Newsletter

Visit our website at www.sheridangreenhouse.org

Fall 2013

Pumpkin Patch Trip Sheridan College Partnership

Thank You Volunteers New! Peer Mentor Program

Harvest Dance Favorite Fall Food

Page 2

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

For the cookies: 3¾ cups all-purpose flour 1½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt ½ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup light brown sugar ¾ cup pumpkin puree 1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating: ½ cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. ground cinnamon ½ tsp. ground ginger

Dash of allspice

Big Hit of the Fall Season– Served on the First Day of Fall

Thank You, Sheridan Mini-Bus!

Green House Living would like to give a big thank you to the Mini-Bus. The drivers have been incredibly helpful. There are so many outings, appointments and activities that would not be possible without this helpful service. Thank you for raising the quality of life for the Elders yet even more. You’re appreciated!

With the help of chef instructor, certified

Executive Chef and co-department head,

Tim Rockwell, we are looking forward to

continuing our partnership with Sheridan

College culinary school.

With delicious food and our mealtime as a central part of each day, we are continuing to dedicate ourselves to high standards. We have plans for a day’s training at the Sheri-dan campus for our Shahbazim and their culinary skills. This training will be a great asset to the kitchens of the Shahbazim both at home and on the job!

Directions In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder,

salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the pumpkin pu-ree. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorpo-rated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend. Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spac-ing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slight-ly. Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the re-maining dough. Store in an airtight container

Visit our website at www.sheridangreenhouse.org

Page 3

Around the House: We Welcome All Staff Hired September to Present!

New Shahbazim Staff (CNAs)

Maggie Onstad Carly Jeffers Wayne Negron

New Clinical Support Staff (Nurse)

Rhonda Michelena

We wish to thank our loyal and helpful

volunteers who call BINGO.

You help make Green House Living a

better place!

Eagle Ridge Rehabilitative Services

David Crocker

Dalene Roe

Linda Bradford

Diana Gilbert

Looking for: Large Print Books

With the change in seasons, many Elders are

leaving the patio furniture where they used to

soak up rays and gathering instead around the

warmth of our hearths in each homes. And,

with our world becoming increasingly cozy,

there is more and more desire to curl up and sip

something hot and read a good book.

But, we are in need of

more large print books!

If you or anyone you know would like to donate

large print editions, we will happily accept them

in the main office at your convenience.

Many, many thanks to you in advance!

Christmas is Coming

With the holidays around the corner, we’ve

begun dreaming of tasty treats. We are

happily accepting holiday cookie recipes.

With a bit of planning from our Dietary

Mentor, Emily, we can have everything we

need for a season of delights.

From the Administrator

Harvest Greetings to you! As you can see we have been busy with a lot of different activities for our elders, thanks to Julie, our Activities Coordinator, and our volunteers! We weathered the early October snowstorm very well thanks to the help of our maintenance staff and contractors in keeping the sidewalks and driveways clear! Thankfully, only a few of our trees had any damage.

We are still recovering slowly from the hail damage sustained in June and have repaired our minivan. Thanks to Stephanie and Jake Kendrick for allowing us to use their van for the time that our van was being repaired!

We have also been busy with our Sheridan College partners in providing students with Green House experiences. As part of their clinical experience, the dental students have been doing screenings and cleanings for our elders and will continue through December. We will also be working with the nursing and massage therapy students next semester to provide them with clinical experience hours with our elders.

On September 27th, we provided an update to our Foundation partners who were so crucial in helping us get started. Dale Bell, owner of Media Policy Center, was also here to do the remaining filming of our project which is anticipated to be featured on Wyoming PBS sometime in the near future. This film documentary will feature our story from the beginning to now and we’re excited to share it with new audiences in Wyoming! If you’re interested in contributing towards the final production expenses, please send your tax-deductible donations to Wyoming PBS Foundation, 115 N. 5th E., Riverton, WY 82501 in the name of “Homes on the Range”.

I am so thankful for the elders living here, the staff, and volunteers who care for them so well and also help them continue to live fulfilling lives.

Chris Visit our website at www.sheridangreenhouse.org

Recipe for Love 2 hearts full of love 2 heaping cups of kindness 2 arms full of gentleness 2 cups of friendship 2 cups of joy 2 big hearts full of forgiveness 1 lifetime of togetherness 2 minds full of tenderness Stir daily with happiness, patience and humor. Serve with warmth and compassion, respect and loyalty.

Page 4

Introducing the Peer Mentor Program!

A Bountiful Harvest of Activities

A couple of the most fun Autumn events so far this

season has been a trip to the pumpkin patch and a

Harvest Dance. Both attractions drew an enthusiastic group.

Our activities coordinator, Julie, and some trusty volunteers made

the 13 mile trip to the Koltiska pumpkin patch with 17 Elders.

They enjoyed some fall activities, including picking a pumpkin to

bring home. On a later day, most Elders joined together to decorate the pumpkins with a

variety of faces. See the creativity for yourself! A fantastic group of three local men, the

Wyoming Drifters, visited the afternoon of Sunday, the 13 of October with their musical

talents in tow. With two accordions and a guitar, it made for some outstanding music

enjoyed by many Elders. Staff and Elders danced

together to some old familiar tunes, including a few

polkas and ending with the “Chicken Dance”. Sunny

memories surfaced and smiles abounded. We thank

the Wyoming Drifters for their visit!

As we move from start-up to on-going operations mode, our needs for training are evolving. To help new Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) transition to Shahbazim, we are establishing a Peer Mentor program.

Four Shahbazim – one for each cottage – with big hearts and helpful spirits will be attending a formal training covering a variety of topics. These include communication techniques, nurturing new team members, how to be a peer resource, and mentoring in the unique environment at GHLS.

The Peer Mentor program is a step towards fulfilling one of the core Green House Project concepts of empowering staff. We are excited to begin this program and to of-fer our new staff more support to grow into Shahbazim who protect, sustain, and nur-ture our Elders.

Page 5