Blog Posts

Classic Holiday Movies To Watch This Month

Stay warm and cozy in your apartment this month by having a holiday-themed movie night and watching a classic holiday-themed movie to get you in the spirit of the season! The Block Townhomes Blog has a few suggestions for some classics you can’t go wrong with. A Christmas Carol (2009) — Animation, Drama, Family An animated retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic novel about a Victorian-era miser taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) — Animation, Comedy, Family Repelled by the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find the true meaning of Christmas. The Polar Express (2004) — Animation, Adventure, Family A young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express. During his adventure he learns about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas. A Christmas Story (1983) — Comedy, Family In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie attempts to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B. gun really is the perfect Christmas gift. A comical story of a family and all the chaos of the holidays, as told through the eyes of a child. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) — Drama, Family, Fantasy An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed. Jingle All The Way (1996) — Comedy, Familly Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as dads competing to get their sons the most popular Christmas toy of the year, this 1996 movie is as silly — and fun — as it sounds. What is your favorite classic holiday movie to watch? Share the title with us in the comments so we can add it to our list. Thanks for reading our post. We hope you have a fantastic holiday season in Starkville, MS, or wherever else you may be for the holidays!

Flavorful Fall Desserts

Fall is in full swing here in Starkville, MS and we love it! In today’s post, The Block Townhomes Blog is sharing some flavorful fall desserts you can make in your apartment this month or anytime you feel a craving for something sweet. Apple Butter Spice Cake from All Recipes This moist and flavorful cake has a kick of spice and all the delicious flavor of ripe fall apples. To make it, you will need: brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, chopped pecans, flour, baking soda, salt, butter, white sugar, apple butter, vanilla extract, whole bran cereal or wheat germ, sour cream, and eggs. Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream from Tablespoon Make your own ice cream with all the flavor found in pumpkin pie in a cold and creamy treat. Ingredients needed: milk, cream, nonfat milk powder, sugar, gelatin powder, salt, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and graham crackers. Maple Butter Blondies from Delish Maple flavor is infused into these tasty dessert bars for a moist and flavorful treat. Here’s everything that you will need: unsalted butter, brown sugar, pure maple sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, flour, salt, baking soda, white chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, and cream cheese. Apple Cider Cream Pie from Food & Wine A creamy and luscious pie infused with apple cider! For the crust: flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, unsalted butter, cold milk, and apple cider vinegar. For the filling and topping: apple cider, sugar, sour cream, salt, eggs, heavy cream, and cinnamon. Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Cookie Writer These cookies are a healthier version of traditional chocolate chip cookies that are also vegan and gluten-free. Here’s what you will need: mashed sweet potatoes, old-fashioned oats, peanut butter, an egg, pure maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ground ginger, all-spice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips (or carob chips for vegan version). What are your favorite fall desserts? Share the recipe with us in the comments so we can try it too! Thanks for reading our post and have a fantastic month and a great Thanksgiving.

International Coffee Day

In case you didn’t know, October 1st is International Coffee Day, but why just celebrate your love for coffee one day a year? This month, the The Block Townhomes Blog is sharing a few great local coffee shops here in Starkville, MS. Read on to learn more about some great coffee places close to your apartment in today's blog post. Shipley Do-Nuts (0.3 miles) A donut and coffee shop chain with a variety of yeast, cake & filled donuts, plus kolaches, espresso drinks & smoothies. Praised for the best donuts, especially their blueberry cake donuts and cream-filled donuts. Takeout, delivery, and catering options are available. Pick up some delicious and fresh donuts along with your morning coffee to start your day off right! Strange Brew Coffeehouse (0.4 miles) Strange Brew Coffeehouse is a local & independent coffeehouse in the great city of Starkville! Owned & operated by MSU alumnus Shane Reed, they serve only the freshest coffee & espresso grown worldwide & roasted in Mississippi! The Brew specializes in lattes made with love & crazy tasty original espresso drinks that you can only find at The Brew. If you're looking for a Capt'n Crunch Latte, an Albino Squirrel, or maybe a Sea Turtle Frappe then Strange Brew is the place for you! Try their signature Strange Brew Hot Chocolate & the best Caramel Apple Cider in the galaxy. They proudly bake all of their pastries and goodies from scratch! You'll find fresh Chocolate Croissants, Muffins, Scones, Coffee Cakes, Vegan and Gluten Free options, plus so much more! Starbucks (0.4 miles) Starbucks is a coffee shop chain that offers a full and rewarding coffeehouse experience. It started as a single coffee shop in Seattle, Washington and since has grown tremendously to become a global chain! They also offer a selection of premium teas, fine pastries and other delectable treats to please the taste buds. And the music you hear in store is chosen for its artistry and appeal. Everything they do is through the lens of humanity – from their commitment to the highest quality coffee in the world, to the way they engage with their customers and communities to do business responsibly. Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar (1.2 miles) From your first step through their door to the warm mug placed in your hand, they work tirelessly to create a unique experience and warm environment that make this feel like your home away from home. Located in the heart of downtown Starkville, MS, when you visit Nine-Twentynine, it is their privilege to bring you the simple pleasure of a carefully crafted cup of coffee. Their in-house pastry chef creates unique baked goods daily to celebrate changing seasons and diverse palates. With a wide selection of beverages and foods in their café, they welcome you to sit down and stay awhile. Visit these coffee shops and enjoy the coffee you love all year round! Thanks for reading our post and have a great month here in Starkville, MS.

Plants to Clear the Air

A new season is upon us here in Starkville, MS, with National Indoor Plant Week being the third week of the month! Use this transition time to clear the air in your apartment at The Block Townhomes — literally, with the help of some air purifying plants. Read on for some suggestions for easy-to-care-for plants that clear the air. Spider Plants This distinctive plant with long, thin leaves is one of the easiest plants to grow. They remove pollutants such as formaldehyde and xylene. They love bright, indirect sunlight, so they make a prime plant to put indoors if you want a shot of green and the occasional flowers to add to the decor of your home. Jade This succulent has thick, woody stems and oval-shaped leaves — and they like warm, dry conditions, so they don’t need to be watered regularly. In fact, keep the soil moist — but not damp — to ensure they live as long as possible. Their lifespan is pretty long, and they often reach heights of three feet or more when grown indoors, flowering pretty blossoms as they do. Peace Lily Southern Living calls the peace lily “ the perfect houseplant ” because of how easy to grow they are. They can be grown virtually anywhere indoors, as long as they have some light. They need water, but they can be prone to over-watering. So water as soon as the soil is dry. These plants are also great at absorbing VOCs — translocating chemicals to their roots and breaking them down. Check out HGTV’s article on plants that clear the air to learn more about the subject. What are your favorite air purifying plants? What are your favorite easy-to-care-for houseplants? Let us know in the comments so we can try them! Thanks for reading. Good luck, and enjoy the benefits of these plants and any others you like gracing your apartment.

How to Organize Your Closet

Apartments at The Block Townhomes feature large closets for our residents’ daily use and convenience. Of course, even as spacious as they are, they can get crowded with all the purchases and new finds that happily but slowly invade your closet. Try some of these basic tips to organize your closet to find more space in your apartment here in Starkville, MS. Don’t be afraid to purge. Sometimes making room in your closet for your new clothes — or simply just for the ones you love the most — means simply getting rid of the old and unappreciated. Set aside a few hours to go through your closet one day so you can focus and make progress. Make a goal to get rid of a certain amount of items if you need to. Keep a clear head as you purge. As you’re emptying your closet, make a few piles or put in separate boxes items you want to throw away, give away, or possibly even sell. Try on your items so you can know exactly which ones still fit and that you still love, and try to avoid shying away from making decisions or holding onto items you’re unsure about. If you must, however, you can place items you’re unsure about on hangers facing one way in your closet. As you wear them and wash them, put them back with the hanger facing the other way. After a few weeks or months, go back and get rid of the items you haven’t touched. All these acts can help you make educated decisions about what is worth taking up the valuable space in your closet. Set yourself up for success. Create an organization method for storing your things that will better help you navigate your closet easier once you’ve put everything you’re keeping back in and eliminate clutter as you go about your day-to-day life. Setting yourself up for success means keeping the closet clean by wiping down the shelves, vacuuming the floors, and wiping down baseboards to have a clean slate to start with. Organize according to what makes the most sense to you, whether it’s by color, type of clothing, or season. Try some of these brilliant closet organization hacks to open up even more space and keep your things looking organized and neat. What are your best organization tips or hacks for getting your closet in order? Share with the rest of us in the comments. Thanks for reading!

Movies Coming Out this July

Summer is a great time to catch up on the latest flicks hitting the big screen. Watching a movie in your apartment at The Block Townhomes is always a great idea, but if you want to mix things up, head to the movie theater! Some great movies are coming out this month. Head to your favorite movie theater here in Starkville, MS, grab some popcorn, and get ready for quality entertainment with one of these new releases coming out this month. July 7th Spider-Man: Homecoming — Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi “Following the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Peter Parker attempts to balance his life in high school with his career as the web-slinging superhero Spider-Man.” July 14th War for the Planet of the Apes — Action, Adventure, Drama “After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.” July 21st Dunkirk — Action, Drama, History “Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, Canada, and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.” Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets — Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi “A dark force threatens Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operatives Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.” July 28th Atomic Blonde — Action, Mystery, Thriller “An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.” An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power — Documentary “A decade after An Inconvenient Truth brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution.” Head to your local theater or check out IMDb’s July movies to see what other movies you can check out. What movies are you most excited to see this month or in the upcoming ones? Let us know in the comments! Enjoy!