EmMaS SuPeR 70's BiRtHdAy BaSh!

Savannahs cute little friend Emma had the Birthday Bash of the Year on Friday Night!! It was a 70's night & all the girls were suppose to dress up! How fun! It was such a cute idea, they did fun activities, danced & watched old episodes of The Brady Bunch! They had SO much fun!
Luckily, we pay a freaking fortune for dance & we have the costumes from previous years. Even more lucky, I have access to my sisters girls costumes too.(all 4 of her girls dance, so there are ALOT of costumes!) So, we found a PERFECT 70's getup for Savannah to wear! (It's a few different costumes put together) She was lookin pretty righteous!!
This is the Birthday Girl Emma, Miss Maddie, & Stinky Savannah, being little Goonies at the party! I had to sneak over to take some picturesI I just hope I didn't embarrass Savannah too much, I think I have a couple more years before I'm a COMPLETE disgrace to her. They all just looked so stinkin cute! I just had to have some pictures of all their costumes. They were all pretty into the show, I wish I could have gotten some of them a little more close up. They were fabulous! Such cute girls!!

Emmas mom, Christine; (by the way is a SAINT) & let Emma invite 30 something girls to the party! Holy Cow, look at all those girls!! They had TONS of fun!! Thanks so much Christine, you really are a SAINT!! I had tons of fun getting Savannah ready too, what a fun idea for a party! I don't think I'm brave enough to do it, but it looked great! Savannah said no one recognized her in that wig! How funny!!
Happy Birthday Stinky Emma!

I shall wear purple....

One of my favorite people in this world was my Gramma Reid. She passed away a few years ago, in fact it will be 5 years in January. She is always on my mind, but a little bit more so the past few weeks since today is her birthday. She was an amazing writer. She loved the poem "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple," so one day she re-wrote it to fit her. It's so funny & perfect & I thought I'd share it with you....

I am truly an OLD WOMAN

Not freely, It cost me dear

But Now,

I can wear purple, with a red hat

preserved and treasured as I aged

with the satin shoes I was Christmased with

So I can use the pension for chocolate

and say there is no money for butter

When the rains subside I'll be a-going

to other people's gardens to pick flowers

I shall NOT gobble up samples in shops

unless I like them, or they are sweet

I have worn sensible clothes of thrifty value

for too long

I sit on the pavement, store aisles or benches

and sing shrilly, off-key, incessantly

I hoard pens, package bows,

notes to myself, words I love,

folk legends, and superstitions

I learned to spit in Sigurd

on summer evenings long

on nothing to do

A sin we learned behind the Merc

Many a rural Jill and Jerk

a skill practiced in secret,

extremely

Mr. & Mrs. Irvin L. would think think it

unseemly

Arthur-itis curtails my practice now

distance nil and accuracy errant

Behold my Magic Wand that stomps on Evil

waved each night,

pinkie extended at proper chic

Calms sleep,

outwitting demons that lurk and shriek

NOW, I wear silly shirts, with which I'm gifted

Eat only bread and pickles since Roxanne

questioned my nutrition

But I shall NOT eat 3 pounds of sausage at a go

or even any sausages at all

Nor worry any more about shaming my children

they can rise above shame-maternal

as she oozes into her Purple Stage

with some farce and foolery

And over-age fun.

The picture is of my cute Gramma & Grammpa. I loved this "re-mix" she did, she was amazing. I have some of the best Gramma stories. I was lucky enough to know her very well. I was of course her favorite! ha ha. I hope you enjoyed her re-do poem, I'll post some others she did. She was the best.

I miss her...

Averys Special Day!

Happy Birthday Miss Avery! The day started with her birthday pancakes & finishing up her goodie bags for her kindergarten class. Remember how fun birthdays were when you were little?
Then I picked the girls up from school & she came running out wearing her birthday crown! How fun!! (her goonie sister is the nerd in the background) She was wearing her birthday outfit from her Grandma & Grandpa Alger & she thought she was such a big kid!


We topped the day off with a fun filled trip to Chuck E. Cheese! Whoo Hoo!! Look how EXCITED Avery looks in that top picture! Holy cow, it's amazing how much kids love that place. She got some fun gifts & had lots of fun, it wasn't her "official" birthday party so just a few people met us there to celebrate the big day. Gramma Robin, Auntie Ree Ree & a couple of her kids & Little Aunt Katie. It was a fun night, for Avery! Thanks for coming guys. Happy Birthday Miss Avery!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday to the DAD! In between kid soccer games & watching football games on TV, we celebrated the Dads Birthday this weekend! The kids & I got him a picture of George Washington, he's wanted it for years & we just got him one. We also went out that night to a nice restaurant just the mom & the dad! NO KIDS, not even the baby. How did that happen, you ask. Gramma Robin babysat all 4 kids for us so we could go out alone. I think it might have been my birthday too! ha ha It was a great dinner, nothing is better than being SERVED food that you DID NOT have to cook, & then being cleaned up after! It's a beautiful thing, I think I probably enjoyed it more than the Birthday Boy!
He is going to be SO mad at me for putting this picture in here. But, it was the only one I had from the "celebration". This is the late night consumption of the BEST BIRTHDAY CAKE EVER!! I made his favorite cake for his birthday, but we were so stuffed we waited until late that night to have some. It was a very fun day, I hope he enjoyed it too!
Miss Brookie Beth getting scratchy kisses from her daddy! Too cute! Priceless picture, I love it!!
Have a good week! - Kate

Kharma or Karma?

Okay, so the carpeting is IN!! That is "Little Katie" vacuuming the basement family room. Holy cow, it is SO close to being done. The bathroom is not, but that is another story. I just have some minor touch ups to do with paint & we're done. Scott is buying blinds & doorknobs as we speak & it done! It looks so good too, (if I do say so myself) Scott & I even got the furniture down the stairs & around the crazy narrow hallway! Yay us! Just as I was feeling like it was all working out & good....
Our oldest comes running down the stairs to tell us the dishwasher is overflowing all over the kitchen floor. Thank goodness she saw it fast & it didn't leak anywhere in the basement! Phew... But, broken dishwasher!! I swear there are times that I think I must have been VERY VERY naughty in a previous life & it's coming back to haunt me. Karma sucks!! (I'm not sure how to spell that & I'm too lazy to go find out) Someone tell me it's just all normal & I'm not jinxed or cursed. Holy Cow! I'm also NOT from pioneer stock & the thought of doing dishes by hand makes my cringe. Of course the dishwasher was full & the sink had stuff in it too, cuz lets just say since this basement debacle I haven't been exactly as caught up as I'd like. So I have tons of dishes to wash BY HAND. I'm so glad I was born in the age of dishwashers. I hate washing by hand, & couldn't even imagine having to "fetch" the water, heat it over a fire, & then wash by hand! Well, maybe I did; in that previous life of mine, ha ha ha!
Then I look at this little thing & I have to admit I'm pretty lucky!! She was talking & laughing with her daddy! She is so sweet! Even when she's puking on me in the middle of the night, pooping out her diaper all over my lap, & screaming screaming & more screaming (she still isn't happy since her shots), I LOVE her! Oh, & her big sisters & brother & Scott did get up this morning & do a bunch of the dishes for me, so I guess I love him too! Ha ha ha!
Have a good weekend! I already got an entry for the recipe blog. I'll be posting it soon!!

NEW BLOG!!

Okay I did it...I made a new blog for recipes!! I posted just a couple things I made this week. I put a few notes under each for ya. One is extremely easy & the other is extremely kid friendly!! I hope you check it out. I put a link right here for ya but it's also at
easyrecipes-kalger.blogspot.com

Tell me what ya think & ENJOY!!

PoWeR RaNgErS & DiNoSaUrS

So this is Sammys favorite before-bed pastime! He wants to play Power Rangers every night, right before bed. Daddy got the honor of being the "bad guy" this time. He is so funny, he shoots you or whacks you & then tells you that he stole all your powers so you can't fight back. He's such a funny guy! He was having tons of fun with his daddy last night! (never mind the dinner dishes that were still out in the background)

Then the fight moved into the family room & became "ROARS", (that's what Sammy calls Dinosaurs). He was so hilarious & when he got into a sticky situation, he would call for Mommy to help him. He pounded on his Dad like this for almost an hour! Then of course he was so riled up he didn't want to go to bed. He's a great "Roar"!
Savannah even got in on the action. It turns more into "lets take a pony ride on the dad" instead of the "Dinos that want to rip each other to shreds" when the girls get involved. It's so funny how different they are! Fun night with stinky kids!!

I had an idea for our new "blog family" (I love that term, thanx Manic) Anyhow, I am in need of some help in the cooking department. I love to cook, when I have time that is....But I feel like I've made the same things for years. Since a lot of us are Stay at Home Moms, or Working Moms, I was wondering if ya'll have the same problem. Well, I was thinking if you were interested you could email me with recipes, or time saving ideas & I'll make a new Recipe blog & post them. I've done a couple cook books for my sister & on the recipe I put a note at the bottom of what can be substituted, when I like to make said meal, or if it's easy or kid friendly. She said she loves that & it helps when she's trying to plan a meal. So...if there is any interest please let me know & I'll get on getting the new blog set up & post a few ideas I have & wait to post yours too. If it's a lame idea, let me know. Thanx "blog family"!!

Thanx to all of you who put such touching remarks on your blogs yesterday. I loved reading them & it was such a great way to remember! I'm so grateful to live in this beautiful Country, with all it's freedoms & so grateful to those who make that possible! Thanx to all who serve & Thanx to all of you who shared your memories & experiences with the rest of us!

Shots & Painting

Miss Brookie had a bad day yesterday! She had to have her 3 month shots, & she's not happy about it!! Can you tell? She was so sad all day, it was horrible. Her poor little legs are so sore, when you pick her up she squirms around to get you away from her legs. Poor baby! It's been so long since I did baby shots, I just wasn't sure what to expect. Sad baby girl!
She's still cute though & fashionable with her little bracelet. What a cute little fatty baby!!

For those of you who care, (I don't blame you for not caring) here is the lastest update on the basement project! The doors & trim work are all up. Thank Goodness!! We got the first coat of paint on the trim last night, & I'm on my way down stairs right now to finish up! Hopefully, if all goes well the carpet should be installed this week. We also have some of the furniture coming this week too. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! It looks fabulous. The bathroom still isn't done, we decided to move on with the rest despite the fact that a few different tile guys didn't show up to work. So, we'll have to do the tile as soon as we find someone else to help.
That's the update, cranky baby & painting like crazy!

Soccer, Soccer & more Soccer!!!

We love Soccer Saturdays! Okay maybe we don't LOVE all of them. It can be a little crazy trying to get 3 kids to 3 games at 3 differet fields. Especially when we usually end up with games at the same time. Yesterday worked out perfect, I actually had time in between each game & Scott got home in time to see Savannah play. Busy Saturday.
Avery Lyn is so cute, & has decided that she might want to play this year. So far, so good....she has actually gotten out there & ran around! She is the top picture, she plays for the Red Dragons. As you can see from the picture she's a Goof Ball!! She is fun to watch, but not very aggressive, we're working on that. I'm waiting for her to catch the sports bug...we'll see. Her favorite thing about soccer is to hang out with her cute little friend MaKenna on the side line. Little girls are so funny!
Then the Yellow Bomb Shells (I'm not sure who picked their team name) is Sammy. I actually remembered to take some action shots. He is the little stud with #7 on his back! I am loving watching him play. He's hilarious! His first game he got a little shy when he noticed that the crowd of parents could see him. However yesterday he was a rockstar & scored his first GOAL!!! Go Sammy!
I am an idiot & didn't end up with pictures of Savannahs game. She is a rockstar & loves to play! She prefers to play goalie, but yesterday she played all over the field. I love that! She's lots of fun to watch & has such a great team this year. She has a few friends on her team & she loves that!!
This is Miss Brookie, "smiling". Ha ha, I tried so hard to get some cute smiles on camera & this is what all the pictures look like. She can turn it on & off like a light switch...as soon as I pull the camera out she is done! I tried...she didn't cooperate. Should that make me nervous?
Cute kids!!
Last night our friends from down the street came over for dinner. It was tons of fun! I love them & this was the first time we've been able to get together with the husbands & everything! Good friends & Good food, what could be better?
Have a good weekend!!

Great Family

So, this has been a nutty week around here. I'm begining to think this is the new "normal" & there is no such thing as a relaxed week any more!
So, last week as I was getting ready for Brookes Blessing I found out that my great uncle Robert has passed away. Which is of course sad, he was a great man. I will always remember him as the goof ball. He was so much fun for us little kids. (I was little once)
So, the funeral was set for this Wednesday. I worked it out with my little sister in law to help with the girls & I took Sammy & Brooke & drove the 2 hours south with my mom to the TINY town where my family is from for the funeral. Well, when we got there & picked up the program we were quite surprised to see my great aunt Phyllis on the cover of the program too. Well as it turns out the night before, just after the viewing for Uncle Robert, Aunt Phyllis passed away too. How crazy is that!? She has been in poor health for years & my Uncle Robert kept saying he would be feeling better in a couple days so he could take care of his sweetheart. Well, he didn't get better & after the kids told their mom that their dad has passed, she just gently slipped away. It was a very bittersweet thing for them to basically go together. So, we had a double funeral service yesterday.
Well, if you know me at all, I usually have to tell a story before I can get to the story I'm trying to tell. I have a real problem with that...sorry.
Anyhow, I come from some fantastic "stock". These people are amazing. They were all writers & poets, (I sadly did not inherit that). At the funeral 2 of Uncle Roberts Grandsons got up (They are in the Army & had just returned from Iraq) they got up to recite a poem that my great Grandpa Warnock wrote (Uncle Roberts father). It is called "What do you see when the flag goes by?"
I was thinking during the funeral that I would love to get my hands of some of the poems people had talked about both from my great Grandfather & Uncle Robert. Well, today in the mail I recieved a package from MY UNCLE ROBERT!!! I know insane!! My mom had actually recieved hers a few days ago so I even knew it could be coming. But, it was still a little crazy to open the mail box & see that return address. Well, he was sending stuff out to the family before he passed. A great collection of things, pictures, writing from his parents. It was so cool & two of the poems he included were two of the ones from the funeral I loved. I'm so excited.

Here is a great example of my Great Grandfathers poetry. I hope you love it too! (It was Uncle Roberts favorite too)

What Do You See When the Flag Goes By

What do you see when the flag goes by
That your hat comes off & your head goes high?
What are your thoughts as you see it wave
As though by the breath of the boys who gave
Their all in all that it still might be
The world's high trust in Liberty?

In Argonne's shade, where the whining steel
Left a path of dead from the giant's heel,
A khaki lad felt the sting of lead
And groaned in the dust while his clothes turned red.

An eternity passed that afternoon,
And the lad grew wise, and old, too soon;
Humanity trouped thru his fevered brain,
Pleading release from the tyrant's reign.

Man's unjust acts to his fellowman
Down thru the age since the earth began,
All were his in that cosmic hour,
Till his anguished soul cried out for power
To cleanse the earth from it's sin & strife,
And replace therefore the abundant life
Of Peace, and Love, and Loyalty,
Where those who serve are royalty.

As dusk crept o'er the dead strewn field,
A rescue corps, by the dark concealed,
Placed a friendly hand on the fevered brow
And were pledged that night to a sacred vow.

"Take this little flag," the dying said,
"Bullet pierced, with my blood soaked red,
"And dye each alternate stripe to be,
"That each new flag becomes part of me.
"Leave some stripes clean, and pure, and white,
"Unspotted still for our nation's light;
"In the corner there fling a field of blue
"With God's own stars still shining thru.
"**Then, build a pole of my nation's strength -
"***Run my flag to the top ** full length,
"Before OLD GLORY **** let my people bow,
" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Yes, * * Yes, Dear God, * * * I am ready now."

What do you see when the flag goes by
That your hat comes off & your head goes high?
What are your thoughts when you see it wave
As though by a breath from an Argonne grave?

I
LOVE
OLD
GLORY

By : Irvin L. Warnock


I typed it just like it was given to me. I just thought it was such a great poem!
I hope you enjoyed it too!

Love - Kate

Seeing RED!!!

This is my wonderful paintjob in the basement bathroom. I know you can't see just how crazy it looks from the picture! But...trust me!! I went with RED, yes red. It's this great funky cranberry color. However, red paint is not the easiest thing to work with & it goes on streaky & not very cute. I even primed with a tinted primer to help with the red, just like I was told to. I have never had any trouble with my painting "skills" but this red color has given me a run for my money. It does look better now, but that is after 3 coats! I think I should do another one too. Wow, remind me to not mess with red again!

This little mess is what happens when my 4 year old "helps" in the basement. He dropped a paint lid into the red paint & FLUNG it around. And...yes that is the trim all stacked up ready to be put up that he dropped the lid on. It's going to be fabulous trying to cover up the red flings of paint on the tan walls & cream trim. It's lucky he's cute! I'll just leave it at that...
I can't wait for the basement to be done, I can't wait for the basement to be done, I can't wait for the basment to be done...etc!

Brookes Big Day!!

Brooke Elizabeth was blessed by her daddy today! She is such a princess! It was her special day, we had tons & tons of family come to see her. The family came over for brunch following the meeting. It was a great day!
It was such a great day with tons of family & friends! Thanks so much to everyone who made the day special. It's so nice to have so many people who love us & our kids. Brooke seems to be a hit!
Thanks to everyone who helped me get ready for today. I couldn't have pulled it off without you!! It was great, thanks so much!!!

I took a sweet picture of her little shoes. I couldn't get her tiny feet to stay still long enough to show off her cute booties! I loved her sweet dress & cute tiny shoes! It's so much fun to play dress up with her! We love our sweet Brookie!