Eggnog~YUCK * pecan pie~EWWW!!

yummy eggnog

scrumptious pecan pie

 I have been married almost 25 years and in all those Christmas times, I have never enjoyed the taste of eggnog or pecan pie. Now you may think I'm crazy but I have to admit, I've never like the taste of eggnog or pecan pie. I'm pretty plain in my taste (which, by the way, drives my poor husband crazy) and have never learned the finer taste of eggnog *YUCK!!!!!* or pecan pie *EWWWWW!!!*
But for some odd reason this Christmas I couldn't get enough of either. So I have probably gain... Oh... at least 100 lbs with all the eggnog I've drank and all the pecan pie I could sneak away from the rest of the family ;)...
Cynthia, my daughter, decided she'd make a pecan pie (her first time, mind you) for her daddy (one of his favorites!). On her second try (we wont talk about her first one :]P *bla*) she did a stupendous job! It was so rich it just melted in your mouth! It has made my head buzz with all the sugar that was running threw my veins, lol!!! But I cannot make myself stop eating it!! OMGdness, why did I have to fall in love with the taste of pecan pie and the rich taste of eggnog, I may have drank most of the eggnog we bought; It was so yummy and creamy!! Where has my taste been all my life?! Did my taste buds finally decide to BUD!?! It's a horrible awaking!!
For one, I have never liked pie's and I can barely tolerate milk... as a matter of fact I don't drink milk! Ugh, now Iv done it or maybe I should say my taste buds have done it... Time to hit the gym, take out my, VERY DUSTY, Pilate's DVDs and watch my food intake. But now I have to fight demons I have never encountered before!! Pecan pie and eggnog demons; Jesus help me ;P Not only that being OLDER makes moderation harder when you haven't done it in a while!!!

So now, here it is friends... I'm going to fight a battle that I need to win... So as I take this last bite of this scrumptious pecan pie,( yes, I'm eating it now and have eaten most of it) I will head up stairs (if I can make it up the stairs) and see if I can find my workout mat and DVDs... Ugh....

Here's to you, BUDs!! How dare you decide to come alive and catch me off guard.... Mmmm the crust is the best part.... K... I'm done (eating the pie that is.....)

Ms.Ruby's Preschool

Merry Christmas from my lil friends!

Making Gingerbread Houses

Our finished product! #Beautiful!!

Gift exchanged ~ books :)

We had a Christmas party at preschool and we made gingerbread houses for fun. What a time we had doing those!! Messy, messy, messy but oh... so much fun!! The children were enthusiastic and very thorough about their houses. We also took the time to wrap our own gifts to our mommy's... I absolutely love watching lil hands work... and it was the cutes thing to watch!! We had a 'book' gift exchanged and the children really did love their new books... who says lil people need toys to be happy?! At this age they love books and love to be read too. We took time out to take pictures around the tree and that was a chore, lol.. But we survived.

Over all it was a good day and wonderful memories at ms.ruby's preschool.

Christmas day...

Our tree surrounded with gifts



Julian with his favorite dog; Rosita'




Daddy's Christmas kiss from sissy♥




Cynthia and Danny toasting to the day :)




Cynthia and Sean; he is happy, he has just also been very sick



Julian and a  variety of hot coco; his FAV!!



ME!! I don't mind chocolate, but it is a migraine trigger for me.
Danny found these chocolate smelling candles!! YAY!
I can enjoy the smell of chocolate and not worry about migraines!!



Sissy received footy pajamas!! COOLness!!



Dad and spicy stuff. Just down his alley :)




Are we surprised?! YES, I think we are!!!




Cynthia receive a Spanish/English Bible and was moved to tears.
Love you sissy!!




Julian loves board games... 'Sorry' to add to his collection :)



Rosie, enjoying the flower wrapped around her neck, lol...

Francis also has a flower wrapped around her neck and loving on her best friend; Sean!!

There were over 100 pictures of our wonderful day, I only posted a few... Again; God bless you on this wonderful day!! In Jesus name; Ruby :)

Merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours :)

I would love to wish all families and friends a wonderful Christmas.

Our family, again, was blessed to be together for this wonderful season.

As always I was very emotional, all day... anything would set me off in tears, lol.

This is my fourth year without my mother being with my family,

 celebrating in the festivities.

She passed away Spring of 2008,

making Christmas 2007 her last Christmas holiday with us.

But it was amazingly awesome to be with my husband and children.

Danny's job takes him from the home many days at a time. He became very ill just before he was heading home for Christmas. I was really worried, him being diabetic, that he would be too sick to be a part of all the happy celebration, and in turn I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself. But with a whole day of rest and good food and lots of Gatorade he was back to himself. I believe he had dehydrated himself.

Our time together was wonderful. We were struggling this year monetarily but Cynthia made everyone dreams come true. What a trouper!! I just love her so much, not wanting much for herself but making sure her loved ones had something to make them smile; she made it happen! Julian was not short in gifts and she completely lavished me with an amazing amount of gifts; not only for myself, but for my preschool as well. I was completely moved beyond words. 

I pray you all had a tremendous time with your family and Friends. Hope you felt the wonderful blessings from God. And His wonderful gift of hope; a hope that just keeps on giving and giving and giving!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

MR. T; [Cynthia's 'Bebe' our 'cat']



In the kitchen, waiting to be fed by his mommy; Cynthia♥



We have this cat, well actually we have two cats and three dogs! But we have this cat and his name is Mr. T... He is a Polydactyly ;) lol... What in the world is a polydactyly? I will give you the online Wikipedia's definition of these cats: 

A polydactyl cat is a cat with a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyly (or polydactylism, also known as hyperdactyly), a type of cat body type genetic mutation that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paws. Nicknames for polydactyl cats include "boxing cats", "mitten cats", "mitten-foot cats", "snowshoe cats", "thumb cats", "six-fingered cats", "Cardi-cats", "Hemingway cats", and "double-pawed cats."

Our neighbors know him as 'Big Foot' and love him to pieces. He roams our neighborhood searching for food; squirrels, birds, and rats; usually bring them home as gifts. We do feed him here at home and even give him tuna treats ~ straight from the can. When he goes on a hunt, he can be gone for a few days... Why he is this way, I could never tell you. He is domesticated and has never really been in the wild having had him since he was born. My niece, Martha, also had a polydactyly (Mr. T's mother) her cat had an extra toe on all four paws, whereas Mr. T was born with an extra toe only on his front paws. He was the only cat she birthed (which was strange in itself) no litter, just Mr. T. They named him solo and he was almost as big as his mother. They had to get rid of him so we decided to take him (about 10 or 11 years ago).

In Cynthia's bed snuggling down to a long nap

He is Cynthia's 'babe' and completely hers, Mr. T knows Cynthia is HIS pet, lol! They are inseparable. He sleeps in her bed, when he is not in ours. She just has to call to him and he will follow her all over the house. She is so attached to this animal that I'm afraid she is going to be heart-broken if and when he is no longer with us; not knowing how long cats live, I don't know if that will be sooner or later. She talks to him and he talks (meows) back to her. They definitely have some kind of special bond that I pray, for her sake, he can live forever, lol.  

One time she fed Mr. T a chicken bone and he began to gag and choke. He began to claw at himself because he couldn't breathe or get it out; Cynthia was screaming and crying at her father  to help Mr. T... (Of course she is daddy's girl, and he'd risk anything for her) so, growling and many scratches later, he relieved Mr. T of the bone. Today, don't let Cynthia hear or see you offer Mr. T a bone she will go ballistic on you, lol. She is now very protective of him.

Another time he was gone on one of his hunting expeditions longer that usual. When he finally made it home we found him with one paw skinned up to the elbow or where their legs bend. We believe he was caught in a trap and pulled his paw out skinning himself as he escaped. Rushing him to the vet, they were able to roll his skin down and reattach it; it wasn't ripped or torn just rolled up. A very lucky cat.

Not to mention all the times he'd come home with scratches on his face or cuts on his body. 

If cats have 9 lives he is more than likely down to 4/5 left.

He is very proud and rules the roost. Even our dogs; yellow lab, Blue Nose Pit and a mutt, are extremely afraid of him. When he walks into the living area they will go and find a place furthest away from him so they are not in reach of his paws or extended claws. We have very narrow hall ways and if he is sitting right in the middle they will not come down or out of the hall way because there is not enough room to go around him.

Yes, we always say Mr. T has an attitude because he has extra toes. He is Superior to his fellow animal family (Lil' Boy, Sassy, Francis, and Rosie) and the neighborhood pets and animals. He is not even afraid to challenge a dog walking on a leash in front of our house or a loose dog in the yard; making himself extremely fluffy and larger than life. *sigh* sweet Mr. T... actually he is, but I guess you can say he is overly confident. One thing that we love about Mr. T ~ he fetches. My husband will crumple up a sheet of paper into a loose ball and throw it across the room he will run and play with it; batting it around, then bite into it and bring it back. Starting a new game of throwing and fetching... It's actually hilarious, but he does do it... 

We love Mr. T and  will never have another like him. He is close to all of us and has implanted those big feet into our hearts. But especially Cynthia's... He will forever be her "Mr. T"



A closer look at those mitten paws



A lattice fence ;]

McKenzie, Ava, Jacob and Shawn
My little preschool friends

My husband did something he has never done before. As a matter of fact, NEVER even attempted.
I had my pre-licencing visit on November 16, 2011, it was a Wednesday. I was given a to-do-list to accomplish before she came back the first week of December to licence me for in-home childcare. There were 9 projects on the list that needed to be done.
On this list was a set of medal brackets on our back slab that needed to either be removed or used in some safe way (they were considered unsafe for the children, as they were). We had them put in when our concrete was layed for a future building project (that was over 5 years ago, lol). I called my husband (he works away from home) to tell him he would now need to take them out. He was not happy about it but without complaint said he would remove them when he got home that weekend. I knew down deep inside it was going to be a huge ordeal to take those bracket out (they were embedded in the concrete) and forget about that building project we were going to do in the future (HA!!). One of my parents gave a suggestion to put a small fence up for the time being. It would serve two purposes; one the brackets would become safe and they would be there for that future building project we had in mind ;)... GREAT IDEA!! Oh wait a minute, my husband is NOT a handy man (and I give all kudos to you women who have handy men in your homes) or crafty in this way... Ugh, we may just be losing those brackets.
When my husband got home we talked about it. We went over ideas and plans and he took one look at me and said, "I am going to build a fence." WHAT?! Really, Danny, you are going to put up a fence? "Yes, Sean and I are going to Home Depot and get the material, right now!" O.K. Ummm... I didn't want to say 'do you know what you are doing' but I sure was thinking it.  Him and Sean went to Home Depot and began to do their manly thing.
They spent their day in the back yard, sawing, measuring, hammering, and making all kinds of racket. I on the other hand stayed inside, not wanting to get in their way or see what they were creating, lol. Well, when it was all said and done, they called me out and showed me their finished project. I was amazed! OMGdness! It was beautiful! I was so proud of my hunny... he did it! A little lattice fence just the right size for my little friends! Nothing fancy but done for the purpose of using those brackets in a safe way. AND keeping those brackets to use for a later building project (10 years down the road).

He did a great job and I am very thankful for all the hard work HE dose to make my dream possible. That is one reason he works away form home to bring home money to pay for all the expenses that are needed to make this all happen. I love my husband, he is so good to me; I could have never ask for anyone better... God is forever blessings us as we move forward in His will.

I will have more confidence in what my hunny is able to do... When you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything! He did and I am sincerely proud of him and my little lattice fence.

Fun with Julian



From bottom to top: Julian, Shawn, Jacob, McKenzie and Ava
Mrs. Ruby's Best Beginnings Preschool

When Julian has no school he spends the day with me and my lil people. He just asked me the other day why don't I get a job and work outside of home since I do nothing here. HAHA! That statement made me laugh right out loud. So watching lil people is not work?? Hmmm.

Julian seems to think it is all play and no chore. And I guess he would be right in saying that because when he is here... I cannot harness all their energies to do preschool work, let alone projects because they are using it  in moments like these (refer to picture above). When Julian spends his days with us the children do not want to go home at the end of the day. During the day they are driving me up the wall with all their chasing, climbing, running, falling, rolling, hiding, and piling up on Julian, NON-Stop!

At first I was only to happy when nap time came around, but then when JULIAN'S home... there is no concept of NAP!!!

At the end of the day or days they may not  want to go home but I sure would love for Julian to go home... Oh Wait!! This is Julian's home *sigh* O.K. then I am painstakingly waiting for Julian to go back to school the next day or following week. Ha! What a kid, I love him dearly and so do my little friends.

He does so well with them and gives them so much attention. His exuberance for play and wonderful imagination, he will forever be their hero.

THANK YOU, Julian for making our days crazy, wild, and extremely fun! We love you and cannot wait till the next time your school is closed!!

Mrs. Ruby's Preschool

L♥ve my Job!!

 

I am a preschool teacher, I consider it my 'Super Powers' ;) I love my job, little people and teaching.

I have been in the teaching field for about 16.3 years. During those years I taught preschool (including infants) to the eighth grade (13 year olds).  I found that I’d much rather cross a toddler then a pre-teen. Don't get me wrong I love pre-teens and teens but I’d rather be their friend than their authority, which has made raising teens quite challenging.

At this moment I am working from home. My son, Julian (BTW who is only 8), just ask me today, why  I don't have a real job and work. ROTFLOL!! JULIAN, REALLY?!? Trust me, just because I am at home all day does not mean I’m NOT working! HA!

My husband and I consider this a blessing, to be working from home. I absolutely love it and feel that I’m in the LORDs will; going somewhere I have never been before. It’s been an overwhelming journey ~because it is moving faster than I expected ~ and I just want to crumble under the enormity of it all and not move for a very long time. When Gods hand is in every aspect of your life, you feel as though you are moving in a whirlwind, moving forward, but in a whirlwind. And you may be doing just that! I know I have felt that I could not stop at any time, because if I did, I’d missed one of the greatest opportunities of my life. And I honestly believe I would of in this situation.

I’m teaching 4 little people in my house. They are mastering their numbers, writing their names, getting their letters down. They also love their shapes and colors in every possible art project that we can think of. They are working on their speech, space, and encounters with their peers. It can be extremely difficult to problem solve when your feelings have been hurt, when you have been spurned or when your blocks have been knocked over. Sharing or taking turns is the biggest challenge in any toddlers/preschools life, but it can be done with love, patience, and firm direction.

I love the toddler/preschool life!! Being a part of their little squabbles, hasty decisions (that usually make matters worse) and innocent love triangles just make my world a better place. It’s a beautiful distraction to sadness in this world and or problems in my own life that I myself cannot seem to solve. It has help me get through one of the greatest and toughest challenges in my life, my mother’s death.

But teaching little ones brings me great joy. I love watching them learn their boundaries, try to find themselves, learn their dis-likes and likes, realize; here at Ms Ruby’s school we can use our words and not get into trouble, watching their dimpled chubby hands work the play-dough or use scissors, trying to be big and dress themselves or helping their peers put on dress-up clothes… the list is endless with little people, not only do they learn something new every day, but each child teaches me something new every day as well.

As a parent you learn new things but you also know your children and can pretty much know what their next choice will be; whereas with me I get little people coming and going and I am surprised on a daily basis with new challenges and learning experiences.

And above all else, the love of a child is unconditional with so much forgiveness it can fill the deepest part of the ocean. Children are so trusting it sickens me when I hear on the news another child has been abused by an adult (especially their parents). They need us in so many ways without guilt or shame tacked on their every mistake that I love to be there for them as their provider. They fill me with such amazing healing and strength I just want to give back to them.

I love my job and this quote sums it up for me:

‘Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life.’

Harvey MacKay

And since it is in my home, I have come to LOVE my home; love it more than I ever have since the day we bought it. I believe this is what the LORD has wanted me to feel for a very, very long time. Thank you LORD ~ you have filled my heart with praise!

**Photo shoot by Stephanie Flores Photography