what is “it”?
i love me a good ole “saying”. like…
my get up and go got up and went
6 in one hand and a 1/2 dozen in the other
to hell in a hand basket 😕
ok. i really dont know what the last one means. but the following is one that my grandmother, Baba, had on a plaque hanging on her wall.
“better beans and bacon in peace than steak and cake without it”
i remember in the 5th grade, sitting and reading that over and over and over. and i just could not get it. it made absolutely no sense to me.
the word that tripped me up the most was “it” at the end. i couldnt figure out what “it” was! oooooo, id get so upset. and my Baba, bless her heart, would try so hard to help me understand, but, to no avail.
january, 1988 my grandmother passed away. after her funeral a few of us grandkids went back to our grandparents house to help our grandpa settle in for the night. he asked us to walk through the house, find something of our grandmothers that meant the most to us, and keep it.
i started my way down the long hall just beyond the kitchen. and there it was hanging on the wall directly in front of me…the “it” plaque. i stopped to read it. i stood there…and cried. i got it. i got “it”. it finally made sense to me!
in between the tears there was laughter as i recalled all the times Baba attempted to explain this simple little saying. i removed the plaque from the wall, wrapped it up gently and quietly left with the biggest smile on my face and my heart!
alright…your turn. give me your favorite sayings.
inProgress 
It isn’t some old saying passed down generation to generation, but I say it many times in my day.
“Make good choices”
When I went home to Arizona, my family members heard me saying this to the boys and they thought it was so funny and fitting that they now say it to each other. Who knew that I could be a trend setter, but there it is.
sam – i ALWAYS tell my kids that!
also…”be a blessing, not a burden” – tam 😉
My Dad has a million of them:
“You know what the good thing is? It’s a long way from your heart.” [said by my dad anytime we’d get hurt.]
When my dad is asked how his day is going: “Oh, about two in a hill.” [because when two seeds are planted instead of one on a hill there’s a better crop, so that means he’s good.]
“That’s terrible. Just like toilet paper.” [because toilet paper is tear-able]
If you’re ever at my home for breakfast my dad will ask: “Have you ever had those boneless chicken for breakfast?” [he means eggs… ]
And the one that makes no sense, whatsoever, is what he’d say if we sneezed: “Well, God bless you all to hell.”
mmm-hmm.
“Well, God bless you all to hell.”
that one reminds me of one of my mothers…
“damn it all to hell!”
we knew she was ON FIRE when that one came flying out 😯
Haha, of course this comes during the week that I’m on a forced, self-prescribed break from Facebook where all my favorite quotes reside.
anyways, here are a couple that I remember off the top o’ my head:
“As a former fetus, I oppose abortion”
I don’t remember where I came across or heard that but I liked it and remembered it.
“Blind people see the world too, just not as your or I do”
My dear friend Kimberly said that once upon a time during a chat on AIM….she’s awesome!
On another not, I’ve notice that somehow I made it onto your blogroll…I don’t know how I managed to get on there but it makes me feel special 🙂
*crosses fingers*, I hope that HTML in this comment works….about to find out
youve been on my blogroll for a long time! cuz you are special 😉
“If you let circumstances define you, other circumstances will find you”
Me 🙂
ooooohhh….that’s a good one. so true.
mmmm….chewing….
“Bigger than life and uglier than death backing out of the outhouse”
Don’t remember where I heard that one, but I always got a kick out of it.
ha! and your avi next to that quote is even better! for some reason…
“His capacity to receive our worship always exceeds our capacity to give.”
speaking my language. so true!
I love that story about your Grandma, and your “ah-ha” moment. So sweet!
i miss my Baba! she was an awesome lady… weird. but cool.
whenever her cat, Shotzie, had a hairball – she would force a tblsp of bacon grease down her throat. poor cat…hated it!!
Fortunately, I like beans and bacon… 🙂
Here are some sayings that have always stuck with me:
“Well take and fart on it” – my grandmother would say that and I asked her what it meant and she just said “not the stink”… so I still don’t know!
“It’ll make a turd” – a co-worker when asked how he liked his less-than-appealing lunch.
“Finer than frog hair split three ways” – an expression used to answer the question “How are you today?”
“My nose itches, my nose itches, someone’s a comin with holes in their britches” – again, my grandmother… it meant you were getting visitors.
Those are some of the things that bounce around in my head. May have more later.
““It’ll make a turd” – a co-worker when asked how he liked his less-than-appealing lunch. ”
i spit my hot chocolate out from this one!!!!
😆
hilarious!!!
Your Grandma had “it”… 😉
My mom still says “Watch out for the funny people” to which I reply “Mom what if we are the funny people?”
Or any time something happened she couldn’t explain. “Well it builds character”
And a new saying I hear a lot now is something about a #moistpickle
Peace and love sis.
unbelievable!
“Mom what if we are the funny people?”
oh. you are
🙂
My husband’s gram says: “It’s better to go through life wanting what you don’t have, then having what you don’t want.”
I’ve always liked that one…it reminds me to be careful in my decisions.
my pastor says that a lot.
id much rather want what i have 😉
It’s hard to beat Gladys with “I love Jesus but I drink a little” …
Diane should be good at this – every time she speaks there’s a new “trad Irish” saying. You’d think after 7 years I’d have caught up!
i LOVE gladys!!
i should start calling brent, gladys 😉
It’s really hard to narrow down the essential, Northern Irish based phrases. Here’s a few anyway..
“I’m not as green as I’m cabbage lookin'” – I’m not as gullible as I look.
“Aye, yer ma!” – The Northern Irish equivalent to ‘your mom’ I imagine. Someone says a statement that’s stretching the truth a little, and you respond with “Aye, yer maaaa!” It’s all in where you place emphasis.
“Wind yer neck back in!” or “Catch yerself on!” – wind, as in a watch, not the air. Again, if someone’s being a bit too big for their boots.
Umm I’m sure I have tons more, but I’ll have to save them up for when I launch (re-launch?) my blog 🙂
these are great – but i MUST hear you say them.
i just have to!
I didn’t realise the Norn Iron lot said ‘Yer Ma!’ as well. Ha ha!
What a great story about your Grandmother.
Mine had a plaque as well, and while it’s admittedly not as profound, it has stuck with me just the same:
“If you sprinkle when you tinkle,
Please be sweet and wipe the seat.”
So true.
my grandparent also used to manage an apt. complex in so CA that had a pool. on the fence was sign that said…
“welcome to our ool. hope you enjoy your time.
notice there is no “p” in “ool”
lets keep it that way!”
i loved that!!!
There’s one from Friends similar where they talk about a sign that says
“We don’t swim in your toilet, so please don’t pee in our pool”
“My cow died last night, so I don’t need your bull”
NICE!!! i think i shall use this today 😉
I’m realizing where I get my potty mouth from, because all the ones I keep thinking of that my parents said have swear words in them.
haha! i love your potty mouth 😀
That was a sweet, tear-jerking story about the plaque.
My dad always uses the expression, “Good Night Nurse!” It’s used the same as, good grief.
My mom says, “well that just takes the cake”.
How about, “come hell or high water”.
My sons 5th grade teacher always said, “See a need and fill it”. I like that one and have used it semi-jokingly here at home. I know that I’ll always get an eye-roll from him since it reminds him of dear Mrs. Stalder.
“come hell or high water” was also one my mom said A LOT!
mmmm…nothin more precious to a child than their parent adopting their teachers famous sayings. hehe 😉
My favourite Scottish saying is
‘Stick in til ye stick oot’.
(basically means eat up until you’ve had your full).
it isn’t a funny one….but “your lack of planning is not my crisis” has kept me sane when it comes to a few dramatic people in my life.
oh, thought of a funny one… i like “oh my granny”…as in “oh my goodness”…but funnier!
i know this one well. i tell my kids this a lot!
and “oh my grabby” LOVE. IT!
“Older than dirt”
Which seems more relevant as I get older.
“If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.”
I remember this from the time Nixon got impeached. It also applies to today’s headlines.
I don’t remember when I heard these.
“A face only a mother could love”
“A day late and a dollar short”
“Madder than a wet hen”
“Slower than molasses in January”
I had to look up the following quote from Mark Twain. It is one of my favorites because I have a terrible memory. Which I keep forgetting before I make an excuse for not doing something.
“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”
“I HAD TO LOOK UP the following quote from Mark Twain. It is one of my favorites because I HAVE A TERRIBLE MEMORY.”
oh the irony, friend 😉
as for the quote…
“If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”
very true! 🙂
Thanks for this Tam – you’ve totally inspired my Flower of Scotland Friday post for this week!!! Ha ha!
cool! make sure you come back here this friday for “pimp my post” and leave the link to that 😉
When my kids are antsy I say they are “jumping around like a fart in a fryin pan”
Ross used to say “want in one hand & poop in the other & see which one fills up first”…when I begged for a new…whatever.
My mom used to say “kill em with kindness”
My Dad always says he’s “going fishing for a couple, 2, 3 days”. I think a couple 2’s or 3’s is 4 or 6. Apparently I’m wrong.
i love how literal you are. you be smart and all 😀
OK, I have to copy Mandy I just noticed….great minds think alike. A friend of mine’s late father gave me the same favorite saying:
“Wish in one hand, crap in the other. See which one fills up first.”
I will add one more though and it comes from a song lyric. It is
“Money talks in this world,
Thats what idiots will say
But you’ll find out that this world,
Is just an idiots parade”
from Good Charlotte..Life and Death
i read the quote…
“wAsh in one hand, crap in the other…”
and im thinking…nooooo – wash the crapped in hand!
” Wake up your country needs you.”
This is something my mom mom has said since my mom was a child:)
dang. makes me wanta join the military!
Too long to be a saying but…
The Sophomore’s Philosophy
The more you study, the more you know, the more you know, the more you forget, the more you forget, the less you know, so why study.
The less you study, the less you know, the less you know, the less you forget, the less you forget, the more you know, so why study.
my brain is in pain 😯
“No single raindrop believes it is responsible for the flood.”
this is my favorite. hands down.
doesnt need anymore added to it….
My new favorite, that I just heard today – “Love doesn’t make the world go around, it just makes the ride worthwhile.” – makes me wonder if the love I show is making anyone’s ride “worthwhile” hmmm
thats a nice one too!
a thought a definitely need to ponder 🙂
This is so sweet! Your grandmother sounds like she was a very special woman, and your family is blessed to have had her.
my grew-up-in-the-great-depression great-grandmother used to have this sign up in her bathroom that read:
“support the movement. eat a prune.”
😀