Tickle Me 'ITALIAN'...

... Ok so here's the deal, through the magic of one of my best friends on the planet, I have in my possession, the following:


If you don't know who this little guy is, then perhaps you're just like me & living under a rock?!
LOL


I didn't know at all until my friend told me about him.
Now I can't say how I have one but I do... I usually have all the 'hook up's' courtesy of my Italian side but this time, it's due to my Southern side!
*grin*




Now, since Ruby isn't much of a fan of this red fuzzy guy, I figured I would just list him on ebay, make some mom's day & quite possibly her christmas as I guess these little guys are nearly impossible to come by and whatever money I make from the sale, goes into our 'ITALIAN TRIP FUND' for next June.




I haven't been to Italy in nearly 15 years... & Ruby has yet to set foot on her Nonno's soil. That is going to change this June, we're going for two weeks HOWEVER, I have to scrimp & save like a crazy person, which basically means we don't get out as much as we'd like unless it's something free. (ie: walks to the library, playing in the back yard, etc...)


But then I thought, eh... why ebay? Why not list him here? I have plenty of readers ALL with children/children on the way SO, rather than ebay, he's being listed HERE just for YOU !
All my faithful R.I.H.O.T. readers get first dibs.
I'm going to just leave it up to you all, that is if anyone's interested in him at all.


Leave me your 'bid' amount in the comments section & by weeks end, whoever has the highest bid, wins. And just like in true ebay fashion I have a COUNTDOWN TO ELMO ticker factory icon at the bottom of the blog. Bidding ends as of midnight on Sunday.
Winner to be announced first thing Monday Morning!
Oh, and if you'd rather your bid be private?

e-mail me instead!

I'll just update the comments section with an amount only
& that way, the bidders identity won't be revealed!
Ooooh this is going to be FUN!
LET THE BIDDING BEGIN!
(and if nobody should be interested in him, that's ok too cuz I can always just go back to my original plan of posting him on ebay... they're going for $150 & up!)
I don't know about you all, but that would make a nice chunk of change
to add to my Italian fund, plus it'll make me happy knowing that not everyone on the planet gets to bid on him like on ebay, but it's an event privvy only to my readers, my friends!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Ruby's Book Club...

... will have online *monthly meetings* with anyone interested in joining!

Standard Bookclub Rules according to Miss Ruby:

-Must either love to read or at least be willing to make yourself LOOK like you love it...

-Must have a fabulously toasty chair to plunk down into with this month's book selection as chozen by miss RUBY...

-Must not be afraid to be 'different' and chill 'in your own way' ...
( it's OK to break the rules on occasion... Momma said so!)


(I'm pretty sure that's not how one would assume a toddler relaxes in her chair, but it seems to work for Miss Ruby Roo...)
-Always have an ice water sippy handy for those thirsty reading moments...
-Always bring a friend or two...
(note her new friend DUCK in the backround on Momma's ottoman...)


And last but not least,

-FOR GOD SAKES, ALWAYS ENJOY YOURSELF!

The Devil in the White City...

Book club selection for September,
& so far, I'm LOVING it!

And in the immortal words of Ross Geller...

"... I just grabbed a spoon."


*smile*

'Stealth-Aunt'

Ok, so my Aunt Allegra (Ruby's Nanna T) is staying downstairs at my parents place while they're whoopin' it up in ITALY! (jealous like you CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE!) And truth be told, I like that she's there because honestly, if I were to have an MS attack, it's just not the smartest thing in the world to be in such a big house & be the only adult with a child in tow. So far so good & I'm probably going to be just fine as I usually am, HOWEVER, can't hurt to be safe right? So, why 'stealth-aunt' as the title to this post? Let me explain...

My aunt is fun & loud, just like me, she's KNOWN whenever she's in a room, or a house, or within ten feet or so of you, just like me. LOL So if she's loud & boisterious WHY IS IT that literally, I look outside my apartment & one minute her car's there & the next, *POOF* it's gone!?!@?!! Seriously, keep in mind that the driveway is HUGE, it's easy to hear ANYONE start a car from ANYWHERE in my cozy little apartment because I always have every window open, even if it's just a crack. HOW IS THIS WOMAN DISSAPPEARING WITHOUT ME SO MUCH AS HEARING HER START THE ENGINE?

Oh, and the car, if I showed it to you you'd say;
" Now come'on Amy, you're trying to tell me you didn't hear THAT CAR leaving?"

Yes, that's what I'm telling you.

SO, either I'm going DEAF in my 30's OR, the woman is a secret stealth bomber on a mission to make me feel like I'm losing my mind!
Guess what Leggy... IT'S WORKING!
hehehe

Seriously maybe all these years of listening to myself talk, and talk, and talk, and talk-
has ruined my hearing.
It's possible...
... I'm sorry, what was that?

Men In Trees... *updated*

" The truest thing I know about relationships is that sometimes we don't know anything at all.
You can't always get the one you want and sometimes the one you get may not be the right one at all... but if you have hope, the universe has a funny way of showing you exactly what you need.
The challenge is to let yourself be alone until the right one shows up...
but you can't hide either.
Heartbreak sucks...
but not having heartbreak sucks more.
The answers aren't in a lecture or a book but maybe if you get yourself happy, you'll find the right one.
I believe this because against all odds, I'm still an optimist.
That's the thing about love...
if it were that easy, everyone would have it.

*More Men in Trees...*

So I guess there's no easy way to move on from a relationship.
You can't flip a switch and suddenly be over it,
because the road really is full of hidden pot holes.
You can try staying in the relationship...
You can stay home and dream of the perfect unobtainable one...
But in the end, it just takes time and some Alaskan tap water
and the help of a town full of good men.
Thanks for sleeping with me Elmo."

Ok, who'se brave enough to attempt this?

L'approvazione, questa è uscita dall'ordinario per me, TUTTAVIA, ho desiderato inviare qualcosa aromatizzare sul blog una punta! Sono curioso quant0 di voi REALMENTE tenteranno di provare & calcolare fuori che cosa ho scritto, piuttosto che commento giusto su come non potete capirli… CAPPISH? Con la persona che può leggere il questo & calcolare fuori che cosa dice, i PUNTI ENORMI di INDENNITÀ e forse sorpresa trasmessa personalmente dal RUBY lei stessa! Hee Hee, BUONA FORTUNA! Ed a quelli di voi che REALMENTE PARLANO ITALIANO (sì Rina, questo li significa…) non rovinare la sorpresa per il resto di noi che devono calcolare fuori un senso tradurre questo testo con l'uso dei loro calcolatori & dei loro cervelli! hee di hee Ciò dovrebbe essere DIVERTIMENTO per dire il minimi!

CIAO!

Happy Birthday to you...

... Happy Birthday to You,
Happy Birthday Dear
RUBY!
Happy Birthday Toooo Youuuu!!!
*clapping*
YEAH!



hehehe only my kid is full of herself enough to start applauding BEFORE the song ends but just immediately AFTER hearing her NAME!
*grin* hehehe

That's my girl!

Ruby tell Uncle Steve... GO! GO! GO!

If it says the video is no longer available... be patient, because it IS available, HOWEVER I literally just uploaded it... SO, it takes a little while for it to be fully functional via the blog. Come back in a few minutes & click on it again, should be just fine. =) (& to Uncle Steve who was SO patient with constantly playing his cell phone over and over and over and OVER and OVER some more for my bossy little 'GO!' girl... Thanks! ) *smile*

Ok, so you wanna see some pictures huh?

Nice, so uh... Momma, are ALL those little cakes for me AND Bear?

*shhh, Bear, don't tell her that you can't eat cuz you don't have a mouth!
Just go with it!*


C'mon Isabella... let's bust a move!


PUZZLES?!? I LOVE PUZZLES!!!
Hmmm a book that makes noises? THANKS UNCLE ADAM!
*psst, Momma's gonna kill you now*


Enjoying showing off my loot with my good friend Abi!


Presents schmesents, WHO NEEDS EM when I have this GREAT BOTTLE CAP!
hee hee

Hanging with my Uncle Elvis!
*I have a BIG CRUSH on this man... shh don't tell Auntie Jen!*

The 411 on my kewl cupcake tower...

This little number is called: The Wilton Cupcakes N'More Dessert Stand & here are a few places it can be found at:

WILTON STORE ONLINE

BED BATH & BEYOND

Now obviously it's cheaper to try & find it at Bed Bath & Beyond... truth be told I found mine at A.C. Moore. (craft store here in my neck of the woods) I think I paid $40. for mine but literally the following weekend it went on sale for $19.99. So it's just the luck of the draw I suppose.

Not sure if there's an A.C. Moore near you?
CLICK HERE to find out WHERE one IS in your neck of the woods!

Tower-O-Cupcakes!

Mmmm... is it 3:00pm yet?
hehehe

And don't think for a second that this is how I'm going to transport these puppies outside, NO WAY NO HOW! I've got a tupperware cake/cupcake taker for that... observe:


hehehe Ruby's very excited about her party but she did recently whisper to me:
"Momma... Gen?"
*tears*
HOW CUTE IS THAT?!@?@?@

Knit one... knit two...

... aw hell, make it SIX!
Well, for starters anyway... these are some scarves I've just recently finished knitting that I'm sending overseas with my parents when they travel shortly to visit family & friends in Italy.
Sooooo jealous that I'm not joining them for the trip, but June will be here before I know it & then, WATCH OUT ROMA cuz Ruby & Gwen are gonna paint that boot BLOOO!
*hehehe*
I'd say Red but Blue is now Ruby's favorite color,
if for no other reason than she just likes to say it.
LOL

(ps: that red & navy striped one, ENORMOUS PAIN IN THE ASS to do
so I'm completely PSYCHED that it's DONE!
I hope to hell that Pietro enjoys it- after all, he asked for those colors specifically!
Damn old boyfriends!)
*grin*

Sharing a cookie...

... with a fuzzy friend.

Just for Johnny...

"Johnny said...

P.S. You got the RSS feed working! I was able to hook up to you via bloglines. You should let people know."


Ok, just like Johnny said: Here's the scoop people... apparently my RSS feed wasn't working or was turned off or something because he mentioned to me that he had to 'manually' check my blog because my RSS feed was turned off, whatever that means. APPARENTLY without knowing how I did it, I FIXED IT & he can now hook up to me via bloglines.
(check them out at bloglines.com)
And if you'd like to subscribe to my blog, simply click on the icon to the right ------>>
hee hee, not too shabby huh Johnny?
*grin*
If any of this is making sense to you all, ROCK ON!
All I know is my house smells YUMMY right now...
(4 dozen cupcakes later!)

GOT MILK?

(and before anyone comments on the nekkid'ness of my cakes,
remember that cold cakes are far easier to ICE than warm ones,
thus- the overnight chill prior to some white icing & rainbow jimmies...)

And YES jimmies is another word , well around here, the ONLY word for 'sprinkles'...
mmmm yummy!

You're kidding... right?

Ok, so tomorrow is Ruby's first official birthday party with all the family & close friends invited...

... sounds fun right? Well, it will be, but there's one thing that has been driving me absolutely apeshit... IF ONE MORE PERSON ASKS ME WHAT RUBY'S 'THEME' IS GOING TO BE I'M GONNA STRANGLE THEM WITH THE STRING FROM ONE OF BEAR'S SWEATERS!

C'MON people, are you freakin' serious? A THEME? Are you seriously asking me that with a straight face? PULLLLLEASEEEEEEEE!
IT'S A TODDLERS BIRTHDAY PARTY, PEOPLE!
She's TWO, not TWENTY TWO!
Good LORD!

Amusement parks have themes...
Books have themes...
Wedding's have themes...
School classrooms have themes...
Display tables in retail stores have themes...

A TWO YEAR OLDS BIRTHDAY PARTY DOES NOT HAVE A THEME!

Honestly, let's just let kids be kids, theme my ass!
You want theme? Ok, how about this, you come, you grab a cupcake & some ice cream, you smile, you eat, you laugh, you enjoy yourself for about an hour, then you leave.
END. OF. STORY.

Listen folks, I'm all for my daughter having a smashing first birthday celebration but, a theme?
These are the same mothers who'se daughters are pros at beauty pagents by age 3.
The same moms who learned how to parent by reading 'all the books'. *sigh*
The same parents who just 'HAVE' to get little Billy those kewl new wheelie shoes cuz 'all the kids have them blah blah blah...
He'll be made fun of otherwise... blah blah blah

How about lettin' little 'Billy' grow some COGLIONE and handle himself on the school ground without the help of your expensive sneakers with wheels?
Now there's a thought... HONESTLY!

My little girl's party has NO THEME...
just some good oldfashioned CUPCAKES, ICECREAM & FUN!
That's it.
No friggen matching plates to matching napkins to funky plasticware to ANY of that stuff, you know why? Because SHE'S TWO PEOPLE!
She won't remember this at all, period.
Sure I'll take pictures and be happy to have them, but, a theme?
Don't get me wrong, when she's OLDER (4, 5 & up etc...) & has an opinion on what she'd like at her birthday party, then BRING ON THE THEMES!
But T-W-O??
*rolling eyes*

Seriously, shit like this makes me worry for our kids futures... if PARENTS are acting like this today, then what the HELL can I expect to see once Ruby is a mother herself?
If she knows what's good for her she'll not act like the 'toddler theme moms'... and no offense to any of my readers should you happen to actually be a theme mom, if that's your thing, if it's what makes your socks go up & down, then by all means, rock on. BUT, don't just assume that because YOU insist on having a theme for your toddler/infant, that every other mother on the planet is ALSO going to have one, because I'm here to tell you that the ONLY theme I'm interested in for tomorrow,
is the one where Ruby's got a BIG FAT SMILE on her face & THAT'S THAT!

And NO I'm not angry at anyone & NO someone didn't ruffle my feathers, period.

I was just sitting here thinking 'wow, tomorrow is my little girls first official birthday party..." with a daydreamy sort of smile on my face & then that smile slowly turned to an aggrivated frown as I recalled all those people who recently berrated me with 'WHAT'S THE THEME?' ' ARE YOU GONNA DO ELMO? OR NEMO?"

First of all, I am not DOING anyone, neither MONSTER nor FISH...
Second of all, have I mentioned she's T-W-O?!?!?!!!!

Ok, how's this for a theme:

Ruby's birthday party will be brought to you tomorrow by the letter R and the number 2!

Sesame street has just left the building...

Unending 'NIGHT TERRORS' + 1 exhausted Momma =

hypocrite One entry found for hypocrite. Main Entry: hyp·o·crite Pronunciation: 'hi-p&-"krit Function: noun Etymology: Middle English ypocrite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hypokritEs actor, hypocrite, from hypokrinesthai 1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion 2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings - hypocrite adjective

You know, in all my 16 years of doing the 'nanny gig', I always was a firm believer in the 'NO CO-SLEEPING' shit. Really, I was... and STILL AM, however, when 1 year old twins arrive daily at 7:15am, and I'm running on empty, and I have a 2 year old who is having recurring screaming NIGHT TERRORS, one has to stop & question if they're pulling out all the stops on this one?

Well, that cute pic you see above you? Ask me where she's peacefully sleeping right now, go on... you know you wanna. Wait, better yet, guess, but you only get ONE TRY!

*sigh*

Let's hope it's only temporary because, let's face it, I love her but I also love my bed all to myself, ya know what I'm sayin'? My ass needs MATTRESS FREEDOM! *doublesigh*
Maybe tonight's a good night for some tylenol PM...

Happy Birthday To Me...

... I'm wicked silly!


I'm building blocks with Nonno...


... & feelin' all GIDDY!


I'm frothin' at the mouth...



... & can't see through my hair!

But one thing's for sure...

I've got the world's best BEAR!

hehehehe

After 1 very LONG birthday walk...

... this 2 year old is enjoying a birthday snooze with Bear!
Oh, and that book she's got nuzzled uner her hand is literally brand new since our walk. We headed down to Casa' De Moda to let Miss Ruby pick out one thing from the store & that was it! No lie, she absolutely LOVES IT! I think we've read it like a ZILLION TIMES already, shapes ROCK!*
Interested in one for your little or soon to be little birthday buddy?
CLICK HERE TO GET ONE OF YOUR VERY OWN!

Birthday Breakfast...

... look at that SMILE!!
Is that the smile of a pretty proud 2 year old or WHAT?!?
hehehehe

Good Morning... *

... BIRTHDAY GIRL!

*hee hee*

Here, why don't you show Bear how cute you look in your BIRTHDAY HAT
that your Auntie Karen got for you!

Nooo, not like that silly, you have to sit up & try it on...

Uh, that's cute honey but now I can't see your face! LOL



Awww that's better, now I can see your pretty face
AND you can get birthday kisses from your best pal Bear!

I love you baby girl... we're gonna have a FUN DAY TODAY!

(*more pics to come as Ruby's special day unfolds...)

It's 11:55am...

... in China right now.
Of course here it's 12 hours behind that, so we're still on Wed Sept 6th.

Weird isn't it? On this, the eve of my daughter's 1st official birthday celebrated home with me, the one year anniversary of the day I got 'THE CALL', I am sitting here losing myself in some FLOYD
(delicate sound of thunder, double cd live)
and wondering what, if anything, Ruby's birth mother is thinking at this very moment...

Is she up? Does she work, or stay home? Is she a married woman with a husband & inlaws or is she a single gal. Is she older or is she just a kid herself?
I know that if I were Ruby's birthmother, I'd absolutely have thoughts of the child I gave birth to & abandoned at the forefront of my mind...

So many questions that will have to go unanswered...
So many things I'd like to share with her about her brave & beautiful little girl,
but none ever able to be spoken.

It's shot night tonight, did it & am literally falling asleep as I type this but just felt I should share with the universe this tidbit of 'drunkfloyd' wisdom...
(and yes I mean drunk ON FLOYD, not acohol, I don't drink remember?)

Anyhoo... back to my wisdom:

It just doesn't matter how many miles seperate Ruby from her birth country, her birth mother, her homeland, her culture, her people...
... it only matters that I do my job & over the days, weeks, months, years that she's my daughter, I instill in her a sense of pride. Of dignity, of honor, of morals & vaules...
so that regardless of how far away she is physically from where she came from,
China will live every day deep within her heart.

I'm pretty sure her birthmother would be proud of how I'm raising our little girl.
Goodnight.

More Birthday Surprises!!!

This time from Auntie Karen & Cousin GEN!
(aka: GWEN for those of you 'non RooRoo speaking folk...)
hehehehe

We just ADORE Hanna Anderson!

CLICK HERE to view their ONLINE CATALOG

Here's what our dear friends surprised us with!
DO THEY KNOW HOW TO PICK EM' OR WHAT?!!


THANK YOU AUNTIE KAREN & COUSIN GEN FOR PICKING OUT SUCH CUTE STUFF!
WE LOVE YOU BOTH SOOOO
MUCH!!!!!!

XoXoXoXo
-RooRoo & Auntie MeeMee

I know it's early, but...

... CHECK OUT WHAT MISS RUBY IS GOING TO BE THIS HALLOWEEN!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE OTHER OLD NAVY COSTUMES!!!

Everybody loves a surprise...

... especially a BIRTHDAY SURPRISE!!

Our dear friends Krista & Griffey & the future Little Miss MIA!

CLICK HERE to check out Krista, Griffey & MIA's adorable BLOG!!!

They sent these ADORABLE Penguin Pj's, some BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS,
and A FUZZY NEW FRIEND RUBY HAS NAMED 'PENGUIN'!!!
(there's a lovely letter as well but sorry the pic didn't come out better so you could read it...)

Ruby & Bear JUST LOVE THEIR NEW FRIEND PENGUIN!

He fit RIGHT IN RIGHT AWAY at their living room
TEA PARTY!
Penguin said he'd prefer the yellow cup & that was just fine with Bear since his cpu of choice is typically RED. hehehehe

THANKS KRISTA & GRIFFEY & MIA FOR THINKING US JUST PRIOR TO MISS RUBY'S BIRTHDAY this thursday!!
I still can't believe she's going to be TWO!
*THUD*

(That's the sound of me falling to the floor cuz I've just fainted, WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!)

Bed head & True love...

Awwww c'mon Momma, DO YOU EVER PUT THAT CAMERA DOWN??

I'm sorry, what? My hair's doing what exactly... ?

Well WHO CARES about that!
BEAR LOVES ME NO MATTER WHAT!

Don'tcha buddy?
*staring lovingly into his eyes... or is it his nose? hmmm*