-4 lbs.) + pickling spice packet (included with beef) ½ pound red potatoes, washed and halved 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered 4 carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces 1 bay leaf 2 bottles of Guinness® beer 1 small cabbage, cut into wedges Grainy mustard, for serving 1. Place onion, carrots, and bay leaf into the slow cooker. 2. Remove brisket from package, trim excess fat, rinse and pat dry. Place brisket on top of vegetables, sprinkle pickling spices that came with the brisket over meat, and pour beer over brisket and vegetables. Add enough water to almost cover the meat. 3. Set slow cooker to low, cover, and let simmer for approximately 8 hours. In the last two hours of cooking, add the potatoes. In the final hour of cooking, add the cabbage. 4. Carefully remove the brisket from the slow cooker, let cool for 15 to 20 minutes, and slice thinly across the grain. 5. Serve sliced brisket with vegetables, pouring a small amount of the cooking liquid on top, and with a side of grainy mustard. Serves 4-6. POP (UP) GOES THE LIBRARY! In 2009, Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, built a sweet tribute to his mother, a former school teacher who adored reading. The tribute came in the form of a little red school house that he built with a hinged door on the front and a compartment that could hold a small supply of books. Todd placed it in his front yard, with a little sign that read “Esther Bol Memorial Library” and his neighbors and friends were delighted that they could engage in a book exchange right in his front yard. The first “Little Free Library” was born and they’ve been popping up all over the United States ever since. Bol, along with his business partner, Rick Brooks, made it their mission “to promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide and to build a sense of community as [people] share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.” Their goal to have 2,510 libraries across the country was inspired by Andrew Carnegie, who greatly supported public libraries around the turn of the 19th century, and Lutie Stearns, a Wisconsin librarian who brought books to 1,400 locations through traveling libraries between 1895 and 1914. It is safe to say that number has been exceeded, as there are currently over 36,000 Little Free Libraries in the United States. Check out littlefreelibrary.org to find one near you! TRIVIA CHALLENGE THE WORST LIST 1. Whose “Long March” from Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist forces lasted 368 days and covered 6,000 miles? SplashData, a maker of password-management applications, lists the following as the 20 worst and most popular passwords that people choose. Make sure your passwords are strong by always using at least 8 characters and a combination of numbers, capital letters, and symbols. 1. 123456 11. 1234567 2. password 12. monkey 3. 12345 13. letmein 4. 12345678 14. abc123 5. qwerty 15. 111111 6. 123456789 16. mustang 7. 1234 17. access 8. baseball 18. shadow 9. dragon 19. master 10. football 20. michael STRETCH OF THE LEGS 2. How much is the rent for the Monopoly property Boardwalk if it has been improved with a hotel? 3. What author wrote the children’s poems in the book “Where the Sidewalk Ends?” 4. What Texas city is noted for its River Walk? 5. The Doak Walker Award is awarded to players in what sport? Think you know the answers? Email your answers, with “Stretch of the Legs Trivia” in the subject line to: [email protected] for your chance to win cool stuff! Five Trivia winners will be selected each month. Be sure to include your full name, phone number, and mailing address in your email submission so we may contact you with prize information should you be selected. Deadline for entry is March 31, 2016 and winners will be notified by April 15, 2016. Good luck! Sunday Monday Tuesday 1 Rent Due Today Wednesday 2 Thursday 3 Friday 4 Pago de la Renta 6 Zilker Park Kite Festival Festival del papalote en Zilker Park 13 7 Felicidades a nuestros cumpleañeros de este mes! 14 Remember to Test Your Smoke Detectors! 8 15 Don't Wait RENEW Today! Uh- Oh! Rent is Late! Saturday 5 Happy Birthday to all who celebrate birthdays this month!! Ay! La Renta esta Atrasada! 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 Recuerde probar los detectores de humo! SXSW Music Fesitval Begins 11th to 20th No Espere RENUEVE Hoy! Rodeo Austin Begins - 12th to 26th at Travis County Expo Rent a DVD for the Kids Today! Rente un DVD para los niños hoy! 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Refer a Friend & Earn a $300 Bonus! Refiera a un Amigo y Gane $300! Kid's Club Easter Egg Hunt 4:30pm Búsqueda de Huevos de Pascua No Olvide pagar su Remember to Pay renta antes del 1ro Rent by the 1st to be para la rifa de Early entered in Bird! $100 Early Bird Raffle!