The Barrington in Largo, FL, was recommended to us by A Place for Mom as an option for my parents. My wife and I visited The Barrington for a tour. We were greeted by Sherrie (Regional Supervisor, Tarantino Properties) for our visit. Sherrie was extremely knowledgeable & professional; a great representative for The Barrington. We also met Linda (Nurse Administrator) in order to describe the care needs required for my father. Linda was very understanding of my Dad’s needs and took the time to formulate a care plan for my father. Linda was extremely helpful with a great sense of ...humor. From the start, we were comfortable with The Barrington. The residents were happy, friendly and outgoing; we even spoke with a couple of them. We were provided with an overview of the facility (both assisted living & independent living) and walked the property. From the front desk staff to the caregivers, all personnel were professional, caring and friendly. Unlike the numerous other ALFs we visited in the Tampa, FL, area, The Barrington offers 1 bedroom apartments; not studios. This makes your “home” feel like HOME not just one room with a bathroom. The units even have small kitchens and screened covered lianas (porches). Very nice touch! The Barrington was very clean; very important to us and my parents. We knew from the time we walked in to The Barrington, this was the place for Mom & Dad. As a result, we scheduled a second visit for my parents to visit the property. My parents were pleasantly surprised with the beauty of the property; large facility surrounded by huge oak trees and even a swimming pool! If you have a vehicle, covered parking is provided; what a bonus. Again, we were greeted by Sherrie; she took the time to show my parents the grounds and treated us all to lunch. …..and a great lunch too! We met the chef and the food was really good. Our server, Jolene, was very personable and even though she did not know my parents, she joked with them and made them feel right at home. The Barrington has a Nurse Practitioner on site as well as a contractor providing on site physical therapy. My wife and I met all healthcare professionals and were pleased with all. How convenient; healthcare professionals on site and you don’t even have to get in the car to go anywhere. The Barrington has complimentary van service that meets everyone’s needs. In conclusion, The Barrington was the place we all decided would be “home” for Mom & Dad. My parents have been residents at The Barrington for about 1 month now and all is good. They have told me the residents are friendly and they like the staff. They have bragged how good the food is….very healthy options and if you don’t like healthy, then you can order a grilled cheese, hamburger or hot dog with onion rings. :o) Of course my parents are going through an adjustment but the staff at The Barrington have made Mom & Dad feel right at home. Since moving in, The Barrington continues to impress. On July 4, they had a cookout for the residents. They have happy hour one evening a week…..even took the residents to a local park for a picnic; also took the residents out for free slushy day offered by the 7-11 store. There is complimentary Wi-Fi offered in the lobby and basic cable tv (BrightHouse) is provided free of charge in each residents room. Bottom line – Mom & Dad’s home cannot be replaced but The Barrington is the next best thing.
Show MoreLessChristmas Crafts For You and A Friend Back
Merry Christmas! It’s the hap-happiest time of the year, and that means spending time with those you love doing things to create memories and bond you closer together. Making Christmas crafts with a friend is a wonderful way to spread cheer to others as we enjoy the holiday season together. Invite a friend to make these crafts together to decorate your homes with or give as presents this holiday season!
Sock Snowmen
Idea Courtesy of Ciao-Mama.com
What You’ll Need:
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Pair of calf-length tube socks
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Pair of cute patterned girls socks
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Rice (or beans or lentils)
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Rubber Bands
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Twine
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Felt for shirt/eyes/nose
Directions
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Cut the foot off of one tube sock and toss. You will only need the top of the sock.
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Turn the tube part of the sock inside out and wrap one end tight with a rubber band. Then, turn it right side out again and begin to fill with rice. Push the rice down into the sock so it will stretch out and become a chubby little snowman body.
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Once you have filled the sock almost to the brim, wrap another rubber band around the top to secure.
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Take out your patterned socks and cut the heel and toe off of one sock, so you have just the middle section. This will be the snowman’s shirt. Then take the other sock and cut off the heel. This will be the snowman’s hat.
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Shimmy the “shirt” over his plump belly. Take some of your twine and tie it around the top of the sweater.
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For his hat, take another piece of twin and tie a cute bow near the top of the sock toe. This will make it look more like a hat, and less like the end of a sock. Place this on top of his head for his hat.
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For the face, make little eyes and a carrot nose out of black and orange felt. Hot glue onto his face area and enjoy his cuteness!
Painted Wooden Clothespin Snowman Ornaments
Idea Courtesy of Craftingmom.com
What You’ll Need:
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Wooden Doll Pins 3 ¾” (pkg of 30 sold in craft stores)
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Red or Green felt for hat
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Acrylic paint: white, black, orange, red, green
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Clear Gloss Varnish
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String or ribbon for hanger
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Thin ribbon (to tie on hat)
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Paint brush
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Black Ultra Fine Sharpie
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Glue (hot glue preferred)
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Scissors
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Optional: small jingle bell, sequin snowflake, glitter paint, fine sandpaper, toothpick, q-tip
Directions:
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Paint the wooden pins white. It will take 2 or 3 coats of white paint.
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If needed, sand with fine sandpaper to smooth any rough edges.
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Using black paint, make 2 eyes, and with red paint, make a simple scarf. Do this with one stroke from the right side, and one stroke from the left. Make a small circle (for the knot in the scarf), then two separate strokes down to make the tales to the scarf.
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Using orange paint, make a carrot nose and let it dry.
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Add rosy cheeks by mixing red and white paint to make a soft pink. Using a q-tip as a brush, gently add the cheeks.
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Using a fine line sharpie, add a smile with just 4 or 4 little lines. Don’t forget to use your sharpie to add some cute eyebrows.
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Add some detail to the eyes by dipping the end of a toothpick into white paint and place a little dot in each eye.
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After drying, paint with a coat of glitter paint.
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Let dry and paint with a coat of gloss varnish.
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For the hat, cut a piece of felt 2” by 3”. Fold up one side of the 2” side and glue, glue hat on the snowman. String a small jingle bell onto a thin ribbon and tie tight with a knot around the top of the hat. You may need to trim off a little of the hat.
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For the hanger, slide or glue thin ribbon on the strong tied around the hat. Glue a sequin snowflake on the hat and you are all done!