birthday party

 Potato salad, two kinds, and ribs and sloppy joes on a Sunday afternoon--pretty nice.

This game was a gift and quite a hit.  Spin the toilet paper, which tells you how many times to flush the toilet.  At random points, the toilet squirts the player in the face.  Good times.

 Cake time!   I was busy painting and had no time to bake a cake, so he picked out this ice cream cake, which was well received.

 These two--we laughed about how it looks like Barbie is living out her car again.

It was an easy and lovely afternoon.

Happy Birthday Jay,

Nothing but love,   Val and Everybody

saturday night

Jay went to Stillwater for basketball, took the little girl her birthday gift.

I had to stay home because we had this situation going on.   Julia asked to re-do her room.  Maria did, back in the day.   Kari re-painted hers this winter, could she also?

So last weekend we went shopping and started with the bedspread. Then sheets and rugs, and finally paint.

 She's thirteen. She's never painted before, and it was a bit overwhelming. The color is unforgiving regarding the edges, and edges are difficult on these old plaster walls and ceilings. She bumped the roller on the ceiling and splattered it on the woodwork and floor.  I saw all this, and rubbed my temples and then bitched. She was wiping tears.  This was a way worse job than we expected.

 But late  yesterday afternoon I got in there with a little tiny brush from a water color set and did the edging. She'd already rollered on two coats on the walls.  I painted the ceiling and baseboards, and she did the radiator cover.  It started coming together.

Here they are late at night, doing nails:

 Here's Kari's peaceful mint green. She did all the edging and is going to do the ceiling eventually.  She's begun looking for a bedspread and rug to finish it up, pull it all together.

  I love these funny decals:

There's the finished product, Voila.

Love, Val, Kari and Julia

pinewood derby

This is a big deal for Cub Scouts, and it went very well. This is a small Cub Scout pack at their small school--everyone knows each other.  Those beautiful cars were so much work to create, as well as trying to involve the kids so they feel ownership of the creation.   They were sick, including the parents, but the Pinewood Derby must happen!

Anyway, it was a fun morning and Alicia's parents were there too. We got used to seeing them all the time at the lake, so that was also fun/  They're easy people to be with, fun to share grandchildren in common.

So Congratulations boys, on a race well run.

Love, Grandma and Grandpa

happy birthday, jay

Happy Birthday, indeed.

It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day, just absolutely perfect.

 In the evening we opened a few gifts:

 With the teeth, always the dramatic performance to amuse the children.

 Oh, big surprise! Shorts! 

(You are a good sport.)

 Guessing what's in the package:

 Tearing it open with the teeth:

 More guesses:

 That movie did not work, faulty disc, going back to the store in the morning.

 He guessed underwear.

 He was right.  He also guessed the bath gel.

There you go, in a cloud of smoke for ONE MORE YEAR.

Julia put these old pictures of the two of you on Instagram, so sweet.

There are many things about you we appreciate.  You show up and take care of things.  You don't nitpick.  If there is a situation or a problem or a project someone asks for help with?  You are there, doing whatever needs to be done, no matter how ridiculous the job or how terrible the weather.

Besides your own business and all those customers, you also cook and do laundry and tend unruly grandbabies late in the afternoon.  You accompany me on real estate appointments whenever I ask.

This is an old story, but it's kind of true to you.  Back in the day, the kids thought apple cores disappeared.

They'd eat an apple in the car, throw the core on the floor, and over a few days it would wither and then disappear.

Seriously.

They did not realize that on Wednesday night when you were putting the trash cans to the curb, you'd take a pass through the cars and remove any trash.

Hello?  Your Father.  Remover of all apple cores.

And this brings us to NOW, three years ago, a little baby girl was born right on your birthday, and she is delightful.

 Sweet angel here you are, big dark eyes and bright smile.

We loved you then, silly little lump of a doll, and we love you now.

 Happy Birthday, Beautiful Girl. Grandpa is so happy to have a birthday with you together.

Always so much love,

Grandma, aka Val, plus EVERYBODY