Blog Posts

Getting Back into the Exercise Routine Made Easy

Working out can be a struggle for many of us, but it’s important for your short- and long-term mental and physical health ! StoneGate Apartment Homes is pleased to offer an on-site fitness gym for members of our community. If your New Year’s Resolution for spending more time at the gym to get in more exercise has fizzled out, now is a great time to renew your efforts and make a fresh start this spring. We’ve got some strategies to help you get going. Adjust your expectations. Many situations and conditions may have affected your ability to get to the gym, and that’s ok! The point is to start where you’re at and not beat yourself up about past failures to exercise. Acceptance will lead to a productive, healthy, and fulfilling workout because it lets you embrace your abilities (where they are right now) and challenge yourself appropriately, instead of denying reality and overworking yourself trying to prove something. Start small, but do it regularly. Assessing your fitness level can help you know where you’re at now and what goals are reasonable for you to attain at different points in the future. Usually just starting is enough challenge, so if you relate to that, start small. You will work up to more challenging levels as your body adjusts. But that will only happen if you exercise regularly. Consistency will help your body get used to and even crave the activity each day, which keeps you on the path to success. Eat and drink right. Get your body prepared to give you the energy you need to not only get through a workout but to stay strong during it. Energize yourself before your workout and help your body recover afterward by adding these foods and drinks to your menu before and after your workout . And don’t forget to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout to stay hydrated, energized, and cool! What other tips do you have for making a visit to the gym a seamless part of your day? Share your workout tips with the rest of our Williamsville, NY apartment community by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading!

StoneGate Apartment Homes - The Cream of the Crop

StoneGate Apartment Homes have maintained our prestigious ranking, appearing in the 2018 Elite 1% properties in the nation for online reputation . This is the fourth consecutive year we’ve earned this award. The Elite 1% ORA™ Power Ranking is an annual ranking developed by J Turner Research based on monthly online reputation research of over 101,000 apartments, across 19+ review sites and Internet Listing Services (ILSs). We think this is quite a feat, and we recognize that members of our apartment community are an integral part of our success. In order to qualify for this recognition (only 1,234 apartments achieved ORA™ Elite 1% ranking in 2018), a property had to register a minimum ORA™ (Online Reputation Assessment) score of 89 and have at least 12 online reviews during 2018. The ORA™ score, based on a scale of 0–100, is an aggregate compilation of an apartment’s ratings across 19+ review sites and ILSs. StoneGate scored 94! For comparisons, the national average score is 61.56. The ORA™ score serves as the industry standard to measure and benchmark a property’s or company’s online reputation. Clearly, StoneGate, according to members of our community is an awesome place to live! We understand reviews are an important element for receiving this recognition, and we want to invite residents to write and submit a review . If it’s been a while since you’ve written a review (or you’ve never actually written one) feel free to refer to this recent blog post: Writing Effective Reviews . It explains why reviews are important and what to include in a review. Writing reviews is only a part of the equation, being able to evaluate reviews is also a good skill to hone. We also shared a post about evaluating reviews , feel free to read it to brush up. We hope this information is helpful when you’re ready to provide feedback about goods, services, and businesses you access. Thanks for taking the time to share in our excitement about reaching the Top 1% rating! Have a great month here in Williamsville. Western New York is a great place to live, work, and play!

Games for Your Next Game Night

We hope you’re having a great prelude to springtime headed our way here in Williamsville, NY. While you’re waiting out the still wintry days in your StoneGate Apartment Home, give yourself an extra reason to have fun by throwing a game night in your home or in the StoneGate Game Room. Include one or all of these games in your lineup to encourage some friendly competition and create opportunities to bond and have fun or simply take advantage of the game days available to residents in our apartment community. Spoons Spoons is an interactive, quick, competitive game. The goal of the game is to get four cards of a kind using face cards. Each player holds four cards in their hand and they then pass one card they want to discard to the player on their left. When one player gets four of a kind, they grab one spoon from a collection of spoons laid out in the center of the table. Everyone can then grab a spoon regardless of their hand. There will be one less spoon than there are people playing. If you’re too slow and don’t get a spoon, you’re out. The game continues until there’s one winner. Click on the link above for more information about this game and detailed instructions. Charades “You can never go wrong with a classic game like charades. Simply split into teams and then have one person from each team act out a movie, book, or TV show to see who can guess the answer. This is a great game for introverts who want to be less shy.” If you want to play a game that’ll mix up the traditional game of charades, play Reverse Charades . It’s where the team acts and one person guesses the word or phrase. It’s a fun game that a large group can enjoy. Chain Reaction Building a chain reaction with popsicle sticks is a satisfying equivalent to building a long trail of dominoes and then knocking them down. Popsicle sticks are a little more “explosive,” however, and thus perhaps even more exciting to watch. If you have enough popsicle sticks, split up into teams with your friends. Each team can build a long chain reaction and then race them to see which one finishes exploding first. Just remember that these chain reactions can require a pretty big clean up afterward, so be prepared to do some tidying once you’re all finished. What are your favorite games to play with friends on a night in? Share your suggestions with the rest of us by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading! Have fun!

Pi Day 3.14 at StoneGate Apartment Homes

Welcome back to the Stonegate Apartment Homes Blog! This week we are taking a look at an important, but sometimes overlooked March holiday, Pi Day! In 2009, the House of Representatives passed House Resolution 224, designating March 14th as National Pi Day in the United States. The resolution “encourages schools and educators to observe the day with appropriate activities that teach students about Pi and engage them about the study of mathematics.” We think whether or not you are in school, any excuse to learn about pi and eat pie is a good one! So, just in case you didn’t know, the number π is the mathematical constant, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, approximately equal to 3.14159, which goes on to infinity and beyond. We take the first three digits, 3.14, and read them as a date: Pi Day, March 14th — now for the pie. We suggest either making a pie for pie day or heading out to your favorite Williamsville, NY bakery or pizza shop for some delicious pie. If you decide to make a pie, we have some suggestions: Banana Cream Pie from Bon Appetit This pie is perfect for your Pi Day celebration. Filled with creamy richness, a hint of chocolate, and piled on top with whipped cream, this pie will be a hit. Grandma’s Lemon Meringue Pie What’s not to like? This blend of sweet and tart is a great way to enjoy pie. And bonus: there is no milk in the recipe, so it can be served to people who are lactose intolerant. Ultimate Pi Day Pie from the Food Network This idea is straightforward enough: prepare your crust, fill that with your favorite pie filling, and top it with every digit of pi that you can fit on your confection. Serve this to some of your friends and you’ll look like the smartest, most talented baker around! However you spend the day, we hope you remember it for 3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679 ...

Antique, Vintage, Collectible: A Primer

In our last blog post, we shared some tips for decorating your apartment for Valentine’s day, and we want to follow that up this month with a post about another way to decorate using antiques, vintage items, and collectibles. If you’re looking for something that makes a statement and is unique, perhaps you’ll run across the perfect antique that is is just the piece to add to your decor at StoneGate Apartment Homes. Antiques, vintage items, and collectibles make great gifts too. Being a history and antique buff is a great hobby too, if you aren’t one already, think about giving it a go. Just like Williamsville itself, the bits and pieces from the past certainly have a story to tell, but let’s start with some definitions. Definitions — Antiques are items that are at least one-hundred years old. — Vintage refers to items that are more than twenty years old. — Collectibles are popular items that people like to collect. They may or may not be vintage or antique, but they often are. — Provenance is the written history or proof of a piece’s authenticity, and it is most often found with more expensive items. It could be considered the paper trail of an antique and may include purchase receipts, marketing materials, documents from auctions houses, and even photographs of the piece. Check shops carefully, as they often have a mix of antiques, vintage items, collectibles, and perhaps refurbished furniture and modern home decor replicas. Be aware of what you are getting. On Value Some good advice about determining the value of an antique, vintage piece, or collectible and how much one should pay for it is succinctly summed up in this adage: A piece is worth as much as you’re willing to pay for it. This concept brings up the idea that following your heart when it comes to shopping for antiques is a good idea — just be sure to balance your heart with your budget. If you love the idea of having a unique item in your home that has a sense of history and a patina, then a piece of antique furniture may be the perfect gift for yourself, or go smaller with lace, dishware, or jewelry. Antique tools are another way to focus — a collection of antique rolling pins could be a charming addition to your kitchen, for example. Gifts If you are looking for a gift, keep your intended recipients’ interests in mind as you shop. One of the best things about shopping for vintage items and antiques is that they are generally one-of-a-kind. Be sure to find out the return policy of the shop or vendor and if a gift receipt is available. Regardless of whether a gift receipt is available, always get a receipt, even for a cash purchase. The receipt should include the age of the item, the material it’s made from, any damage or restoration, its value, and the price. To get you started, here are Yelp’s picks for The Best 10 Antique Shops near Williamsville, NY . So take a weekend soon to see what hidden treasures you can find, whether it’s vintage, antique, or simply a collectible.

Decorate Your WNY Apartment for Valentine's Day

Here at StoneGate Apartment Homes, we have some ideas to infuse your apartment with some lovely images, textures, and more by decorating it with Valentine’s Day in mind! Today we have ideas for a few Valentine’s Day-themed crafts and decor ideas for you to try in your apartment here in Williamsville, NY. Candy Heart Garland from Tell Love and Party Decorating with a themed garland is a must for any holiday or season: it’s festive, and it’s easy to make and personalize to your tastes. Plus, garlands leave a visual impact, whether you’re going all out and making the elements of it really intricate or you’re going for a more minimalistic route. This particular garland just has you cutting out a bunch of paper hearts, stamping words on them, punching holes into them, and stringing bakers twine through them. Heart Tree from Money Hip Mamas This idea won’t take much out of you — just enough time to pick some branches, find a vase or pitcher, and use a hot glue gun for the assembly. Cut out your own paper hearts or buy some glitter or felt ones to create the look you’re going for. This is a classy and fun way to add just a touch of Valentine’s Day spirit to your apartment. LOVE Wall Art from Momista Beginnings A similar type of project as the previous craft, this fingerpainting-themed craft is perfect for those with a creative spirit. It also utilizes stencils to let the artist dip their fingers directly in paint and have at it, creating a beautiful masterpiece as they do. What are your favorite ways to decorate for Valentine’s Day or for this time of year in general? Let us know in the comments so we can all get inspired! Thanks for reading. Good luck and have fun crafting. Have a great February.