Tuesday, November 24, 2009

My little Helper!

If you think good old whoopie pies just can't be improved upon, just wait until you try these: pumpkin cookies filled with fluffy cream cheese frosting. They're guaranteed to be a popular new addition to your standard Thanksgiving dessert offerings. They are so good! Janet and I spent the morning making this yummy dessert for our Thanksgiving Day Celebration!
PUMPKIN COOKIES
2 eggs
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
FILLING/CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a half cup at a time, blending each time until smooth.
Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, using a moist finger or the back of a spoon to slightly flatten each mound. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar a half cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.
To assemble the pies, turn half of the cookies bottom side up and spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting on each one. Top them with the remaining cookies (turned right side up). Makes 10 to 14 Pilgrim Pies.

Recipe from FamilyFun.com



Art Project

Today we had our clients busy painting fun thanksgiving pictures!

Thanksgiving Celebration 2009


Today we did our second annual Thanksgiving day celebration for all of our clients. We had Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Stuffing, Veggies, Dinner Roll, and Pumpkin Pie for dessert! They all had a fun time enjoying there meal and reminiscing among each other about old times!
Thank you to all the Volunteers that helped us out!

Happy Birthday


Happy Birthday to you....Happy Birthday to you....Happy Birthday dear TONI......Happy Birthday to yoooouuuuu.....!

Today Toni join us for our Thanksgiving Day Celebration and also it happened to be her 78th birthday! Toni has been a part of our program since September 2009. We are so happy she is a part of our program! Hope you enjoyed your day!



Friday, November 20, 2009

Crafty Friday!

Our Friday craft project was all about thanksgiving. Everyone made there own lanterns. All you needed was glue, red, yellow, and orange tissue paper, brown paper for the turkey body and a battery operated tea light. You can see in the video how they turned out!

Culinary Circle


This time around for our once a month cooking demo, they did Chicken Stir Fry and boy was it a hit with all the clients! We are still doing low sodium meals!


Ingriendents needed:

Chicken

Broccli

Green, Red, Yellow pepper

Napa Cabbage

Carrots

Pea Pods
Bakchoy

Brown Rice

Ginger

Garlic

Sweet and Sour Sauce


Saute all in the oil of your choice!

Making Lemon Bars

Ring Toss

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

A fun Friday Night....


Pat came in Monday morning bright eyed and bushy tailed with her 1st place trophy that she had won over the weekend playing the card game 313 with residence in her building. She was so proud! Great job!

Thanksgiving Crafts....

We spend our morning making Thanksgiving crafts, everyone have a little different projects. Some did wreaths, and some did a Turkey!

Sequence


Go Vikes!








Winter Carnival Royalty

The Winter Carnival Royalty stopped by for an afternoon of fun!

A Wii...ly good time!!!

Monday afternoon Kathy and Louise played the Wii! While all the other watched and cheered them on! They had a great time playing tennis, baseball, and bowling! Louise was so proud that she had won!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Crafty Friday!

This is a project that brings back a lot of memories! It is a project that we do every year around this time. We did it a little different this time. This year each client will be making there own Rememberance Trees, all you need is paper, sponges, paint, and all your fall memories!

Cooking Baking!

Peanut Butter Cookies!

3/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup brown sugar

1 1/2 sticks of butter

3/4 Cup Peanut Butter

2 Eggs

1 3/4 Cup flour

2 Tsp. Baking soda

1/4 Tsp. Salt

Preheat Oven to 350*

Bake for 15 - 20 Mins.

I had some ladies busy making our afternoon snack...Yummy Peanut Butter Cookies!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Enjoying the Outdoors....

Monday afternoon was such a beautiful day! We brought out our bonfire pit and made S'mores, who would of thought on November 9Th we could be sitting outside in light jackets and roasting marshmallows, it was so much fun. We also invited staff and any residence to come on down and enjoy it as well.

Prayer Group


On the first and third Thursday of each month, we have Deacon Don come and do a prayer group with our clients. We have a prayer box that all of our clients can put any prayers they have in there to bring to the cirlce for everyone to pray for.

Outing


This afternoon a small group of our clients and residents from our Memory Care/Assisted Living Floor went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to tour art designed for seniors with Memory Loss. They all had a great time and thought it was very interesting!




Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Yummy Treats!


Our afternoon snack! Yummy Ice Cream Sundaes with Whipped Cream, Chocolate Syrup, and Colored sprinkles. The clients love surprise treats!

Morning Table Games....

Yahtzee was the game of choice this morning! Only a few got a YAHTZEE!!!!


We are thankful 4.....


11/9/2009: Monday morning I was busy making number 4's for all the clients to write on for our afternoon reminiscing project. We all sat in a group and wrote down all the things we are thankful "4" and posted them for all to see on our enterance.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Land of OZ

10/27/2009: Land of OZ is a Halloween tradition for the Marian of Saint Paul Campus. Our recreation staff and many volunteers work very hard to get our Marian Hall decorated just like the wizard of OZ. It is a fun event for all to enjoy. On Tuesday October 27Th, we had a client of ours and other residence dress up in character. Many staff and other residence followed the yellow brick road to the wonderful Land of OZ.

Thursday October 29Th, is the big night event were everyone is invited to come follow the yellow brick road to see Dorothy, Toto, Tin Man, The Scarecrow, The Lion, Lollipop Kids, and much more. We had approximately 400 people come through that evening to Trick or Treat. Thank you to everyone who helped out with the event and donated candy! See you all next year!

Ruag on the Voyager

Every Tuesday we have the Voyager for the day it is a computer program for individual or group use. It has everything on it, games, email, funny videos, history, karaoke, old Johnny Carson shows, how its made and much much more. A group favorite is Deal or No Deal! This is Ruag watching his favorite president on the big screen John F. Kennedy. He loves history!

Men's Group

Tuesday Afternoon we had all of men gather together with our volunteer Paul for our new men's group. They all enjoyed reminiscing old times with nice cold beer, soda, and snacks.

Line Dancing


Tuesday afternoon Bobbi and I took a group of ladies down to Marian Hall Cinema to watch a video to learn how to Line Dance! We all had a fun time learning all the basic steps for line dancing.

Casino Outing

11/4/2009: A group of 8 of our clients and 2 Volunteers and 1 staff headed out to Treasure Island Resort and Casino. The Treasure Island bus arrived at 9:30am to arrive at the casino and 10:00am to start there fun day of gambling. They all returned safe around 2:45pm with there winnings. We hope to return soon.

Treasure Island Resort and Casino
SENIOR APPRECIATION DAY If you are 55 or better, join us on the first Wednesday of every month from 10am-2pm. You’ll receive a coupon book with special offers on your favorite casino games, a discounted buffet coupon and free gifts.

Lollipop Clowns

11/6/2009: We made Lollipops on Friday!
Lollipop Clowns

3cups

3/4cup light corn syrup

3tablespoons vinegar

1/3cup boiling water

1/2cup butter

Dash of salt

Wooden skewers

Fruit-flavored hard-candy circles


Combine sugar , Corn Syrup, vinegar, water; stir still sugar dissolves. Cook to hard-crack stage (300*). Remove from heat; add butter and salt. Cool until mixture thickens slightly. Quickly drop from tablespoon over skewers placed 5 inches apart on greased cooky sheet to form 3 inch lollipops. Make faces with candy cirlcles. Makes about 16.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Baking

11/4/2009: We had a small group of our ladies busy making some yummy cookies for our afternoon snack!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts

1 1/4cup Margarine

3/4cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/2cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 1/2cup All purpose flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

3cups Quacker oats

1/2cup Walnuts

Bake 375* 8-9 minutes

Friday, November 6, 2009

Welcome William!

11/5/2009: Please join us in welcoming William to our program. William will be attending our program two days a week! We are so happy he is here with us!

Welcomce Dorothy!

11/3/2009: Please join us in welcoming Dorothy to our program. She will be attending two days a week! We are so happy to have her as a part of our program!

Welcome Raymond!

11/5/2009: Please join us in welcoming Ray to our Program. He will be attending one day a week! We are so happy to have him as a part of our program!

Welcome Lucy!

11/4/2009:Please join us in welcoming Lucy, she will be attending our day program two days a week. We are so happy she is a part of our program.

Fire & Spice

11/5/2009: Thursday Afternoon a band call,"Fire & Spice" was here to play some 50's & 60's music for everyone on campus to enjoy. We did have a lot of dancers and for those still in there seats they were tapping there feet to the beat!


Art Project

11/4/2009: This afternoon we had a small group of our ladies busy doing an art project. I had gone outside to gather leaves that had fallen from the trees, to have each one paint a few different ones with paint and them press them on to paper. It was fun to see all the different colors and all the different designs each one of them had done!