Did you ever?

this post tied nicely into the 3 word wednesday words
Ambush
Hideous
Meddle

Well... If you've been reading me from the beginning, you will know about my issues with my legal name .
It seems I keep getting myself in trouble by calling myself different names in different settings.
I never thought this at all whacky, but my kids sure do. I sent my boys to pick up the baked clams from our favorite Italian place on Christmas eve..Every time I order out from this restaurant and they ask for a name.. I say the form of my name that is my latest preference - Lucy. (and every time.. the boy on the phone begins singing lucy in the sky with diamonds! :)
So, when i placed the order for the clams and they asked, i automatically said.. Lucy. (i just love that song and being sung to! ) I gave NO last name. No phone number. Rushing around on Christmas Eve.. I remembered to give my kids the money before they left, but I forgot to inform them that the order is under the name LUcY.
They get there and give my first name, the name they know me as, the name most people call me.. Luanne. The waiter says.. "we have NO orders under that name".. so then my boys give our LAST name.."we have No orders under that name" Then they gave my husbands first name.. No Luck! Our phone number?? NO luck...The place was a zoo so the clerks started helping other customers, leaving my kids ambushed and wondering "what the heck is going on" (and may I mention, leaving my clams to become hideously dried out!) Then one counter person.. called out "LUCY"! "is there anyone waiting for a full tray of baked clams named LUCY?" My brilliant kids (who I would have thought more brilliant if they would have just called me as soon as they were puzzled ) realized.. OH Lucy!?! THIS must be our nut job mom!!
Of course when they came home... they not only had to go on and on and on about HOW frustrating this was and HOW I should have remembered to tell them my name, they also had to meddle in my business by giving me their opinion that I am so crazy with this Lucy stuff and that I should just stick to Luanne and stop confusing everyone! Glad they never read my blog.. 'cause I am finally admitting.... since their trip for the clams... I HAVE begun to think I am wacky after I got into trouble yet AGAIN at Zumba class with my name game. My friend gave me a zumba gift card under the name Luanne. However, I usually sign in as Lucy at Zumba when I pay, but because the g.c. says luanne, I signed in as Luanne. Later, a new teacher introduced herself to me and asked my name. I said Lucy. Later she asked if I had forgotten to pay her, because she had NO lucy's on her list! I am starting to feel like a criminal and may begin to add aka to all my signatures.
Thanks for reading!
and happy new year to all my 3 ww buddies,
xo
Lucy Aka Luanne
aka Lulu
aka Lucille
aka Wackadoodle

mmmmm

Sunday Scribblings prompt this week is Delicious! Amongst loving, beautiful, exhausting, rewarding, Merry,emotional and FILLING... I would Definitely also add the adjective Delicious to describe our Christmas of '09! As always, I write myself notes to help with future holidays but I never revert back to last years menu and note, where I Cross out food and write.. "don't make that next year! There was TOO much food!" How foolish that I disregard my own experience based knowledge and add Additional foods to my Christmas Eve menu!

This year we began with cheeses and crackers. A cold antipasto consisting of Dried sweet sausage, roasted peppers, olives and fresh mozzarella. A shrimp cocktail platter.We went on to enjoy... My eldest son's homemade Hummus (made from soaked raw chick peas NOT a can!) His delicious broccoli frittata, my Artichoke pies, Spinach quiche, zucchini casserole, Baked Clams Arreganata and Salad Pizza! Okay.. those were just the apps! Our dinner consisted of Fried Shrimp and Fried Calamari, Salad, Broccoli Rabe, Linguini with red sauce and for the piece de resistance...
my eldest sons AMAZING, DELICIOUS eggplant Parmesan !

I know... I am so full just writing all this down! delicious? or disgusting? haha I can't believe how much food I put out! I won't even begin to tell you what was on the table for dessert! But you know what? this is NOT what i really wanted to talk about with this Delicious post! I wanted to talk about my incredible son Frank.







I can't begin to tell you HOW much this helpful, considerate young man moves me. As I was preparing all my food and getting my home organized on Christmas Eve day, He was in his apartment.. making Two trays of eggplant, the yummy red sauce and the hummus and frittata!
Frank is just a natural at cooking. No matter what he whips up, it is heavenly! He considered going to culinary school but changed his mind. His soups are incredible and his italian and indian dishes are better than any I have ever tasted. (being his heart is greater than his cooking talent.. better that he's decided to become a special education teacher.)
His help meant the world to me.. I couldn't have done the eggplant on my own this year. Work was crazy, and between the shopping for food and gifts and the wrapping, cleaning, card writing, decorating my home and then only having that ONE day to prepare for the eve.... I mean.. I just am one old woman! My husband, who is also a gigantic help, had to work Christmas eve day. So, I just can't thank Frank enough! I toasted him with tears in my eyes on Christmas Eve, letting our family know, just how wonderful he is and how grateful I am for this amazing soul. Christmas always gets me emotional, or should I say..more emotional than I already am! I found myself welling up over EVERY happy moment, loving card and friends wishes and love. It also didn't help my emotions by experiencing a very emotional beginning to this week.
Last sunday, I heard the news that a long time lovely client of mine passed away at the young age of 70 after a battle with cancer. The very next day... another client of mine went through a tragedy when her 72 year old husband died of a massive heart attack while shoveling their driveway. (we had a blizzard last week). My heart broke for this poor woman! They had a very close relationship and were married for 50 years. I went to her home to do her hair before his wake and just couldn't stop crying with her. When I saw her that night at his wake, she had been sedated and was calmer.. yet the palpable sadness was intense and still hasn't left me. I can't imagine going through what she must be feeling. My husband is my life and my heart and I can't imagine losing someone I love, so suddenly and tragically. If that wasn't enough sadness for my week.. I also read about a home invasion near by, where the home owner was shot to death by the intruders while trying to stop them... When I read the homeowners name.. my heart stopped. He was my high school boy friend! I hadn't seen him in 30 years, but the news made such an impact on me. You stop and think about people that used to be in your life, and you hope they are out there somewhere living a good life. To think that poor Steve's life ended in such a tragic way, leaving his wife and children behind with this unimaginable grief. Too Sad. Too emotional.

Well, i am off the topic of delicious aren't I? Considering I am not blogging as frequently, this has turned into an epic post and I probably have lost some readers a few paragraphs ago!
Getting back to delicious... Well... The over indulging did NOT stop on the Eve! Many years ago we began the wacky tradition on Christmas day of FRY FEST! It all began when we gave up our frying pan for a Fry daddy to fry all Christmas eve's fried shrimp! The fryer makes an awful 'mcdonald' like stench.. so we set it up outdoors! We look like real hillbillies! Mr. Petals puts a tarp on half of our front porch to protect him from the elements while he stands out there to fry! Christmas day, we put AnYTHING the kids want that will choke a horse or clog an artery into that fryer! MORE shrimp, steak fries, onion rings, sweet potatoes, zucchini, mozz. sticks, chicken nuggets, mini eggrolls... It's really gross! but my kids invite ALL their friends (who were so excited about FRY FEST '09) and we just keep the fryer going as they come and go! Not to mention utilizing THE ASTONISHING amount of leftovers from the eve! So that's our delicious SLASH disgusting holiday!
Hope you had a beautiful, delicious Christmas too! Wishing all my blogging friends a very happy, healthy, auspicious, loving New year!

beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

haven't update in so long. This time of year is too crazy. It's one of my busiest months at work, usually tied with August. Besides work being so busy, I am trying my hardest to once again, pull off giving my family a nice Christmas. Between decorating and tree trimming and cookie baking and shopping, wrapping, card writing and cooking and cleaning and menu planning and switching dishes to Christmas dishes... (whew, exhausted just writing it all) I am also now selling Jewelry!
Like I needed one more job?! It's a long story.. but it is really adding some excitement to my little salon! It seems whatever I am wearing for the day is the item the ladies desire! they are so cute!

Speaking of my ladies... This year so many of them are really moving me with their love. I think it is a sign of our times, but so many clients/friends and old friends who I don't see as often as we would like, have been so much more affectionate this year. I am getting "i love you's" left and right and it feels so wonderful hearing people expressing themselves so lovingly.
One very dear friend/client shocked me with a gift certificate for 10 zumba lessons! It was so generous and so thoughtful. Another gave me a gift certificate to my favorite nail salon.
Did you ever see that Honeymooners episode where Ralph buys Alice that little box made of sticks but she gets the same one from a friend?? I was reminded of that with the above mentioned gifts. After I received the zumba lessons, my husband looked so disappointed. When I questioned him, He confessed.. That was his gift idea for me! Then came the other G.C. and the same shocked look on his face... That was his Second choice! He sat me down and told me what a dilemma he was having, because he could not think of One other thing that I would want or need. To tell this story correctly.. I must first tell you that I've been telling him HOW BADLY I want christmas lights on our home. (he Hates doing this job and curses every year!) A couple of weeks ago we had a beautiful sunny day.. so he set out to put up the lights, after hours of frustration over a new outlet not working/ tangled lights/ burnt out bulbs/ well.. over EVERYTHING! He came in cursing and saying NO LIghts this year! I was so disappointed, but left him alone a couple of days, before I said .. Can't you just do a few bushes?? He said ... I just can't! I am so sorry! Sooo..... Back to Mr. Petals dilemma.... Yep! I looked him in his beautiful hazel almond shaped eyes and very sensitively began by saying.... "honey.. I don't need anything under the tree to unwrap. I don't want a gift in a box with a bow with a price tag... I JUST REALLY WANT THE F***ING LIGHTS PUT UP!!

Well.. here it is! All my shrubs have lights! To make my Christmas gift even more beautiful, today, mother nature dropped two feet of snow on them!
If I don't get back to the blog again before hand... wishing every one a very happy, loving, beautifully LIT Christmas!
head or tails.. show and tell!

Weird?

Sunday Scribblings I am so weird I don't know where to begin.
I also think many things are so weird I don't know where to begin. Like yesterday... A client had a 10 am appointment for a haircut.. (which is the same time she makes it EVERY month) She gets to my house at 10:15 and is just sitting in her car on the phone! Finally she makes her way in about 10:25 and I say.. Bernice your appointment was at 10 am. She laughs (a bit hysterically I must say) and says.. "You know what? I couldn't remember!! I thought it was 10 or 10:30?"
She never apologizes and when I suggested that she could always call me if she forgets.. She says..
"yeah I was going to call but I figured you are always so busy, why bother you" Weird?? hello!
So instead of bothering me with a call she just decides to screw up my schedule and Now I will be behind for the rest of my clients?? WEIRD! Speaking of Weird People...

I had to return a pair of shoes the other day... Trying to patiently wait my turn in the ridiculously busy store.. I started observing others. The horrors I saw!! Women acting like princesses while the slave shoe men brought them their choices. Salesmen trying to be professional while customers chatted on the phone and held their boxes out impatiently for the 'slave' to take them away.. What is happening to our society?? Weird?? No not really, disgusting. that's probably a better word for this weird example.
So how am I weird? Well, I am a bit compulsive about germs. It began for me WAY before all this hand sanitizing hysteria over the H1N1 virus. I drummed hand washing into my kids from EARLY on so they have always been in the habit of walking in the house and right to the sink to wash their hands. I promised my pal pepper i would reveal my weird but effective public restroom hand washing technique that allows me NOT to touch AnYthing!! So this is for Pep...
(and any other weirdo's who want to be OCD like me)
step one.. Use your elbow to dispense many paper towels. (if its not a push down lever and you need to turn the dial.. u can just use your hands since you will be washing them. ( i like the lever types)
step two...stick one large clump of paper towels under your arm pit
use another clump of the paper towels to turn on the water faucet
step three... lift towels again (without touching the bottom that touched the faucet) and
smash down on soap dispenser.
step four- apply soap,rub into hands and fingers (DOn't forget thumbs!)for 20 seconds.
step five.. rinse thoroughly(if it's one of those auto turn offs.. USE the towels to put it on again)
step six.. Use the armpit paper towels to thoroughly dry your hands AND use them to grab the sink towels and toss them AND to grab the door handle to the bathroom. (If you don't u may as well have NOT washed your hands at all.)
step seven.. (Yes there's more).. If there is No garbage pail near the door... sometimes you can hold it open with your hip and get the paper towel in the trash.. If not take it with you and leave it in the nearest garbage pail, or Put it in the plastic bag in your purse. (you DO have one don't you??!!)
BONUS WEIRDO TIPS.. tip 1 do all of the above with your purse on your shoulder Or hang it around your neck.. DON'T place it on the sink or on AnY thing in a public bathroom!! Also, don't lean your body on the sinks!
tip 2... Roll up your jeans before entering into the stall! this way they won't touch the floor when you pull down your pants! NEVER SIT! Always Hover and squat back (and please aim well) which is sometimes difficult if you have a purse around your neck and your coat hoisted up pushing your scarf up around your face. ( I hate when the hooks on the backs of the doors are missing) If you pee on the seat... You take enough toilet paper to totally cushion you from touching the bowl and wipe your mess up! ALWAYS FLUSH WITH YOUR FOOT!!
tip 3.. remember to unroll your jeans when you're all done going and before your wash up.. or Trust me! People look at you weirdly in the public bathroom (sometimes they look at me weirdly even when i Do remember to roll my pants legs down)
finally tip 4 If there are No paper towels in the bathroom, DO NOT bother using the sink with your bare hands.. instead resort to hand sanitizer which you should keep in your purse along with the baggie.
So there you have it.. I think I shouldn't reveal any more weird facts in one post. I didn't know where to begin but Now I know when I should end... Happy Hand Washing! Hope I've helped to keep you well all winter!