WOW Russ got a picture he took and summitted to the Arizona Republic printed in todays paper WOW

Babysitting Part 3

Audrey was supposed to be taking a nap, but I could hear conversation. I tip toed into the hallway and she was laying there talking to herself about fairies. She saw me, closed her eyes and started to giggle. I took the picture and she laughed at the clic and the flash, but managed to keep her eyes closed. Avery built a great block castle and I told him it looked like the coliseum in Rome and he cracked up laughing.

Babysitting Part 2

Here's Grandpa helping the kids paint.

Friday Babysitting May 28 2010

GrandMa Valerie Babysat Avery and Audrey all day on Friday. I have to get up 3 hours early to be there awake, dressed, and ready for action on time , but it was worth it. We were busy all day. First we do something quiet (to start it was Rolly Poly Hippo magnifiers looking at coins and fingers and neat stuff) then something active ( we did races and Avery and Audrey alternated blowing the starting whistle) then something quiet, making puppets, etc, all day long. I think their favorite is hide and seek and I like to play trains. Grandpa came over later in the afternoon and he did a glue and paint project that Rob had left for the kids to do. The 3 of them sat together and talked and talked. When we played go fish both Avery & Audrey wanted to get the Firetruck picture cards. Avery won the game with 2 sets and running out of cards.

May 16th shopping at AJ's

Reg and I went to AJ's for his Italian Moretti beer and their great olive bar. They have a new vender in the bakery section who makes Italian cookies. We had a sample and bought 4 boxes. Looks like we'll be over there a lot more frequently. These are things that those Lucky Detroiter's take for granted - but for us they are a huge windfall of joy ...

Val's May 15th Weekend

May 15th Week-End

What a Night. Acme Locksmith Won

Wow ! what a night last night was. For a complete discribtion of the event go to

http://central-northern-western-arizona.bbb.org/article/join-us-for-the-2010-bbb-business-ethics-awards-dinner-19095

We went to the BBB Business ethic awards at the Ariz Biltmore ::::: and ROBBIE WON !! Out of 200+ entries he won 1st place in category 1: 1-10 employees. The Ariz Biltmore was great. Rob met us there at the reception, looking tall and handsome, every inch the businessman. He introduced us to some interesting people and we had a great time talking with everyone.
Then we went into the ballroom where the tables were aglow with candles and fine china. Pat McManon was the Host at the podium. He told funny stories and got us all started eating dinner. The 1st course was a Caprize salad with olives and artichokes, different but very good. The main course was a spicy but not hot, perfect chicken and desert was Tiramisu. During dinner Pat introduced all the finalists on big movie screens and films of what I think must have been thier interviews.
After dinner - Pat got started with the Awards. I did not know that a business is nominated first - but then it is customers who vote on the entries, plus a team of judges works on the decision. The very first award given was Robbie - Acme Locksmith !!! I whistled, stompted, and yelled as he walked to the stage. The gal from the BBB at our table knew I was Rob's Mom and she laughed at me, then she too yelled and whistled as Rob went up to the stage. (she and her friend won the table pize, the Western & Savings Stagecoast Cookie Jar - and they gave it to me, such a kind thing to do :)
After all the awards were given Jerry Colangelo gave a wonderful talk. Everyone there had gotten a free copy of his book. Later on he autographed books too.
Reg and I are so proud of Rob.

Tap water warm as soup

You will never guess what happened. Reg got home & put the new temperture gage into the pool. He came back into the house and said "it must be broken, it says the pool is 90 degrees". I said "if it's 90 degrees it's perfect, I'm going in". I got my suit on and just walked right in - Holy Cow it was as warm as a bath. I swam and played for 40 minutes - 1st one in the pool this year. Reg wouldn't go in 'cause the pool just had tap water - no chemicals in it yet. The water did go down to 89 degrees before I got out ! Valerie

Mother's Day Week-end

* Double clip photo to enlarge and see Leo Horoscope sign in our backyard..... For Mother's day oldest son Reggie sent me a text message, Middle son Robbie called and also send me a Cookie Flower basket ( my first, great cookies too, I ate the flower ones myself :) and youngest son Russ (who worked Saturday and Sunday but called me on Sat afternoon ) came over for dinner on Monday afternoon. Then, with his telescope, he found the LEO Horoscope sign and filmed it for me. Great week-end.

Tuesday Pool almost full

Reg has gotten 14 bags of pool salt. Last nite Reg and Keith talked and Keith tells Reg he should have 23-24 bags for a pool our size.

On Monday Keith acid washes the pool

It's a ballet of movement, pouring a curtain of acid, it drapes down the wall, rinsing the foam off with a sparklely cascade of water, pouring again...

This was a good day to do this work. The temperture went down into the low 80's, was in the high 90's.

Part 1 Audrey's Party

3 year old Grand-daughter, lovely Miss Audrey, had a 2nd Birthday Party this year. Lara had one for Audrey's friends at the neatest place, Verterans Oasis Park in Chandler. We had never been there before but they have a lake stocked with large mouth & small mouth bass so I am sure we (or Grandpa) will go back. There is an ecological center there that does BD parties. The kids made Butterflies, then made Bug Boxes, then went out into the park to catch bugs (plastic harmless ones). They had a parachute the kids tossed up and down full of stuffed animal bugs!

Thank goodness that I found & married Reg. He is a true genius. He got up early (as always) this morning and started his day with coffee and taking the entire pool system apart. If we had to pay for this it would have been a small fortune. He cleaned all the filters which is a big job in itself, he checked everything - looking for worn parts that could cause a breakdown in the long hot summer ahead and cleaned out all the other motorized pool equipment. Reg can fix anything . When I look at the pool equipment area - I get a rush of terror. Even though Reg has labeled everything I know I could never even run it, much less repair or maintain it !

April 18 2010 Avery and Audrey call Grandma & Grandpa's car the Marshmellow car, because it looks like a big soft marshmellow. They came with thier Papa to visit and helped Grandpa wash the car and his truck too. Grandpa has a power hose that Avery got to use. Audrey got her own pink washing rag. Sometimes somebody would miss the car and squirt Grandma or Audrey and we'd run down the drive way screaming (with delite, it was a warm day:)

May 1, 2010 Miss Audrey (just over 3 years old) always asks Grandma if she can help. Her brother used to love to wash dishes, so I asked her if she would like to do it. She was thrilled. She loved squirting the soap bottle and washed everything 2-3 times to be sure they were clean. She was very sad when I ran out of plastics for her to scrub.

Feb 2010 ... 4 year old Grandson avery loves cars, trucks, fire engines, anything with a motor. He and his sister were visiting the day Grandpa changed his oil on his antique Oldsmobile. Avery was so excited. He laid down on the cement and watched Grandpa's every move. Feb was still cold here (for us spoiled Arizonans) so I made him put a big T-shirts on over his clothes and a towel under his head - but it wasn't EZ - he didn't want to leave his "action view" spot for even a second!

Grandpa's Saturday in the Pool

Well, Having a swimming pool is wonderful - but it is a lot of work, and Ariz Grandpa has to do most of it. Here in Arizona, every 4-5 years it is recommended that you should fully drain the pool (the minerals from adding water really build up over time and can damage the actual equipment that keeps the pool running), acid wash the finnish (we have a pebble tech type of finnish) and, if you have a tile edging (we do) you need to sand blast off the white, cement line that has built up at the waters edge.