And The Winner Is...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

It's funny, before doing the actual event that I video taped with my cell this morning, yesterday my Mom & I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to do a few practice runs to make sure Ruby understood the concept of JUST ONE TICKET & not a handfull. We used the actual tickets that were used this morning & I SHIT YOU NOT, each time she chose a winner, EVERY TIME, it was always the same person, MICHELLE! I would mix them up THOROUGHLY and have her try again, what happened? SAME THING, MICHELLE! So, I guess Michelle, you were DESTINED to be the proud new owner of my Kitchen Bible! I hope it brings you, Julia & Daddy as many happy meals as it has us over the years. *HUGS*

All our love!

-Amy & Miss Ruby Cate (who did a GREAT job NOT ONLY picking the winner but ALSO SAYING:
CONGRATULATIONS!!!) hehehehe

In The Running... *UPDATE*

...the TICKET #'s are as follows:
*UPDATE*

New addition to the running for the Kitchen Bible: MY3MUTTS (aka: Kim)

Kim, your #'s are: 420459, 420460, 420461, 420462, 420463
*************************************************************************************


Michelle: #'s 420454, 420455, 420456, 420457, 420458

Jen: #'s 420449, 420450

Olson Family: #'s 420451, 420452

Of Masks & Men: #'s 420446, 420447

Robin A.: #'s 420453

Tiffany & Eliza: #'s 420445

I used actual Fair Tickets with numbers already on them as well as I've written everyone's name on the back of their corresponding ticket #'s.

UPDATE:
I THOUGHT that everyone had until midnight tonight, but 'chip in' had other ideas. So, to honor what I said about having till midnight tonight, if anyone wants to buy a chance for a $1., you can donate directly via paypal by clicking on the DONATE button to your right. And NO WORRIES, Miss Ruby is STILL going to pick a winner first thing in the morning! (Saturday, April 12th)

And Michelle, thank you for bringing that to my attention.
Your additional donation of $5. is very much appreciated!
Your new (additional) ticket #'s are:

420464, 420465, 420466, 420467, 420468




GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

Only Two Days Left...

...till Ruby draws a winner for the 'KITCHEN BIBLE' raffle.
Remember for every dollar donated, you get one chance, so if you donated 4 dollars, you get 4 chances etc... If you wanted in on the raffle & haven't done so yet, there is still time to scoop up a ticket or two!

Ruby is VERY EXCITED to be working with ACTUAL TICKETS!
(reminiscent of our local Salem Willows in the summer AND the Topsfield Fair in the fall, in which both places require tickets for their various RIDES!)

I just hope that Ruby DOESN'T think that by picking a 'ticket' on Saturday morning that that will entitle her to ONE RIDE! I sure as hell HOPE NOT, since the only thing around to potentially ride is her tricycle & she hasn't been interested in that thing (sadly) hardly at ALL!

Golden Dishes...

...still sick again today, worse in fact but despite feeling like death's doorstep, I still have a child to care for & feed. Snack time came & miss Ruby Roo asked for 'cheezzits' and an apple. Normally, we buy Macintosh apples, my favorite. But this last time at the market, the Golden Delicious were on sale, so we bought a half dozen of those. As I slicing up the apples, Ruby notices that they're not red & asks:
"Momma, why not deese macintosh?" To which I replied: "They're not Macintosh Ruby, you're right. They are called Golden Delicious & they're a yellowy green color baby..."

She thinks about that for a few, grabs a slice, takes a big bite, smiles & says:
"Momma, I WUV GOWDEN DISHES!"

I nearly choked on my water, funniest thing so far today!
It's nice to know that even when I feel like the only contribution I've made today was to keep my couch warm, that I can still enjoy a good solid chuckle due to the brilliance of my kid's humor. Good GOOD times!

Oh, and speaking of laughing, Julie, when Tess EVER turned the water BACK ON once you shut it off & looked at you and LAUGHED as if to say, "Sorry Mom, totally fruitless, I'm just gonna do this again & again... I'm in charge remember?" I LAUGHED OUT LOUD SO MUCH SO that Ruby came running & insisted on watching the video at least four times, she digs it too, only NOW SHE WANTS TO GO PLAY IN THE BATHROOM SINK AS WELL! THANKS JULES! GRRRRRRRRRR lol ;)

I May Have Stayed Home Sick Today...

...but that in no way means that I lost my sense of SILLY!
On the contrary, with Ruby by my side, SILLY always tends to make an appearance.

Physically, I feel like someone's shoved me down 5 flights of stairs,
but emotionally? Well, I can't stop smiling OR laughing.
(though clearly I am having a hard time with the whistling...)

hehehe

Monkey Farts...

...honestly, this is the type of stuff that Ruby learns when her older cousins visit. LOL

Along Came Cassie...

...and there lies poor ole' Bear.






Need I say more?

(For those of you curious what in the hell Cassie Kitty is, check THIS out, but remember... curiosity killed the cat!)

3 Word Tuesday...

I'll preface this post by saying that I know the 'three word' gig is typically done on Sundays, however, I have good reason for sharing my first '3 word' on a Tuesday...

...allow me to explain:

I'm very blessed. Blessed in most everything I do. Blessed in the family I'm a part of, especially my Ruby who is beyond measure the greatest gift ever bestowed upon me. I'm blessed in the company I keep. People who I consider to be some of the most amazing friends a girl could ever hope for.
Blessings all around, yes?
Yes.

Today is no different...
...Today, for me, that blessing came two fold;


1st, in the form of my baby brother, who isn't such a baby anymore as today at 3:05pm, he turned 33 years old, &
2nd, in the sweet angelic form of my brand spankin' new NEPHEW, Joseph Domenic, my little brother's greatest birthday present in all his 33 years, his second child, his first son.

I can't explain to you all what it felt to hold that little guy earlier today, much was going through my head as the sweet smell of newborn filled the air around me & simultaneously put a smile so big on my face, it was hurting my cheeks. I love him so much & he doesn't even know me yet. I love my little brother so much & he's probably sick of me by now. LOL ;) (can't blame him after all those mud pie sessions, not to mention those old metal 'CLIP ON' roller skates that I 'encouraged' (forced) him to wear while being hauled down the street from the back of my banana seat bike courtesy of an old rope found in Dad's garage & me safely making the corners without so much as a scratch, while he... well... let's just say 'not so much' for him.)

It's mind boggling to me that my little brother is a father to two now. Isabella, my niece, will be 3 in October and is not only one of my favorite people in the world, she's Ruby's too. And now, little J.D. graces us all with his sweet little soul. Named for two very important men in my life, my late Nonno (grandfather in Italian) Domenico, and my father Giuseppe (Joseph). My dad was without words today as he held his namesake for the first time... moments like these make me realize just how blessed I am. That little boy, the one who carries so much history in his name alone, has his whole life ahead of him and I am blessed with the privilidge of watching him grow and blossom into whatever it is he is destined to do in this world.. and I could not be happier. Still, so many kisses yet to bestow on this kid, but for now, I'll leave you with his amazing little image taken with my not so amazing cell/camera phone.




In three words?

"Loving My Nephew..."

Who needs chocolate when I can lose myself in J.D. snuggles...

...ain't nothing better.

Don't Ask...

...but she literally made up this song today after watching an episode of Kai Lan.
Now, my first thought was "well obviously she's mimicking something she heard in the show," but I went back & watched it from start to finish & guess what?
NO SONG!
So now I'm left wondering where on EARTH she came up with this & WHAT THE HECK is she truly saying! Here's what I HEAR, you all be the judge:



"When you feewing sad, an you can cheer me up in a buck. An I can't,
an you can drop, an you can jump all around an that make me happy all the time,
an I can DO IT!"

American Idol 2021, WATCH OUT!
*grin*

Morning Birdhouse...

...is a game we play EVERY MORNING while still snuggled in bed together.
I don't remember how or why it started, but it's a daily ritual with us,
and yes, every time, not only does the little bird get scared and flee the house, that BEAR ALWAYS tries to GET IN TOO! He's cute, but don't let him fool you, he's a trouble maker for sure! *snicker*

New Things...

...no more bangs! (She wanted to grow them out so in order to do that gracefully, a new angled style had to be done to make this process a pretty one!)



Now when they grow out, she won't resemble a 'fresh out of bed' Muppet!



And speaking of 'fresh out of bed', check out Ruby's bedtime friends, all lined up for sleeping ALONE, since Ruby rarely sleeps in her bed except for an occasional BLUE MOON!



She wants: 'snuggle Momma bed!'.



Ah... the joys of each new accomplishment.



Baby steps, baby steps...



...in the meantime, it's a good thing she's so DAMN CUTE!



As I tell Ruby every day, "You're my favorite person in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!"
And she really is...

Playing With Her Food...

...apparently chocolate pudding is the perfect medium to paint a perfect Bear. *smiles*




At first, I thought I was nuts to let her do it, but really... it IS brown, she WAS done & I would have just thrown it away, right? I mean at least this way, we found a use for it prior to it's demise AND I saved myself some actual BROWN PAINT!
(which we're running low on anyhow!) All in a day's crazy for us people, all in a day!

Ruby & Bear's Elephant Safari...

Kissin' Cousins & Egg Hunts...

Easter Smiles...

My Little Picasso...

Got Balls?

Ruby does!
;)

The Questions They Ask...

...a conversation that took place this morning as I was dressing Ruby for the day:

Me: *pulling on her underwear*
Ruby: "Mom, did you give me a wedgie Mom?"
Me: *laughing* "I dunno, did I?"
Ruby: "Did you?"
Me: *REALLY LAUGHING NOW*
"Let me check baby..."
*checking*
"Yep, I guess I did, I'm sorry Roo..."
Ruby: "Mom, stop dat Mom. That's not nice, remener it's a famawee show!"


BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
SHE IS MY LITTLE CHIP OF THE BLOCK NOW ISN'T SHE?
LMFAO!

My Kitchen Bible...

...otherwise known as my handwritten book FULL of every recipe you've ever seen here on the blog, PLUS a few I haven't shared yet, has recently had an overhaul.
My mother's friend Pat was the giver of the first 'journal' that turned into my kitchen bible.
(henceforth known as KB)
She heard that it was full & bought me a newer, BIGGER one,
which I LOVE,
but figured it made more sense to put ALL recipes into ONE location,
rather than several.

SO, I've started the slow process of hand writing all those recipe's into the new book.

Once that is done, my old KB will be of no use to me & will need to find a new home.
I wouldn't just give it to anyone & my family knows how to get my recipes if they want them, they just ask, SO...

...how would you all feel about having a raffle of sorts & the winner gets my KB with all it's recipes & DELICIOUSNESS within it's pages?
Say, a dollar a chance?
I figure, whatever money is collected will go towards a new inexpensive digital camera to replace my beloved Nikon one that recently died on me.

I'd pay for shipping to ship it to whoever is the winner & I guess maybe pay pal would be the best way to buy a chance? What do you guys think?
I thought about just letting it sit around the house but it seems like such a waste, especially with all the fantastic goodness that's inside it, seems a shame not to find it a proper new home with one of you.
Someone who not only reads & loves our blog,
but someone who also LOVES when I do TUESDAYS WITH UNCLE STEVE & enjoys the recipes each time.

Feedback welcome, a buck a chance is pretty cheap I think & certainly even if every one of my readers went in for a chance, I could buy a cheap doable camera & someone comes out the new KITCHEN MASTER with all my Italian knowledge packed neatly (sometimes not so neatly) into that sweet little green journal.

What say everyone?

"Sometimes...

...my pee pee is VEWY dwippery. *giggles* Momma, I say DWIPPERY! " -Ruby Cate

[as told to me this morning in our little bathroom while, as usual, we did our morning duties together side by side & upon time to wipe, (Ruby stands for this part) she noticed a little 'drop' on her foot...]

Seriously, sometimes the best smiles are those early morning ones in our bathroom.
Who'd of ever thunk it...?

*HUGE SMILE*