Old Mill Townhomes

If you have recently moved into your townhouse in Lynchburg, VA and are now looking for the perfect apartment pet to keep you company, here are some thoughts.

What is the best apartment pet? Put some thought into finding the perfect apartment pet for you.

Dogs
The first pet that people consider are usually dogs. But not every dog is made for an apartment. We do not have a weight limit for dogs at Old Mill Townhomes, and there are plenty of large-breed dogs that can be happy indoors and living in an apartment. The type of dog that is perfect for an apartment are those with a more mild temperament, with less energy. Keep in mind that we don’t allow aggressive breeds.

Cats
Cats are often thought of as the perfect pet for apartments because often they don’t need or want to go outdoors at all. Cats are also quiet pets so they won’t bother your neighbors while you are away.

Rodents
Guinea pigs, hamsters and gerbils, enjoy human interaction and are happy in their cages, with time out for exercise and socializing.

At Old Mill Townhomes, keep in mind that we do not allow certain aggressive breeds of dogs, but we encourage a furry companion. For information about Old Mill Townhomes, pet friendly apartments in Lynchburg, contact us.

Tax day is fast approaching. Do you still need to file yours? There are many benefits to living in a townhouse in Lynchburg, VA, but you may not think that tax deductions are one of them.

As a renter, you often get more for your dollar spent. By renting at Old Mill Town Homes, you can live in a beautiful community full of apartment amenities. You also get to live in an area of Virginia with so much to do.

Now, let’s talk about tax breaks for renters. As you know, this is one of the advantages of owning a home. But, not always. As a homeowner, if your annual mortgage interest payment and your other deductions aren’t greater than your standard tax deductions, you will not receive any tax benefit from owning a house.

However, you can always qualify for some type of tax deduction as a renter.  A large portion of your rent is tax deductible every year. If you rent, you're probably better off taking the standard deduction.

Additionally, if you have a home based business, you can also deduct expenses for the business use of your apartment. These expenses include your monthly rent, renters insurance, and utilities. A home office deduction is available to you as a renter.  

There are two basic requirements for the home based business tax deduction. 1. Regular and Exclusive use - which means this part of your apartment is regularly and exclusively used for business 2. This must be your principal place of business.

March, the month when spring begins to show its face in Virginia. It is also the month that you really need to find things to do because it has been a long, gray winter. Well, as residents of townhomes in Lynchburg, VA, you have plenty of ideas for March right here:

Monday, March 12

• Lynchburg College’s Daura Gallery will open two new exhibits — What’s Up, Doc? Chuck Jones and the Animation Art of Looney Toons and Jere Real: 60 Years of Watercolors. Both exhibits will have opening receptions at 4 p.m. March 13 and remain up through April 15.

Communications professor Mike Robinson will give a related talk, That’s All Folks! Warner Brothers Animation,” at 2 p.m. March 18. (434) 544-8343, www.lynchburg.edu/daura.

Friday, March 16

• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat opens at E.C. Glass at 7:30 p.m., with other performances at 7:30 p.m. March 17, 22-24 and 2:30 p.m. March 18 and 24. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. (434) 522-3712, extension 3511; www.ecglasstheatre.org.

Tuesday, March 27
 
• The New York-based Claremont Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. in Randolph College’s Wimberly Recital Hall. (434) 947-8000, www.randolph.edu.

Friday March 23

• Liberty University will present Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps at 7:30 p.m., with other performances at 7:30 p.m. March 24, 26 and 27; 2 p.m. March 24; and 2:30 p.m. March 25. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for faculty, staff and seniors and $8 for students. (434) 582-2085, www.liberty.edu.

Thursday, March 29
 
• During the art lecture More to Tell, More to Do, conceptual artist Mel Chin will discuss both his artwork and his nationwide activist engagement, “The Fundred Dollar Bill Project,” at 7 p.m. in the Sydnor Performance Hall. (434) 544-8100, www.lynchburg.edu.

• The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s Tony Award-winning black comedy about a lonely spinster, opens at 7:30 p.m. in the Babcock Studio Theater. Other performances are at 7:30 p.m. March 30 and 31 and 2:30 p.m. April 1.

St. Patrick’s Day is just a great excuse to have a party. The Irish know how to celebrate, so if you are having a “luck of the Irish” party in your apartment in Lynchburg, you need we have a great recipe for you.

First go out and get the (green) beer, green beads and some fun leprechaun hats. Download some Irish music, and grab some gold foil covered chocolate coins to toss around your townhouse. What’s the menu? Here is an idea.

Bangers and Mash:

4 links pork sausage or bratwurst
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons milk (optional)
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
salt and ground black pepper to taste
 
1 tablespoon butter
2 large onions, chopped
6 cups beef broth
2 cups red wine

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F

Directions: Cook the sausage links in a skillet over medium-low heat until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to an oven-safe dish and move to the preheated oven to keep warm.

Place potatoes into a saucepan over medium heat, cover with water, and boil gently until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two. Mix in 1/4 cup of butter, milk, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper; mash until fluffy and smooth. Set aside.
 
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook the onions until translucent and just starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Pour in the beef broth and red wine; boil the mixture down to about half its volume, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. To serve, place a sausage onto a serving plate with about 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes. Pour the onion gravy over the sausage and potatoes.

Bangers and mash gets its name because sausages used to burst (or bang) while they were being cooked, because of the dried bread that was added to the meat. Mash, meanwhile, refers to the mashed potatoes. This recipe is a staple at in Dublin at Halloween, but it is well like too, so everyone will eat it at any time of year. Use good quality sausage or a bratwurst.

You have moved into your townhouse in Lynchburg, VA you now have to turn it into a home. How? Through decorating. Your townhouse is beautiful, it is your new home, but if you have empty corners, it is time to decorate. You don’t want empty spaces to dominate.

Decorate with plants. This is one of the easiest ways to bring life an color to your home. Not to mention, plants also act as air purifiers. If you have never cared for plants before, be sure you get the easy to care for plants. You want to use the plants to add cheer to your home, and dead plants or those that always drop dead leaves won’t do the trick.

Colorful toss pillows or throw rugs are another way to add life and design. When buying toss pillows, bean bag chairs or throw rugs, be sure to choose those that will accentuate a color already in the room.

Fish tanks are fun decorations, and add a nice focal point to any room. However, they can be an some trouble if you don’t think you will keep them clean. A dirty fish tank will have the opposite effect than what you are looking for, so be sure you are committed to cleaning it.
 
Are you or any of your friends artistic? If so, decorating with photos or “real art” makes quite a statement. See if you can purchase or swap for some artwork from one of your artistic friends. Original art always looks beautiful when used right.
 
A small corner book shelf or table with unique items like flowers, photos or other keepsakes make interesting and cozy décor that brings out your personality.

Have fun decorating your new townhome. Make it feel comfortable and welcoming; a place you would like to come home to.

This is the time when college kids come home from school and their town homes in Lynchburg, VA and relax. Many of them have just had a very challenging week, and perhaps the exams didn’t come out as perfectly as they would have liked. Well, here are some study tips to bring back to school with you. 

Stress is part of the college experience, and it’s something we need to learn to deal with in life. We don’t, however, have to let it get the best of us.

No matter how many tests and papers you have, stress does not have to take over. You can do well in school without giving in to the stress.

Tests and finals are a huge part of college life. Here are some top tips for keeping stress at a minimum during exam week:

1. Avoid stressful people.
Stress actually is contagious. During exam week, resist the urge to have a study session with a –tense or stressed out friend. Their stress will add to your stress.

2. Eat healthy and exercise.
This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a wonder how many people forget it. Skip the sugar, which will make you crash, and go for healthy snacks like granola bars, cereal or fruits and veggies which keep your blood sugar stable. If you’re studying for a long time, eat some protein too. It is definitely important to get some exercise, even a 10 minute walk will leave you calmer and more focused. When you feel the most overwhelmed is a great time to put it away and go for a short walk.

3. Just say NO.
Say no to the people who want to take up your time or who want to spend time doing the wrong things. There will be a friend who needs to talk, or a party some night when some friends are done with exams before you. Resist these urges.

4. Force yourself to take breaks.
For every hour or so that you work, take a 10 minute break. Relax for 10-15 mins, then start again. This gives your brain some rest and helps keep you focused when you are studying.

5. Visualize it all going right.
Imagine yourself taking the test and feeling confident that you know all the information. Picture getting all of the answers right, picture how relaxed you feel, picture the A on your test paper. Professional athletes and successful business people do it, you should too.

6. If you’ve studied all you can, have confidence!
Have confidence when it is time for the test. You have studied and prepared and now you are ready.
 
Original article College Fashion

It is the season for holiday parties. Inevitably you will end up with a stain on the carpet in your townhouse in Lynchburg, VA.  Here are a few hints on how to remove some of the most common stains.

Cigarette burns:

• To mask the damage, snip off the darkened fiber ends.
• Blot the area with a solution of 1 tsp detergent and 1 tsp vinegar in a quart of warm water.

• Gently blot with dry-cleaning solution
• Rinse with a solution of  1 T ammonia in a cup of water.
• Animal Stains & Fruit Juices
• If the stain is stil wet, try repeatedly sponging with lukewarm water.
• Blot dry and treat with a solution of 1 tsp detergent and 1 tsp vinegar in a quart of warm water. After waiting 15 minutes blot again and sponge with clean water.

• Oil-based paints can usually be removed with turpentine
• Water-based paints clean up with water.

• Blot ball-point ink with denatured alcohol as soon as possible
• Permanent ink can’t be remved but you can minimize the damage by blotting with water.
• Have fun at your party, and good luck with the stains!

• Blot the spill with paper towels or a clean cloth.
• Combine 1t carpet shampoo (or dish soap) and 1C hydrogen peroxide. Soak a clean sponge in the mixture, squeeze it halfway dry, then gently blot the stain. Continue until the stain lifts.
• Sponge the stained area with warm water.
• Blot dry with a clean cloth or paper towels.

Happy Holidays from Old Mill Townhomes. Have fun at your party, and good luck with the stains!

Happy Thanksgiving from Old Mill Living, a community of townhomes in Lynchburg, VA. We thought we would share some of our favorite fall cookie recipes.

As the holiday party season approaches, it gets harder and harder to find the time to locate a different and great cookie recipe. Do you have a go-to recipe? We invite you to share those favorite cookie recipes with us.
Here is one of ours: pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, they are a real crowd-pleaser.

The recipe is from cooks.com. People are always surprised how light and airy they are. But the best two attributes: they are easy to make and they have chocolate chips.

Here is the perfect recipe if you are going to a holiday party or cookie swap at your townhome in Lynchburg, VA.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. canned pumpkin (1/2 a small can)
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips

Dissolve baking soda in milk, set aside. In large mixing bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil and egg. Stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips. Spoon onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Share your favorite holiday cookie recipe with us here at Old Mill Townhomes by clicking on “comments” below.

One of the most popular home ownership myths in Lynchburg, VA is that owning a house is a huge tax break as compared to renting.  I don’t know how many times people have personally told me that they want to buy a home because they NEED a tax deduction!  I just shake my head in disbelief because I have done the math.  

If your mortgage interest and other qualifying expenses such as charity contributions aren’t more than the standard deduction, ($11,600 for joint filers in 2011), there is no tax advantage to owning a home as opposed to renting a townhouse in Lynchburg, VA.  Assume that you buy a $200,000 house with a 5% downpayment at a 6% interest rate.  Your mortgage interest for the year would be $11,336.  The Standard Deduction for joint filers is $11,600.  

In this example, there is NO TAX BENEFIT.  Even when there is a tax benefit, you most likely paid much more money to maintain the house than you are saving in taxes.  If your mortgage interest is more than the standard deduction and you choose to itemize, there is little to no advantage.  

For example, assume that your mortgage interest in 2011 is $15,000.  You would get to deduct an additional $3400 if you itemize BUT you spent $15,000 in mortgage interest to save $850 on your taxes (assuming 25% tax bracket).    

Don’t forget that you would also have all of the other expenses of home ownership that you would not have incurred when renting a townhouse in Lynchburg, VA in an HHHunt community.