This
meme was started by Delores a long time ago. Computer issues led her
to bow out for a while. The meme was too much fun to let go, and now
Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a
movable feast.
Essentially
the aim is to encourage us to write. Each week we are given a choice
of prompts: which can be words, phrases, music or an image. What we
do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a
poem, or treating them with ignore... We can use some or all of the
prompts, and mixing and matching is encouraged.
Some
of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on
their own blog. I would really like it if as many people as possible
joined into this fun meme, which includes cheering on the other participants. If you are posting on your own blog - let me know so that I, and other participants, can come along and applaud.
This month the prompts will be here.
- He had a chip on his shoulder
- Best thing since sliced bread
- With a cherry on top
- She wants to have her cake and eat it too
- Everything but the kitchen sink
- Bringing home the bacon
Have fun.
The prompts will be here again next month, but Margaret Adamson and her friends are providing them.
Hi EC -
ReplyDeleteHe had a chip on his shoulder, but recently double fried chips were the best things since sliced bread; he then had almond cake with the cherry on the top. Now to put everything (all the dishes) into the kitchen sink … before he set off to bring home the bacon for supper. He needed to work off the carbs – the chips and cake …
Cheers ... Hilary
Hilary Melton-Butcher: He did indeed need to work off those carbs - though I agree with him about double fried chips - which I haven't had in years.
DeleteGreat. Now I'm hungry!
DeleteOf course, a salad can be as delicious as an almond cake. However, latest at a certain age one should not guilt-trip oneself.
DeleteDouble fried chips, now I'm off on a food related internet search. Thank you for making me hungry late in the evening ;)
DeleteI just reread your story. Semicolon, parentheses, ellipses and a dash, nice.
DeleteThanks Mike ... cheers - Hilary
DeleteWell done!
DeleteXO
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Fun use of the prompts!
DeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: I like how you uses the phrases which now it's more like non-phrases. Good uses of the prompts.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
Double fried chips!! :)
DeleteBen had a chip on his shoulder larger than the biggest redwood. Rachel smiled. He deserved it. Years ago, he had told her that having a lawyer in the family was going to be the best thing since sliced bread. She had juggled caring for him and his needs, but had finally graduated and for the last three years she had been the one bringing in the bacon. He had resigned from his job, and taken time out to find himself.
ReplyDeleteHe had found himself in the arms of his latest guru, and both of them had lived a luxurious life on her earnings. When she had found out she had divorced him. Based on her detailed depositions the court had awarded her everything but the kitchen sink. The icing on her cake and the cherry on top? She never would have gone law school except that he had urged her to do so – so she could contribute to their lifestyle. Now she could have (and would have) her cake and eat it too – without sharing any of it.
Excellent EC ... fun take - I congratulate you ... cheers Hilary
DeleteThe corners of my mouth have not yet returned from their expedition to my ear-lobes.
DeleteYou are simply the best, Sue.
DeleteI love the turn around of this fun short story.
DeleteGurus are dangerous. He - and the guru - deserved it.
DeleteSounds like Ben shot himself in the foot real good.
DeleteVery well done :) :)
DeleteLove it! Occasionally there's justice in the world... ;-)
DeleteWell done. I love it.
DeleteLove,
Janie
Dear EC
DeleteI love your stories! You have a real talent for wordcraft. I cheered for Rachel!
Best wishes
Ellie
Excellent way to interweave the phases Sue
DeleteWoo Hoo! Way to go Rachel.
DeleteLove it.
Really well done, EC, good for her and her revenge on the layabout :)
DeleteXO
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Good for her. The stories need to turn out good more often.
DeleteElephant's Child: Rachel is one smart cookie! Silly but somehow the phrase fits her.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
Very well done!!! I'm loving reading all of these!! :)
DeleteGood afternoon and bravo on the changing of the words to these phrases. Totally makes for quite the reading adventures I'm betting. Now to ponder use them all in a story or take one individually? How creatively fun! Thanks.
ReplyDelete21 Wits: I really look forward to seeing what you make of these prompts.
DeleteI think this is going to take more than one sentence. Unless I use a lot of semicolons, brackets, and dashes.
ReplyDeleteGood way to try ... and some elipses?! Cheers H
DeleteMike: If anyone can do it you can.
DeleteWhile bringing home the bacon, he had a chip on his shoulder (with a cherry on top), but she wants to have her cake and eat it too because it's the best thing since sliced bread including everything but the kitchen sink.
DeleteMike: It took a bit longer, but Captain Succinct continues to rule.
DeleteYou did quite well!
DeleteHere's to admire your taciturn loquaciousness, Sir!
DeleteYou did great with all of those prompts!
DeleteNot only that she wants to have her cake and eat it too, nah: she wants everything but the kitchen sink .... with a cherry on top. And he would be bringing home the bacon, lots of bacon. To marry him would be the best thing since sliced bread.
ReplyDeleteHappy end: When the registrar asks her question she says "Yes!!!" and he says "No."
Afterwards she has a chip on her shoulder.
What a surprising ending. Interesting short story.
DeleteShort and .. err, not so sweet. Well written :)
DeleteSean Jeating: Love it. Someone got their just deserts - or do I mean desserts?
DeleteClever Sean - fun to read, thank you. Cheers Hilary
DeleteUnexpected ending, really well done!!
DeleteXO
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A highly creative edge, as always.
DeleteMaybe both of them "dodged a bullet."
DeleteLadies, David: Thank you very much. You are very kind.
DeleteI liked reading your version, thanks! :)
DeleteJim didn't always had a chip on his shoulder and it started little by little. He was creative, tolerant a bit on the conservative side as compared to his wife Ann.
ReplyDeleteHe always had some new idea that would bring in more money to satisfy his wife lavish lifestyle and it was always the best thing since sliced bread.
His wife didn't always saw things his way and she insisted that everything came with a cherry on top and she wanted her cake and eat it too.
Every time he started a new project that looked promising, she demanded that he threw in, everything but the kitchen sink and soon his money ran out. How could he afford bringing home the bacon from now on when he lost everything.
You guess it, it wasn't long before she went looking for greener pastures. Now he would start all over again, but this time, he was doing it alone.
Julia
May he have a good new start.
DeleteSo far, this week's prompts are not able to inspire love stories. ;-)
DeleteHow observant of you Sean Jeating. Now, there's a new challenge with this week's prompts. Can someone who is more romantic than me, come up with a love story?
DeletePhew! That's a challenge, indeed, Julia.
DeleteHere we go.
DeleteBringing home the bacon he had never a problem - Since he had met her he had a chip on his shoulder, though. The more as she did not let him feel she wanted her cake and eat it too; he would so much love to offer her everything – even the kitchen sink. If possible, even with a chery on top.
Thus, he wrapped her in his arms, kissed her tenderly and said; You are the best thing since sliced bread.
Julia: Poor Jim, I do hope he finds someone who isn't money hungry and starts a whole new (and much better) life.
DeleteSean Jeating, I somehow knew you would come through for us. Romance is still alive and well.
DeleteElephant Child, I hope Jim will be extra careful this time around. lol.
Julia - Jim is right isn't he ... sad tales - yet here he is Sean giving us his love story - well done to you both - cheers Hilary
DeleteGreat opposite takes on the prompts!!
DeleteXO
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I think he was much better off alone.
DeleteSean Jeating: How did I miss your romantic take? Big smiles - though your earlier version speaks louder to my grumpy self.
DeleteMaybe this time he'll get to keep it.
DeleteJulia: Too bad for Jim but at least he learned a lesson, a very expensive lesson.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
-----------
Sean Jeating: I have not thought that sliced bread is a great invention but it must be if it's a compliment everyone give but at least, this is a positive story.
Have a lovely day.
Poor Jim! That was a great story! :)
DeleteI smiled as seeing "with a cherry on top" my sister and I used to say that a lot - pretty please with a cherry on top! Somehow it hasn't taken off with my kids yet though, maybe it is old fashioned? It will make me sad if people stop saying that, haha!
ReplyDeleteHope that your week is going well :)
Away From The Blue
Mica: We used to say that too. I haven't heard it in years though.
DeleteWorking on it, back after the ladies' meeting this evening to try to get it up.
ReplyDeletemessymimi: I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
DeleteOkay, it should be over here.
DeleteAnd i'm running very late this evening, i'll be back tomorrow to read everyone else's and catch up.
Rachel has spent years working hard at low paying jobs, struggling to make ends meet, and only just bringing home the bacon.
ReplyDeleteEveryone else that she knew seemed to live on easy street, to have their cake and to eat it too. She was jealous. That jealousy had been a huge chip on her shoulder. A chip that put everyone off, and made sure that she had very few friends.
And now? She couldn’t recognize herself. She had faced up to the fact that she was only hurting herself and had sought professional help. She had a new job, and a man in her life too. Love had changed everything. She had gone from having nothing to having everything (including the kitchen sink), and Ben was the icing on her cake – and the cherry on top too. She was so grateful that he had seen something in her and had waited until she had remade herself from scratch…
Now, that's a love story, after all, my dear.
DeleteSean Jeating: As close as I come anyway. Rachel had to save herself - but she does appreciate Ben's support - and loves him.
DeleteBravo, Elephant Child. Well done. You kept the romance alive in this story.
DeleteCongratulations EC - lovely story ... how often do we look at ourselves and change ... cheers Hilary
DeleteBoy you're being creative today EC! Lovely take of independence and change.
DeleteXO
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You did two stories? You never cease to amaze me.
DeleteGood for her, recognizing she didn't like the person she'd become and working to be better.
DeleteI like this take much better than the grumpy one. I think that beneath our old, grumpy exterior, there's still an incurable romantic hidden
DeleteElephant's Child: I thought I had read this but it's another Rachel. I guess it's nice that people can get their life back and get a new love in their lives too. It's good to know our failures can't keep us down.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
Nice! :)
DeleteWell gosh, now I'm really going to have to do some work!
ReplyDeleteRiver: And, as usual, I am confident that you will excel.
DeleteThey are good each saying.
ReplyDeleteOne could tell he had a chip on his shoulder due to his body language.
Margaret D: It is a dead giveaway isn't it? Thank you for joining us this time.
DeleteYes it is a dead giveaway.. I like those little sayings :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCindi: Your words for wednesday post popped up in my reading list but has disappeared. I hope you are ok.
DeleteYes I wondered too. Hopefully just a fluke!
DeleteThis one was fun!
ReplyDeleteEveryday Mildred watched from her window--Joe bringing home the bacon, literally, not figuratively. How could anyone eat that much cured pork? But that aside, Joe was the best thing since sliced bread. He was the chocolate sundae with a cherry on top.
Mildred was the kind of woman who wanted to have her cake and eat it, too, so while she was married to Luigi, she craved Joe. That night she made her famous vegetable beef stew and put everything but the kitchen sink into it.
Then, dressed in her tightest sweater and yoga pants, she walked to Joe's door. Tonight she'd enjoy this stew with him...and so much more.
Haha. This is downright amusing and humorous.
DeleteWell done.
cleemckenzie: Love it, and hope that she and Joe have a wonderful night.
DeleteLOL. Good one!
DeleteXO
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One can only dream......
DeleteWell done!
DeleteMay the cake she ate have tasted heavenly.
DeleteLove this!! :)
DeleteGreat job! A fun read for sure! :)
Delete~Jess
Just dropping by with a big virtual hug, EC.
ReplyDeleteRawknrobyn: Thank you.
DeleteDarla always wanted a sundae WITH A CHERRY ON TOP. Wouldn't you think that by eighty-eight years of age she would have gotten over the cherry on the top kind of thing? Not at all, everything had to be just right, and god forbid the cherry should slide down from its lofty perch, or sink into the whipped cream. She would have HAD A CHIP ON HER SHOULDER for a week if that had happened. After years of BRINGING HOME THE BACON as a single mother, and doing it well, she had the right, I suppose. The custom sundaes she ordered were works of art, while simultaneously defying the laws of gravity. She insisted on EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK being in there. Four bananas always seemed a little excessive to me, but the place she favoured was willing to make it for her. She’d admire it for a minute or two, kind of like HAVING HER CAKE AND EATING IT TOO, and then the excavation would begin, always starting with the cherry. Once another diner, walking by, was quite taken with the extravagance she noticed out of the corner of her probing eye, and exclaimed, “THAT’S THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD.” Darla almost swallowed her spoon on hearing such a heinous comparison, and that woman’s ears no doubt burned for a month. Darla died a couple of months ago and we were all served sundaes at the funeral breakfast, modest ones mind you, nothing like the ones Darla used to leisurely and sensually consume. She had a life filled with adventure, and I suspect it was not without a few things it’s better not to discuss with the parson. She’ll be livid if her sundaes melt in hell, but I can’t imagine her getting admitted to the other place!
ReplyDeleteDavid M. Gascoigne: Huge smiles. Darla sounds like the sort of woman I would love to be. And I am sure she has congenial company in the other place.
DeleteExcellent take. Darla is a woman after my own heart.
DeleteXO
WWW
When you get to be "a certain age," you are welcome to all the sundaes you want. In fact, my client who is 92 eats cake for lunch every day because she wants to!
DeleteYou cant't, of course, know how much I like this "tribute". I am all with messymimi.
DeleteI do often think of those, though, who just cannot afford a sundae, let alone the cherry on top.
David M. Gascoigne: I like Darla. I would like to be like her and eat her sundae however she liked.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
David that was awesome!!! :)
DeleteDavid M. Gascoigne, before I die, I want one of those sundaes whit a big fat red cherry on top just like Darla used to have.
ReplyDeleteI found the phrases a little challenging, but here I am and I feel I haven't served them well.
ReplyDelete_________________________________________________________
You had to give him this – being a pig farmer he had no trouble in bringing home the you know what.
He’d clean up after himself and he’d scour everything but the kitchen sink which remained, well, filthy.
Mind you, he had that massive chip on his shoulder, an angry hole from when one of the pigs turned on him and bit him.
He viewed himself as being the best thing since sliced bread and told her so.
But she always had a hankering for something else, preferably with a cherry on top. A delicious cake, yes, and she would eat it too. But he never offered her any.
He never understood her ways nor she is. So she let him go. Back to his pigs.
______________________________________________________________
XO
WWW
Wisewebwoman: You are too hard on yourself. I really liked this piece. And suspect I would have left the pig farmer too...
DeleteYou did that very well indeed!
DeleteVery nicely done WWW
DeleteLoved it. Made me grin.
DeleteEchoing Lady Sandra.
DeleteThat was great!! :)
DeleteBuon giovedi.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo: Thank you - and to you.
DeleteSue, just for you. As promised, I finally took the time to participate. And of course, my thoughts turned to...
ReplyDeleteIt Was the Goal!
"Why?" The detective asked again. His exasperation showed as he mopped his head with an already damp handkerchief. His angst was with the woman sitting across from him. She'd willingly come to the station with them, but now she wanted each of them to enjoy a piece of the cake she'd baked, then insisted on packaging up for the trip downtown. She wouldn't answer any questions unless and until they did as she asked.
"Okay, we've all enjoyed your delicious cake. Now, please, tell us why you killed your husband. Why did you put that letter opener through his heart?"
The woman straightened her dress, reapplied her lipstick, and powdered her nose. Then, after putting her compact back in her purse, she sighed deeply, but all the detectives could think was that she wanted to have her cake and eat it too. Literally. But why?
"Well, you see. I'd worked my finger to the bone creating that masterpiece. You ate it. It was divine. I mean, who could resist a double chocolate cake with a cherry cheesecake swirl. It's to die for, isn't it?" She looked him straight in the eye. "Sorry, poor choice of words, but you get my meaning.
The detective cleared his throat and nodded
She blinked but continued. "Howard said it was too heavy of a dessert. What the hell did that mean?"
The detective shrugged.
"Exactly," she said and folded her hands on the table. "We were having Shrimp Scampi, an exceptionally light meal if you ask me. So, this cake, was in fact, the perfect choice for dessert!"
The detective nodded. "I agree."
She smiled. "Thank you, but that wasn't the worst." Her smile turned to a pout, and she dabbed at a non-existent tear.
"The bastard had the gall to criticize my table setting. He said it looked silly, immature. Too clownish. He didn't want a Halloween theme. He wanted dignity. Professionalism for his visiting friends."
She pounded the table. "That setting was straight out of Martha Stewart Magazine. The mistress of all things domestic. I mean, just because he brought home the bacon. Just because he created the latest phone app that did everything but turn on the kitchen sink. Something everyone described as the best thing since sliced bread. I mean, seriously. It's an app."
She leaned close. "The bastard had a chip on his shoulder because Martha is so much better than he was in the kitchen. I swear the man has always hated the women. Just because she went to prison on some trumped-up charge."
"I see. I think. So, you killed your husband because he criticized your efforts or because he hated Martha Stewart?"
She nodded. "Exactly! I'm so glad you understand."
The detective closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sat back in his chair, and said, "and then you served dinner. Why?"
"I couldn't let that beautiful meal go to waste. Honestly, I would have called you after the dinner party, but my girlfriend found Howard in the study. Her screams alerted the whole house, and before I knew it, you were there. It's such a shame. I planned to show them the body, but not until after dessert.
The perfect ending to a perfect night. The cherry on top. Don't you agree, detective? A dinner party to outdo all my other dinner parties. That was my goal."
"Lady, you've more than achieved that," the detective said and stood.
"Book her!"
Yolanda Renee: I am bowing down in awe. I loved this - and despite not being a domestic goddess of any kind, my sympathies are emphatically with the woman.
DeleteLOL, so were mine!
DeleteHe may have deserved it, but heavens, prison? It's just not worth it.
DeleteVery well done!
Wow. Great story :)
DeleteBrilliant, loved it. I love how she's in her own world.
DeleteXO
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So close I was to write enthusiastic a comment, but I do, of course, accept the story is "just for" Sue.
DeleteYolanda Renée: This was fun! I like that she still served dinner even though the body was in the next room, definitely a great hostess.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
This would have made a great 40's movie Yolanda!!! :)
DeleteI haven't done this in so long. But have done it today:
ReplyDeletehttps://jannghi.blogspot.com/2021/10/words-for-wednesday.html
Jamie Ghione: Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed your take on the prompts.
DeleteI like to eat cherry from its tree in summer. But in winter i prefer to eat it on topping of cake! I cant find fresh cherry but cherry jam goes well on topping of cake.
ReplyDeletebread%salt: I much prefer fresh cherries to those that decorate cakes. I don't think I have ever had cherry jam. It might not be as sweet as many jams, which would suit me.
DeleteIn summers, We make "white cherry" and "sour cherry" jams alot. Yes They are sugary and we should decrease the sugar consumption.
DeleteCherry jam does sound good, that's a nice way to put a cherry on top of something.
DeleteWords for Wednesday are so fun. Loved reading all the posts.
ReplyDeleteLove Affair with Food: It really is a fun meme isn't it? I do hope you will join us sometime.
Delete"Angrily, he chopped the logs, with too much haste, he stacked the wood. 'I'll get back at him,' he muttered, thinking of the perceived wrong his brother bestowed upon him. "He'll pay...." Suddenly he realized that the pile of wood he so recklessly stacked was upon him...he'd been thinking about his vendetta when he realized he literally had a chip on his shoulder..." Okay, my first try!!! ☺
ReplyDeleteRain: Thank you for joining us. I love your 'first' try. He had a chip on his shoulder literally AND metaphorically.
DeleteWell done!
DeleteRain: This is why we don't chopped wood while angry. Haha... What a fun take on the prompts.
DeleteHave a lovely day.
Thanks so much! Will do better next time with all of the prompts!!! This is fun. So glad I joined in!! :)
DeleteBuon venerdi.
ReplyDeleteGiancarlo: Thank you - and to you.
DeleteHere's my take on the prompt, or should I say, I didn't use the prompt but write my own? I like the idea of making phrases.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link: Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space
Have a lovely day.
lissa: I thoroughly enjoyed your creative take on the prompts. Writing your own was a stroke of genius.
DeleteWell done everyone!
ReplyDeleteRomance Reader: Thank you.
DeleteDeneilo was bringing home the bacon (a figure of speech) to pay for everything but the kitchen sink after storm Emma. Sunsan greeted him loving at the front door but Deneilo knew she wanted to have her cake and eat it too. "Where's my dinner?" he bawled Shocked Susan retorted, "you've got a real chip on the shoulder, you know that babe? I suppose you want it with a cherry on top too. Deneilo finished his supper smacking his lips. "Best thing since sliced bread."
ReplyDeleteSpacerGuy: What a brilliant take on the prompts. Thank you for joining us again.
DeleteAmazing to think about ❤
ReplyDeleteKinga K.: Thank you. This meme is a heap of fun.
Delete