Showing posts with label Fun Times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun Times. Show all posts

Saturday, August 11

Balloon Fest!

We had quite a day today!  I've been looking forward to the weekend for most of the week anyway, so having plans for today made it even better.  We started out by going to an auction for antique arms and artifacts this morning.  Hubby had an interest in three antique flintlock rifles that were up for sale, but we walked out with nothing--the total sum of the three guns ended up going for over $10,000.  Needless to say, a bit out of our price range!  But it was still enjoyable.  Afterward, we went for barbecue and then a walk around the mall.  Home for a while (and I might have dozed off while hubby was watching the ballgame), then we decided to go out to the annual Balloon Fest on the south side of town.  I think we have gone every year that we've been here...or maybe missed only one year...I'm not sure.  We knew it would be busy, but we went anyway...neither one of us likes to be around large groups of people, but we survived.  After waiting in line for a half an hour at a concession stand, I was anxious to try deep-fried Oreos for the first time in my life.  I've heard about all of the concoctions of state fairs around the country, and the deep-fried Oreos were really popular a while back.  We found a less-populated area of the park, but a place that still had a good view of the balloons, and I tucked in.  They were great!!  I loved how the cookie was coated with the batter and powdered sugar, and the cookie and cream filling inside was warm and soft.  In fact, the cream was a bit gooey, but it tasted great.  Hubby tried one, but didn't like them.  More for me!  Then it was time for the illumination, and the end of the festival for the night.  There were going to be fireworks afterward, but we weren't planning to stick around for that.  Below are some photos of the coolness of seeing the balloons all lit up in the evening dusk:
Last balloon glow for the night
Someone had a lighthouse balloon!


Oooooh, pretty

Glowing

Again, a lighthouse.  Who knew you could fly a lighthouse?

I liked this picture: low, middle, high

*Drool* Deep fried Oreos.  Five came in an order.  One was already in my belly before it occurred to me that I should take a picture.
Sorry, no Owl Corner this week.  It's past my bedtime.  I just wanted to share the pretty hot air balloons with you.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Sunday, August 5

Hubby's First Haircut


 Tonight, I feel like sharing a story from the early years of our marriage.  Please to enjoy.
Inside view of the church where we were married

           My husband and I were married in 2004.  During that first year of marriage, we remained living in the same town that hubby was from, where his family still resides, and where his mother, a beautician by trade, continued to lovingly give her son free haircuts on a regular basis.  I had no problem with that, mainly because I had no experience with haircutting.  At all.  As in, I'd never cut any hair--never given a doll a haircut, never cut my dog's hair, never tried to trim my own bangs, nothing.  Nada.  Zero.  Zilch.

After we had been married a little more than a year, hubby had decided to take a job that required us to move from Indiana to Kentucky, and away from his hairdresser.  Since we were moving away, he asked me to learn how his mother does it so that I could cut his hair from then on.  So his mom kindly showed me how to cut his hair one time.  Then I inherited the scissors (so to speak).  It seemed to be easy, and I watched carefully and took lots of mental notes.
Normal hair style and length.  Remember this for later.
 When the time finally came for hubby to have his hair cut, about six weeks after we moved, I went out and bought a little plastic comb, cape, scissors, a spray bottle, and a hair removing brush that his mom had recommended—it had a chamber to put baby powder in it which would be released when a little button on the handle was pushed.  The baby powder was supposed to help the brush get all of the little pieces of hair off of hubby.  Armed with all of the tools I needed, I began to cut his hair.  It was a looong haircut—I worked hard for an hour and a half, or maybe longer.  I was so very nervous!  I did everything just as I had remembered seeing it done.  I pulled the hair between my fingers and cut, cut, cut away all of the extra, and I mean ALL of the extra. My mother-in-law did not tell me how long to leave the hair, so I just put my fingers flat against his head and cut off all of the hair on the other side.  My poor husband!  He usually kept his hair a little longer on top than the back, but not that time!  After all of that cutting, he looked like he had just gotten a buzz cut.  As soon as I had finished, I knew I had done it wrong…and I was so scared and nervous that I started laughing uncontrollably.  You know that totally inappropriate laugh that you can't control, because you are so uncomfortable in the situation that you just don't know what to do?  That's the laugh that bubbled up and spilled out.  And wouldn't stop.
  That tipped him off and he asked for the mirror, so I handed it to him, my hand shaking, trying so hard not to pee my pants.  He was so kind and understanding, because he knew that I was scared to cut his hair anyway, but when he looked in the mirror, his first comment was, “Wow, I didn’t know you could cut hair this short with scissors…” At this comment, I doubled over with laughter.  It took a while to regain my composure.
I still had to brush the hair off of him, and I had loaded the brush full of baby powder.  I pushed the button a few times to get the powder into the bristles and began to brush off his neck, ears and back, and what I thought was a little bit of powder was actually a lot.  Big white clouds of baby powder drifted into the air and swirled around my husband, coating him in white.  He begged me to stop, and when the powder cleared, there sat my beloved husband, pale from the layer of baby powder and at a loss of what to do about his now very short hair.  I lost it, and started laughing all over again.  It was so memorable that we took pictures of his very short hair.  It took about a month for his hair to grow out to the length that he usually liked it, and he wore a hat for almost that entire time!
Photos from the first cut, in the front
There would be no spiking, or any other styling, for at least a month
Epilogue:
I have gotten somewhat better at cutting his hair, although some haircuts are still admittedly better than others.  I will never be as good of a haircutter as my mother-in-law.

Moral of the story: an understanding husband is a precious thing.  And you can get a buzz cut using scissors.

"The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain"-Proverbs 31:11.  I love being married to the most perfect match for me in this life.  Thank you, my dear husband, for eight years (and counting) of wonderful adventures, and occasionally, misadventures.  I can't imagine my life any other way.

Tuesday, May 17

$22.50--Sold!

A Day At The Auction
My Treasure!
This past weekend, friends that we've known for years were here in town to hold an estate auction, and we were able to spend most of the day with them.  It's always great to have a visit from old friends!  I hadn't been to an auction since I was a teenager, and had completely forgotten how much fun they are.  The day started out warm and muggy, but the rain held off until just after the auction was completed.  Hubby saw a box lot that had a Marathon oil can in it, among other items, and wanted to bid on it.  It was one of the last things to come up in the entire auction, but we waited patiently.  I was the one holding the number, so I got to do the bidding!  A woman was there who also apparently had an interest in the box.  We bid and bid and I decided at some point in the middle of the bidding that I wasn't leaving the auction without the box of goodies, and I get waaaay too competitive when it comes to things like this.  I even warned my husband of this fact, but I don't think he quite realized just what I meant until he saw me bidding.  He tells me that he tried repeatedly to grab me and get me to stop bidding, while our friend watched and laughed.  He never caught me, and I never knew of any of that going on--I was in the ZONE!  Normally, I'm not a competitive person, but auctions do something to me and I just have to win.  Sooooo, yes, I won!  There was actually quite a bit in the box that will come in handy, like several pairs of good, heavy-duty scissors, older wood-handled tools, electrical tape, duct tape, masking tape, screws, glue, silver polish, a 24" metal ruler, half of an asbestos floor tile (I just don't know), and miscellaneous odds and ends, not all of which are shown in the photo.  And, of course, the Marathon oil can!  I paid $22.50 for all of it, and we know that Marathon oil can is likely worth $10 alone, because we see them at the antiques store here in town--you can't buy that anymore.  I think it was a good price for what was there, but of course, my husband thought I paid way too much.  That's okay, though; I'm sure that time will reveal that I was right!  :)

Seven Years!
My husband and I are quickly approaching the seven-year mark in our married life together.  Every anniversary is special, and this will be no exception.  I've already mentioned that we are planning a trip to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village up in Dearborn, Michigan, but I also decided to surprise my husband with a gift.  I'd been setting aside a little money from each paycheck to save up for his gift, and I was finally able to purchase it last Friday--a Kindle!  I got him the one he wanted, which is the one with the 3G wi-fi.  I was so excited to give it to him that I couldn't wait until our anniversary, and gave it to him last weekend!  I think it was the first time that I remember him ever being speechless.  It was great!  He can usually tell if I'm up to something, but this time I pulled a fast one and caught him completely off guard.  He really likes it, and has loaded several free classics onto it already.  I love being able to surprise him!  And, of course, I just love him, period!  Happy seven years of marriage, my dear!

Friends are great to have through life.  The best friends are the ones who stand with you through anything, and who, upon meeting again after a long separation, feel as if no time has passed since you last saw each other.  Friends are found in the most unexpected places--who would have thought I would meet my future husband because of a crazy roommate?  Sometimes we find friends are where we least expect them and most need them.  It's not necessary to have hundreds of friends on Facebook, or even hundreds of friends in real life, but friendship is essential to getting through life without losing our minds.  God meant for us to find friends and form friendships, and He especially hopes that among those friendships is a friendship with His Son, Jesus.  In the Bible, examples of great friendships are not few and far between: David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, and Jesus and His apostles, just to name a few.  When surrounded by the right friends, we can get through the toughest times.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 tells us the importance of friendship: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can help him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!  11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."  Do you have a cord made with a single strand, or is yours a cord of many strands that work together to keep from fraying?  I hope your answer is the latter!

ShareThis