Peaceful...

... & quiet.
I had forgotten just how beautiful
my neighborhood can be this time of year.
I LOVE winter!

Me... SPEECHLESS?

Ok, well maybe not speechless,
BUT STUPEFIED, PERHAPS?
DUMBFOUNDED?
PERPLEXED?
AGHAST?
STARTLED,
PUZZLED?
STUMPED?
DISMAYED?
SHOCKED?
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY;
FLABBERGASTED!

Very long story, very short version:

At doctor's today, had my height recorded.

5 feet 2 & 1/2 inches



SAY WHAT BIOTCH?

NOW I KNOW YOU DIDN'T JUST TELL MY ASS THAT I'M
5 FEET 2 & 1/2 INCHES
WHEN CLEARLY IT SAYS RIGHT HERE ON MY LICENCE
(showing her licence)
THAT I'M
5 FEET 4 INCHES!
SEE?!#$%
YOU MUST BE MISTAKEN,
OBVIOUSLY YOU NEED TO DO THAT OVER!

(do over)



5 feet 2 & 1/2 inches.




HOLY
SHIT
NO F'N WAY!

(woman with the ruler)

"Yes f'n way..."

Excuse me while I take my newly short ass to a pity party for 1.
at the local chapter of the lolly pop guild.

*SNIFFLE*

=*(

Ruby's Very First...

...SNOW QUEEN!

Granted, she's not that fancy if you're talkin' REAL QUEEN.
BUT, since we're talkin' SNOW QUEEN,
THIS GIRL ROCKS!

We had such a good time making her!
Ruby named her Frosty,
appropriately enough,
and was THRILLED to use
hazelnuts for her eyes,
a little nubbin of a carrot for a nose,
and since we couldn't find sticks,
two of Nannie's kitchen utensils stood in for arms!
(& FYI: that's Ruby's special 'MARY HAT' on her head!)
When our work was down, Ruby stood back, surveyed the results, and said:
"Momma, wanna go inna house, is cowld out here!"

Now, it's raining & all that glorious snow is slowly melting away sadly.
All that means for me is that the morning commute more than likely
brings with it solid sheets of ICE EVERYWHERE,
as far as the paranoid driver can see.

GOOD TIMES!
(not)

This Is Either Really Adorable...

...or really GROSS!
How many times does my kid wipe her nose
WITHOUT A TISSUE
for crying out loud!

I made this little video to show all of you
just how WELL Ruby plays independently with her toys.
Especially her 'Little People',
of which we clearly have about a zillion.

And again as with all videos,
once you click play,
hit pause & wait for the whole thing to load before checking it out.

I really need to buy more tissues!
*shaking head*

Oh, and just in case you're wondering,
my reason for (not so) secretly video taping her,
(you'll see why I said 'not so' towards the end of the clip)
was because whenever I tell someone that Ruby really enjoy's playing by herself,
I usually get these half cocked looks as if to imply
'yeah right, suuuuuuure she does...'
so this is to share with you all that, yes-
Ruby truly does enjoy playing independently
with only Bear & her imagination to keep her company.
Oh, don't misunderstand,
we play together too and it's filled with smiles, silliness & laughter,
but more often than not, my girl wants to play 'all by self Momma'...
...and it never ceases to blow my mind just how happy she is.
Keep playin' baby, you make those LITTLE PEOPLE look good!
*proud Momma smile from ear to ear*

Psst, Hey Bella...

...you think Santa's gonna know we're sittin' in his chair?
I don't know where the heck he is, we've been at this party for hours now!

And I don't know about you but I hope it's soon,
cuz Nannie's starting to drive me nuts with that camera!

You know, screaming like that won't help matters,
Santa doesn't come if you're naughty, remember??
Try & tone it down, I got a chicken set ridin' on this...

Blackberry Streusel...

Ok, felt like making something yummy to go with my tea,
and boy was this it!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 pkg Quaker instant oatmeal regular flavor (not pictured)
1 jar (10 oz) blackberry preserves

You will need an 8X8 Pyrex baking dish.
(preheat oven to 350)

Combine butter and sugar & beat at low speed, scraping the bowl often, until well blended.

Add flour, oatmeal & egg. Beat until mixture is crumbly, 2 - 3 minutes.

Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture for topping
& take remaining mixture & press into greased baking dish as evenly as possible.
Spread preserves to within 1/2 inch of edge of crust.

Crumble reserved mixture over preserves.

Bake for 45 minutes (until lightly browned)

Remove from oven & COOL COMPLETELY FIRST before cutting into bars.
(makes about 24 bars)

Enjoy!

A Conversation With Santa... *updated*

*click on links to find out what she really was asking for...


Santa: "Well Hello there little girl, what's your name?"
Ruby: "Santa, I need presents."
Santa: "Is that so? And what presents would you like this year?"
Ruby: "Ruby want a chicken set, an'a doll house, a GREEN ONE an' hangers." (look what's hanging inside the doll closet)
Santa: "Well Ruby, those sound like wonderful presents. Maybe Santa can bring some to your house this year..."
Ruby: "An'a put em unner a tree, ok?"
Santa: "Ok, you got it Ruby. Will you come back and see Santa again next year?"
Ruby: "Yes, an Momma gonna haffa drive, ok?"
Santa: *smiling* That sounds ok to me. You have a Merry Christmas Ruby!"
Ruby: "Bye Santa, Ruby wuv you!" *hugs the big guy*

Can I just say, quite a FAR CRY from last year!
HAHAHAHA

Wow...

...X's 3!

1st Christmas 2nd Christmas 3rd Christmas

Is it really our 3rd Christmas together?
Was this really the 3rd time I've been able to take my baby to see Santa?
Well, she's not a baby anymore.
She's growing into a sweet, wonderful, funny, loving, beautiful little lady.
And me?
Oh, I might be finding white hairs along the way,
& feeling aches & pains in places that I didn't know I could,
I have a bedtime that is painfully closer to hers with each passing night,
and yet,
I just know that I would not trade places with anyone else in the whole world,
ever.
They don't get to hear that beautiful child call them, "Momma".
Life is good.

Faster Than A Falling Ornament...

...taller than a Christmas tree?
Huh?@%#$%
Ok, so I'm NOT seeing things;

Here's our

First Year

& here's our

Second Year

& yes, this was seriously just taken

Tonight:

My kid's as tall as our tree.
(when the hell did THAT happen?!)
*sigh*

We did have a blast decorating the tree though.
Even made a few new ornaments prior to decorating.
(I sculpt with Scupley polymer clay)
And here are the newest additions to our box-O-ornaments:

Ruby requested this little guy,
"Momma wanna make a ice skating bear wif'a green sweata an'a hat too!"
Ask baby & ye shall receive!


This one I felt like making,
clearly you all know who it is so no need for introductions.
hehehe ;)
(and yes my stove IS that FILTHY in the backround.)
LOL My Mother's gonna have heart failure when she sees I posted this. LOL


Here's Santa Bear...
he's from a few years back.

I so miss my boy,
more than I have words to express it.
When I found this ornament in the box, I just paused a moment & my eyes filled with tears.
Ruby caught sight of this & walked up to me, took my hand & said:
"Momma no cry, Ebbyeezer happy he in heaven. Ruby here now."
Which, of course only made me cry even more...
She then decided that what I needed was a big hug & she kissed my cheek & said:
"I wuv you SO MUCH Momma, no cry."


I really am beyond blessed.

So, although my heart will always have a hole in it where Ebenezer once lived,
my heart will also always be blessed to be overflowing from the love of this gorgeous child.
And you just can't ask for anything more at Christmas, I'm pretty sure of that.

& to Ebenezer,
you're forever in my heart pal,
till we meet again old friend.
*big fuzzy Momma hug all the way up to dog heaven*

Merry Christmas.

Just Smitten With DEXTER...

...if you don't know what I'm talking about,
clearly you don't have Showtime.

If you don't have Showtime,
first I'll have to ask,
WHY NOT?!
And second, I MUST suggest:
THIS!
Honestly, this show had me hook, line & serial killer!

Now,
for those of you who read,
you all know that a book,
any book,
is always FAR BETTER than it's TV counterpart.
Period.
BUT, in this case?
It's
JUST
NOT
SO!
Showtime's Dexter series is,
excuse the pun,
KILLER!
Even though I truly have lost myself in watching every Sunday night,
I also wanted to read the books at some point,
and am currently reading:


It's book #2 in a trilogy.
Of course, you KNOW I didn't start reading that one,
without first reading THIS ONE cover to cover!
(Thanks to my best friend Jen who surprised me with book #1.
She knows me so well & loves me even more.)

And now?
Damn her,
I'M HOOKED ON THE BOOKS AS WELL AS THE FRIGGEN SHOW!

Once I'm done reading that one,
I'll need to pick up THIS ONE!
(the final installment in the series.)

Every night once Ruby's in bed,
Momma's got a date with Dear Ole' Dexter!
*grin*
There's just nothing like losing yourself in a book.
I tend to lose myself so completely,
that the real world disappears
& the story becomes my new reality.
So trippy!

What about you all?
Anyone currently as in love with a book as I am with Dexter?
DO TELL!

It's The Little Things...

...like dancing in the kitchen with Ruby & Bear.
The three of us all holding hands,
laughing as we go faster & faster in circles trying not to fall.

When, after she's helped me prepare dinner,
regardless of what it is, she'll ALWAYS grab my hand & say,
"Thank you helping Momma!"

When reading books together,
she'll giggle & finish every sentence before I do,
not only because she knows them all by heart,
but also because she knows how much it cracks me up!

Every morning, without fail, I wake up to this:

(bed head & a big smile) "Good morning Momma, I wuv you sooooo much!"

It's funny... I was just chatting with my good friend Kristen,
trying to help her decide who to take with her to tonight's Celtics game,
(Sorry Cath, you're not home otherwise you'd have gotten first dibs)
and it got me remembering a time in my life when I could just pick up
& go where ever, when ever,
without so much as a second thought.
And to be honest,
although I had fun reminiscing,
it just made me realize that I don't miss those days.

Because,
I'm fairly certain that all those
"mornings after"
were never filled with
'wuvs you soooo much'.
And that,
I wouldn't trade
for all the tickets
to all the Boston sporting events
for the rest of eternity.

I am blessed to be a proud Lifetime Ticket owner,
to what I know in my heart,
is quite possibly the best show in town...

Miss. Ruby Cate Pei Mu

(And every encore is better than the last!)

I'm Really Pleased...

...with Snapfish this year.
Last year, they dropped the ball,
and I was less than thrilled with my Christmas cards.
But, this year?
AMEN!

Those of you who normally get one from me will soon see what I'm talking about.
And for those of you who don't get a card from us,
I promise right after the holidays,
I'll share how they came out with everyone.
Just don't want to ruin the surprise.

Hee hee, this year, Snapfish gets TWO THUMBS UP from this single Momma!
(redemption is key, Snapfish... kudos!)

It's December 1st...

...party like ELVES!

hehehehe
I wonder if Nannie & Nonno will actually get a kick out of this
or just be annoyed they got elfed?
LOL

Some Things...

...you just CAN'T put a price on.



I suppose I could have just as easily listed this doll on eBay,
but,
it wasn't mine to list now, was it?


This gift was left for Ruby, not me,
while we stayed at the White Swan in Guangzhou, China.



Why on earth would anyone see fit to take something clearly left for their child
& try to make a profit from it's sale on eBay is beyond me.



Call me silly but I'm a firm believer that toys should be PLAYED WITH,
not stashed away on a shelf for the purpose of dust collecting.
I even let Ruby play with any/all of the Cabbage Patch Kids from my doll case.
The reason I love them so much is because as a child,
I PLAYED with them,
and so shall Ruby too.
Hell, we both sit on the floor & dress & undress them over and over,
taking turns as to who gets what outfit this time.
It's a BLAST!
(yes, I really am 35, honest!)


No reason in the world is going to stand up against the one that supports the right,
for my little girl to expand her creative mind through imaginative play
& allow her to just be a kid.
Toys & children are MEANT to be together,
are they not?

So today,
after over two years since first receiving this doll,
it's finally in her sweet little hands.
(I waited till I was sure the small pieces- aka: shoes, would be a non issue)

And I have to say,
watching her play with it just now,
is something that I could NEVER put a BIN price on...

...period.

"Want A Sandwich..."

...while sitting here at the computer (7:48am Thurs morning)
and as miss Ruby is curled up in her overstuffed pink chair watching Curious George,
I asked her the following:

"Ruby, would you like some breakfast?"

Her reply?

(see title to this post)

HA!

I asked:
"What kind of sandwich?"

her reply?

"Want peanut butter sandwich..."

Me: "A Sandwich? You sure?"

Ruby: "Yes."

Me: "Why a sandwich?"

Ruby: "Want a sandwich just like George."

I turn around & our friend Curious George is having & enjoying a FISH sandwich,
thus, Ruby's reasoning for the peanut butter sandwich. LOL

Me: "Ruby, George is having a fish sandwich, do you want a FISH sandwich too?"

Ruby: "NO! Want a peanut butter and a jam sandwich."

There you have it. So much for toast and tea for my girl,
today? We're apparently having SANDWICHES with our tea. LOL

hehehehehe

I just LOVE her SO MUCH!

Happy Breakfast everyone, no matter WHAT you enjoy!

Silly...

...with

a fun

HAT!

Italian Chicken Noodle Soup...

Italian Chicken Noodle Soup:



3-4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 large Spanish onion diced
5-6 celery stalks chopped
3-4 T ground thyme
2T Bells Seasoning
fresh ground pepper
3 large boneless chicken breasts (roughly cut into big "bite size" chunks
several good shakes around pot with dried Italian Seasoning
1 large can petite diced tomatoes
1 pkg baby carrots cut into little circles
16 cups chicken stock
2 cups uncooked ditalini pasta (or any small pasta of your choice)



In LARGE soup pot, go several times around bottom with EVOO & let heat on medium high.
Toss in onions, celery, thyme, bells seasons, Italian seasoning, pepper & let cook until onions are slightly transparent.
Next, add chicken & cook for about 5 - 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Now add tomato's & carrots & all the stock.
Lower heat & let simmer a good hour or two.
20 minutes before you plan on serving, add pasta to the pot.
Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to bottom of pot & once pasta is al dente',
turn off heat & let stand five minutes prior to serving.
I always serve my soups with hot biscuits from the oven & fresh butter.

ENJOY!

3rd Time...

...IS NOT The Charm!

Allow me to set the scene:

Ruby joins 'Teeny Tiny Tumblers' at the gym.
Class #1: loved it
Class #2: loved it
Class #3: Screamed like a banchie until I removed her bodily from said gym.

Ruby shows an interest in & joins Ballet:

Class #1: loved it
Class #2: loved it
Class #3: Screamed so much & so loud she gave herself HIVES THE SIZE OF CHINA to the point where again, I had to remove her bodily and then immediately after leaving work,
we drove straight to the doctors & didn't/wouldn't leave until I had a prescription in hand to tackle those welts all over her body.

Ruby described them to me as "Fire on my arm momma, you itchy!"
( she still hasn't learned how to say "I'm" yet,
and says "you hungry, you tired, you itchy' for everything. LOL)

So, after nearly two hours at the doctors we finally left with a script for Loratadine (aka: Claritin) to be given 1 tsp daily until informed otherwise.

Today is day 2 of taking the syrup & so far, so good. No welts to speak of but who knows.
What I'd prefer to do is to find out WHAT is giving them to her.
Clearly they are stress related in some instances but there have been times she develops them & she's not in the least bit upset about a thing. Playing happily & then there she is, by my side saying: "Momma, you itchy, your arm/let/tummy/back/foot (insert body party here) itchy..."
My doctor says it takes FOREVER to find out what is giving some kids hives.
It's process of elimination in EVERYTHING they eat, drink, come into contact with, etc...

I know it's not the clothing stuff I use, All Free & Clear since day one & NO dryer sheets for her, and the ones I use for me are free of all dyes and perfumes.
We eat everything from scratch, all organic, no processed anything.
I'm starting to think that maybe it's the milk? Alot of kids are lactose intolerant and who knows, maybe Ruby is too? But I'll be so bummed cuz she LOVES MILK!
I suppose it wouldn't hurt me to just buy soy milk but UGH excuse me as I gag at the thought.
*bleck*

I dunno, regardless of what it is, I can't even start to rule things out one by one because she wants her on this med until it runs out. (approx a months worth)
I digress...

So,
on top of her NOT following through thus far with anything she's started with enthusiasm,
I now have this 'hive' thing to deal with and let me tell you,
if you've never seen a hive on a kid HOLY SHIT,
they are HUGE,
AND HOT TO THE TOUCH,
AND INTIMIDATING IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL IT IS,
OR HOW TO DEAL WITH IT!

I was slightly horrified at first but whatever,
it's life.
We'll deal with it & get through it as we do everything else.
One day at a time.

Caramelized Onion & Cornbread Stuffing...

...this one is a HIT every year, my father especially LOVES IT!
It's a Tyler Florence recipe from the food network.
Not only is that man HANDSOME but MAN CAN HE COOK!


Ingredients:
2T butter
2 onions chopped
6 large corn muffins, cubed.
(I always buy mine FRESH from the bakery)
1 egg
hand full of fresh sage leaves, washed & chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
salt & freshly ground pepper

Instructions: (PREHEAT OVEN TO 375)

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add onions & cook, stirring for about 10min or until soft & caramelized.
Add sage & scrape into large mixing bowl.
Add cornbread pieces, season well with salt & pepper & give a good toss until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, cream & stock & pour that over cornbread.

Stir stuffing together & spoon into a buttered baking (Pyrex) dish and put into oven for about 30 minutes or until hot & crusty on top.
ENJOY!

Nonna's Ricotta Cake...

(above image from the cake I made this past Easter.)

...this recipe is for a BIG cake, serving over 15-20 people.
(IF you prefer a smaller cake,
I suggest halving the recipe & using an 8X8 Pyrex glass baking dish
instead of the ginormous one pictured above)


Dough:
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp yeast
4 eggs
1 stick butter

Filling:
2 containers Ricotta
(I use whole milk ricotta, but you can also use part skim ricotta if you wish)
2 lemons (ZEST ONLY)
I use a MICROPLANE GRATER/ZESTER
for any/all zesting...
JUST BE REALLY CAREFUL,
I AM NOT KIDDING WHEN I TELL YOU THAT I'VE
NEARLY CUT MY FINGERS OFF USING IT!
IT'S BEYOND SHARP!
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 TBSP cinnamon

Directions: preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease the inside of your baking dish with butter, set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together all dough ingredients & USE YOUR HAND (hand SINGULAR, not plural... one hand to hold the bowl & keep CLEAN just in case you should need a free hand, & only ONE gets dirty to thoroughly mix the dough. My Nonna always believed that the best tools in your kitchen were the ones that God gave you... she was right.)

Once dough is a very nice consistency, place in the center of prepared baking dish & WITH YOUR HAND, (knuckles actually) push down working from the center OUT until the dough is not only covering the entire bottom of the pan, but continue to work it up so that it creeps up the sides as well. You don't want it too thick, so if some of the dough should go up past the sides, gently tear it off & set it aside to use for latticework on top prior to baking.

Once you can look down at your Pyrex dish & not see any dish but only see dough, you're ready for the next step.

In separate bowl, mix all filling ingredients together (ricotta, vanilla, sugar, eggs, cinnamon) and once blended well, zest your lemons (if you haven't already) over the prepared filling. DO NOT CONTINUE TO ZEST ONCE YOU CAN SEE THE PITH (WHITE) OF THE LEMONS!
The pith is horrible tasting, it's just the zest that gives this cake it's flavor. You will want your lemons to only resemble lemons in SHAPE once you're done with them. As far as looks, they should be odd white looking fruits. Ok?

Once zesting is complete, gently fold in zest with a spatula until blended throughout.

Now, pour your filling into the pan with the dough and set aside.

With leftover dough (you should have plenty, at least the size of a half decent LARGE meatball)
you will roll out this leftover dough & (this is where it becomes fun for the kids)
take a couple of cookie cutters of their choice (we used stars) and let the kids cut out a few shapes & set those aside.
Then take the rest of the dough & roll it out & cut into strips.
Cris cross the strips over the cake & then let the children place their cookie shapes in the dead center.

Put into a 350 oven for approx an hour & 15 minutes.

YOU'LL KNOW IT'S DONE WHEN YOU CAN GENTLY MOVE YOUR CAKE PAN & BARELY SEE A JIGGLE OUT OF THE CONTENTS.
IF IT'S JIGGLIN LIKE JELLO, IT'S NOT YET DONE!

Once done, remove from oven & let stand until it comes to room temp.
Then cover with foil & place in the fridge.

Ricotta cake should be served COLD, not hot.
Serve with fresh whipped heavy cream (optional)
and tea/coffee.





This is a VERY RICH dessert and a little goes a LONG WAY!
ENJOY!