What up with that?

Ok, if you watch Saturday Night Live, you are familiar with the "what up with that?" skits.  Mike and I got on a kick of repeating this phrase when we encounter new stuff or things we just don't get.  Here are a few examples from the past couple of weeks:

WHAT UP WITH THAT?

**Confessions and concessions are one letter apart-after a recent fire in Mike's church, they are now holding Mass in the gym.  We noticed that the "concession" sign had been revised to say "confession".

**CD's and DVD's are modern day scare crows-We attended a great Greek Dinner at Anita and Henry's, and they had several of these tied to arbors and trees to keep away birds.  They were beautiful twirling and reflecting the light.

**The glove box light in a '73 Dodge Challenger can run down the battery if left on for more than 1 month...as we found out on a recent trip back to Mike's house.  That is one heavy car to push out of the garage!

**Pineappling-According to our friend Kevin who farms in central Illinois, pineappling is when the corn leaves twist into points (like a pineapple) during a drought.  Unfortunately we saw this a lot on a recent visit to central Illinois and southern Indiana.  They are in desperate need of rain!

**House showings-it's really odd to know that nameless, faceless people have gone through your house when you aren't there, and they give you feedback on what they do and don't like.

**Lists-my sweetie is a convert to lists.  He has his own "major" and "minor" list of things he has to do to my house.  He gets into a slight panic if he misplaces the list.  That's why I added it to his iPad.

**Sounds you don't want to hear from your kitchen...the head tile floor installer telling his apprentice "you are bleeding on the floor...clean it up!"

**Some church signs are so creative...

We saw this while driving in Southern Indiana

**Cats like newly carpeted steps and new faucets...

Gilbert 

Blue Belle:  Where's the water?

**Vegetables look so much better on new counter tops...

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It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks with lots of house showings (meaning lots of cleaning-YUCK!) and continued work finishing up some house projects.  No bites yet on the house, but a couple of people have been here for a second look...

Here's some of the recent progress...

Downstairs guest bath-new vanity and space age lights

New hallway lights replaced ugly can lights

Mike built stand for sump pump battery.  He was excited to use the plasma cutter and welder!

Mike built a new arch for the cabinets-replaced the wavy ones we were sure came from Cracker Barrel

Laundry room-freshly painted, new linoleum and trim

We took a break from house stuff to catch up with friends and family in Indiana and Illinois.  We visited my mom and enjoyed some wonderful meals with family.  Mom cooked a mean roast in the crock pot, brother Gary cooked an excellent pork roast on his Green Egg and we had a wonderful lunch at the Gerst House (one of our favorite German restaurants in Southern Indiana)  with mom, sister Angie, and nephews Adam and Dane.  

Mike and I enjoyed a good bike ride on the USI trails.  We also had some wonderful down time sitting on the backyard swing with mom and enjoying Angie's new pergola.  After all the circulation problems and surgeries mom has had on her leg, one of my favorite moments was watching her run across the front yard chasing away the neighbor's dog.  I didn't know she could run that fast!  

We spent a couple of hours with Kevin and Kathy in their pool on a hot afternoon.  We also enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with our friend John catching up on life over the past month.  It was a whirlwind week, but it was a much needed break from the house.

Last night we saw an awesome bluegrass show at the Des Moines Civic Center. Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers performed for a couple of hours, and it was a great combination of comedy and great music.  Steve Martin is hilarious and plays a mean banjo.  He said he joined up with the Steep Canyon Rangers after hearing them at a party in North Carolina. He doesn't view them as "his band"; instead he is "their celebrity".  Still tapping my foot today after hearing some amazing banjo, guitar and fiddle playing...

And of course, I feel compelled to finish this entry with yet another flower picture...what up with that anyway?

Have a great week!

Diane