Saturday, July 28, 2018

We Kind of Like the Clouds!

What a lot of rain we saw this week!  While some people were probably wishing it would go away, we were kind of happy to see all the cloud cover because the air conditioning in AFCC was on the fritz until Thursday afternoon!  The overcast skies helped keep the sun from making it unbearable in our rooms, where we spent as little time as possible.  We hung out in the gym a lot, where the AC was blasting, and we were thankful for that!  We are also thankful for the many donations of paper products that came in this week! Thank you, families! We are in great shape for quite a while!

Here's what we were up to during this warm week:

Our friend and former associate, Meghan, and her mom, Susan gave us a couple of bird feeders and poles! We set them out on Tuesday before leaving for bowling.  Good teamwork pouring the food into the narrow opening!


We have three hummingbirds now, but really want to see other birds.  Meghan and Susan also included some bird books in their donation, so we will be able to figure out what we're spotting!


Thanks, Meghan and Susan!  We will enjoy watching for new birds!


Everyone helped created a thank you note.  Aren't those birdies on the poster cute?!


It was great to have Pam W. back to volunteer at bowling!  She's had a busy summer and we have missed her.  Here, she and some friends are all smiles because we were enjoying pizza that we earned by making the posters last week for Coach Teri's neighborhood picnic.  Thanks, Teri!  The pizza was "super delish" (to quote her son, Sam), as usual!


Liz and Sam joined Kacie in cheering for her strike! It was so steamy and rainy outside, but a bit chilly in the bowling center, as you can see from them wearing jackets!


It was a big day for Kate!  Look at that score of 147!  She had 140 in her second game.  WOW!


After bowling we went to Studio South for yoga with Katey.  The studio is close to the bowling center, and it felt good to stretch and relax after bowling.  We tried something new this time:  using blocks.  Here, Chloe demonstrates how we sat on the block.  From here, we could cross our legs and the block would allow some of the pressure on our hips to be alleviated.  There was an element of balance involved, too!


It really is hard to get good yoga pics.  In this one, we were feeling our heart beats after doing some arm stretches.  We think the best way to show how much we enjoy yoga, is to invite our readers to come join us sometime!  


The AC was still out on Wednesday, so we had our dance warm up in the gym.  There's so much space in there, we get swallowed up!


We even moved our tables to the gym so we could work on Mr. Howard's birthday cards in the cooler area.


Don't tell Mr. Howard (😜), but we also prepared our no-bake cookies (for his birthday) in the gym!  We measured carefully and didn't spill much sugar or cocoa, and we cleaned up after ourselves!


No-bake cookies are easy and our friends were able to make them without much help from staff.  The sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa had to be brought to a boil, but we reviewed safety procedures before using our burners. 


Once we added oats, peanut butter, and vanilla, we were ready to drop the cookies by the spoonful onto wax paper to cool.


Of course we had to get some more activity before eating our cookies, so a game of dodge ball took place!


Can you spot the one who's not a regular?  It's Lexi's Gdad, who brought us freshly prepared pork bbq to make sandwiches for Mr. Howard's birthday lunch!  Thanks, Gdad and Nan (for the cole slaw).  Those sandwiches were so tasty!


Happy Birthday, Mr. Howard!


He made a wish and blew out the candle on his no-bake cookies!


By the time Patti arrived for yoga, it was raining buckets and had gotten quite dark outside.  No worries, though.  She led us through sun salutations and all was bright in our world!


We are working on strengthening our core all the time.  Here, we tried to raise our legs off the floor.


Alexis assisted Patti in leading us through the tree pose.  We think the trees outside were pretty happy with all the rain that came on Wednesday!


We welcomed a new friend on Thursday!  Devin B. (Devin #2 for us) visited the AoA for a couple of days to see if he'd be a good fit for our program.  He is!  He will be joining us in September.  No complaints from him when we had to do our continuing education work, either!  (He's a good reader!)


Lots of smiles from this group who worked on counting and spelling.


It was Amelia Earhart Day earlier this week (she would have been 121 years old on Tuesday), so we read about her accomplishments and put into perspective how significant it was for a woman to accomplish what she did in the 1930s.  These three amigos are happy because they got all the quiz answers correct!


We thought Amelia Earhart would approve of us celebrating her by playing with paper airplanes.  Here are Carol's swift hands making some planes, as a few of our friends needed help with the folding.  


No one needed help with the flying!  


We may or may not have had a few crash landings!


These dudes were serious about flying their planes...


We had time for kickball and the gym was refreshingly cool, so why not?


Kevin waited patiently for a kicker to launch the ball toward second base.


Look at these great sports!


Chris cheerfully decided to do a crossword puzzle during Choice Time so Dev B. could have a turn at playing pool with Sam!  Once Dev realized our guys make their own rules, he got right with it. 😉


We were active on Thursday, and we included Eaton work in the afternoon.  We had brought some Power Slide doors back to AFCC and they needed to be assembled.  By now, the AC had been repaired and the room was starting to cool off!


Dev B. has a good work ethic, which is necessary when working with our gang!  Here, he applied the small window piece to the door frame.  Patrick and Nan were impressed!


This jolly trio was sorting and organizing craft beads.  Laura kept them amused with some silly chit-chat, but they got the job done!


Just for fun, we reviewed states and capitals on Friday morning.  We watched a catchy sing-a-long video clip and tried to remember all the capitals, and then played a trivia game.  After that, we colored in a map to show where we live, where we have traveled, and where we would like to go.  Speaking of states and traveling, our buddy Kevin will be out next week while he travels to Alaska with his family!  Wow!


Next, it was time for open gym and that usually means basketballs flying all over the place!


Devin looked on as Chris helped Kevin with his free throw.


Sam and Dev B. hit quite a few of their shots.


Before lunch we had time to celebrate National Dance Day, which is Saturday.  We dance all the time, but today, Carol tried to teach us a basic waltz step.


At first, our guys poo-pooed the idea of dancing a waltz, and we only had four girls here today, so we had to take turns making partners.  But you can see from their smiles how much they ended up enjoying themselves!


Once we "tell" them what they are going to try, they are usually up to the challenge, and it always ends up being fun.


Still, their favorite way to dance is free-style, as this video clip makes evident!



After lunch we painted rocks.  Sam forgot to hold his pizza rock up for the camera, but Dev B. proudly showed off his Clemson paw print!


Some of our friends chose pictures from magazines, which they  decoupaged to their rocks, like we had done with the master gardeners in the Spring.  Devin does well with this technique. 


Patrick and Alexis painted sports-themed rocks.


This is a sampling of what we finished.  We're hoping for a nice weather day soon so we can hide again out in the community!


July is almost over!  Here's what's on our agenda for next week:

Tuesday:  We're traveling to the Mariners' Museum today!  We went last summer and there was so much that interested us, we couldn't resist going again, since admission is only $1.  Today we are also being treated to lunch in the cafe, courtesy of Drew's family!  Thank you so much.  This is a generous gift and we are thankful for it!  The menu consists of sandwiches, salads, and pizza.  We explored it last week and everyone will make their selection before we leave on Tuesday morning.  Let Lisa know if you have any questions about lunch!  We also plan to attend the 3D movie about the oceans, so please bring $6 for that.  AND, wear your Arc shirts!

Wednesday:  It's the first day of August so we will plan our calendar for the month.  We will use our computer lab to help us catch up on thank you notes.  Dress to stretch because it's also Yoga with Patti Day!  We'll make chili dogs and quinoa salad for lunch.

Thursday:  We're on call for Eaton so we may have an onsite work day.  😊  If not, we will celebrate Friendship Day, which is Sunday.  It's also Ice Cream Sandwich Day, so we will make homemade minis for an afternoon treat (if we are at AFCC).  Lunch on your own!

Friday:  It's time for this year's 2nd pool party!  We'll head to Sam's neighborhood for a fun day with Coach Teri who's providing a lunch of subs, chips, and watermelon!  This is our 3rd summer visiting Sam's pool and it's always a great day!  Hope for sunny weather!  Wear your suits, bring sunscreen and towel, and a change of clothes if you'd like.  Thanks Coach Teri!  This is going to be a lot of fun and we appreciate you for inviting us and providing our lunch!

🏌🏌🏌Saturday, August 4th:  It's finally here, the Women of the Moose sponsored golf tournament!  We need volunteers, wearing their Arc shirts, so please let Lisa know (if you haven't already) if you're able to help.  We have two primary shifts:  1) 7:45-11:30 and 2) 8:45-11:30.  (We need early birds at 7:45 to help with registration and then they, along with the 8:45 shift, will hit the greens to help on the holes.)  If you can volunteer somewhere in that window (for example 10:00), let Lisa know and we will try to work it out.  We should be finished around 11:30.  Patti will provide subs as a snack around 10:00 and there will be water and Gatorade on the premises.  Feel free to bring a water bottle, too.  You'll want to stay hydrated.  She suggests each person bring sunscreen and a chair, if you think you'll want to sit while waiting for golfers to come to your hole.  There will also be golf carts to move us around.  Patti hopes every golfer will have a positive interaction with several Arc friends!  We're asking caregivers to stay and help, too.  Upon entering Kingsmill, let the folks at the gate know you are going to the River Course and they will give you directions.  Carol, Nan, and Lisa will be on the lookout for you...and will have their phones with them!  THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT!  Looking forward to seeing Kacie's brother, Charlie, and Liz's dad, Greg (and friends) representing the AoA as players!!!!🏌🏌🏌

🦋🦋🦋Saturday and Sunday, August 4th and 5th:  Our Master Gardener Friends wish to remind everyone that The Butterfly Festival runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at the Botanical Garden at Freedom Park!  There will be a butterfly release at 3:30 on Sunday!  Lots of potted plants for sale, too!  Admission is free.  For more information, visit: 


  Have a great weekend,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Mid Summer 2018

It's the middle of summer, so we shouldn't be surprised that Tuesday arrived warm and muggy. It was a great day to take in a $1 movie at Regal's Summer Movie Express.  The feature was Ferdinand, and we enjoyed it.  The story is about a bull with a big heart who does not want to fight.  What we took away from it was the idea of looking out for one another and being true to yourself...just like us!


We thought we might have the theater to ourselves as no one was there when we arrived about 15 minutes early. But soon a large group of younger (and noisier) kids came in! Oh well, we had a good time anyway!

It wasn't even too uncomfortable when we stopped at Veterans Park to have lunch.  There was a nice breeze.  We enjoyed each other's company!

  
Following lunch, we were surprised to arrive at the Art Museums and see fire vehicles all around with lights blaring.  Christina was on the front lawn and informed us they had to evacuate the building but she wasn't sure why.  We hung around a few minutes and then the all-clear was given.  We never found out what the problem was.


Christina set us up near the Chinese Porcelain exhibit while she read a story about two Chinese brothers.  The custom in long-ago China was for the first born son to be given a long name.  When the first-born falls down a well, his younger brother has trouble securing help because he has to keep repeating himself until he can clearly state his brother's name.  This causes the older brother to remain in the water for almost too long, but he is revived by his rescuer.  This myth might explain why Chinese names are generally shorter now! 


After the story, Christina had us look at the artwork on the porcelain, and she pointed out that often only shades of one color were used.  Chinese porcelain was imported to Colonial America and was very popular.  Eventually the Americans were making copies of the porcelain that were just as beautiful and hard to tell apart from the Chinese versions.  They can be compared side by side at the Museums!


In the Education Room, we worked with Christina and Intern Anna to use multiple shades of blue and a little purple to create artwork on paper plates.  They also gave us tips for drawing Chinese houses!


We figured out that different shades of color could be blended together to make even more shades.


It's a wonderful experience to work on art with Christina in an environment where we feel free to create whatever we want, and no one is afraid to try!


On Wednesday we made thank you cards for Drew's folks, Andy and Donna, and their friend Melinda, who all chipped in to get us a refrigerator last week. 


Inside of this one, all of our friends' faces grace pictures of things we keep in the fridge!  So cute!


Wednesday's lunch was grilled cheese sandwiches and side salads.  This crew put the sandwiches together.


These guys chopped veggies and assembled beautiful salads.  We love that our friends are taking more and more responsibility in preparing our lunches!


Kacie helped whip together a simple cheesecake from a box mix her family gave us a while back.


Liz added filling to the crust before putting it in The Nina to bake.


These two also washed and dried dishes!  Double duty Divas!


For those who weren't cooking, it was Choice Time in the gym with lots of room for a variety of fun with balls. 


Patti decided we would try water animal poses in yoga today.  She led us through them by telling one of her stories.  Our guys enjoy the tales she weaves into our practice.  Here, Bo and Liz got into "frog" position!


Can you tell Alexis was in "crocodile" position?!


Sam was in phase one of "dolphin" (underwater).


And here, the dolphins came up out of the water!  Fun story and a great workout, too!


We ended the day with a game of "Guess The Movie" that uses emojis as clues.  Tuesday was World Emoji Day so we talked about how these "picture words" have evolved in usage and popularity over the past few years.  Earlier, we used emoji stickers to make fun cards.  During the game, everyone got a kick out of this clue which was for the movie we saw yesterday!


On Thursday we went to Eaton to work.  We had a busy day and got a lot of work done.  What we didn't get, were a lot of pictures! 

 Kacie removed parts from plastic packages and then neatly stacked them into a big tub.  She estimated it was over "206" pieces!  Patrick had to unpack parts from boxes and remove a large piece of tape from each one.  He also made many trips to the recycle bin to take all those empty boxes.


Bo applied gaskets.  He's pretty good with that "sticky" situation.  Laura and Drew sorted multiple parts and were very efficient!  


We had a big team working on the Power Slide Doors.  Meemaw set up her table with Cameron, Kevin, Chris, and Xavier.  They are good at putting rather small nuts and bolts into the holes.


Nan worked with Kate and Chloe to apply labels while Sam unpacked box after box of doors.  Our Power Slide team assembled about 230 doors today!


Alexis and Liz have the touch it takes to handle hundreds of light bulbs.  They got through all of these boxes, unpacking the bulbs and carefully placing them in smaller, padded boxes.


Good thing we were able to use the Arc's 14 passenger bus on Thursday.  There is space in the back to store lots of Eaton "stuff" we brought back to work on at AFCC!  


Friday was a day of surprises!  It was Moon Day, which marks the date 49 years ago that Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 landed on the moon.  We had some educational activities planned, so it was great that Kate's dad could send in several pictures about that historic event!  But that wasn't our only surprise.  Liz and her mom decided to bring us fresh donuts!  What a tasty and unexpected treat.  You can tell by our smiles that we were ready to start a great day.  Thank you to Kate's dad and Liz's mom for your thoughtfulness.  Our families are so good to us!


The donuts were from Emily's Donuts, and they were very good!  But we all know what happens after donuts...extra dancing!  Here's a clip of us doing a march to Chris's requested song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," a perfect song for burning donut calories!


During our discussion about the moon landing, Kevin helped Kate show the pictures to us up close.  We could see what the astronauts looked like, as well as close ups of the spacecraft and even footprints on the moon.


Of course we had to have a moon/space themed lunch!  We enjoyed turkey and cheese Rocket Wraps, Sun Chips, and Planet Fruit Salad.  It was delicious!  (We did not eat our mini-Moon Pies since we had donuts today.  We'll save them for another time.)


During Choice Time Kacie walked around outside to "warm up" (😮) and discovered a "cute little guy" on the gutter, so she grabbed the camera and got this shot for us all to enjoy!  Earlier in the week, she spied a deceased (unfortunately) squirrel in the yard outside our door.  She's our nature girl!  As for the squirrel, Kacie alerted staff who promptly called on Heike to fetch a shovel.  Heike even took care of the removal for us!  She's a star! 🌟



Later on Friday the gang set up the prize table for their favorite late day pastime, Bingo!  We had gotten several donations of prizes from Kate and also Kevin's mom, so our stash was extensive.  That's why our friends came home with extra prizes!  😉


Fun, fun, fun!  They do love Bingo!


Finally, here's a partial shot of a poster we made for Coach Teri.  She asked us to make a few of these for her upcoming community picnic (along with another event poster we will make next week), and for our efforts, she made a contribution to our bowling pizza fund!  Win-win!




We say this a lot, but just like that, another week was done and summer is rolling along!  We hear it is going to be rainy and steamy next week.  Here's how we'll deal with that!

Tuesday:  It's always cool at the bowling center and we look forward to our games and pizza for lunch.  After bowling, we will stretch and relax with a yoga session at Studio South.  Please wear Arc shirts and comfy pants/shorts (or bring to change into)!

Wednesday:  It's been a while since we had a birthday in the house and today it's our awesome custodian Mr. Howard's!  We will make cards to show our appreciation for all he does for us, and we've invited him for a lunch of bbq sandwiches (and fixings), courtesy of Lexi's Nan and Gdad!  We'll also make no bake cookies using ingredients we have on hand.  We'll put a candle in Mr. Howard's!  And, it's Yoga w/ Patti, so dress to stretch!

Thursday:  Today we will learn about aviation, focusing on Amelia Earhart (whose "day" was yesterday).  We also have Eaton projects to complete at AFCC, so we will work on that, too.  Lunch on your own.

 Friday We love to dance so we will celebrate National Dance Day (which is on Saturday)!  We'll learn new moves and maybe even make up our own...which we do every day already!  🤣  We will also paint more rocks today.  Lunch on your own.

Before we go...
  
🍽 🍽🍽
Special request:  Our supply of cups (9 oz size) and paper (or Styrofoam) plates and bowls is dwindling.  We would welcome any donations.  Thank you!

The golf tournament is only 2 weeks away!  We're thrilled that several of our AoA families are either playing or sponsoring!  Thank you sooooo much!  

We should have more information in next week's blog, but this is what we tentatively expect to need in the way of associate volunteers:
  
2-3 from 7:45-11:00 a.m. to help with registration and also go on the course (possibly to help with the flags at each hole)

2-3 at 8:45 to help on the course until 11:00 

2-3 at 11:00 to relieve the earlier crews
  
We can accommodate more if they can make it!  Please let Lisa know if your associate will be able to volunteer.  We would need a caregiver to bring them to Kingsmill and remain with them during the shift.  Lisa, Carol, and Nan will also be there. 

Here's the tourney info one more time:



ALSO:
The 9th Annual Williamsburg Landing 5K for The Arc is on October 6th.  We're excited that some of our family members and friends have registered!!  All the info you need is at this link and if you want to be on the "official" AoA Team, sign up to run/walk with team "AoA All the Way!"  PRICES INCREASE AFTER AUGUST 15!



With much gratitude for your support of the Arc of Abilities,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan