Meet the newest member of our family.

Contrary to what the title of this post might imply, I'm NOT pregnant and we are not adopting. But we have made an addition to our family and it has caused a greater stir with members of the opposite sex than if I truly did have another child. Meet Eric's newest hobby:

Assuming most of you who read this post are female like myself- you are thinking, "Oh, a truck." But oh no this isn't just any truck- its a 1964 Chevrolet truck that has been restored and it is catching the eye of garbage collectors and tattooed men everywhere. I've been told this is an investment and that Finn will drive it when he is old enough- assuming refined oil is still around in 7 years. Eric bought this truck on Monday and I have already been stopped several times about it and I haven't even driven it yet- Eric tells me he has to teach me how to drive it. But I have decided if I was single, this would definitely be the car to drive to attract men - especially if I was into the kind who sport barbed wire tatts and don't mind manual labor. The best time I was stopped was when I was walking outside to go get Katie from preschool. The garbage man was dumping my cans and stopped his truck to ask me about it. Apparently he had made an offer on it awhile ago, but it was too low. Now I guess he can admire it every Wednesday as he drives by. With all this attention I have decided that this baby needs a name. I have narrowed it down to a few selections, but I need your help to pick one.

1.- Eula May- I had a math professor in college with this name who was from Kentucky. I could totally see her driving this truck.

2.- Cooter- This is a shout out to the "Dukes of Hazzard" or the "Chasing Boys" as my brothers use to call them. To me this truck screams Bo and Luke Duke, but it just don't feel right to steal "General Lee."

3.- Leland- As in "Leland, get back in your cell. Don't make me get da hose." Ooops- I think a bit of my Southern roots are showing!

4.- Ruby- Don't she just shine like a ruby!

Well ,those are your choices so leave me a comment with your vote. And feel free to write in other options. If you need to- use the picture to help you be inspired.

The Zucchini doesn't fall far from the vine.

What -another post about zucchini! Yes, I wanted to show that my preoccupation with playing games with my vegetables is genetic. This is an ongoing joke that has been going on in my family for weeks. My sister, Michelle, documented it very well and I refer you to her to enjoy this little nugget out of the Robbins family storybook. And thank you to Amber and her mother for providing us with Brother Zucchini. They should be a proud Aunt and Grandma!

Look who came to our house yesterday...

Mrs. Sally Nesbit!

We always thoroughly enjoy her visits!

All in a Day's Work

What do you get when you put 3 mothers, 1 grandmother, 7 children, bushels of tomatoes, lots of garlic, basil and oregano, 40 glass jars with rings and lids and several diet cokes together for 6 hours? Well, besides a ginormous mess, you also get this:

I have been canning for about 11 years. My mother-in-law taught me when I was first married. This is probably something I should've or could've learned from my own mother, but I can imagine it is a lot like when my husband tried to teach me to golf. I just didn't want him bossin' me around and I guess I didn't want my mother doing it either. But since I have learned my mother and I have canned several things together. My sisters-in-law wanted to learn how to make this spaghetti sauce that I have canned for many years, so we got together yesterday and boiled, peeled, measured, poured and canned our little hearts out. Canning is not hard at all, but it is very time-consuming especially when you have little ankle-biters constantly wanting to be feed or wiped on various parts of their bodies. That is what is so great about canning with other ladies. Even when one of you gets distracted by offspring, there is someone else who can be moving the product forward. Ideally the best scenario is to invite a grandma or your own mother who doesn't bring any more little people to the premises, but one isn't always so lucky. We were fortunate to have my mother-in-law with us yesterday- even with her gimpy knee! She had knee surgery about 2 weeks ago, but she was a trooper and played "Mother, may I" with the kids and even would chop oregano or peel tomatoes. She is a canner at heart. And I think I am too. There is something so satisfying about being able to look at those filled jars on your counter and think, "Wow, I really accomplished something today." Plus you get to enjoy yummy food for a long time. I know I am weird; sometimes I think I should have been born a century ago. But I still have a plethera of tomatoes in my garden so i think I will be doing several more batches of spaghetti sauce and salsa. So if anyone wants to join me- you are welcome to. Just be forewarned if you do it:

A day of canning="left to their own devices" orphans=