Ruby's got a NEW RIDE!

Introducing Ruby's New Go & Grow Rider by Little Tykes.


It was only 24.99 and SUPER EASY TO PUT TOGETHER!
Momma did it ALL BY HERSELF!
*grin*

And let me tell you, this thing is REALLY ROCKIN'!

Ruby & Bear give it 2 PAWS UP!

And Nonno just can't get ENOUGH of his GIRL on her new wheels!

My little girl...

... who thinks she's a doll.
At least, that's what I'm guessing seeing as how she's thrown EVERYTHING out of this little doll crib that my father made for me many years ago & was mine as a child, and has decided that SHE'D look much better laying in it than any cabbage patch kid.
What do you think?
LOL

How do I look Momma?

Ruby in Pictures...

Wooooo Hoooooooo!
I love this wooden horse!

Me playing at Great Grandma's house,
she's got some REALLY FUN TOYS THERE!

Me and Momma visiting at her good friend Erik's house...
(She says I get to call him Uncle Erik!)
I was busy chewing on my blanket,
and Erik was super nice & put on Noggin for me
and even let me play on his WATER BED!
THANKS UNCLE ERIK!

After all our visiting... Momma said that I was such a good girl that we'd stop at Toys R' Us and get me a 'ride on toy' for inside our little apartment.
After we picked the one we wanted, we paid for everything & Momma ALWAYS lets me ride the mexican donkey ride before leaving, it's SO MUCH FUN!

Oh, we even got MOON PAJAMAS for me at the toy store, can you BELIEVE IT?
Momma saw them & screeched, showed me & then I was yelling
"OOOOH IT'S DA BOOON MOMMA, IT'S DA BOOOOOON!!!!"
Aren't they cute?
hee hee

I LOVE MY BOON JAMMERS MOMMA!
THANK YOU!!!

Ebenezer's Last Howl...

One month ago today was the day before I did the hardest thing imaginable... out of love & respect for my best friend, I was selfless & said goodbye.

One of our favorite things to do was howl whenever we heard the 'meow' of a kitty, even a 'fake' kitty... didn't matter, "MEOW" = HOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! Every time, without fail.

So, one month ago, knowing that my time with Ebenezer was coming to it's end, I wanted to capture his glorious voice forever, so I called into my own voice mail, and Ebby, Ruby and Me all made our last 'howl' together & captured it forever.

I hope hearing my beautiful fuzzy son and my adorable daughter Ruby HOWL together, makes you smile just as much as it does me.

I miss you Ebenezer, we all do.

*tears*

CRAZY is as NANNY does!

Yep, that's right, my house right now?

C-R-A-Z-Y!

First, there's my precious little weasel, Ruby Cate. Always toddling around everywhere and having herself a GRAND OLD TIME regardless of where we are or what we're doing.
She thought life was grand but little did she know that things were going to get a WHOLE LOT MORE INTERESTING!

She's now joined, every day, by her short loud cohorts who we'll call A. and O.!


A. is a FIESTY little cracker, she is LOUD & IN CHARGE!
(oh, and just in case you didn't hear her the first time,
SHE'LL TELL YOU A SECOND TIME EVEN LOUDER
JUST TO BE SURE WE'RE CLEAR ON THE MATTER!)

Her twin O. is more of a laid back fellow, very much an easy going guy, just wants his bottles, the occasional handfull of 'puffs' and he's good to go.
What's that Amy? What? You want me to smile? NO PROBLEM!
*imagine huge cheezy grin here*
HOW'S THAT? Thought you'd like that one...

Anyhoo... so let's do a little math shall we?

Ruby + A. + O. = ONE BUSY NANNY!

It's fun, it's tough work, it's lots of patience & love & the biggest key to it all is to have a HUGE SENSE OF HUMOR because if you are the type to sweat the small stuff in life, you'll never make it as a Nanny, ever.

LOL

So, with that said, my days are great here, BUSY, but great!
I love that I can be home with Ruby & that she's getting the social interaction of two very different, very cute little babies who happen to be LEO'S!
*God BLESS their mother!* LOL

It's cute but it'll be cuter next year when they are nearly two and Ruby will be nearly 3...

... A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME!

But I say, PLAY BALL!!!!

=)

(Someone wanna send some chocolate my way? I think I'm gonna need it!)

" The Story Of An Adopted Child..."

(The following poem was a favorite of Mother Teresa.
She would give a copy of this poem to each mother who adopted a child from the orphanage from which she worked.)

There were two women who never knew each other,
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.

The first one gave you life,
The second taught you to live it.

One of them gave you your nationality,
The other one gave you your name.

One of them gave you the seed for growth,
The other gave you a goal.

One of them provided you with emotions,
The other calmed your fears.

One of them saw your first smile,
The other wiped away your tears.

One of them left you, it was all that she could do...
The other prayed for a child and the Lord led her to you.

And now you ask the inevitable question,
"What molded me, heredity or environment?"

Neither the one nor the other, but only two different loves.



(This poem is dedicated to anyone & everyone touched by the miracle that is adoption.)
XOXOXO
-Amy & Ruby Cate.

Quilt Squares...

... are ON THEIR WAY!
(finally)
I'm SO SORRY that Ruby & I are TOTAL SLACKERS & haven't sent them until NOW, but they are ON THEIR WAY!!!

So, be on the lookout:
Little Miss. Abbey W.,
Little Miss. Tess W.,
Little Miss. Abby L.,
and
Little Miss Tate R Bug...

SQUARES ARE A'COMIN!
We PROMISE!!

=)

So, here's the deal, I have a TON of leftover fabric from Ruby's quilt, the design is this:
(the blue with the chinese children celebrating Chinese New Year on it) that I used for the backing of Ruby's quilt...


...if anyone is interested in receiving some squares from us, merely send us your address & tell us the name of your soon to be Little Miss or Mister, and we are MORE THAN HAPPY to send some squares your way! =)

So, don't be shy, LET ME SEND YOU A SQUARE OR TWO!

Amy's: Everything BUT The Kitchen Sink 'MEATLOAF'

Oh My GOD this was SO GOOD TONIGHT I haven't even picked up from dinner yet I had to put this recipe IMMEDIATELY on the blog because HOLY SHIT IT WAS GOOD!!!!!!!!

Ok, here's how things happen in my house... normally, I make 'old standby' recipe's passed down from this one & that, but occasionally I have to bust out of that 'same thing different night' rut & get creative in the kitchen! Tonight was one of those nights & I ALWAYS have fresh produce handy so it's easy to cook great when you have great fresh ingredients at your fingertips...

I decided to get wild with 'MEATLOAF' tonight and the end result was just pure HEAVEN!

Here's the deal on my newly created 'EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK' Meatloaf:
(preheat oven to 375)
Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small spanish onion diced small
1 small red bell pepper diced small
1 large clove fresh garlic minced
1/2 package of sliced mushrooms diced small
1/4 cup ketchup
1 large egg
1 cup Italian Style Breadcrumbs
1 cup freshly grated Imported Parmegiano Regianno Cheese
2 heaping tablespoons of sweet pickle rellish (I use Claussen)

Combine ALL ingredients until well mixed. (BEST WAY IS WITH THE TOOLS GOD GAVE YOU, YOUR HANDS!) Plus, it's fun & messy & just feels FUNKY!
Once mixed, form into a loaf (or in my case, a half moon) and put on stoneware or glass baking dish.
Cook for one hour & let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Best enjoyed with loaded mashed potatos and corn on the cob!

OMG YUMMY! *I'm so fat tonight!* LOL

Cup-A-WHAT? ...

No offense Ma, but these are SO BLOCKS!!!

I can't BELIEVE you thought you were gonna do something with cupcakes?
NO WAY!
I'm having TOO MUCH FUN!

June Book Club Selection...

Ok, so the newest book has been chosen & the winner is: Madeline's Ghost by: Robert Girardi

Last month's book was: What Comes After Crazy by: Sandi Kahn Shelton and don't you know I'm still NOT DONE with that one? LOL Nearly... but just not done yet! It's funny, I always swore up & down that once I became a mother I'd not ever let reading become a luxury, that I'd make time to read, I love to read, I need to read and I want Ruby to see her Momma reading & enjoying a book for more than just pictures. I read when I was a nanny to twins, & then three kids, and special needs kids, and every type of kid you can think of under the sun, and I ALWAYS made time to read...
so what changed? Why is it that now, I want to read but, I have things to do, Ruby to play with, laundry to get to, dinner to fix, grocery shopping to accomplish, friends to catch up with via phone & email etc...
Life happened & it's not a bad thing, it's actually a wonderful thing but I would be a liar if I said I was happy that it's taking me so damn long to finish a book that I would've been DONE WITH AGES AGO pre Momma Days. Now I need more than a few weeks to read a book, hell I'd prefer a month or more so that I KNOW I'll finish it on time right? I mean, what good is a book club if I can't even finish the book in time to actually get my ass to the meetings to discuss it, right? LOL Wish me luck on this one, I need to finish the other one first because I am not one of those types that can have several books open at a time. I'm a one book kinda girl... always have been. hehehe
So, if any of you would like to join in reading Madeline's Ghost with me & my book club run by my best friends Mom (otherwise known as CAC... don't ask) then feel free to get yourself a copy & read along with us! But please don't rub it in when you're finished & I'm still trying to get through chapter two, k? LOL

As Promised...

Her FAVORITE TOY was still here when she woke up just now...

Ruby immediately got busy with her giant MAN SIZE ring of KEYS and started opening doors left & right...

Man, I really need to put a bow in that hair!

Introducing: Ruby's FAVORITE TOY HANDS DOWN!

This is the Gazooboo Shape Sorter by Chicco and Ruby CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THIS THING! It was a gift from our dear friends Hanna & Anders their Mom Nancy... THANKS GUYS! Ruby literally sits for HOURS opening all the doors using the color coordinated keys and takes the shapes and animals out, then locks all the doors back up & puts everything back inside etc... this goes on UNTIL I BREAK UP THE PARTY (like tonight) because sometimes, other things tend to get in the way, like BEDTIME! hehehe She was slightly ticked off with me for stopping the fun but she knows that her beloved shape/animal sorter will still be here in the morning... *grin* I love this toy because not only has it won the "Parent's Choice Classic Toy" award, but Allison, her speech & physical therapist, approves as well! We here at "Ruby In Her Own Time..." Give this toy 4 stars! ****

I just ADORE "SILLY TIME" !

Who knew plastic stacking cups were this delicious?

I don't know about you Ruby, but I like the yellow one, how's your purple one?

Wanna try mine? Not too shabby huh? Tastes like LEMON!
(with aveeno oatmeal bath mixed in!) hehehe
Yummy! (not)

You've never looked cuter kiddo, Momma just HAS to kiss you!

ALL THE TIME!!
=)

Amy's Italian Meatball Soup

Ok, so I made some delicious Italian Meatball soup yesterday & jarred most of it for sharing with friends, so bear in mind this photo is of the soup after it's been in my fridge overnight so the top layer is the fat layer from the beef stock but once cooked obviously looks much differently.

Now, with that said, this is NOT Italian Wedding Soup, the two are entirely different... I think this soup is much tastier & flavorful since I use fresh ingredients & lots of spices! =)

Now, on with the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 T. butter
1 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
1 large clove fresh garlic (minced)
1 large spanish onion (chopped)
1 package of frozen (fully cooked) small Italian style meatballs
8 cups beef broth
2 t. dried Italian seasoning
2 oz (1cup) ditalini pasta (uncooked) - can also use egg noodles or small variety pasta of your choice, I prefer ditalini's

Directions:

Melt butter in soup pot until slight sizzle.
Add red pepper, garlic & onions all at once.
Heat 2 -3 minutes until onions become slightly transparent.
Add frozen meatballs, broth, Italian seasoning, salt & fresh cracked pepper (to taste) & cook till comes to a boil. (10-15 minutes).
Add pasta & reduce heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until pasta is tender.
As Always, serve with freshly grated Imported Parmegiano Regianno cheese on top & ENJOY!

Pour your VINO & grab some PASTA...

... cuz we're about to party ITALIAN STYLE courtesy of Miss. Ruby Cate, her fantastic Nonno and her beautiful Nanna. (musical ambiance provided by: Dean Martin with Luna Mezzo Mare)

OCD has a name...

... and in this house, it's known as 'rain'BOWS!

Yes, I know- I need professional help.

*wink*

(16 bows @ $5.99 a piece = several pedicures my feet never saw...)

LOL

Peek-A-Boo!

I see you Momma!

The Lone Rubester Rides Again!

Only 'MY' kid...

... can fall asleep in THIS position & be comfy & toasty to the point of snoring.

I guess it just goes to show that the love of a good Bear can do wonders!

~*White Trash Rodeo*~

"Ruby In Her Own Time..."
Would like to welcome you all to the First Annual:


WHITE TRASH RODEO!



Our Very Own Miss Ruby Cate
will be riding her wooden friend 'wifebeater'


who proudly displays her name on his chest redneck style,
courtesy of an old licence plate!


Here's her mount...
GO RUBY, GO!

No wooden horses OR white onesies were harmed

during the making of this post.

(Disclaimer: Bear was too embarrassed to even show up for this event...
so he sends his best wishes to all & says he'll be back just as soon as the madness is over.)