Blog Posts

The Perks of Regular Reading

Today the StoneGate Apartments Blog takes a look at the benefits of regular reading and invites our residents to consider adding “read more” to their list of New Year’s resolutions. Most people know that reading increases your vocabulary, but have you ever stopped to think why or where that makes a difference? What about your health? Did you know, for instance, that reading works more quickly to reduce stress than taking a walk or listening to music or that reading is a good way to maintain cognitive function? Read on to learn more benefits garnered from perusing the pages of books. Reading Reduces Stress A study performed by the consultancy firm Mindlab International found that reading reduces stress. In fact according to the study, “subjects only needed to read, silently, for six minutes to slow down the heart rate and ease tension in the muscles.” Reading Improves Your Ability to Concentrate Reading a book is good training to learn to focus and concentrate, which can be a difficult thing to learn. Getting “lost in a book” involves closing off the outside world and immersing yourself in the words. Over time, this translates to strengthening your attention span, a skill which can be transferred to other pursuits. Reading Improves Writing Perhaps surprisingly to some, regular reading improves writing ability. This goes hand-in-hand with expanding your vocabulary through reading. A broader vocabulary means a greater variety of word choice when writing. Reading also exposes the reader to different styles of writing, which can influence your own writing, much the same as an artist or musician is influenced by his peers. Most accomplished writers are avid readers. Reading Teaches and Entertains While sitting in a comfy chair in your apartment in Williamsville, NY, you can travel the world and beyond. Under the guise of entertainment, your imagination can run wild, your empathy and compassion can increase, and your core knowledge of world cultures, art, and history can expand. Next time we will be sharing some books to read complete with Goodreads.com reviews. What have you learned from reading? Please feel free to share in the comments.

Recipe for Healthy Eating in 2019

Welcome back to the StoneGate Apartment Homes Blog! This is the time of year so many people are setting goals and making changes. If you’re tired of the heavy holiday foods you’ve been eating the past few weeks, it’s definitely time to incorporate something lighter to your diet! Healthy eating can help combat seasonal depression and sluggishness, when part of a healthy lifestyle, as well. We have some tips today focusing on healthy eating habits right here in Williamsville, NY. Track Your Eating Not happy with your diet? It’s hard to change when you don’t know where (and how) you need to change. Spend a couple of weeks tracking what you eat and how much you eat. The government’s healthy eating resource, MyPlate, has a wonderful SuperTracker that you can use. If keeping an online log isn’t for you, try keeping a food diary instead. You can record how much you’ve been eating, what you’ve been eating, and write down the names of new foods you want to try in your food diary. Tracking your eating will let you know exactly how and where you need to change. Adjust Your Diet Now that you know where and how you need to change, it’s time to adjust your diet! Focus on adjusting your diet through small, incremental changes. Not eating enough fruits and veggies? Start by incorporating just one extra serving of strawberries or green beans into your meals each day. Eating too many sweets? Limit yourself to one or two treats per day, or cut soda out of your diet (for the time being, at least). Change your diet slowly so that you don’t feel too restricted by the adjustments you’re introducing into your life. Get Out of the House Healthy eating needs to be balanced by a moderate amount of exercise. Spend some time exercising in the way that works best for your body and your lifestyle. Are you a fan of soccer? Join a city league. Play a pickup game of basketball after work or join a running club. Take a walk through a park. Take advantage of our onsite fitness gym! Just remember to get some exercise every week. We hope you enjoy these tips will help you start the new year with a focus on healthy eating. Let us know of your favorite ways (including recipes) to foster healthy dining. Thanks for reading the StoneGate Apartments blog!

Take a Break with a Movie Suggestion from StoneGate Apartment Homes

This month gets extra busy, and there’s no doubt about it, a break may be just what you need. We think movies are the perfect way to take a break, so head out to your favorite Williamsville theater and catch what’s on the big screen, or stay at home in your StoneGate Apartment and watch a holiday classic while you drink hot cocoa and eat peppermint-infused holiday treats. Whichever you decide, we’ve got suggestions. Now Playing in Western New York Mary Poppins Returns “Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael's children through a difficult time in their lives.” Are you a fan of the Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke classic? Head to the theaters on or after December 19th to get your fill of the latest take of this wonderful story. “Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael's children through a difficult time in their lives.” Welcome to Marwen “A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.” Steve Carell is sure to deliver plenty of laughs, gasps, and tears in this moving biography set to come out on December 21st. Here’s the synopsis: “A victim of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.” Holmes & Watson “A humorous take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.” Check out Movie Insider to see what else is currently playing in WNY and get tickets ahead of time to save time once you get to the theater. Holiday Classics to Watch at Home 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. The Bishop’s Wife (1947) — Drama, Family Starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven, this holiday tale of a neglected wife and an obsessed clergyman comes to life when an angel intervenes to help them both learn the real reason behind the season. The Shop Around the Corner Two employees at a gift shop can barely stand each other, without realizing that they are falling in love through the post as each other's anonymous pen pal. We want to wish everyone in our apartment community happy holidays! Thanks for taking the time to read our post today.

Holidays and Celebrations

It’s true that October and November are filled with pumpkin and spice, but we’re moving on to December, and peppermint is the flavor at hand! Today the StoneGate Apartment Homes Blog is sharing tips for how to use peppermint, from helping with headaches to making a drink or dessert sparkle. Uses for Peppermint Oil (It is recommended to use peppermint in a carrier oil — such as jojoba or almond oil — so as not to burn the skin by applying directly.) Combat nausea with peppermint by placing several drops (in a carrier oil) on wrists and abdomen for soothing relief, or make up a peppermint tea to drink to settle an upset stomach. Breathe deep. Peppermint oil can be used to help clear a stuffy nose. Put a few drops in a diffuser or vaporizer to use, or simply bring a pan of water to a boil and add ten drops of peppermint. When the boiling water begins to steam, breath it in to open your nasal passages. Use with a carrier oil to rub on the chest to soothe a cough. For fresh breath add a drop to a small glass of water along with a pinch of salt to create a refreshing mouth rinse. Peppermint Inspired Recipes No-Bake Peppermint Bark Cookies from The Suburban Soapbox You won’t even need to turn on your oven for this recipe for peppermint bark cookies, a quick and tasty treat that you will love snacking on. Here’s what you will need: chocolate wafer cookies, pure peppermint extract, crushed candy canes, and good quality white chocolate. Peppermint Icebox Cake from Country Living Another tasting peppermint dessert, this one with no baking required! For the crust, you’ll need chocolate Oreo cookies, salt, and unsalted butter. For the filling: cream cheese, marshmallow creme, peppermint extract, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and red food coloring. For the topping: heavy cream, powdered sugar, and crushed peppermint candies. Incorporate Peppermint Candy Canes Candy canes are the epitome of peppermint-infused holiday cheer. Striped red and white candy canes provide the perfect festive touch to your holiday. Make a candy cane vase or a candy cane wreath , or keep it even simpler by filling a decorative mug with candy canes and setting it out on display. You can also use candy canes to make these other fun crafts . We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to peppermint today! We want to wish everyone in our Williamsville, NY apartment community happy holidays! Next time we’ll have movie suggestions for the season, so stay tuned.

Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers from StoneGate Apartments Homes

Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and chances are you will have some leftovers from dinner. From turkey with cranberry sauce to mashed potatoes and dressing, it would be a shame to let that bounty go to waste, so the StoneGate Apartment Homes Blog is sharing some recipes for what to do with Thanksgiving turkey dinner leftovers in our post today. Turkey Day Leftovers — Recipes from StoneGate Apartment Homes Dad’s Leftover Turkey Pot Pie This is a great recipe that takes about 30 minutes to prepare. If you don’t know what to do with all that extra turkey, this is the perfect use for it. Read what one person commented in response to the recipe: “This was fantastic! So easy and quick to make. I used a bag of mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots, greenbeans, lima beans) and everything else was per the recipe. Delicious. My whole family loved it and my Hubby ate seconds. Will definitely make this again!” Thanksgiving Leftovers Stuffed Shells If you’re more of a visual learner than a follower of a recipe, watch the tutorial video for this recipe at the above link. “Turn all your Thanksgiving leftovers into totally tempting comfort food with this mouthwatering stuffed shell recipe. Mix leftover turkey and stuffing with cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and mayo. Stuff this savory mix into jumbo pasta shells and top with gravy and mozzarella. Then just try to resist when it arrives hot from the oven, all bubbly, beautifully browned, tempting with meat, cheese and Thanksgiving goodness.” Turkey and Bacon Panini with Chipotle Mayonnaise This sandwich is perfect for getting rid of a lot of leftovers. Did you know that you can make it vegetarian? Simple leave out the turkey and bacon for a lighter treat. Of course, if leftovers are starting to get old after the third meal in a row featuring turkey something, we suggest you head out to a Williamsville, NY restaurant for a change of pace. Where is your favorite place to eat out? Let our apartment community know in the comments. Here’s to you — have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!

NaNoWriMo Happening in Williamsville, NY this November

In this post, the StoneGate Apartment Homes Blog is featuring National Novel Writing Month! National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is a chance for aspiring writers to write their first novel. NaNoWriMo challenges writers to type out 50,000 words during the month of November. This means that writers are writing about 1,667 words per day. While this might seem like a lot of writing, if “write a novel” is on your bucket list, it’s not too late to start, this is your chance! Tips for Participating in NaNoWriMo —Participate in NaNoWriMo events . Things are always easier when you have a community supporting you. Participate in the community by getting on forums, going to local writing events, and by giving other writers encouragement and advice. —Keep reading. While you’re in a rush to write, you might forget about reading. Reading can help inform how you write and how well you write. Read books or articles written by writers who inspire you, read works from writers you admire, and even read books that you don’t think have much literary merit. All of these books can help improve your writing for the better. —Get enough sleep and remember to eat. Writing 1,667 words a day in one month can be draining, especially because you are doing all of that while still working and taking care of your daily needs. Writing a novel in one month is great, but make sure that you remember to get a good night’s sleep. You’ll write better when you’re well rested, as well. Alternatives to NaNoWriMo If you’re not much of a fiction writer, you can still celebrate writing in November by writing letters of thanks to the people in your life who have made a difference for you or by working on your memoirs. If you opt to work on your memoirs, take some time to write down some of the key happenings in your life to share with your posterity. Share meaningful experiences and be sure to say why they were important. Write about your life here in Williamsville, NY, including what it was like when you moved here and how things have changed. Perhaps make a list of your favorite things with explanations about how they came to be favorites. For more inspiration, check out Writing Now’s list of 59 Memoir Ideas . Whether you write a rough draft or begin or work on your memoirs, we hope you take some time this month to write, and if you get a novel done, be sure to share the good news with us in the comments section on the StoneGate Apartment Homes Blog.