Posts about Hobbies and Pastimes

Embracing Active Living: A Guide to Thriving in an 55+ Community

Welcome to StoneGate’s 55+ apartment community! We understand that as we age, it can become more difficult to maintain an active social life and stay connected with others. That's why we've created a community that caters specifically to those 55 years and older, where you'll find like-minded individuals and a wide variety of activities and events to keep you engaged and connected. Our homes bring residents together through fitness classes, tea time, game nights, catered breakfast, and more! We also host special events throughout the year, such as holiday parties and resident birthday parties. With new events added regularly, there's always something to look forward to! Our community is also conveniently located near shopping, dining, and entertainment options, so you'll never be at a loss for things to do. We're also close to airports, making it easy to travel. With the added peace of mind of having a secure building and on-site management with 24/7 customer service, you'll be able to enjoy everything our community has to offer with ease and comfort. In addition to the many social and recreational opportunities available, our community also offers numerous amenities including swimming pools and fitness centers. Our apartments are spacious and offer stainless steel appliances, trash valet, and more. We understand that when it comes to finding a new home, you have many options. However, we believe that StoneGate’s 55+ apartment community offers something truly special. We strive to create a welcoming environment where residents can come together, make new friends, and enjoy all of the benefits of living in a close-knit community. We invite you to see for yourself what sets StoneGate apart. Take a tour of our apartments and see our amenities, meet some of our residents, and learn more about the activities and events we have planned. We're confident that you'll see why our community is the perfect choice for those 55 years and older. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a tour, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to meeting you!

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!

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.

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.

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.