Serenity Assisted Living

The Life of Arlene Marshall

2010-08-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

God Bless Abbie Moe

2010-07-21T16:12:00.001-05:00

Abbie Moe dances with God in Heaven today...please say a warm prayer for her loved ones, that they all know her love for them all.

Potato Days | Stuff for Seniors

2010-07-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Potato Days | Stuff for Seniors

What I Learned at Serenity

2010-07-20T09:18:00.003-05:00

WHAT I LEARNED AT SERENITY

When I started working at Serenity over a year ago, I was very excited for my position as a communications intern. Though I probably would never have admitted it then, I remember jumping up and down once I received the word that I had been chosen as a summer intern!

From the beginning, I learned a number of things about my future career interests and was able to use my education for real work experiences. It was great to work on projects such as the Dilworth Health Fair, especially because I was interested in event planning. I also enjoyed having numerous opportunities to work on various projects, especially writing blog and news articles. But my favorite part about working at Serenity has always been working with the individuals who live here.

It’s been an eye-opening experience to be welcomed into the lives of the elderly. I may not have realized it a year ago, but now I truly understand that I am not only a part of their lives—they are a major part of mine. They have shown me how some of the simple joys in life can make a bad day into an amazing one. I have learned so much from them that has helped me learn more about myself. They have helped me develop into the person I had always wanted to be, and shown me so much more about life than I had known before meeting them.

I have sincerely enjoyed my time at Serenity. Needless to say, it’s been an extraordinary adventure that has helped me develop into a well-rounded individual. Thank you, once again, for letting me become part of this wonderful organization. I sincerely appreciate everything Serenity has done for me!

~Nathan Ellering

Other Hat Club goes to Kroll's Diner

2010-07-06T16:05:00.002-05:00

“A hat is a flag, a shield, a bit of armor, and the badge of femininity.

A hat is the difference between wearing clothes and wearing a costume; it’s the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it’s the difference between looking adequate and looking your best.

A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath, to make all others seem jealous over, and to make all men feel masculine about. A piece of magic is a hat.”

~Martha Sliter

Some of the ladies and gentlemen met for another gathering of the ‘Other Hat Club’ at Kroll’s diner this month for a 50’s themed get-together.

Next month our ladies and gentlemen will be celebrating a garden theme in an actual garden at Roni’s house! She is opening her home to Serenity and hosting a fun evening around a fire where the flowers will be blooming and birds will be chirping!

June Slideshow

2010-07-01T15:40:00.000-05:00

Orval M. Hurner

2010-06-25T12:21:00.004-05:00

Orval M. Hurner, 79, Moorhead, MN, died on Monday, June 21, at MeritCare Palliative Care, Fargo, ND.
Orval was born on March 4, 1931, in Moorhead, MN, to Fred and Crystal (Mart) Hurner. He grew up on the family farm northwest of Glyndon, MN. He attended school in a one room schoolhouse in Morken Township, District 22 West, and then attended High School in Glyndon. As he was growing up he helped his parents farm and was very active in 4-H, winning many awards and trips on garden, grain and livestock projects. Trips included county, state, and national club congress in Chicago and Washington, DC. He also served as an adult leader for ten years.

In 1952, he enlisted in the Army and was stationed at Camp Carson Colorado, where he attended cook and bakers school. He was promoted to head cook for army officers mess. In 1954 he was sent overseas to serve in Korea, and was discharged in 1955. In 1956 he started work at the Fargo VA Hospital in dietetics food service for twenty years. He spent an additional ten years as chief of food production and service. He loved vacationing at his lake cabin and traveling the 48 states by car.

After retiring, he and his mother moved from the home farm to his 4 and 1/2 acre lot north of Moorhead. He enjoyed his lawn, flowers, trees and garden and turned a wheat field into a showplace. In the winter he made craft items, tracing leaves onto 1/2 inch oak and making plaques, shelves, and napkin holders and selling them at craft shows. In 1998 he began volunteering at Elim Care Center, where his mother was. He moved to a condominium in Moorhead in 2009, and in January 2010, moved to Serenity Assisted Living in Dilworth.

Orval was also a very active member of North Buffalo Lutheran Church, where he held many offices and loved to do quilting. Recently, Orval had been attending Maranatha Lutheran Church in Glyndon, with his brother Donald.

Mini Golf!

2010-06-23T17:14:00.003-05:00

John has always been a golfer. If you ask him about the sport, he could tell you a number of stories of how he used to fly executives around the United States and when they were working, he’d be out golfing the day away. What a life!

That’s why I asked John and Mary Joan to go mini golfing today! After so many years, I could tell that John has always been an avid golfer. He hasn’t lost his touch! It was a blast to see John make the most outrageous putts; and all the while Mary was doing an awesome job, too.

As we continued our way through the course, I should have known better than to compete against John – he’s almost a pro! Needless to say, I lost again – just like last year. Maybe I should get some more practice in before next time!

Take a look at these photos of John and Mary’s putting adventure! Above is Mary and to the right is John who sank this putt for a birdie – which put him yet another point ahead of me!

God Bless, Orval Hurner!

2010-06-21T17:01:00.000-05:00

Ladies in Red!

2010-06-18T15:20:00.002-05:00

Ladies in Red!

Esther Hilger ventured home this month to celebrate her mom's 90th birthday...what a great looking group of women!

Welcome to the World!

2010-06-18T15:15:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the World, Myka Grace!

Meet Esther Hilger's new great-niece, Myka! She has the most beautiful head of hair in the world! What a special "Tweet Heart!"

Fargo Marathon 2010

2010-06-17T15:32:00.002-05:00

Serenity racers pushed ahead in the Fargo Marathon this year. There were several Serenity employees who participated, including Elaine and Denise Anderson, Reba Greer, Kristen Huselid, Marissa Strobel and Rachel Mjones.

Elaine, Denise and Reba participated in the 5k event and were greeted by Michele Scheuring with a sign that read, “Go Team Serenity Assisted Living! We are proud of you!” What a great way to keep them motivated!

Kristen and Marissa ran the marathon relay event with a few other friends. They did exceptionally well and finished the relay at 3:51:47. This is a great time!

Rachel ran the half marathon which is 13.1 kilometers. If that is not impressive enough, she did an amazing job and finished in 272nd place out of over 6,000 runners in her category! Her time was 1:39:21.

Take a peek at the photo above to see a bit of the marathon fun that happened this year. Pictured here is the 5k team getting amped before the big event!

Dilworth Health & Wellness Fair

2010-06-16T08:53:00.003-05:00

Hip Hop Gramma

2010-06-15T14:37:00.001-05:00

Stepping Stones

2010-06-10T17:27:00.001-05:00

“Follow the yellow brick road!” Oops; I meant, “Follow the white stepping stones!” If you’ve lost your way to Serenity, hopefully you will find us now. Today we took the time to make personalized stepping stones!

We started by mixing plaster in a large bucket; then we poured it into individual pie tins. Once the plaster was poured, we personalized our very own stepping stones by writing our names in them and placing fun objects into the plaster. We had to act fast because the plaster dried very quickly, but it was a blast to see how everyone made their stepping stones. It was interesting to see how we showed our unique personalities through this fun project!

Take a look at these photos to see what we’ve been up to lately. Pictured above is Marilyn who just finished up her stepping stone, and to the right is a beaming Henrietta!

Fun with Jake!

2010-06-09T17:06:00.000-05:00

Eating dessert is one of our favorite things to do; but today our master chef, Jake, took some time out of his day to help us make our own desserts! Though we love our sweets, Jake knows that there can be too much of a good thing; so he decided to help us make a healthier alternative to sugar-filled desserts. He helped us make Dessert Pizza.

First, Jake baked the pizza crust – it was made out of cookie dough! Once the crust was ready, we started working our magic to make some delicious Dessert Pizza. Jake carefully cut pizza slices out of the monster cookie he had made and told us to put the “pizza sauce” on the slices – but it wasn’t pizza sauce at all! We had made the sauce with yogurt.

Next we carefully selected pieces of our favorite fruits – blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, mango and grapes. We then made patterns and decorated our pizza slices as we saw fit. It was a blast to see how creative we could be with food – even though our mothers made sure we wouldn’t dare do something like this in her kitchen! It seems Jake is a little less strict….

After we finished decorating, we couldn’t wait to be done with supper so we could all enjoy our delicious Dessert Pizza! Not only was it a blast to make, it was also the tastiest treat of the day!

Tour de Cure for Diabetes

2010-06-08T14:37:00.001-05:00

Tour de Cure Minneapolis...Denise Anderson's team raised close to $5,000 with the event itself raising close to over $200,000!! Denise rode in honor of her friend Quinn Nystrom and many others at Serenity with Diabetes. Tour de Cure Fargo is on June 19th when Denise will ride bike again for 32 miles.

Fun Friday

2010-06-04T17:24:00.001-05:00

Take a peek at one of our Soulstice get-togethers. Exercising has never been more fun!

May 2010 Slideshow

2010-06-03T14:57:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the World!

2010-06-01T11:20:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the World, Calleigh!

Great-Grandpa, Hubert holds the newest addition to his family. Love at first sight.

Fun Friday

2010-05-28T14:40:00.003-05:00

Check out this week's Fun Friday picture! Mary is having a blast at the tea party!

History of Memorial Day Video

2010-05-26T09:40:00.000-05:00

History of Memorial Day Video — History.com#history-of-memorial-day#history-of-memorial-day

Fun Friday!

2010-05-21T15:04:00.001-05:00

Enjoy our picture of the week! Above is Arlene Marshall who was caught playing lawn darts this afternoon.

Mother-Daughter Tea and Father-Son Toast

2010-05-18T14:50:00.005-05:00

Today the Other Hat Club held its Mother-Daughter Tea and Father-Son Toast at Serenity! Roni, Michele and Marilyn hosted the event; and they did a terrific job! They served coffee, tea, brownies, cookies and so many other fun tea time treats – and let me tell you, the goodies were delicious!

Not a thing was missed – the tables were decorated with the neatest tea sets and fresh flowers. Even the men’s table was decorated with handkerchiefs and denim tablecloths!

Here’s the best part – it was a blast to see all of our relatives come for a visit! It’s always nice to give them a fun reason to come over and see what’s going on at Serenity!

Take a look at these pictures to see all of the fun we had at our Mother-Daughter Tea and Father-Son Toast. Pictured above is Simone who is enjoying the afternoon and to the right is a shot of the dining room.

Welcome to the World!

2010-05-13T16:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the World,

Brooklyn Grubb!

Brooklyn is the granddaughter

to John Grubb!

She is certainly beautiful!

“Do You Believe In Magic?”

2010-05-10T15:14:00.001-05:00

If we were skeptic before, we certainly all believe in magic after today’s events! This afternoon Magician Jeffrey Salveson paid us a visit and showed us a thing or two about magic.

There were many highlights of the performance, but one of the favorites was the fact that Magician Jeffrey Salveson actually had a rabbit, Sherman, which we all had a chance to pet! But once the show began we were all mesmerized by a number of different things – even the fact that Sherman could read minds!

The show was complete with rope and card tricks, and Magician Jeffrey Salveson even made water disappear! It’s a good thing or else he would have poured it all over Hubert’s head!

Bonnie was especially puzzled by the magic ring tricks. Take a look at the picture above at Bonnie as she tries to figure out how that ring could intersect with another.

After the show, Magician Jeffrey Salveson decided to make us a few fun things out of balloons. Take a look to the right at a very happy Flo and her balloon humming bird!

Hats, Hats, Hats

2010-05-08T14:39:00.001-05:00

Despite common beliefs, hats can be worn for other reasons than to cover up a bad hair day! Today we took the time to decorate some beautiful hats especially for our Other Hat Club.

On May 18th Serenity is hosting a Mother-Daughter Tea or Father-Son Toast. Coffee, tea and other goodies will be served. As this is a celebration by the Other Hat Club, everyone is encouraged to wear their favorite hats – and we specifically made these hats with this event in mind!

Take a look at a couple of the fun hats we made today. Pictured above is Leona who is enjoying her creation. To the right is Arlene Tangen who had a blast making her new favorite hat!

Mother-Daughter Tea or Father-Son Toast

2010-05-07T12:59:00.002-05:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2010-05-05T17:21:00.003-05:00

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo all of us here at Serenity decided to have a fiesta! But before we continue, let’s have another lesson.

Many people think that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day, but it really commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla. After the Mexican-American war, Mexico was in major debt to France but had no money to repay the debts when France wanted them. Despite the Mexican president’s compromise to pay the debts back two years later, France invaded.

At this time France had one of the greatest armies in the world and wasn’t worried about being defeated in the least; the nearest country was the United States which was involved in its own civil war. France hoped to invade and rule Mexico with the main objective to halt the growth of the United States.

When the French decided to attack at Puebla, the French army numbered nearly 6,000 whereas the Mexican army only had approximately 4,000 makeshift soldiers (many were simple farmers who were not prepared with the proper equipment for such a battle). Due to the French general’s arrogance, the French army was ordered to attack at the Mexican army’s strongest point. The Mexican army used guerilla warfare tactics and defeated the French army in a major victory.

This story is what is celebrated on May 5th! And our fiesta today was a ton of fun. It was a blast to eat all the different Mexican style food that was prepared for the festive occasion. Take a look at these photos to get a glimpse of the tasty food we enjoyed today – pictured above is Texas Caviar and to the right is a Mexican flag dessert!

Piñata Lesson 101

2010-05-04T16:19:00.001-05:00

Here at Serenity, we’re never too old for a history lesson; and it’s always fun to find a reason to celebrate. Tomorrow is May 5, but sometimes it is better known in Spanish – Cinco de Mayo! For the festive occasion we decided to make typical Mexican pieces of art – piñatas.

Though they are famous in Mexico now, piñatas did not originate from this country. These interesting artworks were probably first made in China and then spread through Europe. Once they reached Spain they gained popularity and the people there used them to celebrate religious holidays such as Lent.

In the 16th century, Spanish missionaries attempted to use piñatas to convert Mayans to their religion. As it turned out, the Mayans had a similar tradition in which they would take clubs and sticks and break large feather-covered pots filled with trinkets. These pots were suspended by a string in front of an image of a god. When the pots would break the trinkets would fall to the feet of the gods as an offering. The two cultures mixed together to form the types of piñatas that are famous in Mexico today.

Now that we’ve had our history lesson, take a look at the piñatas we made today! We started by blowing up balloons and mixing together flour and water to make a paste. Once this was done we took strips of newspaper, dunked them in the paste and wrapped them around the balloon.

Once the whole balloon was covered and left to dry for an entire day, we finished by paining them festive colors. Take a look at these pictures to see all the fun we had! Pictured above is Arlene Tangen who is working diligently to make her piñata. To the right is Alice who is also hard at work!

A Minnesotan Delight!

2010-05-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

Living in Minnesota has taught us all a thing or two: winter is cold, the Twins are great, and hot dish is a delight! Yes, we Minnesotans stick together when it comes to hot dish (what is casserole, anyway?); and today Tim whipped up a delicious hot dish just for us! Take a look at this picture just to see the scrumptious meal we enjoyed today!

Happy Monday!

2010-05-03T11:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday Everyone!

For a beginning of the week pick-me-up...check out this funny video!

Evening Stroll

2010-05-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

Jackie Perkins & Elaine Anderson go out for

an evening stroll before all

this rain hit the valley.

The took the scooters off into the sunset!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2010-05-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

Chinese Taoist philosopher, Lao Tzu, said it best, “Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.” And we’re sure that Mary Joan would agree! She’s been a busy helper lately, and even took the time to help set up the kitchen tables for supper tonight. Just take a peak at this picture of Mary helping dish out part of the meal!

April 2010 Slideshow

2010-04-30T13:10:00.000-05:00

Exercising Outside

2010-04-19T17:03:00.000-05:00

Girls Night Out!

2010-04-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

It was 'Girls Night Out' on Wednesday...Dinner & a Movie!

The ladies started off at the West Acres movie theater to catch Nicholas Spark's newest movie, 'The Last Song.'

Needless to say, it was a wonderful movie...two thumbs up from all our attendees!

Next was a stop at Village Inn...mostly for the free dessert. If that doesn't say, Girls Night...I don't know what does!

Next trip on the calendar...the Casino!!

Where in the World?

2010-04-13T11:42:00.004-05:00

Check out this group of Serenity Supporters spotted this weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona!

Sunday Concert

2010-04-11T10:11:00.001-05:00

Arlen Anderson spent the afternoon serenading the ladies and gentlemen of Serenity.

He hosted a mini concert right in the dining room! Thanks for playing Arlen!

Here Fishy Fishy...

2010-04-10T09:59:00.000-05:00

Michele Scheuring brought in some friends to live at Serenity. Be sure to visit Betty Prins and Hubert Asplin to say Hello to our new little friends!

March Slideshow

2010-04-05T18:33:00.002-05:00

Soulstice Exercise Program

2010-04-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

We’ve been having so much fun playing our yard games lately that we’ve decided to start an actual exercise program here at Serenity. Soulstice is an exercise program that involves doing simple exercises all while sitting in a chair. Participants move their arms in legs in simple exercises to help them gain and build muscles. We also do dances and play games. With more strength, we can do so much!

Soulstice participants meet three days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 4-4:30 p.m. in the formal dining room at Serenity. Once it starts getting nicer outside we hope to meet outdoors on occasion!

Take a look at these photos of our first meeting! Pictured above is Orval as he stretches his arms before playing one of our many games; and to the right is Arlene who is enjoying the new program (Bonnie is to the left in the background)!

Happy Birthday, Lois Seifert!

2010-04-04T17:39:00.002-05:00

Not only is today Easter, but we are also celebrating Lois’ birthday! Lois went on a short trip with her family to celebrate in Fargo – they even had birthday cake instead of pie. Lois said, “I like pie even more than cake!” Lois’ family made her favorite – coconut meringue pie; m-m-m delicious!

Once Lois came home to Serenity we surprised her with a birthday cake, too! Let’s just say she had a busy day eating all her scrumptious birthday treats. Happy birthday, Lois!

Jenga!

2010-04-03T17:53:00.004-05:00

John and Sandy were putting on the moves today - putting on the moves to carefully remove Jenga blocks! For those of you who may not know what Jenga is, it is a game in which the players remove blocks from the tower and place them on the peak of the tower. As you can guess, once many of the blocks are removed, the game gets rather difficult as the objective is to keep the tower standing. The two definitely had a blast trying to outwit each other!

Take a peak at these photos to see the moves John and Sandy made to win the game. Pictured above is John who is very carefully removing a block, and to the right is Sandy who is ready for the win!

Home Away From Home

2010-04-01T17:41:00.006-05:00

It’s high time we finally acknowledged it, but join us in welcoming our volunteer, Orvin Tingum! Orvin visits Serenity nearly every day and enjoys visiting at coffee time. If he’s not enjoying a conversation with Sonny, you could almost certainly find him in Flo’s apartment – he is Flo's son! As we like to joke, and Orvin would agree, Serenity is his home away from home!

April Fools!

2010-04-01T17:26:00.000-05:00

Today is a great day – if you’re a trickster! And all of us at Serenity discovered that the Serenity staff is full of tricky people.

Today we arrived at lunch and noticed bright yellow butcher block tablecloths on the table. We figured that it was spring now and that’s not too out of the ordinary. But then the staff squirted ketchup and mustard right on the table! What happened to plates?!

After this we were served a delicious meal of corn dogs and French fries – with no silverware. For dessert we were served dirt. Yes, we couldn’t believe it was dirt. After we summed up enough courage to at least try this concoction, we discovered that it was only pudding and crushed Oreos! What a meal!

Take a peek at this photo of Arlene as she tries to make out what was happening today at lunch!

Spring and Easter Crafts Galore

2010-03-31T17:56:00.004-05:00

If you know us, you know one thing – we don’t just sit around! Lately we’ve been letting our spring fever set in – we’ve been busy making lots of spring and Easter crafts.

Earlier this month you could catch us decorating windsocks. It was fun to get out all the spring and summer colors! Though they’re not all outside yet, we’re waiting for the day when we can go out and sit in the summer breeze and watch our homemade windsocks fly!

We also had a blast catching up with our friends while making craft Easter bunnies. Actually, we did several Easter rabbit crafts this month to celebrate the season. With our first project, we decorated small bunny stuffed animals with tutus and flowers. We completed these by attaching wings to make them fairy bunnies! After these were done we decided to make candy holders for when the real Easter bunny would come to visit – take a look at Orval’s picture! In our third project, we took the time to make bunny table decorations. These Easter rabbits were complete with big feet and perky ears; and we used them to decorate our dining room throughout the season.

And what would Easter be without some old fashioned Easter eggs? This week we sat down and dyed a mess of hardboiled eggs every color under the sky. It was fun to remember how we used to dye eggs when we were kids and how things have changed since then – including fun stickers to make the dyed eggs look like monsters!

Take a peak at these photos to really get a glimpse of the fun we had throughout this month. In the topmost picture is Henrietta who is putting her fairy bunny together. To the right is Orval who is showing off his Easter bunny candy holder; and on the right is Muriel who is dying Easter eggs! Below is a picture of the Easter rabbit table decorations we made.

Post-it Notes? What Post-it Notes?

2010-03-31T17:46:00.000-05:00

Lately the Serenity staff has been complaining of not having enough Post-it notes. Of course, being the great administrator that she is, Elaine picked up more Post-it notes so the staff could complete their daily tasks. But these kept disappearing! And today we figured out why.

A few Serenity staff members pranked Elaine today by putting the “missing” Post-it notes all over Elaine’s car! Once this situation was under control we also noticed that the office had been decked out with balloons all over the floor!

After searching for the appropriate culprits, we have discovered that Leonie Borden and Reba Greer are the troublemakers. We will continue to keep an eye on them!

Where in the World?

2010-03-30T16:33:00.001-05:00

Serenity supporters are still being seen around the world. Most recently Carol Young, a Serenity volunteer from CCRI, went on a cruise to Mexico. While she was on vacation Carol made sure to take a picture in front of an old Mayan ruin for our “Where in the World” wall. Thank you, Carol!

Prankster Attack

2010-03-27T17:58:00.001-05:00

Someone at Serenity is definitely being tricky lately. Not only were a few of our Easter bunnies kidnapped, but now Lois’ car was decorated! Rest assured, we’ve got our best personnel on the investigation. We will continue to inform the public on any new leads regarding the situation.

Take a look at this photo to see what Serenity’s prankster has been up to. The decorations were complete with ribbons, balloons, pop cans and a sign that says, “Just Married!”

The Blind Side

2010-03-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a movie will come along that can touch your heart. Today we took the time to watch such a film, The Blind Side. It was a great time to be with our friends and enjoy an inspiring story – especially one that reminded us of the simple joys in life.

As you can see from the photo, John and Mary Grubb sure had a fun time watching the award-winning film! Mary had a blast cuddling with her father throughout the movie.

Where in the World?!

2010-03-19T17:12:00.000-05:00

One of our team members has been spotted a long way from Dilworth! Reba Greer is in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and is participating in a Habitat for Humanity trip. Reba is currently on spring break with other students from Concordia College who just wanted to help out.

Ransom

2010-03-18T17:36:00.003-05:00

Our staff played a trick on Serenity and kidnapped these Easter bunnies in a plea to not have to do training! Have you seen these missing Easter bunnies?!?!

St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T15:26:00.003-05:00

Here at Serenity we’re feeling pretty lucky today. We’re lucky that Lucky the Leprechaun didn’t trick us too badly this year! Yes, we were all visited by a tricky leprechaun today who played a few pranks on us such as kidnapping our Easter bunnies and holding them for ransom, leaving green water in our toilets and moving our things around in strange places. Maybe we’ll catch him next year!

Other than having this lucky visitor stop by, we also celebrated St. Patty’s Day with a festive meal! At lunch today we had mini Rueben crackers, Irish beef stew, Rueben salad and gorgeous green punch. To top it all off, we had grasshopper parfaits for dessert!

It was a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day and a lot of fun, too! Just take a look at these pictures to get a glimpse of our party. Above is Lois who just found out she had a mischievous leprechaun visit her room and to the right is Simone who is showing off her festive St. Patty’s Day hat!

God Bless, Charles Borgen

2010-03-15T15:07:00.008-05:00

Charles Blaine Borgen was born June 24, 1921, in Fargo, ND to William and Lillian (Reppen)Borgen.

Charles was united in marriage to Carmen V. Heiraas on June 30, 1943, at Jevnaker Lutheran Church, rural Borup, MN. They made their home, and raised their family, on a farm near Georgetown, MN.

Carmen died on February 14, 2006, and Charles remained on the farm until entering Serenity Assisted Living, Dilworth, MN, three years ago. He died Friday, March 12, 2010, at Serenity, at eighty-eight years of age.

Charles and Carmen were active members of Landstad Lutheran Church, rural Perley, MN, until it closed in 1996. They continued to worship at Triumph Lutheran Brethren Church in Moorhead.

Charles is survived by one daughter, Linda (Donald) Osterberg, Colorado Springs, CO; four sons, Kent (Joan), Princeton, MN, Paul (Pat), Dilworth, Craig (Joan), Fargo, and Charles Jr. (Wendy), Georgetown; fourteen grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; five brothers, Bill, Hendrum, MN, Russell, Ulen, MN, Bert (Elaine), and Curtis (Betty), both, Moorhead, and Dennis (Linda), Dilworth; two sisters, Doris Eidem, Felton, MN, and Ann (Rex) Lindblom, Park Rapids, MN; and five sisters-in-law, Virginia Borgen, and Mary Borgen, both Moorhead, marcy (Earl) Hillstead, Hitterdahl, MN, Melva Fjesjen, Tacoma, WA and Verona Heiraas, Ada, MN.

In addition to his wife, Carmen, Charles was preceded in death by a grandson, Taylor Charles Borgen; two brothers, John and Leon Borgen; and one sister, Mae Stennes.

New Angel...Charles Borgen

2010-03-12T11:42:00.000-06:00

Where in the World Video

2010-03-10T17:11:00.002-06:00

Check out our slideshow to see the places all over the world where Serenity supporters have been spotted! If you are traveling anywhere soon, don't forget your Serenity shirt!

Help Haiti

2010-03-10T13:30:00.003-06:00

Remember when we packed shoe boxes to send around the world to the less fortunate for Christmas? Check out this heartfelt video from the same company, Samaritans Purse, asking for help again.

Where in the World?

2010-03-10T13:16:00.004-06:00

Where in the World is our nurse?! Jodi is standing on the beach in San Carolos, Mexico. She spent a week scuba diving and viewing sea lions...and has an awesome video to prove it!

The water in the background is the Sea of Cortez and the mountain peak is the famous Mt Tetakawi!

Where in the World?

2010-03-10T13:14:00.002-06:00

Pictured here is Randy Morehart (Anna's son) at the Gainy Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona showing off his Serenity pride!

Fabulous February

2010-03-08T09:18:00.000-06:00

Flood Fight 2010

2010-03-05T09:35:00.004-06:00

Above is a photo from the Flood of 2009 above Moorhead, MN. The threats of a flood again this year are very real. Please help in any able form you can. One idea is to follow the link below to help make sandwiches for sandbaggers and other volunteers.

Serenity is sending in some of their troops too! You're never too old to help!

http://http//survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2qf2nvrg5pq4vun/start

Happy Birthday, Orval!

2010-03-04T17:14:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday, Orval! He celebrated his birthday today with some yummy desserts...and so did we!

Assisted Living Services May Be Tax-Deductible

2010-03-02T17:54:00.003-06:00

Message from Elaine: "Tim and I thought we would share this with those of you who have not completed their taxes as of yet. This news just came to Serenity. If we had received it sooner we would have passed it along to you. We are hoping that many of you take advantage of this."

Assisted Living Services May Be Tax-Deductible
Residents, family, and others who pay for an individual’s care in an assisted living community may be eligible to deduct these expenses for federal income tax purposes. Such information gives providers another tool regarding the affordability of assisted living when working with seniors and their family members.

The Internal Revenue Code has expanded the definition of medical expenses to include certain “maintenance or personal care services” provided to “chronically ill” individuals. Generally expenses can be tax-deductible if such services are provided pursuant to a plan of care prescribed by a licensed health-care practitioner, and the personal care services are required by a person who:

+ is unable to perform at least two activities of daily living without assistance, or
+ has severe cognitive impairment (as a result of Alzheimer’s or similar form of dementia) and requires supervision to protect self and others from health and safety threats.

Providers cannot provide tax advice; rather, they should advise consumers to consult a personal tax advisor, tax preparer, or the IRS for information specific to their needs.

Details are available in two IRS documents: Tax Topic 502 (Medical and Dental Expenses) and Publication 502 (Medical and Dental Expenses PDF). Visit www.irs.gov for more information.

Bird Biscuits

2010-03-02T17:03:00.003-06:00

Birdwatching has always been one of our favorite things to do around Serenity, just take a look at all the birdhouses we have around here! But today we thought our birds needed a little more than shelter - that’s why we sat down to make some beautiful bird biscuits.

Bird biscuits are pretty easy to make, and they’re a lot of fun, too! First we took normal bird seed and then mixed a little flour and water in with it. After we were done mixing our concoction, we poured the “dough” into heart-shaped cookie cutters and threw them in the oven to bake so the biscuits would become hard. After this we were able to hang our fancy bird biscuits on the trees around Serenity!

Take a peek at our pictures to see the good time we had. Look at Lois and Claryce as they mix together our concoction. To the left is Flo who is working hard and below is one of the finished products!

Ladder Golf!

2010-02-26T17:39:00.005-06:00

“It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” ~Mark Twain

Mr. Twain said it right – and spring fever definitely has a hold of us here at Serenity. Today we decided to play a game indoors that was traditionally designed to be played outside!

This afternoon a few of us took some time to play Ladder Golf. It is an interesting game that involves two golf balls tied together on opposite ends of a rope. Players then throw the tied balls at a “ladder” and if the roped balls wrap themselves around a ring on the ladder, that person earns points for his or her team.

It was a blast for all of us to watch each other earn points for our teams – and there was definitely some competition! The first game the Blue Smurfs won, and the second game the Green Beans were able to come back to win! It was quite an exciting Friday afternoon!

Take a look at these pictures to see the fun we had. Above is Sandy who is throwing for the Blue Smurfs. To the left is Henrietta who is about to win it for the Green Beans, and to the right is Bonnie throwing for the win for the Blue Smurfs!

Cooper Visits!

2010-02-24T15:38:00.005-06:00

Robyn brough her dog, Cooper over to visit us at Serenity today! She had him jumping through hoops and barking on command.

What an ADORABLE dog!!!

Funny Commercial

2010-02-24T15:37:00.001-06:00

Spring, How We Miss You!

2010-02-22T17:52:00.001-06:00

Spring is just around the corner, and all of us here at Serenity have Spring Fever! To get in the spring spirit, we decided to be rebels once again. That’s when we found paint and decorated the kitchen and dining room with the brightest colors we could find.

Well, we weren’t big enough rebels to paint the walls; but we did get those windows pretty colorful! Today we spent the afternoon painting all sorts of spring things on the windows in the kitchen and dining room. Now there are trees, flowers, hearts and even fish cheering us up every time we look outside! Come for a visit and check it out!

Pet Day at Serenity!

2010-02-19T16:11:00.007-06:00

A few short weeks ago, Jackie started asking all of us about our pets. Since she loves dogs she gave us the idea of making a picture frame with all the wonderful dogs in our lives. But we took this a step further.

Today we celebrated Pet Day at Serenity. Aside from having all kinds of fun with the furry friends who came to visit us, we also made pet crafts all day! First we fixed up some delicious dog treats for our furry visitors, then we made puppy chow for our human visitors.

After a well deserved coffee break, we went at it again! We made a few dog chew toys by cutting strips out of old towels and braiding them together. What a perfect way to spend our Pet Day!

Check out these fun pictures of our Pet Day. Above is Claryce who is busy making dog treats, and to the left is Orval who is preparing puppy chow. To the right is Lois and Mabel!

Mardi Gras Fun!

2010-02-17T14:34:00.004-06:00

As always, we’ve been keeping busy here at Serenity! This week we got in the spring spirit and made Mardi Gras masks just for fun. It was a blast for us to sit down and make the silly disguises with all our friends; but it was even more fun to look at everyone when they tried on their masks!

On Fat Tuesday we celebrated Mardi Gras by holding a fun party! We donned our masks and had a blast laughing with each other as we got our pictures taken. Do you think you can recognize us? Check out the bulletin board by the parking lot entrance to see all of us wearing our Mardi Gras masks!

Take a look above at Sandy as she decorates her own mask before the Mardi Gras party on Tuesday. To the left is Charles and on the right is Muriel; both had a great time at the celebration!

Save the Date!

2010-02-15T16:08:00.001-06:00

Copy of Photos 022
Originally uploaded by Serenity Assisted Living

Save the date, Brent and Denise are getting married on October 9th, 2010! Stay tuned for more details!

Will You Be My Valentine?

2010-02-11T22:00:00.004-06:00

For the past two years at Serenity, we have decorated our own heart-shaped sugar cookies to treat ourselves at our annual Sweetheart Supper to celebrate Valentine's Day. Icing, sprinkles and unique designs is all we needed for success. We had cookies in purple, pink, red, green, blue, yellow and even cookies with a little of each color!

It was really fun to look at everyone's cookie when they were all finished...a true work of art! It was also fun to see each person put on their thinking caps to figure out what they would put on their cookies. Pictured above is Hubert 'Sonny' Asplin choosing purple for his cookie. To the right, is Betty Prins, smiling as she tries a marbled look for her cookie.

Look below to see everyone's cookie in a group shot. Yum! I'm surprised no one took a bite out of their cookies before our evening meal! Not any two cookies look alike!

Which one do YOU want to sink your teeth
into?

Serenity's Sweethearts

2010-02-11T15:09:00.004-06:00

We love them, so why not show it? Today we held our third annual sweetheart supper. It was fun to see all of the nice decorations – not to mention eating some really great food!

We started the meal off with bruschetta and wine spritzers; then we hit the main course of artichoke and cheese ravioli. There were even a few interesting things such as cupid cups and pink and purple deviled eggs. Talk about festive!

For dessert we enjoyed a delicious raspberry ganache and our personal Valentine sugar cookies we decorated earlier today.

Take a look above at Simone as she decorates her cookie for the party. To the left are the festive deviled eggs, and on the right is one of the decorated tables.

Happy Birthday, Henrietta!

2010-02-10T14:57:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday, Henrietta! She turns 94 years young today!

Everyone gladly helped Henrietta celebrate with a delicious cake this afternoon brought by her daughter, Marguerite.

What Old People Do For Fun

2010-02-05T10:10:00.001-06:00

Cozy Fleece Blankets

2010-02-04T11:19:00.002-06:00

Marilyn McMaster is shown to the left putting together a fleece blanket. We made many blankets today, all different. We had dogs, cats and even teddy bears! Marilyn, of course, one of our dog lovers at Serenity made a dog themed blanket this afternoon.

Each lady got to take their fleece blanket home with them at the end of the afternoon to snuggle up with in their apartments.

Bonnie Bratholt is smiling below as she cuts strips for the blankets. She took home a cat themed blanket.

Maybe soon we will make enough blankets to sell or give away as gifts! What a cozy craft for such a snowy day! Now all we need is the hot chocolate!

Glimpse of Spring!

2010-02-01T15:07:00.007-06:00

Orval Hurner spent the morning arranging pretty carnations in vases for each table in the dining room.

Is spring around the corner? I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow to see if the groundhog spots his shadow or not!

Regardless, it was sure nice to see some color on the tables, especially in the form of flowers!

Happy Birthday, Simone Rector!

2010-02-01T09:53:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday, Simone! She finally turned 39 today!

Stop by Serenity to wish her a happy birthday!

Happy Birthday, John Grubb!

2010-01-30T09:49:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday, John Grubb!

Chili Contest Winners!

2010-01-28T21:29:00.004-06:00

Announcing our winners for the 2nd Annual Serenity Assisted Living Chili Contest! This year we had nine entries, all SO delicious!

Pictured to the left is our panel of judges (L/R) Denise Balzum, Ron Sahr, Joan Klinnert, Tony Doll and Jim Westphal. Each arduously took their time to determine their favorite chili. What did they decide? Ron Dick's 'Tasteless Chicken Chili' was the unanimous winner! How they decided between all the other delicious chilis I don't know, I'm just glad I didn't have to judge the contest!

The judges also determined winners of two other categories: Most Unique and Best Bribe. Six-year-old Olivia Watson won the Most Unique category! Her chili was called Butter & Baby Bean Turkey with Roast Garlic. Mmmmm! The winner of Best Bribe went to Kim Wegge with her bribe of homemade fudge and banana bread. I changed my mind, maybe being a judge would have been great with those wonderful bribes!

The public was also allowed a couple ballots to vote as they noshed on their favorite chilis. People's choice went to John Hanson for his 'Best in Town' Chili! He is the son-in-law of our very own Alfred Baumgartner! Second place for the same category went to Esther Hilger, also a member of Serenity Assisted Living! Third place went to Teryl Clausen's chili, daughter of our Lois Seifert! Our ladies and gentlemen of Serenity and their families sure know how to cook!

Finally, there was a Best Name category voted by the people. The clear winner was Bryan Champagne with his chili called ' Champagne's Colon Cleanser.'

Thanks to everyone for making our event a success and by supporting what we do here at Serenity Assisted Living! We truly appreciate it and look forward to our contest next year!

Pictured to the right is the winner, Ron Dick, with our Chili Contest traveling trophy and administrator of Serenity Assisted Living, Tim Anderson.

Happy Birthday, Hubert!

2010-01-27T12:24:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday, Hubert!

He celebrated with dozens of delicious cupcakes and surrounded by Family and Friends.

His best part of the night, going to the Pink Fish (Red Lobster) with his family to get shrimp for his birthday.

Hubert is pictured here with Charles Borgen!

2nd Annual Chili Contest

2010-01-20T13:11:00.004-06:00

"Next to jazz music, there is nothing that lifts the spirit and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili."
~Harry James

Sign up today for Serenity Assisted Living's 2nd Annual Chili Contest sponsored by our auxilliary group, the SALs GALS!

There are five categories this year including: Best Overall, Most Unique, Best Bribe, People's Choice and Best Name.

Prizes will be awarded in each of these categories! Get your entry form in today! There are five local judges who are just waiting to be bribed.

Contact Denise at Serenity for more information on the contest, an entry form or information on eating some Chili on the January 28th!

Welcome Jacqueline Perkins!

2010-01-18T13:18:00.001-06:00

Jacqueline Perkins is new to Serenity, but we like to call her Jackie!

She is a HUGE dog lover, so if you bring your dog to Serenity, be sure to have them visit Jackie!

New Year's Resolutions from Patti Cullen of Care Providers

2010-01-15T11:09:00.003-06:00

Please check out an entry from Patti Cullen, advocate for Long Term Care from Care Providers of Minnesota...

-------------------------------------------

Like many of you who have been tracking the budget stories in the media, I flipped the calendar page over to 2010 with a sense of dread. We have known for a long time that this day would be coming—that the state budget would reach this point of structural instability, and that the low hanging fruit we used in the past as budget balancing band aids would all be gone.

Even a few months ago, I didn’t really believe that the BEST case scenario for long-term care providers would be a Medicaid rate freeze. Heading into the 2010 legislative session with a continued budget deficit, with the courts questioning the unallotments from last session, and with a much slower economic recovery than anticipated -- I now believe.

Some, if not all, of our members will be targets for spending reduction proposals. When the budget gap is that large, and the options to fill it are that small, provider rate cuts will be on the table. We can either “wait and take” or we can get all of the tools out of our toolkit. I plan to do the latter. Given the time of year, I thought it would be best if I converted some of these tools into a few of my top resolutions:

I resolve to embroil us in the debate about how and why new revenue (or deficit reduction fees) is needed to minimize the severity of any budget cuts. Go back to the tax levels of pre-1999 and we would see a significant amount of the budget hole filled.

I resolve to speak up about personal responsibility, personal planning and personal contributions toward long-term care expenses whenever the opportunity arises. The word must be spread outside of our long-term care circle that Medicaid is NOT there for everyone’s long-term care needs—the safety net is shrinking.

I resolve to educate, educate, educate and provide members with tools to do the same. Earlier this week we sent you a few copies of brochures that are the starting point for your use in meetings with folks in your community.

I resolve to focus us on where the money is—and that is NOT the state Medicaid program. Extension of federal stimulus funds, third party payments, Medicare, and private dollars . . . that is where the money is.

I resolve to look beyond the current budget deficit to longer term initiatives, particularly in the quality and technology areas.

I resolve to ask the questions that haven’t been publicly asked in the recent past:
Why are health plans (who are receiving state funds) getting increases in their contracts when others are being cut?

Why are the state agencies continuing with “extra” programs and adding staff for new initiatives at a time when there isn’t any money?

Why is there enhanced money being paid for care at the state Veteran’s Homes when those same veterans could be served at a lower cost in their home communities?
Why can’t we align the financing incentives with the policy incentives to serve individuals in their homes as long as possible?

In times of tight budgets, why is the state enforcing policies that limit how many disabled individuals can live in congregate housing settings, knowing that it will cost the state more to serve them in smaller settings?

Why would we maintain a state policy (rate equalization) that prevents privately-paying customers from paying the true cost of their care? The gap between rates and costs today is over $20 per day.

How far should we expect frail elderly to travel to receive the services they need? (Access to “right place/right time” services may soon become an issue.)
Let me know what you think of these “resolutions” and if you’re ready to ask some of these questions, too.

In the Kitchen

2010-01-14T11:14:00.000-06:00

Mary Grubb spent the morning in the kitchen preparing the vegetables for lunch!

Welcome Orval Hurner

2010-01-07T11:16:00.002-06:00

Everybody welcome Orval Hurner to Serenity!

He is very talented at woodmaking, just stop by his room and he'll show you some of his creations!

Tis the Season

2010-01-01T19:07:00.001-06:00

Happy 101st Birthday, Muriel!

2009-12-29T09:28:00.007-06:00

Today, our very own Muriel Kaercher turns 101!!

Join us for cake and coffee in our dining room at 3:00 today to hear stories about all the things Muriel has seen in our world. Scroll down to find some interesting events happening on Muriel's birthday throughout her lifetime:

2006 Ethiopian troops eject the Islamic forces from Mogadishu, Somalia

1997 Hong Kong begins slaughtering all its chickens to prevent bird flu

1997 Russia signs agreement to build a $3B nuclear power plant in China

1994 B737-400 flies into a mountain at Edremit East Turkey, 54 killed

1994 Bangladesh government of Zia resigns

1991 12th United Negro College Fund

1991 Boeing 747-200F of China Airlines crash into mountain at Taipei

1989 Jane Pauley says goodbye to NBC's "Today" show

1989 Wayne Gretzky and Martina Navratilova, named athletes of decade by AP

1988 Victorian Post Office Museum in Australia closes

1984 Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi claims victory in parlimetary elections

1983 U.S. announced withdrawal from UNESCO

1982 Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica

1982 Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant ends his career with Alabama (323 wins)

1978 Spain constitution goes into effect

1975 11 killed, 75 hurt by terrorist bomb at LaGuardia Airport in New York City

1972 Eastern Tristar Jumbo Jet crashes near Everglades killing 101

1972 Life magazine ceases publication

1968 Israeli commandos destroy 13 Lebanese airplanes

1967 Star Trek's "Trouble With Tribbles" 1st airs

1965 CBS purchases NFL TV rights for 1966-68 at $18.8 million per year

1955 Barbra Streisand's 1st recording "You'll Never Know" at age 13

1954 Kingdom of Netherlands, with Netherlands and Netherlands Antilles as autonomous parts, comes into being

1948 Canada recognizes Israel

1948 U.S. State Department announces work on placing objects into Earth orbit

1940 Germany begins dropping incendiary bombs on London (WW II)

1937 Ireland adopts constitution (Irish Free State becomes Eire)

1934 1st collegiate basketball doubleheader (MSG)

1933 Yankees refuses to release Babe Ruth so he can manage the Cincinnati Reds

1930 Fred P Newton completes longest swim ever (1826 miles), when he swam in the Mississippi River from Ford Dam, Minn, to New Orleans

1922 Dutch Constitution proclaimed

1920 Yugoslav government bans Communist Party

1908 Patent granted for a 4-wheel automobile brake, Clintonville, Wisc

Clay County Union Article

2009-12-23T10:36:00.003-06:00

Santa's Pit Stop for Milk and Cookies

2009-12-12T13:59:00.000-06:00

Cookies are simply a necessity for this wonderful time of the year; and none of us here at Serenity Assisted Living were about to go without this classic holiday snack. That’s why we held our 4th annual Holiday Cookie Bake where all our families came to Serenity to bake some delicious treats for the holidays. And what a success the event was! Not only was it fun to mingle with our family members, tell stories and have an overall great time, but we also baked 526 sugar and gingerbread cookies! To top it all off, we made a few other scrumptious treats including spritz and fig cookies, chocolate haystacks and waffles, fudge, carrot cake bars and glass candy.

Now that we’ve had our fill, we just need to make a few more friends who would like some of our holiday treats. It’s a good thing that Santa will be making his rounds on the 25th; he can take a break for milk and cookies right here at Serenity!

Just take a look at these pictures to see all the fun we had! Pictured above is Gen smiling as she frosts a sugar cookie. To the left is Lois who we caught snacking on a cookie; and to the right is Mary laughing as she mixes a new batch of cookie dough!

Santa Claus is Coming....to Serenity!!

2009-12-08T12:18:00.000-06:00

'Tis The Season!

2009-12-07T15:37:00.003-06:00

Here at Serenity we have decked the halls with all sorts of fun holiday decorations; and it’s been a blast for all of us to take a stroll down the halls just to look at all the different décor that engulf our home. And when we wanted, we were able to help out!

John and Mary Joan certainly had a lot of fun decorating their Christmas tree this past week. While Mary spent most of her time putting the decorations on the tree, John seemed to have trouble untangling the lights! Just take a look above at a happy Mary as she finds the perfect spot for one of her decorations! To the right is John tangled in his mess of lights, and below is a snapshot of Mary smiling as she continues to decorate her tree. If you’d like to see their tree, just stop by for a visit!

God Bless Cleo Havlis!

2009-12-07T09:34:00.000-06:00

The November Greats

2009-12-01T12:24:00.000-06:00

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2009-12-01T09:20:00.000-06:00

“Twas the night before Christmas at Serenity Assisted Living,
And all us individuals were looking our best,
Our glasses, how sparkly,
Our winkles, how merry;
Our punch bowl held prune juice plus
With three drops of sherry....
Our bed socks were hung to
Each walker, in hope
That Santa would bring us
Soft candy and soap
We surely were lucky to be
With our friends
Secure in this residence
With our Depends
Our Grandkids had
Sent us some crafts,
Like angels in snow suits
And penguins on our rafts.
The dental assistant had borrowed our teeth
And from them they crafted a holiday wreath.
The bed pans, so shinny all stood in a row,
Reflecting our candle’s magnificent glow.
Our supper so festive – the joy wouldn’t stop
Was creamy warm oatmeal with raisins, sprinkles on top.
Our salads were Jell-O, so jiggly and great.
Then puree of fruitcake was spooned on each plate.
Denise then had us play a few game, like “Where we are living, and “What are our Names?”
Old Grandfather Sonny, was feeling his oats,
Proclaiming that reindeer were nothing but goats.
Our security lights filter the new fallen snow,
Made the outdoors to seem noon to Abbie and others below.
Then out on the porch there arose such a clatter that Claryce
Even heard – but to the rest it just didn’t matter.
A strange little fellow flew into the door,
Then tripping on the sill and fell flat on the floor.
“Twas just our chef Jake, all decked out in red
He jiggled and chuckled and patted each head
We knew from the way that he strutted and jived
Our social security checks had just arrived
We sang –how we sang
In our monotone croak
Till the clock tinkled out its soft 8 pm stroke
And soon we were snuggling deep in our beds
While the night shift distributed our nocturnal meds
And so ends our Christmas story at Serenity
For as long as you be with us, we wish you the best.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Serenity

2009-11-28T15:46:00.000-06:00

Serenity Assisted Living welcomed two very special guests this past Saturday; and what an exciting visit it was! Since this is a busy time of year for both of them, their surprise stopover was unexpected; but Santa and Mrs. Claus decided to take a break from their seasonal festivities to catch up with all of us here at Serenity. Indeed, Santa had been watching us and saw that we had been pretty good over this past year; and it was nice that we even had some milk and cookies to share with the unexpected visitors. Santa spent the afternoon giving all of us a few early gifts and asking us what we wanted for the holidays. It was a blast to hear his jokes and laugh with Mrs. Claus as he sat us one by one on his knee. Now we know we’ll have to keep on being good so we get more treats!

After spending the afternoon, it was finally time for Santa and Mrs. Claus to head back to the North Pole; but we were able to take a few pictures to share with you! Take a peek above at Santa and Mrs. Claus as they surprise Esther Olson, Muriel Kaercher and Henrietta Van Dyke last Saturday. To the right is Florence Tingum who is laughing as Santa surprises her with an early present. And take a look to the left as Santa makes John Grubb sit on his lap before he gives John a gift. Pictured below is John who is helping Mary open her present after all the excitement of the day!

Serenity's Bell Ringers

2009-11-25T16:38:00.003-06:00

As all of us at Serenity know all too well, Henrietta is just one of those people who always wants to help out; and this is exactly what she did this past week. Michele Schuering and Henrietta took a short trip to K-Mart in Moorhead where they volunteered as bell ringers for the Salvation Army.

For those of you who may not know about the Salvation Army, it was founded in San Francisco in 1891 and has significantly grown over the past 100 years. Last year more than 25,000 volunteers earned the organization over $130 million; and the money was used to purchase food, clothing and toys for nearly 30 million people in need!

You will see the bell ringers until December 24th this holiday season; and all donations are used for needy citizens around the United States. So do a good turn and help out those in need through the Salvation Army!

Take a peak above at the picture of Michele and Henrietta volunteering for the Salvation Army. To the right is a picture of Henrietta actually ringing her bell!

(Source: www.salvationarmyusa.org)

God Bless Carol Thompson

2009-11-24T23:47:00.000-06:00

Feeding America

2009-11-24T10:04:00.002-06:00

Pennies for Chairty collected $23.21 this month for the 'Feeding America' organization. Thanks to everyone who brought in their pennies for this cause!