G-strings, Birthdays and the Great Need for Patience

For as much joy as little Ellie Graye brings to me, she can make me bat-crap nutso in a way that is almost comical, but not quite...especially when she's tired and hungry - which tonight she was both of. The tired part, we just had to wait out; the hungry part? Oh man, oh man, oh man.  She wouldn't eat ANYTHING - and I refuse to give her crappy food.  She'll eventually get hungry enough to eat something with actual nutritional value.  I cannot wait until I can say, "I'm not your line-order chef, little girl," or "This is what we're having for dinner; it's this or nothing."  For now the food thing is just crazy-making, and I'm about ready to pull my hair out! But I AIN'T giving in!

She has over the last few days been eating gnocchi...which is better than french fries, I suppose.  In order to alleviate at least a little bit of the guilt surrounding giving her a carb overload, I decided to make some homemade pumpkin gnocchi.  I did - and rather successfully, I might add. BUT my darling daughter decided that since they didn't look exactly like the gnocchi from Trader Joe's, they were better off served to the dogs who sat beneath the high-chair eagerly awaiting her cast-offs.  Nothing like seeing your hard work get hurled across the room as dogs jump into the air snapping at flying pieces of pasta.

Pumpkin gnocchi with spinach

It was almost as entertaining as that Wii game where you try to hit the soccer balls with your head but avoid the shoes and panda heads that are being thrown at you wildly across the screen.  Gnocchi was everywhere.  Scraping pasta off the walls of the kitchen while my child screamed and thrashed around on the floor wasn't exactly how I would have planned my birthday.  But it is what it is.

I did have to call and vent to my unexpecting husband who answered the phone chipperly, "Hey Babe! How's your birthday?"
"IT'S HORRIBLE!"
"Oh. Man. It must be really hard having the baby so much by yourself," he said in a sincerely sympathetic voice.
Crap. Why's he gotta be so good at this???
I was still annoyed and upset and feeling sorry for myself, but yet another good guy helped me chill out a bit more - my friend Matt.  He has a little boy a few months older than Ellie Graye, and was understanding, patient, and sympathetic too.  Just having someone say, "Wow! That sucks!" made things feel a little less overwhelming.
Needless to say, EG went to bed early tonight...and without a fight.  Maybe she was just overtired.

My little stinker right before she threw a fit because I wouldn't turn the TV on

Today was also Victor's 40th birthday.  Oddly enough, despite his constant work right alongside me, I had never given him samples of all the vodkas that I've made.  Thus, part of his gift was just that - a sampler pack of 12 of the different vodkas that we've made from what we've grown here at DPF (there are still 5 - 6 more flavors!!!).

blackberry, jalepeno, watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, asian pear, blueberry, pear, rhubarb, apple, spiced pear, and wild plum

I covered a box with wallpaper I had found on clearance somewhere a while ago, and then wrapped it up in cellophane.  I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

The box was the one the bottles came in, but I wanted their necks to show, so I cut it down

I reused the dividers that had come in the box

Placed one of our logo stickers (Colin designed that!)

Wrapped it up, and it was gift-ready!

The only other thing that I managed to get done today (aside from the vodka sampler box and the pumpkin gnocchi) was take care of the left over chicken that was in the refrigerator.  I hate throwing food out, but there wasn't much left - so I did what I always do...made an appetizer out of it.  Yeah, I know...I'm a planner, but it's just such an easy thing to make, and when you're rushing around or have unexpected guests, having one of these in the freezer can be a life saver!  I simply use the blender adapter on my immersion blender, and basically make a puree of the leftover chicken (or whatever you have, I've used everything from veggies to beef stew) then spread it on a sheet Pillsbury dough, top with bbq sauce and cheese, roll, and voila - an appetizer waiting to be baked.  I wrap it in parchment paper, throw in the freezer, and use it on a day when I need it!  No waste, and I'm oh-so-prepared!

The chicken was from a rotisserie chicken I got at Costco

top with bbq sauce and cheese

Roll and freeze!

My mother brought me lunch today in honor of my birthday.  I'm glad she lives so close now; her visit helped make my day special!

I wonder what she was thinking about...she looks so pensive

She brought me flowers, and then while she was here....

Flowers from my husband arrived!

I was just chatting with a friend of mine from the days I spent in Madonna's household.  One particular birthday of mine was...well...it was odd.  We all gathered round for cake and gift-giving - the kids gave me their cute little cards, and I started opening gifts from other members of the household staff.  As I opened them, I became more and more confused...finally, I asked, "Um, did you guys come up with a theme for this birthday or something?"  When I finally opened the gift from Madonna herself, I just laughed.  For some reason (and no, it wasn't planned), everyone had gotten me some kind of underwear...the chef had bought me a tank with matching panties that said, "I like boys." The other nanny had bought me a cute little nighty.  The gift from Madonna? A g-string with beads. Yes. That's what I said.  The clincher? The beads could be taken off and used as a necklace - I kept it, because, well...because I have a g-string from Madonna.

My birthday present to myself? Sleep.

RANDOM PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Talking to Yovani. "HIIIIIIIIII"

Making the gnocchi

She wanted him dressed...

her reaction to seeing him dressed

You can't tell, but she was dancing with Teddy!