Monday morning, everyone was ready to go at Monday Movers seated exercise. Residents followed Stacey and Noel as they led the group through a series of invigorating arm and leg exercises; it sure got everyone’s hearts pumping! A water break was definitely needed after all that and then Stacey tuned up the guitar to begin our Sing Along. Folks sang out to favorites such as “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” “Billy Boy” and more! After a bit of lunch and visiting, it was time to bake; Noel and a couple of handy helpers whipped up two delicious-looking lemon cream pies in preparation for our mid-week social on Wednesday. Once the dishes were washed and the pies set up in the fridge, residents gathered back in the dining room for a game of Tic Tac Toss! Judy Thorn nabbed fourth place, Kevin Bauer and Kay George tied for third and Herb Tschumperlin grabbed the second-place spot. Carl Campbell was this week’s first-place champion! Folks enjoyed some supper and then the gang got together again for Monday night Bingo with Pat Frion and Kathy Luebker. Thanks for all your wonderful help ladies; we couldn’t do it without you! 

Deacon Mark Quayhackx was here Tuesday to lead residents in morning mass and it was such a nice and peaceful way to begin the day. We appreciate the dedication of all our faith leaders who come to spend time and worship with us! Lunch was served soon after and then Aaliyah was here in the afternoon to kick things off with the Popcorn Social. It was hard to resist the smell of freshly popped popcorn and the machine let out a cheery pop! pop! pop! as it prepared the delectable snack. Once the last kernel was crunched, we spent the afternoon chatting and visiting with friends before afternoon church. Aaliyah led the group in a hymn sing along that lifted spirits and put a smile on everyone’s face. Supper was next on the agenda and once tables were cleaned, Aaliyah brought folks together for an evening of games galore! 

Bowling was the name of the game Wednesday morning and our group was ready to go! Shirley Klinski and Kevin Bauer tied for fourth place, Janet Robelia and Bill Joyner tied for third and Milda Bautch came in second. Jeff Halverson was the big winner this week, with a near perfect score of 29 points out of 30! The tables were put back in their places and lunch was served soon after. We kept the energy going after the midday meal with a game of Fruit Bingo, with Wanda Ebensperger and Lana Ingli to help with set up, clean up and prize passing…thank you ladies! Carol Campbell from the Seasons was our Blackout Bingo winner this week of $1! All that game play throughout the day concluded with a pleasant Mid-Week Social where we enjoyed slices of lemon cream pie in honor of National Lemon Cream Pie Day! 

Thursday morning came and with it, Kathy Shingledecker, to read us the newspapers and catch us up on all the community news at our Local News and Coffee group. She brought along a beautiful book of lighthouses of the Great Lakes to look at and we talked and laughed together all morning! Lunch came and went and then residents convened for the monthly Resident Council meeting (led by Stacey) to discuss what’s coming up in December, as well as re-capped what happened throughout November. They had the chance to share what they liked about PCCC, as well as what can be improved upon at our facility; it’s comforting for residents to have a safe space to gather, talk and have their voices heard.  After the meeting adjourned, Aaliyah arrived to give manicures to all the ladies lined up and we spent some time visiting while waiting for the polish to dry! Supper came soon after and then everyone assembled again for an evening game of Pokeno with Aaliyah.

Friday was the first day of December; though the weather outside was still cold, we were keeping warm inside with Fitness Friday. Stacey and Noel led a small group in the morning through some several sit down dancing routines! We rocked and rolled to tunes like “Baby Face” and “Me and My Shadow;” it didn’t have us sweating like some other chair exercises we do, but it was a lot of fun. There was just enough time afterwards for a couple rounds of Dart Ball and a few folks came out on top! Ivan Mason scored fourth place, Milda Bautch and Kevin Bauer tied for third and Barb Halling came in second. Nancy Bishop, the first-place winner, left everyone in the dust with her high score! After lunch, there was a couple hours of downtime to chat and visit, but soon a familiar face walked through the door. Laura Kadlec and Nugget arrived for Happy Hour! Laura played piano, while Stacey sang, leading the residents and their guests in a joyous sing along of Christmas carols. We even brought out the sleigh bells for a couple songs so folks could join in the musical merry-making! All too soon, Happy Hour was over and supper arrived, but the fun continued into the evening. We dimmed the lights and got cozy for Movie Night. We started off the holiday month with the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34^th Street,” starring Maureen O’Hara and Natalie Wood!