Southbrook Apartments & Townhomes
December 2012
Birthstone: Turquoise
Flower: Narcissus
7th - National Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day
9th - Hanukkah Begins
10th - Human Rights Day
22nd - 1st Day of Winter
24th - Christmas Eve *Office is Closed*
25th - Christmas Day *Office is Closed*
26th - Kwanzaa Begins
31st - New Year's Eve *Office is Closed*
Christy
Property Manager

Codi
Aaron
Leasing Consultants

Kert
Maintenance

Matt
Maintenance
From the Manager's Desk...

The holiday season is upon us!  Please come by the office and meet Aaron - our new Leasing Coordinator - and join us in a pot of chili!  We will have cheese, crackers and chili provided all day on December 14th.  We will be drawing that day for a holiday wreath.

Enjoy your holidays and stay safe!
Christy

Southbrook Apartments & Townhomes
5201 SW 34th St.
Topeka, KS 66614
(785) 273-6116
southbrook@midlandmgmt.com
Office Hours
Monday-Friday: 
8:30 am - 5:30 pm

Saturday: 10 am - 2 pm





Thanks for visiting!   
Be sure to bookmark this page and visit every month to stay connected with our community!
Holiday Tree Care Tips
If you are having a live holiday tree in your home this year, the following tips will help keep your tree fresh as well as protect your home.
  • Place a piece of plastic sheeting over the area where your tree will be displayed.
  • Position your tree away from open flames and direct heat.
  • Remember to check the water level. Trees absorb up to 3 pints of water a day.
  • Tidy up your tree by clipping any untidy branches or branches that hit the furniture and walls.


With so many holidays coming up, please remember to always leave your heat on in your home if you are leaving for several days.  Doing this allows the pipes to stay warm and not to freeze over should we experience a drastic drop in the temperature. 


Hot Cocoa
Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Hot water

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.
Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk.





Handling Your Mail When Away For The Holidays

If you’re headed out of town and there’s no one who can collect your mail for you, the USPS (United States Postal Service) offers services that can help ensure safe, timely delivery of your mail without making it obvious that no one’s home to collect it. The next time you’re away from home for a number of days, head to your local post office or visit the USPS website and sign up for one of the following services:

Hold Mail Service

The USPS can hold mail for you and not deliver it free of charge for a minimum of 3 days and a maximum of 30 days. Upon your return, you can pick up all of your held mail at your nearest post office. Even if you’re headed out of town at the last minute, you can still sign up for this service at the post office the day before you want it to begin or online as late as 3 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) the day you want the service to begin. However, online sign up is not available for all ZIP codes, so be aware that you may not get the request in on time if you’re counting on being able to sign up online.

Normal mail delivery will resume on the last day you specify when you sign up, so don’t expect that day’s mail to be with the rest of the mail at the post office and don’t forget to pick it up yourself at home. Should you find your trip cut short, you can cancel the service at any time by heading to your local post office and asking to stop the service or by canceling the service online (assuming your ZIP code is serviced by the online sign up). You can also extend the days online or by calling your post office, so long as the total number of days does not exceed thirty.

Forwarding Mail Service

If you’ll be gone for more than 30 days or you want to continue receiving your mail while you’re away-particularly if you’re expecting bills, checks or anything else important-you can sign up for the USPS forwarding mail service. For the cost of $13.95 per week plus a one-time $15 enrollment fee, the post office will send all mail addressed to your home address to your temporary address (a hotel, friend’s place, or wherever you’re staying).

The forwarding mail service is available for a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 1 year. The mail is sent via Priority Mail, so it’s sent quickly, but it will still take an additional 2 to 3 days to reach you at your temporary address. While this can be a very convenient and typically reliable service, just be aware that the more time your mail spends in transit, the slightly greater chance there is of the mail becoming lost or damaged.

If you’re worried about bad neighbors or burglars rifling through your mail or apartment while you’re away, just head to the nearest branch of the USPS or go online and arrange to have your mail held or forwarded. Making sure your mail doesn’t pile up while you’re away keeps your mail out of nosy neighbor’s hands while also making it appear that you’re home, so your apartment is less likely to be a target for burglary.


Courtesy of ohmyapt.aptratings.com