Welcome New Beginnings: January Events

It is hard to believe how time has flown and we now, once again, welcome in a new year—2014! This January, as part of our Alive in All Seasons program we will be celebrating the magic of music. Music has long been recognized as a healing tool in the writings of Pythagoras, Aristotle and Plato. A quote by Plato helps us understand the enormity and power of music; “music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything”.

Music is indeed part of our souls, our imaginations, our lives. It is no wonder that people love music; it inspires us, sparks our minds, taps into our creativity, heals our souls, motivates us to dance, to laugh, to cry. This January we will celebrate music in all its glory!

We will be hosting several open events at our community this month. Please join us for our Elvis’ Birthday Celebration with “The Only Purpose” at 2:00 pm on January 8^th, our Lasagna Dinner and Karaoke Night with DJ Rich at 5:00 pm on January 21^st, and a Groundhog Day themed meeting of our Pennsylvania Dutch Heritage Club at 2:00 pm on January 29^th. We encourage you to review our calendar for other offerings and attend any or all of the activities that are of interest to you.

It’s going to be another great month here at Juniper Village at Lebanon. Let us join together in music and “Welcome New Beginnings”. 

Holiday Woodworking

In preparation for the Holiday season, Stew and Sue Walton came to
share their expertise in woodworking. Dressed in period clothing, Sue
gave a brief talk on the history of wooden spoons and spatulas and
then demonstrated chipcarving. We were all fascinated, she is a great
storytelller. Then Stew gave us each our own cherry wood spatula to
finish. We sanded and sanded until our masterpeices were smooth and
ready for oiling. Stew gave each of us a tiny bit of mineral oil to
rub into the surface of the wood. It was really an amazing
transformation as the oil brought out the natural beauty of the grain
in the wood. At the end of the session we each had a wonderful, hand
made and finished cherry spatula to keep or to give as a gift. It was
an amazing opportunity to take part in the rich heritage of
Pennsylvania woodworking.

Joyful Noise Singers

We love to sing!  Here at Juniper Village at Lebanon, we are always
singing.  We sing at morning devotions, we sing together at socials,
we even sing as we exercise. Singing together makes us happy and helps
us feel connected to our Juniper family.

Singing in a choral group creates a special bond and requires a lot of
teamwork. To be part of a performance group you must commit to
practicing regularly and be dressed and on time for the night of the
show.  Singing in a group also requires careful listening to blend
your voice with the rest of the chorus.

The Joyful Noise Singers are serious about singing, but we also cut
loose and have a lot of fun!

PEER Ambassadors Judge Gingerbread House Contest

Our PEER trained Ambassadors were invited to the Career and Technology
Center to judge the gingerbread house contest.  Students in the pastry
arts class created amazing, edible works of art and Juniper
Ambassadors were given the honor of helping to judge the contest.  The
residents carefully considered several aspects of the design,
including: construction, degree of difficulty and overall aesthetics.
After the judging, the residents were treated to a sampling of
delicious desserts.  They enjoyed their reward for a job well done.

Here Comes Santa Claus!

What a surprise! Santa came to visit and brought gifts for all the
residents and their friends and families.

Everyone brought plates of cookies to the cookie exchange and went
home with a spectacular variety of Holiday treats. Of course there
were plenty of cookies to go around, so we all enjoyed some with a cup
of creamy hot chocolate.

The children (and some of the grown-ups!) sat on Santa's lap and told
him what was on their Christmas list.

There were Ho, Ho, Ho's and smiles all around at the Juniper Village
at Lebanon Christmas Party.

Celebrate Little Things: December Events

 

“The more you praise and celebrate your life,

the more there is in life to celebrate” ~Oprah Winfrey

 

This December, as part of our Alive In All Seasons program

we will be focusing on traditions. Traditions play such an

important role within our lives by providing a shared identity

and sense of belonging, comfort and joy. Traditions allow us

to tap into our deep and rich cultural, family and religious

heritage. Our Alive In All Seasons tagline this month of

“Celebrate Little Things” reminds us that these traditions,

many of which are small, little things, can serve as the glue

that binds us together and makes our lives great.

 

Celebrations will be abundant this holiday season here at

Juniper Village as we share memories from our residents,

families and our associates about traditions, beliefs and

customs that have shaped our lives. We will learn about how

other cultures celebrate winter holidays, complete with the

singing of carols and the sampling of some delicious ethnic

treats. We will gain respect and insight into each other as

we reflect upon our unique and cherished traditions, and;

maybe create some new ones along the way!

 

You are cordially invited to join us in celebration for the

Juniper Village Christmas Party on Dec 12th. Come enjoy

the musical stylings of “Chardonnay for Two” and visit with

Santa! On Christmas Eve our very own Joyful Noise Singers

will lead an old fashioned carol sing. Finally, don’t miss our

New Year’s Eve party. Karl Hausman will play the piano and

we will count down with our very own Lebanon Bologna

Drop as we ring in the New Year.

 

So, this holiday season please stop

by and celebrate with us as we

“Celebrate Little Things”

Harry Potter Halloween Spooktacular!

 

Residents and staff spent days preparing for this exciting
intergenerational event. Residents helped to decorate, created favors
and volunteered as hosts of the party. Our residents were at the door
to greet children as they arrived and all around the community handing
out candy to little trick or treaters.

Witches and wizards of all ages stopped to pose with the Hogwarts
School of Magic Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledor.

Our guests and residents enjoyed some spooky treats, played games,
decorated their own cookies, made magic wants and even got to try some
Butterbeer!

At the end of the night, we were all deliciously tired and already
looking forward to next Halloween. What should the theme be next
year?

Fall Foliage

The days are getting shorter and colder, and the fall foliage of
central Pennsylvania is at its peak.  Here in Lebanon, our residents
enjoy looking at the trees lining the front walk.  One day the trees
were so beautiful we just had to take some pictures.  Nancy Moyer,
Ginny Rabena and Anna Mae Moyer braved the cold wind to snap a few
Autumn mementos.

Getting Ready for Halloween

After decorating for Halloween, what's the next most important thing?
Candy, of course!  We took a trip to Smith's Candies in Myerstown to
stock up on plenty of candy for the kids coming to the party.  I think
some of us bought candy just for ourselves too!