Candycane Kid & her bestest sidekick Bear...

... ride into a town called 'morning hair',


atop a wooden horse with no name.
(only a licence plate)

LOL

True Love...

... is when you know in your heart that you could quite possibly spend
the rest of forever staring at that beautiful face & not budge once.

Ruby's adventures in spoon feeding...

These photos are brought to you by:

Mott's Cinnamon Applesauce...

With spills courtesy of Sir Isaac Newton...

First SPOON experience, provided by Sassy Less Mess Self Feeder Toddler Spoons

Also making an appearance: Toddler Friendly Dinnerware

And one very happy (yet messy) Ruby Cate...

Proud smiles were seen all around...

And this EXTREEMLY PROUD Momma could not be HAPPIER!

Little Hand...

... BIG history.

Teach em' YOUNG! *grin*

Some teach their kids how to eat with a spoon,
say certain words, perhaps how to throw a ball, etc...
ME? I taught my child THIS!
AND WE'RE DAMN PROUD OF IT!!! hehehe
(Ruby is walking with her beloved Nonno and her Uncle Adam was the camera man...)

Peenie Men & Hoochie Noonies...

While talking with a friend of mine today, she asked me what, if anything, I use to refer to my child's private parts. I said at first, nothing really, then remembered that over all the years of nannying, I've always used the following terms for those parts: Boys have a Peenie Man, and girls have a Hoochie Noonie. Don't ask, just listen.
I don't know how it is I came up with those names, I only remember years back having families I've worked for be uneasy with me calling their children's parts by the actual names, thus, the silly made up name courtesy of Moi!

After telling her this she proceeded to tell me THE MOST HYSTERICAL STORY about how one day, while babysitting their friends' 3 & 1/2 year old son, her husband was pushing said boy on the swings outside, and apparently started pushing a little too hard & little boy piped up & said to her husband:
" Mr.Husband, please don't push me so high, you're making my penis nervous..."

HAHAHAHAHA I LAUGHED SO HARD & AM STILL LAUGHING AS I TYPE THIS!!!!!!!!!

It got me to thinking, what do all of YOU do or what have you DECIDED to do when it comes to referring to your child's private parts & am I the only one who has come up with ridiculous names for the real articles? LOL

C'MON PEPOPLE, SHARE YOUR STORIES!!!

=)

Only six?? HA!

Ok, so I've been tagged by both my Aussie blogger buddy Lee-Anne and a faithful lurker Maggie, to list six weird things about me. It sucks being limited to ONLY six (trust me I could fill this page UP) but here goes...:

-I ONLY drink PG Tips Tea.

-I ONLY use TEDDIE brand Peanut Butter as it's all natural ingredients make for a delicious sandwich! (also great on apple slices!)

-I sometimes read Ruby's books when she's sound asleep & has no idea I'm in there curled up with a smile on my face. Don't get me wrong, I love to read them to her & am CONSTANTLY reading to her but sometimes, it's just nice to read her books to myself when I know she's cozy & warm & sound asleep in the next room. =)

-I NEVER go anywhere without my pink water sippy (sports bottle) and am CONSTANTLY drinking water 24/7. Even brought it with me to China!

-I shower every day but only wash my hair every other.

-I am constantly tweezing any & ALL stray hairs that I find that should NOT BE where I find them! I will literally sit in front of that mirror for a half hour or MORE if that's what it takes to get that ONE STUBBORN HAIR that's PISSING ME OFF! It's a sickness & I'm sure somewhere there's a group just WAITING FOR ME TO JOIN!
lol


-I sometimes stop & think about how my life is now and I realize how happy I am that Ruby is here... that if I look at her too long I start to cry.

-I ONLY use Kleenex Cottonelle Flushable Folded Wipes instead of toilet papaer. (just buy the occasional roll of TP for when guests come over.)

-I NEVER wear any type of flip flip with a TOE VIOLATOR! You know what I'm talkin' about, that nasty little strip of plastic that gets wedged between your toes! OMG! GET IT OUT OF THERE!!!!!!!!!!! Only will wear SLIP ON type sandals with NOTHING between my TOES! Yes, it freaks me out THAT MUCH!!

-The hour before Ruby goes to bed is my FAVORITE TIME OF DAY cuz she's the silliest at that time & we spend most of it playing fun little 'kissing' games & she gives me a 'squeeze' (hug) and over dramatizes the 'squeezing' sound as she hugs me & then laughs, smiles up at me and holds my hand as we snuggle. Always, after I put her to bed & the 'silly time' is over, I get teary because I miss her. Yes, I know she's in the same house as me but she's in her room & I have to leave to let her sleep, so I'm a dorker, I miss her & usually shed a tear or two.

And finally last (for now) but certainly NOT LEAST (and probably T.M.I.):

-I ALWAYS have to wear a Poise Pad daily courtesy of my MS & the fun joys of bladder control, or more to the point, loss of. I seldom actually end up using them for their intended purpose but I HAVE to have them to be on the safe side as there isn't always a bathroom nearby when nature calls & for me, if I don't find one asap, I end up with just p & leave the asa behind.
It's fun being me... *UGH*


Now, I have to tag some people, not sure how many but I'm picking the following people:

Karen
Carrie
Sherrie
Lisa
Julie
Shannon
Sparky
Tink
and
Izi

That should do it for now, I could tag ALL OF YOU but that woud be highly annoying so let's not go there shall we? LOL

Ruby's 1st Easter...

Ruby sits with her Nonno while the two of them
open her very 1st Easter Basket!

Little cousin Isabella has a basket too, but from the looks of things
she's more exicted about that shiny stuff all over it
rather than what's actually in it! hehehe

Morning naps...

... are always better with a friend.

Pupper...

... makes a nice pillow.

Joely & Me...

Great Smile Joely!!!

Too bad I'm too busy stuffing my face with O's to smile LOL

Joely has some of the KEWLEST TOYS EVER!

She's my new friend, and I love her!
*HUG*

Head over the MOON in LOVE...

... with the prettiest little girl this side of China!
How DID I get SO BLESSED?
*tearysmile*

Howling buddies...

Grandparents are the best...

Nanna, Me and Nonno out for a little 'after dinner' walk...
*smile*
I love them SO MUCH!

LMFAO!

This just struck me as SO FRIGGEN FUNNY I could NOT resist sharing it with everyone!
And literally, I'm STILL LAUGHING AS I TYPE THIS!!!
HAHAHAHA

Who needs a pillow...

... when you have a Bear?

Did you guess correctly?

Here are the three unique squares that STAND ALONE:


1st- Top row: 6th square in from the left, was a piece of a cloth bag that held the contents of a DELICIOUS 'raspberry muffin mix'!! It was sent to me by my fantastic Secret Buddy, Anne!
Made those bad boys & had them with TEA!
YUMMY!!
So, although it wasn't an original 100 good wishes quilt square, I still wanted to include it in Ruby's quilt because it's unique & I love it!
(plus it always reminds me of those amazing muffins that brightened my day when all there was to do was 'WAIT'... trust me, waiting sucks, but MUFFINS made it a little easier!)



2nd- Top row: 7th square in from the left. If you look closely, this square DOES have a mate however, it's the 'square within a square' that is the UNIQUE ONE.
It's a little teenie blue birdie square in the bottom left corner. I can't remember exactly who sent me this bird, shame on me because I SHOULD know, but sadly, I don't.
WHAT I DO KNOW is that I LOVED IT and that even though it was teenie & not the same size as the other squares, I was DETERMINED to include it!



3rd- Second row: 4th square in from the left; the WHITE SQUARE! There is only one of this as well, and it was added by Ruby's Aunt Emily (the one who put this gorgeous quilt together for us!) so OBVIOUSLY THIS SQUARE IS EXTREEMLY IMPORTANT TO US as it's a piece of Emily, who we love VERY MUCH! Thanks EMILY!!!

And to our Auntie Patty (Emily's Mom) who brought the quilt over to us yesterday, a big huge THANK YOU! We LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

Does 28 count?

This is Ruby's 100 good wishes quilt...
... only there aren't 100 good wishes, just 28.

"Then why are there 56 squares?" you ask...

Well, because there are duplicates of almost every square, with the exception of 3 unique pieces of material that stand alone.

(bet'cha can't guess which ones they are...)

And this material for the backing I bought from this lovely woman off eBaY...

(pssst, by the way, I have LOTS of this asian chinese newyear material leftover for any of you who want squares for your own quilts...
just email me your address & consider it done.)

Spring has SPRUNG!

How else do you explain this BEAUTIFUL specimen of the VERY RARE
PINK ASIAN SPRING DAISY?

Stumbled across this beauty first thing this morning...
I think it's safe to say it's hands down,
my FAVORITE FLOWER!
*grin*

Wait, what's that Momma?

... you mean this ISN'T a chair?

How sad yet how TRUE!

You are

What Rejected Crayon Are You?

Oh yes, sad isn't it, that of ALL the crayons, wait, the REJECTED CRAYONS in the world, MINE has something to do with NASTY DIAPERS! Seems fitting, don'tcha think? LOL

FYI: my underwear color?
PINK

Double chin... ??

... I have no idea what you're talking about!

Happy 19 Months Baby Girl...

... Momma loves you all the way to China and back!

A Ruby Pic Fix...

He defines what it is to be called: "Friend"

I am proud beyond proud to share with everyone something that a friend of mine is doing in honor of those of us living with MS... He will be participating in the

The 22nd Annual
Great Mass Getaway MS 150 Bike Tour Boston to P'Town, and a boat ride home! Sat. June 24 - Sun. June 25, 2006

to help raise money for MS research... If you think it looks good on paper, listen to this FNX Radio Spot describing the two day event in detail! Man is he going to have fun! (did that guy from the radio mention BEER??) Cycling & Beer, TWO of Jim's 3 FAVORITE THINGS EVER! hee hee Clearly Little Miss Ruby Cate is 'Uncle Jim's' 3rd favorite thing, that goes without SAYING! ;)
When he told me he was doing this, I started to cry, because A. I was completely BEYOND touched, and B. I KNOW he can do this... he races mountain bikes at a professional competitive level- so a road race? PIECE-O-CAKE for ole' Jim! I know he's going to help in such a monumental way, I don't even think HE knows how much this means to me! So I figure I'd share this with all of you, my faithful daily readers... the amazing goodness & love & dedication in just 'one' of my many friends who I love so much... I just don't have any words for this, I am so, so beyond proud of you Jim, I love you for doing this & hope that you & everyone else riding will raise lots of money so that a cure can be found in my lifetime!
*getting the tissue box...*

If anyone would like to either Sponsor Jim, or perhaps Join Him & Register to Ride yourself, I would be TICKLED PINK! Thank you to ANYONE & EVERYONE who helps in the fight & search for a CURE for a disease that hit so close to home I believe it bit me smack in the ass! ;) hehehe (just cuz I have MS doesn't mean that I've lost my sense of humor people!) HEHEHE

Thank you Uncle Jim, WE LOVE YOU!!!

Did someone say 'Crazy'... hehehe ;)

This little number is the newest pick for my Book Club...
What Comes After Crazy... by: Sandi Kahn Shelton was a random choice by yours truly, as it was my turn to pick the next book. It looks lighthearted & fun with a little touch of INSANE mixed in for good measure. If anyone else would like to read along... feel free. The book is available on Amazon.com... =) HAPPY READING EVERYONE!

Ching Ming Festival... April 5th.

Today is the Ching Ming Festival in China.
Ching means 'clear' and Ming means 'bright'... it is a day that the Chinese people honor their ancestors by visiting their graves to clear away weeds, touch up the gravestone inscriptions and make offerings of wine & fruit. It sounds like a lovely tradition and makes me think fondly of my relatives who have passed... although, for me, I don't have to visit a gravesite... my Nonna (father's mother) is still in this apartment every day. Yes, she's truly here & No, I'm not kidding, nor am I crazy. I love her to pieces & LOVE knowing that she's here looking over Ruby and Me... it makes me feel safe.
So, to all of you who have lost a loved one, be they human or animal, today Ruby & I will celebrate Ching Ming in honor of everyone you've ever loved who has gone to the other side... may they truly rest in peace.

A girl can dream...

If I EVER win the lottery, I'm getting THIS for little miss RUBY CATE!

Man, I took ONE LOOK at this beauty & was A FIVE YEAR OLD KID AGAIN JUST DYING TO GO DISSAPPEAR INSIDE IT FOR WEEKS ON END!!!
What I wouldn't give to be able to surprise my daughter with this... *sigh* ...someday.

DOUBLE TROUBLE!!

Picker #1: Little Miss Ruby Cate

Picker #2: Little Miss Gwen

Funny how BOTH GIRLS favor their LEFT HAND INDEX FINGERS!

*grin*

Hee hee, I think Gwen's Mommy said it best when she said Gwen looked like a ROCK STAR!
Ruby & I BOTH WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE!

hee hee