Up!

I received this in an e-mail today and had to share.  But I did not want to do that ‘forward to my e-mail list’ thing.  So here it is on my blog – enjoy!

UP

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word.  It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj],  [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?   Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election (if there is a tie, it is a toss UP) and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.  We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times, this little word has real special meaning.  People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is blocked UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.  We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with (UP to) a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.  When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. 

When it rains, it soaks UP the earth. When it does not rain for a long time, things dry UP.  One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now . . . My time is UP!

Oh . . . One more thing: What is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

U

P!

Did that one crack you UP?

Out with the old; In with the new

Yesterday was my 22^nd wedding anniversary.  There was no grand celebration or special trip – just a typical day.  With one exception; I bought my husband new shoes.  Please don’t laugh.  Let me tell you the story.  Before I can tell the story though, I need to let you in on a few facts.

In the weeks before our wedding, we purchased a microwave oven for our home.  It is still in operation today.  In the appliance department, the microwave, along with a coffee pot, has endured the entire tenure of my marriage.  In close second is my washer and dryer.  They were purchased four years into our marriage while I was pregnant with my first child.  This week, the washer cleaned its last load.  Now, in its place is the most beautiful washing machine.  It has more buttons than I know what to do with!  It is my early Christmas present from the in-laws and I am very, very thankful.  My favorite feature of the washing machine is that it plays a song to let me know my clothes are finished.  

In third place were my husband’s dress shoes.  He purchased these shoes in a hurried shopping trip to Walmart when our daughter was two-years-old.  If my memory is correct, we were going to a funeral the next day and he had no appropriate footwear.  Since then, he has worn these shoes to every church service, wedding, special event and funeral we have attended over the last 14 years.  People, the shoes were old! And by now, you can only imagine how ugly.  Well here – judge for yourself.

14 year old shoes

 

When he installed my new washing machine on Friday it made me realize how old so many things were in the house.  I did not think about the coffee pot, or my cookware, or even our master bedroom furniture (psst – it is 30 years old).  No, what came to my mind were his worn-out, dress shoes.  It was time to toss them out the door with the washing machine.

After dinner yesterday, I took him to DSW and he found an incredible pair of fashionable, comfortable shoes.  They were on clearance - woo hoo!  Here is a photo of the new ones:

He wore them to church today.

I am still patiently waiting for the day when I can replace the bedroom furniture and the microwave.  My excitement and joy over a washing machine has been great.  I can’t imagine how enthused I will be when I get new furniture and a microwave that does not sit on the counter.  I know, I know – it’s so retro. 

Do you have an item in your home that you are ready to toss and replace? 

Pumpkin Palooza

It is that wonderful time of year when we visit our local WalMart and purchase two, very large, orange fruits.  My husband then begins the process of carving them up, each one unique to the kid’s design choice.  Here are this year’s and a few from the past. 

Shelby's pumpkin this year.  This is epic!!

Spencer's pumpkin this year.  Simple and fun and he did the carving by himself.

Pumpkins from last year.  The apple design was by our friends, the Hunters.  The batman pumpkin was Shelby's.

Puppy dog by the Hunters; Skelton by Shan for Spencer. 

Spencer's pumpkin in 2010

Zebra print for Shelby.  This looked so cool lit up!

Pumpkin carving and decorating have definitely come a long way since I was a kid.  You kept it simple and had a candle to provide light.  Now, our pumpkins glow with battery operated LED lights that change color and flash.  The fancy lights make for cool effects and better safety.  And the design choices?  Well, thanks to the internet they are plentiful.  I think all of us have enjoyed the variety offered and have definitely taken advantage of the templates.

I love pumpkins and pumpkin flavored foods!  I have some pumpkin jewelry and lots of decorative pumpkins in my home.   But carving up the real deal is definitely a highlight of fall.  I am especially thankful today that we have the LED lights – the wind can’t blow them out.

Feel free to share your pumpkin creations.  Have a safe night and don’t eat too much candy.

What I left behind

I am currently at the beach.  You are not.  Ha ha ha ha ha

So I will keep this one quick.  Had to share my funny for this trip.  I ALWAYS leave something behind when I travel.  This has become a funny thing to me.  For those who do not know me, I am a planner, organizer and I am all about the details.  So the fact that I manage to leave one item behind for any trip I take is, well, annoying but funny.

This trip is was my jewelry.  ALL of it!  My wedding band, watch, my necklace I always wear and my earrings.  Of course I am fine without it, but they are my accessories.  I am so used to always having them on my body, especially my wedding rings.  So for the last few days I have felt "not quite put together" and it is because I am missing my jewelry. 

Am I weird?  Ladies, do you feel this way without your jewelry?  Should I run to the nearest boutique here in Florida and buy me some jewelry?  

(please say 'yes'; please say 'yes')

A Visit to the County Fair

After an eight year hiatus, my family went to the county fair this weekend.  My daughter had gone the weekend before but was inching to return.  My son had never been at all.  He was really excited.  So we loaded up, met the in-laws, bought our tickets and stepped into the wonder of the Gwinnett County Fair Grounds.  Oh my, what had we done? 

It was definitely bigger than I remember.  Back in the day, McNair Amusements ran the show.  Now it was some company called Amusements of America.  The piece-DE-resistance was the incredible Ferris wheel.  It was a giant!  Each car held up to six people and you could load four cars at one time – swanky in my book.   The light show on the wheel alone would put “Wheel of Fortune” to shame.  How can they afford such a monstrosity – ticket prices!  For my family of four to ride the wheel was $20.  In order to take a spin I had to swallow the cost of the ticket AND overcome my fear of heights AND overcome my fear of being high and swaying back and forth, back and forth.  Well I am typing this right?  That means I lived!  The experience was worth it in the end.  Views from atop the swaying bucket of doom were spectacular.  Once we started going around and around I was fine – it was the sitting at the top during loading.  Yes, I was praying!

My husband and daughter went for a spin on a swing ride – they waited in line for an hour.  While they waited, me, my son and the in-laws cruised the fair.  Spencer had his sights set on playing a few games.  One in particular that caught his attention was a shooting game.  The object was to completely remove the red star from the middle of the paper target.  Here is his paper target – impressive! 

Spencer's target - even though he did not win, he was so excited!

He came SO close to winning.  He wanted the big, ginormous, red bulldog stuffed animal.  This momma is not gonna lie – I am glad the big, ginourmous, red bulldog stuffed animal did not come home.  Later in the evening, he won this little bear for his sissy.  He had been saying for over an hour he wanted to win her a prize – how sweet!

Here are a few other photos from the night.  Not all of the pictures I took came out well.

The in-laws and my boy

Silly as always

The apple does not fall far from the tree.  On the Ferris wheel - I asked him to smile.

Spence on the ferris wheel - this was posed.

 

I had a few bites of the best funnel cake ever – Shan ate the rest.  And I enjoyed spending time with the family.  The biggest lessons I took away from the experience is to make sure we have PLENTY of money to attend and to arrive early in the afternoon to avoid long lines.  Or, stay home and watch the Georgia Bulldogs beat the stuff out of some other college team.  Yeah, that sounds like a plan to me!

Did your family make it to your local fair this year?  Is it a tradition or do you go when you can afford it/have coupons?  What is your favorite fair food?