March is moving right along and before you knew it, another Monday Movers came around and residents followed along with Stacey and Noel in seated exercises; we all felt energized after a bit of working out in the morning! After we caught our breath, Stacey pulled out the guitar and the crowd grew in size as folks heard the lively sing-a-long happening in the dining room and came to join in. We had a wonderful time singing silly songs like “Down by the Bay” and sweet songs such as “In the Garden;” we ended just in time for lunch. With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, residents created pots of gold at the afternoon’s Crafty Corner and seeing the lovely rainbows and gold “coins” displayed on our gallery wall really got us in the festive mood! Thank you to our young helper Nora for assisting residents with their artwork! Folks hung around to try their luck at an afternoon game of Tic Tac Toss and Nora assisted Noel with the game in which Kevin Bauer claimed fourth place, Kay George placed third and we had a five-way tie for second: Herb Tschumperlin, Yvonne Sinz, Alice Brantner, Milda Bautch and Judy Thorn. The first-place win went to both Carol Campbell and Carol Bauer from the Seasons! The fun-filled day concluded with some supper and then a game of Bingo with Marie and Joyce Berger; thank you for all your stellar help ladies!

Tuesday was a little bit quieter day; residents gathered after breakfast for a tranquil Catholic mass, led by Father Jojo. With the time in between mass and lunch, we enjoyed chatting with each other and visiting outside to soak up the warm weather and abundant sunshine. Everyone loved seeing the sun shining outside and there is so much to be happy about, with it feeling like spring being just around the corner!  One thing we are always really happy about is freshly made popcorn; folks followed their noses and “popped” down to the dining room to have Aaliyah help them scoop up bowlfuls of the savory snack at our weekly Popcorn Social! We welcomed Pastor Paul from Sabylund Lutheran Church for a peaceful afternoon church service and before you knew it, it was time for supper. Unfortunately, evening games were cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.

The sunshine and warm weather continued into Wednesday as we began our morning with bowling. Plum City Elementary students, Bella and Lauren, came to assist with scorekeeping and pin setting and we cheered each other on as Judy Thorn came in fourth place, Ivan Mason nabbed third and Jeff Halverson and Kevin Bauer tied for second! Mary Matzek was the first-place winner this week! Folks also were outside soaking up the sunny morning as we waited for lunch. After a refreshing bite to eat, we got ready for Fruit Bingo. This week we appreciated the help of volunteer Lana Ingli and her assistance with set-up, clean-up and passing out prizes! Everyone was on the edge of their seats during blackout and community member Doug cheered loudly (as well as everyone else) when he won the $1 prize this week! All that bowling and bingo in the spring-like heat put us in the mood for a cool treat. Our afternoon Mid-Week Social snack of Purple Cows (vanilla ice cream and grape soda floats) was just the thing to cool us off and satisfy our sweet tooth!

Kathy Shingledecker visited us Thursday morning to read the local news and enjoy a cup of coffee with us. We love our volunteers and they always help us stay informed and connected with the community! After the leisurely morning, we geared up for an afternoon of manicures and pampering. We had quite a lineup of ladies who wanted to freshen up their nails with cheerful springtime colors; this week’s popular choice was purple with just a hint of sparkle! The gals stayed out to gab with each other and then dinner was served a little later. After the evening meal, folks stayed in the dining room to play many fun rounds of Pokeno with Aaliyah! 

Just like that, it was Friday and with everyone in a sleepy mood, Stacey and Noel brought the energy to Fitness Friday with fun sit-down dancing! Everyone perked up quickly as we grooved our way through routines set to songs like “Baby Face” and “Me and My Shadow.” Once everyone was awake it was time for a game of Dart Ball!  Birthday girl Mary Matzek scored fourth place, Alice Brantner was the third-place winner and Shirley Klinski nabbed second place. Ivan Mason was the first-place Dart Ball champion this week! Right after lunch, seven students from Ave Maria Academy stopped by to practice their reading skills as they read to residents at Book Buddies. The activity-filled afternoon was just getting started and soon Stacey and Noel were busy in the kitchen whipping up yummy white chocolate covered puffcorn, complete with green sprinkles, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This salty and sweet snack was perfect for our Happy Hour treat and we enjoyed munching on it as we listened to live music from Jim Sexton. Supper followed and then we settled in for our Friday night movie; this week, we watched the 80’s comedy “Uncle Buck,” starring John Candy.