Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Lesley's Life

Western MA Gardening Season!

Western Massachusetts it is time to think petunias and pansies and perennials and PLANTING!
Berkshire Botanical Gardens

I love everything about gardens. I love exploring garden centers, selecting my special new additions to the landscape, getting into comfortable gardening clothes and spending a day in the sunshine getting muddy and tired. I even like the soothing monotony of weeding, once in awhile!

Here in Western Massachusetts we have lots of inspiration and ideas to be found in area gardens in parks, historic estates and neighbor’s yards.

My weakness is perennial flowers, but my daughters love annuals and we usually focus on the flowers that butterflies enjoy. Our favorite shopping destination is Meadowview Nurseries in Southwick , MA which is only open a few short months, but has a huge selection and good prices. We can spend hours (and a lot of money) bonding over our flowers and I tell them what each flower is best used for and what the names mean. It can get busy, but the check out lines move fast and the selection is worth it! Just remember to bring your checkbook or cash, no credit taken here.

A great resource for learning some fun facts about flowers is this post from The Gardening Channel, for example, did you know that Tulip bulbs can be substituted for onions in a recipe?

As a real estate agent in Western MA, I can tell you that an attractive landscape will go a long way in the saleability of your home. If you are currently selling your home it has been proven that yellow flowers attract more buyer attention.

Do you like gardening? What kind of gardening do you do in Western MA? Where is your favorite place to buy plants?

Did You Know? Stoney Hill Condominiums offers a 9 Hole Golf Course

Stoney Hill Condo golf course
One of the most prized percs of living at Stoney Hill Condominiums in Westfield, MA is the use of the 9-hole golf course at the front of the complex.

There is an annual Golf tournament open to residents and their guests. May 21st with a raindate of May 22nd the Stoney Hill Classic Golf Tournament will be held. It is a scramble format with best ball. Contests include closest to the pin and hole in one. A pot luck supper in the clubhouse will follow the tournament. Deadline for entries is May 16, 2011.

If you are a resident and want to participate you can comment below and I will give you the organizers information.

For more information on Stoney Hill Condominiums, including photos, market reports and updates visit StoneyHillCondoExpert.com

Lesley Lambert, Twittervangelist

If you know me at all, you know that I love Twitter. I love it so much I co-created a network called the #twitterqueens.

Lately, though, I have been missing the “Twitter of old”. When I first joined Twitter, it was an underground social media experiment of sorts. It wasn’t indexed on Google and most people had barely heard of it. That lent itself to allowing those of us pioneers to get some time to mingle. When I first began, it was exciting to have all these new people following me. I soon realized, however, that while the number of followers can fool you into feeling popular, many of these people never actually TALKED to me. I gravitated towards others who wanted to socialize and converse and have made some powerful and amazing relationships (including meeting my boyfriend @mmpartee).

Twitter has always been my favorite social media platform because it is quick and agile and everyone’s experience is defined by who they follow, so each stream is unique. That being said, I have been spending less time on Twitter and couldn’t quite put a finger on why.

Last night I figured it out. I tweeted that I missed when people on Twitter tweeted at me with conversation and not sales. I longed for the day when the stream was more than an endless pitch of blog posts and ponzi scams. Was I ever gratified when out of blue several people started actual conversations with me. Many of them are “old twitter friends” and several were people I had never chatted with. I was energized and excited that Twitter could still hold that positive result for me.

I tossed out that we should create a movement to take back the “Twitter of old” by committing to strike up at least three conversations on Twitter a day.

I added that I thought we should use the hashtag #3Tweets to be accountable to each other.

My plan includes doing some Twitter pruning for the first time ever. I never really felt the need to thin the herd before, but after last night, I feel like it is time to create space for conversations with people who want to engage.

Of course I use social media venues, including Twitter to share my blog posts and business ventures. BUT….I still talk with people most of the time. If you are using Twitter as one neverending commercial sales pitch, say goodbye to me now while you still can.

If you feel the same way as I do, drop in on #3Tweets and share the conversations! I am @LesleyLambert, Twittervangelist!

Tax Day April 15th? Not this year!

April 15th is synonymous with images of long lines at the post office, empty bank accounts (for self employed people especially!) and the general gloom that surrounds “paying the man”.

Well, this year the deadline is pushed back a few days due to federal and state holidays. So, if you haven’t gotten around to filing your taxes, yet, you have a bit of time to get cozy with your w-2’s 1099’s and deduction receipts.

Federal taxes must be filed by Monday, April 18, 2011
Massachusetts state taxes must be filed by Tuesday, April 19, 2011

For more information on filing your taxes in the State of Massachusetts you can visit the government page.

For empathy on owing taxes due to self employment or other reasons, you can comment below. I had to pay out, too. Waaaaaaaa.

Don’t forget that owning a home or investment property can have a positive impact on your tax status…be sure to consult a tax professional to ensure you get all of your write-offs. Read this article for some starting ideas.

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On Juggling and Happy Birthdays

Today was my daughter’s tenth birthday and I found it very poignant to think that I have spent a decade with this amazing girl.

I also needed to send off my video chat to my friend Diane and got to thinking about an adage that I learned years ago about juggling.

I also made a special video for my daughter as a virtual and everlasting birthday greeting.

My job as a REALTOR in Western MA requires a lot of juggling, but it is so gratifying and allows me to be flexible for my children.

Happy Birthday to my sweet ten year old!